I still get that same damn feeling when I look at your polaroid

The large canine wandered through the lands, looking around as he did so. Everything was silent and it was a bit stressful for him. He didn't like it when there was nothing to do, no one to help. And though, he wandered the lands, eyes looking around for pretty much anything to do.

His body was large and his fur was flipped around every now and then due to the winds, but he didn't seem to mind. He enjoyed feeling the wind through his fur, even if it may make him look kinda crazy.

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@Banesteppe and Satsu had been together all this time, hardly apart. But when he slipped away and left her to wait, she grew impatient.

Taking it upon herself to explore, the small woman wandered, intriguingly watching each thing she happened upon.

But when a loud snap echoed in the distance, she shrunk back against the earth. Part of her almost dared to speak out and see if someone else was here. But then, wouldn't that be a poor idea? Perhaps they were not as civil.

So she remain quiet; watching, listening. Ever-so vigilant.
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The man was the kind of canine to always be on guard, always monitoring the area around him regardless of what he was doing at the time. Even now, as he wandered around in boredom, when the scent of another lingered on the wind, it caught his attention quickly. 

For a moment he paused, sniffing the air and taking the time to locate the source of the scent. Slowly but surely, he moved closer to the scent until it was strong enough that he was sure the wolf was nearby, though he hadn't found her hiding place yet. "Hello..?" He asked calmly, choosing to sit down to hopefully not startle the woman. He didn't seem worried about an attack, his large fluffy body able to protect him. That and, at least at the moment, he only caught the prominent scent of one wolf.

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They had found each other, it seemed, for this creature spoke out to her.

Satsu watched as he sat, eyes searching. For her. But she would not yet give him the satisfaction of finding her. Especially not when she was so vulnerable. The last time it hadn't gone so well, so she wasn't interested in making anymore mistakes.

“What are you?” She asks boldly, still crouched low against the earth.

He was not wolf, nor did he look the part. But his scent intermingled with that of the nature of wolf.
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Ears flicked, locating where the voice was coming from, but he noticed that she kept her distance, staying hidden. And he wasn't one to push others out of her comfort zone, so he chose to not go looking for her anymore. 

Instead, he would simply lay himself down, green orbs lingering on the general location where he had heard her voice come from. "I am a Tibetan Mastiff." He said simply, his voice thick and low with a heavy Mongolian accent, but he seemed to be trying his best to annunciate so she could understand him better. "A dog." He said simply, his voice calm with no signs of anger or threats.

"I have no intentions of hurting you, you can come out if you want. But, if not, that is fine as well."

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“Dog...” He had answered, to which she echoed, tasting the word on her tongue.

She had never heard of this breed before, hence why it puzzled her. But it intrigued her as well.

Peering closer through the brush, she observed him in silence for a few moments, marveling in his size. He was just as beastly, if not more-so than her newest, though slightly unwanted companion.

“Do all dogs look like you?” Satsu wondered aloud, finally breaking the silent air.
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Her question took him a bit off guard and he clearly thought for a moment before shaking his head, his large fluffy mane shifting back and forth with every head movement. "No, not all. Where I come from at least, there are dogs that are hardly the size of my paw." He would shift to lift his front left paw, showing the size comparison to her, assuming she could see it from where she lay. 

"And most dogs are about half my size. I am one of the largest of my kind." He said simply, thinking for a moment about how much to tell her. It wasn't like he was trying to hide anything, he just didn't want to bore a stranger with unimportant details. "I was tasked with protecting others due to my size and natural protection for bites." But now he had no one to protect.

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So there were many of his kind, but all different. Their qualities differed, each tasked in certain ways. He, of them, was tasked to protect.

How peculiar.

“And do you... enjoy protecting others?”

Maybe there was hope for this interaction after all.
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There was no hesitation between her question and his answer, as if it wasn't even a thought. "More than anything." He answered honestly, shrugging one of his shoulders for a moment before speaking again. 

"Why do you ask?" He said simply, cocking his head to the side slightly, curiosity clear in his tone. However, as his attention moved towards her, he accidently let his accent slip heavier into Mongolian, making it a little bit harder for his words to come across clearly.

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More than anything.

“If this is a path you choose, perhaps you could be of use to me, and my.... companion—” Satsu had never known what to call Banesteppe. Companion was the best word she could find to describe him.
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His interest peaked and he shifted slightly from his laying position to a sitting one, unable to keep himself still now.

"I would like to know more about you and your companion." He said simply, thinking for a moment before speaking again. "Are you a pack or merely a group of friends?" He wanted to know as much as he could, as it would change how he protected them.

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He wanted to know of her and Bane. Yet, there wasn't much to know. Or, at least, not much she could tell him. Though, she could show him.

Slow and cautious, Satsu slunk from the brush. Standing taller now, so that now she did not seem so puny, she inched closer to face him.

Her pelt had once been far more lush, but since her first encounter with Banesteppe, she had not looked so pretty. Splatters of blood still stained her neck from where he had bit so tight. But it hurt no longer, so she thought little of it.

“I must confess, I know little of my companion. He and I have traveled together for only a short time.” But as for their purpose together, this she knew. “But yes... we are intending to create a pack. And with it, protectors will be needed for those that cannot defend themselves.”
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As soon as she emerged from her hiding spot, his gaze softened and his body loosened, quickly shifting to lay back down in an attempt to not startle her. He noticed the blood on her neck and raised an eyebrow. "What are your packs ideals?" He asked simply, finding no reason to beat around the bush. He was a protector looking for a flock, yes, but he wasn't going to join a pack that ate babies or something like that. 

His gaze shifted to her neck and he spoke in a bit of a softer tone. "You should wash the fur around your neck, you do not want to attract insects." He said simply, a small piece of advice and nothing more. He had no want to know where the blood came from as she seemed more or less fine.

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He seemed to pay attention to detail, for the blood was attended by his gaze.

Her own hardened in response, stance shifting to a bit of a defensive one that suggested she was taken aback. “Do you think I fear pesky insects?” She nearly hissed, dismissing his former question altogether.

Did all dogs truly think so little of others in this way?
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He raised an eyebrow at her response, a bit taken aback by it but not seeming to flinch away. "I did not mean to imply anything. However I have seen first hand what an untreated insect bite can do. If the wrong insect attaches to you, it can lead to disease and egg laying under your skin." He would lower his head slightly, showing that he meant no harm to her. 

"If you are to be a leader as you say, it is best that you stay as healthy as possible, you do not want to spread a sickness through a newly gathered pack." 

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Scoffing lightly, Satsu lifted her chin in slight defiance of his words. “I thought you had said you were a protector, not a healer?”

That, or he stuck his nose too far up other people's business.

“If you will come to follow myself and my companion, I can say that neither of us will tolerate such disrespect as you have spoken.” Healers and protectors were two far different things. And it would stay this way in her eyes.
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He raised an eyebrow slightly, watching the woman closely. After a few moments, he finally lifted himself up to stand, letting himself linger at his full height, though making no attempt to step towards her. He wasn't trying to intimidate her, simply no longer finding a need to hold back his large body. "You are correct, I am not a healer. I am a protector, and it would be my job as a protector to keep you safe." 

He cocked his head to the side for a moment before speaking again. "If I purposely let my leaders get ill and possibly die when I could have easily spoken something to stop it, that does not make me a good protector does it." His line of reasoning was simple, but he wasn't going to force the woman to understand that if she didn't want to. 

"If you wish to have me join, I will gladly follow you and your companion, however I can not do so if you do not let me do my job to its full capacity."

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He had reasoning for his ways. But it was not satisfactory, for she did not find it so.

“Protector defends body with body, not with tongue. Healer defends with tongue and mind.” She offered this difference, for he did not fully seem to understand.

“My companion will not accept you speaking to him for these reasons. He will see you only in your strength, not in your many words of defense and definitions of what it means to be a protector.”

If Banesteppe was not pleased with his interiors, then Satsu would surely be the target of his wrath. She needed to be sure none she recruited would dig too far under his skin. And as of yet, she was unsure of this man.

Would he be able to appease both she and Bane, or would he only be a nuisance?
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He raised an eyebrow for a moment, taking in her words. Though he understood where she was coming from, he didn't particularly have a want to be used as a body shield a nothing more. Perhaps that was a side effect of being under a leader such as Tiberius and Olive, ones that care about the creatures they ruled over. And, for a moment, Genghis wondered if these would be leaders would even attempt to care of the bodies that filled their ranks, or if they would be expected to be nothing but mindless drones. 

Still, he wasn't one quick to anger, nor was he one to make rash decisions. And so, he would speak up simply, his voice calm as it had been this whole time. "If you wish to set up a meeting with your companion, we can see his thoughts about my joining you. However, if you do not want that, then that is fine as well." He bowed his head respectfully still. "As I said, I have no issues with giving you my strength as protection, but I will not sit quietly with no attempt to gift knowledge upon you. If that is not something you wish, I will take my leave now my lady." He said simply and began to turn to leave, only lingering to see her response.

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last from me. if Genghis chooses to follow, then I will post another thread soon for the 3 of them.

---

He wanted to hear a different voice, but Satsu knew too well that is something he likely wouldn't get.

However, if she chose to refuse him, they may lose something they gravely needed. An extra member to add to their collection.

As he turned to leave, she chuffed as in to say, wait.

“If you is your desire to meet him, so be it. But know now that I cannot promise you will hear the words from him that you seek.” If any at all. “He is not the most.... vocal. If nothing else, I am his voice.”

Now that she had warned him, he now had a choice to make. He could follow her to where Banesteppe likely waited for her, or he could end this now and leave.
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Gonna archive it here. Feel free to start another at anytime!

The man heard her chuff and chose to wait, his eyes never leaving her, his eyes soft. His ears flicked slightly for a moment, taking in her words silently. He really had no reason to speak up though, and instead, simply watched her leave. 

However, instead of simply walk away, he chose to follow loosely behind her, giving her space as he walked. He didn't want to crowed her, but he also walked close enough to show that he was following her. At least for now. 

Silently, he hoped that this interaction would go well, but he wasn't going to put himself in a compromising position just to make others happy, he had already done that enough in his last life and it only caused his death in the end.

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