Walking had become something Arisha dreaded. It wasn't because of the physical activity or the fact that by the end of the day she was exhausted, but rather she never got anywhere. Sure, she could be in a forest and by sundown she could be by a lake- but neither of those meant anything to her. They weren't home. Often times she thought of her family, of her old home and of the bush she left the safety of, the one she was instructed to stay to, but she just couldn't. She had waited for days there, and the hunger and thirst had overcome her will to listen. Now, she had to survive. Was that possible for her, though? A mere pup, sheltered all her life with little idea of how to do anything. She knew little on hunting and would try to scavenge or dig for bugs and worms to eat, and the lack of nutrients showed on her small frame; ribs starting to prod at her frail skin. Water was a bit easier, but the past two days Arisha hadn't been able to even find a decent puddle. That was what brought her to the lake today. However, disappointment was quick to sink in her gut as she starred with defeated eyes at the dried up lake. Wobbly paws brought her to sit, dirt kicking up from where her body plopped down, and Arisha whimpered to herself. She wanted to cry but she didn't dare dehydrate herself anymore. Thoughts of everything started to pile into her mind and Arisha began to wallow in her self-pity, but her paws began to dig at the dirt under her. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a few drops somewhere... right?

Abby had found that her paws drew her to undiscovered places in her foraging, like an invisible string pulling her across the continent. So it wasn't particularly strange that she had traveled so far east. She didn't seek to leave her new home so soon however, the similarities to her old land were comforting and the people there were... fun.

What was truly strange was what she found in the dried lake. She could've easily dismissed it as the remains of an unfortunate mammal, but a better look revealed that it certainly wasn't dead. Her curiousity piqued, the mottled woman moved to investigate, and to her surprise she recognised the small creature as a pup. Her approach quickened significantly, instinctively worried for the child's safety, and concern increased with every step closer as more details of her current condition came into view. The small girl was visibly malnourished, which raised more questions. Where were her parents?

Better to ask the child then to assume, but she still made sure to howl a broadcast, in case Abby needed assistance or the child's parents were nearby. She sat next to the girl. "Are you okay? Where are your parents?" She queried gently, but the the feeling of urgency was audible in her voice.

Her paws were starting to get dirty from the digging she was doing, and she could feel the daunting burn in her forearms from the effort she was putting in. The digging was proving useless, she hadn't even felt any mud- the dirt was just that. Dry dirt. A huff left her lips and Arisha felt the defeat circling around her again. Why had that become the most common emotion to her? Why couldn't something turn in her favor? Was life truly trying to be this cruel to her, when she was just barely starting to live in it? Her attention had been so focused in on digging that she didn't hear nor smell the other approach. It wasn't until she heard a howl that her head snapped up, eyes wide as her ears flattened down on her skull. The woman spoke and Arisha stayed frozen, unsure of what to do. It had been a few months since she'd even seen another creature- and this woman looked different from any of her family. "I..." She began to speak but stopped as she coughed, her throat dry and her voice hoarse and strained. "...don't know." She managed to finish before she took a few careful steps back, away from the hole she was digging and added a bit of distance between her and the unknown woman. Licking her dry lips, Arisha looked at the woman's overall healthy appearance, and was unable to stop the next question from leaving her maw. "Do you know where any water is?"

The child backed away and Abby cringed. Had she scared the poor girl? Was she intimidating? Was she simply that monstrous? The heat was making her mind go in panicked circles, but only reaffirmed the fact that she needed to get the pup out of the heat and to water. She resolves to find the child's parents later. If they'd left their child like this they must've been dead or worse anyways.

She made note to make her approach more gentle, but it was difficult how to exactly achieve that. There was a child under threat for pete's sake, how was she supposed to handle that?

"I think I do. I passed some jungle to the west, but..." Another problem. The closest water source was claimed by another pack, she had smelt it. Oh god, this was not going to end well. Still, she felt the pressure to get the pup water as soon as possible, and she didn't know the layout of this part of the continent. Guess she'd just have to cross her toes and hope that the pack wouldn't rip them to shreds the moment they crossed the border. "Can I carry you?" She asked. It'd make the trip significantly faster, and the larger wolf didn't know if the girl would be able to walk the distance anyways.

She couldn't stop licking at her dry lips, gold eyes watching the woman before her with both a curiosity and hesitation. Something in Arisha's mind told her that if the woman was going to hurt her, she would of already. Her parents had never taught her anything when it came to strangers or outsiders of the pack, she'd been sheltered too much to ever think of crossing paths with someone outside her family. At the talk of a jungle and possible water Arisha visibly perked up, her dry throat seeming to burn with the yearning need of hydration even more. A small frown came to her when the woman asked if she could carry her- and her mind drifted back to when her family carried her to a bush and left her there. "You won't leave after?" Her small voice asked tentatively, almost afraid to be carried off somewhere new and left alone all over again. She was hardly surviving now, she didn't know if she could do this all over again too.

her right ear flicked at the strangeness of the question. "No, of course not." she reassured her, brow furrowing slightly. Has this pup been left behind once before? Though the hows and whys of the situation were not important right now, they intrigued her nonetheless. She decided to investigate further after starting a war in order to rescue a kid she found in the desert. Yes, she was the queen of good impressions.

If the pup allowed, she'd pick her up gently by the scruff as she'd seen mothers do, though she was slightly heavier than expected. Nothing the woman couldn't manage though, and she'd walk back to where she'd seen the jungle. All that was left to do was pray that the pack there would be forgiving.

-exit?-

Her reply was rather comforting and Arisha felt herself relax slightly with the presence of the other and the talk of traveling elsewhere. She had no idea where she was - or really where she was about to go - but at least she had the assurance it wouldn't be by herself. The other grabbed her carefully by her scruff and Arisha felt herself lifted. With her weight off her paws, she could feel how sore and tender they had been by how much she had been wondering around. The woman began to walk and Arisha couldn't hold back from the exhaustion the crept on her, and she found her eyes closing as she relaxed in the similar hold her mother once did with her. It was almost enough to make her forget about her thirst. / exit /