03-19-2009, 05:30 PM
The wind had not been in his favor, and so Brennt was startled--though even in his surprised he managed to look sluggish--when the other male called out to him. Another black wolf, like the last one, but this one was bigger. It was shifted half-way, and a subconscious warning told him that he should shift halfway also, to better cope with it in case it didn't want to just talk to him. Still, the fact that it had surprised him circumvented his usual thrill, and the predator was not awakened for this interaction.
"Hello. You are a stranger, too." His words came slow, the tone flat, and the phrase--which might have sounded precocious from a child--sounded more like a statement of fact than any sort of implication. Even as he returned the words, muscle began to ripple under his flesh with the shift, and his spine and legs elongated. The fangs extended in his mouth, and his claws grew more bestial, but his eyes still read the same...dim, slow, not-all-there. This was the truth when it came to Brennt: if one sought a modern wolf, not all of one was in there with him. His social persona was severely lacking, and the gaps in his understanding of social behavior and courtesy were always obvious within a few minutes. Maybe he would have been able to function in the wordless but not silent communities of his ancestors, but here and now, especially in Nowry Village where everything was done with hands and language and skill, he was a poor fit.
"What do you want?" The question didn't come fast enough to be a snap, nor harsh enough to be a demand. Though the large--and still growing--wolf was still uncomfortable with this newcomer, he was not hostile to him. His instinct told him only to be wary, and wary he was. He thought he might always be wary, in a world like this one, where words clouded intent so well.
"Hello. You are a stranger, too." His words came slow, the tone flat, and the phrase--which might have sounded precocious from a child--sounded more like a statement of fact than any sort of implication. Even as he returned the words, muscle began to ripple under his flesh with the shift, and his spine and legs elongated. The fangs extended in his mouth, and his claws grew more bestial, but his eyes still read the same...dim, slow, not-all-there. This was the truth when it came to Brennt: if one sought a modern wolf, not all of one was in there with him. His social persona was severely lacking, and the gaps in his understanding of social behavior and courtesy were always obvious within a few minutes. Maybe he would have been able to function in the wordless but not silent communities of his ancestors, but here and now, especially in Nowry Village where everything was done with hands and language and skill, he was a poor fit.
"What do you want?" The question didn't come fast enough to be a snap, nor harsh enough to be a demand. Though the large--and still growing--wolf was still uncomfortable with this newcomer, he was not hostile to him. His instinct told him only to be wary, and wary he was. He thought he might always be wary, in a world like this one, where words clouded intent so well.