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Another day, another long, hot walk through the rogue lands. Cŵn Annwn was used to this, of course, as was his raven companion, Cysgod. The black bird flew overhead, his shadow dipping back and forth across the wild dog's path as they trudged through the heat of the day. Any sensible creature would travel at night, but Cŵn had come to discover his unfortunate talent of scaring others away became even more glaring when the sun was down. He blended in with the shadows too well, his bright red eyes the only thing many saw before they bolted. At least in the day time he could be seen clearly.

Above him, Cysgod kept a sharp eye out for other animals. He knew his friend down below wished for other companions, but it was difficult when the large canine scared off most before he could get a few words in. It was the raven's task to divert them around any prides or large groups of animals so stampedes wouldn't occur - they had in the past and it hadn't ended well.

Dropping a wing, Cysgod turned sharply and spiraled down until he landed on Cŵn's back. He shook out his feathers and hopped forward to sit just below the undulating shoulder blades of his friend. "Coast looks clear ahead," he said, beak clacking. Cŵn nodded although his ears drooped just a bit at the thought of pressing on with no one but the raven for company.

It was the raven who first spotted the approaching group. He gave an annoyed cackled, ruffling his feathers again as he stared at the growing spots on the not-so-distant horizon. Where had they come from? He hadn't seen them a moment ago.

"Got some creatures approaching right ahead of us," he muttered, hunching his wings a bit in disapproval at his own failure to spot potential problems. Cŵn, however, lifted his head and perked up his ears at the mention of possibly bumping into someone. Or three someones, from the look of it.

"Oh...they look friendly," he said, his voice deep and gruff to match his large size. The look on his face was anything but, though. His red eyes were bright with hope - maybe these would be the ones to not run after meeting him! Hopeful, he wagged his tail a bit as he headed in their direction.

Once they were within earshot, he tried his luck with greeting them. "Hello," he called out, Cysgod wincing at the almost snarly tone it held. He knew Cŵn didn't try to sound intimidating, but the way his voice was, his size, his appearance, and the strange sort of doomsday air that followed him never failed to give newcomers pause.

Cysgod, with his sharp eyes, was able to pick out the different reactions of those approaching. "Two hyenas and a wild dog," he reported to Cŵn who didn't seem at all disturbed by the strange pack. "Be careful," he added, lightly pecking the large wild dog's neck. "That's three on one in a sticky situation."

"What, you won't help?" Cŵn asked with a rough chuckle. The raven rolled his eyes and hunkered down, nearly blending in with Cŵn's dark pelt.

The call in return got his tail wagging again. The wild dog, at least, looked friendly. The hyenas seemed more hesitant and while he couldn't hear what they were saying, their body language was familiar enough. Wary, nervous, suspicious.

"No food," he called back, a bit softer now that they were closer. He still sounded as if he had gravel lodged in his throat that rumbled around as he spoke, though. "Just walking," he added as an afterthought. What was he doing out here, really? Looking for friends, he supposed, but that wasn't an answer he wanted to give right away.

Not used to getting this far into the meeting someone new process, Cŵn held very still as the wild dog came up to him and sniffed around for a few moments. He hesitantly did the same, tail wagging furiously all the while.

"No pack," he said with a shake of his head. "And as far as I or Cysgod can tell, no packs or prides or anything like that are near here." Then again, these three had not been far from him and the raven had given the all clear. Whose to say a pride wasn't hiding in the bushes?

"I've never met a hyena," he went on, smiling over at the two. It was more like bearing his teeth, but his body language was clearly very happy and relaxed. "Cŵn Annwn, but Cŵn is just fine. And this is Cysgod," he said, rolling his shoulder a bit.

The raven spread his wings to keep his balance, ruffling up in mild irritation. He turned his head to preen for a moment before hopping onto the wild dog's head to peer down at the smaller female.

"You three are very good at not being seen," he commented, but didn't elaborate. He just ruffled his feathers again and settled down between Cŵn's ears.

Both wild dog and raven could attest to the sun being unforgiving to a dark pelt, but Cŵn had at least been blessed with a short coat. Still, he braved the heat of the day so as not to startle anyone at night.

The prospect of food made his stomach snarl almost loud enough to hear over the background noise that was always present on the savanna and he nodded eagerly. "I would love to," he said, red eyes bright with delight. This was the first time anyone had offered for him to join them!

The raven ruffled his wings again, a bit peckish himself. The question made him nod a bit as he spread his wings in preparation to take flight. "I do. I'll assist you now as well. It's been a while since we ate."

He took off after that, beating his wings to gain altitude. Cŵn flattened his ears against his head as the wind buffeted them, but once his friend had left they perked right back up. "He'll circle around and see if there's anything nearby. Do you live out here?" he asked, tilting his head a bit. "Or do you roam?"

Both wild dog and raven listened with interest to the little pack's story. It seemed like they'd been together for a long time, something the both of them could relate to. Although Cŵn had trouble making friends with creatures of his own size and nature, Cysgod had been with him for longer than they both cared to remember.

"We have," Cŵn said with a little nod, although he wasn't nearly as proud of the fact as the others seemed to be. "I've not had much luck with prides or packs, I'm afraid."

Circling above them to hear the four-legged ones speak, Cysgod let out a little caw. "What direction did you hear the lions in?" He could go scope it out while they chatted.

Watching his friend leave was a little nerve-wracking for just a moment. Cŵn was never to far from Cysgod, and to know that he'd be leaving for a few minutes was a surprisingly scary thing. But once his new friends started to speak his tail was wagging again and his body language relaxed.

"That's very kind of you," he said, his gruff voice delighted. "I won't stay long...I'm afraid misfortune follows me like flies follow warthogs. But a short stay to at least eat and rest won't go amiss."

The dark wild dog managed a smile at the welcoming words despite his warning. He wouldn't stay too long with this group, but he would certainly be thankful that they had allowed him to hang out for a while.

Cysgod returned a few moments later, circling above the gathered animals. "There's a kill not far from here. I scared off the vultures that were picking at it. There's enough for everyone," he added before dipping one wing and turning to fly off in the direction of the kill. Sure enough, a group of lions had brought down a sizable wildebeest that seemed to have already been injured. Perhaps it had been hurt in a previous attempt. Either way, the raven was sure there was enough for the four four-legged critters, himself, and the vultures to return to after.

Cŵn glanced at Kalpana with a tiny smile as his friend flew off for them to follow. "I suppose I do. I can talk and walk at the same time. Come on!"

He turned and trotted off after the raven, following the shadow on the ground.