I said, I cannot follow the river
of her myth; but I can
follow her sweet desert song
like a stream through the fiery hills.
Word Count → 441
Vesper cracked a smirk as the larger male attempted to pronounce her name, unable to get the two syllables correctly. After snorting, he asked if he could shorten it to Ves, and the female nodded, chuckling.
“Of course, if you don’t mind me shortening yours, too.” She winked. “Though it’s not like I’m going to be incredibly offended if you say my name wrong.” Just because she wasn’t used to foreign wolves didn’t mean she was prejudiced against them or expected them to conform perfectly. It was interesting and helped her learn more about the world beyond Nova Scotia, so long as their cultures didn’t conflict directly with her beliefs.
The male began to answer her conversational question, mentioning his mother and a place called New Orleans that she hadn’t heard of before. It took her a second to realize that he’d stopped suddenly, but as always she didn’t press him to finish. There were subjects that she skirted, and she understood that most loners were disinclined to spill their secrets to someone they just met, herself included.
Kostya somewhat agreed with her, but he surprised her by suggesting that they fight again. Her large ears stood to attention, her expression vague with thoughtfulness as he mentioned that they could be sparring partners. It would be one way for her to practice her fighting—something that she always stressed in her life—without the danger of serious injury or death. After all, she wasn’t stupid enough to go around annoying strangers for thrills.
“I was teasing about the exercise, buddy,” Vesper told him, smirking. “After all, you aren’t one of those pampered pack luperci sitting in human houses. But having someone to spar with would definitely benefit both of us. I always like to get practice in, and I’m sure that we could teach each other some things.” She flaunted her tail arrogantly. “Like how to deal with small and quick opponents.” She let her tail wag against her hocks.
“You can probably find me anywhere around the Dampwoods, unless I’m off exploring or something; not fun staying in one place for too long. But I do agree that we could hook up for a fight whenever we run across each other.”
And, if an actual friendship blossomed out of this, Vesper could see other advantages. They might be able to help each other through the winter months, since it was always harder for non-pack canines to find enough food. On the other side, she knew she’d be screwed if she and Kostya became enemies—though that could be remedied by keeping a few of her tricks to herself, of course.
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