Spirits of the Earth

OOC: This thread has been closed.

For the better part of a week she'd been kept on her toes. Just when she'd felt safe enough to stop she'd be pushed on again. She never had solid proof but she felt like she was being followed and the paranoia was killing her. There was little time to rest let alone sleep and Vivien had grown exhausted from being on the move. She felt so weak, the strength to keep her eyes open endlessly draining every night.

She'd kept to the deeper forest but was pushed toward human settlements and following their roads instead of natural trails in her exhaustion. She hoped she was wrong about her hunch and she might find safety outside of the home she'd known for years. Surely one wolf was not worth all the trouble now.

Vivien had wandered through miles of unknown, unclaimed land since leaving her pack's territory but at last there was a new, different scent as she neared an otherwise unassuming town. It was the first hint of others of her kind she'd come across since she'd left and she was willing to take a chance with whomever she might encounter. Perhaps if she could explain her situation they might take pity and allow her shelter.

She did not want to approach directly, wary of a scene so close to the human inhabitants. Instead, she returned again to the shelter of the trees as she circled the town, studying it as she tried to determine how many of her kind she might be dealing with. It had yet to occur to her that the area had been claimed by only one wolf as it certainly seemed a place that could house many without much disturbance.

Satisfied when she was not immediately found and attacked Vivien moved away from the dwellings to finally rest, though she kept what she could of them in her sight. She sat her tired body down once more and situated herself in such a way that she could make a relatively quick escape should she be found. Her possessions were few but she knew better than to get too comfortable or make a mess of them, though she had little besides the travel-worn clothes she wore.

Seams needed mending and a meal would soon be necessary, but those were all chores she hoped not to bother with until after a night of much-needed rest.

The day started like any other day. Wolfram woke up before dawn, washed his face and hands, dressed in thick leather breeches and boots, ate a bland breakfast of leftover bread and dried meat, then headed to the forge.  Fires were stoked; steel and iron were laid out in preparation of being heated, hammer, and shaped. Like clockwork the thundering sounds of metal on metal crashing in a steady rhythm began just after dawn while the rest of the town began waking to go about its day.

Horseshoes, armor, weapons, tools – Wolfram could forge anything from buckles to helmets. It took hours to finish some projects; filled and half-filled crates were stacked in a storage area, orders in progress or ready for shipment. A lot of his work ended up leaving town, but he still served the town's needs sufficiently. Women came to have pots mended, farmers for plows that needed replaced, he made blades for hunting and blades for carving, tools for skinning, and the list of things to make was endless.

He liked it that way.

A constant stream of work meant that Wolfram always had an excuse not to socialize too much with the humans he lived alongside. They were a well-intentioned and friendly settlement, but they only welcomed him because he was useful and they thought that he was like them – human. If they knew what he was they'd probably run him out of town if they didn't end up killing him outright.

The real downside was that his entire day was consumed in a mindless routine; a rather vicious day and night cycle that almost never deviated outside a rather strict set of normality. Simply put – his life was boring. Mind-numbingly so.

Perhaps that was why Wolfram was so hyperaware when something became a tiny bit off about his surroundings. Not his immediate surroundings, everything at the forge was just as it was supposed to be. He had no idea what suddenly caused him to feel out of place, it was so subtle and faint that it was more nagging suspicion than actual sense of something being wrong. It was strange and filled him with tension that he couldn't simply shrug off.

With his work on orders ahead of schedule and the daylight rapidly fading, Wolfram decided to shut down the forge just a little early. He gathered up a small package and headed into town, the off feeling following him and growing stronger. Before he reached where he was going it suddenly struck him.

He could smell another wolf. It wasn't overwhelming, and he was pretty sure there was only one. In the five years Wolfram had lived in Anville not once had he ever had another wolf come onto his territory. Honestly he was surprised it hadn't happened yet. The land surrounding the town was good, there was plenty of game, and it was overall just a nice range that could support a decent sized family of wolves.

Brushing it aside, he continued on his way before knocking on the door of one of the little houses in town. A middle-age woman opened the door and greeted him warmly with a smile. Wolfram tried not to be rude, but everyone knew he was serious and brisk in his interactions. In less than a couple minutes they had exchanged the package he brought with a small basket.

Wolfram's mind was working furiously all the way back to his home connected to the forge. What should he do about the trespassing wolf? If they were alone then this wasn't a pack coming in to try to lay claim to what was his, but that didn't mean it wasn't another young lone wolf trying to establish their own territory by taking his; although if that were the case he wondered why they hadn't made themselves known yet.

It wasn't as if they could sneak up on him now.

Maybe they weren't trying to be sneaky? Either way, it could wait for now. Beating metal all day in a forge wasn't exactly light work. Wolfram was tired and hungry. If the wolf was going to cause trouble then they would do it and he would simply be ready for them. Given their behavior they seemed more likely to just be passing through.

Wolfram could afford to wait and see what the other wolf would do, so that's what he decided to do. He ate most of the contents of the basket, which had a fresh loaf of bread from that morning, some cheese, and more dried meat. A bland supper, but not knowing what the trespasser was up to made him not really want to hunt. Not truly satisfied, he bathed himself, then crawled into bed just as he would any other night that he did not go hunting.

The next morning he repeated his routine up until the part where he would normally fire up the forge for the day. Instead he found himself leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest and staring intently into the trees.

Waiting.

Vivien slept early and straight through the night, but even as the beginning of the morning's light woke her she still did not feel as well as she had hoped she might. She was relieved, at least, to find herself alone and undisturbed at last. Perhaps she had made a good choice after all, but that would be decided once she'd learned whether she might be welcome or not. She wanted to find out before she got too comfortable or went hunting on another's land, at least.

Gathering her things, the woman moved from her resting place within the brush to set out towards the waking town. She moved slowly but with purpose, aware that she might be easily spotted out in the open by the morning light. She cared little about that, though, for she felt she had nothing to hide despite her disheveled appearance.

Making her way back to the main road, Vivien entered the town with a curious eye. The scent she'd detected the previous night was even stronger, which was good as she saw it. A wolf she did not recognize was likely a wolf unassociated with her pack, or previous pack as she was beginning to call it. That at least was a thought that put her at ease.

She followed it as it became stronger, aware of but ignoring the eyes that followed her for her limp. No other wolves were detected, though, as she wound her way through Anville. She thought it peculiar that a wolf might be living alone among so many humans. What reasons might they have for such isolation? It gave her pause, the thought of her own exile suddenly not such a special circumstance if there were others in a similar situation.

Once she found herself near the outskirts again at the forge by the edge of the forest she stopped and looked around to study what she could see about the workshop without entering.

She stared, puzzled and wondering if she had simply missed something along the way, but she could not deny that the scent she'd followed was definitely strongest there around the treeline. Vivien stepped quietly on the ground as she peered inside at all the various tools and projects. It smelled strongly of metal and ash but she dared not move closer without permission. "Hello?" she called softly, wary of being loud and drawing unwanted attention to herself in an unfamiliar place.

Wolfram had honestly expected that the strange wolf would either simply move on come morning, or would approach him from the forest. He never would have anticipated her walking along the main road straight through town, but it also gave him plenty of warning that she was coming. Especially given how slowly she moved. He'd spotted the she-wolf long before she would notice him and moved back into the house to observe her from a window, hiding behind a curtain so that he would not be seen by her unless he wanted to be.

This really wasn't what he expected at all. Although what he should have expected didn't really cross his mind either. The creature limping up the road towards his home looked a little pathetic in all honestly; she was skinny, bedraggled, and obviously possessed a mild disability. It made him wonder why she was alone, but she was alone. Wolfram was sure of that much by now.

The blacksmith allowed Vivien to reach his forge, allowed her to tentatively peek inside and simply waited to see what else she would do. At least until she called out. He supposed hiding from her wasn't really going to accomplish much when she seemed intent on speaking with him.

With a sigh he moved from his hiding place and went around to the door that opened into the forge, Wolfram squared his shoulders, making sure he looked properly intimidating as he threw the door open and stepped out, steel-grey eyes looking mildly stormy.

"If you haven't moved on by now then you must want something. May I ask why you spent the night uninvited on someone else's territory? It's usually polite to ask first, if you didn't know." Was he annoyed? Maybe a little, but mostly because he didn't know why she was there or what she wanted from him. Was he tense? Definitely, and mostly for the same reasons.

When she heard the door her eyes snapped to it immediately, her body following to turn slowly to face him as he stepped out. She'd quietly come to conclusions in her head about what a solitary wolf might be. Older, she'd assumed, as well as growly and full of fire and spit. He definitely seemed young, much, much younger than the grey old man she'd thought she might find despite the streak in his hair.

The others were yet to be determined, but her head hung a bit at the realization that she had not been so well-hidden after all and he had known about her presence all night. At least he'd thought to leave her alone.

Vivien studied him quietly for a few moments, her mouth opening slightly as if she might start speaking before closing it quickly. Would he be upset if she were honest? Did he care for the real reason? She wasn't so sure she needed to give the whole truth of her situation to a complete stranger, finally thinking better of it as she lifted her eyes to meet the grey of his own.

"I apologize for not asking before, I was very tired when I arrived," she explained. "But I came to ask for shelter, if you'll permit it. To stay and to hunt. I haven't touched any of your game." She was quite proud of that particular point all things considered, but she gave a tired smile if only to try and lighten the mood and ease the obvious tension in his posture.

There was no use trying to hide the fact that he was sizing her up, so Wolfram didn't try to hide it as he examined her now that they were face to face, and he knew that he was under just as much scrutiny as they examined each other. He wondered what was going through her mind. All he could see were confirmations of what he'd already decided – she was skinny, disabled, weak, and a bit of a mess.

Wolfram folded his arms across his chest again; gaze still neutrally severe as he waited to hear the she-wolf's excuses for being on his land without permission and without passing through as quickly as possible. What answer he finally got was hardly satisfactory, but he had asked her why she had spent the night uninvited, not why she was there in the first place, so he supposed technically she had answered the question – and she had apologized.

It was her request that had him arching a dark eyebrow at her questioningly, though.

"Shelter." Wolfram said the word slowly and with a great deal of inflection. "You wanted to ask me for shelter." It wasn't a question at this point. "And what kind of shelter were you hoping for? If you hadn't noticed, there isn't a den here and no other wolves. You want to hunt game on my land and, even assuming you could catch game," He gestured at her leg, indicating her limp, "What reason do I have for letting you?"

What reason did he have not to let her? There was more than enough food to be found in this place. The miles of forest he claimed could easily sustain several wolves. It wasn't really an issue of availability. She was an unknown wolf; a stranger and trespasser. Being wary was simply the smart thing to do.

She swallowed hard beneath his questioning, having to remind herself he was a stranger and entitled to ask seeing as it was his land and it was she that was asking the favors. The implication that she couldn't catch something on her own earned him a stern glare as she shifted her feet about, leaning on her good leg as she tucked the other behind it self-consciously. It was clear that he'd been able to watch her if he knew of it, though she had no idea when it might have happened.

"You're the only wolf around for miles," she pointed out, hoping he might see she'd at least done her research and wasn't going to him blindly. "I wasn't asking to share your home, if that's what that is." Vivien gestured towards the door he'd come through. "I can manage just fine outside, I don't mind the weather."

She stared at him thoughtfully, wondering if he might be more receptive to bargaining or the truth. "I could make you some salves and tonics before I leave. I'm a healer by trade." He didn't need to know that she wasn't a particularly good one yet, though. "But to be truthful I'm a bit of an...exile from my pack. They didn't want me around anymore and I haven't decided where to go yet or what to do, really." It was as much of the truth as she was willing to admit for the moment and she hoped it might be enough to satisfy whatever curiosity he had about it.

"Shelter can mean more than some walls and a roof, girl." Wolfram pointed out. There were unclaimed woods beyond his territory, she could have settled there if she needed somewhere to call home, but she didn't. For whatever reason the she-wolf had come onto another wolf's land to find refuge. To him that implied there was reason for her to want shelter where another wolf, or wolves, protected and guarded from outsiders.

Learning she was an exile only made him think that more. It made him curious as to why she was outcasted by her pack. Did it have anything to do with her limp? Honestly it didn't seem pronounced enough to truly impair her ability to function mostly normally. The she-wolf wasn't a cripple. Or maybe he was wrong. Only time could really tell.

"A healer is a strange trade for a wolf. I can't say I've ever had much need for salves or tonics." Wolfram didn't uncross his arms, but he did walk out of the forge and past Vivien, nodding towards the more busy parts of the town. "Humans need healers. I think that a healer could do well for herself in a settlement like this, if she had the notion to."

She kept a watchful eye on him as he moved, stepping aside to be out of his way as she turned to face him again. The explanation seemed odd to her. Was it an invitation? A suggestion? An idea to hatch in some place that was not already his own? She wasn't quite sure, but she was willing to assume it was an invitation as she looked beyond him to the humans.

"I could try, I'm sure they can't be much more difficult to treat." Vivien chanced a step closer, uncertain if he was going elsewhere or merely stepping outside for a moment. She intended to remain close at least until she could convince him to allow her to stay, manners be damned if that meant she needed to tail him like some lost pup.

"I could earn my keep that way if you'd prefer. Share the payments in exchange for...shelter, as you say," she suggested. "Would that be acceptable?"

"No, it isn't acceptable. I don't want your coin. What would I even do with it?" Wolfram didn't need more money, he had money. Not to say he had coffers overflowing with gold, but he didn't need more. Unlike some humans he wasn't filled with greed. He had everything a wolf could need - territory, food, shelter...everything except other wolves to keep him company, but he refused to dwell on companionship. For five years he'd done quite well on his own.

"You were exiled. You said yourself that you didn't know what to do or where to go. With no pack to help support you I suggest you learn to support yourself. Quickly. I had to." He looked down at her with a frown. Wolfram could feel sympathetic to her plight. They were both exiled from their previous packs, although he was certain for very different reasons.

"You don't take more than you need, you don't draw attention to what we are, and you don't cause trouble for me. There is room for both of us on this territory, and I will let you stay as long as you follow those three things. At least until you annoy me or figure out what you're going to do." Grey eyes looked back over the town again, considering all those humans living their lives with no clue that they had not one, but now two wolves living right under their dull noses.

Wolfram sighed heavily. Letting her stay was not at all what he figured would happen when he'd first noticed her last night. "I have work to do. Go settle yourself somewhere and eat. You look underfed."

It seemed she might be turned away after all, his rejection of her idea not something she could easily argue. If he did not want it then he did not want it. She was clueless as to how she was to persuade a stranger to accept something he did not want, so she simply nodded in understanding and let the issue lie without complaint.

His words left her curious still, though, wondering why he'd had to do such a thing himself. In her life a pack had always been essential for protection, resources, and companionship. She couldn't really imagine a life where she didn't have other wolves to lean upon. Perhaps she'd gotten too comfortable with it all, but it seemed an incredibly lonely way of life long-term. She planned on avoiding that if she could manage it, maybe drift between packs elsewhere that might tolerate her once she was back on her feet or out staying her welcome.

Wolfram's rules seemed simple enough. They were all things she was accustomed to. A few skills would need a bit of brushing up on as far as sustaining herself. If she was to go out and either sink or swim she hoped she could at least stay afloat.

She offered a grateful smile, eager to agree and be out of his hair before he decided to change his mind. "Thank you. You'll hardly notice me," Vivien promised, though she had nothing to base that upon. Truly she had taken a great deal of her old pack's time and attention for her care. It was less effort to just allow her to share in their spoils rather than drag her along for a hunt or watch her struggle to bring down her own animal. She shared all their resources despite how little her own contributions affected them, though she did not have the benefit of potential trade with humans regularly before.

Vivien turned to leave him to his work and return to the woods, the town itself seeming a bit intimidating for her to venture out to without purpose just yet. She would make something of her time there eventually she was sure. With his blessing she intended to make a home for herself in the forest first, temporary as it may have been.

Instead of eating as he'd instructed she got herself settled first, choosing an outcropping shelf of rock for herself. It was away from the farms she could see in the distance but nearer to the forge than she'd been the previous night, the building and his attached home still in sight as she set her bag down as claim over it.

The demands of her stomach were only met later that day after she'd familiarized herself with the town from a distance, curious but wary about the humans she saw going about their own business. Taking to her wolf Vivien moved more swiftly at least, though the hunt was not as thrilling as it should have been to her tired body. She managed to catch a young hare, but the creature was a mere morsel compared to the great beasts her pack would normally partake in. It was enough to stave off the gnawing hunger in her belly at least.

Vivien was certain it might take several days to chip away at it to regain the strength she should have had. She did have energy enough to finally clean herself, washing the dirt of her travels from her skin by an empty section of river decidedly downstream of the settlement. She remained constantly alert and still expecting her pack to find her at any moment. Little by little she was beginning to feel more like herself again, but there was much work to come and more time to pass.

It was almost a relief to have it settled, even if it wasn't the outcome that Wolfram was expecting. Then again, it was a hard situation to anticipate. A rival wolf coming to challenge him for the right to live there was something he could have expected, but not a decidedly non-threatening wolf asking to join him. Of course she hadn't actually joined him. They were merely sharing a territory for now, and sharing was probably too strong a word. He was tolerating her.

She would recover from her exile and move on to join a pack somewhere else once she felt strong enough to leave. That was for the best, really. Wolfram was just one wolf and Vivien was obviously used to being with an entire pack. Breaking from a community or family to being more or less alone wasn't easy. He should know.

Wolfram waited until she was out of his sight before heading back inside the forge, firing everything up so that he could get at least some work done today after the delay. It was hard to find his rhythm, with his routine being thrown off by Vivien's arrival. Somehow he highly doubted that he would 'hardly notice her' as she'd promised. Just knowing the she-wolf was out there was something of a distraction, and that didn't even touch on the fact that every once in a while he'd suddenly find his nose huffing with the scent of her.

She was the first wolf he'd seen in five years, the first wolf he'd seen ever that he was not related to. Wolfram found it hard to just ignore her presence. Agreeing to let her stay had been out of pity or sympathy, at least he thought that was most of the reason. As he worked it became less clear.

Had he been too cold in his reception? Probably, but his social skills were decidedly rusty. So many years alone had obviously had an effect on him. This was a tremendous opportunity for him and he was practically throwing it away. When his father had forced his older brothers and him to leave home, this wasn't what his family had expected, for any of them to spend their lives alone. They'd thought they would find packs with room to take them, or form new packs – together or individually.

Wolfram wasn't about to leave his territory to try to find any of his brothers, and he didn't think he could simply start another pack just like that, but he could try to be a little nicer to the first wolf he'd seen in five years. No matter how often or how fiercely he denied it to himself, his life was very lonely. Wolves weren't meant to live alone, not for extended periods of time.

His mind was completely unfocused on work. With an agitated sigh Wolfram decided that today was pointless in the forge. Nothing would get done properly with him so wound up over the she-wolf. He didn't even know her name, for pity's sake. Not her fault, he'd been so gruff it was no wonder she'd hurried away from him without even exchanging names. He wouldn't have wanted to be around a grumpy wolf like him either.

So much for first impressions, she probably wasn't interested in being on more friendly terms than simple tolerance after that. Well, all he could do was extend the olive branch, as it were. They were going to be living in relative close proximity, might as well make it as pleasant as possible.

Wolfram didn't really think about it when he closed the forge and headed into the forest, swiftly taking to his wolf. She hadn't gone very far, he found her belongings easily, but she wasn't there. Well, he had told her to find something to eat, maybe she was hunting. He could have followed her trail, but just the thought of hunting had put him in the mood to do just that himself. Meals of bread and dried meat were alright, but hardly satisfying to a wolf.

Knowing the deer trails, knowing where they grazed and where they slept, gave him a decided edge over his much less intelligent prey. It took very little time for him to find a young doe and dispatch it. Still not thinking about it Wolfram dragged his kill back to where the she-wolf had settled herself. There was enough meat for both wolves to have a good meal, but he suddenly realized that she might consider his gesture insulting. After all, he had seen the way she glared at him when he'd suggested that she might not be able to catch her own food.

So Wolfram simply stood there indecisively, doe still hanging from his jaws by its throat.

When at last she fled from the river to return to her chosen spot Vivien had taken to her wolf once more. It was fast and there was no need for her to drag herself through the forest when there was always a much easier way. She gave the town a wide berth, choosing to take a less direct route so that she would not be spotted unless it was by the eyes of some far-wandering human.

As she approached the scent of blood became quite obvious and it gave her pause, her senses on high alert as she drew nearer. She realized the scent of the other wolf had become stronger as well, but it was not the scent of his blood in the air. When she finally came upon the site again she was stunned to see another wolf there, and with a kill at that.

Vivien looked around tentatively, unsure why he was there at all. She recognized him for his scent with how unmistakeable it was in his chosen form, but she still took time to study him as she would any newcomer.

Her eyes, large with a pronounced hunger over the sight of a fresh kill, kept going to the doe dangling from his teeth. She wondered if he'd only come around to boast. Maybe he was the sort that liked to show off and parade his kills. If that was what he was doing it was certainly affecting her. She was a bit ashamed at how her stomach protested over the sight and smell, the doe so close yet so far from attainable in her eyes.

She didn't want to be rude or seem unhappy that he'd managed to catch it, but she lowered her head and averted her eyes from the young deer to not torture herself with it. She'd learned better than to beg and she assumed he had no intentions of sharing. She gave a short huff of acknowledgement but otherwise made no move towards him. Instead, Vivien kept her distance as she circled him to settle near her things once more, hoping to signal that he was free to return to his own home with it now that she'd seen.

Wolfram had been no closer to deciding what to do when the decision was made for him by Vivien's return. Even if he'd decided to leave in hopes of avoiding insult, she'd have known he was there with the deer and that might have been considered taunting and cruel. He really wasn't sure he knew how to even begin to extend the hand of friendship. All the wolves he'd known had been family and thereby instantly inside the "friendly" category. Forming any kind of relationship with an unknown wolf was simply not inside his knowledge.

Steeling himself for whatever was about to happen, he simply stood stock still, watching the small wolf as she studied him. Wolfram was actually a little surprised at just how small she really was. He had expected to be bigger than her; males usually were, but not quite this much bigger.  Her coloring was so different from what he was used to as well. Most of the wolves in his family were black, or like him, a black and silver sable with white points.

Hearing her huff caused Wolfram to tense slightly, realizing that he probably had insulted her by bringing the deer to her like some kind of hunting trophy. He had seen the way her eyes had stared so hungrily at the doe, but instead of approaching him in acceptance of the offering she huffed and circled around to sit by her things dismissively.

Honestly he was a little flabbergasted. She was obviously hungry and was rejecting his food. Was it some misplaced sense of pride or just stubbornness? Instead of leaving he stood there for several moments, still unsure what to do or how to proceed. Should he just leave? It wasn't as if he didn't deserve to get a cold shoulder now after he'd been cold to her earlier, but just because he was socially inept didn't mean that she should go hungry because of it; especially since it was his fault and not her.

Wolfram looked around for a moment, and then whined softly. He didn't want to make a big mess of her shelter, even if it seemed a rather pitiful shelter to a wolf that had grown accustomed to the human comforts of a house. He dragged the deer away from the place he assumed she wanted to sleep before dropping the doe and ripping it open right there so she could smell the blood and see the steam rise off the still hot, fresh meat. What wolf could resist that? He couldn't, so he pulled a tender strip of flesh of the carcass and noisily (and messily) ate it, hoping that she would take the hint and come join the feast.

His whine caught her attention but she only lifted her head to him at first. What more was there to see? It was a nice doe and she was envious of it but she saw no reason for him to be distressed or complaining.

Her body grew tense once he moved the carcass, the noise further agitating her appetite. She desperately tried to look away but her ears were turned toward him the whole time, the noise of his feasting practically enough to make her drool.

Vivien whined at the scents and sounds assaulting her senses. Never in her life had any of her pack mates been so cruel as to eat so close to her knowing full well she would have nothing of their choice pieces nor the fresh, hot blood.

She stood quickly, the sounds too much for her to ignore as she finally approached Wolfram. She knew better, though, stopping just short of the carcass to lay down near him instead. Her head lowered to rest atop her paws but her eyes remained trained upon him and his meal constantly.

Perhaps he would be kind enough to not gorge upon the whole thing or take it with him once he was through. She could only hope. Vivien was accustomed to being allowed the last pick of any pack meal and left to scrounge for scraps and unwanted pieces in the dirt. Seeing as he was the pack in this new place she could only assume he would allow her the same once he had finished and eaten his fill. Until that moment she would remain tense and staring at the scene with as much restraint as she could manage while waiting for her turn.

Wolfram had no idea that what he was doing might be taken as taunting, tormenting, or cruel. After all, how was he to know that she was used to having to settle for nothing more than scraps nobody else wanted? It had never worked that way in his family, but none of them had held a disability either. To him the invitation had been pretty clear; which is why he couldn't understand when Vivien approached but then laid down to watch him eat instead of just joining him.

It was impossible to keep eating when she was just staring like that. As a wolf it would have been easy to simply engorge himself until his stomach couldn't hold anymore, but he wasn't just a wolf and those hungry eyes were disconcerting. Why wasn't she eating?

Balking slightly Wolfram licked his bloody muzzle and looked at the she-wolf in confusion before looking at the doe. He looked between them a few times before turning back to the large meal and sinking his fangs into it and ripping a huge hunk of shoulder meat off. At first he wasn't sure if he should back off the kill to let Vivien know she could have it or present her with the hunk of meat dangling from his mouth. Would she start eating if he backed off?

He didn't know why she wasn't already eating.

Not sure if it was the right decision, or what he had done wrong so far, Wolfram decided to retreat several feet with his prize. Laying down away from the bloody carcass he began eating his hunk of venison more slowly, watching Vivien out of the corner of his eye to see what she did, but trying not to be too obvious about it; after all, being stared at while eating had made him uncomfortable and self-conscious.

She had not realized how uncomfortable it must have been to be stared at in such a way. Her only thoughts involved fantasizing about a meal she thought she was not welcome to. She had not noticed how strangely he behaved over her refusal to share with him.

When she saw that he was moving away with a piece of his kill, though, Vivien immediately raised her head in interest. She observed him for several tense moments to see if he might return to the doe for more.

Watching him lie down instead was enough to encourage her to stand. She kept an eye on him every step of the way as she approached the carcass, prepared to flee from it at any moment if he made to snap at her or otherwise shoo her away from it.

Vivien waited with her head bent to the opening he'd already torn into the flesh and once she felt reasonably safe that he was permitting her to eat off his kill she finally bit in to tear off little pieces of meat for herself initially. It was not long before she ate as though her earlier snack had never happened, ravenous and uncaring how she covered her fur in blood as she leaned in to get to more of the meat.

She ate until her belly was visibly full, the weight of it a bit awkward upon her small frame as she finally stepped away to clean herself of blood. Uncertain of how to show him proper thanks for his generosity Vivien gave a short, excited yip and a gentle wag of her tail upon the ground as she looked to the darker wolf again.

It almost seemed to him that the she-wolf expected him to attack her at any moment. Wolfram was confused by her extreme caution as she approached the kill. He had given her permission to live there, and had brought the food right to her. It boggled him that she would still feel wary of accepting the free meal. At least he was beginning to formulate some ideas in his head about her. Vivien seemed a nervous wolf to him, maybe one that was used to being bullied by others. That would fit with the whole exiled thing.

Mulling it all over as he ate slowly, Wolfram gave a very small, unintentional swish of his tail when she finally began eating. All too soon his was gone and he glanced at his gorging companion, laying his head down and trying not to watch her too closely. He wanted more, but didn't dare move yet. Going back for some more would probably just cause her to stop eating, which wasn't what he wanted at all.

So he patiently waited until Vivien was finished and backed away. It wasn't as if it hurt to hold off for a few extra minutes. Unlike the little she-wolf he was obviously well-fed.

Wolfram rose at the sound of her yip, watching her wag her tail a little and making a soft chuffing noise in response. At least she seemed happier with a full belly. He might have laughed to see her if he was a human, with her stomach all engorged like it was.  Since he wasn't currently a human, he simply gave his tail a couple swishes and moved back to the doe to take his turn again. There was still plenty of meat left for him to have his fill, and there would probably be some leftover. He would leave it here for her.

Even while he ate Wolfram was watching Vivien out of the corner of his eye. It still felt odd to have another wolf near him, but it was something he thought he might be able to get used to again.

She was surprised and relieved when no punishment came. He did not scold her or seem the least bit irritated with her. Every moment that passed without any sort of reprimand was a moment Vivien relaxed a little more in his presence.

It was very difficult for her to feel they were communicating well when they practically only had body language to work with. She was hopeful, though, that he might understand her appreciation for what he'd done until she could return to her human form to thank him with proper words.

Thinking that he might not lash out she kept her head raised and ears turned toward him in interest as he returned to the doe and she finished her self-grooming. She was beginning to think that he'd actually wanted to share with her since it was clear he wanted more but had not disturbed her during her own feast.

Observing him, Vivien stood once more to approach. It was not that she wished to eat any more, but she was curious if he might accept some gesture of her gratitude before they might speak again. Once she was near enough she gently touched her muzzle to one shoulder before giving a few tentative licks at the top between his shoulder blades.

Communication seemed to be a very large issue at the moment. As wolves they couldn't just open their mouths and speak like they would as humans, and Wolfram felt himself wishing he had a better way to talk to her, wolf form or otherwise. He needed to give a real apology for his earlier attitude and learn the name of his new neighbor.

As soon as Vivien stood up Wolfram stopped eating, but kept his head down and watched her tensely, not sure what exactly she was going to do. When her muzzle touched his shoulder his head turned to look at her uncertainly.

When the she-wolf started licking him it didn't exactly clear things up for him. What was she doing? He wished he could just ask. Wouldn't that have made things so much nicer and simpler? Wolfram gave a low whine as he looked at her curiously, tail wagging slowly a couple times in what was obviously a nervous gesture on his part.

Vivien sneezed and gave a snuffling snort and a few short, frustrated barks at his odd behavior. The man she'd seen before had been so intimidating with his ordered expectations and posturing. Now he seemed entirely different as a wolf, timid even.

She stared at him as she finally moved away again. Oblivious to his extended isolation she mistook his lack of eating as a sign of confirmation that he did not want to eat in her presence just as much as she was fearful of eating in his. Resettling by her few belongings and pack the she-wolf gave a great sigh as she watched him with interest. If she made him as uncomfortable as she assumed she was then why would he stick around any longer than necessary?

Morning would be better, she resigned. She could go and express her thanks with words and clear the air over whatever awkwardness had been created between them over the whole ordeal. Trying to signal that to him she stared out towards his home in the distance and pawed the air a bit in its general direction.

Why was she barking at him? Wolfram really had no clue what he was doing wrong! He had let her eat in peace, then when he'd come to finish eating she had begun to lick him, which seemed very strange to him, and now she was barking at him like he was the one being weird. His social skills truly had become abysmal, hadn't they?

It didn't occur to him that his behavior changing from earlier might be part of the problem. Although that was her fault too. Earlier she'd been an uninvited stranger trespassing on his territory. He had every reason to be short with her.

Now she was supposed to be there and he was trying hard not to make living near each other difficult. And failing. Horribly.

Wolfram gave another confused whine when she walked away and laid down, tilting his head as she pawed at the air towards his house. He didn't know what she was trying to tell him, but assumed that she wanted him to leave. Well, if all they were doing was creating tension and frustration then leaving might be a good idea. Hopefully she would be willing to speak with him later when they could actually use words.

Giving a huff Wolfram backed away slowly before turning and running into the forest. He'd done a little work earlier and with hunting he'd made a bit of a mess of himself. A bath in the river was due.

Vivien watched his wolf disappear and breathed a great sigh of relief for the bit of tension he'd carried away with him. It wasn't that she disliked him or hated being around him, but it was truly a frustrating thing to feel as though they were speaking two entirely different languages. There was no familiarity as she'd had with her previous packmates. She'd forgotten over the years how difficult she'd had it in the beginning with them, how stressful it was to assimilate with new wolves as she upset the balance of the pack even if that was only to give the others a bump up in the hierarchy.

She spent the remainder of that day resting from their great feast. With no one there to tell her no it was easy enough to return to the doe for more and more, but even she reached her limit eventually. In the back of her mind she was also concerned about being too greedy in case he returned and wanted more of it. How embarrassing if she'd managed to scarf all the best pieces by herself.

Once the sun had decidedly set the young werewolf was left feeling quite restless about their unfinished business. She couldn't sleep despite the peace of the forest around her little makeshift home and the relative safety she was beginning to feel there.

Returning to her human form Vivien ventured up to the town once more. She lingered at the forge, studying its contents again in the darkness before shuffling her way over to the door Wolfram had stormed out through earlier at their tense introduction. She hesitated, though, listening and hoping she was not going to be disturbing him or worse, waking him. She cringed at the assumed scowl such a thing might earn her, but it wasn't enough to deter her from the desire to properly express her gratitude.

Reaching out she finally gave a gentle knock before stepping back a little. Her hands folded in front of herself, palms rubbing together anxiously as she waited.

The water felt nice and it was soothing to clean the sweat and blood from his skin. Especially good to get the blood off in case someone saw him. It would have looked very bad to a human. Not that he had a lot to do with the local humans. Maybe he should have integrated himself better these past five years. Even if they weren't wolves it might have been better than keeping so much to himself that he didn't know how to act now that there was someone that he really did need to deal with regularly.

Once clean Wolfram had returned to the forge, double checking everything, making certain everything was put away where it belonged before he retreated into his house and promptly fell onto the couch, still not feeling completely at ease. Everything felt unresolved.

It wasn't a conscious decision to fall asleep, but he drifted off within minutes, napping fitfully for the rest of the evening.

At least until someone knocked on his door. That was fairly unusual. Most of the townfolk would have never come so far as to knock. If he wasn't out in the forge they usually just left. Feeling groggy and confused, Wolfram rolled off the couch and stumbled his way to the door in the relative dark while his eyes were still adjusting to the low lighting.

When he opened the door Wolfram held the look of a man who had definitely been woken, but not grumpily so. More a dazed and disheveled air about him and the only clothing he wore were a pair of low-flung breeches as he yawned and ran some fingers through his hair.

"It's you." Yeah, very smooth. He cleared his throat. "What do you need?"

Looking up once the door opened she tried to offer him the friendliest smile she could muster, though she did feel a little bad for the slightly off look he had about him. Her face fell a little at the thought that she'd probably woken him up. "Uh... Hi," she began, rocking slightly on her left heel as she tried to remember the words she'd been thinking about saying to him since they'd last seen each other.

"I don't need anything really, I just... I wanted to-" Vivien unclasped her hands and let one fall to her side as she lifted the other to point out towards the forest from where she'd come. "Thank you," she finally managed.

"For before, but you really don't need to do that. Um, share with me," she explained nervously. The last thing she wanted was to burden him to the point of being kicked out again so soon after finding a safe place.

Somehow Wolfram had thought that being in human form would magically make it easier for them to communicate, and it did, but it didn't help keep him from being confused by her or make him know what to do or say. She still looked kind of nervous and he still felt like an idiot. So apparently the problem wasn't exactly solved.

"Oh. Well...you're welcome? I wanted to share." He shifted on his feet nervously, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms again. Why couldn't he have been better with words like his brother Mingan? Wolfram still didn't know why she seemed so nervous about sharing, though.

"My name is Wolfram Hart, by the way. We didn't exactly become real acquainted earlier. I'm sorry if I came off harsh or cold or something. I haven't seen another wolf in five years and I didn't know how to really react to you. I, uh, still don't really know how to react to you." Well, that was the truth.

She tilted her head slightly in confusion. Why would he want to share? It only meant less for him. That seemed a much smaller issue, though, once she heard that she was the first of their kind he'd seen in years. Her eyes widened considerably, studying him in an entirely different light. How could this Wolfram manage such a lonely existence? How could any wolf?

"Five years?" she repeated softly, averting her eyes once her brain caught up and she realized she was being quite rude with her staring. There were a lot of things to consider. Maybe his pack left him. Maybe they died. Perhaps it had even been his choice to isolate himself in such a way even though she couldn't imagine such a thing for herself.

"You weren't really. Cold or anything." That was a lie, she'd been certain before that he might just take a bite out of her for appearing at his door. It was why she'd been in such a hurry to get away. "But nice to put a name to a face, Wolfram. I'm Vivien Derron," she finally offered, looking to him again with interest.

"Can I ask what happened? To your pack?" Well she assumed he had a pack, or did at one time or another. "Of course if you want to even talk about that," she added in a mumble, not wanting him to think she was going to demand it of him. She wasn't even certain the conversation was even appropriate. She was a guest, after all, and he had no obligation to her.

Wolfram wasn't sure what emotion exactly he saw on Vivien's face, but he shifted uncomfortably at the way she said the words five years. Wolves were social beings, he knew that it was quite strange for him to live alone without other wolves around him. He didn't even have the excuse that he used the humans to supply necessary companionship since he avoided them and kept to himself.

"I was pretty stand-offish, you don't have to sugar coat it or lie." At least now she knew that some of it was just him not being used to dealing with others. And they knew each other's names, which was definitely a plus.

"You can ask, but do you want to come in and talk instead of just us standing here feeling all awkward?" At least Wolfram felt awkward.

Her eyes widened slightly at the offer and she cast a glance over her shoulder to what she could see of the town in the darkness. She saw no one, though. What did he have to feel awkward about if no one was watching their odd conversation? That the awkwardness was between them had not really occurred to her.

"Sure," she agreed but hesitated for a few moments. She raised her head in caution, peering around him in the doorway to what she could see of his house beyond. It wasn't very much, though. And she was staring again.

Not wanting to be rude about his offer, Vivien slowly stepped forward at last with a slightly apologetic smile for her hesitations. "Wolfram is a very fitting name for a wolf," she pointed out. "Do the humans suspect you at all?"

For a second he wasn't sure that the she-wolf was going to take him up the offer to come in. Wolfram wondered if that was something that would make her uncomfortable. It was one thing to be on his territory, probably another to step into his den. When she accepted it was a little bit of a relief.

Stepping away from the door, Wolfram turned and moved into his house, it was a bit dark, so he found tinder and matches, lighting a few lamps around the living area. His house was mostly one large room, with a small part dedicated to a table and two chairs for dining. The fireplace wasn't lit, but it wasn't cold either, and in front of it sat the couch, with a plush chair angled to the side. There was only one closed off room, which was his bedroom, and the door was closed.

Overall it wasn't much, but it served a bachelor well enough.

"No, they never have. Some people just like to name their kids after weird things, at least that's what they figure. Make yourself comfortable." He gestured to the couch and chair before sitting down on the couch himself.

"Nothing happened to my pack. My family just got too big, the territory couldn't reasonably sustain so many wolves, so when I was sixteen and considered old enough to fend for myself they sent me off. Same thing happened with my older brothers. I was the youngest." Wolfram gave an indifferent shrug. She had wanted to know what had happened, why he was alone. He missed his family sometimes, but mostly he just didn't think about it.

Vivien followed him at what she felt was a respectful distance to just take in the look of his home. She watched him lighting his lamps and looked over what she could see out in the open. It was a nice home, she decided. Definitely small, but he was also just one wolf and had no need to share a space with others as she'd had to throughout her life.

She eyed the sitting area a little uncomfortably, nodding in acknowledgement of his answers as she just stood there. Vivien wasn't used to being so relaxed in the presence of any alpha or leader she'd ever known. Deciding it would be better if she did something, anything besides just standing, though, she finally moved to sit on the floor instead of the chair that was free.

"That sounds a little scary," she admitted, carefully tucking her legs beneath herself. She supposed her life had been similar except that she had been rejected as a burden rather than sent to start a new life.

"Were you not very...friendly with others? Why not just join a different pack?" Perhaps she was a little too curious about why a young wolf would stay alone for so long. She knew nothing about him really, so she could only assume. Maybe he was just stubborn, maybe he preferred being on his own and not troubling himself with other wolves, or maybe he just didn't like being around other wolves.

He thought it was weird when Vivien sat on the floor instead of on the furniture, but Wolfram didn't comment on her seating choice. Why should it matter to him if the strange little she-wolf liked it better on the floor? At least she had actually come over and come in to speak with him instead of hiding from him after all the awkwardness and frustration between them so far in just one day.

"It was a little intimidating at first, yeah." Not that he would outright admit that he'd been afraid when he first set out. Wolfram wasn't sure if he actually had been scared or not. Lost and confused, sure, but he didn't think he'd been genuinely frightened.

There was the key question. It wasn't like he hadn't been expecting it. That didn't mean Wolfram had a real, good answer for it. Why hadn't he joined another pack? Why did he stay alone?

"The only wolves I have ever known were family. When I had to leave I think I took it...hard." He shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

"At first I was going to find another pack with room to take me. I was young, healthy, and strong - somebody would have taken me. It's just that I didn't find anyone, and then I found this town. They needed a blacksmith and I knew the trade. The territory here was good and unclaimed." Wolfram sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "With such good hunting grounds I honestly thought that other wolves, wolves like me needing a new home, would come. When none did for a long time I just gave up thinking that any would. So when you showed up I was completely taken off guard."

She listened carefully, her head raised toward him with interest in his story. It didn't make it any less sad, especially when none of her guesses seemed correct. She felt a bit bad to know he'd been on his own and simply waiting for such a long time. It sounded like a very lonely existence, but she didn't want to judge him. There had to be parts he liked about it if he'd stayed for so long and not gone crawling back begging to his family or left in search of other wolves.

"Well, it is a nice territory," she praised gently. She'd seen enough of it to determine that, or at least she thought so. "And you have a nice home," she added, lifting a hand to gesture around them.

"Maybe others will come along soon. I might be the first of many to find you. Well, not too many. Just enough." It didn't hurt to be optimistic, did it?

"I'm sorry if I...scared you." Was that even the right word for it? "Thanks again for letting me stay."

There were things that had kept him there. Wolfram would never have gone crawling home begging to be taken back, his pride wouldn't have allowed him to admit defeat to his family. Not to mention that it was very nice territory and by the time he'd established himself both in the woods and with the town as a reliable smith it seemed too hard to uproot himself again.

"Thanks, the woods around here have good hunting, fresh water, and plenty of room." It was one reason he'd seen no harm in letting her stay for a while. Although Wolfram didn't think he would mind if she stayed for a very long time, but he figured she would rather a pack. He actually managed to give her a wry grin over his "nice home" though. "The house is small and plain, but it is all I've needed. I like to think of it as functional."

Wolfram shifted on the couch again, leaning forward a little to examine Vivien again. He still wasn't sure why she was sitting on the floor. It was odd to be looking down at her. "You didn't scare me, just was surprised when I picked up the smell of another wolf. It is...nice. To have you here, I mean. I haven't really become close with the humans. They wouldn't understand me."

For every bit he was leaning over to look at her she was craning her neck to look up. She didn't find it particularly awkward, though it was getting to be a little uncomfortable. Her legs shifted about so she could lean on her other side instead before the one went to sleep.

Vivien was happy to hear that he thought it was nice to have her around, short lived as she expected that to be. It felt a little odd to not be treated as lesser from the very start, but at least he might give her a chance to prove herself useful or at least a mostly non-burden first if he was saying that.

"Why wouldn't they understand?" she asked curiously, tilting her head slightly as she continued to stare up at him. Vivien had never had much extended contact with humans, but she'd known they were out there. Other members of her packs had interacted, traded, and worked with them before. "Bad experience?" she guessed.

"Not a bad experience, but if I got too close with them it would be inevitable. I'm not sure I could hide a whole part of myself from them if I cared too much. Don't think I would want to. Why would I want to make friends with people that could never really know the real and whole me?" Wolfram was worried that it would just make him feel that much more alone and isolated. Sure, there was a chance it would have helped him, but there was the chance that it would have ruined everything and seen him hunted or run out of a good territory.

Tilting his head, Wolfram leaned back against the couch again. "Why are you sitting on the floor? I mean, if you like it better down there, okay, but you know you can sit in the chair, or even on the couch with me, right? Was your pack kind of wild or something? I know my family was used to living more like humans, but away from humans. Some packs live more like wolves, or so I heard."

Wolfram winced slightly. That was kind of prying, but if Vivien was going to be living nearby he probably should learn more about her and he was very curious about her life and her exile. Although he wasn't sure he should ask about that just yet.

What he said finally connected for her with his initial warning. He didn't want to be revealed to the humans and didn't even want them to know what she was. The young wolf simply didn't understand why they should have any worries about humans knowing about them friend or otherwise and what the consequences of that could potentially be.

His other question distracted her away from such thoughts, though. Perhaps it was for the best for them not to be debating ideologies about humans their first day of getting to know one another. Vivien's face screwed up in confusion, though, as if such a thing should have been obvious to him.

"You're the leader." She cocked her head again in thought. Maybe he preferred the other term she knew of. "Alpha. It isn't polite to be too familiar with you in your home," she explained as she gestured to the chair and couch as if that should have been obvious.

"I wouldn't say wild, exactly. We...lived in buildings mostly. Close ones and connected ones. Maybe our customs are just different." She smiled a little, almost with an air of sympathy. Vivien didn't really understand that some of their kind simply lived in pure family units that didn't enforce such things. She just assumed he was out of touch.

"Leader? Alpha?" It wasn't that he didn't know what an Alpha was, his father had been the alpha male and leader of the family, but they had been only family. As soon as he'd been old enough to even be considered a man Wolfram had been forced to leave home. Perhaps his father would have treated him differently had he been allowed to stay longer. Since his older brothers had also been exiled at the same age he never saw them be treated as anything but his father's children either.

It occurred to him suddenly, speaking with this unrelated wolf, that Wolfram had a very underdeveloped social understanding of his own kind. He didn't know anything about how wolf packs that consisted of more than family members really functioned. Sure, they had all respected his father, but nothing like this.

"I'm not sure if calling me an alpha or leader is right." How could he be the alpha with no pack? You couldn't have a leader without people to, well, lead. It hadn't occurred to him that Vivien might really count as that, since there wasn't a pack for her to join here. Could there be a pack with only two wolves in it? He guessed it might be possible. "This is becoming more complicated than I thought. If you look at me like that, does that mean we're a pack now? Just because you live here?"

Realizing a nervous wolf like Vivien might take that wrong he hurriedly added, "I'm not saying I want you to go. This is just all...really new and I want to make sure we are both looking at this the same way. To avoid as much confusion and misunderstandings as possible. I have a feeling there's gonna be a lot of both."

She was uncertain what to make of his surprise. He seemed anxious to her, like it hadn't even occurred to him what he was, at least in her eyes. He'd already admitted to being forced to leave his home and claim his territory. He'd planned for some sort of life that involved other wolves joining him. It sounded like a leader to her. What wolf would go through all the trouble just to pass the reins to another?

Calling them a pack was something she felt a little hesitant about. Vivien had always assumed it would be best for as many wolves as possible to share her burden. The thought of wearing him out or making him angry if he was the only one around to help made her wary.

She did live there, though, for the time being at least. It was his land and his time she was occupying. Perhaps that was what they were even if she only meant it to be temporary. Making him uncomfortable was not in her list of plans for her new life. She'd sought the safety of other wolves and another territory and it just happened that he was alone. That wasn't exactly his fault.

"I thought that was just how these things worked," she finally admitted, looking to the chair again as she shifted uncomfortably on the floor. It had never occurred to her that a leader might not want to be recognized as any different or better. Perhaps it was just that he didn't see himself as one instead.

"You let me stay here. I thought that meant you were... Um, accepting me? I suppose 'into your pack,' even if that's just you for now," she explained, eyeing him cautiously. The last thing she wanted was to offend him. "Is there something else you want me to call you?"

Honestly Wolfram had never thought that far ahead, and had never needed to actually make a real plan for other wolves coming into his territory. Of course he also had a very narrow view of how a pack worked outside of a pure family group such as the one he'd been born and raised into. Had other wolves come sooner he'd have likely found himself rather shocked and taken aback as more aggressive and self-assured wolves barreled over him to claim the territory and possibly even remove him from it.

"I guess that would make sense." Of course it would make sense that his agreement to allow her to remain on his territory would be taken as accepting Vivien into his pack. If he had a pack. Well having other wolves join him had been the original idea. This was just happening later than expected that was all.

"You can call me whatever you want, I guess. If leader or alpha is what makes you feel better. I'm still just trying to adjust to all this. It's kind of hard to go from alone for years to having to think about someone else all of a sudden." Wolfram noticed her looking at the chair. "You really can sit in the chair. I don't mind. I don't know how things were for you in your last pack, but around here you can sit in chairs and share kills with me."

Vivien startled slightly to know she'd been caught even though she had been looking so openly. After a few silent moments of hesitation she finally climbed to her feet and moved to sit in the chair with her legs crossed. It was a welcome comfort after staying outside for such a long time, and she took a few moments to just enjoy and let her body relax into its plush softness.

She wasn't entirely certain what she should call him that would make her feel best. She'd only been acting out of habit with him so far, but that didn't mean things had to be that way. "I can try calling you Wolfram," she offered. "It's just very different for me. All of this is."

Where should she even begin? "You don't have to think about me. You said so yourself I need to learn to support myself. I think you were right. There's enough here for me to survive on my own. And I don't share kills well anyway," she lied, fearing making additional work for him with her presence. Maybe their earlier awkwardness over the doe would be enough to convince him of that.

Wolfram's lips twitched just slightly at the corners, not really forming into a smile, but it was close as he watched her finally settle into the chair. He had been starting to worry that she wouldn't feel comfortable enough to relax a little around him. It wasn't good to be too tense all the time. Especially if they were going to be neighbors.

"Wolfram works for me, Vivien." Being called by some respectful title just felt odd and not quite right. He didn't feel like he'd done anything to earn being called alpha by anyone. "And it's all very different for me too. We'll figure it out together until we're both comfortable with our arrangement."

That might take a while, but he was starting to feel like they were getting on the right track. A little bit. What she had to say certainly drove home the point for Wolfram that they had a good ways to go. "I do have to think about you, though. This is my territory and you're on it. I feel a little responsible for you now. What would it say about me if you weren't taken care of to some extent? I mean, yeah, you really should learn to support yourself in case you have to be on your own again, but for now you're not on your own. Not completely."

Wolfram sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. It would certainly be easier to just say that Vivien had to fend for herself, but if he was ever going to have other wolves here besides her then he needed to learn how to be responsible for other wolves. It was an alpha's job to take care of his pack, right?

"And trust me, I got the whole not good at sharing kills thing earlier. I didn't think I was going to be able to get you to eat at first. Er...why did you lick me? I mean, what were you really trying to do?" Wolfram still hadn't figured out what that had been about.

His encouragement was definitely very kind, but she couldn't help but feel he simply didn't understand what he was getting himself into with her. It felt good to hear that she might not be entirely on her own on his land after all, but how long that might last she didn't know. The last thing she wanted to be was just another obligation on his shoulders.

"Trying to do? I was only trying to say-" Had he really not understood her at all? "I was trying to thank you for sharing," she continued softly, adjusting her position in the chair to hug her legs and lean back a bit. Perhaps he would understand if she explained.

"Nobody ever lets me choose like that. There have always been a lot of wolves ahead of me for food...rights. Nobody ever shared, so it meant a lot that you did. Even though I'm just a stranger to you." She shrugged, uncertain if she was truly conveying herself properly. It was a complicated thing but in her life if she hadn't caught something herself she'd eaten when others were finished and not alongside them.

Wolfram didn't really feel any less confused by that explanation. Well, he guessed he understood why she would want to thank him. He just wasn't sure why she had licked him to thank him. Just a byproduct of very limited communication options while they were wolves, he supposed.

The more little tidbits that he heard about her life before coming to his territory, the more Wolfram wondered just what life was like among other wolves. It sounded pretty harsh to him. Nobody had ever shared with her? Why not? Her disability making her ostracized didn't really occur to him. There had never been a wolf with an impairment in his family, but even if there was he was pretty sure they would have still been taken care of by the family.

"Why wouldn't I share? There was plenty for both of us. So I shared it with you." To Wolfram it just made sense to share a kill of that size. Sure if he'd caught a rabbit he probably wouldn't have brought it to her for them to split, but it was a whole deer. No wolf needed a whole deer all to himself.

His refreshingly simple outlook gave her pause. Had she truly found somewhere where such a notion existed? Vivien decided that things had probably been very, very different in his pack, in his family, for him to hold onto that.

"Well, it's kind of you to share so thank you. I suppose it just feels strange to me to share in the spoils of someone else's work that I couldn't help with." Vivien was of the opinion that if she didn't have a chance at catching something for herself she had no business partaking in it as if she had. It was just the way she had lived before him. Why would he not be greedy if he had the chance?

With a sigh and a few anxious adjustments she moved to change the subject. Perhaps it would be easier to live near each other if she understood him a little better. "You said you were a blacksmith." She had a vague idea of what that was but she'd never seen one at work before.

"What does that...mean exactly? You make things, right?" Well it was as good a guess as any for a craft, but the forge outside his home had seemed such a strange place to her. She'd seen the various works stacked around the shop but the process was foreign to her.

Everyone relied on someone else's work and spoils sometimes. Children did it all the time with. They couldn't contribute constructively yet, but were cared for just the same. You got injured or sick at times, but that didn't mean you should no longer have the things you needed.

Wolfram wouldn't have understood the way her previous pack dealt with her. Yes, Vivien obviously had a minor physical defect, but it didn't seem crippling. She insisted she could hunt for herself, which to him meant she could contribute to a group hunt, and even if she couldn't, not every wolf was a strong hunter.

He was lost in thought for a few moments as he pondered over how surprised and grateful his new neighbor was for his sharing.

"Yeah. I make things out of metal. Mostly tools and horseshoes around here, but from outside I get orders for weapons and armor often enough. Locally I mostly get paid in trades, but the orders that get shipped out give me a little bit of coin. Blacksmiths are pretty important for humans, we're well-regarded and not rich, but definitely not poor." Wolfram might have been reclusive of his human neighbors, but they regarded him with respect. Especially after the outlaw incident.

In fact, he could have had his pick of the young women to take for a wife. If it weren't for his extreme reluctance to deal with the humans his socialization problems would have been non-existent.

Making things for trade of some sort was an easy enough thing for her to follow. She'd watched others do it but she still wasn't sure how he did what he did. She wondered if she might be able to watch him work from the woods sometime to see for herself before bothering him with more questions about the whys and hows of it. Surely he wouldn't want to talk much if it consumed his days.

Not rich but not poor seemed a good explanation judging by his home, though. Glancing around again now that she was a little more settled she took in the sights of a few things she'd missed when she'd first entered his home.

"Do you like doing that, then? What got you into it? Well, if you don't mind telling me." She furrowed her brow a bit in thought, realizing something else as she brought her attention back to him on the couch. "What is this place called? Not your home, but...the human town."

The small dwelling was well-built and sturdy, but lacked very much in decor. There were a couple throw pillows on the couch and chair, and there was a small ivory carving of a wolf on the mantle, but aside from those and the furniture, it was fairly barren inside Wolfram's home.

"You're in Anville. When I chanced across this place and they needed someone with my skills it seemed kind of, I don't know, like I was meant to be here." Wolfram sighed and shook his head, thinking that sounded kind of dumb. "I do like being a blacksmith. It's hard work, but satisfying to be able to make things that are useful to others. I started learning from a blacksmith when I was very young. Spent a long time as his apprentice before leaving home. My family thought it was a good idea to learn a marketable trade so that I could blend into a human town for a while if I needed to. They were right."

He shrugged his shoulders. Things had worked out so far. Sure, he'd been alone all this time, but at least he was established in his territory and surviving on his own without needing help. Companionship would come in time - or had come. At least for now.

Finally having a name to call the place was good. At least it made it feel more real. Vivien didn't know what it was like to contribute to any community outside of a pack. Even there she'd only ever done what she was told to do instead of what she liked or was happy with. He seemed content with his life, though, and that was what mattered. The last thing she needed was a new leader that was as disgruntled as her last.

"Well that's nice. Seems to have served you well," she admired, genuinely surprised he managed to get by on his own for so long and still seem like a normal wolf. Well, mostly normal.

Being so newly introduced Vivien wasn't sure of what else to ask him without bombarding him with questions about the mundane things in life or what little he might have known about the humans nearby. It didn't really seem the time to her, though, already being quite dark. Instead of asking anything more of him or offering anything about herself she moved to stand.

"Well thank you for inviting me in, but I don't want to take up too much of your time. Hopefully we'll be seeing more of each other while I'm here." She smiled gratefully and held out her hand to him in an offer of a handshake.

"It's been a good trade for me." Not only because it had allowed him to make a living for himself in a human town, but also because he really did like the craft. It was a labor intensive skill and with all the strength and endurance of a wolf, well it certainly helped Wolfram feel physically satisfied instead of restless from a day to day basis. As long as he went running and hunting as a wolf every few days to keep that part of himself soothed and content.

When Vivien stood up, so did he. It seemed like the right thing to do. Not that Wolfram really had any clue what was the right or wrong thing to do. So far he seemed to be doing a lot more wrong than right.

"Thanks for coming to talk with me. I feel like we understand each other just a little better." He took her offered hand and gave it a firm shake, feeling slightly awkward about the whole thing still. "I'm sure we'll be seeing enough of each other. You can stop by here whenever you want. If the sun's out I'll probably be in the forge. Just let me know if you need anything or need help. I'll see what I can do."

It certainly was a nice offer, but Vivien figured she was going to try to manage on her own as much as possible. Still, she nodded and did her best to look appreciative anyway. Wouldn't do to upset her new neighbor by rejecting his help outright.

"Thank you. I'll just...see myself out, then?" But she was already on her way to the door. It didn't exactly bother her to be inside, but there was something about it being his home and not her own that made her want to return to the relative safety of the place she'd more or less claimed for herself.

"Yeah, ah, good night Vivien." Wolfram managed as he sort of followed her to the door, still feeling unsure of just what to do. She was the first person to really come into his home as a guest, so he didn't really know how one usually said farewell to a guest. Since it was late he figured saying good night was fine. As for the following her, well he hoped he didn't seem like he was hurrying her out.

Once the door was closed Wolfram was going straight to bed. Tomorrow he was really hoping to go back to life as usual. Up before dawn and the forge in full operation by sunrise.

Retreating to the woods had left her feeling a little more comfortable, and it was nice to at least have things settled between them.

Vivien spent most of the next day getting better acquainted with the rest of the territory. Testing the borders, she wandered back to Wolfram's land whenever she strayed too far. She was pleasantly surprised to find it was a good deal larger than she'd originally guessed. Within it there was also a great variety of wild flowers and plants, a great relief to a wolf whose only trained skills lied in creating things from them.

She was hesitant to take too much from the natural supply, though, and quickly discovered in her wanderings that many of the gardens on the outskirts of the town contained some of the same plants she was searching for. It was only natural, then, that she welcomed herself to them despite the flimsy little barriers surrounding them.

Over several days Vivien amassed a small collection of herbs, flowers, and roots that cycled in various stages of drying and storage in her new home. If she was going to be of any use to the town she had to start somewhere!

It was on one of these visits to take from the gardens of Anville that she was finally met with some opposition. Many rumors about town had guessed that the sudden disturbance was due to some hungry animal from the forest. While that wasn't entirely untrue none of them would have suspected their culprit to be a werewolf.

Vivien was an unknown, only seen in passing. Nobody had really talked to her before so she'd just assumed they all knew about her presence and hadn't minded it. It was for this reason she was surprised when a small group of people, all neighbors, approached her one evening as she left the last garden on her journey to town, her pack freshly filled with the haul of yet another of her expeditions.

They spoke of "stealing" from and "ruining" their gardens but she didn't understand their unhappiness. Her explanation of her way of "helping" wasn't exactly satisfactory. Nobody wanted to hear how she might aid them when it involved taking from them without permission.

"I can return it all to you," she offered, assuming that would resolve the issue well enough despite most of it no longer being fresh, but the women among them only scoffed at that. They wanted a little more retribution than that.

It was kind of surprising to Wolfram that the little she-wolf had been right. He hardly noticed her presence at all. Sure, he was aware she was out there, but it was a stray thought in the back of his mind as things went almost immediately back to normal. Knowing that having another wolf in his territory didn't mean that his comfortable, if lonely, existence didn't have to change much was a great relief to him.

Although part of him felt a little disappointment each night when there had been no sign of Vivien. Sure, he had been pretty clear about her not getting in his way, but part of him still wished that she would come speak with him again. Even if it was only for a few minutes. Wolfram reminded himself that she didn't have to check in with him.

When he couldn't take not knowing what she was up to and how she was faring in her new home, Wolfram closed up the forge early and wandered towards the woods where he'd seen her settle down that first day.

Oddly he could catch her trail heading into town. Well, he had told her she should learn to function in a human town. It still bothered him for some nagging reason, so he headed in that direction.

A small commotion told him it was a good idea that he had followed her scent here. Wolfram had an uneasy feeling in his gut as he approached the small mob that had confronted Vivien. Lots of angry faces didn't exactly bode well and he had to wonder what trouble the damn she-wolf had gotten herself into.

"What's going on" He asked, folding his arms across his chest and letting his flinty eyes move between Vivien and the crowd.

"We've got a thief is what's going on! Someone should send for guards to arrest this pilferer!" Wolfram glanced at the baker's wife, who had spoken.

"Yes, the guards know just how to deal with little rats like this." That was the tailor's wife.

"Clap her in irons and let her work off her crime under a whip." Wolfram winced, knowing that wasn't beyond the realm of possibilities. Criminals were often enough punished by slavery or indentured servitude.

Perking up at the sound of a familiar voice, Vivien's eyes found Wolfram easily enough above the shorter humans. There was no desperation upon her face, though, only a warmth of recognition. She was truly unaware of just how much trouble she was in.

Their biting remarks and insults seemed quite threatening but she certainly didn't know what it meant to be arrested, that definitely wasn't something practiced among her other packs before him. She'd seen whips before, though, and knew the sound they made was quite unsettling. She could only imagine how one might feel as a punishment.

"I don't think that would be very comfortable," she chuckled. Her easygoing smile only earned her pointed glares from the enraged humans, a wave of angry muttering rising up for it that she didn't understand. Vivien only blinked at them, a little uncertain about how to resolve it but troubled by the obvious unhappiness among the gathered crowd.

Reaching into her pack quickly she pulled out the evidence of her crimes. Presenting handfuls of all manner of little plant trimmings to the humans she gave her best apologetic smile and assumed they would just accept it despite how they'd flatly rejected to take back damaged goods already.

"But what about the rest?" they clamored. Never mind that none of them had any evidence against her unless they were willing to trek out to her forest home. Vivien was far too honest, though, and she nodded eagerly, glancing to the trees as if they would recognize that she couldn't keep everything she had on her person.

"I'm making things for you," she declared proudly. "I'll bring them back once they're finished, but- Not done yet." She gave a sheepish little shrug, her cheeks warming a bit for the sudden feeling of awkwardness. They weren't taking the plants, didn't even seem interested in them anymore with a woman to punish. Still, she kept her palms outstretched with hope that she might be able to soothe them with her offers.

Wolfram had to suppress a low growl at the clamoring of the townspeople. Vivien was in the wrong here, for certain, but he instinctively felt as if he should protect his own kind against the mobbing humans. Also he knew that she obviously didn't know better, he could tell just by her own behavior and the things she said.

Feeling the tension in the air and the hostility towards the she-wolf he shifted his feet and moved forward to not quite put himself between Vivien and the women, but the placement put him squarely on the she-wolf's side.

"Calling the guards isn't necessary here, we can resolve this ourselves. Nobody is being arrested today." Wolfram raised his hands in a placating and shushing gesture when it looked like there were about to be protests to his declaration about no arrest being made in regards to the thief. "Everyone go home and write down everything damaged or taken. I'll pay for all of it and make sure it doesn't happen again. I feel a little responsible here since I should have known that Vivien wouldn't know better."

How could a wolf raised in a communal pack environment just know all about humans and private property? He sighed and rubbed his face in agitation. The women were whispering conspiratorially among themselves now and eyeing Vivien and him differently.

"So you know this...woman." The baker's wife again.

"Ah, yes...she's a...friend. She'll be staying with me for...well indefinitely." Well he couldn't just say she was a stranger he met a few days ago and decided to let live in the woods outside of town. They'd have never been satisfied with that explanation.

"Fine. Since we respect you and you've done a lot for this town we'll let this go. This time. You teach that little thief to respect the law or else we will not let you buy her way out of trouble next time." The baker wagged a finger at him threateningly the whole time, but the assorted women finally turned away still whispering and arguing and glancing back at them.

"I thought I told you not to cause trouble." Wolfram growled softly as he fixed Vivien with an annoyed scowl.

Amazed that he seemed capable of placating the humans with words alone Vivien watched as they retreated. She understood by their body language that they were still quite annoyed but didn't see how what he'd "done" for the town made any difference in how they treated her.

She frowned thoughtfully, looking between the plants in her hands and the backs of the humans questioningly before she tucked them away into her pack again. Flinching at the bite in his tone, though, her eyes were snapping up to see that he looked tense and...angry?

She wondered if he'd burdened himself too terribly in making his offer to the humans, eyes softening in sadness and realization that she was causing trouble for him somehow with all of it. But why did he care about what the humans didn't like? She wasn't quite seeing how much potential real trouble she'd just been saved from.

Looking to her pack as if he might be able to see through it and know what she held inside of it, Vivien just shook her head and mumbled, "They were causing trouble. I just wanted to help them. Why would you...pay them? For plants?" She wrinkled her nose at that, casting a look to the gardens she'd just finished pilfering.

She truly didn't understand the etiquette of humans and property the way they saw things. To her, especially as a healer, the yield of the land was for everyone to take what was needed. She'd thought they might have been greedy wanting it all back like that and calling her a thief, but then they'd turned their noses up at what she'd offered! It was odd to her that they would even want plants before she'd done anything with them, but she was slowly determining for herself that humans were simply insufferable and difficult to please.

The things that Wolfram had done for the town was only taken into consideration for their treatment of her because he had spoken for her and claimed her as a friend. That and his offer to pay for the damages that she'd caused. Without that promise he doubted anything he said alone would have helped very much.

Steel-grey eyes were boring into Vivien as he listened to her speak, that scowl remaining firmly on his lips until finally he simply sighed and looked tired. He hated dealing too much with the humans if it wasn't just for business.

Wolfram supposed this could be considered business in a certain way, but bad business.

With a grunt he turned, taking her by the arm and pushing her back in the direction of home. "No, they were accusing you of stealing from them, and you were stealing from them. Did you seriously not even pause to think of why those gardens were surrounded by fences? Those plants you took belonged to them, they grew them, tended them, and planned to harvest them for their own use. Don't take anything from the town. Don't take anything even close to the damn town. Go into the woods to find things you need."

Vivien was truly bewildered by what he told her. That had certainly never been the way of her previous packs but she supposed it would be best to follow his rules for now. Not knowing what else to do with herself she simply obeyed his direction, moving along down the road as best as she could, not wanting to give him any more reason to be unhappy with her.

"I thought fences might be for keeping animals out," she admitted quietly, not thinking herself nor him as one directly at all. While careful to keep from whining she had to add her complaint, "The woods doesn't have everything I need or enough of anything wild. Well...at least not on your land. I don't know what might be beyond it, but that's why I came up here. To your town." She gave an exasperated sigh, understanding why she'd upset him but not really thinking it a valid reason.

"I'll do what I can with what I can find," she agreed obediently, hanging her head slightly as she thought on all of the things she'd planned that she probably could no longer do just with what grew on his land. Still, there was something still bothering her about what had just happened that had nothing to do with the damn plants or humans.

"I'll pay you back," she said gently, hoping that might soothe him a bit. It was obvious enough to her that he was a little off even though they were still barely more than acquaintances and she thought that was a reasonable guess as to why.

An exasperated sigh escaped Wolfram, as patient as he was trying to be with her. "It isn't my town. The only thing I own by law is the land the forge and my home are built on. The humans own their own houses and lands legally. Among humans you have to pay attention to human laws and rules." That was just common sense to him.

"If you needs things that don't grow wild you'll have to buy them from the humans. Actually, growing your own garden might be a good idea in general. You'll still have to get the seeds of the things you can't find wild from the humans, though." Yeah, a garden might be a good idea. Wolfram wasn't a gardener, herbalist, or anything remotely of the sort, but surely having ingredients on hand that you didn't have to forage would be an improvement, right?

Almost made him wish he could have his own mine for the coal and ore he needed in his smiting. Having to purchase those did eat into his profits, but he was doing well enough. He guessed thinking of his own mine was just being greedy.

"Sure you will." He grumbled softly. If Vivian didn't have a concept of money and trade, he wasn't sure how she expected she'd do that, but oh well. It wasn't as if the money was all that important to a wolf.

His explanation of law and humans owning land within what she saw as "his" territory was baffling. It was a little concerning, too. Did that mean she had no right to stay in the woods if he did not "own" it? She hoped that wasn't the case if he didn't already have a problem with it.

She perked up a bit at his suggestion, though, the idea of a garden never coming to mind as a possibility before. Somehow she hadn't thought it necessary with all that the humans seemed to have, but now that it was so obvious she would not be able to rely on their supply it definitely had her interest.

"I could...grow one?" Vivian eyed him suspiciously, somehow feeling like he'd misspoken. It was his land, or his territory at least, and while she understood his invitation to be for however long was necessary even simple plants would take time to grow. Likely for the same reasons as the humans she had no desire to make the effort for one out in the open in the woods, though. Everything would probably be eaten before it even had a chance to sprout from the ground without any semblance of shelter.

"Would you, um, maybe have the space for a small plot? Near your home?" The she-wolf fussed at her lip anxiously, feeling like she was overstepping boundaries even asking such a thing. "Nothing grows well if it isn't protected," she offered in quiet explanation.

It would be very complicated for Wolfram to try to explain the differences between ownership in town and ownership outside of town. The humans didn't own the woods, held no claim over it by the laws of humans, and so he was free to claim the forest as a wolf since human laws need not apply, but within town he had to follow the same rules as anyone else - least he find himself in trouble and exposed.

"Well yeah, I don't think it's that hard to grow a garden, but I wouldn't know first hand." What did Wolfram know of growing things? His was a mind of metal and fire. It really didn't click for him why she might be doubtful of growing one.

At least until she asked if he had room for a small plot near the house. He hadn't thought of that. Deer, rabbits, and other pests would have a free-for-all on a garden in the forest. Wolfram stopped and folded his arms across his broad chest, scowling in thought for a few moments as he turned the idea over in his head.

They were sharing the territory now - for now. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to put a garden around the house. It would take me a few days to build some fences to keep the vermin out, but it's doable, yeah."

Vivien paused in her steps as well, slowly backing up to stand at his side and peer up at him curiously. It was a little unnerving when he didn't answer with an immediate, enthusiastic "Yes!" but she assumed it was good that he was at least taking the time to decide rather than shut down the suggestion altogether.

His offer to build fences for it surprised her, eyes dilating as she shook her head with a nervous bark of laughter. Nice as it was in gesture, she couldn't afford to be indebted to him any more than she already was for his kindness. Or pity, whatever it was that had been enough for him to let her stay. Even if he had no intention of charging her, Vivien was confident that everything came at a price.

"Thank you, but, um... That's not necessary, I can do it," she insisted gently, not wanting to be too firm about it to try to avoid insulting him if he truly had his mind set on it. "There's plenty of branches I can drag up from the forest if you'd show me where I can make one. I didn't mean to take up your time with it."

She offered a self-deprecating smile and glanced between him and what she knew to be his home further down the road a few times. Part of her wanted to lead the way but another felt it would be more polite to wait for Wolfram to decide when he was ready to move along, and so she did.

"Have you ever built a fence before?" Wolfram asked with an arched brow, he'd seen her glance back towards the forge and sighed as he started walking again. If they were going to have a garden, especially one near his house, then he intended to make a proper one with proper fences. "It isn't as simple as dragging some tree branches from the woods and piling them up to make a barrier."

He wasn't sure he wanted to let her use his tools either. What if she hurt herself? They barely knew each other and this arrangement was temporary, but Wolfram still felt responsible for Vivien. He needed to make sure she was taken care of and safe.

Building the fence would just be a way to actually do something to take care of her. Plus it would keep her out of trouble with the humans. Keeping her out of trouble would just save him a lot of trouble and headaches. "Look, I would rather it get done right, especially since it is going to be next to the forge. Other than the time to build it, a fence isn't really that much trouble."

Without even realizing it she narrowed her eyes and wrinkled her nose at his dismissal of her idea. She couldn't really see it being much more difficult than she'd imagined. How could such a thing be much more than aligning some sturdy, trimmed branches and binding them tight? Perhaps crafting a gate would be a bit tricky but none of the neighbors in town seemed to have anything particularly fancy, just fences that seemed well-used and patched up hundreds of times.

"I've never built one myself before. I've seen it done, but I wasn't going to just throw things together, I was going build something properly with the wood and...twine, or whatever it is you use. I think I could do a good job, but... It's your land, Wolfram," Vivien conceded with a shrug as she walked along with him as evenly as she could manage, feeling it best to not argue with him about something being built on his property. It was fair that he wanted to see the actual building done to his standards.

"Could I at least help you? I could gather wood or help with cutting pieces at least, couldn't I?" she tried again, unable to resist the strong desire to show that she could be useful. "Or...anything you need help with. I could save you some time, there's no point in you doing all the work yourself for something you don't even want."

She frowned some at that thought. Why would he be so picky if it wasn't even something he needed? It could have very easily been her little project and very well might have taken her a good while to build something. Perhaps, she assumed, Wolfram was the type of person that needed control over everything. Those sorts seemed to like doing things alone, and seeing his solitary life and home made her feel like that might not be too far off the mark. Yet he didn't seem to have planned to be alone with what he'd told her before.

It had never been the intention to imply that she was incapable of building a fence. Wolfram wasn't convinced she could build one that was strong enough to satisfy him, of course, but it wasn't that he didn't think she could build a fence.

"Yeah, you can help. It's work being done mostly for your benefit, but I want to make sure it is done right. Besides, the garden was my idea even if it is for you." Yeah, he maybe shouldn't have put the idea in her head if he wasn't willing to follow through. That was just the way it was. He'd opened his mouth and now he had to see it through. "If it is going next to the forge I want it to look good and professional."

Humans put a lot of emphasis on appearances. It was going to be the strongest, best fence in town if Wolfram had anything to say about it.

Sighing, they had come to the house by now, he turned to her with a frown. "Look, I know that you don't really understand all the human stuff that goes with the town, but try to stay out of trouble. Believe it or not I would rather you not get yourself killed while you're staying here."

Relieved that she wasn’t going to be kept away from the project entirely Vivien calmed the combative tension that threatened to eek into her voice. She wasn’t really sure what a “professional” fence would look like but she was determined to help make one if that was what it took for him to be happy with it.

His warning was a little worrisome, though. She hadn’t known that taking from the gardens of the town’s other residents would have bothered them so much but it worried her even more that getting herself killed wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility in Wolfram’s mind. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to be better,” she promised, hanging her head slightly in shame, scowling in frustration with her own ignorance about the human laws.

“I’ll just watch them until I learn enough, I don’t think they like me very much anyway.” Vivien sighed and tilted her head to eye his home and forge before looking out thoughtfully at the darker woods beyond. “Do you have an axe I can borrow? I can start cutting wood at least. Then we can start whenever you’re ready.”

The odds of being killed for stealing vegetables or herbs were relatively low, but it would depend on how much she took and who caught her. Of course she was a wolf and could probably have defended herself from any physical attack posed by a human, but that would only raise more problems. She looked like a normal human female, except for the limp, which made her look even weaker. If she could fend off a grown man, well it would make them ask questions.

Questions Wolfram really didn't need to try to answer.

"Not right now they don't like you much." Well she had stolen from them, even if she hadn't known it was wrong at the time. Hopefully she had learned her lesson and it wouldn't be a problem again. With any luck, there wouldn't be other problems popping up from her lack of understanding of human behaviors.

"Yeah, I can let you borrow an axe. Come on." He made a beckoning motion and headed into the forge. Wolfram went right to where his wood axe was hanging on the wall and carefully lifted it down. It was heavy, but she could probably use it fine. Turning to her, he offered it out with a small frown. "It's really sharp, so be careful with it. Try to cut trees that are straight and about the same size. I don't want it looking all lopsided or crooked."

A brief pause and he eyed her again. "And don't overdo it. I don't want you hurting yourself or wearing yourself completely out cutting some dumb trees."

Vivien followed him easily, frowning thoughtfully as she reflected on the humans more. Surely they would like her better once they understood how she could help them. Someday. Eventually.

Studying the axe she took it firmly in both hands and let its weight rest in her palms for a moment before grasping the handle steadily with one hand and lowering it to hang at her side, not wanting to appear careless with his belongings he was letting her borrow.

"Got it. Straight trees, no dumb trees, no hurting myself," she repeated with a small smile and slightly teasing glint in her eyes before cocking her head to look down at the axe again. The shewolf wasn't quite ready to head out, though, lingering and adjusting her weight from foot to foot. It had been a few days since she'd seen him after all and she realized the loneliness of the woods was starting to get to her when she was suddenly craving idle conversation.

"Did you make this yourself?" she finally blurted out after what was probably an awkwardly long stretch of silence. It seemed like something a blacksmith would make, at least the metal head if a woodworker shaped the handle.

Most of Wolfram's anger and annoyance had already melted away. Yes, the little she-wolf had caused a problem for him, but despite the cost to him, it was mostly resolved with the humans. Nobody was hurt, which was all that really mattered. Besides, Vivien wasn't really aware of human rules and ways. He couldn't be too angry with her for not knowing better. Ignorance wasn't a good excuse, though, so he'd have to make sure she worked on that.

"Ha, you're funny." He grumped at the joke, but did smirk a little. Well that was what he'd said. It felt odd, was that really teasing? Were they teasing each other now? Wolfram didn't know at what level of comfort or familiarity with someone was required for that. Was there even a requirement?

All this socializing was giving him a headache, but only because he was severely over-thinking it.

"Yes, I did. Well, I made the axe part. The carpenter that owns the saw mill made the handle for me, and in return I fixed a saw blade he'd broken." Wolfram shifted on his feet a little, unconsciously mimicking her. She had the axe she'd asked to borrow; he wasn't sure why she didn't leave. Surely it was not because she wanted to spend time with him. He was not exactly great company, and he knew it.

"Aside from the trouble with the townsfolk I was glad to see you today." He blurted out, not really knowing what to do or say next, but desperate to say something. "You're looking better."

Vivien did look better. She'd been a mess the first time he'd seen her; dirty, too skinny, and worn out. Well, she was still too skinny, but she did look better, more energetic and less haggard or hunted. That made him a little pleased. Being here was helping her, and for some reason that made him a little happy and proud – even if she was causing trouble and work for him.

She smiled thoughtfully at his explanation, another trade interaction with humans. It was interesting hearing about a direct transaction, a mutually-beneficial agreement or trading favors she supposed. Her pack -well, she supposed she couldn't really call it her pack anymore- hadn't really practiced such a thing. You did what you could for the good of the pack, sometimes things were used and sometimes things were sold or traded away.

Besides the odd injury that needed immediate stitching and care for the sake of convenience she'd never really done such a thing for another that she lived near. And anything she'd done had hardly ever been repaid besides being left to a peaceful existence.

He voiced the very things she realized she'd been thinking, not knowing how to express them without seeming a little desperate for companionship. They didn't truly need each other after all, at least to exist. But was it okay that she was actually enjoying it? They were social creatures after all, meant to be around others like them.

"I'm glad we got to meet again," she agreed, looking down at herself briefly but not really seeing the subtle changes that were apparent to him, not realizing most of it was through attitude. She was less of a frightened deer now. Instead she was more relaxed, settled in, and feeling much safer than before. But with her eyes... She only saw her same old self: small and weak with hands and arms scratched and covered with a thin layer of dirt. To be fair, that was her own doing this time from digging through all the gardens around town.

"You look better, too," she finally offered with a lopsided smile, chuckling under her breath as she lifted her free hand to tap at her own forehead. She creased her brow in a mock-scowl before relaxing with a small laugh. "Not as tense here, makes you look a lot less like a grumpy old wolf. I-" Vivien winced, realizing what she'd been about to say and hanging her head in shame. She didn't want to upset him, but was it better to just be honest?

"I was a little nervous about coming up here again. To see you, I mean. I thought you wouldn't want to be bothered," she admitted, still shifting about nervously as she braced for whatever insult he might take for that.

"I feel like I was a bother before," she clarified, though that was entirely her own self-projection. "And I did it again today. I'll try to do better with that. Thank you for being patient and not just telling me to leave." That was probably her biggest worry at the moment, after all. While improving she was still in no state to leave just yet.

What did she mean he looked better? It had been only a few days and he knew that nothing had really changed about his day-to-day habits. Wolfram's brow furrowed softly as he thought about it, ironically causing the very tense expression Vivien had just claimed to have improved. Did he normally look like a grumpy old wolf?

His frown only deepened when she admitted to being nervous about seeing him. Was he really that off-putting? He sighed and ran a hand through his hair as she kept talking. Maybe he deserved that kind of assessment.

She hadn't exactly been greeted warmly.

"I'm sorry for being...me. I guess. When you showed up I really didn't know how to react, but obviously not well." Wolfram tried to relax, the tension was part of the problem, wasn't it? "You're really not that much of a bother. Having another wolf here is actually kind of...nice."

Even if she was staying out in the woods alone. Just being able to smell Vivien around his home was soothing. There was another wolf, he wasn't all by himself.

"I think part of the problem is just not knowing each other very well." Yeah, that was painfully obvious. "We should, ah, spend time together? You know, get to know each other so that there aren't unpleasant surprises like today."

Not to mention the company would probably do them both some good.

Vivien frowned slightly at the reminder that she'd been an "unpleasant surprise" but she didn't blame Wolfram for that. It was definitely true and definitely her fault for causing him trouble without asking him about it first.

"Well this is a start isn't it?" She lifted the axe casually in gesture, certain that fence-building would give them some time to get used one another. Though, the more she thought on it the more she realized he could have meant it in ways that weren't for a specific purpose. How strange. She'd never really been someone her previous packs wanted to be around more than necessary, but she was just as starved of companionship and wasn't about to reject the idea.

"Or did you mean more like the other day? Um, just sitting together to talk?" She hesitated, almost offering to hunt with him. Unfortunately she still felt a bit wary of sharing such a thing as wolves where she was much more vulnerable and they couldn't yet communicate easily.

Wolfram was ready to chalk the whole morning up to a learning experience. Vivien had learned the concepts of human ownership and theft while he had learned that his new lupine companion was severely lacking in such understandings of human behavior and societal structure. Now they both knew better. He'd have to keep a better eye on her and make sure she was learning how to act around the humans, and hopefully she wouldn't steal anymore.

"Yeah, that's a start, I suppose." Working together towards a common goal was always a good way to bond with someone and get to know them. Right? Of course she went on to hit the nail closer on the head to what he'd meant. "Talking is a good way of getting to know each other. Probably one of the most direct ways, anyway."

Or was it?

Hell, Wolfram didn't know. He ran a hand through his hair, fidgeting nervously. This was all still so strange to him. Still, it was for the best that he become on good terms with her since they were going to be living in close proximity for an unknown length of time. "Maybe we should agree to meet and speak at least every other day, just to check on how we're both...adjusting."

Vivien tilted her head slightly to one side, watching his fidgeting with interest. It was strange for her to see a wolf actually seem nervous around her of all people; she didn't think she was at all intimidating for their kind but she realized after a moment his behavior was more for his own inexperience rather than anything she was doing. He had his own territory and his life seemed relatively stable. It seemed like the perfect situation to be confident in, but he was missing something to get him there.

"That's a good idea. I'll try to stop by more often, then," she agreed, eyes crinkling slightly with a smile for his choice of words. Adjusting. Despite her social shortcomings she already felt relatively well-adjusted. She'd carved out a spot for herself in the woods and was already fairly familiar with his territory and the wild plants within it. Truly, though, she still had much to learn before she would really be comfortable with the workings of life among humans and in tandem with a new wolf.

She turned to look out at the trees beyond his forge again, uncertain how long it might take her to gather all that they would need but feeling better about returning after having a chance to speak with him again.

"I should get back out there," she reminded him, tightening her grip on the axe and eyeing the space for it on the wall to remind herself of where to replace it later. She was aware of the fact that she'd been the one to distract herself with talking but... It had been a good conversation. Productive, too.

"I'll let you know when I'm done and then- Well I guess we can start whenever you have the time for it. Thanks again," she bid him, finally moving forward to walk past him and back into the forest so she could gather what they needed without stripping the land nearest his home of its trees.