The brute had taken some time away from helping Maria with hunting and gathering herbs. He had told her that he would be back, but a lot had been on his mind from killing his old alpha, still having the nightmares of his deceased pack mates plaguing his mind, and the constant ringing in his ears that someone or something was following him wherever he went. Though, the brute was probably being paranoid about the idea as he rolled his eyes from the thought.

Dense trees and shadows plagued this forest. Their branches stretched out almost endlessly and appearing like arms in the night about ready to come up and grab an unexpecting passerby. The cuts and bruises that had plagued his body had vanished thanks to Maria's healing and helping him cope with some of the stress that had been covering his mind and soul. His crimson orbs shimmered in the light of the moon as bits of the moon's glow sparkled across his eyes, giving them a transparent shine around them.

He would sit down and listen to the crickets as they chirped their own tune, and the chorus of owls, crickets, crows, and many other night life reverberated in his ears as he closed his eyes, taking in their sounds almost as if he were meditating and he did not have a care in the world.

Oh the girl was sick. Still stricken with the viral pneumonia from last season. It was slowly getting worse... And if the girl wasn’t careful she might find that it would do her in. Her body ached all over, chest sore from coughing time and time again. It had her body weak... The she-wolf had lost a lot of weight during her time of sickness. But she was stubborn, and once more she had run away from her father in hopes of finding her way back to Fiori. But instead of Fiori, she realized, she had become lost.

The trees around her was dead... Everything just seemed devoid of life. Éponine looked around with a wrinkled up nose, disdainfully regarding all that was around her. Who would want to live in such a place, the young wolfess thought?

A coughing fit shoot her. She hacked for a good thirty seconds before the fit calmed down and she was able to relax once more. She cursed her clogged nose, having not been able to discover any scents that could help point her in the right direction. She felt like she may as well have been blind. A heavy, raspy sigh escaped her as she flopped down, unaware that there was another within the vicinity.

The male would make out the sounds of what appeared to be hacking, and with a small sigh he would turn his head to the side. A wolfess happened to be exposed to him, coughing rapidly. His eyes would close for a couple more moments before standing upon his paws and walking over to the dame who seemed ill. Though he would usually leave a woman or man behind to fend for themselves, she did seem in the need for help or companionship. Maria had brought out the good side in him, and he was thankful for it, though he knew that there were some evil ones around and he would not let his guard down.

"Do you need some help?" Shadow spoke in a monotone voice, but though it seemed monotone he was trying his best to show kindness and respect to her though he had not really been kind in a long while. His claws dug into the soft earth as his crimson eyes focused on the woman's eyes as well as her body.

If it weren’t for the poor state she was in Éponine might have better heard the approach of a stranger. It wasn’t until she heard his voice that Ép became aware of his presence. Startled she snapped her head upward, gaze focusing on the male with slightly narrowed eyes. Though she was truthfully of a submissive nature when it came down to it the female was a lot of talk and hot air. “What makes you think that?” Came her rather snippy reply. Ép had no idea where this guy was from... Who he was... Why should she trust him?

Another coughing fit shook her body. She turned her head away from him as she finished, ears pinned back as she lifted her head in the air like some spoiled princess. “...alright so maybe I do. But why do you care? Who are you?” She didn’t want to look him in the eyes, less he see the embarrassment she had at her own weakness.

It was obvious that the woman had been feeling a bit under the weather, and that was jut putting it lightly. However, it was obvious to the brute that dame was not interested in the assistance that he was willing to offer to her, for she was acting more like a spoiled princess who always got what she wanted than someone who would oblige the help that was to be handed to her by him. The ebony man gave a small sigh, his crimson orbs covered by his ebony lids. "Because i know when someone is ill and needing my help. As for who I am, my name is Shadow. Now, if you would mind cooperating and helping me figure out what you need to cure your ailment, we both can be on our merry way in due time." He spoke, his voice sounding rather agitated by the woman's snippy remarks. He was not usually the one to raise his voice at a dame, but, it was obvious that it was the only way to get the woman to listen to him. Though, perhaps it might even start a fight that he wouldn't want to start to begin with. Speech Thought Others