Lotus slowed his trott until he came to a stop in front of her. No need to hurry now that she had completed the kill. As she hunched over her prey, Lotus paused. Considering her for a moment. She did look a little thin, a few steps more hungry than the lost boy was himself.

He took a seat, patiently waiting as she seemed to consider it, and then inviting him over. The scattered deer stood quivering on the edges of the hill, waiting for the flash flood to slow enough for passage to be safe again. And it did look like it was stopping. The sudden rain had ended, and the flow of the water was slowing. He reckoned they would be able to leave their perch soon.

“I’d love to, mind ripping me off a hunch?” he asked, not wanting to push his luck and actually rip into the pretty beside her. Now when she seemed on edge.

"Words"

Terra is on guard, uncertain, and tense. The strange boy seems to read it and seats himself in front of her but stays a safe distance away. Emotions war behind her emerald greens but, in the end, she chooses to trust him and offers to let the boy join in the meal. He seems happy, the joy of youth has not yet been stolen away from him. The earthen girl misses those days, carefree and filled with sunshine. Ah, but then the world had decided to change, taking her family and everyone she cared about away from her. How long has she been on her own now? Six months? Eight? Time has no concept to someone who is just trying to survive each day and, the only way she has marked the passing of time, is in the changing of seasons.

Looking to the fat haunch beside her and back up to the boy, Terra scoots away from it, making room for the boy that helped has helped her. She tries to relax her body but is uncertain how successful she is as she offers him a timid smile and says, “Please, come sit with me. I... promise not to bite.” Her grin is lopsided and awkward, paws shuffling for a moment longer before she adds, “My name’s Terra and… thank you.” Emerald gaze meets his eyes for a moment, a small tick of lips upward, before the earthen girl allows her eyes to drop, still feeling uncertain about how to act around another wolf who is not being aggressive to her. He seems nice, about the same age as her, and Terra really hopes that she doesn’t do something stupid make him leave.


"Terra Qilaq"

He settled himself in front of the haunch as she made room for him to do so. She didn;t entirely seem comfortable, but it was clear she was making an effort. “Thanks. Man, that weather was weird, wasn't it?” he commented as he took a bite. He bit back the desire to moan in hunger. It had been a while since he had last eaten. After that initial bite, he started to chow down. Pausing to speak when spoken to. “I’m Lotus, and pleasure. Food is good” he said, flashing her a bloody smile as he swallowed the chunk in his mouth.

“So what were you doing in the Range anyway. It… well. It was my home” he grimaced, realising he’d been about to accuse her of trespassing, but Fireside was long gone now. It had been his home, sort of. His family had come here a lot and it seemed a stable part of his life - until it wasn’t.

"Words"

The icy boy joins her and Terra dips her head in agreement, offering him a friendly smile as she begins to rip into the front half of the deer. The taste of meat on her tongue suddenly makes her stomach cramp, and the earthen girl is forced to slowly chew the food. She takes the opportunity to watching the boy, as they exchange names. A smaller but no less genuine smile is given to the happy Lotus and Terra gives him gentle shake of her head.

However, his next words have fear flashing across her face and Terra hunches slightly as she ducks her head in a submissive gesture. She knows a pack had been here but their scent has faded and the wolves she had once here are gone. Swallowing her piece of meat, Terra says, “I… I have been living near here for a while. My family left me in the land nearby… told me to wait there. I’m sorry if I am being disrespectful. I just… saw the deer and was hungry.”

Emerald gaze looks up to Lotus as Terra feels the need to explain her intrusion onto the once pack lands. He seems defensive of it and, even if they this place no long belongs to a pack, it is still this boy’s home. Softly, she asks, “What was it like living here?” A gentle smile is given to him before she reaches down to grab another small piece of meat and begin the process of chewing anew.


"Terra Qilaq"

Lotus shook his head, surprised at her strong reaction. “This land doesn't belong to no one now” he said around another mouthful of food. It was rude to talk with his mouth full but man he was hungry. He paused, and then realised what she had said. “Wait, they abandoned you?” he said, wrinkling his nose at that. It wasn’t exactly what had happened with him, but his family definitely hadn’t stuck around the area. He felt a little… left behind.

“It was cool. My uncle raised sheep here, and I have like nine siblings. But the pack fell apart, and I guess everyone just sorta…. Left” he explained, then shook himself. “Doesn't matter. Don’t need ‘em. What are you going to do anywhere? Where do you plan to go from here?’

"Words"

The horned boy shakes his head, at her reaction, surprise pulling at the lines on his face. Lotus explains that the land doesn’t belong to anyone now and Terra nods, chewing as he grabs another huge mouthful of meat. Her dark lips turn upward at his hunger, a small chuckle escapes, the shy girl giving him a sheepish look before she talks about where she has been. The word abandoned falls from Lotus’s lips and the girl ducks her head, shame painting her features as she gives a small, barely perceptible nod. Ears perk as he speaks of his uncle and sheep, eyebrows lifting in surprise at the fact that he has nine siblings. Swallowing her chunk of food, the earthy girl reaches down to take a slightly bigger bite of food.

Lotus explains how everyone left and then asks about her what she plans to do. Dark rimmed ears flick backward as Terra ponders her future, shame-filled emerald eyes looking up to the icy male. Swallowing her meat, the girl sighs and says, “After this, I go back to where my family left me. I’m supposed to ‘get better’ before they will come back. I don’t know what I have to get better at but I know I have to. I just… I want to go home.” The desperation in her voice disgusts Terra and she tries to hide her emotions by ducking her head to take another bite of meat.


"Terra Qilaq"

He finally stopped chewing, swallowing the piece in his mouth as he stared at Terra. “No.” he declared, sharp as a whip. “Screw that. I don’t need them, and you don’t need them. I’m not waiting around here to see if my family patches itself back together again, and you're not hanging around waiting to ‘get good’” he declared. Putting his paw down on the meat in front of him. The desperation in her voice wasn’t missed by him, and he knew the feeling. He’d taken too long hanging around Firside, trying to decide what he wanted to do, and his family had splintered around him.

“Stick with me, Terra. Two can hunt better than one” It started out as a bold statement, before starting to devolve into something more like a nervous question. Would Terra even want to stick with him?

"Words"

Terra ducks her head, moving to grab more meat when Lotus’s voice makes her stop. Emerald gaze shoots up to meet the icy boy’s and she lifts her head up to fully catch his eyes. Silently, she listens to his declaration, shame burning hotly in the backs of her eyes, forcing tears to form but still she listens. They threaten to fall but she realizes that she is tired of waiting, of hoping for something that part of her knows will never come and the earthen girl’s eyes soft with quiet admiration. The horned boy places a paw on the dead deer and boldly proclaims for her to follow him. His words make sense and Terra already knows she will follow him.

Casting her gaze down to his paw, the girl lifts her own paw and gently places it over his, looking back up to Lotus with a bright determination blazing in her emerald depths. Her head dips sharply in a nod as she says, “I’m done waiting. I want to see what else there is the world… I want to find a purpose. I’ll follow you Lotus.” A gentle smile is on her dark lips and she leaves her paw on top of Lotus’s for a moment more before giving it a small pat and letting her paw fall away. Another nod and Terra once again digs in to their meal.


"Terra Qilaq"

He was surprised when the somewhat skittish girl placed her paw over his own. He grinned at her, feeling a connection to the earthy woman. There were a lot of differences in their situations, but enough similarities to bind them together. Maybe it was his own fault that he was out here without his family, and her family's fault that she was out here alone. But that loss seemed to bind them together. Two wolves, too young to want to try this alone.

“Then it's you and me, Terra. I promise I won’t abandon you.” he said, turning his paw over to squeeze at hers. But realised what he had done with his words. Declaring it like he had some sort of plan. Now he felt obligated to carve a place in the world for them both. But where?

Terra let her paw fall away, and dug back into her meat again. Lotus turned his own eyes back to the meat, though his fast eating had left his tummy feeling a little wobbly. “The water will have receded soon. I guess we’ll need to find somewhere to make camp after this. We should pick a direction, any direction. We can go anywhere”


"Words"

It has been so long since Terra had ventured further then a few feet from where she laid her head down to sleep. She had to talk herself into coming out this far just to get food that her body desperately needed. Her waning strength and lack of prey animals near where she sleeps, had driven the girl here. Perhaps the storm was an unlucky turn of events but, as she places her smaller paw on top of the icy-hued boy’s larger one, Terra is suddenly grateful for the twist of fate. The ties that bind Lotus and the earthen girl together are both similar and glaringly different yet they are theirs to bare together. It feels nice to touch another wolf and not be slapped, or shouted at.

A small, gentle smile is on her dark lips as she agrees to follow him and Terra feels her heart flutter as he turns his paw over to squeeze hers. The smile grows before she lets her paw fall away and her eyes slide down to their meal. She digs back into the meal, a new zeal for the meat apparent in the way she tears off a larger chunk of meat. Lotus speaks and the earthen girl turns her emerald gaze up to him, a gentle smile on her lips. Any direction? This is new for her, freedom to choose, to go anywhere she wants! It is… scary.

Turning her head around while chewing her meat slowly, Terra finally raises her paw and points out a way, moving the meat to the side of her mouth so she can say, “That way?” She poses it as a question, uncertainty still present in everything she does. She doesn’t know where she is and, for all she knows, that way could be certain death. But, Lotus wants her input and, together they can face anything… right? Subtly, the girl shifts closer to the taller boy, enjoying being close to another wolf once again.


"Terra Qilaq"

Lotus squinted in the direction she pointed. That was North, wasn’t it? He thought so, but he needed something to align his direction. He looked up, and almost face-palmed. Of course, the huge mountain that stood directly behind where Fireside once stood. Terra was pointing a little to the West of that, which led further up into the North of Boreas. He wasn’t sure what was up there, he’d never explored that way before. He’d never really explored very far from home at all.

Terra shifted closer to him, and he grinned at her. Feeling… something swelling inside of him. Pride maybe, that she trusted him and wanted to stick close to him. They may have just met, but it was like she was offering all the purpose in life he’d been lacking before. “Yeah. North. That sounds like a great idea” He agreed readily. “Lets uhh… hang up some of this meat to dry, and scavenge what we can of the hide” they hadn’t been particularly careful in their hunger. “Maybe if we camp here tonight, and then head North in the morning?” he suggested, feeling their plans solidify the more they spoke.


"Words"

Lotus squints in the direction that she points to and the boy seems to be calculating something. Terra enjoys the piece of meat that she is slowly chewing while also, subtly scooting closer to the icy-colored boy. His head swivels to look at her and the earthen wolf blinks owlishly at him, suddenly worrying that she did something wrong. Shoulders shoot upward but a grin blossoms on his lips and the worried girl melts, the tension falling away from her frame as she moves to tuck herself into his side with a small, but joyful grin. It feels wonderful to have someone looking out for her, someone she can trust, and who will not abandon her for some stupid reason.

Lotus agrees with her and Terra offers him a warm smile. Then he is speaking of drying the meat and scavenging the hide and the girl’s emerald eyes shoot down to the deer carcass, before looking up to him with a sheepish grin. There are some massive holes in the hide while much of the meat on the front shoulder is gone and she says, “I guess, I was hungrier than I thought.” Swallowing her last mouthful of meat, Terra nods in agreement to what Lotus says and she stands, saying, “I can go find something sharp to get the hide off of the deer. You… want to separate the meat?”

As Terra turns to go in search of a flat rock, the fear that struggles with suddenly sears through her chest and she whips around to catch Lotus’s gaze with her own, terror-filled emeralds. She says, “You’ll be here when I get back… right?” What if he runs away while she is gone, the earthen girl doesn’t think she can survive another wolf abandoning her. Maybe she should stick close to him… just in case.


"Terra Qilaq"

“Same here” He agreed. Before they’d teamed up he hadn’t really been thinking of the future, of tomorrow. Of things like preserving the meat and hide. “Can do, boss lady” he said, giving her an easy, teasing grin as he waved a paw at her. “Just yell if you need a hand” after all, they were a team now. He’d fight tooth and claw for Terra if it was needed.

When Terra suddenly turned back towards him, he saw fear in her eyes. Or something even greater than fear, something bone-deep. He froze, wondering what had startled her, and then her words filled him in. He closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. Not even thinking about what he was doing before he was wrapping his paws around her, holding her tight. Would she react badly to the touch, he paused, paws around her and waited to see what she did. “It’s you and me Terra, that’s what we said. You and me.”


"Words"

Lotus agrees with her statement about hunger and a chuckle bubbles out of Terra’s mouth, a spark of happiness hidden within its depths. As she stands, the earthen girl suggesting what each of them can do, the boy’s words have her shooting him a lopsided grin as he waves a paw at her, telling her to yell if she needs anything. As she turns away, the fear of abandonment that she has been hiding behind a thin veil of confidence, bursts forward, wrapping its sharp claws around her brain and freezing her mid-stride. She spins to him, terror brimming in her emerald eyes, memories making her suddenly doubt this newly forged friendship.

Terra’s breath hitches in her chest and Lotus closes the short distance between them, long legs wrapping around her shorter frame. For a moment, her body stiffens uncertain of how to react but then the profound realization slams into her that this is real, that he is real and not some figment of her lonely imagination. He speaks and the dam breaks, the earthen girl pushing her head deep into his chest to inhale his scent. It is the two of them against the world. He will not leave her. She stays there, breathing deeply to steady her nerves, memorize his scent, and will the tears to stop falling.

The embrace feels wonderful and Terra is half tempted never to leave these safe arms again. Ah, but there are things that need to be done. Unwinding her legs from his form (when had she done that?) the earthen girl steps back, taking a deep breath and setting her shoulders in a show of determination. A firm dip of her head is given as she says, “You and me. You and me.” A smile wobbly crosses her lips but the tears have dried. Another dip of head and Terra says, “Okay, I’ll find the sharp object. Don’t have too much fun without me.” The smile grows in strength until it is bright and filled with hope.

Muscle twitch as she readies to turn and move away but her eyes lingering on the tall boy a moment longer. Without a word, Terra moves forward again, pressing herself into the boy’s chest and whispering, “You and me. You and me” That is her mantra now, a promise of happier times to come and a reason to keep moving forward. Breaking away, she offers him a smile before slinking away to find the required object.


"Terra Qilaq"

He wasn't really sure how to deal with tears, but he could feel them dampening his coat. She wound her legs about him, and there was something lively about being held. He would just about forget the world around them and the tasks that needed doing if she hadn't removed her paws and dried her eyes. He cleared his throat, giving her a moment to recover. Only, she was already thinking ahead, back to their original plan. He gave her a grin, and dipped his head in agreement.

He was about to get to work on the meat when Terra was back in front of him again. He blinked at her, wondering if she was having told much trouble walking away from the newness of their duo. Only for her to repeat his words back to him like a mantra, pressing into his chest. "Oh, hello again" he said, smiling down at the smaller wolf. This time, when she pulled away she didn't stop again. Moving off to find something sharp, and leaving him to sort out the meat. Right, the meat. Shaking his head to free it of the lingering image of her tears, he turned back to the carcass. They had made a bit of a mess of it, but that was okay. They'd do better on the next one. They'd work like a team.

He allows her to cry and Terra is eternally grateful to the icy-hued boy. This is a big step for the earthen girl who had never wandered more than a few yards from the place that her family had dumped her. The small girl had survived on her own for months but now that she has found Lotus… she never wants to be alone again. She speaks about the meat and finding the sharp object, working to make her brain understand that the icy boy with horns will be here when she returns. But doubt is an ugly creature, gnawing away at the back of the girl’s mind and she once again presses herself into his chest where she feels safe and warm. She even turns her head to listen to the beating of his heart.

Real. This is all real. Terra repeats her mantra and Lotus speaks which has a smile tugging her lips upward and her small form presses further into him for one more moment. But there is work to be done and she separates herself from him, confidently moving to gather the required object. The water has mostly disappeared, the rain having long since stopped. Although, the dark, ominous clouds hang heavy in the sky like a lingering bad smell, they do nothing to dampen the earthen girl’s spirits. Emerald eyes search the ground, finding that the flash flood had kicked up and thrown many different rocks and debris.

The whole time she searches, the girl’s black-masked face keeps turning back to the hill that Lotus waits on, tail wagging loosely at her hips as she thinks of the icy boy waiting for her. In the end, Terra finds a long, mostly flat rock that tapers on end and is bulbous on the other. Hoping that they can sharpen the one end, the earthen girl gathers the rock in her mouth and quickly lopes her back to where Lotus is. To her immense relief, the boy is still there, working on the deer as he had promised. Emerald eyes brighten as she approaches, mouth curling upward around the rock she had found to form a warm, relieved smile.

Swiftly, she moves up next him, depositing her offering and reaching up to give the boy a quick lick across his cheek. He had kept his word and Terra knows that he will never abandon her. Turning her attention to the rock, cheeks burning, she says, “I… uh, I found this. Maybe we can sharpen it somehow? I can look for something! I just…” The words fade away as she ponders what to say. I just didn’t trust that you wouldn’t leave? I was afraid you had lied to me like the rest of the wolves in my life? In the end, Terra doesn’t finish the sentence, her emerald gaze falling to look at the rock as she shuffles her paws uncertainly.


"Terra Qilaq"

He began to scavenge what he could of the meat. Putting it aside for the moment, though, he would work on tearing it to strips and hanging it from a tree soon. He was sure there were better ways to dry the meat, but he didn’t know them. He only needed it to last them a few days, and then they would go hunting again. Together.

Terra returned before he was finished, showing him the rock she had found to help with the work. As he turned to her, he was startled by the sudden lick she brushed against his cheek. He felt heat rise to them, and he blinked once, too startled to respond. He wasn’t accustomed to such shows of affection, but after a moment his expression softened into contentment, and he grinned at her. “I don’t think we’re actually going to get any of the hide intact from this one. But if you sharpen the rock, we can have it ready for the next one?” He suggested, eyeing the scrapping remaining bits of hide “Perhaps we could hunt down something fluffy anyway, I think it gets cold heading North” But at least they could huddle together for warmth… that thought was entirely too appealing. Yes, North was a good idea.


"Words"

Terra gently licks the boy’s cheek, her happiness at having someone in her life driving her to the sudden, impulsive act of affection. As her tongue lightly brushes across the fur of Lotus’s cheek, she feels the way he starts and doubt once more gnaws at her mind. She stepped back, watching him blink and waiting for the reprimand that is sure to come. But it never does, and the boy’s features soften until he is grining at her. A wide, happy smile appears on her own dark lips, tail wagging happily behind the earthen girl as she presents the rock to Lotus. He explains that there isn’t much they can salvage of the hide and she nods, grinning when he suggests she sharpen her rock.

She blinks as he explains that the North is cold, head nodding in agreement but her mind unable to truly comprehend what he means. Isn’t the temperature in the lands all the same? How far away can the North be? For someone who’s world revolved around feet and inches from one location, Terra struggles to grasp the concept of greater distances. Emerald eyes blink at him owlishly, trying to process all his words while she casts her gaze down to the deer. Lotus has done a fine job stripping the carcass of meat and the hide is indeed in tatters.

Looking back to him, eyebrows lifting in question, Terra asks, “Is there enough hide to at least make a small pouch? Something to carry my rock in so I don’t have to keep it in my mouth all the time?” Head tilts slightly as she waits for his assessment. Lotus seems to understand how the world works better than she does, so Terra decides to go with his judgment on these things.


"Terra Qilaq"

He turned back to the shredded hide with renewed purpose. Terra wanted a pouch, and Lotus suddenly found himself loath to disappoint her. “If you start on that rock, I’ll see what I can do about a pouch?” he suggested. He’s seen some of his more industrial siblings do some interesting, clever things and he wondered if he could replicate any of them.

He was aware of Terra getting a second rock and began the process of sharpening her stone beside him as he picked through the hide for the largest piece he could find. Once he had done that, he turned it over in his paws a few times, considering. “Think your rock is sharp enough yet to pick a hole here, and here?” he asked, indicating to two places in the material.

"Words"

As Terra requests a small pouch to carry her rock, she watches as the icy boy turns back to the shredded hide with determination. Emerald eyes watch his face as Lotus speaks, a soft smile appearing on her dark lips without the earthen girl’s knowledge. Oh…right… uh, sharpen her rock. Gaze slides away from the boy’s face and she stands once more to go gather another rock. Paws pad a short distance away, the rock she is searching not nearly as far away as the last one. Gathering it in her mouth, the earthen girl trots happily back to where Lotus waits, almost prancing up to him.

Placing the new rock beside her first one, Terra gently tucks herself into the boy’s side before she begins to try and sharpen her first rock. With a lot of trail and error, she finally manages to figure out how to grip her rock and slide it against the other one in a mostly smooth motion. By the time that Lotus asks if her rock is sharp enough, Terra nods and gently picks up the sharpened rock, offering to pass it off to the boy. But he indicates for her to do it. Ears flatten slightly in uncertainty, not wanting to mess up the pouch he is making.

With a little encouragement, the earthen girl leans forward and punches the two holes where Lotus had pointed out, managing not to completely bungle the project. Sitting back, Terra’s tail thumps happily against the group and her lips turning up in a bright smile around her sharpened rock. She asks, “What next?” all with her rock still firmly in her mouth.


"Terra Qilaq"