Noel took a step back and furrowed his brow in uncertainty as the pure white boy startled in response to his call. What was he so jumpy about? It's not like he had shouted at him; he only said "hey" and pretty casually at that. Well, Noel wasn't one to talk. He was sort of gun-shy himself ever since he washed up in Glorall... ever since he could remember.

The young boy blinked quickly and leaned away as the other rushed forward and began inspecting him most thoroughly. Not one to know what sort of customs were really normal or not, Noel did his best not to seem offended or put-off, willing the tension of his hackles to settle from their slightly prickled state. After all, the whispy white boy was hardly hurting him by looking him over. Making him a little uncomfortable, perhaps, but most things concerning other wolves in close proximity had proven uncomfortable. He was still adjusting to his new life, to all these new people he had to see every day. Hopefully his constant tension would pass.

The pup's heterochromatic gaze met strange the blank white stare of the other with caution as he seemed to stiffen at his question, as if he had asked something on a sensitive topic. But the other boy answered, and favorably at that. Noel's posture notably relaxed at that bit of information, content now that he had a clear path back home. "Ah, no, I didn't follow you," he answered back quickly with a shake of his head, wanting to clear that up right away. "I was - I had been looking for someone, but I lost their trail and kind of messed up my own so I wasn't exactly sure which way was back to Glorall."

That would do it, right? No need to mention who he had been looking for, that hardly mattered to a stranger, and really, it was probably pretty clear that he was just looking for a way home. And now he had one and no more reason to bother this boy. Noel picked up a paw and made to step around this stranger, glancing around him in the direction he had come from, back toward Glorall, but froze mid-stride as the other boy continued speaking. There was a name, his home, a question, a compliment and some random chatter; it was a rather friendly turn of conversation and all thoughts of taking off home were put on hold. This boy was sort of helping him out and really didn't seem all that bad. The least he could do was offer a bit of conversation after startling him.

"I'm Noel. I live in Glorall," Noel offered back, trying to sound as friendly as he could through the cautious exterior he had come to wear since his arrival on the beach. It was different, the way he mentioned his home, as he certainly wasn't from Glorall. He had no clue where he was from and he wasn't too keen on mentioning that either. Wouldn't this Istas just think he was weird if he had no parents? If he couldn't remember a single thing about himself other than his name? Yeah, no, he would skip that awkwardness if he could get away with it.

"I, ah, thanks," he took the compliment, or what was most likely a compliment, with a twitch of his tail. He felt like he was coming off a bit stiff, but then again that's how he felt. He just wasn't sure what to say or do. He had nothing to go off of, after all. Honestly, this was his first real conversation with another child, that he could remember at least. He kept to himself mostly, avoided running into Rhoedias' son, Ravenwing, like the plague until he figured out how best to apologize for stumbling in on the poor kid's life. But this was different. Istas was just another boy, not someone he had unintentionally crossed, and he figured he should at least try this whole thing out before he called quits on social interaction entirely.

"You seem pretty nice too," he added, hoping it was about the right thing to say. "But I don't really know anyone very well, so I don't know what girls you're talking about. Sorry."

soul and sky are magnetizing