Her mood had changed the moment she had been warmly welcomed into the Hallows. While Valhalla had been kind to her, this had been a whole different experience. Perhaps it was because of her relationship with Tika, but then again, her interaction with Artorias had not given her that suspicion. For the first time in a while, she was happy. Truly, dearly happy. A smile curled at her lips as she listened to the click of her nails against the cool stone. Within the castle, it was quiet as most of the pack had taken to activities outside. It sounded like a good idea to her as well so her path moved her toward the exterior doors. The moment her russeted fur moved outside, she felt the warmth of the sun upon her face. Closing her eye briefly, she paused to let her body soak it in. There was nothing more that she enjoyed than being warm. Moving at a brisk trot toward the gardens, she sniffed and eyed the lush plants with heavy scents. This truly was heaven. Rays of light beat down as leaves curled with life. Humming softly to herself, her trot slowed down into a rather lazy walk as she admired the flowers. It was then that someone sitting within a cart caught her attention. Curious, Audra's brow furrowed as she approached. The contraption looked rather clunky with its rudimentary wheels, but nonetheless effective. Similar to a contraption to one she'd seen at a previous gathering, Audra let her head tilt as her nose twitched to smell the wood of the thing. "A-are you c-comfortable in that?" She asked softly, her one honey-gold eye glinting in the sun.

For the first time since her brush with death, and the sun had risen to cure the ooze, Laeta was finally outside. The paralyzed wolf didn’t really have much opportunity to do so - despite her tiny build, and being incredibly light due to her semi-atrophied muscles, it still presented a challenge to transport her anywhere that wasn’t directly within her vicinity. Not only that, but the slowly healing fracture at the base of her skull, on the vertebrae, made it so that one had to be ever careful to handle her. Only experienced physicians, or her badger companion, were able to carry or lift her, and only when necessary. However, the time had come that Lae was no longer satisfied being cooped up in her room. After talking to Mel, the badger had brought up a proposition to some of her packmates, and Artorias managed to scrounge up a wagon from the castle’s storage. A little rickety, and a tad old, but it would do the job. After a brief trial to see how she could get in the cart, they managed to plunk her in - Mel’s idea being she would be gently nudged off the edge of her bed and onto some sort of blanket, and then carried down the stairs, like a little pup carried by their mother. She was then lowered into the cart, lined with pillows and blankets courtesy, of the nervous ruby-clawed badger that fretted by her side in the garden. Now, Laeta relaxed in the warm glow of the sun, feeling it permeate into her bone-jutting pelt that looked more like a quilt draped over a skeleton than a wolf’s form. She paid no mind to her sunken, emaciated appearance. The sun filtered through the garden’s lush foliage like a fresh breath of life that revived the world, her nose twitching as she breathed in the air. It felt good to be outdoors. "A-are you not cold, my Lady?" Mel murmured to her, to which the paralyzed woman smile in reassurance. Her chin was propped up with a pillow so she could get a better view, as she couldn’t hold her head up on her own. "I’m fine, Mel. Go look around. The castle grounds are beautiful," She said to her companion. As if it was his duty to follow her suggestion, the badger bowed to her before lumbering off, his claws clicking in a strange fashion across the stone floor. The woman’s ruby gaze flitted towards a new wolf, who investigated her and the cart with a curious expression and a sniff. If she could, she would’ve turned her head to face her, but instead she just got what she could from a side view. She offered a smile regardless, scenting the pack on her. Perhaps, like herself, she was new to the pack. "Yes, quite. My companion, Mel, made sure to pad it with all the pillows he could find, "She said, her voice as calm and peaceful as the flowers that lined the walls and lushly dotted the foliage with their colorful arrangements. With a pause, she figured she would introduce herself - why wouldn’t she welcome a new member as well? "I’m Laeta, it’s very nice to meet you. What might be your name?" Lae found her communication skills were flowing so much better each day. She barely recalled how awkward and withdrawn she’d been initially when she first joined, but being around so many kind-hearted wolves helped improve her social confidence immensly. She noticed the woman had one functioning eye, and part of her wondered if that might’ve been the fault lf that evil entity she’d encountered, the one that paralyzed her. Well, now the two of them each had a bone to pick with the cloaked fiend. "Speech"

When the girl's attention turned to her, Audra took a step back in surprise. Unaware of had close she had come to the cart, embarrassment tinged around her cheeks. Looking up from her innocent inspection of the cart, her curiosity took a turn when she noticed that the girl could barely turn her head. Furrowing her brow slightly more, Audra knew it was best she didn't speak on that matter. If it had been from the same thing that had taken her eye, it was a sore spot and she wasn't ready to shed more tears. As she had picked up the cue that Laeta couldn't turn her head, Audra took a few steps toward the front of the cart so that she could be seen better. Turning her own head so that more of her golden eye could be seen instead of the blackened one, she smiled kindly. "You h-have a companion? That's s-so cool!" She chimes, her tail wagging gently. Taking a seat upon the stone beneath them, Audra begins to peer around the gardens. "I-it's nice to m-meet you, Laeta. I'm Audra," her voice is shy but confident enough that her body is relaxed. Happy to be out in the sun, she enjoyed the warmth spreading across her back. "Th-the gardens here are s-so beautiful," Audra mentions as she eyes a particularly red rose. "If I w-were bigger, I-I'd help p-push your cart around," she adds on as her face turns back to the dark-furred girl with a sheepish smile.

Laeta took a closer look at the woman, who’d noticed her inability to turn her head and adjusted by padding over to face her. She was a pretty creature, painted with various shades of brown complemented each other, and symmetrical at that. Laeta noticed these little details about others - even little things about their appearance and body language. It was never in judgement, but rather in a youthful curiosity she carried even deep in the midst of her middle-aged years. At the wolf’s mention of her companion, Laeta smiled in response, gaze flickering briefly to where her badger had left her, then gazed back towards her packmate. "Thank you. His name’s Mel, and he helps care for me as I’m injured. He’s a wonderful friend, too." Truthfully, Mel rescued her from her situation - she’d been infected with the ooze so deeply it oermeated her brain, and she had wandered off that fateful night. The encounter with the firefly man went awry, and she woke up unable to move, but Mel was there. Some strange fate had brought him to her, and she was forever grateful to her companion, as he was grateful to her for providing him a kind friendship and a place to live. The woman mentioned her name was Audra, and Lae tipped her chin in a nod, appreciating the beauty of her name. It suited her well. Her comment about the gardens being beautiful didn’t go unnoticed, and Lae glanced at the same rose as well. It was certainly wonderful to be able to feel, smell, and just see more than just what was in the confines of her room. Even if she couldn’t walk, she could take in the sights as well as any other wolf. "It’s quite alright, Audra. Mel is strong enough to pull me, even if he looks small." Her badger friend was actually close to half her size, especially given her emaciated state, so it wasn’t too extraordinary that the mustelid could transport her if needed. Or her packmates, as well, but she wouldn’t ask them unless she needed something. "Speech"

It was the beauty of the world that attracted her to it all. The lush grass, growing vines, prodding thorns, nature in general attracted Audra to reality. Her interest in plants kept her spirit alive. Knowing she use them to help others heal was an ability she would never take for granted. When she looked at Laeta, she saw that same beauty within her. Even though she was clearly disabled for the time being, Laeta's kind soul warmed Audra's darkened heart. Smiling softly, she wanted to ask more questions about her companion. "I like that name too. Mel, hm, he sounds kind," she muses as her eyes continue to gaze around the garden. There's nothing she liked better than being outside. Feeling the sun on her fur warming her body after such a long time feeling cold and nearly lifeless. "What kind of companion is he?" Audra asks as her attention is drawn back to Laeta. A bit surprised and in awe that the girl had a companion large enough to drag her around.

Audra had spoken up about how kinda a name Mel was, and Laeta smiled and replied, "Thank you. I gave him the name when we first met, actually. It’s short for Melis." Hse’d never really referred to him by Melis, actually. It was his full, official name, something the badger had should the need ever arise for him to use it. Not that he would really need to, of course, but one never knew for sure. He was perfectly fine with Mel, and so was she. The midday sun trickled down smooth;y upon the castle’s aged yet regal walls, the brick shimmering in its light as Laeta’s obsidian pelt shone as well. The heat permeated her bones and the relief in her aching joints from just being exposed to the outdoors allowed her a sigh of relief. It was wonderful out here, indeed. It was a great medicine. When the one-eyes woman inquired on what species he was, Lae realized she hadn’t seen him yet, as she had sent him away to explore - and not be anxiously attached at her hip making sure she was okay every five minutes. He was helpful, kind, and beyond generous - hell, he saved her life after she woke up paralyzed - but his help was sometimes a tad smothering. She glanced up at Audra, face unmoving due to her paralysis as she said, "Oh, he’s a badger. A large one for his kind, too. Probably larger than me in this state, actually." It was true, though Mel was a hair’s breath away from force-feeding the woman at times, she kelt assuring him her appetite would recover as she did from the ooze. It meant he was heavier and bulkier than her from tending to her, but also natural strength. "Speech"

Audra's eyes lit up in recognition once Laeta had mentioned that Mel was a badger. Typically, she tried her hardest to steer clear of any sort of aggressive creature, but there had been a time or two she'd seen a badger out in the woods. They appeared to be rather cranky things that Audra wanted no part of. Yet, Laeta's kind words about Mel made her believe that this companion was different. Smiling to herself, a light giggle left her, though she supposed that might've been offensive. "I-I don't laugh at y-your predicament. Merely a-at the th-ought of an over-sized b-badger," the petite wolf comments as she finds a close spot to sit down and enjoy the sun warming along her shoulders. "I f-fancy myself f-finding a companion one d-day," Audra adds as her gaze turns back to Laeta.

Laeta took no offense as Audra giggled. In fact, the sound of laughter had been sorely missed during the long night they’d all endured. It was, above all, a sound she’d delighted in hearing, ruby eyes sparkling with a mixture if relief and joy. It was like welcoming an old friend, the old friend being the sense of ease and calm she’d encountered after first joining. Their conversation almost made her forget her predicament, and as she attempted to shift on her frozen haunches, she realized then she couldn’t even move a single muscle. Her body would not listen, solid as a stone. Despite this, however, her expression didn’t falter from the smile she’d allow to creep on her face throughout their interactions. "Ah, yes - perhaps a bit oversized compared to other badgers, but it’s all bulk from his strength," She said. Perhaps others would say he looked a bit rotund, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The mustelid soent more time trying to make sure she was cared for and comfortable than himself. They took care of each other in that sense, she supposed. When the woman mentioned having a companion of her own one day, Lae nodded in agreement. "I hope you get the chance to obtain one. They make wonderful friends, as well as guardians." Each wolf that had a companion had them for their own unique purposes, some regarding their companions as being owned. Lae didn’t consider herself an owner of Mel, but rather, a friend. He’d saved her in her direst hours. She owed him for that. "Speech"