No More ~AW~, Foggy Glen

[Kahne Rheams]

She dragged her thin ragged frame through the briars, only a slight narrowing or her amber eyes showing that she felt the dozens of of thorns rip through her thin fur and break off in her flesh. She had been like this for weeks, the walking dead. She had a hard time breathing much less walking or hunting. Her vision was dim, probably from malnutrition. and her belly was bloated from starvation, not the awful P-word.

She needed something to eat, a lot of something to eat. She would chew off her right foreleg for an already dead moose or elk. She wimpered and laid herself down where she stood. She couldn’t go anymore. She laid there, barely breathing staring blindly at the ground just infront of her nose. She was so tired she was almost as tired as she was hungry. She shut her eyes, convincing herself it would only be for a minute.

Around her the crickets and mourning doves sang their songs to the rising sun. And the changing temperature created a fog blanketing the landscape. The clone of her mother, Kahne sighed in her sleep, looking like a shrunken corpse except for the occasional movement of her ribs.

In her sleep she dreamed of happier days, her brains fickle attempt to make everything ok. She dreamt of her mother and Gavin; of her sisters and brothers; of Gavin’s pack and his beautiful packlands. She was happy here, they all were. The scrawny body laying in the brambles wimpered, because everything was no more.

[Taliesin Dir Rhiannon]

A sound reached the young hunter's ears. He set down the rabbit he was carrying back to the packlands. He didn't like the new leader, Balraj. He wanted the lady Calypso back in the lands. He daughter was around somewhere, but she hadn 't been out and about lately. He sniffed the air, tasting the scent of a wolf faintly. He frowned, approaching slowly. After meeting Makea, he was more wary of strangers.

He saw someone laying there still. She was almost too still. He approached slowly, sniffing her timidly. "Miss? Are you ok?" His ears folded back against his skull as he nudged the stranger ith his nose. Blue eyes stared with concern at the stranger.

[Kahne Rheams]

She laid there with almost a warm, fuzzy feeling engulfing her. She sighed happily everything was ok here, she wasn't hungry, or hurting; here her life wasn't hell. Then she started to wake up, a voice dragging her from her sleep. Her ears twitched, the only outward sign that she had heard anything. She kept her eyes closed trying to go back to where she was, something she did almost everytime she woke up. She was about to give up on going back to sleep when she felt her personal space being violated.

Her eyes fluttered open, trying to clear her vision and finish waking up while she struggled to her feet. She swayed, while she tried to put some space between her and the stranger. Sighing she sat down. "I'm sorry if I was bothering you" she said quietly, "But i'm ok" A lie of course, but he probably didn't care about her problems, and she didn't care to share them either. She kind of wanted to move on and find a semi-sheltered place to spend the cooler nights, but part of her wanted to stay and enjoy being around another. She hadn't seen another wolf since the fire.

[Taliesin Dir Rhiannon]

His eyes assessed the female carefully. "No offense, miss, but you don't look okay. You look half starved and exhausted." He nudged the rabbit towards her. "Sorry I don't have more to offer, Miss, but I'll give you what I can." He stepped back, knowing the single rabbit probably wouldn't be enough. But he would wait and see how she felt after the single catch.

Overhead, the sun glittered through the canopy, casting the occasional ray of sunlight onto her shaggy, matted fur. He didn't know her scent, didn't know her. She smelled vaugly of something that made him nervous. A brief image of flames engulfing a city flickered through his mind, but was gone. Perhaps it had been a dream, or perhaps it had been a memory of a time long ago before wht mother called the burning.

[Kahne Rheams]

She looked at the rabbit he presented her. She couldnt take that. "No, I can't take that, thankyou though." She tore her eyes from what promised to be a good meal and looked at the white male. Now that she was more awake she could actually study him a little. The best way she could describe him would be pretty. Her eyes darted back to the rabbit after the quick once over she gave the generous stranger. She swallowed, it looked so good, it smelled good to. She leaned towards it without realizing it, licking her chops. Then in a breif moment of weakness, she found herself tearing into the animal like well, a starving animal.

It didnt take long for her to enhale the little critter. She looked down at the little tufts of fur and bones. She hadn't saved him any. She looked back at him like a scolded pup, ashamed of herself. "I'm really sorry, I'll catch you another one." Her voice wavered, her life really sucked. She climbed to her feet, shaking out her ratty pelt. Where were some rabbits? Kahne closed her eyes and and concentrated on the surrounding smells. She could smell her self... she frowned at the unpleasant smell and ignored it. She could smell him to, and he smelled really good. She licked her chops again but ignored that scent too. There. There was a rabbit or two upwind of here a little ways. She opened her eyes and started off.

[Taliesin Dir Rhiannon]

He watched her inhale his rabbit after a few token protests. She offered to catch him another one, and he stood, alarmed by the apparent weakness in her gait. "Miss, wait..." He caught up with her, smelling what she did. A couple rabbits. One, a femle, carrying young. The other, a male. Blue eyes turned to the female. "Stay put, miss, I'll get it for you."

He didn't give her the chance to argue, just took off. The female rabbit darted across his path. He knew it was too late in season for a litter of young to survive. Winter would be here all too soon. He put on a burst of speed, catching the doe and breaking her neck with an expert jerk of his head. He trotted back to the female, laying it at her feet. "Eat more. You need it more than I."

[Kahne Rheams]

Her head fell has the unknown male darted past her. But she was glad he did, since her little trot had wore her down. She sat down feeling sorry for herself, feeling even worse when the dieing squeal of a rabbit met her ears. She had hoped he would have been unsuccessful so she wouldnt have to abuse his generousity anymore than she already had. She looked down sulking as he brought the rabbit, leaving it infront of her. She sighed not bothering to fight it, it would be insulting to him if she didnt eat it now, since he caught it just for her. "Thankyou"

She ate this one more slowly, hopefully making him think she was getting full. And she supposed she was. She stopped eating, pulling herself away from her free meal with it half eatten. She stepped away from it, she had left what she thought were the best peices for him. She knew he hadnt been carrying around the first rabbit just for fun, he had to have been hungry to. "Thankyou, I feel much better." A halfway lie, she still felt like crap but she was slowly improving as her body nurished itself with what she gave it. "Please take this" She nodded towards his rabbit. Feeling bad for giving him a half eatten rodent.

[Taliesin Dir Rhiannon]

he studied her as she spoke. This time she told the truth. She was doing better. He was glad for that, no one deserved to be hurting if their problem was fixable. He gave her a cheeky grin, and wolfed down the remainder of the rabbit. He'd planned on carrying back to the packlands for his brother, but that was okay. He could catch another later. "I'm Taliesin Dir Rhiannon. Tal, for short. I'm from Rugged Plateau. Who are you?"

For a moment his expression was the same as his fathers, the same impish grin his father got when meeting a new female. or male, for that matter. Dad had never really cared which he'd done. Tal would try anything once. He was just like that.

[Kahne Rheams]

She watched as he snapped up the left over rabbit, looking away just in time for him not to see her watching. She looked at him again as he spoke. "I'm Kahne Rheams, I dont really belong anywhere" She shrugged. It didnt really bother her unless she was starving of course. She caught the look he was giving, no matter how quick it was it still made her uncomfortable. She shifted uneasily on her paws, licking her chops. She was thirsty now, "Um, Tal, do you know where some water is close by? I dont usually come through this way so I don't really know where everything is..." She knew there wasnt any water the way she came, at least for some distance. Maybe he had passed some from where ever he came from.

[Taliesin Dir Rhiannon]

He knew of a few rivers in Foggy Glen. He grinned at her again, his voice gentle when he spoke. "Follow me, Kahne. I'll show you where one is." He headed back the way he came from, large paws stirring up the fog surrounding them. Soon they came upon a small creek. He stood there, turning to Kahne. "Your water, m'lady." He gave her another cheeky grin, blue eyes teasing.

[Kahne Rheams]

Kahne followed him silently to the river, watching him move gracefully before her. She had been surprised that he had been so willing to help. He could’ve just pointed her in the right direction and been done with her. Tal spoke, announcing their arrival at a water source. She blinked, coming out of her thoughts then moved past him to the water, standing in it so that it almost touched her chest. The water was surprisingly warm, but not as hot as the standing pools of water this land boasted but not as cool as a moving body of water should be. She bowed her head and drank greedily, trying to ignore the way her skin was burning from his look.

After she was finished she turned to face the generous male behind her. “Thank you, I wouldn’t have found this place without you.” She smiled timidly at him. She stepped into shallower water and laid down, her legs folded underneath her. The water felt good as it ran it’s fingers through her filthy pelt. She sighed contently and wondered if Tal would be leaving her now. She wasn’t sure why, but she liked having him around, maybe it was time to join a pack, maybe her loneliness was driving her to desperate measures. “I wish there was a way to thank you, you’ve been incredibly kind to me.” She smiled up at him shyly for a second before she looked away.

[Taliesin Dir Rhiannon]

He stod there, watching her. Her voice made his ears flick in her direction, and he smiled at her gratitude. "It's no problem. My mother taught me to be kind to those in need. If there is anything you need, look for me in the Rugged Plateau lands. I hope you'll be okay, Kahne."

He didn't know what else to say, but he felt rather odd thinking about leaving her there by herself. She seemed to be stronger than before, but he wasn't really sure. Blue eyes lost the impish grin, taking on a concerned cast as he watched the female bathing. "Will you be okay? Where is your family? Why are you alone?" His questions were soft, almost to himself.

[Kahne Rheams]

She smiled at him and his concern. A smile that fell when he reached his questions. She laid there, looking up at him remembering all the answers he seeked. She remembered finding her mother missing and a short time later finding her brother's and sister's bodies in the ashen lands that had been her home. "Everyone is dead I think, I used to live in the burnt lands before they were burnt, it was beautiful there, but its gone now. she shivered despite the water's warmness. She looked up at him, all the hurt from her past shining back up at him. She felt like a lost pup, a pup that was lost and alone.