So here he was, though where here was, he was not quite sure. All he truly knew was that he was following the scent of water, and that he was to stay within howling distance of Tala, though this was an unspoken and mutually acknowledged habit between the two of them rather than any sort of punishable rule. Wandering slowly through the thick expanse of forest, he inhaled and exhaled a vast amount of scents with every breath and step he took, each one of them as different intriguing as the last one. Being somewhere new also allowed Nuka’s cautious side to rear its head, and thus he traversed with neutral body language, head occasionally glancing left and right whenever the need to do so arose. For the most part, however, he looked straight ahead, intent on finding the water he was seeking for no other real reason than a desire to drink and, perhaps, paddle and cool himself down, to distract himself from other things. The overcast weather meant little to him, though he logically knew that paddling was not necessary if it chose to rain; it didn’t matter—he just wanted something to do in order to soothe the wanderlust that appeared to be haunting him.
Emerging from the trees, the wolf’s eyes stumbled upon the fast-flowing river, gaze travelling upwards to observe the waterfall. For a moment, he was spellbound, only ever having encountered streams at Red Oak, but then shook himself out of his reverie and approached the bank, head dipping to allow himself to take a drink. The water was cool against his tongue, and he drank with eagerness, lapping up as much as he could physically stand, and once he had taken his fill, he stepped back for a moment to shake himself down. Glancing behind him for a moment, Nuka inhaled again, tongue lolling from his mouth with ease, his posture the epitome of a relaxed wolf, and then headed straight into the stream, allowing the water to wash over his paws and up his legs. A few fish swam around where he stepped, and then darted nervously away, but he made no attempt to catch them, merely standing there in the shallows for a moment or two before wading deeper and letting the water distract him for a few moments.
A noise drew Nuka’s attention away from gazing at the waterfall, and his ears flickered warily as his head jerked towards the bank. There, quite suddenly, stood another wolf, and he chastised himself for not paying enough attention—the roar of the falls must have drowned out her approach, but he should have scented her. He huffed inwardly, disappointed in himself, yet outwardly remained composed, and a pleasant smile crossed his features as he tilted his head, unable to contain his curiosity at seeing another wolf who was not his sister. “Good day,” Nuka called, wading closer to the bank to ensure he could be heard, “are you here for a swim as well?” There was a pause as he studied her physique, assessing whether or not she was a threat—which was rather improbable as she had yet to make a move, though he could never be too sure—and then remembered his manners, smile manifesting into a grin. “Where are my manners? I’m Nuka.”