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The Bridge to Sanctuary [Closed]

Started by Juno, January 20, 2016, 08:39:21 AM

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Juno

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.

Zero

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.

Juno

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.

Zero

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.

Juno

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.

Zero

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.

Juno

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.

Zero

"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."

Juno

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?"

Zero

"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."

Juno

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.


Zero

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.

Juno

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.

Zero

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.

Juno

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.

Zero

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.

Juno

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.

Zero

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.

Juno

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.

Zero

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.

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