The pack of coyotes had been nothing but ferocious. Determined to take both him and the girl down, they had left damaged but victorious. Blood seeped through the water as multiple bodies floated along the surface. He stares at the girl, ruby gaze trained on her to assess her injuries. "You need some bandages," Ghoul comments, straight forward with that rough tone of his. Turning from her, he begins to swim from the island toward the mainland. It was a short trip and didn't take long. Feeling the burn of muscle growth and the sting of multiple bites, he wished he had brought a snack along with him. Walking up onto the shore toward the west of Waterfall Peak, he stops for a moment to breathe in the fresh mountain air. The crisp warmth of summer rejuvenates him as he turns to see if the girl has followed. "My pack isn't far. There will be supplies there," Ghoul mentions as he continues to walk farther into the land. It wasn't long though until the acrid scent of feline catches his attention. Flagging his deer-like tail, both ears alert and fur bristling, he tries to find where the other predator is. "Looks like we have company first," Ghoul adds as he prepares for the oncoming attack.

Henbane scowled at the man, her hackles still up. Standing tall over her paws, but also... well, she can feel the blood dripping down her face. Though the girl wants to look tough, she... hm. Maybe now isn't the time to play tough. "You want me to follow a stranger home?" The words slip past her lips, but Henbane is already following him. The sting of saltwater in fresh wounds was bracing, but she leaned in. Dunking her head below the surface of the water, wiping at it... well, at least there was less blood in her eyes. Did it make things better or worse? Fuck if she knew.

"Henbane Aeris, for what it's worth." Her tone has dropped any edge, though she's quick to realize-- company it is. Twice in one day? Her hackles up, tusks already swinging, Hen rounds to cover their backs. Nothing could sneak up on them now, at least. Gaze focused on the trees, Henbane licks her nose. Takes a deep breath in. Scents the air. She can smell it, but where the fuck was the thing? "East," she tipped her head, tracking the thing on the wind.

Unwilling to wait any longer, Hen dives into the small, shadowy copse of trees with a snarl. Yeah, she found the cat alright, and maybe she'd just rushed a tiger.
"Speech"

"Ghoul Klein," he responds quickly afterward since the inevitable threat of something still lingered. Stalking them, not too far, not too far. Hanging in the shady, beady eyes trained on them. Perhaps a tad too desperate than they typically are because really? Two large wolves? That's who they decide to follow? Ghoul doesn't understand it, but he's also never been on the brink of starvation either. Food would come, but the feline surely couldn't let it go. Or maybe it was being territorial. Or were they about to stumble upon some cubs? There were plenty of options and all of them led to a fight that he would have wanted to avoid. If it weren't for Henbane whirling around, taking a pause, and then before he could even lick his own nose to scent the air, was diving head first into a copse of trees. Ghoul can't help but let out a sigh. Girls. They would be the death of him. By the sounds of it, the feline was no mountain lion either. No, that roar was much more fierce. Bellowing out from the depths of something far larger than any cougar he'd ever seen. Scoffing quietly, he once more wastes no time in assisting the girl take down an enemy. Rushing the tiger really hadn't been the brightest idea, but from the short time he'd been around her, he had a feeling that she was more of a "act first, ask later" type. Ignoring the exhaustion that riddled his bones, he rushed forward and hoped another surge of adrenaline would help carry him through the next fight. Diving into the trees where Henbane tangled with the tiger, Ghoul rounded on the feline and lunged for the tender belly area.

Punch first, ask questions while punching. A hair trigger on the girl-- hell, that's what happens when every waking minute has been eat or be eaten. From the minute she walked outta the Crypt, she knows what it's like to be hunted. Knowing she's better off as predator than prey, knowing she doesn't like how it feels. Rallying against it with her sharp gaze and keen wit and... maybe a little paranoia. Just a little.

Is it still paranoid if you're right?

She dove into the trees, tangled with the beast. Snarling and snapping, she can feel the way the orange and black beast's retractable claws dig into her flesh. The ripping and tearing-- Hen snarls. Her ears pin back, flush to her head. Though the dense undergrowth grabbed at her legs, her back, the girl is relentless. Swinging with her tusks for the creature's eyes, chest aching, back and ribs damn near on fire. Doesn't matter. Having the most awesome time, other than the whole hurting thing.

Ghoul isn't far behind her, diving to the tiger's belly. Grateful she wasn't alone, Hen raged on against the beast. One of the thing's massive murder mittens cuffed her about the shoulder, sending the girl crashing down hard into the ground with a thump. Ow. Ears ringing, Henbane tried to scramble back to her feet. Fuck.

"Speech"

His teeth grasp at the tiger's belly as the tiger rings a good one across Hen's shoulder. Blood splashes onto the ground as his jaw is able to rend flesh and nearly dump the tiger's intestines onto the ground. Before he has a chance to fully gore the tiger, he feels claws dragging against his neck. Through the chaos of dirt, blood, and leaves flying around them, the tiger has enough wits to kick out a hind paw toward him. His own skin opens and he releases, his own whine filling the air as he stumbles backward. Beside him, Hen is getting to her paws. They're both out of breath, covered in gunk, but looking damn near delirious. "Seems like the cat doesn't know what's coming," his voice is hoarse as he shoots Hen a wicked grin. Meanwhile, the tiger, near death already, is facing them on trembling paws. Its eyes are wild, wide, and flicking back and forth between them. The growl in its throat is almost a gurgling noise as it begins to choke on its own blood. "No point in letting it suffer," Ghoul says before he rushes forth and meets the tiger head on. Grappling with the orange beast, he wraps his forelegs around its shoulders as it does the same to him. Teeth, both his and the feline's, clash together as they fight to find an anchoring point.

His whine doesn't escape her notice. It's sharp on her senses, her pulse picking up. Shaking the dirt from her coat, feeling the blood seep and stain her pale coat. Covered in mud and gore, at least Henbane is exactly as she should be. Muscles flexing, gritting her teeth, putting her head down-- she could do this. She would, and she's grateful she doesn't have to do it alone. Not this time.

Ghoul's words send a hoarse laugh through the girl, a little grin. The spark in her eyes something that can't be argued with, can't be ignored. Hen is dangerous, that's never been anything she's bothered to conceal. Gathering themselves for their final assault, she's damn near trembling. Muscles exhausted, but they don't need much more now. It wouldn't be long yet.

While the tiger and the man lock in combat, Hen finds her opening. It was too dangerous to get between Ghoul's teeth and that of the predator. Henbane's keen gaze fixes on the inside of the beast's thigh instead. With savagery and a near surprising amount of grace, Henbane charges in. Her teeth find the inside of the beast's knee and sink in deeply, doing all the damage she can in the moment. Ripping and tearing at the flesh with a snarl, coming away with one chunk, then another. Face and forequarters dripping in gore, Henbane doesn't back away until the tiger crumples.
"Speech"

Teeth and claws that belong to the feline finally give up. Searing pain ripples through his whole body as he lets go and stumbles away from the tiger. Watching it fall limp into the brush through blurry vision, he wonders if they'll even make it home. "Fuck," he mutters under his breath as he falls backward onto his butt. His sides heave in and out as his heart fights to level out. With a swimming head and stars dancing in front of his eyes, Ghoul knows he's losing too much blood. "We gotta... get some help," he mutters under his head, blinking away both sweat and blood. Unfortunately, he had no clue how to do any sort of healing and knew his brother and Cricket both hardly had any idea either. Who else could he ask? Where was that one girl who had helped him not far from here? Would she be around? Finally flopping over onto his sound, Ghoul rests his head against the soft and dewy ground. "What if we just take a break, yeah?" His gaze moves over to Henbane, ensuring she's at least still alive.

The cat gives up. They're both ragged, bloody, disgusting. Henbane was panting, and she could feel the blood streaming down her side. Her shoulder throbbing, the kind of wet pain that only shredded flesh really knows. Both of them ragged and bloody, not to mention the fact she's fucking lost. Why does her heart hurt for the Crypt like this? Dad would know what to do... but they're so far. They're so far from home, from him.

Alive. They're alive. Hen's breath was ragged as she turned to look at Ghoul, similarly sprawled. He's breathing, but fuck that's a lot of blood. "Gimmee your neck." Too much blood, she's already reaching for him. Her tone was gruff, but then, so was the healer who'd taught her. While Henbane is hot garbage at identifying herbs and doing all the things that required skill, she can put pressure on a bleeding wound. "It'll feel like shit, but the bleeding needs stopped." Settling beside him where he's sprawled... he said they're not far from his pack, but neither of them would make it, in this shape. If they weren't bleeding, at least they had some hope of making it back conscious.

"Speech"

He hardly understands what Hen says. His neck? What about his neck? Brow furrowed, he tries to lift his head to view what she's doing. The sudden pressure of her paws against the wound has him calling out in surprise. An instinctual growl rises in his throat as he shoots a dagger-like glare in her direction. "Little warning next time?" His voice is gruff as he plants his face back down in the grass. He tries to close his eyes, focus on dissipating the pain, but there's too much going on. What about her? Was she okay? Would they be able to make it back? What if they couldn't? What would Cricket and Mac do without him? Suddenly, Ghoul is trying to stand. His paws are scrambling, digging at the messy ground around them. "We gotta get back," his hoarse voice barely gets the words out as he fights against her pressure. "I gotta make sure I don't die," there is a pleading tone to him now as he stares wild eyed at Hen. Anxiety and fear take over him as he tries to see if she too is okay. Fuck if Medusa cared about a trespasser, he needed to get back and get back now.

A growl Hen could only guess was coming, she flinches but doesn't release the pressure. "Next time," she agrees, a little nod, maybe the shadow of a smile. Bedside manner didn't come with this model, unfortunately. At least she feels a little bad about causing him more pain, that's something. Her shoulder still dripping and bloody, but she's not quite as gravely wounded... probably. She thinks. Pretty sure he's the one that's actively dying, Hen is content to let that be her focus.

His struggling causes Hen to tip, pulling at her shredded shoulder. Unable to keep the whimper from slipping out, the weak string of curse words under her breath. Hen pulled her brows down over her ruby gaze for a moment. "Let me stop the bleeding, then we get you home." No-nonsense, the words come as a growl. She wasn't about to let it happen, but if he tried to fight her off... it was a possibility. She doesn't know how real, but Henbane pushes it from her mind as best she can. "I'm not letting you die." Ghoul was wild eyed and anxious-- she wish she had a comfier variety of comfort for him. Instead, she adjusts the pressure on his neck, touch softening as fractionally as her tone.

"Speech"

Ghoul stops struggling when he hears her whimper. He hadn't wanted to cause her harm, but Abraxas above, that had hurt. Settling for another rumbling growl, he relaxes and stares up at her as she continues to compress his neck wound. "I suppose I'll tell you more about the pack then," he offers, shifting slightly so he's a tad more comfortable. "I reside within Insomnia, led by Medusa. Our territory resides over Whisperer's Gorge and Dancefloor of the Gods. We plan to expand toward Whistling Willows as soon as everyone gets their act together," his voice had been fine at the beginning, but grew more gruff as he carried on. Even though he had no room to speak about unplanned pups, he still didn't agree that Medusa should be giving birth that often - the same with her other Beta. Letting out a sigh, he closes his eyes and gives his head a little shake. Maybe a conversation for another time. "I am her Beta, the Nightmare is what am called. Basically, Medusa's right hand guy. She calls, I answer. I've taken up residence in the willows now with Cricket, my-" he hesitates. What was Cricket to him? A lover? A friend? A soul mate? Another conversation for another time. "The mother of my newborn pups," is how he puts it for now. "My brother, Macabre, also resides with us. Quite the strange kid, but I love him," Ghoul can't help but chuckle when he thinks about Mac. "Any questions?" His eyes train back on Hen's face as he notices that their eyes are similar color.

He doesn't want to hurt her. He doesn't want to hurt her. Ghoul relents when he hears the whimper, he doesn't want to hurt her. That's a small comfort, more than she's been able to take in... how long? Too long. Too long. Her nerves were raw, but she can't let that get the best of her right now. They're not out of the woods. At least he's still awake, still talking. Henbane shifts, taking his head into her lap. Gently, still applying steady pressure to the wound. As his voice grows more gruff, she stills. Tries to steady him, as best she can. To have him get agitated again... no. She wouldn't think about what that could do to him.

A clearer picture coming together in Henbane's mind, she finds herself chewing on the inside of her cheek. "You're not just some strange man trying to get me to follow you off to some pack after all," Hen smirked. It's a deflection tactic, probably. Not only could she not let him die, she really couldn't let him die. A pack that relied on him, a newborns, and a situation that (judging by the look in his eye) was a whole lot closer than her own parents. "Yeah you uh, you promise you'll be awake to tell them I'm not the one who did this to you?" Henbane was trying to joke, trying to deflect. Trying to push back against the fact she was worried for him, especially more than she had been moments before.

Satisfied the bleeding had at least stopped enough to start the walk back, Henbane climbs to her feet. Turning to pull Ghoul to his as well, a blinding pain reminds her that her own shoulder is still shredded. Hell, she's been bleeding on him the whole time she's been trying to help. Isn't that the way it goes for her.

"Speech"

Her comment has him coughing out a rough chuckle. "If it were my pack, the story would be different," he watches her face carefully, "but for now, no. We just need to be somewhere that can ensure we live," Ghoul rolls his shoulder, pressing into the pressure until she's satisfied that he won't bleed to death the rest of the way there. "Surprisingly, everyone is quite nice in Insomnia," he comments as he allows her to help him to his paws. "You'll be surprised. They're a tad wacky, but rather harmless," another humored chuckle, a soft shake of his head. "Alright, we'll go this way," Ghoul steps close to her, helping her help him on the way back. Unfortunately, they were both rather shredded and it would be no surprise if one or not both of them collapsed at least once on their way back to the pack lands. -exit ghoul-