Who would've thought that deserts could be this big? Sorbet felt like he'd been walking for days, although night had yet to fall, so it was probably closer to hours. Time was weird like that sometimes, especially if one wasn't paying attention. Sand clung to the canine's paws as he pushed himself through the dunes, slowly bringing himself towards the canyons he could see on the horizon. He knew that solid ground beneath him would be a relief. His pace quickened slightly as they drew nearer, speeding up before finally bringing him upon the edge of his goal. The sensation of rock against his paw pads brought a triumphant smile to his face, and he took a break to brush the sand off him and shake drops of melted frost off his coat. Finally he could see the rainforest, the very one that had brought him out here in the first place. Apparently it was some sort of group, a bunch of animals living together to make life easier. Why not join? Isolation was never much fun.

The vegetation of the forest was pleasant, even more so than the smooth rock he'd just left behind. It felt like ages since he'd heard the melodious sound of bird calls, or the faint trickling of water. He brought his tongue across his dry lips, angling his ears towards the tempting sound. First, though, he should make sure that he really wasn't the only one in this odd oasis. "What's up?" he called into the flora, vaguely aware of wing beats above him as he scared some kind of bird away. "Anyone home?" It would be a shame if he'd walked all this way for nothing, but sometimes life was like that. If he could walk here, there was no doubt that he could walk back. His paws froze the plant matter beneath him as he trotted further into the undergrowth, searching for any signs of intelligent life.

The first guy to appear was real fancy looking. He hadn't ever seen a lion before, but he had definitely heard of them and their manes and their powerful roars. It was easy to recognise the species as the lord appeared fully from the foliage. Sorbet made unapologetic eye contact as he was studied, his eyes just as icy as they clashed with those before him. His face was blank aside from a self-assured smile, and the frost that had melted off his fur in the heat of the sun had begun to solidify once again under the protection of the shade. By the time Sephiroth had finished talking, his fur was once again spiked and glittering with tiny crystals of frozen water, stolen from the moisture in the air. The canine sat back and scratched briefly at his choker with the icy claws attached to his back leg, scrunching up his face. "My business?" He snorted, finally putting all paws back on the ground. "Ain't this place open to havin' people join?" Why else would he have walked all that way, if not to have a place to stay? Sorbet wasn't aware of the other groups yet, so he had no reason to believe that he'd come here for any other reason.

But then someone else was approaching, and Sorbet's gaze flickered around a bit before finally falling on the form of Maekoda. Now, Sorbet wasn't the 'eating children' type, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't threaten it if the time came. For now he just stared somewhat blankly, watching confusedly as the kid stepped close to the other guy and scribbled something on some sort of book. Sorbet squinted at the words, diamond shaped pupils tracing the lines, but no signs of recognition registered on his face. "What's that?" He asked, pointing at the word with a blue claw. Throughout his whole life, the boy had never had much of a need for reading. He had plenty of time to learn, considering how much of his childhood he'd spent lying in beds under the care of medics, but he'd just... never really gotten around to it. "Can't ya' talk?" Blunt, blunt as ever, but hopefully he'd be forgiven for his transgressions. Sorbet hadn't exactly had time to get used to socialisation.