OOC: Okay, I lied. Word Count: 506
Fawkes just laid on his back for a few moments, stunned by both the impact and the sudden appearance of a coyote. The red bird eyed the black crow, wondering why it had decided to take refuge with the golden canine. Fawkes was hungry but he knew better than to eat someone else's pet. Just like the rabbits that the strange dog hugged, the crow was off limits. Fawkes listened as the coyote talked to him saying a Shou was off limits. Fawkes chirped a little indignantly, "No want shou, want crow. Crow lucky." Despite his protests Fawkes continued to lay on his back, still a little too stunned to move. Fawkes perked up though when he heard his master's voice. Desperately the red bird tried to flip himself, his wings flapping and his legs flailing uselessly in the air.
Hotaru struggled to find her avian companion, calling his name and listening closely to see if he had replied. A voice she did not expect rang through the forest and Hotaru followed it in hopes that it might lead her to her beloved friend. Her suspicions proved true as the stranger called out to her. Following the stranger's voice Hotaru approached cautiously, she didn't want her staff to hit Fawkes, especially if she was wounded. The blind wolf could hear the beating of wings against the ground and used that to find out were Fawkes was. Even so, she still didn't get tooclose out of fear that she might hurt him. "Fawkes, you alright?" Her inquiry was met with a gruff cry as the put out bird failed to right itself. He began to chatter wildly in low speech, complaining that the crow was cheating by taking shelter with a coyote. As Fawkes spoke Hotaru kneeled down, placed her staff on the ground, and slowly reached over; her wandering hands searching for Fawkes's soft feathered body. Eventually she found him and carefully picked the large bird up, cradling him in her arms as she used to when he was younger.
With Fawkes safe and sound in her arms the grey wolf turned her attention to the stranger. "Thank you so much for finding him. I don't know what I would have done." She inclined her head a little in the direction she supposed the coyote must be, a small but polite gesture. Hotaru's ears were pointed towards the coyote and her nose sampled the air. She could smell the coyote, who from the multitude of scents she was carrying most likely from a pack. But the strange woman did not smell like the Ethereal Eclipse or any of the packs Hotaru was familiar with. Could the coyote be from a pack farther away? There were also scents of a horse and crow, perhaps the coyotes companions. As Hotaru mulled the olfactory information over her dexterous hands worked over Fawkes to see if the bird was injured. Thankfully there didn't seem to be any problems. A small smile passed over her lips, relief flooding the blind wolf.
Table by Chazza