In a flash, the wolf beneath him had opened her eyes (dual colored, he noted), risen to her paws, and pissed herself before scattering around like a mad lad trying to... hide? by the looks of it. The fluid action of the scampering, screaming and wetting made Ridley recoil, withdrawing his massive bulk backwards slightly as the odor rose up and assaulted his tongue and nose equally. The birds above now screamed and flew at the sudden commotion. Ridley had to mentally discipline himself to control his tongue which eagerly wanted to flick rapidly with excitement - with the inner instincts that told him to hunt. Each flick, however, would bring in the offensive odor of ammonia. Each flick would make him taste the offensive odor. Rot and decay he could handle with relative ease. But urine? He had never grown used to the smell, and likely never would.
Instead, Ridley shook his head, shaking away the scent as best as he could. His gaze returned to the small wolf who was now tucked down behind some small excuse of a bush. She yelled out at him and Ridley's head cocked sideways once more as he stared. There was no sort of expression on his face - no grin or frown or snarl of anger. The only thing one could see across his face was curiosity. Who was this wolf? Why had she gone and wet herself at his presence? Who were her parents? Was she from here, or was she from somewhere else like himself? Did she have siblings? What did her teeth look like? What did her claws look like? Why did she smell so strongly of cactus flowers? How hard did her heart beat in this second? How much air could fill her lungs before they burst? Did she bleed red, or black like himself? So many questions. So many questions.
Ridley ignored her shout of a command and moved to step closer. His head remained level with his spine while his tail fell just below, swaying slowly, swaying curiously at the tip. He continued to show self-discipline as he held his tongue in his mouth. It was more effort to contain than he wanted to admit, for the excitement of this strange wolf drove muscle memory to try and trump his mind. His head tilted to the other side as he stepped closer still, slowly placing one paw before the other. In all truth, it looked like Ridley was stalking the wolf in how he stepped and held himself. She had done a terrible job of hiding, and besides, he'd be able to follow her odor even if she had managed to succeed. Closer still he stalked, and yet he didn't once lift a lip at her, or show his teeth at her. His jaw remained tightly clenched as he studied and stared at her. Once more, he tilted his head to the opposite side.
He was now nearing the bush at this rate. He wanted to get closer but the putrid smell of piss kept him at bay. Job well done, little wolf. He studied her closer however from his nearer distance and noticed how much fur was inside her ears - to insulate, perhaps?. In all actuality she was quite a fluffy wolf, he started to realize. Wasn't she hot out here in the desert, especially with how dark her coat was? It had certainly been brutal to him.
"Why do you think I would listen to you?" He finally spoke, his voice low and smooth as the words were spoke clearly. As he spoke, his tongue flicked free as it took advantage of the parted jaws for the briefest of seconds. There was that odor, assaulting his senses once more. "Do you have importance here?" There was no malice in his tone as he questioned her. Instead his head straightened to align with the rest of his body, his neck lifting to let him stand more comfortably. If this wolf was someone important, he wanted to know.