This place was simply breathtaking. It had caught Jade's attention from a rather far distance, the thunderous roar of water crashing over the falls. As a yearling who found it difficult to ignore anything that interested her, it was no surprise she had redirected her course. Happily the girl padded through the lush foliage, grateful for the relief from the drought that the land had been afflicted with lately. The vegetation was green and verdant now, and her spirits were lifted considerably as she broke through the foliage to finally lay eyes on the waterfall beyond. She stood with wide eyes at the base of the falls, admiring it. It was super cool, like nothing she'd ever seen before. The lands of Talis, while they were perfectly fine places to lay claim to, were rather flat compared to some of the places she'd been exploring as of late. While she didn't want to up and leave, it certainly was making her feel more adventurous. After gaping at the beautiful sight for too long, she leaned down to lap at the cool water, replenishing her thirsty after the trip here.

He had watched the pack from a distance for some time, at first they had simply meandered about but now things seemed to be stirring. There had been a sudden bloom in action in the carefully marked territory and Grim had finally become I n t r i g u e d . He had made plans to come to them needing succor and had thus began to starve himself. His ribs had already started to poke through, his fur had become short and brittle,  and even the slightest bit of activity seemed to tire him. Soon he would present himself to the pack and they would no doubt pity him. He stopped to rest in a bush by the thundering falls his limbs tucked carefully under his frail frame. If he had come to them as he was- a serpent in all regards and brim with pompous pride  they would have no doubt used caution when approaching him, perhaps even sensed that he was not to be trusted. As something broken that they needed to repair however they would watch his confidence build with his strength and they would see it as an accomplishment on their part. He closed his eyes and thought to himself Soon soon soon… when the sound of someone approaching caught his attention. He shifted to catch the stranger’s scent on the light breeze and felt his heart begin to race. They have come to me. he thought gleefully. He pinned his ears back over the now tight curve of his skull and hissed, his voice barely audible “Hello? Who’s there?” He kept his grandfather's skull on his head like always, and no doubt it would raise questions when he was found, but he could worry about that later. Speech

Jade smelled the stranger on the breeze before she caught any other side of him. The scent was masculine, and strange to her -- he was certainly not a packmate, and nobody she had ever come across before. Instinctively her posture stiffened, just slightly, as she lifted her muzzle from its lowered position and examined her surroundings. Cautiously she would peer through the underbrush before he made his presence known, taking a few wary steps in his direction. She was surprised when she first saw him, a scrawny looking brute, smaller than even she was. What struck her as most peculiar, though, was the thing he wore over his head. Some kind of skull, perhaps of a canine - though she admittedly had never seen a canine's skull before. A slight frown tugged at her lips, her head tilting as she eyed him with uncertainty. "Hello there," Jade replied to his greeting, her voice soft and curious. "My name's Jade. What's yours?" Admittedly she hadn't met many strangers outside of Talis, and knew she ought to exercise caution, but that wouldn't stop her from talking to him - a safe distance away, of course. Something about him was peculiar, too, but she couldn't quite identify what besides his strange headpiece.

He looked at her, his eyes sunken in behind the empty sockets of the skull. “Jade…” He said in a hushed tone. “How beautiful.” He said, his voice a low whistling rasp. “I am Rahaevor Autumnborne.” He said gently, blinking slowly as if there were some hidden wisdom tucked away in his thoughts where only he could find them. “Although I prefer you call me The Grim One. Or just Grim for short.” He said, the shadow of a kind smile tugging at his lips behind the pearl white teeth of the skull. “Tell me child, do you have anything I can eat? It’s been some time since I’ve had anything.”  He commented softly his ears slowly pulling forward until they framed his face, his tone almost hopeful. “You would do me a great service if you could bring me something to eat.” He said, his tone becoming desperate at the promise of food. He stopped suddenly, his mouth hanging open, a line of drool slipping from his lips. “Forgive me.” He muttered. “I’m not usually so vulgar.” His ears pinned back again as he closed his eyes. “I found myself wandering through a desert to reach this place.” He explained, which was of course a lie although he doubted the girl would be able to see through his ruse. “How I came to be here exactly is a mystery, I only know that as days passed I grew weaker and weaker until I was fully unable to fend for myself.” He explained, desperation and hope dancing in his ruby eyes. “You are in fact the first wolf I’ve ever met since I left my home.” He said and slowly let his head rest on the grass. He Speaks

Jade was torn between the attitudes of both her parents. Her father was far more cautious and distrusting, while her mother was more social.. she hung somewhere in the middle, uncertain about this brute but also too curious to turn away. But she was no fool, despite being somewhat flighty, and she kept a safe distance away from the strange wolf with his even stranger headpiece.  "Thank you, Grim," Jade replied gently, using the name he'd said he preferred. It was quite different from Rahaevor, but whatever - to each their own, right? Maybe he just didn't like the name he'd been given. Her ears flicked slightly at his question.  "I don't," the girl responded, a bit sadly, wishing she did. He looked awfully hungry - and though at the mention of food she felt a soft rumbling in her stomach, she doubted her hunger came close to comparing to his judging by the way his ribs protruded from beneath him. "Perhaps I could help you find something, though?" He had the scent of a rogue, with no pack to assist him in hunting - she could go without eating for a bit to find him something to snack on, right? There seemed little harm in that. She forced a small smile as she watched him, shrugging her slender shoulders. His story made sense, and she felt empathetic toward his tale. "I'm sorry to hear all that," she offered softly after a moment. Her life had no misfortune such as his, and she felt badly for him; hopefully she could help him, even if just a bit, and get some energy back in him.

“I would be most gracious if you did.” He whistled, his voice seeming to strain as he spoke. “Indebted to you even.” Surely the promise of a loyal companion would be favorable, it was a ploy that had worked numerous times before and he saw no reason for it to fail now especially with one so young. Slowly he lowered his head and wheezed a miserable sigh, feeling a bout of exhaustion wave over him and willing himself to stave it off for just a bit longer. He would ask her about the pack that he already knew a fair deal about but only after he had earned her trust through the guise of gratitude. “If I may beg your pardon. I think I will sleep until you return. I am very tired you see, and my body is weak.” He explained, his sunken in eyes slowly beginning to close even before the girl left. The exhaustion from his fasting had been a disadvantage, but it would serve its purpose well as a display of how truly feeble he was . Speech

Grim seemed receptive to her offer of help. Jade's smile grew slightly, pleased to be able to help. Even though he wasn't part of Talis, he seemed decent enough - as far as she could tell, if not slightly strange - and she didn't think anyone deserved to go hungry. Especially when it wouldn't take much effort to get him something to eat, and would give herself something to do for awhile. The thought of having him owe her something though wasn't particularly appealing.   "Ah, it's no problem really," Jade shrugged a bit absently at his words. He did sound quite weak, so it wasn't difficult to assess that he quite badly in need of something to eat. He said he'd sleep until she got back, and she nodded in agreement. "I understand," she replied gently. "I'll see what I can find for you!" This was quite the luscious area, thanks to the waterfall, and she had no doubt she'd be able to find a small meal for him. Dipping her head in quiet farewell, she slipped away, nose low to the ground as she sniffed and searched for an appealing scent. It didn't take her long to catch the scent of a rabbit, which she trailed after diligently. It didn't take long for Jade to stalk one of them, a fat one that was shuffling through the grass a bit away from the falls. The kill was easy, requiring very little effort (though it probably would've been a lot for poor Grim, who was clearly quite weak and starved). She took her time, figuring he'd need the rest, before trudging back to him with the fresh kill. She cleared her throat to announce her arrival, dropping it by his forepaws with a little grin.

He dreamed marvelous dreams of bodies falling to the earth from the heavens and cracking open like eggs, viscera and blood lapping at jagged stones like the tide of the sea. A beautiful dream, a marvelous dream… He opened his eyes slowly, pulled from his dream by the soft noise of the girl. He snapped up the hare and tore into it ravenously, his exhausted mind trying to remember who the girl was and just what act of his she believed in. He gulped mouthfuls of sticky meat, bones popping and crunching as he ate them as well. The gears clicked into place and he muttered a weak “Thank you..Oh thank you…blessed child, lovely child..thank you.” As he chewed, his voice cracking as if he were on the verge of tears. Grim was fully prepared to play the role of groveling, sniveling whelp until he was fully accepted by the girl, and her pack and trusted, he would hide his nature from them and in the shadows when they weren’t looking, unleash the monstrous beast that he was on those who would be unable to touch him inside the borders of a pack. “Thank you…thank you…”   he groveled He Speaks

Truthfully, it wasn't much effort to find Grim something to eat, so she figured it was the least she could do for this poor man. At least it gave him something to do today to occupy her time. Jade tilted her head curiously to the side as she watched Grim rouse from his rest, moving to tear quite quickly into the hare. He must've been quite hungry, as he'd said, though that much had been obvious to her. "Ah, it's really not much of a problem," Jade offered with another kind smile. He was a bit of a messy eater, much more so than she was accustomed to, and she watched with a wary stare as she gulped down the treat. He was definitely badly in need of a meal, and she wished she could help him in some other way.  "I do hope something in your stomach helps you feel better, sir," she offered a bit tentatively after a moment, eyeing him. He really didn't look as though he was in the best shape and she wasn't sure she could leave him easily without feeling guilty.

“Oh it does miss, it most surely does.” He groveled. There was a pause and then he spoke again. “Pardon me if I may be so blunt…” He whispered, his voice gentle and his eyes diverted to the ground between them. “I noticed you smelled of a pack.” He said softly, doubt already starting to creep into his voice. “I was hoping… If it were possible…” He sighed bereftly and dropped his head gently to the ground. “Never mind, you have already done so much for me as it is, I couldn’t possibly trouble you anymore. “ He said and covered his muzzle with his wrist. “You have been so kind and I have no way to repay you, forgive me child.” He groveled. Grim had no reason to destroy the pack the girl had come from…Not yet anyway. The day may still come where it might be in his benefit to do so, but for now he simply acted as any hopeful loner might; submissive, weak and desperate. He Speaks