In truth he had not even considered the possibility that he could have been perceived as having eavesdropped on the two wolves’ conversation. Rather it had just been by happy chance that he’d caught a few words of their discussion and cordially offered them an alternative. So when the female turned his direction, bristling and snarling, Sleekwing’s ears popped forward and his head lifted slightly in surprise. Almost immediately his own hair began to spike up, his hackles lifting defensively; though he did not lower his head to show aggression or reveal so much as a single tooth. He was a warrior by trade, protective in nature, but that did not mean he could not be taken by surprise by the demeanor of other wolves. He was not naïve, he knew all too well the unpleasantness that some wolves could bring to a situation; he just hadn’t been expecting such a reception this day.

“My apologies, I meant no offense,” he said. But his attention was peeled away from the female by the lackadaisical mannerisms of her counterpart. The roll of his mismatched eyes was what had caught Sleekwing’s interest, and the laugh that followed caused him to roll his shoulders and allow the fur over his ruff to settle back into place. Though he occasionally glanced back to the ivory shewolf, he was more concerned with his unbalanced effort to move closer to himself. Sleekwing almost wished he could paint a map out for the two, the safest and most stable route, but clearly he had already overstepped the personal boundary, so he refrained from making further suggestion. When he safely came to a stop, the heather painted brute’s tail wagged softly behind him. His jest was met with a light smirk, and dark blue eyes moved once more to she who had made no move closer as she spoke her partner’s name. Hollowpoint.

The friendly demeanor of the behemoth who now stood significantly closer to him made Sleekwing smile. He was not nervous about the shewolf, more curious than anything. “It would be my pleasure,” he replied, always the gentleman. A chuckle rumbled forth at Hollowpoint’s teasing comment, and the growl that it elicited from his other half only made Sleekwing lift his smiling gaze to her. Surely she couldn’t be all bad if this jovial fellow kept her company; some wolves just had a harder time when it came to meeting new faces. At his introduction, Sleekwing brought his lavender ringed eyes back to the larger male. “Hollowpoint, Astrid, I am Sleekwing, the apparent sleuth.” His tone was joking and sociable. “I hope you will forgive my intrusion and accept my escort as compensation?” He pivoted then, turning so that Hollowpoint might feel welcome to join him to head back in the direction from which he had come. He glanced over his shoulder, hoping Astrid would no longer feel a threat from him, and perhaps join them in this.

It was not far to go before they could actually see the pool, though it was below them by a few rough tiers of the crags. As they made their way, Sleekwing made casual conversation. “Are you new to Moladion?” The answer was obvious in Hollowpoint’s scent, but it was courteous to ask nevertheless. They came to a point where it was impossible to walk side by side, and Sleekwing took the lead, descending a steep portion of rocks and making it as plainly obvious where it was safe to place one’s paws as possible. He leapt down from the final ledge, landing only a few yards away from the edge of the pool, and glanced back up at Hollowpoint and Astrid, hoping they would not find it troublesome.