Aleksei’s stomach was swirling, and his head was mimicking it. God, why couldn’t he just be selfish for once and decline to help? He could’ve lied, could’ve said he was busy, or that he had somewhere else to be! Why, oh why, did he have to constantly stick his nose into business that had nothing to do with him? Business that always ended up with him feeling like the dirty one no less. Next time he was faced with a shitty situation, he’d walk away. That’s what he told himself at least. No more corpses.

Her voice was what snapped him to attention. Aleksei lifted his head, looked at her as she gave her own name: Everly. Or that’s what she told him to call her. A name she’d picked for herself, then? Maybe it was just weird wording? Whatever, it didn’t really matter. This woman was whoever she said she was, and he’d respect that.

Instead, he gave a soft smile. “Everly, huh?” He paused for a moment, finally letting out a deep sigh, emptying his lungs of the bad air. He rolled his shoulders as he sheepishly chuckled (feeling a little embarrassed, now that his brain had caught up with what he’d just done), straightening himself out in the process. “I’m Aleksei. You know, you’re not the first Everly I’ve met.” He thought back to the sunshine girl, with her bright smile and get-up-and-go attitude. She was naturally charming, and despite their time together being extremely short, he found himself smitten with her cheer. She was so different to the wolf before him now. Then again, the name never really makes the person, does it? “She was here a few months or so ago, looking for her brother. Askan’s his name.”

Askan, the swarthy male who was the closest thing Aleksei had to a friend these days (even that was a stretch). Really, they should talk again some time. “Sorry, that’s irrelevant. Just—I dunno, I needed to get the dizziness out of my head, I suppose.” He paused, eyed her cautiously. “Are … are you okay?”

Aleksei watched in horror as Everly’s resolve crumbled into pieces. It was as if he’d thrown a stone at a glass house, shattered it in one fell swoop. His mouth went dry and his eyes widened. He was speechless, bordering breathless, as she welled up, staring at the ground beneath her paws. What should he say? What should he do? He had no idea what he’d done wrong, had no idea why mentioning Everly and Askan had thrown her off. Did she know them? Was Everly even her real name? Was she just pretending?

She was freaked out, that much was clear, and Aleksei lifted a paw nervously. It hovered in the air, uncertain, before he tentatively placed it back on the ground. He couldn’t stop staring at her face. She was so sad, so scared. She stammered out her words and he could only frown deeply, ears pressing against his skull so that he wouldn’t scare her. “I won’t stop you,” he whispered, worried that if he spoke any louder she might actually fall apart. “But please, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He was being sincere, and he hoped she understood that. He wouldn’t press. “If you need to leave, you can. But … well, if there’s anything I can do—get you something to eat, help you find water, just say.”

With his part said, he simply waited, tail low. He shrunk into himself, so that he’d appear less intimidating or daunting or whatever. He just wanted this girl—this strange, sad girl—to feel safe, be it in accepting his help or fleeing.