it's a new day in a new land

 Groaning, head pounding in a way that he hadn't felt since his shoulder had been infected, the dark man carefully adjusted his position. As the world slowly came into focus around him, Yuji could tell something was off. First it was the scents. Nothing smelled right or familiar. That was the thing that kickstarted his brain into waking up faster than a shot of adrenaline. Next, the sounds; the songs of the birds, the chirps of other small animals.... what were those? Razor sharp yellow eyes bolted open but he held himself where he was, refusing to swing his aching head around. Instead those bright eyes darted around to take in his immediate surroundings.

 The foliage. The creatures. The smellls. Not a damn thing was right. Heart was beating a million miles within his tight chest and his guts roiled; had he anything within it to come up, the anxiety surely would have forced any meagre meal right back out. Yuji took in a deep breath to try and steady his heart and settle his stomach. Finally he lifted his head to get a better look around him. The landscape itself was only vaguely familiar because, well, the land was similar to the land back home. He clearly was not home though.

 Now that he was settling, the disgruntled beast realized just how loud it was. The smell of water was stronger than anything else... earthy water, full of minerals. The air was full of mist and his half-thin coat was getting more damp by the second. Just when he was managing to get his heart beat to slow down the panic began to build again. Long front legs pushed him into a sitting position as he took in more of his surroundings. Tall trees obscured the view in all directions and the crashing sound of water came from all directions at the same time, confusing his already confounded senses. Breaths came quicker and shallower; his large ears pinned back as his tail curled tightly around his left hind leg. The fur from the base of his head, along his neck down to the very base of his tail stood straight up and made him look like a soaked prickly rat. It couldn't be heard over the roar of water, but a whine escaped his lips and his notice. 

@Kyo

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 Where am I? Where am I? Where am I? The phrase repeats itself over and over in his mind, faster and faster. This isn't right. Not right. Where am I? He's usually a very calm individual unless provoked but certainly this situation qualifies as one of those rare moments where he was allowed to simply freak out. Not only did he not even remember going to sleep, he woke up somewhere that wasn't even the least bit, even vaguely, familiar to him from all his travels. And on top of that he appeared to be high up on a mountain, on a water fall and from the sound of it he was on (at least) a chunk of land the waterfall ran around.
 How does one fall asleep without realizing it and then wake up basically stranded? There was no way someone could drag him here. ... Right? Yuji did have his enemies and those enemies did have ways of drugging people and knocking them out. And he certainly was a small fellow, and light as hell to boot. He didn't feel sore though; he wasn't dragged here, he'd definitely feel the aftermath of such a thing.
 Deep in thought it was very easy to miss the movement off to his side across the water, beyond a couple of trees. Despite the very contrasting bright rust-brown and black of the stranger, Yuji found himself blinded by his severe confusion. It was only the sound of a voice that startled him out of his own head and even the voice wasn't very clear over the roar of the water that was rushing by in places he couldn't yet see.
 So, naturally, the scrawny black wolf jumped right out of his skin at the alien sound. Suddenly he found himself on all fours with a snarl ripping from his throat. He sidled away from the voice, turned his head and finally spotted who he assumed had to be a native of his particular area to find himself up in the middle of nowhere with him.
 Yuji had very little time to think or consider the situatiion much less formulate a very polite response before he felt his front left paw slip on a slick, mossy rock. In trying to catch himself before he could make more of a fool of himself, he felt his left back foot and then the right slip right out from under him and found himself careening right into the water. The man disappeared under the surface with a surprised yelp.
 Thankfully the pool of water where he found himself wasn't a roiling mess of currents right at the shore. He broke the surface with a splash and some coughs, managing to flounder the wrong way for just a moment too long. His felt the current grab his hindquarters and he was sucked away from the safety of the rocks and solid ground that had just been a foot in front of him seconds before.
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 It sure would be his luck to find himself in a strange land randomly--as if in some half-dream-half-nightmare-- only to end up dying by drowning. Yuji wasn't a poor swimmer by any means, either; actually, he was quite the aquatic wolf. The huge difference is in the willingness and intention of being in water. He couldn't think of a time where he just stupidly fell in like an asshole but he didn't think his body would react the way it currently was: pure panic. His brain wasn't working the way he wanted it to. His body wouldn't react the way he demanded. The Flight response was going to get him killed because his instincts were going haywire like he was some young, dumbass pup.

 Though the scraggly little wolf was trying his best not to thrash around wildly, he was only successful in that to a small degree. Without a way to calm himself down so he could get control of himself again that survival instinct was simply going to puppet him to an unearned early, watery grave.

 Head broke the water once more and he sucked in a lungful of air. The timing must have been just right because the moment he breached the surface he felt something close suddenly and tightly on the scruff of his neck. The calming sensation was near-instantaneous. Yuji didn't go deadweight but the urge to desperately flap and kick his legs diminished enough for him to yank control back from his panicked instincts. His heart was pounding painfully hard against his ribs as he felt the current still pulling them further from the safety of land; the waterfall trying its best to shepherd them both toward irresistible currents and rapids to satisfy its hunger.

 He paddled just enough to help keep himself afloat, giving himself a moment to feel which direction he was being pulled in by his oh-so-brave savior so he could begin to assist in swimming that way as well.
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 Once he felt the pull of the direction they were heading in, Yuji forced his jittery and adrenaline-fueled, shaking legs to assist in padding awkwardly in that direction. Trying his best to keep his long gangly legs out of the way at the same time proved to be a bit of a challenge. The soaked rat didn't feel like drowning today so he really didn't want to prove to be a hindrance in being saved by this Knight in shining armor. Weakness quickly set in despite the adrenaline still pumping through his veins and he strains against the flow of water; reaching out often until he could feel claws scrabble against rock and the muck of semi-solid ground.

 Just when the scruffy scout was going to make an effort to push forward and get his paws firmly onto the rocks he found himself dunked back under water for a moment. Then the next, air again; in more way than one. Yuji stifled a half-cough--as he'd inhaled some water when they slipped back under for that quick moment-- and a half-yelp as he was flung to safety like he was nothing more than a rabbit carcass. Hit hit the ground with an audible “Ufff,”, then a groan. More coughs as he hacked up more of the stubborn water from his lungs.

 So stupid. So damn stupid. You jackass idiot. The male cursed himself as he rolled off his side to lay there panting, pink tongue lolling from his mouth as he tried to calm himself and catch his breath. To get startled into nearly getting his ass killed cause someone said something he could barely hear over the roaring of the water. Maybe he should've let himself die, the embarrassment would be hard to survive. He gave a half-hearted shake of his head to rid the excess water from his fur and assessed the dull pain in his scruff. Better than drowning. The guy was quite gentle, considering.

 Finally, blazing bright yellow eyes finally wandered to his heroic savior. Words caught stubbornly in his throat; like a small bone, he damn near couldn't get them out one way or another. Finally, quietly, Yuji managed a gruff, raw, “...Thanks.” Almost choking on the single word. Pathetic.
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 Time moved slow enough to be agonizing when it came to waiting for the response from his Knight in Shining Armor. The adrenaline was slowly draining from his veins and it was like it was helping obscure the passage of time. Had it only been a few moments or had the moments turned into awkwardly long minutes of utter silence as the shame set in? Was the male considering his words carefully so as to choose whether or not to call him out on being a fucking idiot and that it had been a waste of time to soak his coat going in to save him? Just when Yuji's heart had begun to slow down bit by bit, it began to pick the pace right back up. His breath hitched in his chest and he ended up coughing. Then continuing to cough for a time as if his body was like, "oh yeah, I almost just drowned and ended up trying to be a fish."

 Sure. Why not? Just add onto the embarrassment of the situation. His muscles shivered despite not being cold at all. His frayed nerves only serving to heighten his ever-growing anxiety in this situation. And how long had it been now? An hour, two? Shocking yellow eyes quickly moved to look downward to his mismatched front paws and he lifted the white one to act as though he was inspecting his precious silk wrap. Had he been staring? Gods he prayed he hadn't been staring.

 Someone please take me out.

 It hadn't even truly been a few seconds between his "thanks" and the Stranger's reply. The scrungly wolf's gaze darted back up to meet the light, pale eyes of the red-brown brute. Wow, he's huge, the thought came and went in an instant. The quiet chuckle caught him completely off guard; ears rotated half way back for a moment as proof. It didn't seem malicious at all, either. Which the scout found... somehow odd. He was incredulous, especially so when the very simple, cool response came. Despite how the corner's of the mans eyes acted like a smile when one didn't come to the lips. There was a catch, right? He owed this guy his life. The seconds continued to drag and drag and drag by. So slow.

 What would be considered a rather rude shower actually helped jolt him a bit from the anxious panic welling within him like a stifling, painful poison. Yuji stiffened for a moment before straightening himself up and setting down his paw. Normally, even if he was already soaked himself, he would've snapped at anyone who shook their fur off on him. He gave no real reaction this time — it didn't matter and he didn't care. He made no moves to shake off his own fur as of yet, so he sat there fur dripping intensely off his dark coal coat. It didn't matter and he didn't care.

 The spy involuntarily tensed, though, as his hulking, massive companion finally left the water to join him on dry land. He watched intently, head and eyes following every movement like a nervous deer. The gravelly words smash into mismatched ears, which end up flicking backward as if he'd been smacked in the face by a gust of wind. They slowly eased back forward as the man continued and offered him a question that made him all the more confused. Lean, narrow head tilted like a confounded puppy and a quizzical expression wormed its way onto his scarred face. “Y..... Yes,” he began. Words catching in his throat, floundering there like a panicked fish. Oh gods, how long has it been already since he said yes? “I was... somewhere else, before. No where near an area like this. It's all different. And in ways .... I can just sense it, 'n feel it in my gut.”

 Yuji felt completely insane. But then it hit him — his awkwardness and anxiety were distracting him too much. If this man asked a question like that right off the bat... then it must be a rather common occurrence here. He squints as his gaze drifts ever away from those oddly pretty eyes and off to the side of the large beast's shoulder and into the middle-distance. Again, nothing but more questions. His brain had no room nor patience for this. He sucked in a breath like a backwards sigh and let it out slowly; the white, sharply curled tip of his tail twitching in a very cat-like manner. Claws dug into the earth as his thoughts dragged him in and he was elsewhere once again.
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 Thoughts and feelings drifting ever away; emotions continuing to roil and grow in intensity like a gathering storm. The shock and confusion of this all caused frustration to slowly and continuously build and it felt like there would be no escape — no release. Yellow eyes lifted from the russet stranger's side and off beyond. Taking in the ground with its different soil from his homeland and all its unique and different foliage; then to the rocks made of stone unfamiliar to him. To the water that flowed past from the tumultuous waterfall above in the near distance, the multitude of various trees he didn't recognize. Up and up and toward the sky where even the blue and the clouds seemed just as unknown.

 Words brought him back down and helped to ground him in his new reality one more and he was saved from his sanity floating off to the stars above to never be seen again. Words, he noticed now, that had an accent to them that he hadn't noticed in the heat of the moment and his anxiety. He'd never heard and accent such as that before. Ears flick slightly with every syllable. Despite the manner in which the male spoke, this new accent was somehow... soothing? Honestly, anything to take the edge off right now was appreciated by Yuji. The large dual-toned man once again had his full attention; his own expression had finally seemed to soften and become more neutral, replacing the confused disquiet from moments earlier.

 He had been correct, however, in his assumption that it wasn't exactly odd to find others here who simply just seemed to pop into existence randomly. No way back. The words hurt even though he'd been expecting to hear something like that. It only seemed natural that when one just appeared here in such a mysterious — seemingly magical way — that it was a one-way ticket. The sopping wet wolf's gut still sunk like a boulder all the same and his posture reflected as much when he seemed to melt a little where he sat. Yuji gave no response, figuring none was needed, though his body's reaction was acknowledgement enough of what was said.

 Now with more than a few minutes sat there out of immediate danger, the adrenaline that had been coursing through him had finally worn off and left his system. Muscles slowly began to shake and even if he'd even bothered to try the skinny little beast wouldn't have been able to hide the shivering that was beginning to wrack his body. First impressions were truly fucked as they were so why bother trying to pretend he was fine when he wasn't? Besides, he was just cold now; it wasn't all fear, discomfort and despair that fed the shivering.

 His gaze had sunk once more at some point so when a question was proposed to him it easily caught him off-guard. He glanced up to meet the other's eyes once more, pondering his answer. This was no easy question to give answer to. This was pack land. Did he want to join them after spending his adult life a loner? He knew nothing about them. Saying yes was a gamble; Yuji would have no idea what he was signing up for. If he said no, would he be attacked on the spot? It was true that this guy had shown him no hint of aggression — hell, he'd saved his damn life — but did that really mean anything? Speaking of which, he owed this pack wolf for doing him such a favor. Still, it was a poor reason to agree to join, though.

 Yuji's expression went from neutral to thoughtful as he weighed his options. It's not as if he had any guidance from his heart... or even really his gut, in this instance. But maybe... maybe there was a reason he woke up here, specifically. Of all the places it could have happened, it was here, at this time, to meet this wolf who would save his life (though would it have needed saving if he hadn't been startled into falling into the water, or would some other mishap have happened to cause another life-threatening incident instead that he may not have been so lucky with?). He wasn't really religious, he thought, but he did believe in karma and in fate and there being reasons for the happenings in the world, and to certain individuals during certain times. This was his time.

 Suddenly, the once morose-looking, skittish wolf looked confident — even through his shivering, cut him some slack — as he came to his conclusion. Ears and eyes forward, making non-threatening eye contact with the male in front of him, he uttered the words that would change the course of his life — for better or for worse. “I must have woke up here for a reason,” he started carefully, making sure to pick his words thoughtfully, “That reason is here. I'd like to join you to find out where this new life taking me.”
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 And so it begins — his old life left in the past, disappearing like dust in the wind. He can't hold himself back with what he can't reobtain. It'll still take time to come to grips with the loss, mentally and emotionally... but all he can do is put it behind him and move forward on the path that has been laid out before him. He was grateful for the opportunity; who knows what would have happened to him if he had otherwise woken elsewhere, alone, without an immediate way to keep himself grounded with some sort of purpose.

 As his newfound large packmate began to speak, Yuji also corrected his posture — fighting against the shivering but not letting it break his concentration as he attentively listened. He was immediately shocked at this little intro to the pack's culture, however. It was the only familiar thing to him in this alien land. A flicker of recognition flashed in his eyes for just a moment, but he stayed sill and continued to listen.

 Much like your birth home, eh?

 For some, the amount of information might have been overwhelming. But there was a strange excitement growing in him the more he heard. There were things being described that he knew almost on an instinctual level; things he'd been taught before, so perhaps his new clanmates would be pleased to see him easily pick up on the more important aspects of this pack. Sure, there were going to be differences branching off from these basics, but he was already feeling.... somewhat comfortable. The skinny man nodded subtly every now and then to acknowledge. Only time would tell how much more of this culture would be within or at least near his comfort zone.

 “Sounds fair enough. A lot like how my family clan ran things...” Yuji couldn't remember the last time he'd thought about his family. Not after what happened, and very rarely since. He didn't allow that tick of pain to show and his face remained confident with more of a tinge of eagerness that wasn't there before. But then something clicked. He'd missed it at first, but when it came back to him boy did his expression change from more professional to genuine excitement.

 "えっと、あなたも日本語が話せるんですか？" — Wait, you speak Japanese too?! He shifted his weight from one front paw to the other, somehow managed to do the same with his hind legs despite sitting, as his curl-tipped tail wagged and a smile spread across his lean muzzle. For just a moment anything else that had been said went out the window, but it quickly came back and he composed himself. Though he stayed in a clearly better, happier mood. "私の名前は石川雄二です。" — My name is Yuji Ishikawa. He bowed his head respectfully, tail tip wriggling. “I guess I'm lucky I found myself here at such an opportune time, then. I find these terms more than agreeable.” He said as he raised his head back up to meet those champagne eyes once more, still subtly and softly smiling.

 All it took to truly help him — at least in this current moment — was to find himself auspiciously in the perfect place and time, with a seemingly favorable culture and a familiar language to act as a soothing balm over his grievous wounds.
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 It sure is an odd feeling going from absolute lost despair to some level of jovial excitement. It was a tonal whiplash that damn near broke Yuji's neck... but it was better than feeling the way he was before. At least for right now. He'd take it, no complaints. Anything to not feel like a completely miserable piece of shit for just a little a while Tabibito kept his mind distracted. Better enjoy it while he could — his new packmate wouldn't be around every second of the day to do so.

 The dark wolf pulled his head back ever-so-slightly at the russet male lifting his paw; not in an offended way, just in an "oh, okay" way. Apparently his mood shift was a little much, and when he spoke Japanese it was with the natural ease and speed of a native speaker. Ah! So the man wasn't fluent, but he was apparently learning it from somewhere. Which meant there were others in the Jade Lotus who also spoke his language. It was an exciting prospect and gave him something else to look forward to. More distractions. More ways to help ease him into life here, to make it actually feel like home. His smile grew somewhat more at the "what." from his companion and he couldn't help but release a friendly, amused chuckle, one fang flashing before his lips came back together.

 But he'd partially gotten it at least. He gave a nod. “Hai. Yuji Ishikawa. Thank you — ah,” he started before cutting himself off to stand, take a few steps back and finally shake the water from his pelt. He gave a few shakes to wring as much water out as possible — and to help warm himself up afterward [/mdash] and finally he was feeling more comfortable physically. Kinda sucked sitting there waterlogged. His damp fur stuck out in all directions, especially on his cheeks, neck and fluffed out his long tail a bit.

 Tabibito gestured to where this all started and spotted something on the ground, but wasn't sure what it was as of yet. The air here was moving around rather like crazy so he couldn't get a clear whiff of it either. “Alright,” he said quietly as the much larger man turned away from him and posed him a question. Something else to think carefully about, in all honesty. “Scouting, hunting quick prey as well as birds. And fishing. Navigation, information gathering—” he paused there, as if he were thinking more but really he was watching for a reaction to that last bit. He hoped he'd used the right wording there. It was automatically better than saying "spying". Also seemed silly to basically say he was good at catching everything but large prey. It made sense, however, since he'd been a loner and you needed a pack to take down most larger beasts. He was small and quick, so he specialized in catching other small and quick critters.

 “Ah, and a bit of medical knowledge as well. Herbs, where to find and how to apply them, how to mend most physical wounds and such.” Again, due to being without a pack for most of his life. Helped to know how to patch himself up. “I suppose I know a good deal about fighting as well.” As his multitude of scars would be proof of. Though it was impossible to assume which scars meant victory and which meant otherwise. Details he'd keep to himself.
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