"Can you feel the heat as time races on, we're getting closer to kissing the sun."

Time seemed to drag on mercilessly as the afternoon hours approached, the warm summer sun beating down on the tan coated female. She had been wandering aimlessly for days getting well antiquated with Lirim lands, her moss hued eyes darting left and right as she neared the bellowing willows, time seemed to be endless as she carried on. Tongue rolling out of her mouth in a disdained panting, her nostrils flared as muscles worked tirelessly with the frame of the canine. As she came to a stop grey ears seemed to prick instantly at the various sounds around her. She hadn't yet explored this patch of land, thus, she was anxious in her traveling. Fleeting breaths now came from her parted jaws, saliva rolling from her mouth as she panted continuously.

Now coming to stand beneath one of the long limb trees, she gazed up through the leaves her eyes illuminated by rays of sunlight drifting down through the spaces between. Dropping her hind quarters down to the shaded earth below, she now stretched out her limbs, enjoying the solitude surrounding her. Eyes closing, she exhaled slowly soon following a slow inhale. She was finally able to relax.  

Summer had fallen upon the lands, and it wasn't Zell's most favorite season, but then again, he didn't really have a favorite season to begin with. He had emerged from his den and at first, had initially decided to go patrol the borders. But halfway to the nearest border, he stopped. Why the fuck would he or should he patrol anymore? What was the point? "Pft, fuck it." He snorted to himself, and turned away from the potential task. He had the mindset to instead, leave pack lands to go out for a while. Besides, it's not like anyone would miss him anyway. As he trotted through pack lands, ice blue gaze caught sight of someone resting beneath a willow, and almost immediately he narrowed his eyes. Who was that and why were they sitting there? Trespasser maybe? He altered his course towards the wolf, but as he got closer, he could detect the underlying hint of a fresh and new pack member. His suspicions died a little, but he still held onto them somewhat. "New to the pack?" He questioned her, voice gruff as he stopped a couple yards from her. "Talk"

Baelfire's ears pricked at the voice of another that had approached her, this male smelled strongly of Lirim. Her first interaction with a pack member, at a distance it took her a minute to register him as an actual canine, what sort of wolf had red marking? Exhaling sofly, she soon pushed herself upwards to a standing position, tail wagging slightly behind her with an itch of nervousness in her tone. "Afternoon, indeed, I am." She briefly considered to give him her name but soon changed her mind, she wasn't sure about this individual, but she also didn't get a bad feeling from his presence. Ears now falling forwards in a pricked interest, she stepped a bit closer towards him. "I'm Baelfire." Liver colored nose twitching slightly as she inhaled the scents surrounding him, her moss colored eyes looked over the wolf several times. She could read body language rather well, part of her felt as though he was annoying. Being naturally curious she wanted to ask him if he was alright, then again, he didn't know her so why would he tell her a thing? Sunlight hitting her sandy pelt she now sat back down on the earth, tail curling around her hind legs.

She confirmed that she was a new member, and as she fell silent for a moment he took the opportunity to look her over a bit, asessing what her position might be. Lirim needed more fighters since he was pretty much the only one, but she didn't appear to be much of the fighting type. It took a a few moments to get her name, but when she did tell him, he nodded. "Baelfire hm? Interesting name. My name's Zell, it's nice to uh...meet you." He flicked his ears as he stood there with what seemed like awkwardness. He didn't interact much with the pack anymore. Not like he used to when Faite had been around. But perhaps he had changed for the worst or something. Grunting to himself, he returned his gaze to her for a moment as he tried to remember how to be friendly...or at least a little more hospitable. "So uh...what rank are you? Healer? Hunter?" He couldn't quite remember what other ranks there were asides from healing, hunting, and fighting. But he guessed it didn't matter if he remembered that anymore. Asides from a select few, nobody did anything with their ranks anyway. "Talk"

Baelfire's ears fell forwards towards her face as the male gave his name along with reciting her own, eyes now watching him as he seemed unsteadier than what he had approached her as. Chest raising with a soft inhale the cream colored canine now found herself staring blankly ahead, she wasn't one for conversation and it seemed apparent that this male was the same as herself. She wasn't sure if it was because he was antisocial, or perhaps, a more recent member as well. His backstory was none of her business, however. Fluffed tail now swishing slightly behind her as she stood she quietly replied to his question of her placement. "Healer, it's one of my only qualities." It wasn't that she was negative towards herself, she simply knew that it was her highest skill, so of course she embraced it. She could fight if she had to, she could also hunt decently, in all reality she would be wherever the leads of Lirim chose to place her. Baelfire was goal driven, thus, no matter her talent at a proposed job she would give it her greatest attempt. "So, tell me Zell. What's life like in Lirim?" Perhaps this would give her an inside look at the pack as a whole, an outside perspective, if you would. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she awaited an answer, sometimes she felt as though it took too long for others to speak. "Speech" Walk. "You." 'Think.'

Gods above he felt so awkward...he knew it was because he had become antisocial since Faite had vanished, and even more so when he started feeling estranged from his own damn kids. He watched her quietly as he studied her, ears tilting forward slightly as she told him that she was in the healer position. "Well...Lirim could always use healers. My daughter Kairi tried to learn it but there wasn't anyone around to teach her" In fact, he knew there were a couple she-wolfs in the pack that were supposed to be healers...but he hadn't seen Hailey in ages and Stardust often seemed to be scarce as well. So in a way, he was kind of glad that Baelfire was here to take on the role. He wasn't sure how to continue conversation anymore, much less with someone new. So he was glad when she asked him about Lirim. Icy blue gaze settled on her, amused by her rapid blinking. If he didn't know any better, she seemed impatient to want to know more about the pack. He felt a slight smile tug at his lips, so he settled his rump on the ground and took a deep breath. "Well, it's usually pretty quiet. We're not really bothered by outsiders, and within pack lands it's...well...quiet." He cleared his throat in slight embarrassment. He knew he had repeated himself, but in all honesty, Lirim was pretty quiet. He didn't hold training because he was the only fighter in the pack, and since he was pretty much banned from teaching the pups, then he didn't really have anything to do. And it seemed nobody else did anything either. "I'm the only fighter in Lirim, so if you ever want any training in that field or help with anything else, feel free to ask." His gaze drifted upward towards the leaves of the tree they sat under, wondering what else he should say. So far, he was pretty sure he was failing in providing her an adequate answer. And that's when he knew for sure that he was really out of touch with the pack now that he thought about it. "I'm...sorry...it's been a while since I've really had a conversation with anyone that isn't my daughter.." He sighed and shot her an apologetic look, wondering if he'd be able to fix this somehow. "Talk"

It seemed apparent that this canine had been with Lirim longer than she had originally thought, ears fell backwards against her head, feminine features twisting into a concerned emotion; he seemed distraught, but it appeared to rear its ugly head silently. Baelfire had traveled for many seasons alone, although that life style had led her to many interesting places, it had also granted her the ability to read people. A part of her wanted to ask him what was going through his head currently, what had him so distracted? What happened to this poor fellow... Baelfire Kolceg was a creature of generous raising, she valued others emotions, upheld truth to the highest honor. Warm spring toned eyes now rested on the double colored canine as he spoke of their shared interest; Lirim. Her heart broke a little when she heard that he was the only battle based ranking of the group, although she certainly wasn't skilled at fighting, she could at least give it a shot? Her eyes watching him closely, trying to read his emotions from his patterns. It was a mixture of sadness, confusion, and perhaps even a bit of a lost feeling. She wanted so badly to reach out to him, to offer him a comforting shoulder to cry on, an ear to vent to. Baelfire remembered briefly what her own past had been like, it certainly wasn't a good one, and it wasn't something she felt as if she could talk about either. Thus, if Zell refused to tell her what troubled him, she could support him unbiased. She didn't need his whole backstory to at least be a good person, to be a good friend. "Ah, well, they must just know that they don't need anyone else to do your job for you! I'm not the best at holding my own, so I could certainly use some guidance." As his apology slipped from parted jaws Baelfire once again felt a little piece of her heart break, it was as if tiny little cracks littered the surface. He seemed to feel like he was walking on egg shells, it was taking everything she had not to give him a comforting nudge to the muzzle. She wasn't sure if he had a lady anyways, if he did by chance, he could take offense to such a notion. Thus, she sat her distance away and patiently thought over how she could respond to him. The female understood a lack of social interaction, she herself hadn't had much since her arrival in Ardent. "Why do you apologize, my friend? Come walk with me." Her light steps now carried her forwards as she headed towards the edge of the territory border, blinking slowly she peered around in a relaxed manner. As the pair neared the more grassy area of the Willow patch, she exhaled softly enjoying the sound of the breeze rustling through the leaves around her, finally she spoke. "Zell, my job as a healer is to help people feel better, this means physically and mentally. I feel that you are troubled by dark things clouding your mind, they swirl around endlessly. Body language is easy to read, especially when someone's speech matches their emotions so effortlessly. Baelfire paused for a moment, letting her next sentences stew on her tongue, she didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to see too pushy, but her intuition was screaming in her own ear. She knew when certain things needed to be said, and because of her personality, she was able to say them without hurting another. "These thoughts that go through your head, they are negative, correct? You don't have to tell me, of course. But as you do your job, I too, must uphold the duties of my own." Moss colored eyes watched the red and white canine as she awaited an answer, she hadn't planned on speaking up about what she had gathered from the male. But as soon as he apologized, she felt like she needed to make him aware of her intuition. It wasn't that she was psychic, no that's absurd, Baelfire just felt as though the life of a healer was her destiny. The mind was a fragile thing, and only those who truly knew their work were able to mend a broken head. It was the hardest, and most dangerous, of any and all injuries. "Speech" Walk. "You." 'Think.'

Or the pack just hasn't been the same since Faite disappeared... He thought bitterly to himself. He felt like this woman was either really enthusiastic or pitied him just a bit concerning his job in the pack. Wasn't much of a job, really. "I'd be more than happy to help guide you, even if just a little bit. Even if fighting isn't your thing, it's always good to know the basics at least." He mused a bit, then shrugged it off. He wouldn't force her to it, but he would be around to help her if she desired it. He had quite a lot on his mind and had nearly regretted even saying anything at all. But when she questioned why he apologized, he simply shrugged. He often did feel like he was walking on eggshells, and he didn't think he could take it anymore. He wanted Faite to come back and fix things, but at the same time, he was beginning to hate her for abandoning him. The first time he had ever gotten close to someone (even if it was by accident), they left him in the dust. It seemed to be a recurring scene for him, and he could feel himself shutting down his emotions more and more as time passed. Brooding in his thoughts, he almost missed when Baelfire requested that he walk with her. He was surprised, to say the least, his brow points rising slightly in a questioning manner, but he did what was requested. He stood and followed her towards the edge of the border, the quietness between them allowed his mind to wander a bit. But then she began to speak, and Zell froze in place. Almost immediately he felt his walls fly up around him as he desperately sought to mask his emotions. But it seemed she had noticed already, and he was sure he hadn't made it too difficult for others to know that he was in a constant bad mood. He said nothing at first and instead had turned his gaze from her to the horizon. "These thoughts that go through your head, they are negative, correct? You don't have to tell me, of course. But as you do your job, I too, must uphold the duties of my own." He felt himself stiffen as she practically hit the nail on the head, and he knew that she must have noticed his reaction to her question. He bit his tongue, practically feeling like he was holding his breath. He wasn't sure how to respond, wasn't sure if he wanted too. But he wasn't that much of a jerk to keep her hanging. He kept his gaze away from her for a few more moments before a long and hard sigh escaped him. Ears flattened in a sort of droopy manner as he decided to answer. "It's that obvious huh? At least...to you it is. Nobody else seems to give a shit.." He turned away again to stare off into the distance, suddenly feeling all sorts of things he couldn't quite sort out. "Talk"

The young healer's heart broke momentarily for the male she had begun talking with, she wanted so badly to know what had hurt him to the point he felt the need to push everyone away. Was it the loss of a mate, or perhaps a child? Baelfire's ears fell against her head as she now stepped closer to the male, she didn't want to crowd him, but she certainly wanted to make sure that he knew she could be trusted. Luckily, she didn't have a loud mouth either. "It's that obvious huh?" Nodding slowly, she stared off in the distance a bit. How was she supposed to handle this situation? Once again, she had gotten herself into a spot with someone that she didn't really know how to get herself through or out of. Did she open up to him about her failed relationship, did she attempt to sympathize with him? The last thing she wanted to do was make Zell feel like she pitted him, because that wasn't the case. Everyone went through hard times in life, and sometimes they just needed a helping hand to pick them back up off of the ground when they fell. "I don't know what you've been through, Zell, or what you're going through right now. But I can tell you that I do care about your well being, I care about the well being of anyone that is decent enough to have a conversation with me, that is why I chose to be a Healer. I'm not a master at my job, however.." Exhaling slowly, her ears fell forwards as she mulled over her words that seemed to simply stew on her tongue, would it be too much? "Negativity turns your heart black over time, it makes you cold, standoffish. It makes your life lack luster, and makes even waking up a chore. I don't mean to sound nagging, it's just so very bad for your health all the way around." Green eyes now fell forwards away from the male, she felt as though she had said just enough. If he chose to listen to her words, perhaps he would share with her the things that troubled him, if not so be it. She wouldn't force him to do anything, that was for certain. Thinking back to his previous statement about fighting, her ears pricked as she turned back towards him, she could certainly accept his assistance. "I could certainly use some education from your job, though. I don't even know how to get someone on the ground, I suppose instincts would help somewhat.. I've never been in a fight in my whole life, truthfully." Her voice trailed off as she looked back forwards, she wanted to do something but wasn't sure what she could do.. "Speech" Walk. "You." 'Think.'