Naiche had a feeling he would be spending a lot of time in the mangroves now that he had Pan.  The pangolin liked the terrain more than the grassy plains and the beach.  While the small scaley creature was perfectly willing to run it wouldn’t move fast enough for Naiche to want to wait on.  So it was the Pangol’s tail was wrapped around a portion of Naiche’s necks, head lying on Naiche’s forehead and the claws curled into fists to not jap the wheat-toned wolf.

Once they entered the mangrove’s he trotted on for another minute then let Pan find himself a good tree to climb onto.  That pangolin would do wonders for the termite population in some of the tree’s that had rotten areas of the trunk.  Naiche imagined if he was going to spend so much time in the area he should get to know it well. So while the pangolin worked at finding food Naiche spent his time slowly moving through the trees and water.  Might as well get to know this place as well as he knew the pack lands.  It might be useful one of these days.

One coming upon them wouldn’t have any obvious sign of the pangolin belonging to Naiche the way they ignored each other, of course if they wanted to pay close enough attention to the smell that could give it away.  Naiche would never admit to liking Pan, but it was silent, didn’t bother him and was completely accepting of Naiche as he was.  He guessed it wasn’t that bad to have a well-behaved companion.
"Speech"

The leggy girl had been exploring this new place when a little sound caught her attention. Standing tall and alert, the doelike wolfs short, bobbed tail flagged, flashing the off white underside for a moment. Huge blue eyes scanned the area, searching for danger. She was slightly skittish, having never been on her own before. Every sound caught her attention. She'd run into a few unsavory characters on her travels and she couldn't be too careful.

Sky colored eyes landed on a small, armored creature. The speckled girl gasped in wonder and drew near. "Hello," she spoke in her soft, sweet tones. "What are you, I wonder?" She smiled as she extended her neck to sniff the creature. "You're definitely cute, that's for sure."

Upon seeing the little beast pluck an ant, then larvae from the tree, Rue was intent on helping. Looking about, she spied an old, rotting tree. Moving to it, the young wolf pushed with all of her might, rolling it away to reveal squirming grubs and other crawly things. Plucking a particularly fat grub from the ground, she offered it to the armor plated creature. "There are a lot more down there. A while feast for you if you'd like." Again, she smiled. Rue loved all creatures and she was very happy to have met one that was new to her.

The pangolin’s long, very longue tongue came out and it seemed as if the ant was glued to it as he sucked it back in.  As she spoke Pan turned his head to look at her, standing up straighter, front clawed hands turned into fists to keep the claws tucked in best it could.  Pan truly was quiet and didn’t utter any noise but after a few seconds he raised up one of his arms and gave a wavy clawed greeting.

Pan’s tongue came out again when she offered the grub, dragging the unwilling creature into its mouth. It didn’t seem to be in a hurry to do anything fast but after another thoughtful look at Rue it came to a decision and instead of climbing down the tree it just used hier head.  The claws were again rolled back so that he was his knuckles on her forehead and then the back legs.  The tail wrapped about her neck for balance as he dangled his way from there to a leg and then the ground.

It was about this time Naiche came into view.  His head had been down sniffing at a root and something hidden within but jerked up noticing another wolf and Pan. “Who are you? Pan what are you doing,” extra emphasis added to the key word ‘are’.  The thing just wanted to be friendly with any wolf it seemed.  So much for loyalty.  

The little armored creature glanced and waved at Naiche before moving to the rotten tree Rue had found, clawed hands ripped a bigger hole in the rotted thing, the tongue snaking out to trap all manner of grubs on it and pulled them back into its mouth.

Naiche saw Pan eating out of the corner of his eye but the rest of his attention was solely focused on Rue.  
"Speech"

Soft laughter erupted from the girl as the little creature clung to her, using her body as an express route to the ground. He was incredibly charming and she once again found herself wondering what he was. They didn't have creatures like this where she came from. Big blue eyes watched as the little guy began to eat his feast, using his interesting claws to rip open the log further.

A voice from behind startled the girl and her eyes went wide. Her bobbed tail went flashing upwards as she turned her attention to the owner of the voice. He was s smaller wolf. Golden in color. It seemed as though he knew the strange creature, for he named it right after he asked who she was.

"Hello," she started cheerfully. "My name is Rue. I was just helping your friend here find a snack. I've never seen anything like him before." A smile still on the leggy young wolfs features, she fixed her full attention on the wheaten brute "Good to meet you, uh... what was your name?" The speckled fae have her hesd a slight tilt, looking at him inquisitively.

It was a wolf, but all he could imagine is how much she looked like a deer, from the fawn-like spots to the short tail with the white on the backside.  Naiche would have to be patterned like that, to have a look that resembled a prey animal.  Somehow it fit her though with her cheery outlook and apparent gentleness with Pan.

Naiche skipped another glance from her to Pan and back.  Yes, his partner was certainly tearing into the wood to get at whatever bugs had cloistered in there.  “Hello Rue, I’m Naiche, member of the armada,” the response was polite even though a bit guarded. He was proud of being part of his pack and was always happy to show off he was part of the armada ranks. “That’s Pan as you might have heard.  He’s a pangolin.  His species enjoys tree climbing a lot so I bring him out here.  His type aren’t around here, but they are pretty special.  Lots of good uses and very social.”  Honestly Naiche had no idea if other pangolin were as friendly as Pan appeared to be, but since it was unlikely any others would show up it didn’t matter how he labeled them as a whole.

She wasn’t part of the armada judging from her scent.  So a lone wolf wandering through Pan’s favorite spot.  She seemed rather upbeat and had an innocent like quality to her for being a loner.  She was also young like him, it was hard to be alone when young at least so Naiche had found.  “so, what are you doing out this way?”
"Speech"

Ears perked as the man said that he was a member of the Armada. "Oh! So you muse know Indy." The purple boy had said that he was from a pack called the Armada. She wondered if she would see him today. He had promised to visit her often. It was nice to make friends. Especially after wandering alone for a few months. Naiche went on to explain that his little friend was a pangolin named Pan. Rue nodded in acceptance as he spoke absorbing every word. "He's a terribly handsome fellow, this Pan. I wonder if I might find myself a little friend like him." She didn't even know where to start trying to find a companion. She ran into enough creatures every day, but none had wanted to stick around. Maybe she just wasn't companion material. Then came the question that she was hoping never came. "I, uh... I'm all alone. So I've been staying around here. Indy is going to help me build a little den." She didn't want to get into her sob story. Rue did her best to be upbeat and happy, even when the rest of the world was sad. It was how she got through the day.  "I was actually just looking for mushrooms to eat when I happened across Pan." Blue doe eyes lit up as she looked upon the golden boy. "Do you like mushrooms, Naiche?" Indy hadn't, but maybe her new friend would. "Speech"

The comment on Indy surprised him, not even just the question but the realization he didn’t know Indigo well.  Naiche had spied Indigo at the beach party but never really found a time to meet the wolf then. “I’ve seen Indigo a time or two."

Pan might have looked up on his name, or he might have just been enjoying some extra quality bug as the tongue slid back inside.  Either way, Naiche was amused at how much she seemed to like his pet.  “I’ve roamed a good bit and haven’t seen one anywhere within these lands.  I believe his type are only found farther away.” Farther away than what? Who knew.   “I got him from another wolf who sells a variety of species that will match well.

Naiche’s ears flicked back for a moment at the notion of mushrooms, “I can’t say I ever ate any mushrooms, but no they don’t appear at all appealing.  I’m happy to just keep to meat and fish.”  Had she taken to eating mushrooms because it was hard for her to hunt alone? He would certainly understand if that was the case. “Do you actually like them?”

Naiche didn’t normally go for casual chatter and this might turn into that soon.  She was nice but she wasn’t part of the pack and if Indigo was helping her live out here it seemed either she had no interest in joining or Indigo didn’t think her good enough.  How much time was he really going to spend with a stranger? Naiche glanced at Pan, it was still eating so it appeared Naiche wasn’t going to leave right away.
"Speech"

[/b][/color]

Naiche admitted to knowing of Indigo, though it seemed as though they didn't really know one another by the sound of it. No matter. Knowing that the yellow man was part of Indy's pack put any anxieties that Rue may have had at ease. Indy was good, so the rest of his pack had to be good by extension, right? Was that how packs worked? Jeez, she didn't really know. Attention shifted back to the pangolin and Naiche said that he'd purchased the little guy from a trader. People traded other species? That didn't seem right to the girl, but she didn't want to offend her new acquaintance, so she kept her mouth shut on the matter. Still, she wished that she might one day have a little friend like that. Then she'd never be alone. She'd have someone to take care of and to take care of her. It was a wistful thought and one that she pushed away, turning her attention instead back to Naiche. Her comment on mushrooms seemed to confuse him just as it had Indy. The girl laughed softly and shrugged. "I was raised on mushrooms, plants and fish. My parents are..." she had to stop herself, brow furrowing for a moment. "were... very old. They weren't able to hunt well. We had fish traps in the river, so we were able to eat those. My mother and I collected mushrooms as often as we could. So, I rather like them." She understood why others wouldn't. She'd just found out that wolves actually ate other creatures when she spoke to Indy. "Indy ate one when I found a patch, but he didn't like them either. I doubt you would. They must taste weird in comparison to meat." She wouldn't know for sure, but Indy had said he'd stick to meat. "Thanks for talking to me, Naiche." Rue said abruptly, lowering her eyes for a moment bashfully. "I've been really lonely since being on my own. It was really nice to meet you and Pan." The girl meant it from the bottom of her heart. She wasn't meant to be alone. Though he wasn't as charismatic as Indy, Naiche was a good wolf. She could tell. "Speech"

Yuck.  This girl needed to eat more than plants and fish.  She only liked mushrooms because she didn’t know what she had been missing. “I haven’t had much experience in large hunting groups but I’m pretty good with smaller game.”   Naiche felt no requirement to help her, again she wasn’t pack but she also wasn’t an enemy at the moment.  He believed all wolves should try to grow stronger.  To quit growing stronger was to grow weaker.

“Would you like to work on hunting prey?  Have you ever hunted anything?” It was natural for a pup to want to try and hunt after all so maybe even that much? If she did want to learn then things would be much easier for Naiche.  He could gain experience teaching and be on a subject that was much more comfortable.  Naiche wasn’t a great hunter and didn’t always grab the first thing he chased down but the golden wolf had been improving.  He didn’t need to be perfect to show what he knew.  If he wanted to be great someday he needed to learn to teach, so in a way, this would still help the pack.

The idea of being thanked for talking was weird considering how little he attempted to go into idle chit chat. “If your lonely being alone wouldn’t it make sense for you to find a pack that is suitable for you?” He couldn’t begin to imagine her in the armada but surely there were some packs that would work well for her.  His words came out more formal in both the offer to teach and the suggestion to join a pack.  A wolf offering some aid to another, not to be friends but just to be, to be what? What was the point? To be decent, to not be trash.  To not make it all about himself.
"Speech"

Naiche offered to teach her to hunt and Rue balked at the idea of killing a living being. Her parents, being as old as they were, didn't hunt. The leggy girl frowned a bit. "I don't know. I've been doing well just eating fish and plants and eggs." Sure, she was skinny, but she was healthy, right? Not that she had much for comparison. She'd only met a few wolves aside from her parents. Maybe she did look sickly. Was that why Indy had been so nice to her? Hmm... she shook her head. "I've never hunted anything other than fish." The speckled girl grinned ruefully. "I've never even eaten red meat." He didn't seem like the type to accept all if this well. She couldn't say why, but he didn't.

Naiche then questioned her choice of living and Rue worried her lower lip with her teeth for a moment. "Honestly, the idea of being in a large group frightens me a bit." Rue was the epitome of a sheltered child. "It was just my parent's and I my whole life. I could count the wolves that I've met on one paw." She gave her head a shake. "I'm sure I'll be okay with it eventually, I'm just not ready yet." She looked away from the yellow man. "Everything happened so fast." She didn't want a pity party. Her parents had raised her better than that. As she said, she just needed time. Time and socialization. Spending time with Indy helped. Spending time with Naiche and Pan helped too.

Did this girl understand what it was to be a wolf? It seems she had lived with a load of ignorance, she was cheated of what she truly was.  The pride one should have in being a wolf was denied if one didn’t know what that truly was.  “Have you ever chased prey but not caught and ate it?  There is a thrill in chasing the prey down, a rush that builds inside of you.” That should be instinctual so that she would feel it if she tried. “What if we found a rabbit and just ‘played’ with it?  You won’t kill it, just chase it and see what hunting could feel like?”  If he could get the instinct in her to chase then it might stir the instinct to want to catch, then kill, then eat what she caught. Naiche thought of pointing out he had lived with only his direct family before joining the pack but he didn’t really want to bring up his past.  Naiche Dauner who had grown up with his family was gone, he didn’t exist anymore.  Now he was Naiche of the Ashen Armada who had no relation to the other weaker version of himself.  Most wolves would deserve to be lectured for all they said but it didn’t seem fair to lecture one who had never been taught.  “Alright, well how about we hang out a bit today, chase a rabbit or two without catching it and then I’ll be on my way.  I could come back in a day or two and try to bring a friend with me.” He’d ask Mort to come, no one could be uncomfortable around Mort right?  Well once they got past a wolf with wings. Speech:"Live to fight" Think

She could see a negative look cross Naiche's golden features and suddenly felt as though he was disappointed in her. Rue's ears dropped a bit and she frowned. She didn't want to be a disappointment, but she had never learned to hunt. When he asked if she had ever chased prey, her ears dropped further. There was sadness in her giant, blue eyes. "I used to chase the fish into the trap, but that's about it." Rue wrinkled her nose a bit. "My parents were very, very old. They shouldn't have been able to have me, but here I am. My father's bones hurt and he couldn't run, so we fished and mother had a garden full of vegetables." She tried to explain why she was the way she was. She wasn't a very good wolf and she knew that. Having to explain why she wasn't good at being a wolf made her feel...bad. Naiche suggested that they hunt, but not kill, a rabbit. Rue thought about it for a minute. Man... she really wished Indy was here. Naiche was intense. This was more pressure that she'd ever felt before. "We could try?" She didn't sound very confident, but she tried to reason with herself. If she was going to eventually be a part of a pack, she would have to start helping to feed that pack, right? The golden man suggested that they chase some rabbits, then he would come back and bring a friend. That send a spear of anxiety to shoot through the spotted girl. Her eyes widened again, but she nodded. It would do her well to meet more wolves. Hopefully they weren't as intense as Naiche was. She didn't know how much of that she could take. "So, uhh.... where do we start?" She didn't see any rabbits. How did you even find a rabbit? "Speech"

She chased fish? Wow. Her parents should joined or at least given her to a pack instead of giving her such a life.  They had failed their daughter.  Naiche sat there listening to try and be a good listener but her expression showed embarresment so to give her a moment to collect herself he glanced over to where Pan had been.  The nose of his cracking open that log was done.  The little guy was in the same spot but the trunk was fully split open and his overly long tongue was digging in deep eating either ants or termites in huge numbers. Wow, she was nervous about everything he said.  Tolerance wasn’t Naiche’s best quality.  Naiche didn’t give himself a lot of tolerance for any weakness so it was hard to offer that to others.  Just because he felt she was an exception did not make it a lot easier to do but he was trying. “I know you don’t have experience hunting but I’m sure you know how to use your nose to find what you are looking for?  Do you sniff out your mushrooms, or are there things you enjoy smelling that you notice from farther away?”   Before teaching her to kill he needed to teach to chase and apparently before he taught her to chase he needed to teach her to find.  “Do you know what a rabbit smells like?” Maybe Mort would be better at teaching her things, or Indigo? Speech:"Live to fight" Think

Rue gave her head a quizzical tilt as she was questioned. "Yes, I suppose I do. I sniff out mushrooms and other plants. I try to sniff out danger, but that doesn't always work." She still had healing wounds on one foreleg from some evil wolves who had tried to kidnap her on her way to these lands. Indigo had seen to them. When Naiche asked if she knew what a rabbit smelled like, she wanted to snap and tell him that of course she did but... she didn't. "No? I've never been close to a rabbit before. I've smelled their dens in passing, but it's not really a scent that I remember." She frowned. "Oh, I'm not really good at this sort of thing. I'll try, but you might as well act like you're teaching a newborn pup." She was hopeless and it was discouraging. He should just leave her out here on her own. Then she wouldn't have anyone to disappoint. "Speech"

Naiche wasn’t that surprised and he did his best to hide the exhaled sigh as his guess was proved correct.  Newborn pup indeed.  “It’s fine.  If you haven’t hunted them and they aren’t dangerous I imagine there would be no need to memorize the smell.” It was hard to say those words because it grated against every way he thought.  “If it helps you feel better, I’ve never taught anyone before so this will be a first for both of us.”   His first time trying to be so dang patient with someone.   “This time I’ll find the scent and get us closer.  See if you can tell when we have the scent of the rabbit or even just a scent you don’t recognize that might be it.  Not much point in learning to hunt what you can’t even find.  Chasing would also just be a matter of luck without knowing how to look.”  Admittedly after rabbits have their babies running all about it was sometimes easy to find them in the right places. Naiche started to move away then glanced back where Pan was, “You want to come?”  Pan looked to Naiche then at his current food supply and then the tree’s then shaking his head at Naiche.  Apparently Pan could tell the different inflection for question versus actually wanting him to come, or something. Naiche put his nose up to the air, sniffing it for all the various scents of life on the breeze. “I’m honestly not much good at hunting large game with a group of wolves.  You’d do better learning that from others if you ever choose to, but a rabbit I can handle.” Naiche didn’t smell rabbit right away but that meant little.  The mangroves had them and so he moved out in a casual trot his nose to the wind then at times in the grass, picking up new scents versus old ones.  After moving for just a few minutes he stopped smelling both earth and ground again, glancing at Rue, “Smell anything different?  Take your time.”   This really was most likely what training a pup was like.  Naiche had no plans to ever have any, or if he did his future mate could do all the work. [/b][/color] Speech:"Live to fight" Think

Naiche tried to reassure her a bit and it did help, but she still felt nervous inside. She couldn't help it. For her entire year of life, she was shielded from the world. Only now was she beginning to live, really. Everything was so new and intimidating. It would take her time, but she would learn to be a wolf. She had no choice, did she? The chocolate coated girl regretfully cursed her parents for not preparing her for the outside world. She knew that they had done their best for her, but couldn't they have at least told her what it was like out here? First time teacher Naiche, with his look of forced patience, said that he would find a rabbit for her this time. Hopefully next time she would be able to do so herself. The girl looked to Pan as well before they started off. The little pangolin looked so happy. He didn't have to come hunting and, for a minute, she wished she could switch places with him. Ah, but she didn't want to eat bugs. The pair of wolves moved along and Rue tried to mimic Naiche's behavior. When he sniffed something, she sniffed something. When he tested the air, she tested the air. As they moved, she smelled the rich, enticing scent of mushrooms and her mouth began to water, but she ignored them. She did make a mental note of where they were so she could come get them later. She was so distracted by the scent of mushrooms that she almost ran into the back of the golden wolf when he stopped. Screeching to a halt, blue eyes went wide for a moment. He asked her a question and it took her a moment to sort it out, but she eventually got it. Closing her eyes, she sniffed the air, then lowered her nose to the ground. There were so many scents! She was unable to pick out one of the plethora as being rabbit though. She could tell what was flora and what was fauna, but that was about it. "I smell so many things but I can't tell if one scent is a rabbit or a raccoon or a beaver. I'm hopeless." She frowned, looking to her teacher for direction. "Speech"

“I don’t smell any beavers.  The raccoon is farther up in the tree.  Whatever tree he got to there from was not right in this spot.”  Naiche was always proud of his sense of smell and made sure to learn as many scents and details as possible.  “The smells you don’t recognize pay attention to.  The rabbit is close so we are moving slower.  See what scent gets stronger and which ones fade.” Would she be able to figure out the scent tonight or would he have to catch her one for that?  Could he catch a living rabbit? Shoot she’d probably be upset he scared it.  Well, today she was getting it easy but at some point, she needed to face reality.  There is a difference between knowing the name of a thing and knowing it for what it is.  It was a crime Rue did not understand the truth of what it meant to be a wolf. Naiche stopped after only about ten more strides and questioned whether that was enough for her to really smell the difference.  The gold wolf nudged his shoulder into her, his gaze resting on the rabbit which was standing near one of the many tree’s.  “There’s the rabbit.  Just watch it for a moment, when your ready run at it.  Remember, you aren’t trying to catch it.  You and the rabbit are just playing a game of chase, like you might do with a littermate.” There was a way to put it.  Naiche kept his voice soft for just her keen wolf’s ears and not the rabbits. Speech:"Live to fight" Think

Again she listened as Naiche went through various things. No beaver. Raccoons elsewhere. Search for the scent that was getting stronger. Okay. She could do this. Rue lowered her nose to the ground again, closing her eyes so that she could focus only on smell. "I can smell... something." She took a few steps forward, eyes still closed. "It seems to be getting stronger but I still can't tell if it's a rabbit. Maybe once I see it to connect the scent to the sight?" The deer-like girl cast him a questioning glance with her giant blue eyes. She wanted to know whether or not she was doing well. The pair moved along and Rue continued to focus on the smell. Eventually Naiche stopped and she stopped before she slammed into him. Peering around the side of the golden wolf, Rue fixed her gaze upon the small, long eared creature sitting near a tree. Again she listened to instruction. Chase the rabbit. Don't catch it. Just like... a sibling? Rue screwed up her features for a moment. She'd never had a sibling. Instead she imagined it might be like chasing her father's tail when she was a young pup. Taking a breath, Rue bunched her muscles and sprang. Without any sort of plan or an ounce of hunterly decorum, the leggy girl ran after the rabbit. The little creature was startled and jumped straight up into the air. It kicked its feet, startling Rue in return. The girl skittered backwards, eyes wide. By the time she regained her composure, the rabbit was already dashing through the trees. With a silent curse, Rue ran after it. She tucked her ears against her skull to keep them from getting caught on the various hanging vines and branches. Her eyes remained locked on the little creature. Hey, she was doing it! She was chasing! Rue looked over her shoulder to give Naiche an excited look. Big mistake. Tripping over some of the many mangrove roots, Rue went flying head first into one of the many waterways that littered the area. The murky liquid swallowed her up completely. "Speech"

Naiche could have rolled his eyes at smelling ‘something.’  There were many things to smell but as she mentioned maybe rabbit he felt better about it.  Fortunately, her attention was focused on trying to figure out a smell if his look of tolerance had slipped.  This was hard. Naiche gave a small nod, “seeing it should help,” he agreed softly. Naiche didn’t run at top speed, he kept a bit behind her but also stayed within sight, closely watching how things worked out.  Naiche sincerely doubted she’d be able to catch the rabbit if she wanted to but some wolves had that natural talent and some rabbits were done.  In this case, those details didn’t appear to be happening. Actually Naiche was quite pleased because for a few minutes she looked excited.  Her anxiety seemed to be gone even if only for a moment.  Then she tripped, that was an undesired result.  Naiche let out a sigh loping to where she had fallen into the water, leaning down.  Naiche would help if needed but surely a wolf who caught fish could handle falling into water? When Rue surfaced he gave her a grin, “you were doing good for a bit.  For the first time that was excellent.” He seemed to mean it too! Despite her deciding to take a bath. Speech:"Live to fight" Think

With the water over her head, Rue paddled back to the surface. She spluttered a bit as she took her first breath of air. Swimming to the bank, she pulled herself onto it and shook out her spotted pelt. Ears tucked against her skull and she shot Naiche a sheepish grin. She gave another shake and accepted his compliment with a wiggle and a flick of her short tail. "Well, that just means that you're a good teacher, Naiche." Climbing back up the bank to be level with the golden wolf once more, she smiled. "I felt like I was doing okay. If I hadn't looked back, I would have done better." The girl laughed softly and shook her head, little tail wagging quickly. "Will you teach me some more? I sort of liked chasing the rabbit." She still didn't want to hurt it, but she definitely liked chasing it. "Speech"