"I don't know what kind of male I am, I don't remember.  What about you?" the gnoll snapped back, looking down at the smaller female.  "What kind of female is so small, being unable to reach my shoulder?  Perhaps you were the runt of your litter?"<br/>Though he didn't know where the source of the feeling was coming from, there was a desire to fight for dominance right then and there.  Which made no sense, males never fought with females for dominance.  But for some reason, it affronted him that she was walking beside him instead of behind.  He wanted to swear to the Goddess for his confusion and mixed feelings, but the idea of it was unpalatable.  Just who the hell was he, to feel so completely unsettled and upset with what it meant to be a gnoll.  Before he could act further on his strange ideas, he could smell the scents getting closer and closer, too close now.<br/>"We should hold this for now.  With the other scents approaching, we may need to present a united front to gain some advantage.  Especially if we are outnumbered."<br/><br/>Striding forward, it wasn't long until he made out the figures of two humans, males, walking towards them.  The gnoll held up a hand, both to signal a greeting towards the two humans and to have the female gnoll hold.<br/>There was a moment of consternation, as the gnoll was unsure how he was supposed to communicate, when he found human words spilling forth, "We intend for no conflict."<br/>The gnoll's eyes widened, blinking in silence for several moments.  Did he just say that?  When the hell did he learn how to speak the human tongue?  All of these questions were completely maddening to him.<br/>"We are..." he looked at the female beside of him, "travelers.  Our clan is lost to us."<br/>Strictly speaking, he had told no lies.  And the gnoll was uncertain as to how inexperience these humans were when it came to half-truths in the first place.<br/>"We require food and water."<br/><br/>For a moment, the breeze changed direction, and as the gnoll sniffed the air, his ears stood up in alert.<br/>"There's more of them.  Hidden," he growled in gnoll before switching to human.  "Tell your friends to come out.  Neither of us have the intention of being ambushed."<br/>To accentuate his point, he drew a clawed finger up and swept where the other scents were coming from.  There were more coming, and one of them was hidden somewhere he couldn't immediately see.  Where this humans lying in wait for the two gnolls?