( ❝ . . . rendezvous ❞ — open, joining )

[align=center][div style="max-width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-size: 9.4pt; line-height: 1.4;"]The wolf startled before he could halt the motion when the child approached him, and held his body stiff as the kitten rubbed his skull against Danyla's leg. That was- he hadn't anticipated it, and wasn't certain what to make of the gesture. Was it a greeting? He hoped it was, and because he was so young, he didn't think it would be sinister, so he did not move until distance was created between them, releasing the breath he had held. "Andaran atish’an," he repeated, once he could speak beyond the small lump in his throat, and he smiled, the expression one had mastered throughout his lifetime of feigning contentment. He made it as genuine as he could for the little one, as from experience, children were perceptive, and he deserved more than a wholly inauthentic welcome.

The smile fell when he was disarmed by the question, a simple yet startling one, and the paw placed on his own further stole Danyla's voice. He swallowed thickly, rooted in place. "I am content," he said at last, and he internally cringed at his own wording; he could have been more convincing than that, but then, he wasn't satisfying a master, was he? Danyla pried himself free of those thoughts, at least temporarily. "It means...be welcome." The curiosity was endearing, but he was never able to relax, and the arrival of a lion gave him another jerk; with Danny occupied by greeting him, Danyla removed himself, disappearing into the grass.