Weary paws positioned themselves in a stumbled pattern as he fought to remain standing. He traveled nonstop, only resting when night fall came but just for a couple hours at a time, and move on his way again. He couldn't risk her finding him. He knew she would eventually, whether she was far away or somewhere close behind with him just a step ahead, he knew that one day...she would find him. And if she found him now, he would be in no condition to fight her off. She was strong, manipulative, dangerous. She made his life a living hell, and he knew that if she got her paws on him again then she would return him to the life of neglect, abandonment, and punishment. His body shuddered at the thoughts, ears held back with terror as he slunk rapidly into the shadows of a pine and stayed there. Everytime he thought about his past, a dreaded sensation along with terror would engulf him, blinding him with nothing but the nightmares he had about his life. He had only ever had one dream that didn't consist of a nightmare, and it had come to him one night while he had slipped into an unconscious state after his mother had locked him in a dark and damp hole.

He couldn't remember what that dream was. Every time he tried, it slipped away from him or remained fuzzy. Always eluding his probing mind to find some sort of happy thought. But alas, he was forced to deal with the terrors of his mind. He glanced around again, the sky seemed to threaten with rain as the clouds darkened and bulged with moisture. Sure that it would rain soon, he moved from his temporary resting spot in search of a dryer location. The trees provided some shelter, but even they would give way to the water should it fall heavily. He walked a little over half an hour, and soon his stomach would rumble with hunger. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten. His body was always so pitifully skinny from lack of nutrition and food. He didn't know how to hunt, didn't know how to fight. Didn't know how to fend for himself. He thrived on water and a vegetarian diet mostly, since he didn't know how to catch his own food. And what he ate asides from greens and berries, were left over carcasses from other creatures if he were lucky enough to find them.

Thunder would boom overhead, causing the boy to shrink back in fright as he scurried to another tree. He sat there, huddled and shaking from the cold winds that would begin to blow. The willow tree he sat under shook, the branches and leaves bobbing and waving as if invisible monsters were after him. And just like a light switched, the rain would fall. Trapping the boy beneath the willow. He huddled, shaking and afraid. The miserable boy had nowhere to go, nobody to turn to. His friend Kar was off somewhere else, and the others he had met gone. He was alone. Alone, and afraid.






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Oh, of course it would rain. Of all the times for mother nature to bless the earth with water it had to be while he was out of the territory hunting down much needed herbs. He glanced at the darkening sky with a sigh, looking around with his two-toned gaze to find some cover to wait out the storm. In his searching his spotted a movement in the brush. A rabbit had ducked under one of the near by bushes, the sight making his stomach rumble. Cael didn't hesitate to go after the rabbit as soon as he saw it, making quick work of the rodent. He dipped his head in thanks to the earth before snatching up his prey to find cover and eat his snack in peace. He spotted the forest of willows near by just as the rain began to pour. Running toward the safety of the trees, he ducked under the curtain of the nearest willow with a sigh. He sat down the rabbit and shook out as much of the water as he could from his pelt. It was only then that he caught the scent of another wolf, a rouge brute by the smell of him. He lifted his gaze and sure enough just a few feet away was a trembling scrap of a wolf, clearly malnourished and terrified of something. Of what, Cael could only imagine. Without a second thought, Cael picked up his catch and sat it gently in front of the gray and black patterned brute, taking a step or two back before sitting down himself. "Go ahead, it's yours. You need it much more than I do," he said with a kind smile and let the brute eat the rabbit in peace before Cael attempted to speak with him. The healer couldn't imagine what could have possibly happened to the poor boy, but he wanted to make sure that the stranger was alright before he tried to find out. Speech Thought Others

The young boy huddled in his little dried patch of dirt, his chin tucking as much into his chest as he could manage. He hadn't seen nor scented the man coming towards him, until he heard the dull thud of something dropping to the ground nearby. Startled, he looked up with a frightened gaze, and it would seem as if tears had begun to well up before the stranger had even approached. Cautiously, he listened to the stranger and then would glance down at the fallen prey in front of him. Swallowing away the nervousness, he glanced up again at the stranger as if wondering whether or not this was a trick. It was something his mother had often done, saying he could get something to eat then randomly attack him for one thing or another and taking back what she had offered. Life had been cruel to the boy, and little did he know that he would seeon find goodness in the heart of this man.

With hesitance, he slowly rose just an inch or two off the ground and closed the gap with careful steps between him and the prey. With care, the boy sniffed it. Ensuring that it was safe, as his mother would also bait the prey with things that would make the boy sick...unsure as to why she intended for that to happen, though now he was always wary of food given to him by strangers. Sensing nothing was wrong with it, he took yet another careful approach and took a small bite from the rabbit. The taste of fresh prey made his mouth water, and his stomach rumble. And soon, he began to tear into it, not caring about the blood that coated his muzzle as he savored every bite of the creature. It wasn't long before he finally stopped, the prey nothing more then a stain of blood and some other remains. Mako then licked his lips and moved back from the stranger, a look of utter gratitude in his eyes. "th...thank you sir...I really...appreciate it." He murmured.






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Cael was amazed at the distrust that the young brute held. Even a mere offering of a rabbit made him wary and seemed to check over the gift multiple times before finally taking a bite and then digging in like it was his last meal. Cael settled down onto his haunches and watched the nameless youth eat, wondering what could have happened that would make him so suspicious of strangers. The ivory healer often wondered about the darkness in the world and how it affected some wolves. Cael was no stranger to the evil in the world, of course, but perhaps it hadn't affected him as strongly since he had the support of his family behind him. When the gray and black hued wolf was finally finished Cael smiled and dipped his head at his thanks. "You are quite welcome, but there is no need to thank me." He nudged the remains of the now stripped rabbit away from them with a single forepaw just as thunder rang out overhead. The willow blocked almost all of the water from the pair, but a few stray raindrops still slipped through from time to time and sprinkled their already drenched pelts. His two-toned gaze searched him curiously. "Tell me, what is your name? And why are you out here on your own?" Speech Thought Others

Mako licked his chops, cleaning away some of the blood but not all as he watched the ivory colored male sweep away the remains. Mako's ears then fell back on his head, wondering if he would be reprimanded for eating the entire thing and not leaving any for the stranger...it was his catch. Out of habit, the young boy shrank to the ground in preparation for punishment, but then the male spoke and it didn't sound anywhere close to angry. "You are quite welcome, but there is no need to thank me." Mako raised his scrawny frame to copy the male, sitting as upright as he could though his shoulders still hunched forward. An obvious sign of his misery, neglect, and starvation. He didn't know how to hunt, so naturally he sought out the remains that other predators would leave behind or he'd eat nothing but berries and edible plants and roots.

He flicked his ear, breaking apart a rogue raindrop that fell through the gap of the branches. A roar of thunder boomed overhead, causing him to flinch a little before hesitantly looking back at the white male. Mako attempted to avoid eye contact, instead he would look at the ground or at his paws as he was "trained" to do by his mother. According to her, eye contact was only for wolves that were of high rank. And Mako was always told that he was the lowest of the low. Therefore, he did not deserve eye contact with anyone. "M-My name is Mako, S-sir...and I'm here alone b-because I came to find a s-safe place..." The boy stuttered from nervousness. Though it would stick with him until he was helped in growing out of it. Due to the fear his mother had instilled into him, along with the neglect, Mako was always a nervous wreck. And with it, the problem of stuttering. He wasn't slow, no. The boy was smart...he knew how to stay out of trouble to avoid punishments, but it seemed that his luck didn't always hold. She would still hurt him even when he did all he could to listen and avoid getting in her way. Were the wolves he had met in these lands different then back home? He would surely find out soon.





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Cael never took his two-toned gaze off of the nervous, defensive form of the brute in front of him. He committed Mako's name to memory, wondering how the boy's old home had been that he would be looking for a safe place. Cael had been in so many different places in his life, met so many different wolves, but he had never not felt safe. Threatened, worried, scared... those were normal emotions that Cael had certainly felt from time to time, but always he was able to go to his siblings or his adoptive parents, when they were alive, and was able to feel safe. He wondered if Mako had ever known that feeling. "Well, if he hasn't he will now. I'll make sure of it." Cael glanced at the sky through the shield of leaves above them, seeing a few breaks in the clouds that continued to pour rain down on them. He was sure the storm would blow over soon. "You have come to the right place, Mako. I am part of a pack near by. Valhalla. It's a very good home. Me and all of my siblings and father live there. If you want, I can take you there once this rain blows over. Maybe you can find your safe place there? I'm sure my mate wouldn't mind having a guest in our den for a few days while you settle in." Speech Thought Companion Others

Dull eyes and patchy ears flicked up to the white male. A small flicker of hope would flare into his chest, and he wondered if he could truly trust this male. He seemed sincere, so willing to help...But Mako had been fooled many times before. Could he really trust him? He had to right? Mako couldn't live his entire life in fear. His mother after all was far away, hopefully forgotten about him. But he never knew...she could always be lurking out there somewhere. Slowly Mako would begin to uncurl from his tensed defensive ball, his tail slowly coming to rest on his front paws as he hesitantly raised his body. He kept his eyes down, however, just as he had been taught. If Cael was as nice as he said, then Mako hoped that he could help him in due time. After all, he was able to trust Kar.

Finally, Mako had decided to look up at the man. His ever changing orbs looking up into the dual toned eyes of the man. He nodded, "I...I need help...can I really go back with you? I've been running for...so long. Is Valhalla really safe?" His lip would tremble, the young boy doubtful about the possibilities of there being a safe place away from his mother. He hoped though, that Cael was right.





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ooc//Sorry for shitty post XD