Warm summer winds brushed through ashen gray and pale steel-blue fur as the young wolf traipsed leisurely along the hills surrounding the old ruins infested with foliage and herbs aplenty. Silvery eyes roamed the verdant fields and neighboring forests with idle curiosity, his nose twitching with each inhale as he sampled the scents of the land. Everything smelled fresh, floral, alive. He couldn't help but wonder if these were the same smells of summer his ancestors had sniffed, the same earth they had walked and traversed. Had they explored those woods to the east? Did they pick plants from amongst the old stone walls here? The fascination and curiosity was almost too much for the eager young lad as he walked through the crumbling ruins, his claws clacking softly against old stone.

As he wandered, looking at all the plant life that thrived in the overgrown ruins, he caught sight of a small bush of dark purple berries. His eyes lit up with delight; elderberries! He loved elderberries! Stepping up to the small shrub, the wolf popped a few of the currant-like berries off and into his mouth, enjoying the semi-sweet, slightly tart taste that danced over his tongue. It was familiar and gave him just a hint of the nostalgia from home. Ah, but this place... this was truly his home, was it not? Were these not the lands the Armada clan had once reigned over? Was he not in his ancestral home now, the last Armada to walk Boreas? He had to admit, it did give him a little feeling of grandeur to consider. His family had once been an important part of this world's history. Today would be the start of their return, beginning with him.

Wandering around to the north side of the ruins, Romulus paused to sit at the top of a hill, gazing out across the wide, expansive plains to the northwest and the massive stone structure that lay in the middle. The lands reeked of other wolves; a pack had taken up residence here, it seemed. It didn't matter much to the boy though as he sat and stared over the lands, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the lands he had heard so much about in the childhood stories his grandfather had told him time and time again.

"Romulus Armada"

Lilith had taken the suggestions that she start trying to become one of the pack’s healers. She did have an interest in the plants that they used and though she loathed to admit it she was better built for it. After her own sickness she felt intimately familiar with many of the herbs that Gwynevere used. She was out on an errand for her now, looking for a couple different plants. Mostly Lillith was afraid she would pick the wrong thing and end up poisoning herself. That thought lingered at the back of her mind as she walked through the garden on her own. These lands were relatively safe, many of the pack’s wolves spent a lot of time here. It seemed to ward much of the bigger predators away.

The young Adravendi girl was taking things slow, her pace was measured as she spent far too much time inspecting each plant. Her garnet gaze lingered on a smaller broad leafed plant in the shade. There were quite a few of them, some with dark green leaves while others were variegated with lighter green. Some of them were flowering, long stems with beautiful white flowers. Lilith stood there for a long moment in the shade, the dappled sunlight played over her silver coat as the breeze swept over the land. A hint of the sea was in every breath as the wind tousled her pale brindled fur.

Lilith looked back over her shoulder at the castle and how far she walked to get here, maybe that was why she was already starting to get winded. The young girl grit her teeth and steeled herself, lifting her head as she pressed onward. She had to push herself or she would never get better. Lil stepped out from under the foliage of the fruited trees towards a slight incline of a hill, another challenge to conquer.

The steel coated girl was half way up when she realized she was not alone here. A slate and silver boy sat at the crest of a hill, his sharp eyes and chiseled features scanned the horizon. Lilith was forced to pause, realize suddenly the predicament she put herself in. He was big, much closer to Ezra’s size than she was, if he meant her harm she had a feeling he wouldn't be as forgiving as Artorias was. Still, she was judging him before they even spoke, and instead of remaining frozen from her nerves Lillith continued scaling the hill.

He didn’t smell like any wolf she had ever met, and it was easy to guess he wasn’t from around here. There didn’t seem to be anyone else on the breeze, was he alone? ”Hi,” she greeted him shly as she tried to hide how out of breath the adventure up here left her. Lilith felt like she was being reckless, but wasn’t this what adults did? Go out into the world, and meet other wolves while they went about their lives. In her case gathering herbs. Now that she was up here, she was pretty sure those flowers were something Gwyn wanted her to bring back.

Lillith Adravendi

The newest generation of Armada wolf had been pondering whether he should attempt to go make contact with the pack in the nearby castle when he heard the soft huffing of labored breathing coming up the side of the hill. Shale gray ears flicked to catch the sound on the breeze, head turning just a few degrees for steel-silver eyes to land on a smaller gray and white dappled girl coming up the hill. He fixed her with a curious gaze, meeting her striking garnet-red eyes and watching as she reached the crest and greeted him with a meek hello. "Hi," he greeted her in turn, his voice notably more confident and smoothly spoken. This was it; his first conversation with a wolf in his ancestral homelands! How exciting!

Romulus regarded the girl for a moment. She was a solid foot shorter than him, lighter weight, and looked almost frail and fragile. In fact, she looked just about ready to collapse in on herself she was so out of breath. Where had she come from to exhaust her so? He was about to ask if she was okay when his nose picked up on the fragrance of other wolves on her coat, just noticeable at this distance over the salt-tinged air hinted with summer flowers. Ah, so this girl had come from the pack lands nearby! Maybe she could help give him a lay of the land. "Long walk?" he asked with a jesting grin while she tried to hide her fatigue. He didn't have a hint of a guess to what would have brought the pack wolf out this way, but he was sure to find out.

"Romulus Armada"

He was already looking her way when they were finally face to face, the two silver tarnished wolves found each other’s differing gazes. Lil felt a little better as he peered at her with curiosity as opposed to aggression, but either outcome had been possible. Maybe she should have been more cautious, but there was a part of her that wanted to prove she could take care of herself. Maybe she was skirting with danger too much, but the boy seemed friendly. He returned her greeting, his voice was much deeper and not strained at all compared to Lillith’s.

She was still a little nervous, but her exhaustion far outweighed any trace of that fact. The boy looked her over for a moment, no doubt taking in whatever information he could by sight and scent alone. Again she wondered if she should have just left him alone, she was tired and awkward at best right now, exhausted and afraid at worst. Still, despite everything she really needed to find what she had come here for, she found herself easily distracted by the stranger. He didn’t stop at his simple greeting, she wasn’t hiding her quick breaths very well, he called her out gently.

Lilith looked away ashamedly for just a moment before gaining control of her emotions. She returned her ruby eyes to his dark features, he wore a smile and his good nature easily shone through. Lil tried to replicate his grin, but she wasn’t entirely convincing. ”Well,” she started weakly. ”No.” She admitted honestly, again averting her gaze from him, and finding it odd how honest she was being with a boy she didn’t even know the name of. Beyond that she tried to ignore the question, she wasn’t breathing hard, not at all. The thought crossed her mind as she finally couldn’t take the short breath and sucked in the air like she was dying for oxygen.

”I’m Lillith,” a distraction mostly, but she was trying to be polite. ”I’m from the Hallows.” She added, since he looked so curious and what she was looking for was right behind him. ”I’m out looking for a few herbs.” She gestured towards the Valerian behind him.


Lillith Adravendi

The girl responded in the negative; it hadn't been a long walk, she was just winded for some reason. He gave a short chuckle at the innate humor in her honesty. She certainly didn't strike him as out of shape, but he also knew nothing about her. Don't judge a book by its cover and all that, right? For a brief moment, Romulus was a little concerned the girl might keel over right in front of him as she gasped and swallow deep breaths of air, but she seemed to be gradually settling down again. That was good, because he really didn't feel like having to save a stranger's life all of a sudden like that.

Steely silver eyes studied those stunningly unique ruby eyes she possessed, feeling slightly robbed of their striking gaze whenever she averted her eyes from his. The girl introduced herself as Lillith from the Hallows. His eyes grew with realization as she gave him a name to the pack whose lands he was skirting. The Hallows. The name sounded a little pretentious, but again, books and covers and whatnot. She mentioned she was out looking for herbs, then motioned to something behind him. Romulus turned to peer over his shoulder at the bunches of small red Valerian flowers, his mouth opening in a silent "ah" shape as he comprehended her unspoken request.

Rising to his paws with a spinning flourish, Romulus grabbed one of the bunches of Valerian flowers and began to carefully excavate the plant out of the earth with delicate paws. Once he had unearthed the plant root, stem, and flowers, he gave Lillith a roguish smirk and padded closer to place the plant at her paws, nudging it closer with his nose. "Well, now you're looking for one less," he remarked with another chuckle and grin, rising back up to his full height, a solid foot above her. "I'm Romulus. It's nice to meet you, Lillith." He cast a cursory glance back over the thriving garden, then asked, "Do you have many more herbs on your shopping list? If you're this out of breath just going for one, maybe I can help you find some of the others?"

Romulus didn't mind delaying his travels a little bit to help her out. Maybe it was because she was sweet, or maybe it was because she looked half dead just from trekking up the hill and he was convinced that if he walked away she'd kill herself up here in the gardens without someone.

"Romulus Armada"

Lilith really was trying to catch her breath and hide how much she was struggling, but she wasn’t doing any good. As they stood she was slowly regaining control of her breath. She wasn’t going to pass out, not even close. She had been close to that eventuality but she wasn’t there yet. Thankfully. Lil tried not to think too hard about how embarrassing that would be. Showing her ailments to her family and the wolves of her pack, she wasn’t going to forget about her ‘spar’ with Artorias anytime soon, but this boy was a different story. She needed to keep up appearances for the Hallows, what would he think if he knew they wer letting sick little girls go out on their own? Not that anyone was truly aware of exactly what she was doing beyond Gwyn.

She had his attention, the silver marked young man let his eyes linger on her features as she introduced herself, her pack, and her goals. A look of understanding came over his expression as she gestured to the plants behind him, and to her surprise he lifted himself gracefully and began to bring the plants from the earth before he spoke again. Lilith took a couple of curious steps forward, for reals finally catching her breath.

He made quick work of the Valerian, much faster and more efficiently than she would have been struggling with her muscles to work as she expended the effort in digging. She watched with her curious garnet gaze when he turned back to her and presented the freshly dug plants, easy as pie he handed the materials over. She was struck for a moment at his easy kindness and a grateful smile overtook her features. ”Thank you,” she said quietly as he went on to introduce himself as well. ”It’s nice to meet you too.” She returned almost bashfully as his silvery eyes shifted to the gardens around them and he inquired about the rest of her efforts. She turned away as he teased her gently about being out of breath, but he was good natured enough to offer his strength where she was weak. He must not have had anything better to do if he was offering to help her. She tried not to get down on herself for being so obviously handicapped, but at the same time felt grateful. He didn’t have to take any time to help her, but here he was.

Lil wondered if he had a proclivity towards healing, with how well he handled the valerian, and knowing she would want the roots tipped her off. ”Are you a healer, Romulus?” She asked him almost shyly as she tucked away the valerian in the makeshift bag she brought along with her. ”I’m looking for some Marigolds, or uh Calendula.” She added onto her little list. ”And maybe some Yarrow.” She didn’t know if they would have any luck finding the other two plants, but the Valerian was the most important. ”Thank you, again.” She added with another glance his direction, still uncertain of the why of his actions, but she was appreciative either way.

Lilith glanced away, her bashful nature getting the better of her as she looked around the garden. Her mind continued to double back to Romulus though, she was shy but she was also curious. ”Are you from around here?” The girl asked him softly, letting her interest get the better of her. Maybe she was prying too much, but he was new and shiny and so nice.

Lillith Adravendi

The shy girl thanked him bashfully and Romulus would tip his head down in a silent "you're welcome". She had caught her breath by now, and without panting like she'd run a marathon, Lillith appeared as normal as any other wolf. Maybe she had actually sprinted all the way from the castle up to the hilled gardens. A silly and questionable decision, but it explained away everything. While Lillith tucked away the valerian, the young Armada lad looked her over again, considering the strange smaller girl. She was sweet, shy and soft-spoken, but she was pretty, especially those rubies she called eyes. Maybe she was always this meek around new wolves, or was this her first time encountering a true stranger? If she was a pack wolf, there was a possibility that she'd never known anyone outside her covenant.

Lillith asked if he was a healer, prompting Roman's ears to perk atop his head. "I like to pretend I'm one," he joked with a roguish smile. "That's my way of saying I'm still learning, but I'm getting there. I'm guessing you are too?" He gestured with a paw to her makeshift satchel of herbs, cocking his head while fixing curious silver eyes on her. He supposed she could be an errand runner for one of her pack's healers, but she had rattled off the names of the herbs she needed with such confidence and certainty that she either had a great memory or she knew what she was talking about. "Calendula and Yarrow," he repeated while nodding his head. Both were common plants used in healing and easy enough to find. She was very much on a shopping trip to resupply her pack. "Those should be easy enough to find. C'mon, let's see what we can see." He cast a small smile to her and headed back down the hill toward the gardens proper where he'd passed all the flowers and bushes earlier.

As they walked down the hill into the gardens, Romulus led the charge through the natural flowerbeds that had formed around the old ruins. Finding the marigold had been easy, the bright goldenrod flowers standing out from the sea of green. Plus there were near the elderberry bush he'd snacked on earlier, so finding it was just a matter of retracing his steps. Roman led Lillith back the way he came to the marigold flowers, grinning triumphantly as the flowers came into sight again. "There we go, Calendula on demand," he chuckled and sat by the elderberry bush, popping a few into his mouth again while he let Lillith harvest as many of the petals as she needed.

Lillith asked if he was from around here and the boy gave an indirect answer. "Yes and no. My family was originally from these lands. They'd moved on some years ago, so I wasn't born here. I was born a long way away from here. I'm the first one to come back to my family's homelands since my grandfather was young." He didn't mind the questions; he enjoyed conversation enough, and it filled in the gaps of silence that would otherwise be between them. "What about you?" he asked while chewing on a few more berries, then holding his paw out to offer a couple to the fae. "Born and raised in the pack over there, or are you from somewhere else too?"

"Romulus Armada"

He was obviously so much more confident out here on his own. He could stand taller and more assuredly than she could ever dream of even with a pack less than a call away. Romulus was very polite, a quality she was thankful for but more than that she respected. He had a proper feel about him, like his very bloodline carried greatness and he was a proud descendant of that. She didn’t and couldn’t know for sure, but he wasn’t some nobody slob that was for certain. He joked softly with her, admitting that he was sort of a healer, it seemed much like er he was making th attempt but that didn’t mean he was very good or knew much. Lilith didn’t think she was capable of much more than gathering herbs right now.

She smiled as he joked, if only because she knew so well where he was coming from. Garnet gaze fell from his silvery orbs in her own bashful manner as he looked to her pack and assumed the same for her. Lilith was learning somehow, it was one of the easiest crafts to master when you were so physically weak you couldn’t even climb a small hill without getting winded. Mostly she was just ashamed of the why of it. Because she couldn’t do anything else, because it was there. ”Yeah I guess.” Did she tell him she was out here gathering because she was sick and the girl who was looking after her sent her out for them. Lilith wasn’t sure she would have been out gathering on her own without a purpose from Gwyn. ”But you shouldn’t trust me with anything more than gathering.” She warned him with another shy smile as she glimpsed back up at him

Even if he wasn’t confident in his healing abilities he was in his leading capabilities, with little hesitation he eagerly led Lillith back down the hill. She didn’t hesitate to follow him. Though the going down was easier she still felt herself breathing deeper by the time they reached the garden and the flowers beneath the elderberry bush. ”It’s like you knew.... Thank you. Again.” This time a little flush added some color to her cheeks as she said thanks for the tenth time since she met him ten minutes ago.

Lilith gathered her flowers as Rom spoke about his ancestors having lived here, and being on of the first in two generations. Her own silvery dappled ears perked towards him as he explained. Her ruby eyes lowered to the fruits he offered from his decorated paw as he asked and assumed about her own origin. Was she so obvious? Lilith popped the berries in her mouth, pleasantly surprised at the sweetness. Her eyes widened slightly but her expression was obviously pleased.

”Kind of, I was born in the pack but we lived further north back then.” Not that she remembered much beyond her illness during those times. ”What are you going to do now that you’re here?” She asked him almost hesitantly. She couldn’t imagine surviving without her family, but then again she wasn’t near as capable as the stronger boy. Lilith was lucky she could manage a trip out here to the gardens on her own let alone try and navigate and survive in a world she didn’t know by herself.

Lillith Adravendi

Roman simply shrugged his shoulders nonchalant; finding the flowers for her really hadn't been that big of a deal. It was just a matter of memory and recollection, both things he was pretty good at. "I kinda did. I walked by them a few minutes ago. Only happened to see them because of these." He motioned with a flick of his muzzle to the elderberry bush. While he spoke and told her just the surface of his family's past with these lands, he watched how she delicately harvested the flowers using manners only a healer would know. She didn't give herself enough credit, it seemed. She was doing a fine job. But after seeing the flush of embarrassment across her face, he decided it best to not voice the compliment, lest the poor girl have a heart attack and keel over.

He listened quietly while she explained her simple origins to him. As he had suspected, she had been a pack wolf her whole life. Nothing wrong with that, it simply made sense given their proximity to the pack in question. He was nothing if not clever, and that deduction was easy to come to. He was however keenly interested to hear that there were still more lands to the north of here. Just how big was Boreas? He'd have quite a lot of exploring to do if he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and ancestors. There was a lot of terrain to bring the Armada name back to.

Lillith asked what he was going to do now and the steely-blue boy just shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't exactly come here with any specific objectives in mind. All he had wanted was to see the lands his family hailed from and perhaps start his life on his own out here, master the art of fighting and the science of medicine, find a pretty girl to settle down with and start a new offshoot of the Armada line. His desires were simple in nature, but complex in practice. "Dunno yet. I've only been in these lands for a couple of days." He lifted his silvery gaze from Lillith's pretty face to scan over the world around them. "I'll probably start by getting to know the area and find somewhere to build a den. Get the basics going. Y'know, food, water, that fun stuff. Then comes building a life for myself." Although he was but a yearling, the young Armada boy was already mature beyond his age and incredibly independent. It was what had inspired him to stake it out on his own so soon after turning an adolescent.

Romulus ate the last of the berries and began to walk slowly through the garden, checking around for any yarrow plants for Lillith. While he searched, he turned his eyes back to Lil, flashing her a small smile, white teeth stained a dark purple in a comical fashion from the berries he'd been eating. "I don't suppose you'd know of any good places around here a rambler might be able to build a home? Or any places I should avoid at all costs?" he asked with a soft chuckle. She was a local; she had to know these lands better than he would.

"Romulus Armada"

She carefully gathered up the marigold flowers and packed them away, one more down. She was starting to feel accomplished. When she came out the girl was certain she wouldn’t be bringing anything back for Gwynevere. With Roman’s help she was already very nearly finished out here. After she carefully stored her calendula away her garnet gaze was returned to Roman’s kind features. He shrugged as she asked about what he was going to do now that he was here and she supposed she couldn’t say what she wanted for her future either. For a long time she didn’t have a future, she very nearly died in her first year. Even after all of that she was still uncertain of what the future held for her. She wanted to follow Ezra’s lead, she’s seen her brother against those saber cats he was incredible. Lilith wouldn’t soon forget the little tussle she had been in with Artorias, and despite how supportive he had been she still felt the effects of her illness. Again and again she was reminded how far behind she was, how underdeveloped she really was compared to her siblings.

Lilith tried to ignore the thought, she was always wallowing in her own self pity. She couldn’t physically exert herself but she was alive, she was here, and she had to have some kind of purpose. She’d fought through the illness and it hadn’t ended her. Her dappled dark ears lowered to her skull as she looked back up at Romulus and he explained the path he was going to take. Nothing incredibly concrete. Set up camp and see where life took him, Lilith nodded slightly in understanding. For the most part, she didn’t know about taking care of herself. The pack had always been there, her father had always been there to take care of her. Unlike Romulus, who couldn’t have been much older than her and he was already out here on his own building a life for himself. It was all so much different than her own life.

”That’s amazing, Romulus.” She told him softly, obviously impressed even if he hadn’t started yet. Of course it wasn’t too hard to impress Lillith when she lost her breath walking up a hill. She walked along beside him, both sets of eyes searching for yarrow but returning to the wolf beside them. Lil’s ruby eyes caught him just as he grinned at her, his teeth stained from the berries they enjoyed. Lilith couldn’t help herself and a girlish giggle left her lips bashfully. She tried to hide her out burst as he spoke again, asking about a good place to settle down. Lilith didn’t get around very much, not with her current state. There was one place she knew though.

”You could come to the Hallows.” She suggested quietly, it was the only place she really knew. ”There would be lots of training opportunities, and you wouldn’t have to stay forever.” But now that she really thought about it Lil liked the idea of Roman being in the southern pack. A thought that flushed her cheeks again.

Lillith Adravendi

There was something a touch endearing about the shy girl following closely behind him while they scoured the flowering gardens for the last plant on her list. She looked so happy to just be talking to him, but her garnet eyes also hid sadness and self-deprecation that made him wonder what had her so down on herself. He knew nothing about Lillith other than she lived in the nearby pack and was a healer, so there could be a million reasons, even as simple as this just was who she was. It did make him curious though. Who was Lillith? Figuring her out was sort of like a puzzle game, and although he had a hunch that if he asked directly she might just tell him, figuring things out for himself felt more fun. She gave an impressed remark to his plans, simple as they may be, and would occasionally catch her gaze lifting to him from the corner of his eye. He would always turn his head to meet her eyes, quite liking the way it made her get all flustered and sheepish.

At her suggestion to come stay at the Hallows, Romulus gave a pensive tilt of his head. The Hallows must have been the name of her pack. Somehow he doubted the young girl had the authority to grant him permission to stay, but perhaps he could talk his way into the good graces of whoever the pack's alpha was. "That's not a bad idea," he said with a thoughtful hum and a nod of his head. "Think I'll be able to convince your alpha that the scruffy wanderer coming out of nowhere isn't a danger to him with his high walls?" The grin on his face widened while he teased her, flicking his tail to catch her side playfully. He enjoyed the jokes and the play, still very much a light-hearted spirit deep down. He got that from his grandfather.

Silver eyes looked over his bashful acquaintance when a flash of white tore his gaze away from Lillith. "Oh, there! To your right!" He paused and shot a paw to the small cluster of yarrow plants, their vivid white flowers standing out in stark contrast from the deep green bush they grew on. Roman shot her a victorious smile; they had completed her shopping list in full! Even something as menial as that felt like a win, and he would take it for the chance to show off for a pretty girl any day.

"Romulus Armada"

Lilith didn’t get a lot of experiences with strangers, she was so frail and delicate that she only had a closed ring of wolves that looked after her. Beyond that she didn’t get out. Lil was subject to her illness, making it out this far from the castle was a real feat in itself. Meeting Romulus was another. He was friendly and Lillith appreciated that quality, she knew that she wouldn’t have spent nearly as much time so comfortably if he was a bad guy. The nervous energy she felt was anything but unpleasant. The little tingle in her belly when he looked at her was the strangest and she couldn’t help but avert her gaze at the feeling. It was far too much for the young socially underdeveloped girl to handle at that moment on top of every other experience she had today.

Maybe she would have more time to explore it, if he took her suggestion. Right now she had a lot to think about, but she knew she liked Romulus. He was easy to talk to and he was being so helpful! He didn’t outright deny her suggestion either, the opposite, which Lil hadn’t really been expecting from him. She chuckled softly as he went on and her garnet gaze looked up to find his teasing grin. ”Well, he is my father so I’d like to think that my word would hold a little sway.” She teased him back, but also revealed another few tidbits for him.

Her attention was distracted more completely as he finally caught sight of the last piece of her list of intended findings. The yarrow was in sight, and Gwyn would have everything she was lacking on because of her. Lilith grinned brightly, an expression that didn’t often grace her features, as she looked back to Rom and shared in silent victory for only a moment. Lilith hurried to the plant and began the careful harvest of the pretty flowers. ”Good eye,” she offered a soft compliment, unable to express herself much more than a couple words as she worked under his silver gaze. That silly flutter in her belly returned the moment he’d found the herb and gave her that dashing grin.

Lilith was so busy packing away the plant and trying not to show how flustered she felt beside him she didn’t notice the saber cat stalking up on them.

Lillith Adravendi

Intrigued silver eyes followed Lillith when the monochrome girl casually mentioned that the alpha of the Hallows pack was her father as if it was some nonchalant, menial detail and not totally game-changing. So she was the daughter of the head honcho of the pack, huh? That did give him an in with the big man already. He casually glanced back in the direction of Hallowed lands, the potential of him having a temporary home suddenly becoming much more achievable. He liked learning the little bits and pieces of information about her, more pieces of the Lillith puzzle revealing themselves and coming together.

When she complimented his perception, Roman gave her a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, even though inside he was pumped. He liked helping her, and the way she looked at him like he was the most amazing wolf she'd ever met did things for his ego that definitely didn't need to be inflated any more. "It was nothing," he replied once more, taking his victory as humbly as he could. He watched her saunter over to the flowers to begin harvesting them, trying to keep his eyes from appreciating the girl's form or the way she bent down to grab the plants or how her grin and bright ruby eyes made him feel a tingling pressure in his belly. She was just a new acquaintance, that was all. A new acquaintance, a possible new friend in new lands. Oh, and cute. Yeah, she was pretty cute. He was a growing boy well into his adolescence, he could appreciate a good looking fae.

Romulus had been lost in watching Lillith gather the plants that he initially didn't notice the saber cat stalking closer and closer through the underbrush, nor its golden eyes locked on the girl's petite form. A ripple of wind across the gardens washed over his face—and with it came the scent of the cat. Roman's smile dropped from his face, silver eyes turning up with a dark edge to them as his nose twitched. He scented the danger a second before the cat's first growl sounded, but by then the boy was already leaping forward. "Watch out!" He raced past Lillith and lunged at the brush at the same moment the feline roared and burst toward the wolves, the two predators colliding mid-pounce.

The cat was still a juvenile, nowhere near its full size, and Romulus had a couple of inches on it easy. Vicious snarls and protective growls erupted from the boy as teeth and claws tore through the cat's flesh, grabbing the animal by its scruff and tossing it away from Lillith. The cat bounced off the ground but landed on its feet, glaring daggers at the larger silver and steel boy. Roman held its gaze, placing himself squarely between it and Lillith, daring it to try again. Unfortunately for him, the saber cat did just that, stalking in a semi circle that Romulus tried to keep pace with, circling around Lillith to keep her shielded at all times. "Get the plant put away fast. I'm gonna need your help here," he called to Lillith between growls while he and the feline mirrored one another's moves. He'd need a partner to help split its focus so they could get the upper hand on it.

"Romulus Armada"

Romulus dismissed her comment humbly as she began to pick and store her last species to be acquired. Everything else was ready to go home. In addition to her herbs she had a new friend to bring home with her the most unexpected part of her trip. The most pleasant as well. He was so helpful, and best of all he didn’t look at her like she was going to fall over in front of him at any moment. Yeah she was embarrassed about how winded she had been but if that was all he had to see of her illness she would have been counted lucky.

She was very nearly done gathering, consumed by her task, when she heard Roman sound the alarm. Wide garnet gaze looked up to try and find the danger to her. She didn’t even hear the cta growl, but it didn’t matter. Suddenly Romulus was before her, putting himself between her smaller frame and the massive cat. Or massive compared to her. Her jaw had fallen to the ground, but she was still trying to stuff the yarrow in her bag when Romulus tossed the cat like it weighed nothing.

He was protecting her, putting himself in danger without question to keep her safe. Lillith didn’t even have time to dwell on the thought, no matter how much she wanted to, they had problems. She finally pulled her attention from the bag as Romulus suggested she hurry and come to his aide. Lilith securned her bag and leapt to his side, standing as tall she she could but not really measuring up to his stature. Still, one and a half wolves was enough to intimidate the young saber cat before them.

Lillith Adravendi

It didn't take more than a moment for Lillith to respond to his call for help. Romulus was more than appreciative of her eagerness, especially since now with two wolves, the saber cat looked notably less sure about its odds. Romulus didn't let up on his aggression, baring fangs and snarling deep in his throat while he protected Lil and pressed closer towards their opponent. The saber cat bore its own fangs and roared, threatening the advancing wolf. Roman kept steely eyes on the feline, stalking around to the left of the predator, his body moving slow, smooth, methodical. It was apparent that he had some fighting training in his movements. The cat followed the wolf with its eyes—then seemed to remember the other wolf, the smaller and less threatening one. It turned to fix its poisonous yellow eyes on the girl, sensing an easy kill. But by then it was already too late.

No sooner had the cat averted its gaze from him, Roman was lunging in for the feline's throat, coming in low and thrusting himself up with jaws open wide. He grabbed the cat by the neck and bit down hard, feeling skin and sinew rip beneath his fangs. The tiger yowled in pain and surprise while Romulus savaged it, shaking and tugging his head back and forth to tear into the cat's muscle. Hot gushes of blood poured into his mouth, but a sudden hard swipe from a large paw caught him in the side of his head, knocking him away. Romulus rolled across the ground, getting his footing and preparing to pounce back into battle. The tiger, bleeding from bites that had narrowly missed anything vital, had gone for Lillith while he was down, and was rushing the girl.

Romulus kicked off the ground, leaping at the cat as it lunged for Lillith with paws open to grab her and sink its saber fangs into her flesh. He caught the cat in a tackle, sending both of them sprawling across the ground. Romulus rolled to his paws and placed himself between the predator and Lil again, fire and fury in his silver eyes while he stared the tiger down. The saber cat got back up and roared at the two wolves again, glancing between them to try and decide how to best get to the girl. "Go wide, I'll circle in close. If it looks at you, I've got it. If it looks at me, run in and bite whatever you can hit." He didn't know if Lillith had any fighting experience or not; the girl didn't look like a fighter, but he had been fooled before. He began to circle clockwise around the cat, watching to see if it would track him or Lillith's movements.

"Romulus Armada"

Lilith faced off with a sabered cat before, when she and Ezra were out together last time and she had revealed to him how deep her illness really went. That thought scared her more than the beast in front of them. That she would succumb yet again after barely helping with the situation at hand. Lil couldn’t keep sparing the thought, what would be would be and she had to do her best in the moment. It was very possible their lives depended on it.

She saw the cat’s eyes looking at her suddenly, its focus drifting for only a moment from Romulus, who was already doing a valiant job against their foe. This reminded her too much of her fight alongside Ezra, and it was like she was reliving a dream. Deja vu in the worst sense, and she couldn’t change what was hurting towards them. The young girl just fought her best, or look like she was willing to fight her best. Her head was lowered and her throat protected, hackles raised and her lips pulled back into a snarl as she growled and barked. It leapt at her, but before she could retaliate Romulus was there, taking the cat by the throat and doing damage.

Lilith couldn’t take the time to watch him, she leapt behind her silver paladin. She did her best to keep that position, fully aware she was the weaker of the two of them, the easier target. Roman was valiant and sure footed, his abilities wouldn’t cease to impress her. He gave her instruction as they regrouped, and she wouldn’t take her eyes off the tiger as she nodded in understanding. Only a moment later she would be forced ot put it into practice. The cat followed Roman’s form and Lillith didn’t hesitate to spring forward and grab at the beast’s neck. She couldn’t risk a good grip on its throat and managed only to catch its shoulder in her hawks, but she would still shake her head liek her life depended on it, ripping and tearing as she bruised and battered the flesh.

This could only last a few moments before the cat had its attention back on her. It lifted a paw to claw at her silver features.

Lillith Adravendi

Romulus didn't see the fatigue that Lillith hid, nor did he see the fear or weakness in her. All that mattered was that he had a partner in this fight, and they would work together to defeat their opponent and keep the other safe. So far, they had been doing an excellent job. Lillith moved swiftly to stay behind him so he didn't have to keep looking around and distracting himself to make sure she was safe. He, in turn, had kept the tiger at bay. Now, as the two of them separated, Roman kept the cat's eyes on him while Lillith made her move toward the big cat, attacking with all her might. Smirking proudly, Romulus started to charge in as well, aiming to keep the cat locked in combat with two wolves instead of one. However, as he came up on the cat, he saw one large clawed paw swing towards Lillith. He didn't see if the deadly claws connected with her or not, but just the threat of it alone was enough to make his blood run cold and a protective fury to burn in his heart.

With a vicious snarl, Romulus launched himself right at the side of the tiger's exposed neck. Powerful jaws clamped down more surely this time, and Roman was rewarded with the popping and tearing of cartilage, arteries, and sinew as he ripped into the saber cat's throat. The animal made a strangled yowl of pain and surprise, but it was too late. With all his might, Romulus hauled the cat to the ground, pulling it off its feet and pinning it down with his weight, keeping one paw pressed to its head to keep it held down while he let the feline bleed to death beneath him. The cat's paws scrambled at the ground in a desperate gambit to do anything to same its life, coming up to scrape across the wolf's shoulder, but the coup de grace had been struck. Romulus glared through pointed silver eyes at his opponent's failing movements, watching them go still as the sabertooth tiger lay dying. Once it ceased all movement, Roman gave the corpse a shake to make sure it was dead, then dropped the body with heavy breaths.

A stinging pain ached through his shoulder where the cat had clawed him, thin rivers of red cutting through his pallid coat. But Romulus didn't care about any of that. He would heal over time, and the slashes didn't even feel that bad. His concerned eyes turned to find Lillith. He had to make sure she was okay first. "Lillith! Lillith, are you okay?" he asked while stepping off the dead cat to come check on her, oblivious to the fact that he himself was injured or that his muzzle was also stained red with feline blood.

"Romulus Armada"

Lil shook her head, wanting to inflict as much damage as she could. This cat had intended on killing her and consuming her and she wouldn’t go down without a fight. She wanted to prove this was a terrible idea for the predator, and Romulus was right beside her to do exactly the same. She barely saw the paw coming at her face as the cat retaliated in kind to her. Thankfully she got the paw and not the sabers. Lilith cried out softly and lost her grip as claws slashed over her dark nose. Rivulets of blood formed and she made a slight retreat. That would have spelled doom for her had Roman not been there with her.

The marked girl leapt away as Romulus took over, his massive frame much more easily gaining purchase on the beasts throat and with a final surge of power the pair of them could claim victory. Or Roman could, again Lillith felt like her efforts were minimal in comparison. Her ruby gaze couldn’t look away as the silver marked man ripped the cat’s throat and held it firm until the last bits of life flowed from its limbs. The adolescent would never harm another wolf again, and perhaps its demise would dissuade those that followed after it.

Blood welled up in the thin slices of her nose as Romulus’s attention was shifted from killing their opponent to concern for her. In that moment the adrenaline faded and Lillith could feel the weight of the world on her shoulders again, and it was far too heavy for her thin frame. She was able to stay on her paws, but her breathing was ragged and her whole body shook with the effort. Her head and vision swam, but she tried to keep herself together. She couldn’t let Roman see how damaged she was beneath. He’d shrugged off her efforts wit the hill, but she knew it would be impossible to hide now, not with the way her body reacted.

What hurt the most was that it was every time she tried to fight, saber cats or Artorias it didn’t matter. She pushed herself too far and suffered the consequences. She bowed her head and her haunches fell to the ground with a thud, unable to control her descent as Roman approached with obvious concern. She blinked back her ruby gaze, disoriented but unable to ignore the blood that stained his shimmering silver fur.

”I’m… fine…” She breathed but her words couldn’t be farther from the truth. She knew she wouldn’t be able to make it home on her own, not without a nap, and who knew if that saber had friends ready to back it up… Lilith sucked in her breath and was forced to her elbows as her own concerns swirled for Roman, he was hurt because of her. ”I can… see too… your shoulder.” Her words about only being able to gather plants forgotten. She tried to press through but the effort was too much, Lil was useless.

Lillith Adravendi

Despite not meaning to, Romulus completely ignored what Lillith was saying, far too focused on the shallow cuts weeping blood down her snout and the way she was almost wheezing with every word. Lillith was hurt, she wasn't doing well. That was what Roman saw, and that was what he had to fix. The sound of her rear end collapsing to the ground made him look up away from the cuts on her face, finally able to really take in the sight of the girl before him. She was barely standing, breathing hard like she couldn't get enough oxygen into her lungs again, just like on the hill. Something wasn't right, but Romulus didn't know what it was and didn't know how to help her. He hated the feeling of uselessness it left him with, but he wouldn't let his frustration show to Lil, only his attention and concern.

Without warning, Lillith began to fall to her elbows on the grass. "Whoa, steady, steeeeady," he said while leaning forward to catch her with his side and help ease her down to rest and catch her breath. She sucked in a breath, then tried to tend to his wounds. Romulus looked confused, following her gaze back to his bleeding shoulder that he had forgotten he even had in his concern for her, then scoffed at Lillith's ridiculous degree of selflessness. Here she was, barely breathing and bleeding, collapsed and still trying to tend to him!

"Don't worry about me, I've been scratched worse by my brothers," he said with a wry grin and a chuckle, hoping to keep her spirits up and distract her from whatever was causing her to deteriorate like this. "I think we should get you back home, before all those plants you picked go bad." Of course, the real reason he wanted to get her back was so that someone could see to her breathing and her cuts, but he was still trying to elevate her mood. Roman left Lillith's side only for a moment to grab her satchel and bring it back to slip over her neck. "You good to walk with me? I've got a pretty comfy shoulder you can use to get down the hill with." Of course, he was more than capable of carrying her as well, but he didn't want to demean her by insinuating she couldn't do it on her own. She was a tough girl coming out here alone and fighting a saber cat with him. That deserved to be celebrated, not undermined.

"Romulus Armada"

She didn’t think he heard her over the gasping breaths she was taking. Too much. Again. Just like the last time she just couldn’t hold up. Her stamina was just barely enough to get her through the fight. If Roman hadn’t been here with her… Surely she would have figured something out. He was there the whole way with her, from the first plants on the hill to now as he helped steady her frail form. Her fluffy coat couldn’t hide how light she was, nor the pointing bones right beneath. The obvious signs of her weakness, Gwyn saw it and warned her. Her muscle mass just wasn’t what it should be. Romulus showed his obvious concern and helped where he could. She wondered if the ginseng would help anything or not, but it was mostly her breathing now. She could stand… right?

While her offering to tend to Roman was mostly to distract herself and cover for her all too obvious distress. She had long been found out, Rom was doing his best to hide his worrying and Lillith felt herself appreciating the gesture more than he could know. Everyone worried over her, but he was calm and collected, telling her he was worried her plants would spoil if they didn’t hurry. He dismissed any offer to let her tend him, which was probably smart on his part. He left her for only a moment before grabbing her makeshift bag and helping to slip it over her shoulder so they could make the return home.

He asked if she would be able to walk and Lil had to doubt herself for a moment. Lilith wanted to confidently say she could walk alongside him right back to the castle. The one they could see from here. She took in another shaky breath and she knew the truth and yet, ”I want to walk.” The truth, what was a fudge was if she was able to. Lil lifted herself to her paws, more gracefully than she expected. Her expression and soul were determined but her body argued otherwise.

She did make it to her paws, and with a determined glance took a few well placed steps forward. She was still a little shaky on her paws but she was building up a good rhythm. She didn’t even need Rom’s shoulder. Her breaths still came in gasps, but she was doing it. Albeit slowly. Just when she thought she really had it to the Castle her front elbow gave out. Lilith couldn’t even catch herself as her right shoulder and chest fell into the hard packed pathway. She squeaked in pain as she hit the ground, biting her tongue and bruising the muscle all around her shoulder. No, she couldn't make it.

Lillith Adravendi