Welcome to Gaia! ::

Aya took a deep breath before setting out into the rogue lands. He really didn't have much reason to leave the pride he was a part of, but for some reason something was making him want to go explore. He usually went everywhere with his sister, but today was an exception. He had just done a bunch of training with her and he wanted a break from her yapping in his ear.

The last time he'd been in the rogue lands for any stretch of time had been before he had joined the Kikombe with Mica. They had their idols stolen from them by a group of hyenas, the last mementos of their old pack, and they had felt so lost and upset that he was sure they would have died in a matter of weeks if they hadn't stumbled across the pride. He was very thankful to Taji and Howa, the two leaders of the pride, and would give his life in repayment.

But not today. Today he was going to explore! Breaking into a light run, he set off in the direction of the sun. Run towards it while leaving the pride, then keep it to his back as he returned, and he wouldn't get lost. Genius! Letting his tongue hang from his mouth, Aya gave an excited yip before putting on another little burst of speed.

Aya let his tongue hang out of his mouth as he ran, enjoying the feel of the wind in his whiskers and ears. Tilting his head back he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to give a happy howl as he ran, opening his eyes quickly after to make sure he wasn't going to run in to anything. Nope, smooth sailing!

He drew near a tall patch of grass and decided to go around it rather than through it, and turned his paws to skirt the edge. The wind changed as he did, and suddenly a new scent hit him. Ears flying straight up, he hit the brakes hard, leaving little grooves in the dirt from his paws. Sniffing again, he turned to face the grass.

"H-hello?" he called out, unsure if it was friend or foe. Aya was massive for a wild dog and he cut an imposing figure, but the male was so gentle and timid it was a wonder he had never really been beaten up in his life. His sister had all the vim and vigor, but lacked the size, so together they had taken her brains and his brawn to succeed in life. With Mica nipping at his heels, Aya could pretend to be as big and tough as a Firekin male. Without her, he was just a big, fluffy ball of cuteness.

"Sorry if I'm trespassing or something, I was just running through. I can go back if you want," he said, staring at the grass, hoping a monster lion wouldn't jump out at him.

Aya was still on alert when another wild dog emerged. She wasn't nearly as large as he was, but she looked very strong and he definitely didn't want to cross her. Her reply made him relax, though, and he let out a breath of relief.

"Oh...that's good," he said, his tail wagging a bit. As she went on he had to laugh. A cheetah? Really? "Oh...I don't think I'm that fast," he said, tracing a little circle in the dirt with his paw. "Felt like I was really moving, though! Closing your eyes for a little makes it kind of scary but kind of fun."

Glad that the other wild dog wasn't going to get angry, he moved a bit closer to her before speaking again. "Hunting huh? Kind of hard on your own. There's lots of prey near my pride, back that way, if you want to go. I'm sure there'd be a leopard or a hyena or someone that wouldn't mind helping you out. Everyone is very friendly there."

He hadn't seen nor smelled anything potentially tasty since he had started to run, but that didn't mean there wasn't something close by.