The desert was no forgiving place, as Rava knew well. As did any sane wolf, so it wasn’t very heavily traversed. That made these lands the perfect place for Rava to make her home. She wasn’t often disturbed and if she traveled by night it was easy to find and scavenge the carcasses created in the harshness of daytime. Desert creatures didn’t often succumb but dumb ones that had no place in the desert would. Rava had no qualms scavenging because with it came solitude.

Being on her own had been frightening, but not having someone over her shoulder made her skills blossom. Survival skills, she wasn’t a very skilled hunter. Especially in such harsh conditions. Her cloak helped protect her during the day when she could find no shelter or make it back to the safety of the valley.

Rava had no better luck hunting here, but it was where she filled herself with water and took shelter from the sands. By now her toes had toughened and her fur shed out so she looked much more sleek and shiny compared to round and fluffy. She lay by a small spring near the edge of the desert, green grass and palm trees completed the oasis scene. The sound of gently moving water and a light breeze filtered through the calm. Rava wasn’t sure she could find anywhere more perfect. She only wished Saia had made it here to see this with her.

With the rut of many animals in full swing, Cairo had chosen to spread his hunting further from home. He’d made a harness with the help of Ardyn, and he wore it now as he padded out of the Rocks. It was no masterpiece, but for what he needed, it would suit fine. At either side dragged two travois poles, and over his back draped a rolled hide with loops of braided leather and sinew stitched securely along the edges. Once he had his kill, he could lash the hide to the poles and load the travois with the kill and the various components he needed. With his old armor having been devoured, he was after elk. Really, bison was better, but their stores were low at the moment, and he’d have to gather the hunters and bring a few old bulls down for the toughest hides, and to let the population fill with younger blood. He came to a stop by a spring, tongue lolling in its usual ridiculous manner before he drank his fill, eyes scanning a little aimlessly, mostly for danger. He only really noticed the other wolf when a breeze fluttered the greenish fabric, and though he was generally a brave sort, there was no mistaking the visibly jolt of surprise that he wasn’t alone. If he was being honest, his mind hadn’t been on his surroundings. He’d been thinking about how much fun Nolan would have had on this hunting trip, or that Lia would have been thrilled at the prospect of scouting a hunt, that they could have parted out the kill between the Armada and Valhalla. So he took a surprised step back and studied the cloaked wolf, before greeting, "My deepest apologies if I intruded… Wasn’t paying attention.” He wasn’t certain if the wolf wanted to be left alone, so on the off chance she did, he angled to leave and head toward the valley. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

She debated about running as soon as his paws hit the grass by her little spring. She was like a little fawn, scared still and it worked to her advantage with her dull green cloak. When he finally caught sight of her there wasn’t any hiding anymore. Instantly she was at her dainty paws, joints bent and eyes near wild as she waited for him to act. To come after her, and claim her as property again. Someone was always out there looking for her, maybe this was finally her end.

He apologized and aimed to leave, and Rava wasn’t about to stop him. The last time she’d allowed herself to be lulled by a stranger she’d wound up in Jupiter’s possession. That night wouldn’t be quick to leave her memories. So she stood frozen, ready to make her own retreat if he was trying to fake her out. Though deep down she knew that she should have been more like the desert animals she lived with now. Fleeing at every uncertainty because it was better to be safe than sorry.

[Ooc: Care to stretch the thread out over the day with some time skip? He’s happy to share supper if she has no luck hunting again (plus gemsss lol)] He might have been startled, but the woman seemed utterly petrified of him. He couldn’t really see her under the fabric, but she’d bolted to her paws and was visibly ready to run at the slightest hint of a threat. The thought that he was the one scaring her sent his ears dropping back. So, he kept walking, heading into the valley and letting her have her space. He needed to scout for a good observation spot before the sun went down, make camp and catch dinner. He’d told Aurielle to expect him back in a few days. It was, he supposed, a mental vacation. Sure, part of it was duty to the pack, but it was clear that the Spirit was on the verge of booting him out to go have time for himself and maybe find the solace he needed to grieve. He spent a few hours scouting, and located the herds. It seemed bison liked it here, too, though they weren’t as plentiful as at home or on the Dancefloor. What had happened to Lirim? He shook his head as he found a spot that had a good view of the valley that would keep him concealed from the elk and deer that grazed on the autumn grasses, and the bulls and bucks that tangled for the favor of the females of their species. Antlers clattered, elk bugled. He didn’t usually have such a good vantage point of the action, so he entertained himself with watching the battles as he set up a small camp set against a stony ledge that was decently padded with soft soil. It didn’t smell like anyone had occupied it since Lirim had left it behind, so he felt reasonably secure in choosing it and not stepping on any loners’ toes. He unloaded his hide roll to one side and dug into the dirt, making a pit and tamping a raised circle of dirt before he ranged and gathered a decent mouthful of kindling-sized sticks and twigs, which he set about making a small campfire. It was a hell of a lot of effort without Enito’s hands to help, but Chrystal kept him company, perched on the overhanging stone ledge that looked like it would keep the rain off. Once the fire was crackling contentedly, Cairo made his way down to the river. A nice river bass or salmon sounded nice, and so, in the golden rays of evening, he hunkered by the water, poised and waiting. Fishing wasn’t his strongest point, but he was acceptable at it. Soon, he saw a shadowy form with flashing scales drifting closer and stilled, ears perking. He thrust downward and forward like a javelin, and came up spluttering through his teeth, and a mouthful of thrashing fish. Victory. He sloshed to the shore and shook out his soaked fur, dispatching the fish and tossing it further up the shore with Chrystal watching over it while he moved to a new spot. A two-hour span of splashing and sloshing later, he’d bagged five fat trout. It was a good haul for one not a master at fishing, and it took three trips to take them all to the fire. Soon they were sizzling and snapping on skewers over the fire, which had settled into a bed of hot coals. He flopped on the hide, fur still sticking out in wet spikes in all directions as he watched supper cook, letting his mind drift. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

(of course!)

As he turned to walk the other way so would Rava. She’d lope out onto the sands of the desert, knowing there were few desperate enough to follow her out here. The cloaked woman kept up her pace, counting her steps to the little waypoint she had stored away. This was a getaway hide, there wasn’t any food left in it, she hadn’t had much luck preserving recently. With her cloak though she could climb under the thorny bush and disappear.

That’s where she remained until dusk, when she carefully made her return to the spring. She hoped the man had gone entirely but her nose caught the scent of fish like none she’d ever smelled before. Her traitorous stomach begged her to inch forward into the light of the fire. Rava could steal a fish and make her retreat again… and though she formed a plan the woman was too timid to follow through. She lingered in the shadows, hoping he might accidentally leave a few morsels behind.

He’d finished three of the five fish when Chrystal, ever watchful, clicked her beak unobtrusively. Cai didn’t give any outward sign that he’d heard, instead scanning with his peripheral, just in time to catch the glint of firelight over silver eyes and a cowled face. He was a little surprised the woman had come so close after how spooked she’d been. He stretched, toes parting and wiggling toward the fire as he considered, picking over the bones of his third fish. They’d turned out very nicely with herbs he’d found along the way between his trips from the stream to the fire with them stuffed inside. The herbs themselves were of little medicinal value, but the Nomads had said they made cooked meats particularly enjoyable. He’d been pleased to find some that paired well with fish. Maybe the woman was hungry? As timid as she seemed, maybe she missed out on larger meals that required some gumption to bring down. He was full enough, so he stretched to his paws, bending and plucking the two sticks still bearing the last two fish from the ground and ambling in the woman’s general direction. He didn’t come within ten feet of her before setting the two speared fish on the ground, luckily on a grassy spot before he returned to the fire and used one of the empty sticks to stoke the coals, tossing on a couple small logs to feed it and retreating to his hide, ignoring the woman, letting her take her time to decide if she wanted the fish or not. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Rava was mostly tucked away in the shadows as she quietly watched the man from afar. She wished she’d been right and that he’d have left the area earlier that day but here he was. She had no ownership of any land, and couldn’t claim the oasis as hers, but it still felt like he was intruding. She couldn’t be sure that he saw her, he looked quite relaxed with his good smelling fish and companions she felt even more intimidated by.

It wasn’t until he moved that she became truly alarmed. He was slow but she moved away from him none the less. Her dainty paws back peddled, stormy gaze stuck to him as he moved forward with his find. She cowered in the bushes, ready to run but he stopped soon enough and dropped his two skewered fish. She watched him warily, tucking her ears and tail as he backed and turned away to his fire.

Rava didn’t move for a long time. She was much too wary, she’d seen him eating the fish and didn’t suspect it poisoned. Her stomach rumbled deep and she was aware, yet again, how long it had been since she had a good meal. The minutes ticked by, and eventually she couldn’t stop herself any longer. She descended on the fish, though she wouldn’t stay where he placed them. She grabbed both and retreated further into the shadow to scarf down the offered dinner.

He was patient, and he had a feeling she’d take the meal when his ears picked up the faint growl of a complaining belly. Sure enough, soon there was a rustle of paws as she snatched the fish and retreated. Though he didn’t look directly at her, eyes on the fire, his features twitched into a slight, genuine smile, bi-chocolate tail tapping a gentle tattoo of pleasure before he shifted further away, putting the fire well between her and himself, giving her a buffer. The fish wouldn’t be likely to last long, though if she’d had a long time since a large meal, she’d probably feel full on just those two trout alone. He wished he’d brought some cordage along to make rabbit snares, if not for the lean meat, then for the skins and slim bones that made excellent needles for finer work. Ardyn and Aoife would be thrilled if he could snatch a few rabbits and brought them some bone needles, as their dexterous, hand-like paws were far more adept as sewing and weaving than his own plain-by-comparison paws. Enito, however, solved the problem. The monkey had initially elected to hang back, still off kilter after their adventure in the swamp, but clearly, he’d remembered what Cairo’d forgotten. Snare strings. With the coils of sinew cord hooked around his torso like a purse strap or sash, he popped out of the shadows, on Cairo’s side of the fire. “You forgot your snare cords. You wanted to catch rabbits, right?” Cairo gave a soft snort of mirth. “Thanks Enito. I found a few good rabbit trails if you want to help set them up.” The Mandrill huffed and nodded as Cairo rose to his paws and padded out of the firelight, leading the way to one of the trails that had the better saplings for the job. The cords were strong enough, and the saplings old enough, that he had the chance of catching a young deer. Together, the monkey and wolf set to work. Cairo rose on his back legs and pulled down a sapling, holding it while Enito securely fastened the first cord to the tip, far enough back to avoid the tender, easily snapped top of the tree. He held the cordage in his teeth as the monkey formed the loop, then set the toggle against a convenient rock, spreading the loop so that a deer might get caught in the snare. It was a hair trigger and the two retreated along the trail to the next location, setting this next snare at a better height for rabbits. There was a warren hold nearby, and Cairo was reasonably certain rabbits would come this way. Eventually, they returned to the fire, snare cords depleted, trap-line set, and Cairo stretched out on the hide, in the same spot he’d been when the mandrill had arrived, wriggling onto his back, paws tucked over his sternum, hind legs ridiculously sprawled, tail flopped out over the hide as he studied the sky through the smoke and occasional sparks from the fire and let out a long sigh. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

For a long time Rava was left in peace to the fish he’d generously offered. Rava didn’t like to think of herself as a begar, even when her stomach was so empty. Still she couldn’t bring herself to trust the man. She had been forced to tolerate Jupiter, and the alcohol at the party had kept her close, but now that she found her freedom she kept herself to herself. Especially when it came to men. They’d brought nothing but sorrow and misery to her life. She couldn’t allow herself to be exposed again. Not even to someone who could be completely innocent.

She froze in fear at the sudden sound of voices and watched as the stranger moved off with his companion. Rava took the opportunity to finish eating, offering her own odd silent thanks as he disappeared into the darkness on the other side of the fire. Rava already felt exposed enough and turned to make her way back into the desert. If she travelled by night she wouldn’t be bothered by the sun. She’d be able to get to the next oasis before dawn if she left now.

Rava turned her attention back to the fire in time for the male to return to his fire. He made himself comfortable and the cloaked woman knew she wouldn’t be able to return here for a long while.