Paint-Pink

Kalath made a low questioning noise in his throat, bumping Renor gently and Renor shook his head in response.

No.

He’d never seen anything like it.

It was very likely he would never see anything like it ever again.

Honestly he’d just been on a walk with Kalath, getting to know this rugged area a little bit better. It was knowledge that he needed. Parts of him were still all to used to far different landscapes. There was one thing that was the same however, and that was broad stretches of land open as far as the eye could see matching an endless blue above it. Renor ignored the mild chill that was finally beginning to fade a bit as spring began to take over from winter in favor of watching the most unusual tokota he had ever clasped eyes on.

Kalath bumped him again, the tokota’s eyes never leaving the one that Renor was watching so carefully so Renor turned to look at his companion. “Do you want to go say hello?” Kalath shook his head and snorted looking almost amused at the suggestion.

Renor looked back across the expanse of white snow and gray stone. He’d seen a lot of things in his life but this was by far one of the strangest.

After all, how did a tokota become… pink?

The tokota, who’s name he had no way of knowing just yet was currently nosing at a rock; sniffing at it. Perhaps… he should go say hello? Well. Not exactly hello, but hello in the way he did and could. The tokota stopped sniffing at the rock and suddenly flopped onto the ground, wiggling and scratching his back on the ground. Renor stifled a surprised and amused noise, watching pink-tinted paws wiggling in the air.

“Well, if you aren’t, I am.” He laughed and looked at Kalath, his own steel-blue eyes twinkling with mirth. Kalath regarded him coldly. As if mentally asking himself if Renor had gone mad. Renor snorted and drew himself up. He wasn’t mad, he just wasn’t as shy as Kalath was. At least not when it came to tokota.

Besides, somehow he couldn’t imagine that this tokota would be anything less than friendly, and even if he turned out to be wrong… Well he had some small advantages at least. He wasn’t surprised either when Kalath followed him, offering him one more subtle layer of protection that he highly doubted that he would need. Kalath practically radiated a combination of curiosity and disapproval, and though Renor had little doubt that the pink-colored tokota still on its back before him knew of his presence, it did nothing to disway the… male from intently wiggling on the ice.

A few feet off Renor paused, glancing at Kalath who showed no signs yet of wanting to be friendly himself. The tokota was reserved at the best of times and the pink tokota’s behavior seemed to have put him into a state of confusion that left him uncertain of what to think or do. Renor wondered to himself privately if Kalath realized that he’d puffed himself up a bit, that he was standing very straight and tall.

Renor bit off his smile and closed his eyes; mentally reaching out toward the tokota he wasn’t familiar with and offering his customary greeting. Just a brief image of himself offering a wolvish hello. Tokota behavior wasn’t much different from their smaller canine kin, and he found that this was often a good way to start.

Immediately the tokota stopped wiggling, looking at him from upside-down. Renor opened his eyes, noticing how intently purple the tokota’s eyes were particularly surrounded as they were by that strange off-pink. Now that he was closer he could tell that it wasn’t the natural color of the tokota’s fur. Somehow, for some reason, it had been… dyed? Hesitantly he reached out again, offering an image of himself helpfully scratching the tokota’s back.

The tokota wiggled in response letting out a pleased bark. Renor got back a confused image of paint and discomfort and then the tokota was on his feet eagerly pressing his face forward in a way that completely ignored Kalath’s presence. Kalath blinked, moving back a few steps to allow the smaller male closer to Renor but keeping a sharp eye out even as Renor himself grinned and rubbed his hands over the tokota’s soft white fur.

“Hello. You’re friendly aren’t you? I don’t envy you, you know. Must be hard to catch anything with all this pink fur.” His hands ran lower, having to step quickly to avoid being pushed over by the tokota’s eagerness to have his back scratched. Renor set to the task willingly. He could tell that friendly as this tokota was that he didn’t have a pack of his own. There was no one around him. No other tokota keeping an eye out for him. It wasn’t that unusual but it did make Renor a little curious as to how it had happened.

“What’s your name anyway?” The tokota turned toward him wiggling a bit and flopping down. The lower position made it easier for Renor to reach the middle of the tokota’s spine. All he got in response was nearly the same answer as before. A confused image of paint and a the discomfort that had settled into the canine’s spine. Likely Renor suspected because of the paint. He wondered if all of this stuff was irritating to the skin. If it was… maybe it would be wiser to try and wash it off. If the tokota was amenable to that anyway.

On the other side of the tokota who at closer examination Renor suspected was actually albino rather than naturally pink Kalath finally ducked his head and touched his nose to the other tokota, shaking his head in surprised when he received a lick on his snout for his effort. Renor didn’t bother to stifle his laugh this time. “See Kalath. I knew you could make friends.”

Even if it was friends with an odd pink tokota.

Kalath snorted, backing away a little. “How would you feel about a bath?” He glanced to the side, trying to catch the tokota’s attention though it was squarely on Kalath now. Kalath was looking at the other male in something between bemusement and startlement. Renor watched as Kalath tilted his head forward again and the tokota responded in exactly the same way, leaning up and licking Kalath and grinning like it was the funniest thing when Kalath lifted a paw to rub at the side of his muzzle.

Renor ceased scratching and that was enough to garner him some attention so he reposed his question. “Would you like a bath? I have some soap. We might be able to get some of this… paint? Well we might be able to get it out of your fur if you’d like.” He added an image of a stream, soap. The way he’d given Kalath a bath just last week.

The tokota blinked at him and snorted, shaking his head and Renor was hit with an image of pink paint so firmly that he could practically smell it. Renor took a little breath to steady himself and held up a defensive hand. “Alright, alright. No bath. I get it.” He smiled gently. “I guess you like being pink.”

A huff of pleasure left the tokota beside him as he laid his head in his paws and let Renor resume scratching his back. Kalath looked at Renor over the other male, silently asking what all of this was and Renor shrugged. He hadn’t been sure when he’d first caught sight of this pink-tinted tokota, and he wasn’t really sure now. He smiled at his companion.

“I don’t know, but if you’re going to stand there you could help.”

Kalath snorted and Renor laughed. The pink tokota licked his chops and huffed happily.

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