It's a Jace! :o And sorry for curddydfdsjaklfdaness.
326 words
It was perhaps not obvious from the dog’s expression, but the stranger’s cool appraisal and casual greeting pleased him. All was as it should be; two sensible creatures crossing one another’s paths with no more acknowledgment that was needed. There was no undue aggression or inappropriate familiarity, and the man was fine to sit far from any extreme.
He did have to suppress a smirk as the other purposefully laid out all his weapons for the sake of showing he wasn’t a threat. Malik was not a paranoid creature, although he could now see from this distance that the wolf was very tall. Although he wasn’t small, the desert luperci was restricted by his species when it came to size; he stood a little over a foot shorter than the dark grey wolf.
“See, Hapi, he will not harm you with his blades,” the Azawakh said aloud, but it was more permission than reassurance. The hyena cub’s curiosity outweighed his shyness with strangers. Once the kid stood next to him, unusual blue eyes locked on the fine weapons on the ground, the desert man started to speak again. “I was wondering, stranger, if you could—”
The other turned his head, and Malik followed his gaze. His eyes widened slightly as he saw the female, her belly softly swollen—in stark contrast to the protruding hipbones and ribs that marked her hunger. Although the pariah dog’s bones structure jutted out under his thin fur, that was due to his breed—but he knew starvation well. His eyes softened, and soon his body began to change, shifting down onto four legs. His thin tail wagged, and he stepped closer to her with tentative but supple steps.
“It looks like she’s more in need than we are,” he murmured to the hyena, who stared at the female. He grabbed the strap of the canteen in his teeth and lifted his head. “Madam: do you need water, or blessing?”
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