The speed of the thoughts buzzing around in his head was remarkable - something akin to a hive of bees. His mind was productive, calculating, and more importantly - practical. It hadn't taken him long at all to realize that running around the woods blind was a stupid idea, and an instant later he'd sprung this new idea of only one of them being blind. The smile grew as she agreed to his plan - ever amazing him as she did so. What reason did she have to trust him other than his word? He supposed he didn't have that much more of a reason to trust her, though. Then the hard question came, which of them would be led through the forest blind first? Whoever it was would be completely, utterly at the mercy of the other wolf. Who'd thought of this plan again? He chuckled quietly, with a just a hint of uncertainty. “I'll go blind first,” he answered, though his mind still whirred with the possibility that he may have just given her way too much power. He gave a fleeting smile and then glanced around him. They were on the far edge of the orchard, near the soulless forest. “Let's take a path back toward the Knolls from here,” that was nearly dead North of where they stood. He pivoted, rotating so his nose pointed North. He saw nothing before him but a gnarled mess. “Lead the way,” he finally voiced. “And don't you dare run me into a tree.” He smirked as he said it and then shut his stunning emerald eyes. “speak,”

Rhythm had little reason to really trust him like this, but when the worst he could do to her was run her into a tree there wasn't much she was risking. She had shared a den with him during that storm that felt like so long ago, and he hadn't tried anything then. She doubted completely that Kyarst would ever mean her harm. Already she'd offered him some of her deepest hurts, he'd opened up to her as well. She considered him a friend, and friends trusted their friends. He seemed slightly nervous at their contest beginning, but Rhythm would smile along as well. She would be good, she had no intentions of making him run into anything. “I'll go blind first,” So at least she'd get to prove she held no ill will towards him, even if she had to admit that making him run into a tree would be more than hilarious. She would nod in acceptance. Their first path would be going back to the knolls. She would nod as he shut his eyes and her form would once more brush against his side. Rhythm would try and ignore the tingling sensation she felt at being so close to him and would attempt to focus on memorizing the path that lay before them. She was going to have to navigate it next. "Okay, we've got about two wolf lengths before you're going to need to pick your feet up at least my chest height to get over this mess." She'd start as her own paws began to lead her down the path. She would come to the offending bush, "alright here it is," and delicately bring her legs up and over the small bush. Their next obstacle was a bit farther away. "We've got a downed tree next, maybe six lengths away. Just watch out there's also some sticks on the ground that might trip you up," She'd tell him softly as they continued. ""

As his eyes shut to the world around him he became incredibly aware of how vulnerable he felt. He prepared for the worst, knowing even if she tried her best it was very, very likely that he would stumble, fall, or face plant at least once in this journey. The only think that kept him from worrying too much about it was that, soon enough, he would be in control of her. It wasn't that he would ever dream of getting her back if she did run him into a tree. Or perhaps it was, he wasn't entirely sure. A smirk flickered on his lips for a split second before fading as she began to speak. It was time to pay attention, or he would end up on his face. Two wolf lengths. Did that mean her size or his? Larger wolves could move farther in one stride than smaller ones. Oh damn, this wasn't a good idea. He moved slowly, an ear tilted sideways - trained on her voice and breathing. He fought the urge to open his eyes as she alerted him to the area she'd previously spoken of. Now, what was it he was supposed to be doing now? He balked for a moment, trying to remember. Something about her chest? Oh, he had to lift his legs up to get over something. Tentatively he lifted his left front paw high, tucking it up against his own chest. His right propelled him forward and his left hit the ground on the other side with more force than necessary. Okay, that wasn't so bad. He let loose the breath he didn't know he'd been holding, focusing on her directions. There was a downed tree, and some sticks he ought to worry about. How far was six lengths? Every step felt like a mile, and he took each one far more tentatively than was probably necessary. He didn't like this, feeling like he might step on a rattlesnake if he moved an inch too far. Oh damn, how many lengths had he gone already? Who came up with this idea again? “speak,”

Kyarst was obviously tentative as he closed his eyes but he still didn't refrain from participation. They would easily make their way over the first obstacle, he'd offer a little hesitation but he seemed to do well either way. She'd smile softly, feeling pretty good about her directional skills so far. He hadn't even hit his toe on anything yet. Navigating the sticks that littered their path would be slightly more difficult. She'd watch his face from the corner of her eye, almost not believing that he hadn't opened his eyes he was doing so well. Well mostly, now that they were more out in the open he seemed to be slowing down. "Come on man! their just sticks," she'd giggle as she brushed against him. "C'mon," Her form would aim to push him to the left a bit, "Just don't leave my side." she meant to have them both pass the large branch in their path, if they passed it with no problem she would shift to the right, wondering if he'd follow her lead she'd do that with the rest of the smaller obstacles in their way. Hopefully she'd speed up his pace. Then they would be at the tree, "Two more strides and we're going to need to leap. There's plenty of space on the other side to land." If he was following her pace it was unlikely that he'd fail, the girl would complete said strides and with a powerful leap she would clear the log, hopefully with Kyarst at her side. ""

He didn't like the uncertainty he felt down to his very core. He didn't like not knowing what was around him and what could cause him harm. The high level of dependency he had on his vision and senses was all the more prevalent as he staggered along tentatively. She brushed against him, giggling at his predicament, and a snort would blow hard out of his nostrils. Just wait till he was in control. Oh wait, she was pretty good at trusting others, wasn't she? Why should she fear sticks when she had had a herd of buffalo chased at her? He leaned near her, but not so near as he probably needed to, and he realized it as one of his front paws drug across the branch she'd been trying to guide him away from. Luckily he was able to compensate and only stumbled a little bit as they continued on. He sped up, feeling a bit more confident now that she was so near. It was doubtful she'd run herself into a tree, so he felt relatively safe at her side. Then she said it. Two more strides, and then they would need to leap. Leap!? He snorted again, slowing his pace and feeling her brush past him. “You've got to be kidding,” he choked. But he couldn't act too afraid. Wary was one thing, fearful was another. The cobalt Armada picked up his pace again, leaping after he'd counted a total of two strides and landed - not so gracefully - no the other side. His front right paw gave way, and he found himself stumbling into his landing, but he'd made it all the same. He balked for a moment, and then rose to his paws. “Nailed it,” he commented with a grin. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. “speak,”

He was pretty good at following her guidance, though the first trip up would happen as he brushed past one of the errant sticks that barred their path. She would encourage him enough to speed up, and it was very much needed as the log was coming up. This would be the real challenge to their activity. She'd smile devilishly, excited to see if he could do it.. if they could do this. He'd slow, and she continued on making it easily over the obstacle, but he wasn't far behind. He'd do it, eyes closed and all. His landing wasn't quite perfect but it was impressive. She'd make her way to his side as he brought himself back to his feet, obviously proud of his accomplishment. Rhythm would smile excitedly, her dark tipped tail would swing at her hips in equally obvious pleasure. "Amazing!" she'd exclaim, "My turn now?" She would ask with a little less enthusiasm. He'd shown skill but how would she fare? ""

As he readjusted his stance he opened his eyelids, finding her smiling and wagging her tail at him. It seemed she was far more impressed with himself than he was. Leave it to Rhythm. He found himself smiling back, albeit not as wholeheartedly as her cheeky grin. “Yes ma'am,” he'd answer her with significantly more enthusiasm. It was her turn to be in the metaphorical hot seat, and now he held the reins in his paws. He gazed down the path he'd just traversed blindly, noting how much more confident he felt in the orchard now that he'd managed this feat. He decided to lead her down the same path, only going back the other way. The log would be her first obstacle, and he wondered if he would be able to lead her over it as effectively as she had led him. He supposed he would find out soon enough. “Close your eyes, Miss Rhythm. We'll see how much you really trust me..” Oh, this could be fun. “speak,”

Kyarst would waste no time in confirming that she was in fact up for her turn at their little training game. Now she felt a little more nervous, leading was easy. Closing her eyes and trysting Kyarst's guidance.. a little more nerve wracking. Still as he reminded her to close her eyes she wouldn't hesitate in submitting to her go. She'd close her bright blue and purple eyes as she stood a little bit taller. She wouldn't start moving until he offered the command. She didn't know where he was going to be leading her and so she would make assumptions and try to turn around. She'd take a deep breath, not missing that he'd called her 'miss rhythm' much like Valentine liked to do on some special occasions. She'd smile, though there was an obvious nervousness. "Alright, but no running me into any trees." She'd tease as she awaited his first directions. ""

Already he could feel the responsibility of not running her into something upon his shoulders, but beyond that was the incredible sensation of having complete and utter control of another wolven being. A smirk played across his lips, one that was invisible to her as she closed those pretty eyes of hers. She turned, obviously having assumed they would go down the same path. He pondered this for a moment and decided to go a different way. It wouldn't exactly be fair since she was already familiar with the path they'd already traveled. “No, no darling.. this way. Follow my voice,” he crooned in her ear, traipsing beyond her and walking backwards to the opening of another 'path' through the gnarled grove. There was indeed an opening, but it was not completely clear. There were sticks jutting upward that could harm her - being shorter than he - and so he knew he'd have to warn her. “Aright, slow down now because a wolf length ahead of you you're going to have to take a very short jump. You can't take a sailing leap because you'll hit something. It's narrow here, but you can make it if you do a little hop when I tell you to.” He eyed her, and then proceeded forward to step over the barrier that stood in her way. He was tall enough to step awkwardly over it, but he didn't trust that she would be so lucky. “I always thought you looked like a rabbit, show me you can hop like one.” It was the best he could do for her, and now he would wait and silently hope she'd make it over the first obstacle. “speak,”

She'd stand at the ready but already she was in need of direction, as she readied ehrself Kyarst's sweet voice directed her a different direction. With her eyes shut tight she'd step cautiously, her paws lifting much higher than she might have with her regular sight. She'd follow after her guide's voice, completely blind to the path he was bringing her down. Another direction would touch her ears, though she wasn't sure how much more she should really slow down. She already felt like she was crawling. As he spoke though she would reign in her stride as he explained what was in front of her. She'd hesitate slightly, but as she neared what she thought was a wolf length Kyarst's words were once again floating in her mind. She couldn't help but smile as the image of herself as a rabbit was slipped into her thoughts. She'd take a deep breath and with all her inner rabbit would bunny hop over the obstacle. She'd celebrate as she hit the ground only to be suddenly alarmed by a pain in her back right paw. With a pain squeak she'd stumble forward with a pice of wood protruding from her hind foot. "Ouch!" ""

Perhaps he wasn't the greatest at giving directions, or else she'd just been unlucky. Whatever the case, he was alarmed to see her land gracefully - with a piece of wood jutting out of her leg. Yikes. He noted then that it was in her foot, but the location really didn't seem to matter. He imagined it hurt. She yelped out an 'ouch' and he sprang to her side, pressing into her uninjured side so that she could lean on him and keep weight off of her hurt paw. “Okay, you can open your eyes now..” he voiced uncertainly, knowing he wasn't the best one to have along in this type of situation. He lowered his head and craned his vision beneath her, gazing at her injury. It didn't look horrible, but it didn't look good either. Of course, how good could a piece of wood look when coming out of someone's body? “Okay, um, how do we fix this?” He had no clue about fixing one's body, in fact, he only had a clue when it came to tearing the body apart. He didn't imagine that's what she needed at this particular moment, so he would stand there allowing her to brace against him if she wanted, and wait for her advice on what needed to happen next. “speak,”

She knew she was falling but couldn't really help it as she tried to turn to look at the injury in her foot. Thankfully Kyarst was there and she'd land against his side maybe a bit harder than he was expecting. Still, she would be saved as the pain coursed up her leg. By now she had opened her eyes, but Kyarst's words would only encourage her. It hurt but slowly she'd bring up her paw to take a look at the injury sustained. She was almost regretful of the decision as she say the stick very much lodged in her paw. She'd whine at the sight, resisting the urge to toss her cookies. "Oooh, it hurts." She'd hiss as Kyarst asked what they needed to do, she thought it obvious. It hurt going in she was sure the removal would be just as painful. "first we have to get it out." She didn't really hide her cringe as she lowered herself to the ground somewhat awkwardly. Another whine would leave her as she put her teeth to the shaft and pulled, but even as she gripped the pain was too much. "Ooow!" She'd real back as her bright eyes looked up to her companion, wondering if she should even try to charge him with this task. She'd take a deep breath, the throbbing in her paw becoming very much distracting. "I don't think I can do it." ""

Of course it was obvious. There was a stick there that shouldn't be there, the obvious decision was to remove it. How he hadn't thought of it, he might never know. Alas, she leaned against him - her weight upon him more than he expected but not more than he could handle. She really was hurting. She confirmed the need to remove the stick, and he would nod his head while cursing his stupidity within the confines of his brain. He watched her lower herself, and he would take it upon himself to circle around her and focus on her injured limb. Much to the discomfort of his stomach, he watched her try to excavate it from her own paw - and fail. He knew what that meant, and he began to mentally prepare himself in an instant. He was going to have to pull it out. He examined the wound as she told him she couldn't do it, and already he began to calculate the angle he'd have to pull at to remove it without injuring her further. He nodded his head and inched his muzzle closer - as if his proximity might cause her pain. Finally he was close enough and he gripped it tight between his front teeth, struggling not to wiggle too much to either side. In one quick movement he pulled straight back toward himself, backing up a step in the process. He felt the resistance of her flesh gripping the splinter, and then he felt it give way. He'd done it. The sliver of wood fell from his jaws as he systematically dipped his head down and began to lick her wound. The metallic taste of blood spread across his tongue as he gently and rhythmically cleaned her paw. At least he knew how to do this. He paused after a few moments, casting his gaze to her uncertainly. “Are there.. leaves or something we need to put on this?” Sure, because that's how healing worked. “speak,”

Rhythm was vaguely aware of Kyarst as he circled around her and watched as she struggled to perform the delicate task on herself. She was a little overwhelmed though, it really hurt and she wasn't going to be able to inflict that pain on herself. Thankfully she had the brave Kyarst to do so for her, she felt really special knowing that she didn't even have to ask as he took in the wound with great contemplation. She felt pretty safe in his care, but that didn't mean she wasn't about to really hurt. She'd suck in her breath as she watched his jaws wrap around the protrusion. She had to close her eyes but as he pulled she couldn't help but to cry out as the impaled stick left her paw. Before she could recoil from the procedure she'd feel Kyarst's tongue against her wound. "I wish I knew some good curses. That really hurt." She'd mumble as her eyes fluttered open to watch as he finished cleaning the fresh blood from her paw, surely removing any other small slivers that might have gotten caught. "I think there might be some periwinkle around here, it'll help ward against infection along with trillium. But both of those are flowers." Not that he cared too much she was sure. "Other than that most bonding herbs wont really work on my foot. I'll probably just have to limp around for a few days." She was ever the graceful one it seemed. She'd also succeeded in ruining their game. ""

ooc; phone post so no table, sorry

'I wish I knew some good curses. That really hurt.' He smirked as he lashed his tongue against his lips like a jungle cat, removing bits of her blood from his maw. "I could suggest a few," he voiced mostly in jest. She spoke about periwinkle and trillium but in all honesty it went above his head. She then talked about the fact that most cures wouldn't work because it was her foot, and he nodded with mild understanding. It made sense that a foot would be difficult to heal because of the constant movement. "I'm so sorry Rhythm, I never meant for you to get hurt." Though it hadn't entirely been his fault, it certainly wasn't hers and so the blame was most certainly on him - at least in his mind. "Would you like me to help you back to your den? You should probably rest.." He may not know everything, but he knew that much. Rest was good for healing, he knew that from experience. He cast a concerned, green eyed gaze down on her, hoping she wouldn't object to his assistance.

She appreciated that he was still humorous as she endured the pain from her injury. "I could suggest a few," she couldn't help but giggle slightly. She almost took him up on his offer, however there were other more pressing matters than learning to curse. She wouldn't be able to do much for herself, but really preventing infection was probably her only concern. Rhythm would have to live with the pain for a few days while she healed. He seemed to mostly get what she was saying about the plants, it made sense that such a place would be difficult to keep any type of applicable medicine on it. "I'm so sorry Rhythm," she couldn't help but shake her head and deny his apology, "No, it's not your fault." She'd try to assure him though he would still offer his services. "But I would appreciate the held back to the knolls." Her bright gaze would reach up to find his brilliant gems, she'd manage a shy smile as she struggled slightly to her feet. Or three of them at least, she'd be hobbling for a few days. Not harboring much confidence she'd look back to her companion, her form followed her gaze as she moved closer to the dark Armada. ""

It took her only a moment to deny his apology, and he shook his head with a frown. It might not directly be his fault, but it certainly was indirectly. He'd come up with this stupid idea, after all. And she'd gone along with it... Why, exactly? He hadn't a clue. She did oblige him and take his offer of assistance, and so a smile would creep across his lips as she struggled to her paws. She moved closer to him and he closed the distance, allowing her to lean on him however much or little she wanted. “First stop, the Knolls.” At least he knew that place like the back of his paw. He moved forward tentatively, unsure of how fast she might be able to travel. “If you need to stop and rest, just say so,” he offered sincerely. There was no use in wearing herself out in attempt to get there faster. He rooted his claws into the earth and continued forward, being sure to move slowly and deliberately so that he didn't rush her or allow her to fall. “speak,”

He hardly seemed relieved that she hadn't taken his apology, but she couldn't really place any blame on him, accidents happened. She was just glad he really hadn't run her into a tree. Rhythm would offer Kyarst a reassuring grin, even with the pain in her paw she'd enjoyed spending as much time as they had together. Their game had been more than amusing. They'd started in some rather depressing thoughts, but he'd help to make sure her mind didn't linger on her problems. She'd laughed and maybe even learned a thing or two about the orchard. Maybe this game really would make a difference for her one day. Her smile would soften as Kyars closed the distance between them and offered himself as her crutch. She was not about to refuse, though she found using only three legs wasn't quite as difficult as she might have thought. Still she kept close, it wasn't very often she was able to enjoy such proximity. “If you need to stop and rest, just say so,” She would nod, though the motion seemed effortless right now she could see high potential for cramping holding her leg up like she was. She'd lead them, finding that Kyarst would adjust himself to her pace. At first she would easily find a gentle lope, Her three-legged gait not nearly as graceful as her normal pace but it was efficient enough. Though as they passed through the last few trees of the orchard and stepped into the knolls her whole left leg seemed to cramp up. "Ouch, ouch, ouch.." Her form would stop as she swiveled to look at her poor limb. It was stuck! It hurt too much to let it down, but with obvious effort and suffering eventually her paw would touch the ground again. She'd sigh, the last leg of the journey would be the most difficult. She'd have to use her injured leg, other wise she'd cramp up again. Taking a deep breath she'd ready herself, bright eyes back on Kyarst as she righted herself. "I may need to lean on you a bit more now, my leg just doesn't want to not be used." ""

She didn't put as much pressure on him as he thought she might, and he found himself in awe of her strength. Despite the fact that her wound wasn't mortal, she still seemed very put together considering the predicament she was in. Suddenly she stopped, about the time they reached the edge of the knolls. He stopped too, bracing his figure in case she needed to rest more of her weight upon him. She expressed her need to lean on him more now, as her leg was protesting being held up so high. He nodded, offering a bit of knowledge he had. "It's best to move an injured part, even if it hurts like hell. Seems kinda ironic, but that's how it works." An ear flickered back to catch her reply, if there was to be one, all the while trying to think of a story or tale he could weave in order to keep her mind off of her pain. His mother had often told him stories of his battlefront days when he'd been too sick or injured to get around. He couldn't remember many of those word for word, but he could certainly recall his own glory days. "I guess it's not in a healer's nature to get hurt a lot... 'injury' is practically my middle name." He wasn't trying to make light of what had happened to her, but rather let her know that she would make it through this - as he always had. He continued on, carefully adjusting his pace to hers to keep from rushing her or holding her back. His tail flagged out stiffly behind him, batting to or fro whenever he was in particular need of extra balance. ""

Kyarst wouldn't struggle to keep up with her pace of course, though he might have looked a little surprised at how quickly she moved at first. She was determined to make it back to the den, but she was still unable to continue with out being aided completely. Her companion stopped just as easily beside her as she realized that she wasn't going to be able to finish the trek like this. Kyarst would accept the new burden with a nod, of course the only hindrance she would be on him was wasting his time. Not that he would voice any type of complaint, instead he'd mention some knowledge that would go to help her. This was the second time he'd given her helpful knowledge. "That's terrible." Was all she'd say, but there was amusement in her voice as they started again. She'd walk on her toes, avoiding touching the actual wound to the ground. There wasn't a whole lot of weight offered to that leg, instead it would rest in her other side, as well as a bit on Kyarst. He matched her pace perfectly, and she couldn't help but smile through the pain as he offered a bit more insight to his own life. Indeed, Rhythm had suffered very few physical injuries through out her life. While Kyarst was reckless enough that he would boast his middle name was injury. Rhythm couldn't help but snort in amusement. "Alright, Kyarst Injury Armada, what kind of wounds have you sustained through out your life?" She'd smile at him, surely this would be enough to keep her mind off how much her paw hurt. Maybe she'd even get an embarrassing story or two. ""