Loneliness was a feeling that all too familiar. It painted every aspect of Bronze's miserable existence, often blurring the lines between reality and fantasy.The male had walked willingly away from one of the few wolves that had actually seemed to enjoy his company; abandoning those that cared for him was becoming so common that it seemed as though it was a past time of his. As he walked from her, briefly turning to watch the female go, he was sure he felt upset; he was left with a bitter taste in his mouth, and his brown gaze became lackluster as he started blankly ahead of him. He allowed the fog to envelop his massive form, his eyes briefly closing as his paws carried him forward, far away from Rakshra. Darkness fell over him as eyes began to shut, lids fluttering to close and hide his empty stare. Still he took one step after another, knowing the brief blindness was dangerous, but the lack of control he had over his fate felt uplifting, even if only for a moment. He knew he was not in danger, as the air was free from the aroma of strangers.

He wasn't sure how long he walked, but only knew that Rakshra's scent slowly disappeared. Overhead the sun's rays bore down upon his pelt, melting the ice that had seemed to seep into his very core. He had felt warm pressed against Rakshra during the night, but upon leaving her he realized that he was far colder than he had known. But as the sun rose in the clear sky overhead, it warmed the entire land, bringing it to life once again. Even the birds had begun to sing; though rather than sounding joyous, their sounds sounded hollow and fake to Bronze. He could see through the facade of joy that they tried to present to him, and it felt him feeling jaded. It had been so many years since he had embraced the coming of spring with open paws. Rather than representing beauty and new beginnings, it was merely a painful reminder of the things that he had lost.

With great effort would he travel forth, his eyes finally opening. And he was lucky they had, too, for before him lay a vast expanse of land littered with over-sized boulders. Though the land was relatively stable, the rocks that surrounded him on nearly all sides were randomly placed and rather threatening. A sigh escaped his parted jaws as he continued on, looking nearly as lost as he was. Behind his massive frame, his tail hung limp, flicking randomly as he traveled. One step would be placed carefully after another, his pace slow and unsure.

Before long the male found himself turning in a different direction, veering to the right a bit. His aimless wandering left him feeling confused and even a bit distraught. It seemed as though no more than a handful of minutes had passed, but in reality the sun had already begun its descent below the horizon.

It wasn't entirely surprising, for it had been so long since he'd had any real sense of time. It seemed as though he had veered off to the left again, going in the exact direction he'd came. Was he missing Rakshra? Was it guilt that had crept into his being, shaking him to the very core? Was he regretting the way that he'd left her so coldly and without explanation? Either way, as darkness fell over the land, the brute allowed himself to be taken in by the night. He was nearly silent as he walked, the only sounds uttered were the gentle breaths that escaped from his unhinged jaws. The land seemed unfamiliar, though he swore he had turned around completely. Little hesitation was evident in the massive canine's step as he went forward, head hung low to the ground, tail swinging threateningly behind him, daring anyone to cross him.

Rakshra already deeply missed Bronze. Why had he wished to leave her so soon? She didn't know. But she guessed Bronze just thought of her as a weak burden to slow him down.

Rakshra found a patch of grass near a small lake with a small waterfall to match. She sighed and lied down. She was afraid that those dreams would come back to haunt her, but she really did need to rest. Hopefully by morning she would have forgotten about Bronze. But did she really want to forget about him?

Rakshra's eyes remained open as she watched the waterfall splash into the lake. Her eyes moved up slowly, until something caught her eye behind the waterfall. Was that a cave? It was. Rakshra got off her paws and made her way towards the waterfall. There was a small spot she might be able to squeeze through without getting wet to get into the cave. She tested her luck, and she did in fact make it through without getting wet. The cave was quite dark, though very roomy. Rakshra lied down near the entrance of the cave and again watched the waterfall, but this time from a more interesting view.

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The scent of another brought Bronze from his daze. It seemed as though a male wolf was lurking nearby. As the brute swung his head from side to side, his eyes scanning in front of him, he was unable to catch sign of any creature. Perhaps he was being followed? A low growl began to bubble in his large chest, spilling effortlessly from behind ivory lips. Behind his frame, his tail flicked threateningly, hackles raising along his neck and back. Further exploration of the surrounding area led to nothing but the lingering scent of a foreign creature. Eyes scanned the area around him frantically, his hazel eyes alight with both anger and irritation. Lips began to curl upwards, revealing stained fangs as the brute snarled, annoyed at the fact that it seemed as though he was being stalked.

Before he saw the creature emerge from behind a nearby boulder, he felt a seething pain in the side of his neck. He grew suddenly faint, as though the wind had been knocked out of him. The stranger's jaws had aimed for his neck, wrapping around his throat with ease. Panic flooded Bronze's body as he threw his weight side to side, attempting to flee from the wolf's grasp. The sound of tearing flesh was audible as he ripped himself from the canine's jaws. He was unsure why the male had targeted him, but his reasoning didn't matter -- his goal, however, as obvious. In the midst of night, his mind clouded with confusion, he could barely see the wolf's face, though he was a bit larger than him and considerably stronger, judging by the force with which he struck him as he went in a second time, knocking him to the ground.

Would this be it? Was this fate, finally coming to take him? Once again the felt adrenaline surge through him as he struggled to all fours, hearing the other wolf snarl and snap at him dangerously. It pulsed through his veins, giving him strength he didn't know he had left in him. Once again he felt fangs tearing at his side, ripping flesh, aiming to not only damage, but certainly to fatally wound. He found his voice again, snarling back at his attacker. He felt blood dripping from his neck and sides, the stinging night air causing him to wince slightly. With all the force he could muster, he found himself colliding with the stranger, able to knock him over with some great effort.

He wasn't sure how long the fight went on, but despite the stranger's obvious strength, Bronze seemed more skilled. As the minutes went on, he felt the strength oozing out from his very core, in the form of dark red blood trickling on the earth below. Finally he felt his tired body collapsing to the ground, expecting this to be the end. His eyes closed, forcing his mind to focus on more pleasant things -- if he was to die, he wanted to at least be at peace.

But no final blow ever came. He felt as though he was drifting to sleep, but shook his muzzle slightly, knowing if he fell unconscious it would surely be the end. With great effort the male pulled himself upright, moaning softly in pain. Perhaps if he could find water, he would wash him wounds and avoid infection entirely. The journey was slow and exhausting, feeling the sting of the air on the open wounds on his neck and sides. How he had escaped death was beyond him, but for some reason unknown to him, he was not ready to die. He dragged himself onward, limping slightly as one of his legs had been injured.

The ordeal seemed like it had taken eternity, but the sun still shone brightly overhead by the time the sound of running water reached his ears. A sigh escaped his parted jowls, his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth. He panted heavily as he walked, his chest heaving with labored breaths.

Before him lay a small lake. No familiar scents reached his nose, for he was preoccupied with cleaning his wounds before they dried too thoroughly. Carefully he approached the body of water, finding a shallow area and stepping in gingerly. Bronze winced as the frigid water hit the wounds on his side, though knew this was for the best.

The cold water gently splashed over Rakshra's paws, making the in between of her toes cold and her paws damp with water. Even through the thick waterfall in front of her, she could still see the beautiful light the moon shun off. Normally, you would think that a forest would be filled with life, especially around a lake at night, but no. The forest seemed dead to Rakshra. No birds singing, no crickets chirping, no noises except Rakshra breathing and the heavy waterfall she was behind.

The fresh smell of blood filled Rakshra's nose. The scent was unrecognizable to her. Normally, she would have gotten off her paws to go investigate, but she was not in the mood to keep anyone alive but herself.

The scent of blood drew closer and closer to Rakshra. After a while, she could barely make out the figure of a wolf across the lake. Not sure if it was the attacker of the other who might have gotten injured in the fight, she stayed hidden. If someone were to attack her right now, she would probably just give herself up. She had no friends or family. What was the point of pushing through longer in sadness when all you would do is die in the end anyway?

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His vision was foggy as his sides stung with the cold water. He was confused and even felt a bit faint as he stood in he shallows, letting the running water rinse the blood from his pelt. He hung his head low, gazing at his reflection in the water. The wolf staring back at him looked older than ever; his muzzle was stained with blood from the fight, and his eyes looked tired and dull.

As he let the water wash over him, the scent of another finally found him. Carefully he lifted his head, inhaling gently. The aroma was familiar, but why he wasn't sure. Gingerly he padded through the shallows, eyes straining to see who might be nearby. His eyes focused on a small waterfall at the end of the lake, his eyes narrowing.

Could it be Rakshra? No, that seemed impossible... too good to be true. Unsure, he let out a gentle bark. He maintained his distance, hoping if the creature was threatening, he could leave before they made it to him or realized where he was going. Brown eyes gleamed in the moonlight as he stared across the lake, watching and waiting.

The wolf let out a bark towards her. She guessed that the wolf had spotted her hidden behind the waterfall. She hoped that it wasn't the one that had attacked the other she had sensed in the distance, because if it were to attack her now she would have no choice but to fight. There was only one way in and one way out of the cave, and you would have to be careful getting out or the drop might result in a broke limb.

Maybe she would have realized it was Bronze if he wasn't covered in the scent of blood and his pelt wasn't stained red. Rakshra remained hidden behind the waterfall as she let out a bark in reply.

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All she offered in response was a bark. The scent reminded her of Rakshra, though he could barely get the heavy scent of blood out of his nose. Unsure, he crept forward a bit more, padding in the shallow end of the water. As he grew nearer, her scent was stronger, though he couldn't make out the wolf's silhouette from behind the waterfall.

There seemed to be a large clearing behind the flowing water -- perhaps a cave? -- but he was unsure whether he could make it in safely. At this point Rakshra's scent was overwhelming, but his mind was muddled and confused. Sore paws carried him to the edge of the falls, gingerly stepping on the slippery rocks that led up behind the falls. A pained groan escaped his throat as he struggled up, clambering up towards the cave. His fatigue was obvious, and by the time he found himself on solid ground he nearly collapsed on the floor, his vision hazy as he tried to focus on the wolf before him.

"Rakshra?" he mumbled, his voice shaky and confused, quite unlike how he'd spoken earlier. In many ways, he seemed as though he was entirely different being -- he was weak and helpless, as if no strength was left in him.

Rakshra could hear the familiarly sound of a wolfs claws scraping against rocks, in which she guessed the wolf was trying to heave himself up into the cave. By the sounds the wolf was making, she knew it was obviously injured. She drew herself further to the back of the cave, hoping the wolf wasn't looking for a fight.

The waterfall made the entrance of the cave quite slippery, in which she had learned when she nearly slipped pulling herself up into the cave. Surely an injured wolf wouldn't be able to bring itself up into the cave, but in a matter of moments she was proved wrong when there was indeed a wolf with the stain of blood in its pelt standing in the entrance.

'Rakshra?' it had spoken. How had it known her name? Just then, Bronzes scent rushed over Rakshra. It couldn't be Bronze, could it? No. He had gone in the opposite direction as her, but she had to make sure. "Bronze?"She said.

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His eyes were closed, but when Rakshra spoke his name, he was certain it was her. Even in the veil of confusion that had wrapped around him, it could be nobody else. "Yes..." he mumbled simply, wincing slightly as he felt his body wracked with pain. He was safe. She would not hurt him, even if she was upset with him for leaving earlier. Another groan of pain left his throat, as he dragged himself a bit closer to her. He looked utterly helpless, lying there on the floor without even the strength to open his eyes to see Rakshra, let alone to bring himself to all fours.

"I'm... sorry for leaving earlier." He apologized simply, his voice soft and gruff. He struggled to position himself in a more comfortable way, curling his head up into his side. The wounds had mostly dried on his sides, but they were still tender even moving slightly caused him great pain.

It was then when she realized it was Bronze who had been attacked. She could see the open wounds all over his body. She wondered for what reason that he had been attacked. Certainly he would not be the one who started the fight? But by looking at Bronze, it seemed that he had made it worse by trying to shake the grip of the other wolf off, which had tore his skin more than it most likely was.

'I'm sorry for leaving earlier.' he said. Truthfully, Rakshra didn't want to know why he had left. She attempted to change the subject. She looked over at the weak Bronze laying on the cave floor. "What happened?" she asked him.

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"I was attacked," Bronze was able to speak between slightly labored breaths. Rakshra displayed little emotion upon seeing him so injured, but Bronze didn't expect sympathy from anyone, even the female who seemed to have enjoyed his company earlier.

"I don't know who it was... Or why..." he finally opened his eyes, gazing at Rakshra with a pained stare. He shouldn't expect anything from her, and yet he felt expectant, as though she might. Gingerly he leaned to lap at the deep wound in his side, cleaning it carefully. "I... I'm glad I found you." In his time of weakness, there was nobody who would rather be with right now. The brute weakly struggled to pull himself closer to the cave wall, thankful for its protection.

Rakshra stared at Bronze. There wasn't anything she could do. She didn't know how to treat wounds. She wondered who attacked Bronze, and for what reason. Had the stranger been stalking them earlier? If so, why did he choose to go for Bronze and not Rakshra? Maybe Bronze looked weaker and older.

'I'm glad I found you.' Why was he glad he found her? She didn't know why, nor did she care...or did she care?

"I don't know what to do. I've never treated wounds before." she said. She didn't recall being taught anything from her parents, most likely because if she had been she would have been too young to remember, or to even care enough about paying attention. Until now, she never even gave much thought about treating wounds. She had never been in a situation where she had needed the skill. Rakshra remembered being offered to be taught about treating wounds and the sick, but she refused the offer, never thinking she would need it. She was wrong.

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