Welcome to Gaia! ::

Aya was feeling adventurous. That was a bit odd for him, since he liked stability and knowing what was going on. He was almost always hanging around his sister, but ever since joining the Kikombe he had started to venture off on his own a bit more. He was even toying with the idea of naming himself captain and putting a team together! That was unheard of for him. He was a follower, not a leader, even as his name suggested.

But today he was craving the smell of the rouge lands. That wide open free place where he and his sister had lived for about a year of their young adult lives, tracking down a pack of hyenas that had stolen their totems from their old pride. They hadn't succeeded, but had found the Kikombe, and he'd say it was a fair trade. He missed his totem, but here...here he had friends!

Still, the wide open rouge lands called to him from time to time. Today he was seated by the river that marked the edge of the Kikombe lands, staring off to the other side. The river wasn't deep nor wide, and after a moment he stood and forded it. The water came up to his chest - he was large for a wild dog, so others might have needed to swim - and he walked across slowly, not wanting to lose his footing. Once he reached the other side he smiled just a bit and sat down. Ah...the rouge lands! Sort of.

Aya wasn't alone for very long on his mini adventure. In fact, he hadn't even gone anywhere when the female wild dog made her appearance. She was a bit of a walk down the river and hadn't noticed him, it seemed, but Aya had certainly noticed her. Standing up, his ears turned forward as he sniffed the air, trying to catch her scent, but the air was still. Oh well...plan b!

He began to trot over to her, slowing once he got close enough. He kept his tail low and wagging, ears relaxed, panting in the hot sun as well as to let her know he wasn't a threat.

"Hello," he called out once he was close enough not to shout. Now that he was closer he could make out rather faded rainbow markings underneath a layer of what looked to be dust and dirt, and his ears fell back. It looked like she'd been through quite a bit. "Ah...do you need a place to rest for a bit?" he asked, knowing what it was like to be a rouge, constantly on the go with no one to sleep up against to guard them while they guarded you. "You're on the borders of the Kwa Kikombe, just across this river if you do. We're a very welcoming pride for the weary.'