He'd woken up that morning to Aiden nestled down in the curve of his belly, as though he were a giant fluffy nest. He sought to move carefully so as not to disturb her, but the falcon reached over and sleepily preen a tuft of his fur anyway. "We arrrre moving on?" she asked, clacking her beak. He had been resting in this area for a while now, while she healed. It was a good place to recover from the trauma - it was quiet, isolated, and serene, but there was also a very good supply of herbs here, and it had been near enough to the estuary where he had found her that it wasn't too painful for her to be carried this far. "Maybe," he returned. "I was just going to go hunting. How are you feeling?" The falcon tested her wing, stretching it out and spreading the feathers as much as she could before wincing and pulling back in. "Betterrr," she said thoughtfully. "Good to fly perrrhapsss sssoon." Which meant they would have to figure out a way to imp good feathers in to replace where her others had broken, so that she could fly. Tor felt a pang of sadness. He'd come to bond with the bird, even to rely on her keen mind to learn from and for lively conversation. He couldn't go home, but life without her again would be terribly lonely. But neither could he force her to stay with him, even if it were in him to try to force someone to do anything against their will. Shrugging off the gloom, the tall gray wolf smiled down at her. "I'll be back soon with something to eat." Setting out through the fog, he stalked a covey of partridge, more by scent than sight in the mists here. He crept closer... and in the instant before they broke and scattered into flight he leaped forward to pin one beneath his big paws, jaws snapping to catch a second in flight before it could escape. Immediately dropping the limp form from his mouth he grasped the one beneath his paws to end its struggles as well. He examined them a moment, pleased with his catch. It was too bad partridge weren't really made for flying, they could have used the feathers for Aiden. He picked them both up and turned to begin the jaunt back to where the falcon would be waiting for him.

His life since the war had been very...different. He cared not about the maim he suffered, but his mind had remained on the one that was taken from him...Takira was enslaved, at least he was sure she still was. It had been a long time since he'd seen her, and he was starting to miss her...he had thought about going to challenge for her, but the only thing that kept him from doing so was the fact that if he lost, there was the potential he would end up in the same boat. He sighed angrily, kicking a rock or two as he moved through the foggy terrain. Life was...complicated. His time spent much on the battlefield because of several challenges on his father, but he would be there to back him up when he could. Now though, he needed a break. He wanted to lie low and be away from it all. He would pause as the scent of fresh blood reached him, curiosity as to what it was urged him forward. He wandered for a moment longer, a very familiar scent trailed across him. Ah, interesting...he was surprised, however, that the male still carried the scent of a loner, while the plains clearly carried the scent of the boy's mom. Altering his course a bit, Enigma followed the boy's scent until eventually he found him. "This is a surprise. How are you, Tornach?" Of all the wolves he could ever be friendly to, it was this male. He had been the only one to help him and his former packmates when they needed it. And of course, Enigma respected him as well. "Listen to me talk," 'and know my thoughts.'

A familiar voice drew Tornach's attention from his course, and he halted his progress. Lifting his head to see Enigma he hesitated, glancing back up the path towards his falcon friend and their makeshift home before setting the partridges down. Aiden wouldn't mind a delay - chances are she'd probably fallen back asleep as soon as he'd left. Healing took a lot of energy, after all, and the falcon had been needing a lot of sleep since he'd found her. "Dia dhuit, Enigma," he greeted, rubbing his muzzle on his foreleg to rid it of a clinging feather. He hadn't met the other wolf outside of a highly charged emotional situation before, and it left him a little at a loss as to where that left them. It was hard to look at Enigma, and not remember watching the other male's father tearing into Arian's flesh, remember the scent of his cousin's blood as it seeped into the ground and her body went cold. At every turn, it seemed, his family and Enigma's had been at odds - but that wasn't Enigma's fault, and Tornach felt no animosity towards him. He just wasn't certain how to act, and instead fell back on his deeply ingrained politeness. "I am well. I have been working to further my knowledge of healing." He hesitated, uncertain if the reminder of Tornach's particular skillset would raise unpleasant memories, and decided to change the subject just in case. "Are you hungry? I have had good luck in the hunt today," he offered delicately. Life as a loner could be difficult, and more often than not a loner went hungry. He imagined it would be more difficult for Enigma, trying to help provide for a family with both his mother and his father half blinded. He turned Enigma's question back upon himself. "And how have you been?"

Foreign words fell upon him, and even though he didn't understand the language, he felt it was some sort of greeting with the way Tornach had said them. Enigma dipped his head in return as he closed the distance, leaving a few feet between them so as not to be rudely far, but also leaving a comfortable distance for personal space. Everytime they had come across each other, it was in the wake of some sort of battle for life and death. While he could care less about Arian's demise, she had seemed to want it when she went through with challenging his father. She had thrown herself into a losing fight, and he knew she knew that. But clearly, others who had been there thought otherwise. Tornach would say he was doing well, even mentioning he was trying to further his healing career. That was good. Enigma had thought about doing the same, but even if he had all the healing knowledge in the world, he doubted anyone would want him doing anything of the sort for them considering his father's reputation. And while he wasn't exactly like his father, he still carried the same ambition that drove his father. "That's good to hear." He murmured, noting the hesitance. Before he could comment on it, tor asked if he was hungry. If he were in any other position, he might have politely declined. But with feeding his younger siblings, he would take him up on the offer. "Thank you, I appreciate the offer. Life hasn't been too kind lately."  His ears perked at Tornach's question, his amber gaze thoughtful for a moment. He could trust him right? The last thing he wanted was for the boys mom to know everything about him and his family. She didn't seem the friendly sort...far from it in his eyes. "I'm doing as well as I can given the circumstances. Taking care of my younger brother...I must confess it's...hard..I don't know how to properly care for a blind wolf.." He had to admit. The rogue life for his brother wasn't the kind of life he needed. Enigma had thought about taking him to a pack where he might do better, but he was sure they were all reluctant to take in the child of an enemy. He wasn't sure why everyone hated his father, but it most likely reflected on the family as a whole, even if some of them were nothing like their dad. "Listen to me talk," 'and know my thoughts.'

At Enigma's assent, Tornach nudged the partridges towards the smaller male and then settled back on his haunches. A thoughtful frown creased his brow as he listened to the other male's succinct explanation of how life had been treating him. An irrational guilt wormed its way in when he said that his brother was blind - was that due to that terrible war, as his mother and father had been? Enigma wasn't taking care of them all himself, was he? "I'm sorry you and your family are having difficulties," he said softly, but with sincerity. It troubled him that his family might have had something to do with their current difficulties. Should the family really suffer for the actions of one member, however terrible they had been? He had been struggling with the disconnect between his personal morals and what the world had shown him since the war, and Enigma brought that all rushing back with sobering immediacy. "You know that if you ever need the extra help, you can come to me." Tornach didn't know how many of the Hellstrom family there had been, or how many were left hale and well after the war. He did know that there had been pups in the Hellstrom pack that bore the same family-scent Enigma bore, but he didn't know how old they'd been or how many there'd been, only caught faint traces of their scents among the rest after the war. It must be difficult to care for pups without a pack. He bent his mind to considering Enigma's dilemma, caring for a blind wolf. His own father was blind, and though he'd always thought his dad as infallible as his mom, looking back with eyes more jaded he admitted to himself that Falk hadn't done much during Tornach's youth that didn't involve Surreal or Zuriel. Maybe there was something he could do to make his father's life better, for that matter... "Have you considered finding him a companion?" he asked Enigma tentatively, not wanting to come across as interfering. "Maybe a bird or something that could guide and protect him?"

The male nodded his thanks as he prodded the birds that Tor had been so kind to offer. He picked one, the other nudged back to the Healer. "I'll just take one back for my brother. Thanks again." He sat heavily on the ground, his mind growing heavy with thoughts. Amber gaze looked at tor when he apologized, and enigma shrugged a little. "It's the least I can do. My younger brother has nobody else. My whole family seems to have vanished." He knew his father had retreated somewhere to take care of his wounds. Little did he know that his father would meet his demise soon enough. He wasn't looking for pity, but perhaps he was subtly looking for advice. Flicking his ears, he shifted a little when Tor offered his help in the future. Enigma didn't know how to respond to it, he'd never asked for help before, let alone seek it out. At least, not before the war. But now? He was taking care of his brother alone, his sister Silva living in Dono and the rest? Hell if he knew. He sighed as he looked away, a curt nod accepting the offer of help should he need it. Of all the wolves around who hated his guts and hated his family, this one was indifferent to it. "You're trying to squeeze out every thank you I have, aren't you?" It was a joke of course. Made clear by the small smile and laugh that parted his inky lips. After that, Tor did have a point. A companion to look after his brother would be a good idea. "I think I will look for one. He hasn't been able to see since he was born, maybe a companion will give him more freedom and confidence." Of course, he'd have to ask Obscuro what kind of companion he wanted. Something big enough to protect him when he wasn't around. With that said, he curiously eyed Tor, a question begging to be answered. "Why aren't you in your mother's pack?" Speech Thought Others