It was a new and lovely feeling to have Terra tucked up beside him. Despite her long legs, she was only a wee thing, and he curled his tail around her as he worked. When he presented the material to her and she - with a little encouragement - punched the holes, he nodded his head approvingly. “I’m not much of a crafter, so this won’t be the sturdies thing” he warned her as he picked long thin pieces of dried grass and clumsily weaved them together.

Once he had something resembling rope, he pushed it through the holes and used it to shape the bag and create a handle. “I’ll have to weave a lot more grass if you want to wear it around your shoulders' ' He said, looking at the wee pouch and giving a soft laugh. It was his first attempt, and it wasn’t much to look at, but it would hold the rock. Maybe. “Here” he said, handing her the pouch. “I better hang up this meat now”


"Words"

As Terra tucks herself into Lotus’s side, she feels his tail curling around her and a happy grin appears on her dark lips. After she punches the holes in the hide, he nods approvingly to her and the girl’s heart skips a beat. Not only she managed to not screw up horrible but the icy boy isn’t thinks she did okay! He speaks of not being much of a crafter and she gives him a quizzical look, arching a brow in silent question as if to say, ‘Have you seen me?’. Still, as he begins to pull long strands of grass toward himself, the earthen girl turns her emerald gaze to watch his paws, trying to memorize the way they braid together the grass.

It seems that Lotus works magic because, where dried grass was moments ago, now sits a tight, thin braid. Wonder-filled eyes watch as he pushes the newly made rope through the holes that she punched out and pulls it until the pouch is cinched shut and a short handle forms a loop above it. Her sharpened rock, which is still clutched firmly between her front teeth, nearly tumbles from her mouth as she looks on with slack-jawed amazement. Terra had been abandoned out here at a young age and, while she was scrappy enough to survive and quickly learn who and what to avoid, she had never seen anyone craft anything. The fact that Lotus had made it for her, well, it makes the pouch all the more special in her eyes.

Lotus speaks of weaving a lot more grass to be able to wear it around her shoulders and Terra can only bob her head in silent astonishment. Then he gives a soft laughing and seems… embarrassed about it before passing it off to her and moving to get up. A paw painted with black gently comes to rest on top his own white-dipped one, trying to pull his attention back down to the earthen-hued girl. Her emerald eyes glisten with unshed tears as she tries to capture his soft blue gaze, a warm, caring smile curling her lips around her rock. After a moment, she leans down to place the rock on the ground beside her pouch, eyes remaining on the objects as she says, “Thank you, Lotus. I have never… had someone make me anything.”

The gesture may seem small to the boy with nine siblings but, for Terra, it means the world. It proves to her that there are still kind wolves out there and that she is worthy of compassion. It is difficult for her to voice all of these things, the girl who spent the last eight months holed up in cave with only the bugs to talk to, now finds herself overwhelmed with wanting to express how much this small gesture means to her. Emerald eyes look back up to Lotus, a gentle warmth shining in her tear-filled eyes as a tender smile appears on her face. Her paw that rests over his own gives a short squeeze before she removes it to wrap her leg around his, leaning in to him as she whispers, “Thank you Lotus. Thank you… for everything.”


"Terra Qilaq"

He was awfully embarrassed when she sought to catch his eye as if to show just how much she appreciated the gesture with the sheer will of her eyes. He wasn’t sure how to take such appreciation. It had been a small gesture. He’ wanted to do it for her. But that didn’t mean he knew how to take the emotions that came with it.

He shuffled his paws a little for something else to concentrate on. He would have moved on to hang the meat, but her paw rested over his. She used it to squeeze, and he placed his second forepaw over the top of the pile, squeezing her own gently. “It’s going to be alright, Terra” He said as she thanked him for everything. “I feel like you're the wolf I’ve been waiting for here the whole time” He said, offering her a shy, sweet smile before gently tugging his paws back again. A little too overwhelmed with all the emotions. “Right. Meat.” He said getting to his paws. “And I think tomorrow we should start hunting for some coats, so we don’t just have to sleep in the grass” he suggested as he grabbed the meat and began to haul it over the branches of the nearest tree. He hoped that would dry it enough, but he didn’t know any better ways.

That done, he turned back to Terra. “I suppose we should camp here for the night. Did you need anything before we settled in?”


"Words"

Terra captures Lotus’s gaze, her own emerald eyes trying to express everything she feels since words are failing her. Uncertainty rolls across her gentle features like an ocean wave as she reads the embarrassment in the icy boy’s body. A small smile is given before she allows her gaze to fall to where her paw rests over his and she gives his bigger one a small squeeze. To her great surprise, Lotus adds his other paw to the pile and returns her squeeze with his own, gentle one. Eyes shoot up to recapture his gaze as a weak smile plays across her dark lips.

He speaks and his words make the smile take root and grow, the doubt melting away to leave in its place happiness. The smile that Lotus gives her has Terra’s heart fluttering as he pulls his paws back and she blinks to refocus on their surroundings. Oh right, the meat. Without a word, she stands and helps to carry the meat to the tree, hoisting it so Lotus can hang the meat over the branches. Nodding when he suggests hunting, the earthen girl asks, “Lotus… what awaits us in the North? Is it… scary?”

Emerald eyes watch him as they finish hanging the meat, and he turns to her. His question has Terra shaking her head in the negative and she shuffles her paws as she asks, “Do you want me to sleep over there?” A paw lifts to point at a bush nearby before falling back to the ground, the doubt back in every movement she makes. Part of her hopes that he will suggest they curl up together, the girl wants to suggest it herself but she does not overstep. Emerald eyes look the icy boy, waiting for his instructions with hope burning deep in her gaze.


"Terra Qilaq"

Terra was right there beside him, helping him hang up the meat, and he offered her an appreciative smile. One that turned into consideration at her question. “I’m not really sure, Terra. I haven’t been there before, but I hear it gets colder the further North you get, and warmer the further South” He explained. He hadn’t done enough travelling to really verify that, but he’s heard the older wolves speaking of it.

“You can sleep anywhere you want, Terra” He promised her, but he found her uncertainty endearing. He had a lot of uncertainty too, and his peaked out sometimes, and hers at others. Together tho, together they would be stronger. “But I’m going to sleep here if you want to join me?” he raised his voice at the end, turning it into a question. Uncertain.


"Words"

The earthen-hued girl finds that, every time Lotus smiles at her, her heart will suddenly flutter in her chest. It has been so long since Terra was even in the presence of another wolf and here is a handsome boy, around her age, who doesn’t think she is a complete screw up. Without realizing it, she scoots a little closer to him while they finish hanging the meat. When she asks about what awaits them in the north, the boy’s expression turns into one of thoughtful, consideration. His words would, normally, cause the girl to frown and worry but, with Lotus at her side, she knows that she can handle whatever is thrown her way.

With the meat hung to dry, Terra points to a nearby bush, offering to sleep over there while silently hoping that she can stay close to Lotus. Her paws shuffle in uncertainty, not wanting to overstep any boundaries he has or be a nuisance to him. His words leave her feeling confused, the thought of actually getting to pick where she wants to sleep in a foreign notion to her. For so long, she was forced to stay in the cave, waiting, hoping that her family would come back for her. Today has been a day of big changes, the decision to leave her cave led her to meet Lotus who is now going to be taking her North.

Terra’s brain almost shuts down from all the choices but then Lotus points out where he is going to sleep and invites her to join him. The uncertain way his voice raises has a small chuckle falling past her dark lips as relief sweeps over her features like the sun chasing away storm clouds. Giving him a nod, she softly says, “Yes. Please. Let me just… I want to get my rock and pouch.” A smile forms on her lips as her emerald gaze catches his bright blues and it grows into a warm, happy one as she moves back to the deer’s carcass. Quickly, she places her sharpened rock into the makeshift pouch, cinching it closed before slipping the loops of grass it around her right front paw.

Pushing it up her leg until it can go no further, Terra happily rejoins Lotus, showing off the pouch on her leg as she says, “Isn’t it prefect?” She is really proud of the crude pouch and her sharp rock that lays within; they are her very first possessions and she is determined to take good care of them. Waiting for Lotus to get settled, the earthen girl then moves toward him, sitting herself near his stomach and curling into a tight ball for the night. Her side is pressed firmly into him and she enjoys the feeling.


"Terra Qilaq"

He grinned, pleased she wanted to share a spot. He had a feeling loneliness would be a forgotten emotion with Terra at his side. As she went off to grab her bag and rock, he was surprised to see her tighten it around her leg. “Heh, clever: he admitted. He had only been thinking about putting it around her shoulder and how much grass rope that would need. Around the paw was simple, and clever.

“It is” He agreed. Opening his mouth to add and you before his head caught up to him and he flushed with embarrassment. Covering it, he settled down on the ground and waited as she curled up by his belly. He curled his longer form around her protectively. Snug and warm together, he rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.


"Words"