It was warmer here, closer to the brisk chill of early spring than the depths of winter. It made sense of course, Askan knew that the further south he travelled the milder the climate would get, but it was just a little odd to experience it himself. To see the land transition from a mountainous snowy hell to a slushy, mud ridden dry lake. He stood atop a rocky outcrop over looking the lake with his nose wrinkled and eyes narrowed in a pensive squint. Honestly, it stank. The mud was thick, all churned up, with shallow puddles of water gathered in the centre of the lake, where it was at its deepest. He was thirsty, his throat dry and parched but did he really want to stoop so low as to drink from a puddle? Ugh.

Clambering down from the rock, Askan gritted his teeth as took the first step into the mud. His ears flicked back at the nasty, squelchy sound of his footfalls. Squish squish squish. It wasn't that deep, nor was he even struggling to move along but in moments like this he wished he had longer legs. Not only would he be able to get around faster but he'd be more physically imposing too, instead of being average at best and twerpy at worst. But unless he had a random and highly unlikely growth spurt there was nothing he could do about that, he supposed.

Soon enough he reached the largest of the puddles, it was oblong shaped, knee deep and cleaner than he'd expected. His reflection rippled on the waters surface as he stared down at himself, his handsome features marred by the ever present scowl on his face. He looked about as happy as he felt, which is to say that he felt like shit. No surprise there really, it had been a long while since he'd felt good, or even whole, and he was starting to forget what it felt like. Perhaps this was his punishment; cursed to constantly taste the bitter tinge of self loathing in the back of his throat day in day out till he took his last breath.

Yeah, whatever. Since when had he been that melodramatic? Sheesh.

The day was surprisingly warm. Acacia felt as though winter was losing its grip on the world. Although in this part of the land, it was always rather warm. The partially dry, partially mucky lake bed attested to that. Long legs picked their way through the mud as she made her way to the clearest of pools for a much needed drink. Much to her surprise, there was already someone there. A wolf. Panic surged through the young mare and her metallic pelt twitched. Her tail arched high and she fought the urge to flee. She had to remind herself that she was trying to be braver, but Acacia could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Logically, she could outrun this wolf. Its shorter legs would prevent speed in the mud. She just had to keep telling herself that she would be safe. She could flee and return to Canyon's side. Oh... but she was thirsty. There were other puddles, but they were just that. Murky little puddles. Here at the center was the only real place to take a good, long drink. Shaking out her make and her worries, the small mare started hesitantly forward. She called out in her sweet, dulcet tones. "Excuse me... would you mind if I came to drink as well?" By posing her question, she could gauge whether or not the wolf was a threat to her. Was its nature aggressive? Mismatched ears flicked forward as she waited for an answer. Canyon had warned her not to venture too far from him. He had worried previously when she had wandered off and had been in a right panic as he came to find her. She had been fine, of course. Since then, he demanded that she tell him where she was going before she left, so, this morning before she ventured out into the world, she had told him that she was going to the dry lake. If anything happened to her, Canyon would know where to find her. Anxiety ridden as she was and with as weak of a heart, the stallion had found her prone and unconscious more than once in their lifetime. "Speech"

What? One moment Askan had been glaring at his reflection, the next some long legged beast was asking him a question. He'd never seen anything like it before, all spindly legged like a deer but far more tall and robust, with swishy fur dangling from its neck and butt. He stared, his ears flicked to the sides as he wracked his brain for a name to put to this creature. Maybe one of the other Selwyn's had one before but if they had they'd never told Askan about it. Or perhaps this was simply a Boreas thing, that here other animals could talk and wolves could glow.

"Do whatever..." He trailed off, for a lack of anything better to say.

Really though this put an odd spin on things. Did this mean deer could speak too? He'd hunted a handful of times during his stay and none of them had ever wheeled around and begged for their lives, but what if they did? Would that have stopped him? Askan didn't like that line of thought, not one bit.  There was no grey area when it came to hunting and the Selwyn liked the simplicity of it, that it was simply something that needed to be done. But if he started thinking about other creatures, herbivores in particular as proper, eloquent sentient beings...Well, it seemed like a dangerous path to tread. The creature in question was far too large for him to even consider pursuing anyway, it could easily kill him with a well aimed kick to his head and with legs like those there's no way he'd be able to keep up either. A lost cause if he'd ever seen one.

Askan's brows furrowed so deep his forehead muscles ached a little at the strain. He stayed put, doing little to soothe her nerves but at the same time making it clear he had little interest in getting his face caved in either.

"The hell even are you?" He asked with no tact at all.

The little mare could sense the varying emotions in the wolf and her glittering pelt quivered again. His emotions made her even more anxious. When he told her to do whatever, she hesitated, but slowly picked her way around to the other side of the small pool. Ears were flicked forward in utter alertness. Muscles were bunched, ready to flee at a moments notice. Skittish was an understatement when it came to Acacia. Lowering her velveteen lips to the pool, the mare drew the water into her mouth and instantly felt relief. She had been incredibly thirsty. Blue eyes rolled, taking in the sight of the canine. He seemed to be studying her. Hard. She could see the gears turning in his head almost. Eventually he asked what she was, but seemed to speak a little carelessly. Maybe he wasn't properly socialized. Wolves didn't have the same structure that herds did. She'd always been told they were a little uncouth. Raising her head, she gave it a shake, glittering mane tossed about. "What am I?" Had he really never seen a horse before? The woman tilted her head slightly. "A horse? A mare?" She shrugged lightly. "I'm Acacia." She gave her name. What else really mattered? The charcoal and snow mare took yet another drink from the pool, filling herself up a bit before her long trek back to the oasis. Droplets of water clung to pale lips when she straightened once more. "Is there a pack near here? Are you part of it?" She wondered why a wolf would choose to be alone in the world. Then again, he was a predator. Life was a lot easier for predators than it was for grass grazers like herself. "Speech"

So she was a horse? The name didn't ring any bells but Askan supposed it was fitting enough, better than any title he could have come up with anyway. She then went onto introduce herself properly, all demure and shy, and Askan briefly wondered if all horses were like this. Was it because he was a wolf? The way she was eyeing him certainly suggested so, but could he really blame her? He was hardly the friendly sort and that probably didn't sit well with her, like he could lash out at any moment for no reason. Not that he would of course. Askan was rude, for sure, but he wasn't a cruel man. He'd say mean things in the heat of the moment, when his temper was blazing but more often than not he would realised he'd overdone it when his rage fizzled out. It was hard for him to admit his faults, to apologise when he was in the wrong but he would do so if he had to, with clenched teeth and sagging shoulders.

"Askan Selwyn" He then supplied his own name, thinking it was the least he could do.

Finally Askan bowed down and had a drink too. He lapped he water up with inelegant flicks of his tongue and with slight surprise noted just how cool and refreshing it was. Then would have been a good moment to realise that it wasn't wise to jump to snap conclusions, that he shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but of course in stubborn Selwyn fashion he let the chance fly by as he pulled himself up right and licked the water from his lips.

Acacia then asked him another question and Askan shot her a sharp look.

"You've got a nose don't you?"

He certainly didn't smell like a pack wolf, but he supposed that a horse might not have the same sort of intuition that wolves did. For all he knew her sense of smell wasn't as sharp or a keen as his own, so he couldn't really blame her for not knowing any better. Fine. With a slight huff, as if this was all such a bother, Askan continued.

"Think there's one nearby, that way." He gestured east with a flick of his snout. "I'm not from any of the packs around here though, I only know what I've been told. What about you, do horses just wander about on their own?" Seemed a bit risky, giving how flighty she seemed.

The wolf settled down to drink and, for a moment, Acacia was feeling better. He even gave his name. Then after her next question, he shot her a look of contempt and it made the mare visibly flinch. Her brow furrowed at his question and she frowned. Of course she had a nose. Couldn't he see it? She huffed, nostrils flaring. Once he seemed to compose himself and answer her question, she furrowed her brow harder. He was a very emotional creature, it seemed. "I don't know what a pack wolf smells like. We don't have many wolves where I come from." She knew the scent of them vaguely, but she hadn't been around them enough to differentiate between a lone wolf and a pack wolf. Askan then went on to point her in a direction where he thought a pack might be. She didn't ask because she wanted to go traipsing into pack land to say hello. She asked so she could steer clear. Askan asked if horses just wandered about and the slender mare gave a little shrug. "Horses travel in herds. I've recently left mine with a friend. He wanted to strike out on his own and form his own herd. We've been best friends from the moment we could walk, so I went with him." Her charcoal and snow pelt gave a shudder. "I hope we find more horses soon." Acacia cast her big blue eyes towards the wolf a little sheepishly. "I don't like being alone, but I'm trying to make myself braver. So far it's not really working." "Speech"

Hmm, Askan supposed that made sense. He'd let her off the hook this time since he didn't really want to get stuck on the pedantics of smell. Besides, he was more caught up on the fact that there weren't many wolves where she came from. As far as Askan was aware wolves were just about everywhere, carving out their own little kingdoms and squabbling for power with rival packs. But he supposed that he ought to take her word for it, she seemed far too skittish to be a liar and even if she was, who cared? Not him.

She then went onto explain that horses lived in herds, much like deer it seemed, but that she'd left hers to wander the world with her friend. In a sense he could see why it made her nervous, the unknown was always a difficult thing to face, but the idea of sticking to the same old routine for the rest of his life was equally as distasteful. Askan hadn't really asked for her life story though and he was tempted to say as much, but for once he decided to bite his tongue. She was already a bit spooked, even he knew it'd be a dickmove to provoke her just cause he was being petty. Instead, he shrugged.

"Well you didn't shit yourself at the sight of me. And you actually had the balls to come over, so it seems you've made some progress." A bit crass but at least he was making an effort to be nice, for once.

Askan really had Acacia frazzled with his disposition and she wondered if all wolves were like this. He was brusque and moody and seemed to find fault in her words. As he spoke of  her achievement, she wasn't sure if he was complimenting her or insulting her. The glimmering mare frowned harder, mismatched ears turning out to the sides for but a moment. She was so, so confused. A loud sound came from the edge of the lake and Acacia visibly flinched, head turning so quickly to look in that direction that her long mane flew in the wind. For days now she had heard the telltale lowing and wailing of a puma. She was beginning to get the idea that perhaps it was tracking her. Could it smell her anxiety? Did it think she was an easy target? Suddenly, she craved Canyon's presence. A shudder went through the mare's metallic pelt and she suddenly decided that she'd had enough to drink. There was more water at the oasis where she was to meet with her friend and guardian. As if by reflex, Acacia had moved to place Askan between herself and the far off call of the big cat. There was no worry about it approaching without being seen and so the wolf was in no immediate danger. It was just something that she was used to doing with Canyon. Big blue eyes, heavily lashed, still locked on the horizon. "Have you ever had a run in with a puma?" She sought to make idle conversation, though she was genuinely curious. Perhaps he had some information that she could help her stay away from them. Within her chest, her heart thumped heavily. Looked like she wasn't yet as brave as she'd like to be. "Speech"

Acacia said nothing in response to his compliment. If it could even be called that. Hmph, he was a little insulted honestly, but then quickly dismissed the thought when he decided he didn't really care. Getting all worked up at the meek and mild wasn't something that Askan tended to do, sure it could be frustrating but it just didn't sit right with him. Like stepping on someone when they were already down. That's when he heard it, a throaty yowl that could only belong to a cougar.

Askan turned, his ears perked and eyes narrowed in a squint. He scented the wind and sure enough, it smelled as though it was close, lingering at the other side of the lake just out of view. Acacia moved then, shuffling behind him as if that would hide her from the cat's prying eyes. He snorted, amused, but said nothing. If that's what it took to make her feel a little more safe than Askan would allow it, he didn't like cats all that much either so if he could deny one of it's lunch then all the better.

"A few." He said, glancing over his shoulder to look at her. " This one's being pretty ballsy though, announcing itself like that." And that didn't sit well with him, like it took pleasure in getting her all worked up. Killing to survive was one thing but cats were sadistic bastards from what he'd seen. "It been giving you trouble?"

He saw it then, a tan smudge in the distance, slinking over rocks with it's gaze set on Acacia.

It was one thing to hear the cat, but it was quite another thing to see it. Blue eyes picked out the wheat colored shape across the expanse of land and, once again, the mare's heart began to hammer in her chest like a bird in a cage. Askan asked if it had been giving her trouble and the woman nodded. "For a few days now. It seems to find me whenever Canyon isn't around." Yes, she knew that she was easy prey but she had been determined to not allow the cat to limit her. Again the cat wailed and Acacia's knees wobbled. "Askan..." she started, little white spots beginning to flare before her eyes. The world felt... long, as though her vision stopped and the landscape began to stretch. She fought to regain her composure, willing her heart to slow. "Askan, if I pass out... don't let it eat me." She was trusting him, this stranger of a predatory nature, to protect her. Already Acacia had begun backing away from the watering hole, putting more distance between herself and the cat that wanted to make her a meal. The wobbling in her knees wouldn't let her go very fast, but she was trying. The more distance she put between them, the better she would feel. Maybe Canyon would find her. Maybe the cat wouldn't want to come into the mud and would leave her alone. She didn't quite know what to do, so she kept edging backwards, the mud sucking at her hooves. "Speech"

OOC: fight post 1/3

Hmm, that made sense. Any predator with a brain knew that it was easier to hunt targets that were alone, but he was still a little surprised that the cat had been trailing her for so long. Was the cougar really that patient, or was it just a vindictive bastard who just wanted to play with his food? It yowled again, almost casually as it stepped out onto the mud, it's tail swishing all relaxed and calm like it was just out for a pleasant afternoon stroll. Cocky bastard. Askan turned then, his brows drawn together as Acacia stumbled back, her words slow and sluggish. He blinked in rapid succession.What? Was she serious?

"Oi oi oi!" His voice was sharp with alarm. "Just focusing on breathing, yeah? Deep breaths, in and out. Sit down if you have to." He demonstrate for her, breathing in and out in long, steady breaths.

And then he paused, eyeing the cat as it meandered closer and closer. It wasn't going to back off unless he forced it too, that much was obvious. And so what if he chased it off this once, what would stop it coming back another time, when she was alone? Askan tsked. He almost couldn't believe this, that he was considering putting his neck on the line for a horse, a creature that he could probably eat if he felt like it. But he didn't feel like it, not cause she could talk or cause she had long legs that could kick him into next week. He just didn't want to is all, he wasn't going to delve much deeper into that fact.

"I won't." Was all he said, a promise.

He moved forward then, wading through the shallow puddle as he stomped towards the cat, hackles rising and teeth bared. He barked, loud and gruff and he saw the cat's ears twitch at the sound, like it was surprised at his reaction. It moved parallel to him, tail swishing faster than before, agitated like it was weighing up it's options. Before it could even make up its mind Askan charged, a snarl ripping from his throat as he quickly narrowed the space between them. The cat stood there, dumbfounded and wide eyed, only for it to let out a cowardly shriek as it turned tail and ran. Like the pussy it was.

Not that Askan would let it off that easily.

He rushed on, pushing harder than he'd ever pushed before to catch up with the cat. He wasn't much of a runner, not a fast one anyway, but when his mind was set on a goal he'd give everything he had to get there. His sides heaved and his paws squelched as the mud sucked them in, but with each thudding step he inched closer and closer till the tip of its tail was just in front of his nose. Oh, now that was an idea. Risking it all, he lurched forward and chomped down hard on it's tail. His legs went stiff as he slammed on the breaks and yanked his neck back, the click of bone fracturing met his ears and he grinned in vicious satisfaction.

The cat came out in the open, growing bolder as it began to pick its way across the dried bits of mud at the edge of the mucky lake. Oh no, oh no, oh no! Was this the end of the line for her? During their travels, Canyon had chased away not one, but two cats. Acacia's anxiety and keen senses had noticed the felines before they drew close enough to attack, thankfully. She always felt safe with her dearest friend by her side. Right now though? She felt like a walking snack. And then Askan was telling her to breathe. 'In and out,' his voice reached her mismatched ears. In Askan's voice, she heard Canyon telling her the same thing. They even demonstrated the breaths in the same way and, though she was feeling more than a little faint, the mare managed the barest of smiles. She complied, breathing as the wolf indicated. It did make her feel a little better, but what made her feel best was what happened next. The small canine rushed the cat, closing the distance between them quickly. The feline seemed to rethink its course of action. It turned tail and began to flee. Acacia though that this would be the end of it, but Askan kept running through the thick mud. His teeth latched into the puma's tail and he pulled hard. The cat wailed in pain and another rough shudder coursed through Acacia's slender frame. Why was he attacking the cat? It had decided to run away. The mare frowned. It would have just come back later when she was alone again. Perhaps this was the man teaching the cat a lesson. In that moment, Askan was her hero, hooves down. "Speech"

OOC: fight post 2/3

Askan barely had enough time to readjust his grip on the tail before the cat wheeled around, slashing at the air with claws draw. What the cat didn't anticipate however, was that the momentum of turning swung Askan just out of its reach, like they were dance partners twirling each other around in circles. It turned once more, hissing in frustration as Askan side stepped out of the way again. The taste of blood was thick upon his tongue and his ground his teeth, mangling the tail as much as he could manage.  Despite what it seemed Askan had no intentions of killing the cat. Sure, it was sort of tempting. That way he could be certain that it would never bother Acacia ever again, but on the other paw it seemed gratuitous, like he was being violent for the hell of it.

No, Askan was out to send a message and Lords above he intended for the cat to hear it loud and clear.

Realising that Askan wasn't going to let go the cat swapped tactics. With a thud the cougar dropped onto the ground on it's side and began kicking furiously at him with it's back legs. Askan darted back, gripping the tip of the tail and felt a whuff of wind against his nose. Any slower and he probably wouldn't have had a nose anymore, jeeze. At least now the cat knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of a predator who liked to play with its food. Served the bastard right. Askan's grin was vindictive as he chomped down again, so hard his back teeth ached a little. He shook his head violently, ripping and tearing, and spraying blood all around.

By then he figured he'd done enough damage, that he'd made his point, now he just had to figure out to disengage without the cat taking a chunk or two out of his own tail in retaliation.

Askan was perfection. He was her knight in fuzzy armor. The way he thrashed the mountain lion was hero-worthy and Acacia appreciated it ever so much. There was a little flutter in her chest, but it wasn't the negative, pass out kind. It was an affectionate flutter. A little confusing, but Acacia was still pretty young. Emotions were still strange. The cat decided to quickly give up. It yowled and began to rush away, but the tail was still in Askan's jaws. How was he going to get away without the cat turning on him and scratching his face off? A little bit of panic surged through the mare. He'd put himself in danger to help her. Acacia's long legs went rigid for a moment. Was she really going to do this? ...Yep. With a neigh as loud as she could manage, Acacia surged forward, flat teeth bared as she came upon the wolf and cat. Ears flattened against her skull and she danced high, bringing her hooves down in quick, slicing motions as she came close. Rearing up, she pawed the air, another neigh hard in her throat. Maybe together, the cat would flee without more of a fight. In the back of her mind, the mare was wondering just what in the hell she was doing. It seemed as though Askan brought out a bit of bravery in her. "Speech"

fight post 3/3

Okay, Askan was starting to think that maybe he'd bitten off more than he could chew. His mind raced as he struggled to come up with a solution, how he could back off without the cat wreaking revenge on him. If he didn't play this right he could easily lose an eye, or worse. He mentally slapped himself, wondering why he'd gone so far out of his way to prove a point. He supposed that he just wanted to put Acacia at east, thought that she deserved better than all this but look where his chivalry had gotten him.

He was losing his grip on the tail, his jaw straining as the cat wriggled and squirmed. Then it was gone and Askan was biting down on thin air as stray cat hairs littered his tongue. The cougar turned to him ready to wreak revenge- only to pause and go all wide eyed at the sound of thundering hooves. Askan stared, equally surprised as Acacia barged in on the confrontation, like she was some mighty fine warrior.

Askan watched, feeling awfully smug as the cat rushed off, it's mangled tail hanging limp as it went.

"And don't come back, you bastard!" Askan barked after it, his own tail arched high as it wagged in cocky, short sweeps.

He then turned to Acacia and his smile was wide and toothy.

"Not bad. Don't think they'll be bothering you ever again."

To anyone else he would have made a jabbing comment insinuating that they could've helped out sooner, but not her. If anything he felt proud of her, that she'd managed to push her fears aside and do what had to be done. Really though, he thought Acacia had been giving herself a tough time for no reason at all. Acting all tough might not have come naturally to her but she'd put on a mighty fine show, rearing up like that. And that neigh? Horses were more fierce than he'd first anticipated, good thing he hadn't made an enemy of one. Then he paused, his brows furrowing as he gave her a one over, just in case. She looked well enough, maybe a bit winded from the rush of it all but he knew that looks could be deceiving.

"You okay? Feel dizzy still?"

Mare's above! What was she doing?! Anxiety flared through Acacia, but she continued to pretend to be threatening and scary. If the damn cat had turned and attacked, she would have been out like a light. Instead, the feline jerked its tail out of Askan's mouth and tore off, disappearing in an instant. All four hooves back on the ground, the mare's pale blue eyes were open wide. She was clearly shocked at her own actions. Had she... been brave? It took her a moment to realize that Askan was speaking to her. The young horse rolled her eyes to look upon the little earthen canine. Mismatched ears flicked forward. Once his words registered, she managed a smile. He complimented her and the slender lady beamed. She nodded in acceptance, taking a few steps closer to him to visually inspect for injuries. Seeing none, Acacia grinned anew. When he asked after her own well being, Acacia took a minute to still, reflecting upon herself. "Mmm.... no. Not dizzy at all." She was surprised at the discovery. Blue eyes rested warmly on the little wolf. Did he realize how much he had helped her? Lowering her muzzle, Acacia gently lipped the space between Askan's ears. "Thank you, Askan." Once the kiss between the ears was delivered, she continued to smile, looking down upon him. "You're definitely my hero." He had done more for her today than he might realize. Acacia was a health-induced coward. Seeing him in possible peril had sparked a fire in her, giving the lady a little bit of backbone. That was a lesson that she would carry with her, always. "Speech"

Phew. Askan puffed out a long breath of relief when Acacia reassured him that she was fine, that she wouldn't be toppling over anytime soon. Just in case he gave her one last look, up then down, before he set the matter aside. Now that the dust was settling Askan took a moment to make sure that he hadn't hurt himself in the struggle. The only blood that he could smell wasn't his own, and having achy legs and jaw seemed par for the course, so he'd gotten away perfectly unscathed. That wasn't something to sneeze at. Giving himself a mental pat on the back, Askan glanced up when he noticed Acacia moving closing, dipping low to-

Oh.

Askan coughed, his cheeks burning red beneath his fur as his eyes near bugged out of his head. He was a man, damn it! All macho with flowing testosterone and unwavering manly energy!  But in one fell swoop she had disarmed him with a simple touch, something so soft and affectionate he just didn't know how to react. Like she'd slammed on his brakes real hard and his mind was still lurching with the momentum. He stared up at her, dumbfounded as the cogs whirled behind his eyes, trying to put two and two together.  It'd been nice enough, he supposed, and he wouldn't mind at all if she wanted to praise him some more but...Well, it was uncharted territory for him, folks rarely offered him a smile let alone a crumb of affection.

"I-" Askan's brain hadn't yet restarted.  He then cleared his throat which seemed to do the trick and when he spoke his voice was much deeper than before. MANLY. "Well yeah, of course. Don't mention it." He puffed up, shoulders straight.

Askan seemed to bristle at the kiss but Acacia just couldn't help herself. She was an affectionate creature by nature. Horses often touched noses, ran their sides along one another or leaned upon one another. Touching was just a thing that she did. If anyone deserved her kisses, right now it was Askan. He'd done her a great service. When the wolf put on his deep voice and brushed off her compliment, Acacia laughed aloud, blue eyes crinkling at the corners. She didn't want to upset his manliness, of course. The mare couldn't help but tease him a little bit, however. "You seem to be taking it all in stride. Do you rescue damsels in distress often? Surely that must have been all in a days work for you." Regardless of her playfulness, he'd saved her today. It was something that the mare wouldn't soon forget. A more serious question sent black and white ears flicking forward. "How can I repay your bravery?" Perhaps there was something that he wanted or needed. Horses were a fairly possession-less bunch so she had nothing of personal value to give him. Right now, she didn't have any bright ideas of her own on how to repay him either. "Speech"

Askan snorted in amusement. He wasn't one for banter but even he could see the humour in her words, it was catching like a winter cold and Askan found himself smiling just a little. There was something about Acacia that was homey and soft, like curling up in a den after a long days work. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was a horse, a creature he'd never seen before let alone spoken to and that his lack of prejudices paved the way for something close to friendship. Or maybe she was just so nice that even he couldn't resist her sweet charms. Either way the Selwyn didn't care, she was safe and well and that's all that really mattered right now.

"Something like that, yeah." He said, though the thought of having to rescue damsels on a daily basis sounded awfully tiring. He'd make one acceptation, for her.

Instead she went onto ask if he wanted anything from her and Askan's head tipped a little in confusion. Did she think he'd protected her cause he wanted something in return? Other wolves might have taken this as a chance to get all self serving and selfish but Askan wanted nothing from no one. He didn't want or need handouts, no matter how well meaning, and he certainly didn't feel as though as Acacia owed him anything. He'd fought the cat cause he'd felt like it and that's all that needed to be said about it.

But despite all that there was one thing that he wouldn't mind...

"Start having a little more faith in yourself, that'd be a good place to start." That seemed like a reasonable enough request. "And maybe you could stick a bit closer to your man, just in case." At least then she'd have someone else to watch her back.

His reply was something that she hadn't expected. Acacia's brow furrowed momentarily and she nodded. The mare knew that she needed to work on her self confidence. She sorely lacked that, always having been over protected due to her malady. Being out in the world had made her realize her missing confidence. She knew that she had to do something about it. Every little sound startled her. If she kept losing consciousness, she would get eaten in no time. The slender lady nodded in acceptance. "I can try." When Askan suggested that she stick closer to 'her man,' Acacia burst into laughter. "No, no, no." Still giggling, the shimmering lady gave her head a shake, mane swaying. "Canyon is my best friend. There's no romance there. He's not my man at all." Acacia was quite single. She'd had temporary 'companions' in the past but that was the way of horses. "I should probably make my way back to him though. It's getting dark and he'll be worried." Again she lowered her head to place a little nuzzle between the mans ears. Pulling back, she smiled down upon him. "Thank you again, Askan. I hope our paths cross again. I'd be glad to call you a friend." With one final nod to the earthen canine, Acacia turned tail and made her way back through the sucking mud. "Speech"