While others don't,

Aries spent time mostly within the vale ; acquainting herself of it's region and helping tend to the herb-stock of Olive, and any needs of help that was given. It was the least she can do for the meanwhile, as the young wolf built herself and attempted to settle upon this new life ; rebuild, what once was for the meanwhile and learn of what to do. Though she was very much settled with serving under Duskguard, especially as she did not smell any packs nearby and they were in a relatively save, and flushed area.

Mountains around and the forest that splintered off in the center of it all. On occasion could she hear the call of caribou and smell their trail, and very rarely did she actually come across them.. Her mind and focus was often elsewhere, such as searching and foraging, but it seemed that maybe today.. She should find an actual den.

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Striding straight through the borders of Duskguard, the cat paid no mind to the imaginary line between this place and the open expanse of the tundra. Dragging across the ground between his legs was a recently killed juvenile caribou. He told himself that he was going to eat the whole thing in a sitting, though he had never been able to do it before. If he absolutely had too, he supposed he could share with the new mother. It would be bad to let it go to waste after all.

With Jaws locked to the neck of the fresh kill, the cat's eyes found there way to a lupine woman of light grey's and whites. Stopping his pace for a moment, he took maybe a moment to long to stare as the woman rooted around.
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She had seen a hole under a tree. It looked to be an abandon fox-den, and was bit too snug for her liking. Cozy, though, Aries would admit, although it would fit no more then herself.. Some part of her was not only looking for a den but perhaps a storage of collections, a semi-hoarder to say as a verifying that she existed and was here ; but perhaps just a bit of a selfishness on desiring so. The hare would take a mental note of this location, for just maybe another could use it if they saw so fit.

Finding herself out and continuing forth within the forest, her golden gaze seemed to lock upon a beast of these wilds. Instincts caused her to freeze for a moment, fur ruffling within a caution to see such an enigma here. She knew of tigers, she knew of bears, but to see such orange within the snow was something that didn't seem true and caused her heart to thump wildly, that Aries thought it echoe'd through the forest. If one could smell fear and caution, she was surely emitting it.

Although what was strange, her nose twitched as the scent of Duskguard was upon him — not of blood or death, but more of.. 

"..Hello?"

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Taking a moment at continue his stare, even over the scent of blood from his kill, the scent of fear was apparent. Even latched to the neck of his kill, his lips slightly upturned into somewhat of a smirk.

Scent also told the cat that this woman was from Duskguard as well. Likely nobody told her of his presence here, so she was new...

Twitching in excitement, the cat's tail telegraphed the malicious gears moving behind his eyes.

Releasing his kill, the caribou collapsed limply between his front legs. "Hello..."

Still he lingered, standing, staring.
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A divine beast? Aries blinked in a surprise!

She knew of companions to wolves, were birds were oh-so relatively the most common out of it all, but she did not forget the few that befriended more uncommon fauna. Yet one of orange like the sun and stripes like no other to speak that of a common-tongue of a wolf? Specifically one as well that she knew of, an English origin that brought a bright curiosity while looking toward him with both an awe, and fear at the same time. But his smell was distinctive, for Duskguard to be layered onto him.. Was this not one of those same beast companions?

But to speak! How unusual!

Although it looked she disturbed him in mid-hunt.. Her anxiety eased lightly and some tension slipped as her tail and ears fell to a more neutral then a run-away stance. Aries did not close the distance though, for she knew caution was the upmost, and for all she knew, it could be wrong. A new land, new cultures, but was this one, or was this a ploy?

"Are you.. Part of Duskguard?"

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Keeping her space from him, the cat looked the lupine woman up and down, his head below his shoulders.  This was the first time he saw this woman around here.  The one time opportunity for uncertainty was here now, and the cat's stone gaze, subtly yearned for a bit of chaos.  

Asking if he was from Duskguard was an odd question, and wasn't sure how he would answer that if he planned on answering honestly. "Oh... you are one of the Duskguard wolves... Tell your leader that I already told him to leave my teritorry", he replied with a low rumble.  

However Kuhn was not a great liar, and the mischievous smirk that broke on his blood stained face would be an easy tell for his playful lie.
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His words brought a bit of panic within her chest, a nervous smiling breaking out and a slight jitter within her paws ; the great feeling of needing to run from the beast that was stained within that blood of prey. Although his smile brought a different question, his words said one thing but a smirk of mischief was playing, or was she reading wrong? Facial expressions of wolves and tigers were oh-so different, and this was the first time Aries seen one up so close that was not chasing after her kind, or within death already.. Rarity, to be in truth.

Her throat felt awfully dry, "Surely you jest sir'..?" How she hoped that would be true and she was not causing an issue for Duskguard and herself overall ; an enemy of the divine beasts were nothing but fear and horror to be laid about. Aries gazed around with a bit more caution, a view if any other would emerge from the forest and say but was all a prank, or come bursting throw and telling her to flee altogether. But there was silence, besides the owl that croaked above them and rushed away by the sounds of their voices entangling.

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At the moment it wasn't that he was hard to read, at least for one familiar with his kind.  Though the species gap, proved useful this time covering up his poorly covered lie.  Tossing his tail back and fourth, he took a step forward around his kill, inching a bit closer to the woman.  His chest heaved as he choked back a burst of laughter.  "Do I look like I'm joking...", he snarled in an odd manner, hitching with a hint of humor.  

Doing his best to show his fangs, he let his faux growl linger, taking another step closer.  He too wished that someone else might show up right now, if they would play along, it would make this whole thing so much better.
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Frozen in time, even her smile stiffened as she stood in the spot unmoving, watching the beast draw closer and confirm it was of no jest. Everything seemed stand-still, like awaiting for the bad play to end and the fear that slowly starting to overcome her heart.. She was watching, waiting for who knows what ; like thinking it all but a dream as the beast of orange and stripes drew closer with each step. Heavy pawprints imprinting into the ground, and.. The owl hoo'd again, returning from who knows where, but enough to snap Aries back into the attention that was reality, and the mindset of what she needed to do — the instinct of a wolf.

And she ran.

Between the trees and all that there was, a zigzag of sorts as she gazed around with a true fear now, and a hoping to discover anyone, or anything that would head within her help. But all she saw was the fleeing fauna that ran as she too ran, the hares that darted by, and the caribou upon her left that was quick to flee the scene —

it seemed this was how prey felt, Aries thought lightly.

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As soon as the woman's feet broke away from the ground, the big cat could no longer compose himself, breaking out into a lighthearted chuckle.  Having the slight urge to chase the woman, he cat managed to restrain himself, aided by the involuntary laughing spasm of the diaphragm.  

Cracking a toothy smirk, he watched her take off.  Looking quite pleased with himself,  the cat clamped his jaws back onto the neck of his kill, lifting the caribou.    

With his smirk still apparent, he took one last look, dragging his kill away to feed.
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As she ran, there was only the sound of the nearby prey fleeing, and her own paws as well. Aries looked back with that fear and caution, but she saw nothing ; no beast upon her trail, no orange within the nearby trees. That was when her gait slowed down until she would halt, and finally turn around and look back only to see.. Absolutely nothing. 

Only when the realization came that just perhaps — Aries was played like a fool.

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i think this would be a good wrap!

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