FALLING FORWARD | DUAL JOINING

Their pawpads were sore from the constant pace of walking next to their brother Grayson. Perhaps it was easier to focus on that pain rather than the raging headache that pounded on their skull. Sparing a quick glance to his brother, Ramen pressed his muzzle into his shoulder and let out a cough. The canine cringed ever so slightly as his belly moved with the sudden movement. It was quite obvious that he was chubbier than he was supposed to be at this age, his legs were shorter and he still had some of the baby fur from his younger months. A late bloomer, most would call Ramen, but he’d just shake his head and shrug with a sheepish smile. In all reality he was a late bloomer, compared to his brother who he looked almost nothing like. Still, Ramen wasn’t going to get into any sort of conversation about it, as it was only going to make him tear up and probably cry.

The words from his brother hit his ears and the genderfluid canine turned his gaze to peer at his sibling. They paused in quiet for a brief moment before finding it within them to speak. “Good, I’m a little sore,” Ramen barked with a huff as he slowed to a stop. The smells were overwhelming at first, so many things intermingled into what seemed to be a solid scent. It was hard to seperate them and place them to separate beings. Hearing as Grayson spoke again, or rather called in a greeting, Ramen’s oculars would sweep around in an almost nervous manner. Was it wise to be seeking out the beings that inhabited this land already? Hopefully they were friendly. Out of oxygen in his lungs, the chubby canine took a seat and watched with careful eyes. “Is this a good idea Grayson?” He inquires with a gentle whine afterwards as silence follows his brother’s call.

^{WELL I THINK I'M GONNA BURN IN HELL —}

^{Luckily Meenah was close enough to hear Grayson's call. The wolf had been wandering through the territory, checking for its safety from their enemies. They had had too many interactions recently from the Exiles for Meenah's comfort, and she had to make sure that none of them were still lurking amongst the desert. Somebody was in the desert, she heard, but they sounded friendly instead.}

^{Meenah headed towards the border, her one-eyed gaze taking in the two kids waiting there. They both indeed seemed friendly, a bit nervous too. As she reached them, the large wolf gave them a comforting smile. "Welcome, this is th' border of Solaris Kingdom," the Knight explained to them, her voice low and gruff but still managing to portray her gentleness. "Th' name's Meenah. How can I help you two?" she asked, before sitting down on the sand beneath her so that her large size wouldn't scare the nervous kids off.}

TAGS ☆彡i don't know, it depends on my mood, the red panda would wink, abet a little absentmindedly, in regards to the thought of hurting kids. as if to empathsize his point, he'd bring a little arm up, as if to make a threatening gesture. it totally didn't work in this body, but it was all a joke, nonetheless. he wouldn't harm a kid, no sir. well, 99.9% unlikely to, as accidents did happen. slithering up to meenah, he'd give the children a friendly smile. i'm aether, welcome to the desert kingdom.

Ramen would be the first to speak after two animals arrived with an exchange of words and even some smiles. Their energy settled his nerves a bit, the pair who had gathered seemed rather kindhearted. Or at least they were good at acting to be. Ramen’s worries settled in the back of his mind, and yet the canine opted to continue on with this exchange for now. It was likely for the best that they avoid a panic attack. First impressions and all. Inhaling deeply the genderfluid focused his attention briefly on the earth that lay beneath their paws. It was a simple grounding technique, yet it aided in keeping them in the moment as opposed to floating into their own worries.

“Oh nice to uhm, meet you both!” Ramen barked softly with a slightly nervous gaze between the two Solaris Kingdom goers. Surely as time went on Ramen would settle down into the ranks of their clanmates. Eventually. “My name is Ramen, my bad,” the youth explained as he kept his eyes anywhere that wasn’t holding eye contact with the others. Sparing a quick glance to his brother, the chubby canine would wait for Grayson to introduce himself. Ramen doubted that Gray wanted him to do it for him. “Is the entire thing a desert here?” The question pops out of his maw without much thought. It had to be a rather dry and terrible climate if it was all desert.

^{WELL I THINK I'M GONNA BURN IN HELL —}

^{“Not all desert,” Meenah replied to Ramen’s question with a half-smile. “Our camp is in an abandoned civilization, and we have an oasis with lots o’ water, plant life growin’, and a garden. We also have a beach in a cave. So, ya get used to the heat with all o’ that.” She hoped his question meant that the two would be joining. It was always nice to have new members amongst them. “Nice to meetcha, Ramen,” the wolf added.}

Meenah was nice, reassuring and calmly spoken as opposed to some of the females he had met in his five - almost six months of life. Her smile made their lips upturn ever so slightly in a smile of their own, and for a moment Ramen forgot that they were leaving everything behind. A new life here, the beginning of his story. Swallowing thickly, the genderfluid canine would pause and listen to Meenah speak once more. So it wasn’t all this unbearably hot? Thank the Gods above.

“I don’t think I’ll get used to the heat,” he murmured to Meenah as he shook his thick coat once more. The youth’s coat was black, and thick, needless to say it was bad for the desert. Perhaps the only thing that could make this worse would be if they were to wear a thick wool sweater, mittens and a hat. Fashionable sure, but not practical. Sparing a look to their brother Grayson. Ramen would paw at the ground a bit nervously. “It’s nice to meet you too, Ms. Meenah.” The pup replied with a blink of their cocoa hued oculars.

^{WELL I THINK I'M GONNA BURN IN HELL —}

^{Meenah tilted her head, smiling thoughtfully. She thought the heat was quite overbearing when she had first joined too, being a somewhat heavy-set wolf with a thick pelt too in places. But, she did indeed get used to it quickly and could barely imagine living in a cool forest years before.}

^{She glanced between the two younger kids sitting at the border. “Were you both lookin’ to join the Kingdom?” Meenah asked gently. “If you’ll manage the heat, we’d love to have ya here.”}