Indigo had a new spring in his step as the massive man walked slowly beside Duchess. He still hadn’t completely put to rest his theory that she was a supernatural being. She was so fairy like and the way her presence shifted his mood had him nearly convinced of her powers. Indigo hadn’t had any kind of experience with magic except perhaps the natural magics of the world. The slow changing seasons and even the way it affected him. He had once been a tiny purple puppy and he had been transformed into a massive violet beast.

Duchess did something to him as well, like just being beside her pushed away the troubled thoughts that followed him like a massive dark cloud. Indigo couldn’t escape the traps of his mind but it was like he had found a peaceful meadow in his mind, he had just needed Duchess to show him.

The pair of them continued to walk, mostly silent, and Indy at least was just enjoying the girl’s presence. He was still at that slow comfortable pace for her, and eventually they’d make it through to the oaks. The ancient trees were unlike anything Indigo had seen before. He enjoyed looking at trees and he appreciated the massive greenery. His bright blue eyes scanned the canopy above, he traced the weaving branches above them. Indy took a deep breath and he relaxed further, leaning back on his haunches. If he hadn’t believed in magic before he might now, as they slipped into the forest the sun managed to fight back the gray sky cloudy and gently streamed down through the branches to touch their purple fur.

They walked together silently, which wasn’t a problem because it seemed they both enjoyed the company regardless. Indigo would come to a stop, and so Duchess too would slow though after taking a few steps forward not realizing. Turning around, she brought herself back closer to Indigo, moving her eyes to the treetops where his gaze was lingering. “It’s beautiful.” She’d state with a smile back to him. Not that Duchess couldn’t admire the things of beauty, but her mind was simply on other things she wished to purge herself of. She overlooked a lot in her sulking. And right now Indigo showed her a joyful simplicity even if he didn’t really intend to. Not that it was weird for her, but she had to admire that the giant, toothy brute sat back to enjoy the wonders of, or at least the lost memories of the spring days. Indigo wasn’t scary to her though. He wasn’t a monster. Even in the possibility he was. She couldn’t see him being anything other than kind and loving, offering a stranger sanctuary. She wasn’t sure if they should make haste to his pack, but she didn’t mind if it took all day and night. What he was offering far outweighed what kind of travel or time wasted. Though she didn't see it as wasted. It was easy to say her and Indigo would be friends, and she would savor every moment of his company. Walk "Talk" Think

He didn’t think about saying anything in case Duchess didn’t realize he had stopped, Indy’s bright blue eyes fell back to her as she stopped and returned to his side. Her expression was sweet, but Indy wondered if she was capable of looking anything but just that. The boy grinned as his gaze lingered on her smiling face, she commented much the same as how he felt. Seeing the sun again and feeling it trickle through the branches was like liquid hope. Hope that spring would return and the cold would only be a distant memory. Sitting there beside Duchess he could almost imagine the balmy summer’s eve. With crickets chirping along with frogs in the background and a gentle breeze would play in Duchess’s sun warmed fur.

His own dark lips pulled up in a grin at the thought and he returned his eyes to the bare canopy. He only barely withheld a sigh as reality reacquainted with him. ”It is.” He agreed as he tried to sneak another glance her way. ”I wish it was green. I miss life being in the forest. I miss gathering herbs and cultivating my plants.” Indigo went on to confess softly, a part of the reason he was where he was when they met. He wanted so bad for these southernmost tips to show signs of warmth and life, but he was sorely disappointed.

He agreed with her statement though, it seemed she had said what was on his mind to begin with. He had made her see a beauty she would have otherwise missed, and she was appreciative to the thought. Duchess looked around as Indigo mentioned the loss of greenery and a hint of his hobbies including herbs and plants. She hopped up a little eagerly almost in attempt to keep his smiley face, though he had yet to let it fail. “Well let’s go look for some! I’m sure there’s something around here. Looks as good a place as any.” She went to prance off, keeping a close distance from Indigo as she searched. She thought it probably wasn’t a great idea to get his hopes up in finding any plant or flower around, but she wanted to at least try her best to do so. Auster was a tropical land so while the cold pushed in from the northern continent, most of the plant life wilted and died before anyone could notice the start of the loss. She made sure to look around the trunks of the trees she came by. She didn’t know much about herbs, but it was a natural thought to her that some of the plants would find nurturing near the roots of the old oak trees. And she wasn’t wrong. Soon enough she came across a bright, golden and red flower. She didn’t know if it had any use as an herb, but just seeing the beauty in the tiny flower itself was sure to keep the purple giant joyful. “Indigo.” She called out softly, waiting for him to discover her finding. She didn’t want to disturb it herself thinking she would hurt the flower rather than gather it properly. Walk "Talk" Think

Indy barely spoke and the dainty Duchess was hopping up, eager expression playing over her features as she took on a brilliant idea. The yearling boy had given up wanting to try and find any plant life, he wasn’t sure he could put up with the disappointment he would feel after spending the day searching and coming up empty pawed. The way the star marked girl looked up to him convinced him otherwise. Even if everything really was dead at least the cheerful she wolf would be alongside. Indigo doubted her words, but he didn’t allow the emotion to show on his features. ”We might find something, especially if you’re as lucky as you are cheerful.” Indy smiled softly and returned to his paws, following after her easily.

He might have been watching her more closely than their surroundings, maybe he shouldn’t have been because not so very long after they started Duchess sought his attention. Indy rounded the massive tree and his blue eyes fell on the brilliant petals. His jaw went slack with disbelief and he felt tears welling up in his eyes. He never would have found it were it not for Duchess. Indy very nearly didn’t harvest the flower, if it was tenacious enough to survive now he almost felt bad about plucking the stem.

Unable to help himself Indigo did it, he grasped the flower and despite any usefulness it might have the boy aimed to fasten the stem to Duchess’s dark ear. The flower looked much better decorating the sweet she wolf. Indigo grinned down at her as he pulled away to study his handiwork. ”And lucky.” He said softly with a wink from his red marked eye.

She took a couple steps back from the flower, letting Indigo do his work with it. She noticed as he hesitated to take it, a strange emotion swirled in him as he eyed the singular flower she had found. But she was more surprised when he placed it gently in her fur after extracting it. It almost made her feel as fragile as the flower, or that Indigo saw her as equal to it. Precious, gentle, beautiful. She found doubt in the traits, but not wanting to sour the mood. Her chin moved into her body in a blush, her gentle eyes looking up to his own, a kind wink to his call out. She hadn’t noticed the crystal like glow in his eyes until now, maybe the magic of the flower. She noted it on her list of wonderful things about Indigo that she was sure to dwell on later tonight or after. It seemed the moment they shared would go interrupted as the sound of paws crunched in the snowy surface nearby. Duchess’ face immediately turned from joyful blushing to a concerned, fearful look. Something was stalking them, but she couldn’t tell what. It was best they moved on before it caught on, or maybe it was too late. Walk "Talk" Think

The reaction she gave him after he placed the flower behind her ear was worth sacrificing the flower. He couldn’t see the blush beneath her dark fur but he could feel it. The way her head tilted and she looked up at him bashfully. She made him grin, an easy expression as he looked her over once more. The flower was a striking contrast to her dark and violet pelt. Her eyes glittered even more, becoming more vibrant with the red and yellow petals against her face. Indigo might have gotten lost in her pretty features, but the sound of heavy footfalls broke any trance that held him.

Immediately Indigo’s fur stood on end, his nearly fully grown mane becoming even larger and he stood to his full height. ”Duchess.” He whispered, unwilling to take his eyes off the shadow in the forest. ”Stay low, and keep close to me. No matter what.” He wasn’t ordering her, but he desperately hoped he would follow his request.

A deep growl rumbled in his chest, his tail lashing at his hips as he bent his limbs and aimed to stand over Duchess, willing to put his body in harm's way to protect her. Indigo pulled back his lips to better reveal his long canines. He hoped intimidation would keep them from getting into a fight, but that hope was small.

Indigo bristled as the stalker became more prominent, and if Duchess was honest, he even became frightening. The stance he took was offensive, ready for a fight if needed. But she also saw the protective nature of him, and it would push away any sign of fear that took place in her. She didn’t know the things of his past, the absence for one woman and the loss for another. She simply thought that it was more a personal drive for him to protect someone so fragile like herself. Though, she was on the curve of delicate, she felt she could take care of herself for the most part. Indigo stood over her and she was encased by his thick fur. She felt almost hidden in him, and she felt like she could pass as an attachment of his own body. It was hard to move as he did though, she wanted to listen to his instruction but it wasn’t the simplest of tasks. She had a hard time staying in step with him though it wasn’t because of their size differences. She just didn’t know him well enough to know how he was going to move without tracing after him. Their stalker came from the shadows, the bright light from the sun they had experienced earlier was gone. It took the form of what actually looked like Indigo to her, minus the purple and wolf like features. It seemed Indigo wouldn’t scare it off just by intimidation as he hoped, perhaps the creature was hungry while prey life was just as difficult to find as plant life. Expecting Indigo to fend the large cat creature off, she came out from the side of him, trying to get out of the way. She was ready to run however, but she wasn’t willing to just leave him behind. The saber cat lashed out with its paw toward Indigo, and he did what was necessary to push it back. But Duchess wasn’t so light on her feet while she watched the two, worried that Indigo wouldn’t come out unharmed. The cat slipped around to move away from the threat, and ended up beside Duchess. Before she could notice exactly how close she was to the creature, it threw a paw up to her face, scratch marks bleeding under her eye. She leaped forward to get back close to Indigo, feeling guilty she hadn’t done her job to do so. Her confidence ran low in her failure. Walk "Talk" Think

Indigo didn’t take very long to feel protective over her, especially now in the face of a threat. He didn’t mean to judge her ability, but he couldn’t help the trait rise up in his chest. He liked the feeling of being needed. Duchess needed him to stand in the way of the threat, she didn’t even have to ask, she just had to stay close. He didn’t know if there were more lurking in the shadows he wanted her close in case of an ambush. Indy continued to growl, bordering on snarling as the beast moved towards them and out of the trees.

He already knew it wasn’t going to back down, but the efforts weren’t wasted, it was slowed in its approach. Careful not to step on the precious parcel he was protecting, He just wouldn’t move his feet much. He could take a couple hits, besides it was only one cat. These thoughts raced through his head but were gone as he realized Duchess wasn’t under his protection anymore. He panicked as the cat threw a fully clawed paw at him. The sharp tips gouged his cheek and he accidentally allowed the massive feline through towards Duchess.

”No!” Indigo bellowed as the cat spilled the dainty girl’s blood. He was moving long before he was thinking. Indigo was on the massive cat without missing another beat. Frenzied and feeling all too much like his assault on the hyenas. Indy could hear Rue’s screams in the back of his head and he vowed he wouldn’t allow anyone else he cared about to make that terrible noise. The sabered feline fought back but it was not match for Indigo’s rage. Claws from both beasts shredded fur and skin, teeth clashed, but Indy’s mass and spirit won out.

This wasn’t just to protect Duchess, this was still the grudge he bore for his friend’s death. The one he placed on himself. For not being enough, and for allowing that terrible end to fall on Rue. He cried out, desperation filling his crazed voice as he delivered one final blow to end the bloody struggle. The quiet was eerie, and Indigo was numbed. He remained still, his frame heaving as he gasped breaths through the blood that covered his nose and mouth. His, the cats. It was all the same now.

Indigo’s shout shook her almost to her core. She sensed that there was more to him than just protecting her. Protecting everyone. She put together what she knew about him, very little. But it was becoming more clear that what he had lost he blamed himself for. As Duchess did for her own doings. The saber cat was dead, under Indigo’s paws. Duchess approached gently, not entirely able to mask the small amount of fear she saw in the gentle brute. There were many things she couldn’t know about him by just a look, as he couldn’t with her. “Indigo,” she addressed, peering up from below him. As she stepped closer, her paw crushed the flower that had been placed in her fur by him just moments before. She felt a brush of disappointment to the destroyed piece of beauty, but Indigo’s health was much more important. “Are you okay?” He couldn’t really lie to her this time. Though it could have turned out much worse than it had. Indigo took care of the beast hastedly. But they should be moving on before more found them. Duchess reached her tiny muzzle up to Indigo’s own chin, sticking her tongue out to grab some of the blood he had dripping down off his maw. She liked him much better in a less terrifying appearance. She cared little about the scratches that happened on her own face, and was much more worried about his own wounds. Walk "Talk" Think

He hadn’t thought that he would scare Duchess, he missed the first time when he had shown off for his opponent. The second he did as well, all of his focus was on ending the saber toothed feline. His breathing stayed ragged as he lay over the dead beast and he regained control of himself. The task was done, Duchess was mostly unharmed. Indigo’s attention shifted as she carefully picked her way forward. Bright blue eyes found her dainty form, and that was when he saw her fear.

Indigo shrank, as much as a massive maned wolf like him could do. She said his name, and didn’t run away as she gazed up at his grizzly appearance. His eyes found her, and he looked much more bashful than he had only moments ago when he’d channeled the murderous spirit underneath. As she asked after him Indigo felt the gashes he’d suffered begin to sting and throb. Indy felt his heart clench as he noticed the missing flower from Duchess’s ear. He tried not to dwell on the fact, they were both alive and that was what mattered.

”I’ll live.” He said softly before she grew more near and lifted her head to assist in ridding his massive muzzle of the blood that covered him. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath before returning his attention to Duchess. Her attention encouraging him onward, her vibrant life a symbol of his victory.

”You’re hurt.” He said softly, lifting himself from the massacre beneath him. Indy leaned forward to inspect the gouges in her dark cheek. ”Come with me.” He requested softly, his own bright gaze searching her dual toned eyes. ”Come to the Hallows, I’ll see to your wounds.” He hoped that she wouldn’t deny him this, his first priority was swiftly becoming seeing to her, and his own painful wounds were forgotten in the sight of her precious blood.

He didn’t like what his appearance had done to her, but she wouldn’t go out of her way to hide the fear after it had been seen. Still, she liked seeing him not so scary anymore, regardless of what he had just done or what caused her to feel that way. She peered at his wounds as he insisted he was fine, but she seemed to think otherwise. He mentioned her own scratches across her face, blood still gently trickling down the side in three marks. She had forgotten about it personally, but as he mentioned, her eyes moved down from him and to the right side of her face, not that she could actually see the marks. She still felt guilty as he brought attention to her own wound, maybe that wasn’t hard to sense either. She wasn’t exactly good at hiding her feelings most of the time. Indigo offered for her to follow him back to The Hallows, and she wouldn’t reject him. He had after all offered her the sanctuary to begin with. But he wouldn’t get away so easily, “Only if you get yours looked over too.” She tried to put on another smile, maybe not as bright as before but still present. Maybe if she hadn’t been here Indigo could have run off without needing to protect her. Then he wouldn’t have to feel bad about her getting hurt either. Walk "Talk" Think

She was honest with him, even if he didn’t enjoy seeing the fear he instilled upon her. Duchess did seem to relax as his demeanor changed completely. Indigo’s teeth were swiftly hidden and the fur along his neck and shoulders fell. He could ignore the wounds that covered his front, none of them would scar quite as bad as the recent gouges in his hip. The boy was conflicted, his inner emotions swirling with the adrenaline of the battle he won. He could see the guilt in her features, but he wasn’t near disappointed in her. It was his own skill, or lack there of, that caused the breaks in her skin.

Duchess answered him, her demeanor much like his own. Indigo still didn’t realize the deep seated emotional connections they shared. Practically stranger but they were hardly alone in their shared emotions. Indigo managed to crack a lopsided smile as she reversed his plans. He had to see to himself as well, he couldn’t deny the danger he was in to infection with leaving the wounds to see to themselves. Who knew what kind of nasty the cat had been in before stalking the pair of wolves.

”I will.” He promised her as he lifted himself to his own massive dark paws. Blue eyes returned to the gruesome scene at his feet, if the situation was different he would have drug the carcass back to the Hallows with them, but he wasn’t willing to take the risk in case there were more where this one had come from.

His features returned to Duchess as he tried to return to the easy care free feeling they had only just started to explore when the massive lion approached. There was a different feeling between them now, one that Indigo would eagerly embrace. He was going to protect the dainty dame, it was a promise he’d make deep down and one he refused to break. ”Would you want to ride on my back?” He wanted to return to the Hallows with a swiftness, but he wouldn’t force her.

She would have to take his word for it, though she would be watching him after all. Her three little kitty claw marks were nothing compared to his battle wounds, even if they weren't as bad as he previously had. But he didn’t seem like the kind of man that would let her go without care. Indigo would ask to give her a ride, and it was pretty strange question to her, “I've never done.” She giggled to the thought, but wouldn’t be opposed. Her neck craned as she imagined how she was going to get up there but that was pretty easy. Just a silly thought to think she was small enough to ride on the back of him. “That seems pretty fun.” The image of the fallen beast was behind her, she didn’t want to bring it back up. All that mattered now was that they returned back to Indigo’s home and treated themselves. She climbed up onto his back when he offered, finding a balance for herself while he started moving. Her face nestled into the thick fur of his neck and scruff to keep out of the blistering cold around them. Surely Indigo didn’t mind a little of her own blood on his shoulder. Walk "Talk" Think

He backed away from the broken body beneath him, eager to forget about the events that unfolded. He succeeded in his victory but at what cost? He looked to Duchess, relief falling about him as she shed any fear she might have felt towards him. Indigo would never turn his teeth and claws on the dainty girl. She looked back up to him with her pretty dual toned eyes and admitted to never having allowed someone to walk for her before. Indigo could further forget the blood that covered his deep purple fur as he smiled lightly.

Indy didn’t expect her to say the process would be fun, he was more offering out of necessity but he wouldn’t deny her thoughts either. Since he laid eyes on the dainty girl the question had been lingering at the back of his mind, how soft was her fur? Indigo swiftly lowered himself to the snow so Duchess wouldn’t be forced to struggle hard to perch herself on his shoulders.

She nestled herself comfortably and he felt his grin widen as she snuggled herself into the thick fur at his back. He wasn’t even thinking of the blood she might smear on him, he’d long stopped caring about the liquid that was splattered all over him. He needed to get back to the Hallows to tell Resin about the feline that attacked him. So much like the beasts that took on the Hallows all together… the thought troubled him as he lifted himself and Duchess and began the journey home.