Aranya liked the hills. They were interesting and made the horizon waver this way and that. She could sit and trace the fine line where the terra and the caelum met all day, eyes searching for breaks and discrepancies. The land now was barren, the deep snow broken by lines and lines of animal trails. The hooves were cloven, but it was no deer or elk she had ever smelled before. That morning she had been trekking along the trails, trying to find it's source, but had been distracted by the view. It was not stunning, there were no towering cliffs or waterfalls or volcanoes. It was quite barren, in fact, but she liked it nonetheless. Far away, barren trees scratched upwards like talons of songbirds, and while she knew hills surrounded her, the snow made distinguishing their lines tricky. It became a game, trying to observe the land instead of listening to her eyes. The snow dampened her sense of smell and the glitter of the snow burned her eyes, and a biting wind wove into her coat, but she found herself in a good temper nonetheless. Spring was near at hand, she new that in the same way she knew when the sun would rise, and a few flowers had sprung up through the snow several days past. This cold snap had left some of the frozen, petrified, locked away under a thing crust of ice. The glimmered and glittered in the sun, delighting the young wolf. She had collected a bundle, which now lay at her side, planning to weave them into the lining of the nest she had made last night. She had planned to move today, but how could she now? Not until the flower melted, certainly. They would look to lovely to waste, and she just couldn't bear to leave them. With a grin, she nosed the flowers for the umpteenth time, wondering what smell lay beneath their cruel coating. Spring preserved by the cold, only to be destroyed by the heat. She chuckled at the irony. Speech,Thoughts,

ooc: like the image in the table he is thin, malnourished, from being stuck in a cave in a cliffside for awhile. also, crappy first post! xD

Predators were eating as much of their kills as possible with Winter now upon the lands, leaving Nuka with barely anything to snack on to try and regain his strength enough to catch something of a decent size. Just about skin and bones now, slowly moving through he lands, buffalo knolls. A low whine would escape his lips as the boy gave up, letting his body fall into the snow covered ground with a light thump. A paw would lift and lay over his face, head slowly shaking from side to side. This couldn't be happening, Silver was just lost, she didn't abandon him. "normal. talk. think. you."

A strange sound disturbed the other wise quiet whistling of the wind. It was not the heavy thu-thump-thump of the large animals she was hoping to find here, or at least see from a distance. It was a pitter-patter-scuffle-thump of something much smaller. Aranya's ears perked and her nose quivered, trying to find where it had come from. It was intriguing! What on earth could it have been? If it was a threat, she reasoned, surely she would not have known until it was too late. As such she rose languidly, shook the snow from her coat, and jogged to the edge of the hill crest. Hmm, she thought. Nothing there. She turned the other way, and turned yet again, and then finally on the northern slope the stark white lanscape was broken by a small brown lump. As she approached, however, she saw it was not a small lump at all! In the snow before her lay a large, albeit emaciated male. Aranya frowned, sniffing. Who was he, where did he come from? He certainly did not look in the prime of health, and her heart twinged. His chest cavity rose and fell still, and so she called out. "Hello! Ser?" Of course she had no idea if this was a honorable wolf worthy of the title, or if that was even a styling used in these parts, but he looked down on his luck and she thought she ought to award it to him anyways. "Do you need any help, ser?" Spring was near at hand, of that she was certain, but for a wolf in his condition it might have seemed eons away. Speech,Thoughts,

All he could ear was the beat of his heart in his ears, slow at first but after a few seconds it would begin to speed up when the crunching of snow nearby grew louder. Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch... then a voice, feminine, a sweet tone that was like music but hell to his ears. Slowly his right eye would open, the one not covered by his paw, a copper eye looking up at a woman standing before him, asking if he needed any help. "Help..." Not only did his body hurt, but his throat was dry, voice raspy as he pulled his paw off his face. "Food...?" He'd whisper, his eyes almost pleading to the woman to help bring him something, even if it was small. Water would have bee nice, this snow was too cold for his delicate throat, creating the feeling of needles every time he tried to swallow just a small amount. With a low grunt his forelimbs would shift, trying to get beneath his body, paws planting themselves int he snow. He would attempt to stand up, back legs coming close to his body, trying to lift his back side off the ground at the same time. Legs would shake though, looking as though he would just fall right over once his belly was off the ground. Nuka had to get up, what if he went down and wasn't able to get back up? "normal. talk. think. you."

Aranya's heart broke in half at the sight of the creature before her. His words sparked something in her core and she quivered with a desperate energy. She had to help him, she just had to. Of course hundreds of questions sprang out at her. What was his name, where did he come from, why was he like this? This wasn't the time though, that much she knew. Right now, he asked for food, and gods curse her if she wasn't going to get him some. "Yes," she said breathlessly. "Yes, of course!" He tried to get up and she side-stepped nervously, wanting him to lay back down but not wanting to touch him for fear of hurting him further. "No, please relax, ser! Just stay here and rest, I'll be back in an eyeblink." He fell, and she took that as a sort of acquiescence. Aranya turned from him and bolted along one of the animal trails down into the woods. She slowed to a sudden halt at their edge, ears perked and body shaking. She set her sense afire in the desperate hope to pick up a sign. In a quiet voice she asked, Please gods, let me help this poor male. She padded quietly put quickly through the woods. She could see through the brush to what lay ahead, and she turned herself into the wind. Her ears picked up a rattling, and she zeroed in as best she could. Step, step, pause, step, pause, and then finally a break through. The animals that had made her trail had been snuffling amongst the snow, uprooting it to get at the grass below. Now, a pheasant, returned to early in the season, pulled at strands. Whether it was looking to nest or find a bite to eat, she couldn't know. In her desperation her skills sharpened, her vision went red with huntlust, and the next thing she knew she was pelting from the woods, the dead bird dangling from her mouth. She choked down more than one cough as it's downy feathers were sucked into her lungs, pushing on regardless. The sun had hardly moved by the time she returned to the brute, and was thrilled to find him still there, and as far as she could see, still breathing. "I'm back, ser!" she said between pulling tufts of feathers from the bird's breast, thinking he would not have the energy to do so himself. "I've brought you a bird, I hope that's okay." A few rapid mouthfuls and the bird was a clean as could be hoped. She picked it up again and dropped it at the wolf's paws, then backed up once again, waiting for him to eat or at least say something. Speech,Thoughts,

A faint smile would form on dark lips when the woman seemed willing to help him, the third friendly wolf he has met since escaping his little den in the cliffs. He felt bad though, the two women who had helped him only wanted to see him get better but after they treated his wounds he simply left without single word in the middle of the night, not wanting to be a burden on them. When he was trying to stand she would plead that he relax, stay there and rest, she would be right back. With a tilt of his head the male would accept it and just lay himself back down, not having enough energy to get fully up. Nuka sighed, laying a paw over the other then his his head on top, copper eyes watching the girl turn and bound off towards the woods. How weak, the male couldn't even hunt something on his own, had to rely on somebody else to do it for him. What if the woman had not been nearby, if she didn't break him out of his thoughts would he have froze in the snow? The though was a bit dark, making the boy shake his head. He couldn't think that way, no, what if Silver ended up returning to him and he wasn't there? She would be all alone again, he couldn't let that happen! In no time his ear would swivel to the side at the sound of snow crunching beneath paws, his head turned, eyes falling upon the woman coming towards him with something dangling from her jaws. He would watch her set it down, pulling tufts of feathers out of the breast of the bird, asking if it was okay that she had brought him it. He shook his head, it was quite alright, he didn't mind at all. A few more mouthfuls and she was done, setting the bird at his paws and giving him some room. "Th... thank you miss." There would be a warmth to his gaze as he looked at her then down at the plucked bird, he would have to repay her somehow. Tongue would run over his lips before the boy dug in, taking a chunk out of the flesh, chewing on the meat and swallowing it down. Though he was very famished, Nuka just couldn't bring himself to devour the bird like a mad man in front of the woman. He had respect for others, manners, even during a dire time like this. Careful bites he made, his gaze wandering over to the woman between mouthfuls. After a few minutes he was done, eating most of the edible bits and pushing aside the bones, licking small bites of meat out of his teeth. "Thank you again miss, this really means a lot." Voice still raspy, it held a gentleness to it now. "I'm Nuka, and I would like to make this up to you somehow." He had to, and there was no way she would turn him away. "normal. talk. think. you."

Aranya watched with satisfaction as the male tore into the bird she had so hastily caught. The feathers skittered across the snow in a sudden breeze and she cursed herself for not tucking the tail feathers away for keeping. It was not the time, she supposed. There were bigger things to worry about. As the male ate, more daintily than she had expected of him she might add, she saw a certain vitality return to his eyes. It's not enough... As he finished, he thanked her once more and introduced himself. "Hello then, Ser Nuka. Don't worry yourself about repaying me, truly, I expect nothing. My name is Aranya, I'm new to these parts, but I can go search for something else as well? I should, shouldn't I?" She stood, ignoring the faint growling of her own stomach. Watching the male eat his meal had reminded her of her own empty stomach. Something bigger, they could perhaps share. But of course she had no idea where she was, or who owned these lands, or what would be infringing and what was allowed. If she didn't go far perhaps, she would be able to find her way back? You've been watching these hills all day, and all you've seen were robins and jays, she reminded herself bleakly. She cleared her throat a bit awkwardly and spoke again. "Erm, pardons Ser, but where would I go to find something more substantial?" To be perfectly honest, she wasn't even entirely sure how to get back to her den. In fact, she had been miserably lost for quite some time. Not that she would tell him that of course, what sort of wolf looses her bearings? Embarrassment heated her fur. Speech,Thoughts,

Copper orbs would watch the woman after he thanked her and mentioned repaying her, she told him not to worry, she expected nothing. Even in the state he was in the boy would smirk, head cocking the slightest to the side as she introduced herself as Aranya, new to these parts and she should search for something else as well. Nuka would lift a paw to try and tell her no but the woman was already standing up, a faint growl coming from her stomach. Again she would call him Ser, making the boy wonder why and if it was just a term used for people you just met where she came from. The thought would pass though when she asked where you could go to find something more substantial. Brows would come together as he thought about this, where could you find something better to eat? His head would turn away from the woman, trying to think hard. How long had he been in that cave in the cliff-side, better yet, where did he roam before the feline found him. He had to know of something... yes, he had one. Nuka would look back to Arayna, his tail moving in a very slow wag. "This place is called Buffalo Knolls, they are big but there should be some carcasses here and there." He had to take the little bits of meat in order to walk, but he was sure there was something they could grab before scavengers completely ate everything else that was edible. "normal. talk. think. you."

DON'T KNOW WHATCHA GOT 'TIL IT'S GONE Aranya's widened and she smiled at the brute's suggestion, and she beamed at him. "You're pretty clever, Nuka! I didn't think of that. And buffalo, you say? I've never seen one of those before." Her curiosity and childish sense of adventure ignited, and her paws itched to be off. She loped up to the very top of the hill they rested on, and scanned the horizon once again, a new target in sight. She no longer scanned for large cervids, but small, twirling avians. She turned one way and then another, hope beginning to fade until there! To the northwest a pawful of birds seemed to be scrabbling about. It couldn't have been more than a mile off. She trotted back down to where the male lay, and in her excitement ended up skidding the last few steps in the slick snow. She tried her best to avoid him, but within that effort she tripped over her own paws. She yelped and struggled to right her self. By the time she managed to stand upright again she found herself covered in snow, more powder than fur, and face to face with her new companion. She blinked in bewilderment as the world spun slightly, then broke out giggling. "Sorry about that, did I get any snow on you? Anyways, I see a flock maybe a mile off. If you feel up to it we could go there, or I could try to bring a bigger piece back for you?" It wouldn't be difficult to snap at a few ligaments, chew off a haunch. Carrying it back, well, she was sure it couldn't be too difficult, right? "Speech," Thoughts,

ooc: sorry for crappiness

The boy would smile at the woman's reaction to his idea, thinking it was pretty good and giving away that she had never seen one of them before. Copper eyes would watch as she moved up the hill, head tilting slightly, wondering what she was doing turning around like she was. Within seconds she would come back down, tripping over her own paws from the snow, being covered in it. Nuka would stare at her for a few moments in silence with a raised brow but with her giggle came a chuckle from the male and a hake of his head with a smirk. ?I'm fine.? She would go on about a flock a mile away, asking if he would be okay to go or if she should bring back a piece for him. "I'll come with..." With a grunt the male would pick himself up slowly, legs trembling beneath his weight. After a few moments he would be on all four, body calm, head raising to glance over at Aranya. "Im' ready, I will be right behind you." Speech Thought Others Awesome table by Shelby <3

Aranya shook her coat out for a final time. Luckily her blunder did not seem to but the male off too much, and he seemed to be handling her overbearing personality quite nicely, for all that she could tell. Even if he was just using her for a meal, Aranya could not bring herself to care. Help was help, after all, and her father had always told her to be as helpful as she could bear. At the male's insistence that he would accompany her, she gave him a quick once over. He did look somewhat improved, but was it truly to a degree that made him fit for a short journey? She had half a mind to take back her question and have him stay here regardless, but in the end she only nodded and turned. "It's not far," she repeated. Had she been alone, Aranya surely would have been loping over the knolls with glee. The up and down, the feel of her claws digging into dirt and snow, the cold wind in her lungs; she would have relished it all. Now, though, she had a companion's well fare to consider, and it ocurred to her that he would far quite poorly indeed had she expected him to travel in such a way. So instead they walked, avoiding surmounting ridges when they could find valleys, though occasionally she would lead them atop low knolls so that she might keep their bearing. "Not far now!" she said with a smile, as they came atop the last rise. True to her word, the screeches and complaints of buzzards rang in the air, music to her ears. It was not but a hundred lengths before they came to find some other, luckier predator's kill site. Little more than scraps remained, but it was still much more than one lone game bird could offer a hungry wolf, and plenty yet for two. The pelt of the thing lay shredded around it, but Aranya could see the tufts of thick brown fur, and tried to picture it as it might once have been. She turned to Nuka and smiled. "Go ahead, I'll keep watch to make sure whoever killed this isn't on their way back." In truth, she wanted to make sure Nuka ate his fill before she dove in, knowing he needed the sustenance far more. Speech,Thoughts,

Arayna would tell him it wasn't far, which Nuka was grateful for. He would give a nod of his head, following right behind her and if not right behind then just a few feet behind. The woman would lead them over mostly smooth terrain, avoiding ridges and going over low knolls, thinking about his physical state which made him happy. While they walked he would focus on not collapsing, with some food in his belly it was a bit easier to move around, and with the thought of more in his stomach only drove him ore to keep up. He found himself not wanting to just lay in the snow, to actually keep moving so he wouldn't freeze. In what felt like an hour or two, though it was probably less, he would hear the sound of birds screeching and buzzards in the air. Not far ahead of the to appeared to be a kill, scraps remaining of course, but it would be enough. Standing beside the woman, he expected her to move forward and they would share but instead she would tell him to go ahead while she watched for the predator who had made the kill. Copper eyes would look to the kill for a seconds before turning to the woman, uncertainty in his eyes. Even though he knew how thin he was, how weak he was even with a small bit of food in his belly, Nuka still felt the need to let her eat first. "O... okay." He said softly, turning away from her hesitantly and head over to the carcass. In seconds he would be standing over the body, bits here and there from the birds. There was a good chunk of flesh left in the body though, a bit of it sticking out from under the skin. Wasting no time he would move forward and dig in, grabbing big mouthfuls and chomping it down. It would be a few moments of eating till Nuka came to a stop, sitting back on his haunches with a small smile, his belly full even though there was a good amount left from the part he had been eating. "Arayna?! There is plenty left." He would look in the direction she was keeping watch, barking out to let her know he got his fill and she could come over to get hers. Speech Thought Others Awesome table by Shelby <3

DON'T KNOW WHATCHA GOT 'TIL IT'S GONE Aranya was half surveying the horizon, half watching Nuka eat. She smiled fondly at the wolf she barely knew. He seemed like a sweet brute, and to see him so down on his luck saddened her. If she had her way, she would make all his woes go away with a flick of her tail. She sighed. If only, she mused, a little saddened by her inability. At least she had been able to do this much, and maybe it would be enough to set him on a better path. Curiosity began to chew at her, wondering how he had gotten to this state in the first place. She wondered and mused, eventually abandoning watch duty all together, turning and laying down amongst the snow, watching the bronze hued male. She wondered what he might look like with some weight back on his bones. She wondered if she might be around to see it. Surely after this he would go on his own way, and odds were she wouldn't see him again. It was a large land after all. Her sorrow grew. He turned then to call to her, and she masked her pain as quickly as she could. He claimed to be done eating and Aranya smiled at the thought of relieving her own growling stomach. She picked herself up with her usual languid grace, and bounded down the hill. "How do you feel?" she asked, while picking her way around the carcass, looking for a good place to begin. "Speech," Thoughts,

For a split moment Nuka would think he saw something on the woman's face when he had called her name, troubled thoughts perhaps? Whatever it was it wouldn't last long, her face would change, putting back the one she had given him while they talked before making her way over. An ear would twitch at her voice, catching her question on how he was feeling while his gaze watched her for a few moments before going to his paws. ?Better for sure, thank you miss.? Tones were sweet, very grateful for this woman being kind enough to help him out in his time of need, not many were like her and were actually quite hostile. Nuka would sit there silently on the side while the woman picked at the carcass, getting her fill. Copper eyes would look away though, scanning the snowy hills, looking out for any wolves other predators that would have caught the scent. The boy didn't want anything to happen to Aranya, after helping him out he could at least just keep watch ad try to prevent something from coming after their food or them, even if he didn't have the strength to do a good job at it. Speech Thought Others Awesome table by Shelby <3

Aranya, after making sure Nuka was sated, dug in with relish. She did not notice how hungry she had grown over the course of the day until the first shred of meat his her gut. For all that she tried to remain mannerly and neat, it was not easily accomplished. She began at the bison's shoulder, stripping it away until her teeth scraped bone, and moving then to the innards left behind. As quickly as her meal began, it seemed as if it was over. She took a step back and licked at her chops, trying to wipe away the grime and gore as best as she could. After a quick flick of the tongue to make certain her incisors were free of meat, she turned to search out what had become of Nuka. She was pleasantly surprised to find him standing guard, as she had. Not to say that she thought he was of ill character, only that it appeared he meant to protect her, even in his weakened state if the need arose. She smiled and cleared her throat. "Well I for one feel much better," she said with a smile. Looking up, she saw that the sun had quite advanced in the sky, and she wondered exactly how much time had passed, and if maybe theirs was running low. "So where will your paws take you now, Ser Nuka?" Her tone was as neutral as could be, restraining all the joy and sadness and wonder she felt boiling about inside of her. There were so many questions she had not found answers for yet. Speech,Thoughts,

Gaze would go in almost a three hundred and sixty degree turn, luckily while sitting there he would spot no dangers, just a few birds here and there that meant nothing. Head would swing to the side, ears swiveling forward at the sound of Aranya clearing her throat. She would comment on feeling better, which would make him smile. Copper gaze would follow hers to the sky, noticing finally how far the sun had gone, not much time left in the day, or with the woman he just met. She would even ask about it, asking the male where his paws would take him now, once again using that one term, Ser. Nuka would just sit there with head tilted, a look of slight confusion on his face. He didn't really have a destination, was just wandering around, waiting for something to happen. ?I... don't really know.? He would answer truthfully, voice a bit hoarse. His gaze would go back to the woman, head lowering and tail wrapping around and laying over his paws. ?I wanted to be with Silver, but... she left me. I don't really have anywhere to be or go to for a reason now.? His voice would grow soft speaking of the feline, the one he thought he would be able to stand beside, just suddenly leaving without a single word, causing him to become so thin. His gaze had gone to the ground when he spoke, and after a few seconds of silence he would lift his head to look up at Aranya. Paws would gently kneed the ground, a thought forming in the back of his head, slightly afraid to ask in case the woman denied it. "I don't mean to sound... clingy or anything. I really am grateful for your help, and definitely don't want to be a burden on you and your own life but..." His head would turn to the side, the tip of his tail slightly twitching. "Would I be able to travel with you for a bit?" He would turn back to her, flashing a nervous smile. "I have nowhere to go to, and it will just be for a bit till I figure something you." He added, not wanting to seem like he grew attached to her or just wanted to stick with her to be with her. He just needed a few days to figure some things out. Speech Thought Others Awesome table by Shelby <3

We all want something to hold in the night We don't care if it hurts when we're holding too tight Aranya listened carefully to all the male had to say, and could not help her eyes widening at Nuka's request. She wondered about this Silver he mentioned, but that curiosity was washed away by shock. She was surprised, of course, but curiously enough she was not repulsed. After all she had just met the brute earlier that day. But he seemed like a kind, gentle soul. For all that Aranya wanted very much to see him recovered, she also would like to become his friend. Now, it seemed as it that opportunity was providing itself to her, sparing her from long nights spent wondering about how the copper and white male fared. She cocked her heard at him, watching his every feature, looking for some hint of his base intentions. Aranya, of course, would love the company. Her instinct to help this wolf was strong, and to abandon him seemed wrong. But it was more than that too, something she could not sniff out just yet. She grinned. "Of course Nuka, that sounds fun! Don't worry about a thing, you can stay at my side for as long as you like. I'll sleep easier knowing you're okay, anyways. I denned down not far from here, there'll be room for two." It had been a stroke of luck to come upon an empty fox den, and digging it out a bit wider hadn't taken more than a flick of a tail. In retrospect, it was almost a perfect alignment of events. Aranya stood and smiled, waiting to see if the male had aught else to say before they took off. It was getting cold fast. "Speech," Think

He would watch her closely, wanting to see her reaction to his request. Nuka would understand, should she choose to turn it down, after all they just met and she had no idea what he was really like or what his intentions truly were. Maybe he seemed like a creeper to her, somebody waiting for her to let her guard down before moving in for the attack. Only he knew what he was like sadly, and even if he tried explaining she could either think he was telling the truth or believe he was lying to save his ass form something. To his surprise Aranya would accept his request, his ears shooting up, a look of surprise upon his face. He would just stare at her wide eyed, listening, trying to process this all. She thought it sounded fun, that he didn't have to worry about anything and could stay by her side as long as she liked and would be able to sleep easier knowing he was okay. That brought a warm smile to the boy, feeling like somebody cared about him, even if it was just about his health getting back to normal. She would even tell him she had a den not too far away, and had room for two. Tail was happily wagging behind the male, following the woman's motions, also standing up with a goofy grin. This was great! Nuka was so happy, he wouldn't be alone now, he had somebody to hang around, to help him get his strength back. In no time he was sure that he would look like he used too, muscle covering his frame, large, looking strong yet friendly. ?I'm ready.? He would give a nod of his head, waiting for the lady to lead. Speech Thought Others Awesome table by Shelby <3

Aranya could not restrain a grin when she saw joy blossom on the males face. Clearly his doubt in her acceptance had been strong, and she was happy in this case to prove him wrong. So far Nuka had proven himself to be a perfect gentleman, and it had been quite a long time since Aranya had had someone she could trust at her side. He did say he wanted to pay her back and at the very least, she was interest in how that might play out. Mostly, she just wanted to get to know the real him. He was ready, so she smiled and nodded, and turned for the woods. Her makeshift den was on the edge of the forest and fields, likely a rabbit warren, then a fox den, and now hers. The trek was not terribly long, hardly over a mile, but the moon shone bright and full in the sky ad they approached. Aranya had always loved the way it's light had made her glow, and her spirits lifted further yet. She came to a halt and parted the dead stalks that masked it's entrance. "Not half bad, huh? Will this do?" For the first time she truly considered that while yes, the den would fit two, the quarters would be... Rather close. She felt a blush creep up under her fur. Speech,Thoughts,

He would follow right behind Aranya as she moved, with some food in his belly the male was able to move a bit more without being exhausted quickly. Head would be held level with his shoulders, tail swaying low behind him as he kept up a steady pace. It wouldn't last long, the male not really paying much attention to the distance or how long it took, his copper gaze just taking in the land around him. When they finally came to a stop the moon would be high in the sky, casting its eerie glow on the land around them and making the woman sort of shine from the colors of her pelt. She looked pretty but at the same time a bit freaky looking, like a ghost. Copper eyes would watch Aranya pull aside some dead stalks, revealing the dens entrance and asking if it would do. He would move forward, looking to her briefly before sticking his head inside, letting his eyes have a few moments to readjust to the new darkness before checking it out. After a few seconds Nuka would pull back and smile to the woman, giving a small nod of his head. ?It looks good Miss. If you are uncomfortable though with use possibly being close, I could dig some more space out so I'm not on you.? He suggested, unsure of how she would feel about being close to him in there. He wasn't exactly a small guy, even if he was thin. Speech Thought Others Awesome table by Shelby <3