"Stay here."

Grim was never good at listening or doing what he was told, and today was hardly any different. Mother had gone off to hunt, or try to anyway. Something about the season being harder to find prey and actually bring it down. She never told him much about her ventures in search of food, but he knew it must be hard. They hadn't eaten anything substantial in days. She was giving him everything she found and he if he knew any better, he'd notice her thinning away into nothing. Her fur wasn't as soft as he remembered, that much he knew. If he'd stopped to think about it, he'd probably realize that she wasn't as soft either. She was losing weight, and fast. Grimshaw, on the other hand, was a pudgy little thing that never seemed to stop growing. Every day his mother told him how big he was and how surprised she was that he was larger than most puppies she'd ever known for his age. He loved the attention, but he'd never known any other puppies to compare himself to. Was he really that big?

He usually was pretty good about staying out of trouble, even if he didn't listen to his mothers rules about staying where she'd left him. He silently promised to never go far and today wasn't any different. Except something was different about today. His ears flicked as he heard a rustling in the leaves and a strange sound that didn't sound much like anything he or his mother had ever made. With a tilt of his head, heavy puppy paws quickly hurried in the direction of the rustling bush. Peering around the edge of the foliage, he wasn't sure what he saw, but it was looking back right at him.

At first he was startled. He'd never seen anyone besides his mother and the things she brought back for him to eat. This didn't look like anything he'd ever eaten before. The eyes on the new animal were as large as his, but round and different. He didn't know what he was looking at, but they seemed just as spooked about them as they did of him. He tried not to let it show, though, and carefully moved around the bush to show himself. Standing as tall as he good, he forced a smile to try and seem friendly to the strange creature. Mom wouldn't be too happy if he got hurt, but maybe if he made a friend she would be!

"Hi, my name's Grimshaw! What's yours?" His tail wagged excitedly behind him, studying the creature and waiting for a response that never came. The other collected themselves and scurried through the bushes, leaving Grim to frown and follow after the young creature. Perhaps it was a bad idea, though.

As he pushed through the mangrove's overgrowth, he must have spooked the young animal. It made a strange hissing sound and ran off, leaving Grimshaw frowning in his place. Confused, he wondered why the other ran away from him. Had he done something wrong? His bottom lip pooched out a little in a pout as he thought about what he'd done and how it might have scared the other. He'd admit that he'd never introduced himself to someone before, but was he really that big and scary?

Lost in his thoughts, he hadn't heard the new sounds of rustling in the overgrowth. A roar erupted from his right and Grimshaw instinctively cowered, frightened by the sudden sound and approaching beast. A grown version of what he'd just tried to make friends with, it seemed. It was advancing on him though, the complete opposite of the other one, and making strange noises of hissing and growling. Grimshaw whimpered but was too startled to move as his legs trembled and his tail tucked up tight against his rear and between his rear legs. Silver eyes were wide, locked on to the cougar and full of fear.

A split second later, the cougar charged and lashed a paw out at him and smacked him straight in the face. He could feel the sharp claws tear at his skin as contact was made and it simply tossed him to the side. He yelped at the pain and cried as he tried to scramble away from the cougar, towards whatever he could get to that might protect him. The cougar was advancing on him again, certainly not finished and readying another attack. Grimshaw kept scooting away until he felt himself press into something - mother.

Where she had come from, he didn't know, but he wasn't thinking about that now. Her deep growls were scaring even him as he looked at her through teary eyes to see her fur bristled and teeth bared towards the cat. She was small, but she was mean. He'd never seen this side of her before, but he was almost certain he'd be seeing it when she was done with this cat! He should have just listened and stayed where she told him to. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He hurried to get behind his mother and hide from the cougar, but kept his eyes on the battle as it begun.

The cat was much larger than his mother, but he knew she could do it. They wrestled and played all the time, he knew she was tough. He always won of course, but she didn't make it easy! A paw swiped out at her and made the same contact with her as it had him, though they were much less successful at sending her skidding across the ground. The flesh on her face was torn too and blood ran down her face as it was his, but it hardly seemed to faze her. She lunged at the cougar, but her attack was not successful. The cat stopped her in mid air and tossed her onto the ground with another swipe of it's paw. His eyes widened in fear, praying his mother would get up. She tried and she struggled, but the cat simply knocked her back down. Again and again until she stopped trying.

A strange sound rang out and the cougar sniffed at his mother before heading off in the direction the young one went. Once the cat was out of sight, Grimshaw drug himself out of his bushes and flung himself at his mother. "Mom? ...Mom?" He sniffled, pressing his paw into her shoulder to try and wake her. He tried again, harder this time, with no success. His silver eyes searched her body, noticing the tears and blood everywhere. His breathing became rapid, if it wasn't really already, and he cried out. "Mom?! Mom!" He cried, pressing both paws into her shoulder now, but he already knew. She looked too much like the meals she had brought home for him, all bloody and limp and... lifeless.

Tears poured down his face, stinging as they crossed the wound on his cheek. He pressed himself into her, burying himself up under her foreleg and sobbed into her chest. "I'm sorry, Momma..."


"Speech!"

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She hadn't been in time. While out on a rare exploratory trip away from the pack lands and her responsibilities, Resin had heard the ruckus. The harsh caterwauling of a mountain lion echoed throughout the mangroves. It wasn't just the normal sound of a stupid cat complaining or putting on a show. This was the sound of battle. The massive fae had caught the scent of wolves as she traveled and so she moved towards the sound rather than away from it. Wide paws thundered across the damp ground as she ran. The moment that she heard the very first canine response to the feline screeching, she somehow managed to run faster still. In the end, it was all to no avail. Skidding into the area where the fight had taken place, the giant woman's lone golden eye hardened. The wolf was dead, its body bloody and battered. The cat was gone, but she could still hear it grumbling faintly in the distance. It seemed to be calling for something. Cubs, perhaps? Had she simply been protecting her brood? As the ashen woman prepared to walk forward, a small, dark figure darted out of hiding. It made a beeline for the shredded woman and Resin already knew that it was her child before it even uttered the very first 'mother.' There were a few paths that the woman could now take.  She could leave the pup to fend for itself. He bore no ties to her. He hadn't even seen her. She could simply turn and leave. Ah, but what would Tamsyn think? She had never been very good at being motherly. Whereas most females would instantly seek to comfort the child, Resin had to remind herself that this was something that should be done. Tam wanted her to be softer. To be nicer. Well then, there was only one option, wasn't there? She had to take the boy with her. Perhaps she could find it a home somewhere. At the moment, it didn't cross her mind to keep him. She would just take him home and dump him on Tam until something else came up. Moving forward, the hulking woman looked down upon the crying child. 'Softer,' she reminded herself. She was trying to be softer for the sake of the children that Tamsyn had birthed. "She's gone," Her first words to the pup rumbled scratchily, though surprisingly soft. Resin had lost family. She knew what this was like, but empathy was difficult for her. She had to play a part for now. What had she done when her family was lost? "Would you like to help me bury her?" Obsidian ears flicked forward before the large fae moved away. Choosing a spot between two large mangroves, she began to dig. Thankfully the earth was fairly soft here thanks to the water content. If the boy wished to help her dig, he could. If not, that was fine as well. Scoop after scoop of dirt was scraped away and the hole was growing larger by the moment. They would be able to bury the woman and begin their trek back in no time. "Speech"

He hadn't seen or even smelled the woman that approached. All too focused on his mother and his loss, her words had actually startled him. "No!" He knew she was right, deep down. There was no saving his mother. Had he actually listened when she told him to stay, they'd be cuddled up happy and warm right now, or maybe even eating a fresh meal. If he had only listened, it wouldn't have costed her life. She'd still be here, doing her best to keep him safe. And what had he done? Gone and risked her life. Both of theirs really, but that part didn't matter to him. It was her life that mattered. Now he didn't have a mom. He already didn't have a dad. Who would he have now?

His face pressed into her chest again, trying to ignore the other wolf that approached as they asked something about burying - whatever that meant - and beginning to dig a hole. Did now really look like a great time to dig a hole?!


"Speech!"

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The boy was still in shock. Resin would give him this moment. He would have to grow up quickly if he wanted to survive. She didn't baby her own children so she wouldn't baby him. There was no use in taking about it while she was digging though. Cords of muscle stood out in the scarred womans limbs and shoulders as she continued to extract earth. The dead woman wasn't as large as she was and so the hole didn't need to be terribly wide. In time, the grave was ready.

Moving forward, Resin stood over the boy and his valiant but unlucky mother. "Have you said your goodbyes?" It was time to put her in the ground. "We need to bury her or she'll be eaten by crows and other scavengers." Hopefully he'd understand and he wouldn't make things too difficult. This was part of life. Things died. He learned this lesson a bit earlier than most. What he did with it was up to him, but at least the maned woman would give him a chance.

Sobbing into his mothers lifeless body, he didn't want to think about what the stranger was doing over there. He didn't understand what a grave was and why they were digging, all he knew was he had just killed his own mother, even if it wasn't by his own fangs or claws. Had he just stayed where he was supposed to, this wouldn't have happened. Everything would be good, his mother alive and well, and they'd be off to find somewhere else to nestle down. But no, he had to be stupid and run off to play with someone that didn't even want to play with him. He was lucky to be alive himself, really, but he didn't understand that.

Covered in the blood of his mother and a bit of his own, he sniffled when the strange woman spoke. There weren't enough goodbyes in the world to make the sickness in his stomach settle, to make what he had done okay. He couldn't apologize enough, either. He was so angry at himself, but his sadness was the only emotion evident now. When the woman mentioned her getting eaten, Grim whimpered before finally nodding. He would never be ready, but imagining her being eaten would probably be more traumatic than the entire event that just happened. Finally, he willingly took a few steps back while he sniffled, rubbing a paw against his face to wipe away the fluid running out of his nose.


"Speech!"

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Resin waited while the bloody boy made his decision. In time, he decided that it would be better to bury her than to let the scavengers feast on her bones. With a nod, the ashen woman moved forward. Gently, she took the scruff of the woman between her teeth and began to pull the corpse backwards towards the grave that she'd prepared. After a bit of repositioning, the dead wolf's body fit properly into the hole. She began to push the dirt back in, gradually covering the woman's body. If the boy wished to help, she would allow him to do so, but she wouldn't force him. While she was able to disconnect her emotions from such events, the child was, well... a child. He felt every moment of this, she was sure. Once the body was covered, Resin scanned about, looking for some sort of suitable marker. Not terribly far away was a small boulder that she might be able to push, so she moved to it and dug out around the base a bit. With a little finesse and a lot of muscle, the scarred fae managed to get the rock rolling. Keeping the momentum, she didn't stop pushing until the rock, which was a little bit bigger than the pup, rested on top of the dead wolf's grave. "Between two trees with a rock on top. You'll know where to find her if you ever decide to return here." It was a kind gesture. Some wolves preferred to bury their dead and return to pay respects. To Resin, the dead were dead. They were gone. The body that she had just buried was empty, the woman that had inhabited it long gone. "Come," she rumbled softly. She would take the boy to safety and she would figure out what to do with him once Tamsyn was awake. If need be, she would carry him, but Resin would be impressed if he was able to walk of his own accord. "Speech"

He couldn't watch as the woman drug his mother into the grave and buried her - her lifeless body limp and the thump her body made as it fell sending shivers down his spine. He sniffled, but his tears were already starting to dry. Probably because he was running out for now and the exhaustion was soon going to wear him down. He probably needed a good nap, but there was likely any hope for him to get a good, restful sleep anytime soon. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw it all again. Sleeping certainly seemed out of the question.

Soon the woman spoke, and his attention turned briefly to her to see the rock she'd placed to mark the grave. He sniffled with a nod, rising to a stand to work his way over and place a gentle kiss atop the rock. It was no where near the same, but it helped settle him a bit. He had every intention on staying, however, until the woman beckoned him to follow. He didn't know quite what to do... he wanted to stay with mothers grave, but maybe they murderer would return and finish the job. Grimshaw didn't want to relive everything again, so he reluctantly followed the woman with his tail limp and his head low.


"Speech!"

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The boy followed without any fuss, though she knew that he was working through an onslaught of emotions. The giantess kept her pace slow and her strides easy so that the boy could keep up. After they had walked for a time, she turned her good eye to him and rumbled, "I can carry you if you're tired." It would be up to him. He'd made the effort. If he collapsed now from exhaustion, she would have to carry him anyway. This would be another child added to their litter of five. He was young enough that she hoped he would integrate well. She hadn't even asked if he had other family out there, but with his reaction to the death of his mother, she assumed that he didn't. She didn't even know his name, come to think of it. Again she cast a sidelong glance at the dejected child. "What is your name, boy?" Just in case he didn't want to speak yet, she decided to introduce herself. "I am called Resin. My pack inhabits a neighboring land. We'll keep you safe." That most likely wouldn't be any comfort just yet, but she believed he needed to know where he was going and what to expect. "Speech"

"No, I'm fine." He replied to the woman's offer to carry him. He yawned, but did his best to keep up with her. A single one of her steps was multiple of his own, but he tried to manage. He didn't want to be carried, really. What he really wanted was a dark place to curl up and be alone.

When he was asked his name, it took a moment to pull him from his straying thoughts to answer. Exhaustion was making it difficult to move from thought to reality, but he managed an answer after a few moments. The woman went ahead and introduced herself while he worked on his own answer, but he wondered about this pack. He'd never been a part of a pack before. His mother was a loner, and so was he. Were packs good?

"Grimshaw." He muttered, stifling back another yawn. "Whats a 'pack'?" He asked, unsure of the typical lives of wolves and the pack mentality. He was raised alone with his mother and no mention of a pack before. It was a strange thing to him.


"Speech!"

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The pup insisted on walking and she would allow him to do so for as long as he was able. It showed strength and determination and she didn't mind either of those things. He was strong most likely because he had to be. Neither he nor his mother had the scent of a pack, so she imagine that they had been on their own. This thought was confirmed when Grimshaw asked what a pack was. Sparing the child a sidelong glance, Resin continued walking. "A pack is a group of wolves that live together on a large stretch of territory. They work together to feed one another and keep each other safe. A pack is generally led by one or two wolves. In this case, I lead the pack." They neared the edge of the Hot Springs and Resin motioned the boy over the border and into the territory. "This is the border of our land." She indicated the path worn down by many paws. The scent of pack would also be strong around the border. The pair began moving again through the forested area around the springs. "I have children your age so you won't be alone." Not that it would be much consolation for the boy, but she wanted to prepare him for what would no doubt be an onslaught of questions and excitement. "Speech"