Further down the river, another had taken refuge within it's cool waters. He had just dissolved back to human, after abandoning his form as a wolf. It was too dangerous to last too long in such a state, and sometimes, it just felt better to be human.
The waters felt good, and relieved him of the itching burn from the fleas that seemed to be unyielding. No matter how many times he bathed- they always seemed to come back. At least, for now, it seemed the fleas had been washed away.
Crawling out from the side of the river, he shook his hair dry and mops of curly brown hair settled over his face. But just as he had taken up a leisurely spot, sunning out on a nice warm, hot river rock in the sun- something... obviously female caught his nose. And from where he was, his eyes drifted down stream to where he saw a form laying on the river bank.
Had he his wolf ears, they would have swiveled about curiously, but instead, his green eyes just observed her from a distance. His keen sense of smell let him know she was alive, but curiosity drove him from his rock as she plodded through the waters and to the river bank at her side.
Forgetting he had abandoned his clothing, he stood nakedly over her sleeping form and tilted his head curiously. No, definitely this close to her he realized she was not dead-
but how one could sleep so soundly at this time of day was interesting.
Crouching down beside her, he got a better look and got closer to get a better smell of her- and a story was blossoming in his mind from it. It seemed she was taken by another wolf already- and that fact stung his nose, and made him frown a bit.
It seemed all of the cute ones were taken. But there was also something else about her that caught his nose-
and it wasn't the salted tears he sniffed that made him take in her sadness, and it was at this sensation that he turned more somber as he studied her sleeping face. It didn't take him long to figure out her story-
It was heart break- in one form or another.
And because of other certain emotions he could 'smell' from her, it begged him to stay; so he waited by her side for her to come around, even as the sun continued to move, now casting long rays that cut through and rained down upon them in glittering lines through the tall trees.
Yes, it was the scent of fear and lonliness that cemented him to this spot- and also that that kept him from running away, or taking advantage where others might- for he understood far too well some of the smells drifting off from her- for he had, at one point in his life, been so unhappy nad afraid-
but that was in a world so long ago.