Ebony gaze rested on the shore below him, waves crashing against the sand. Each slap of the water on land vibrated within him. Crash! He had looked all over them but his mother and brother were gone, their scent long since lost to the lands. Crash! Irune was no where to be found either, she had abandoned her pack and in turn abandoned him, he was utterly alone. Crash! Roman had insisted he would always be welcome among his siblings but how could he drag himself back there only to face their blank stares as he passed as nothing more than a ghost among those that should have cared? Crash! With a sigh the boy stared for a moment longer. Off to his right the path down the cliff began its winding decent but here there was nothing but a clear shot straight down to the sandy ground below. Cool winter winds rose off the ocean and tugged at his fur. Closing his eyes he leaned back, allowing the pounding of the waves to wash over him. Then he set himself, ready to fling himself fore wards. He soon would be forgotten completely. Those that had abandoned him would never know what had come of him and those that still remembered him would soon allow him to fade. It would be easier this way.        Speech,

The salty stench of the ocean drew him toward the coast, across these unfamiliar lands. The sea had never been his domain; he was much more comfortable in the dense forests, and even now his body ached for the tall redwood trees of his youth. Massive paws drew the mammoth beast across the desolate field. There seemed to be no end to the land here but the ocean's scent made him aware that the jagged edge of land that met the sky was a cliff rather than a never-ending horizon. The tusked wolf would snort, taking in the strange scent of the sea. Though it was unfamiliar to him, the sharp sting of the winter air in his nose was more than welcome.

His pace would increase and eventually he found himself nearly running along the cliffside. He shook some of the moisture from his fur as he felt the sting of cold in his eyes. It was refreshing and invigorating, and he found himself marveling at the sight of the ocean below as he found himself dancing a bit closer to the edge.

It came as a surprise to him when he caught the sight of another in the distance. A black-pelted boy stood near the cliff, poised dangerously close to the edge. An audible sigh left the man's lips as he drew nearer, his gait slow and steady as he approached. A wary eye would be cast upon the boy, his posture slackening to show he was no threat... though it looked like this one was not interested in anything but the sharp fall beneath him.

"To jump is stupid," came his broken speech, heavy with a accent that was all but unfamiliar to these lands. He was hovering dangerously close to the edge, and for a moment Áki found himself hesitating. Quickly though, making a decision he would rush forward and attempt to grab the stranger by the scruff and haul him backwards. The last thing he wanted to see today was a stranger plunging to his death. His grip would remain for a moment as she tried to drag him from the cliff, though he would release him soon after. "What good comes of this? Do you not think?" Tones were stern and he eyed the stranger with a wary stare.

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Movement out of the corner of his eyes gave him an excuse to delay, though he forced himself to keep his gaze forwards. A part of him kept him standing there, curious to see what the stranger would do as he approached. Another part demanded to know what he was doing? Why should some random wolf care what he chose to do? Still he remained standing, slowly rocking his weight back and forth. Finally words broke from the stranger’s lips and Kyung felt a slight relief pounding inside him. Though his speech was broken, and thick with an accent he did not recognize Kyung grasped at what it was he was saying. Though no reaction could be gleamed from the ebony boy, not before the stranger was rushing towards him, teeth gripping his scruff and forcefully pulling him from the edge; for a brief moment Kyung allowed it to happen, awkwardly curling in upon himself as the stranger dragged him back. Soon though he felt indignation rising inside him and he would twist away just as the man released him. “I am thinking!” He spat, rising to his paws and seeing the man clearly for the first time. “It’s all I ever think of!” Lips curled up and a soft growl reverberated inside him but no other aggression would be seen on the boy. He couldn’t admit it to himself but dammit if he wasn’t grateful someone had stopped him.       Speech,

Though the boy before him was not small -- if anything, he was an average sized fellow -- he was a great deal smaller than himself and more than half his weight. Pulling him from the side of the cliff was an easy task, and though the stranger immediately bristled beneath him, he did not struggle much against his grasp. It didn't matter to him if the other thanked him for saving him from his own sorrow, or if he said nothing at all. Though Áki is not the epitome of good, he sees no point in ending one's own life.

"Why do you harbor so much anger?" he would test him with a slight scowl. His head would tilt slightly, tusks angling toward the earth as his vibrant crimson stare locked with the other man's. Whatever had happened, he wasn't willing to see this stranger fall to his death, even if it meant saving him a dozen more times. His stare was calculating and curious as he assessed him, taking a few steps backwards. "Death is final," he would comment softly, a hint of sadness touching his deep tones. "But whatever ails you now, I am certain can be overcome." Brows would furrow in concentration as he eyed him still.

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The strange man questioned Kyung and he snorted, rolling his eyes and taking a single step back from the tusked wolf. As if a stranger had any right to judge his actions. Besides of which… it wasn’t anger. It was deep seated anguish, loneliness pushing down upon him till he could no longer breath. Black gaze averted from the man as he thought, unwilling to answer. Ears would pin back as the man spoke again, and he closed his eyes. “No it won’t…” There was no anger, no force not even sadness. His tone was even, no emotion flowing through his voice as he spoke. “Everyone is gone, and when you leave I’ll be alone again. You’ll forget and no one will care if tomorrow my body litters the shoreline…” Pure black orbs would find the stranger’s gaze, only the vaguest hint of sadness in his expression. Speech,

Was this really happening right now? A stranger had stood at the edge of this steep cliff, swaying dangerously close to the edge... and though Áki had saved him from certain death, he'd been met with cold retorts and subtle threats that he might actually jump when he turned his back. A sigh escaped his lips, though it was laced with sadness rather than exasperation. There was a depth of emotion that glimmered behind the dark-furred man's empty stare, though he seemed unwilling to share any of it.

The initial bout of panic that had ebbed through him, spurred by the unpleasant image of watching a stranger plummeting needlessly to his death, had begun to settle down. Eyes were narrowed, crimson gaze speculating as he watched him warily. "Being alone isn't so bad," he dared to suggest with a bit of kindness to his thick tones. His accent was clearer now, unburdened by the rush of adrenaline that had overtaken him at the sudden scene. "Though if you're going to act like that, I'm just going to have to follow you around until you come to your senses." Brows furrowed as he watched him. Though Áki was not entirely selfless, the idea of leaving this unstable creature to his own devices didn't bode well with him, and he was far too stubborn to leave and let the boy continue with the plan he'd admitted he'd follow through with as soon as he left. "What is your name, anyway?"

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What did the stranger know? How could he understand? Everyone that had ever professed to love him, to care… they had all willingly walked out his life. Some of them had looked him right in the eye as they had done so. He hadn’t had the strength to ask them to stay, to consider him before they all turned and walked away. This time he was certain the pain pulled through though he fought to rein it back into a look of apathy. Ears twitched as the strange tusked man offered his solution and Kyung couldn’t stop the look of shock, and the slight hint of relief, that passed across his face. It was crazy and yet the part of his mind that had every intention of surviving was doing flips. Feigning apathy he shrugged, looking away. “I can’t stop you.” There was some submission in his tone, he was going to allow this to really happen. His name? Well if the man was good to his word he guessed that names would be a good idea. “Kyung Armada.” He wondered if he ought to consider dropping his last name… but then he had always had it hadn’t he? It was as much a part of him as anything else. Speech,

Another sigh left his lips, though this one was slightly less exasperated than it would've been moments before. Life was precious, that was one thing he was certain of, and to envision such a young man wanting to give his away? It did not settle well in his mind. Curious gaze watched the stranger still, his mood shifting from angry to something much less emotional -- though he was far from friendly still. He knew he could not leave him, not until he was slightly less aggravated; even if he had things he would rather be doing.

The boy did not fight when he told him he would. He wouldn't stick around unless he was needed, and it was certain that this unstable creature needed someone at his side right now, even if it was a complete stranger. Did he catch a slight wave of relief wash over his gentle face? He found his brows furrowing again. "No, you can't," he reminded him with the faintest grin flashing momentarily across his features. He was larger than Kyung, and likely stronger as well; and he knew his tusks could be intimidating... though he was willing to bet that the boy wouldn't consider diving off of a cliff again quite so soon after he'd saved him from death.

He was grateful that he got a name out of him, at least. "And I am Áki." If Kyung needed him for anything, he could certainly call for him... and as for how close he wanted to be to the tusked brute, Áki hadn't the faintest clue. But for now, they really ought to get away from this cliff. "Come," he instructed him simply, turning to jerk his head to the side, away from the cliffside. "We need to be here no longer."

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