Cassie stepped through the forest and held her breath as she lifted her eyes skyward to take in the view. The trees here were enormous. Her ears twitched as she listened for the sound of life in those high branches, though even if she had, she knew she wouldn't be able to catch anything that high up. The cold had caused the grass to die back a little, the trees to become more bare, but still this place, illuminated by the sun, had an unearthly beauty. The female stopped and just stood motionless for a while.

It seemed no matter what she did, how she managed to distract herself, eventually the same thought wormed its way back to the front of her mind. Cassandra's expression changed from that of wonder to one of anxiety. She was thinking about her mother yet again. 'I shouldn't have left..' nagged a familiar inner voice. The wolf sighed, unable to stop herself from wondering just what her mother might be doing now. 'Probably lost, hungry and lonely.' came the voice again. Cassie's frown deepened for a brief moment.

"No." She said in an adamant tone. "Thats bullshit and you know it." She stamped her foot for good measure, trying to sound convincing as she spoke aloud to herself. "You know exactly what she's doing. She's probably already found herself a new male by now. A new family to screw up." The pale female closed her large brown eyes for a few seconds, trying to steady her thoughts. She reopened them and started walking again, looking around at the exquisite landscape with a slight sense of desperation. She tried to recapture that sense of wonder she had had moments before, but it was gone.

She had only taken a few steps when the sound of a twig snapping behind her made her turn, eyes even wider than usual with surprise. She couldn't yet see what had made the noise, and she stood stock still, watching and listening. Whatever it was, she realized, it had probably heard her talking to herself.

Tall trees hung threatening overhead, shielding the ground from the sun's relentless rays, a thick canopy of budding leaves and young branches. The twigs were rattled the gentle breeze blew across the treetops, rustling in soft defiance at the sudden disturbance. Although the cold still remained, summer had begun to creep into even the north. Despite this, the land had been strangely dry, some areas even suffering from an abnormally intense drought. Even in the forest was there signs of the state of disarray of the land, a small amount of normally flourishing plants wilting pathetically. But the number of decaying plants was so small that if one was not aware if such a thing occurring, they were likely to not notice at all. Still the season was changing, winter slowly disappearing, plants and animals finally coming back to life as the temperature grew warmer and more pleasant. The forest was likely to have a source of water, and one particular wolf was all too aware of that fact. A gentle sound of discomfort would sneak from the ivory-furred creature's throat, a barely audible whine, as tired paws tread across the hardened earth. Never had the canine felt such thirst, the insatiable craving so strong that he swore it was eating him from the inside out. Small cranium was held close to the ground as he wandered aimlessly, painfully aware of the tension building in his muscles. Each step made his head feel light, his mind whirling. Where was Newt, his master, his friend? Her den had been empty upon awakening, and he'd been compelled to find a water source before delirium set in. The scent of another soon reached flaring nostrils. Instinct caused his hackles to raise along his neck and back, teeth bared slightly. His dry tongue would stray over stained fangs, strangely serpent-like as it flicked out of his mouth and over his lips. His skin was dry and the motion was strangely unfulfilling. The sound of a twig snapping then echoed through the serene woods, causing another sound to escape his parched lips -- a whimper, though it was strangely sinister. Green eyes would widen and scan his surroundings as his pace quickened as much as he could bear, desperately searching for the creature who was doubtlessly nearby. She had to know where he could find water! "Show yourself, lupa!" His demand would erupt without warning, his tones quivering and desperate.

"Show yourself, lupa!"

Even after hearing the stranger's approach, Cass stiffened and jumped about a foot straight into the air in fear. In the same motion she turned, teeth bared at this unknown wolf, and inhaled deeply. At first sight the wolf looked to be female, with feminine stature and bright green eyes, but her nose recognized a scent that was distinctly male. His coat was around the same color as her own though much more unkempt, and riddled with scars. Her expression turned fleetingly curious as she wondered where he had gotten so many.

But her teeth remained bared as her thick fur bristled. Though she lowered her already tiny body closer to the ground, partially to protect the tender flesh of her throat, but also partially to let this newcomer know that she wasn't intending to try and dominate him. A ridiculous notion it would be, because even with his lithe physique he was obviously larger and stronger than herself. The battle scars gave away a lot too.

Trying to sound as brave as possible, she cleared her throat and spoke in what started out as a growl. "All right then, do you see me?" It was difficult for her to keep the menacing tone in her voice, and it seemed to revert back to is usual wispy, quiet tone unintentionally. "Am I on your lands, sir? I was under the impression this lovely forest was unclaimed." She said everything with a saccharine tone that betrayed a tiny drop of sarcasm, but amicable none the less.

The fem's body language returned to normal. She laid down her hackles and sat on the ground, though making sure to take a few long steps back from this pale stranger first. She then looked quizzically at him, brown eyes wide as she surveyed his form and tried to decipher his motives.

Dehydration was beginning to set in. It was incredible thing, how the state of a creature's body could affect his mind so drastically. It felt much more like his mind was drying up, thoughts contorting as seconds passed. The presence of the female made the brute well with rage, his emotion visible in his quivering limbs. Surprise was etched on her delicate features, though soon turned to irritation at his sudden approach. In many ways, the two looked similar -- both somewhat petite, his own features nearly as feminine as her own. Frantic gaze traveled over the stranger, taking in each of her as though his life depended much more on remembering her than it did finding something to drink. Domovei's own teeth were bared, hackles pricked threateningly along his spine. "Ubi fumus, ibi ignis..." His expression twisted into one of maniacal amusement, his eyes glimmering as he lowered his head slightly and squared his shoulders. An abrupt laugh would spill from parched lips, the sound dry and hollow from within his chest. "Where there is smoke, there is fire..." Slowly the creature moved to circle her, eyes dancing with amusement at her slightly sarcastic question. 'Am I on your lands, sir?' A sinister cackle erupted, the sound weak but audible. "My lands... as if I own anything..." The creature was mumbling, as though talking to himself, despite his attention being directed towards Cassandra. "It is lovely indeed, but no, not mine... what... what is your name again, female?" How terribly Domovei resembled a rat -- a quivering, mumbling little rodent, snickering as his mad eyes danced over her, awaiting her response as though she had once given him her name, and he had simply forgotten it already.

Cass visibly stiffened in her sitting position, scrutinizing the male with increasing unease. His eyes seemed somewhat detached. Maybe she simply hadn't noticed before, but as the wolf began to mumble in a language unknown to her, his body and facial expression seeming to twist into something deranged.

She let out a barely audible sudden intake of breath as the ominous stranger abruptly laughed, a grating sound that made her grit her teeth. "Where there is smoke, there is fire..." As he moved to slowly circle her, pawpads making a small rustle in the grass, she once again stood, contemplating the urge to flee.

"My lands... as if I own anything..." She inched away from the brute, though still eyeing him with a cautious sense of odd curiosity, trying to decipher his mumbled words, trying to keep up with his eyes as they darted wildly over her. "It is lovely indeed, but no, not mine... what... what is your name again, female?"

The cream-white female hadn't yet decided on a course of action. Make a break for it now, or stay to satisfy the small burning sense of wonder at just what exactly was wrong with this freakish wolf. She doubted, if she did run, that he would be able to catch her. Even with the heightened sense of, well, crazy, he was sporting, she could sense an exhaustion beneath the surface. She could tell in the way he was moving, his breaths. She then decided to probe a little, and make a quick getaway later if she must.

"Cassandra." she spoke slowly and clearly, taking another step away from him but lowering her head to get a good look at his face. "My name is Cassandra." She paused, trying to phrase her words carefully. "Are you... all right? Do you need help, um-" another pause, "What is your name?"

The canine's tongue slithered desperately from his parted jaws, lapping at his dry lips as though they might bring him some relief. Eyelids briefly closed to drape his world in darkness; the brief respite was enough to cause the frantic shaking of his limbs to lessen. However, his gaze was still searching the female wolf desperately, as though searching for something she was might be hiding from him. Emerald green eyes glimmered as the sunlight was cast upon the male as he moved, creeping around her as though he was a predator stalking his prey. But what a strange predator he was, with a dubious stare and with his tail tucked protectively between his legs. The appendage was curled tightly against his belly, his posture strangely nonthreatening, despite the fierce sounds that erupted from the tiny male. As she inspected him, the expression on his face remained, a sinister smirk that played upon his androgynous features and caused him to look nothing short of a lunatic. A gentle chorus of words bubbled from his hollow chest, a barely audible string of foreign sounds, uttered to no one in particular as his paws carried him around the female. Still he kept his distance; despite his paranoia and the rage that subsequently followed, he was unwilling to put himself in physical danger. A mental scuffle was nearly as satisfying, satiating his desire for chaos and uncertainty. But now he felt different, dehydration setting in and stirring up his mind haphazardly. Though he was accustomed to weakness, to physical subordination, he felt even more helpless than ever. His breathing was labored as he eyed the female with scrutiny, his lips turning slightly downward as his expression turned to one of sudden bemusement. "Ah, yes, Cassandra..." He mulled over her name for a moment, sounding as though he uttered her name again under his breath. A raspy snarl escaped his throat suddenly, though he cut the sound off almost as soon as it entered existence. "I am Domovei, of the Lentajin pack..." Ought he address himself by telling the girl he was owned by Newt, the Queen of Lentajin? Dizziness overcame him without even a hint of warning, and he found himself swaying dangerously on tired paws. "I am fine, I am alive..." A glare was offered, though he found himself unwittingly staring at the ground, sure he would fall if he did not watch his step. "Though thirst overcomes me... I never knew I could feel so parched..." A normal wolf would question her, ask if she knew of a water source, but Domovei was nothing short of atypical, and he would growl in frustration as his muscles ached and screamed for the liquid life source.

Cass began to notice more his posture, tail tucked tight against his belly as he continued to strangely circle her. The indecipherable noises he muttered were seeming a little less threatening to her, and she still stood, tail raising slightly, keeping eye contact and turning with him as he circled, so her back was never to him.

He repeated her name, followed by a snarl that made Cass's lips rise ever so slightly to bare her teeth. "I am Domovei, of the Lentajin pack... I am fine, I am alive..." he watched as he stared at the ground, seeming to become even more unsteady on his paws. "Though thirst overcomes me... I never knew I could feel so parched..." He growled angrily, though ostensibly not at her but in vexation.

Cassandra's initial sense of shock when this wolf had materialized out of the trees and started acting like a lunatic, circling her as if she was prey, was starting to subside. As was her nature, if not outright abused, she tended to get used to the strange or even negative qualities of anyone she met. The fem looked at him with a sympathetic expression, feeling more sorry for the strange wolf than anything.

At least, thanks to this wolf, her mind had found something else to focus on besides her loathed and yet missed mother. She had been traveling for a while now, after fleeing Carmen's den she had simply not stopped moving, having nothing and no one to stop for. She had mostly stuck to unclaimed lands, retreating when she smelled the markings of a territory boundary. She had not wanted to come into contact with any packs, feeling the need to be alone as she mourned the 'loss' of her abandoned mother. One thing she knew for sure, this wolf's pack didn't seem to make him very happy. She would probably try to avoid wherever it is that he came from.

Lifting her nose skyward for a moment, she took a deep breath, taking in all surrounding scents, before tucking her chin once again, concealing her throat. "There is a stream nearby, you know. I passed it on my way to... well, on my way here. Small one, but you can still smell it now if you try." She cocked her head to the side, trying to read his expression. "What horrid place have you come from, that you're so parched?"

Where was his brother when he needed him most? Where was Newt, his master? He almost longed to feel her jaws again, sinking deep into his flesh, subduing his rage instantaneously. But no feeling ever came. All he was faced with was the questioning gaze of the female called Cassandra, watching him, scrutinizing him carefully. He would sway uncertainly, feeling exhaustion overcome him, the feeling even more noticeable with every moment that passed. Tiredness seeped into his bones, threatening to halt him in his tracks. But adrenaline caused him to push on, now that this female had piqued his interest. His rage was not at all stable. Rather, it came in unstable waves, like the salty ocean water lapping at the shoreline, never threatening to stay for longer than was necessary. She began to speak and her feminine tones caused his upper lip to curl defiantly, revealing the stained incisors that were hidden beneath. Eyes directed themselves back up to her face, but not before examining each inch of her body with care. The female was healthy, not gaunt with hunger; her pelt was well-kept and free of signs of abuse. "A stream, she says..." Skepticism flared up in his strange stare, as though he was questioning her intentions. His vision had grown blurry; the female contorted before his eyes, her frame becoming hazy and ghostlike. Nostrils would flare and his tail would twitch uncertainly between his legs, searching for the scent of the water source. But Cassandra's scent threatened to overcome him, and he could sense nothing else.. "Horrid? Do you not know the wonders of the Lentajin pack?" Certainly she didn't. The pack was small, and their lands were somewhat barren... but what a wonderful respite it offered him, what comfort he found in his Queen's possession. The Lentajin pack had given the broken male meaning again. "The land has grown very dry... a drought has struck us..." While most packs might band together in search of water, instead the wolves had separated, and Domovei had gotten lost in the labyrinth of his mind in the search for a stream..

The way he would show his teeth every time she spoke made Cass a little uneasy, and she stopped for a moment to think- If I lead this Domovei to water, once he drinks and regains his strength, what's to keep him from attacking her? But at a second glance, she decided that was a foolish notion. He was gaunt with dehydration, and would probably take several days to fully recover. She watched as he scrutinized her body, hoping he was not sizing her up for an attack

"A stream, she says..." his weak voice rasped and he looked at her with suspicion in his eyes. He seemed to be losing sight of her at the same time, his eyes going in and out of focus as she tried to hold his gaze. She thought he would faint, that his strength would finally leave him, but he continued to speak, this time of his pack.

"Domovei of Lentajin." She looked down at him, his malnourished and visibly distressed frame, and wondered what his packmates must look like if he was this bad off. "If this Lentajin is so great, where are your packmates to guide you? You seem to be wandering like a common rogue. Your Alpha must not be too concerned about you, letting you off alone like this."

It was amazing to her that he had managed to get this bad. Survival had never been hard for Cassie. When a situation became unbearable, she would simply leave. Her youth and general good health kept her fed, and quick thinking kept her out of harms way. This wolf, however, seemed too delirious to survive on his own for much. She wondered what might have happened to his loved ones. Had he left them behind, like she had done? Or had they abandoned him?

Either way, her sense of compassion told her to stop insulting the unstable wolf's pack and start trying to lead him to the water. She turned back the direction that she came, keeping an eye on him as she took a few steps toward the faint scent of water. "Why don't you come with me now, I'll take you somewhere you can drink."

Since nearly the moment he'd been born, he'd been destined for insanity. No great things lay in his distant future -- no dreams of greatness haunted his sleep, no aspirations for anything greater than the life he lived. His childhood had been markedly traumatizing, and the abuse he had suffered was forever written on his pelt, even now as he stood before Cassandra; he would claim they were battle scars, but most of them had been taken almost gladly, as though his suffering was warranted and deserved. Once again his limbs began to quiver, the furious shaking of his body impossible to miss. "If this Lentajin is so great, where are your packmates to guide you? You seem to be wandering like a common rogue." The insult against his home was subtle, but not nearly enough so to go unnoticed. Tongue would lash out like a weapon, running along his dry lips, the brute's head lowering as his eyes flared with anger. "Lentajin is great," he corrected her, his words hardly recognizable, erupting from his throat in the form of a vicious snarl. "There is no water there... it is not my Queen's fault for that... she was gone when I awoke. I set out to find her, and to find something to wet my mouth..." He certainly needed more than just a single drink, despite the sudden calmness that overcame him literally mid-sentence. But his words did not conceal the exhaustion that threatened to collapse his body. His vision still blurred, eyes going in and out of focus as he struggled to keep the female in his line of sight. Surprise painted on his feminine features as he watched her, as though he forgot she had mentioned that there was a river nearby earlier. "Would you take me there?" Once his voice had been a surprisingly vicious roar, for such a small male -- but as calmed, his tones were unsettling delicate and desperate. If only Newt was here, her strength would keep him grounded...

"Lentajin is great," She watched his expression change to slight anger at the way she had spoken of his pack."There is no water there... it is not my Queen's fault for that... she was gone when I awoke. I set out to find her, and to find something to wet my mouth..." Cassie sighed and frowned at him. Her usual urge was to speak her mind bluntly and entirely, but he still made her so leery she was hesitant to continue.

True to her nature though, she said, "It seems obvious to me that your Queen must have left before you woke." She took a few more steps in the direction of the stream, "Undoubtedly, to find water for herself rather than stay and help you."

"Would you take me there?" His unpredictable voice, back to a desperate whisper. Cassandra turned to face him for a moment. "Do you have the strength even to follow?" she asked, cocking her head with a brief look of concern. "I will lead you. It isn't far."

She then turned her back to him once more and continued walking, slower than she usually would have. She was unconsciously glad to have something else on her mind, even if it was the mix of concern for and fear of this dehydrated stranger. She refused thoughts of her mother as they attempted to worm into her brain, instead looking back, brown eyes wide to see if he had followed.

(ooc; sorry for the delay and shortness, not much muse as of late)

Once again the brute swayed on all fours, dangerously close to collapsing entirely. His vision seemed to go in and out, blurring without warning. He fought to gaze at the female called Cassandra, struggling desperately against the dehydration that wracked his entire being. Tongue still desperately slid from his jaws, lapping at his lips pathetically, as though he might suddenly begin to salivate and that would quench the fierce thirst that ravaged him. Cassandra spoke of Newt, his Queen... she didn't know her, his savior. A gentle snarl escaped his unhinged jaws, but he was far too weak to continue his display of aggression for long. The sound wavered, silence overtaking the beast as he grew more delirious. "If you lead me, I will follow," he assured her simply, green eyes flashing as he watched her. Desperate, weak -- this was not an entirely unfamiliar state for Domovei. But at least now, he could barely think about the state he was in, his mind clouded with overall confusion. He would creep a bit closer to her, rather unsteady on his shaking limbs, though the desperate look in his stare told Cassandra he would follow if she brought him to water. (No worries, I understand! <3)

She watched as he swayed, as if threatening to topple down to the ground. She quickened her pace a little bit, wondering how long he would last and if the brute would even be able to make it to the stream. Gods knew she would not be able to drag him if he did fall, and she certainly had no way of bringing water back to him. Her heart quickened slightly as she felt a sense of urgency.

She could tell from his expression and weak snarl that he didn't like the way she spoke of his Alphess, but was too debilitated to argue on her behalf. Cass fought the impulse to question him further, and just listened as he confirmed that he would follow her.

At this she set off at a slightly fast walk. She would slow her pace if he began to lag behind, but her first thought was that it might be better for him to use what seemed like his last reserves of energy to get to the water quickly.

She continued to walk, glancing back to the staggering male behind her ever so often to make sure he was still following. The scent of the stream filled her flaring nostrils, and cream-white ears pricked as even the sound of the rushing water became audible to her. Who knew if the near-delerious wolf behind her could smell or hear either one, but she knew they were getting close, and turned her head to speak. "Almost there, just through these trees here." She weaved in and out of the towering trees, trying to keep her pace steady enough for him to follow.