Muahaha, I'm going to be the first one to say hi to you guys, kay?! Dawali's intention was to visit DDM, travelling along the shoreline'ish, and came across some scents he had not noticed before, hence halting to camp nearby and see if his presence draws any attention. He is outside borders, but the fire and his scent is probably detectable from along your borders, or something like that.

Belle rested, or whatever it was she did when she stood perfectly still, where he had tied her up by a nearby tree trunk. Some fallen trees were just made for securing horses, it seemed. He made use of her increasingly lately, and he didn't know whether it was because he was too lazy to walk himself, or because he found comfort in bringing another living being along. She certainly provided some amount of comfort for the treks when he planned to be sleeping outside packlands at least one night, or perhaps two. This time, the Chief and his horse of choice had been headed towards Dahlia de Mai, but curiosity had gotten the better of him along the way. He sat now and gazed into the fire, dusk soon making it a primary source of light around his camp, and pondered on what was going on. He had moved off the path he ususally used when traveling north, when he noticed scent patterns that had not been there previously, and though he had no intention of trespassing, he was not able to move on, either. So there the curious Chief sat, after having set up camp and devoured a piece of the fish he'd brought along for the trip, and he waited. He could have howled, but he was uncertain. If this was indeed a new pack, he daren't make an impatient impression on them. Not a pack so close to their own territories. It was vital to stay on good terms with one's neighbours.

Just a note: Dawali wasn't really eating fish, he had done so previously. But since you both mention it I'll just go on as if he did. Sorry if my writing was confusing!
And woo, new pack!

He often zoned out when waiting, and wasn't sure just how long he had been sitting there when another's scent grew stronger, and he could soon hear someone, and then see them approaching. A large, strangely colored white wolf. Dawali studied it curiously for a moment, for while he was very used to dyes, and many wolves in AniWaya marked their fur with patterns, this one was far more... unique in his use of such substances. He arched an eyebrow when he spotted the bloodstains on him, and quickly stood up under the pretense of a polite greeting. He did not want to be caught sitting down if this wolf could not be trusted. His lanky form gave a small bow-and-nod; his usual greeting to anyone and of any rank. But, despite his initial worry, he soon sat next to the fire again, and calmed a little at how the stranger, despite his odd.. markings, did not appear to be hostile. He looked down at the fish when asked about it, fairly certain that the name he had for it wouldn't be a name this guy knew. "We call it ugvstili — it's a river fish. Quite tasty, too! Want a piece?" Reaching down into his satchel, he pulled out another and offered it to the stranger, well aware that he probably had enough food, what with that beaver he had brought along. "I'm from AniWaya to the southwest. I was actually going to visit Dahlia de Mai, but ran across your scent markings and became curious..." The red wolf trailed off as he suddenly became aware that the two were being approached by another individual, and quickly rose to greet her, as well. The Amara responded as she asked the other (Ouija was his name, it seemed), answering for him. "I'm Dawali Amara, Chief of the AniWayans to the southwest. I passed by on my way to Dahlia de Mai, and noticed your scents." Still standing, he glanced from one to the other. "Tell me, is this a new pack?" There were more important questions he would like answers to, but they could not be asked outright. He would have to figure those answers out by himself.

Not a problem! I ramble, anyways XD

"Ah, I don't care much for salt water fish." Or, rather, he didn't care much for anything related to salt water. The Chief studied the strangely colored male as he in turn studied the fish offered to him. The red wolf nodded enthusiastically when Ouija expressed approval of its taste, and glanced at the dead beaver when he was offered it. Dawali found it a little strange that the male would kill it only for its pelt, and not for the need of a meal, but he would not insult him by mentioning it. It would be impolite to say such a thing in response to an offer of food, and so the Chief smiled broadly and nodded. "Why, sure! I don't mind a little bit of beaver — I haven't tasted one in ages." He had a different name for beaver as well, but had learned the names they used here for most of the mammals. It just so happened that he rarely discusses fish with anyone, so he didn't know those names. The other offered a bit of backstory, and Dawali raised both eyebrows, quite impressed. He'd swam across the bay? The Chief had traveled along the coast a few times and looked across the water, imagining he could perhaps build a boat someday and test it there, but he would never have thought anyone could swim across. Then again, Dawali was a poor swimmer at best, so his expectations were not very high. "Sometimes you're just lucky, and the first wolves you meet in a new place turn out to be the right kind." It had been like that for Dawali as well, at least in a sense.


"Miss Collins" corrected the male, and Dawali found himself wondering who Shawchert was. Often, names mentioned were names he would have heard before, because he knew the heads of the packs, and their most trusted and immediate helpers and friends. But all of these names were strange to him, and he became very curious indeed. Once realizing that she was in fact a co-leader, he greeted her properly like he would have had he not been so overtaken by his own curiosity. A prolonged nod, or perhaps a short bow of the neck — it could be called many things. "Nice to meet you as well, Skye." He looked behind himself at the camp and where Belle stood safely, knowing that his satchels held nothing of interest except a more fish. "I would have brought you a gift to greet you with, but I did not know of you until today," he said apologetically, quickly grabbing another fish and offering it to Skye before calming a little. Whenever he went on a diplomatic mission, he followed customs, and customs dictated that he should bring a gift. However, this diplomatic mission had found him unprepared, and he attempted to move the subject away from the lack of a gift, so that his awkwardness could leave him. He glanced at them both as he spoke, deep voice sounding quite calm, though if they had known him well, they would have noticed how he was just a little put off. "You have just recently claimed these lands, then?"

Rawr!

Dawali nodded thoughtfully at Ouija and watched in silence as he exchanged a few words and the correction with his leader. The strangely colored male then presented the Chief with a dilemma, and he hesitated before he whispered seductively. "Uh.. yeah, sure. Thank you," he said, though not entirely certain why. For reasons unknown to him, he had never before tasted a beaver's tail, though he had tasted beaver on numerous occasions. Perhaps the elders kept it for their own reasons - was it not allowed to eat beaver tail? He had been young when they had lived in the oldest location he knew, and that was the only place before this one that had had beavers close to it. Almost 5 years ago, he couldn't remember it if his life depended on it. Still, it was rude to decline.


He nodded again - never one to keep conversation going through sound - as Skye explained, and his eyes lit up for a moment. He was satisfied that he would most likely be the first one to know of this group. It was a good thing to be first for numerous reasons, but mostly because they could gain acknowledgement through him knowing, and that might strengthen their future pack relations. He remembered the first days of Muggles, and his nervousness and awkward position. "This will be Ani-Waya's third w.inter, so in a sense, we have not been here long, either." It didn't feel like long, compared to the other part of his life, but the tribe was older than many of its members. "I can remember quite easily when we first arrived here - the first few months were nerve-wracking, until we mapped our neighbors and decided they were friends." Russet hands with cream palms moved in patterns in front of the Chief as he spoke calmly, but with enthusiasm in his eye. "Know that you need not worry about us, and Phoenix.Valley are our allies — I doubt you will find trouble in them, for Jefferson is a fair wolf." He was trying to be nice as well as wise. If he offered them information they could benefit from, it could reinforce this newly established contact into something even better. Like what they had with Phoenix.Valley.

Rawr!

The strangely painted male handed him the meats, and Dawali accepted it gratefully. "Thank you, it's lovely." A smile was spread over his face as he accepted the gift, and he made sure to carefully wrap it and place it in his satchel. It might seem disrespectful not to eat it right away, but Dawali had recently eaten, and a waste of food would be equally disrespectful in his own belief. He was somewhat surprised at the question of whether or not he ate the brains, and almost took the dead animal out of his satchel again, when the male continued. "Ah, I eat what there is; I don't believe in wasting foods. But if you need it for some purpose, you may have it back," he offered. Brain was okay; he didn't think anything of it. He did prefer liver, though, but who didn't? His now moved onto Skye, who seemed startled by the question also, though perhaps differently than himself. The conversation continued, however, and he directed his attention to it. However unfortunate for Ouija, for now his main attention was focused on Skye. You never knew, one day the relationship between these packs could turn out to be vital. The red-pelted male grinned broadly at the mention of trade, and was quickly curious about these "arts". What kind of arts? So many cultures seemed to have different opinions. "A trade would be brilliant! These arts.. do they include music?" Perhaps they had some new instruments to supplement their own collection with. It would be interesting to see if they had craftsmen who could create new ones as well. Dawali's knowledge only stretched as far as simple flutes.

WC: 409
Rawr!

Dawali said nothing when Ouija refused the brain back. It was his own choice to make, and apparently he had a knack for catching beavers anyway. The Chief was sincerely appreciative of the gift he had received, and smiled politely when his head bobbed in a nod. "Hehe, yes, you could say I am a gatherer at heart; there is always some use for everything, so why not keep it all?" The colorful male rose to leave, and as he excused himself Dawali gave him his small bow, a gesture somewhere in between a firm nod, and a bow of the head and neck only. It was his way of showing respect, and most around these parts seemed to recognize this. "A pleasure, Ouija. I hope our next meeting will be pleasurable, also." Dawali remained polite and with his attention turned to the younger male while he watched him make his way elsewhere, turning to Skye only when Ouija was almost out of sight. Now, he sat down again by the fire. It was not so comfortable to stand all the time.

He felt his excitement rise as she confirmed his suspicions, and his tail could not help but give a swish in one direction before settling again. So they did music, eh? Now, the flute he had heard of, but this guitar thing... it was something new. But if they could play the flute, perhaps there were those among them who spent their time crafting instruments, also. "Fantastic! Tell me, what is this... guitar?" They played primarily on drums, rattles, flutes and their own voices in AniWaya, though of course there were many different kinds of flute. If they sang, they would sing the same melody, all of them, and the tones they chose would always be one out of a scale of five different tones. The pentatone scale, though Dawali had absolutely no knowledge of this. To him, their music was all he had ever heard, and naturally he assumed that their music must be similar, if only with different instruments. What else was there? One of these days, on a visit, he thought, he had to meet this Shawchert and hear his music. "Do you have craftsmen? For example, is anyone able to craft drums and flutes in your pack?" It was only natural to know how to build your instrument, he thought. Only because he had never seen a piano or a guitar before, surely.

Very sorry for the delay! Please read this to understand? <3

Skye drew a shape in the sand, and Dawali watched with great interest, blatantly obvious from the shine in his eye and slightly opened mouth. Still, the shape she drew made little sense to him - how were the strings made? Why on earth would it make sense? The male assumed the drawing to be of the actual size of a "guitar", and could not deduce what materials it was made from. To.. pluck the strings? His eyebrows furrowed towards each other as the male thought, and he took a breath to speak a question several times before the question came, as if trying to find the best way to speak it. "So— You— ...I think I will have to see this guitar to understand," he finally concluded, speaking it with a resigned sigh, though still a very intrigued one. Having no clue at all how an instrument like that would work, the male spent a short moment wondering how it sounded. If tackled literally, "plucking" strings didn't sound like it would make a pleasing sound at all. But clearly there had to be more to it than that.

His brows rose with excitement as Skye responded with such positive words, though lessened only slightly when she stated she didn't know if they could make instruments. For a moment Dawali was puzzled yet again - here was a pack of many musicians, yet none were able to create instruments? Who made these "guitars", then? "I see... But where do you get your instruments if you do not create them yourselves?" While Dawali was foreign to these instruments, he knew very well that many inhabitants of these lands salvaged items left over from the humans. He loathed the feeling he got whenever he approached an area which had so many scars it was obvious that it had held many of them at once - feeling as if their spirits were staring at hi from beyond while he was disturbing their ground. It chilled him, and he avoided the areas as much as he could. It had been a year since he set foot in such a place, and with time he almost forgot they existed. For that reason, he didn't even stop to think that that was how these individuals were acquiring their "guitars".