Shallows Edge his heart is like the night.

Open for one, please.  Afternoon.  21F, snowing.

It made him tired. It made him frustrated. That he was tired and frustrated, not happy and proud, that just fed back into the ugly loop, over and over and over again. That Reyes couldn’t exactly put a paw on it – the grey weather, the constant snow, the biting cold – that wasn’t really helping matters either. He was aware, on some level, that heading out and about and making himself known wasn’t really that bad of an idea, but Reyes still lingered in the shadows all the same.

He drew his snout up from the pool, finishing his drink. Ears flickered. He’d go on a hunt. That’s what he’d do. Maybe he’d feel better after a good hard run and a scout.

did an ooc join so technically they 'met' there; just so you know what i'm referencing in my post lol.

The weather had taken a turn again, more of that fluffy white death shit dumping from the sky to constantly rest upon his pelt. It would build up until he had to give himself a good shake, and the airing of his coat would only make him all the more uncomfortable. Really, he should have stayed inside. He certainly would have, if he was living on his own terms. But he was back in a pack now, expected to perform and impress if he wanted to stay fed and protected. It was a shit deal but he had chosen it.

Anyways, he supposed @Askan wasn't so bad to live under. Certainly far from the worst he'd ever dealt with, and he even left him alone. Reyes, the other one, he hadn't even had to really interact with other than in passing since his first time at the pack borders. Cancer didn't much mind that, but he couldn't help but be just a smidgen curious about the dynamics between the two leaders. It wasn't anything he'd ever seen before, two men leading together, and they even slept separately. They looked a bit like brothers, but he'd never known siblings to be so oddly close that far into adulthood.

So, when Cancer was finally presented with a moment to check out Reyes one-on-one, he took it up despite his predominantly antisocial nature.

"Hey," he woofed out, as he came to stand a few yards down and take his own dredge of the icy water, "Uh. What's up?"

Yeah. He was a conversational artist.

Oh. It was that new guy. Or one of them – no, it was the newest one. Reyes glanced up, his pale eyes searching the yearling as he ambled up. What’s up?

It reminded him of Cotton, sort of. But the kid had wandered off again, and this kid had wandered in instead – a shadow instead of a light, but awkward youth, all the same. The alpha gave a soft snort, and considered his answer for a moment. “El cielo, algunas nubes, pero no la maldita nieve,” he muttered under his breath, enjoying the bitter taste of ugly sarcasm across his tongue. But that didn’t help.

“Cancer, right? You any good at running? Sparring?”

@Cancer -- Thank you for joining!

It took a moment for Cancer to realize that the man was answering in another language; one that was vaguely familiar. One of the first packs he'd taken shelter with after leaving his birthplace had spoken it, and it'd taken some time to be able to communicate with them. Espanol, they'd called it. He'd certainly understood it better than he could ever parrot it back, but now he could only pick up a few of the words. Sky, clouds, snow. His blue eyes looked up into the falling flakes, a hum of acknowledgment vibrating through his throat.

The sound of his name brought his gaze back down, and Reyes' choice of words that followed caused a snerk from the teenager which he then quickly tried to cover up with a cough. Yeah, he was damned good at running, he thought, but of course that wasn't how the alpha had meant it.

"Yeah uh, I'm kind of a utility player, I guess. I've had to do pretty much everything at one point or another. I like scoutin' best, and musclin' is good too."

“Utility player, huh…”

Never heard it called that before. Jack of all trades, master of none. Whatever, he wasn’t about to throw stones – a loner had to be able to take care of himself no matter the situation. Reyes considered the yearling for a moment before bowing down, stretching out his front limbs – his spine popped and settled back into place, tail swinging loosely behind him. That wasn’t exactly the answer he’d been looking for, but his question had been anything but clear. He tipped his head to one side, ears swiveling as he considered.

“Eh, I got some energy I gotta kill, comprende? So if scoutin’s what you like, let’s do that. Go for a run.”

A good, hard run, until their lungs began to burn and their bones felt like something soft. If there was one thing he missed the most about his loner life, that was it. He missed the ability to stretch out his legs and run under a blanket of stars whenever and wherever it suited him. That was no longer the case, but at least with a packmate, they could make a good race of it.

Actually, that wasn’t such a bad idea…

“Hey. Race you to the main falls. Loser catches the winner’s dinner.”