Of only one thing was Kinis Tainn certain.

He was probably supposed to be dead.

The boy did not really remember that day, when he had been huddled up underneath some bushes and waiting for it all to end. As far as he was concerned, it was all a part of one feverish dream which had lasted for many weeks now. The fire in his blood had raged, ready to consume him. He had been willing to die. Even in his delusional state, he had been eager for it.

Instead of the cool, sudden relief he was promised, instead Kinis' torment was prolonged only to see the fire quenched little by little. It happened so slowly that it was almost imperceptible; in his hot, flushed state, it took a considerable amount of time before he even had the state of mind to realise that the pain was not quite as bad as it used to be. Even then, it was more than enough to overwhelm him, and he spent a great deal longer in the grips of the fire. It was his existence now, and a torture that he simply had to grow used to. There was no end in sight.

Perhaps he was already dead.

It was sad how the first truly coherent thoughts to flicker through his mind were to wonder in anguish why he deserved this. The ache ran deep through his core, the pain sharpest in his right hindleg, his throat dry and... he was thirsty. But not too thirsty. Somewhere, a logical part of him questioned that; why would he be thirsty if he was dead? But if he was alive... why was he not dead from thirst? He had not been in any state to seek water for a long time; though the length of time was incredibly blurry, he knew that it had been no brief state. If not from anything else, then the thirst should have taken him.

But it had not. Lamely he shifted his head, dragging it across the cold, hard ground slightly, in the vain hope that there would be water nearby. It was only then, for the very first time, did he notice the smell. He had forgotten that he possessed senses other than for pain. As if he were a newborn, previous deaf, dumb and blind, Kinis slowly and cautiously began to reconnect with the outside world. The scent of pungent plants was overwhelming the moment that he noticed it, and his muzzle wrinkled in distaste - even more so when he smelt his own sorry state. That was just nasty. It felt worse, though. An ear twitched forwards, testing its own capabilities, but either he could not hear anything or his ears did not work any more. So overwhelmed by disaster, he did not feel too put-out by just one more. After all, who needed to hear when you were dead? Was it really that important?

Softly he sighed then, and after that his breathing settled into an almost-soothed pace, certainly a change from the frantic panting that had been his norm. He had no idea where to get some water, for he had no idea where he was in general, and if he wasn't already dead then he had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't going to die any time soon, either.

Weakly he pulled his head up and laid it upon outstretched paws, the positioning of which he neatened slightly, for comfort's sake. He wasn't that thirsty. He could... he could deal with it later.

For a while he drifted in a state of near-sleep, aware of his surroundings but in a dull, distant way. It was difficult to pay close attention to anything over the ache of the entirety of his body, not least because there was really nothing to pay attention to; the only senses which may have helped pass the time were his hearing and that of smell, and the former did not seem to work... and the latter was totally overwhelmed, which was horrid to think about.

Then something changed. It took him a few seconds to register that he had registered anything, and with unenthusiastic surprise he acknowledged it as sound. Well, that was a small mercy. Then he tried to pay attention, but it did not happen again; he strained, and then... his nose wrinkled, and the scent of, of... was that fish?

The absurdity of it prompted him to crack an eye open, and he peered first at nothing until he realised that he was staring at the lonely fish. Was he going insane? Then somebody else invaded his nose, and though he could not put a face or a name to it, he recognised it. Her. He recognised her.

This was insane. Scrunching his eye closed, the blood pumping thickly around his temples, Kinis tried to clear his head before opening both eyes this time, and that's when he saw her feet. Weakly he followed them upwards, to a face he had never seen before and yet trusted, and then he blinked.

It was surreal. He had no idea what was happening. Indeed, of only one thing was the Tainn truly sure.

"I'm thirsty," he whispered, without really meaning to, half-expecting the entire thing to be a delusion.

Just like that, the black wraith vanished, and Kinis blinked at her disappearance. Had it been something he said?, he wondered dryly, and it actually took his slowed mind a few moments to realise that yes, it may have been.

Something about her inspired faith. It was an uncanny kind of recognition, as though he should know her very well and yet... yet he could not deny the fact that he had absolutely no idea who she was, down to the pack scent which lingered in the air at her absence. Hers was the only strong scent in here, aside from his own, and carefully he began to piece together the situation from these tiny clues as he waited, for somehow he trusted that she would return. He was too weak to believe otherwise, and it was certainly more heartening than considering himself abandoned.

After all... he was alive right now, wasn't he? That was something.

With a grunt he shifted slightly again, his limbs stiff and aching beneath him, his eyes sweeping slowly across the ill-lit chamber which felt so familiar. Again, he did not recognise it, at least not visually... had he never been here before? But then how did he get here in the first place? Had he stumbled into some abandoned den, and then in turn been stumbled upon by this dark furred woman? He could not pin down what he last remembered doing, so blurred and unfocused were his recent memories, but it brought an immediate lump to his throat as he cast further back, seeking something familiar - and the image of his brother's face, of Aeylen, of copper-coloured rocks, they all came flooding back, and in that instant he at least knew that he had not lost himself completely.

It was fortunate that his raw throat did not permit much speaking, for otherwise the thick emotion in his chest would have stifled it anyway. She returned, as he knew she would, and the scent of wet rabbit went straight to his stomach and stirred a hungry beast there. But it was the promise of water which he cried out for the most, and when the sodden carcass was laid before him, Kinis reached out to grab it with a yearning speed which surprised even himself. Though his neck complained at the suddenness, it was quietened when he brought the rabbit between his forelegs and licked at it feverishly, the thirst growing in sudden urgency even as he quenched it.

The sound of her voice managed to catch his attention despite his great need, and his ears pricked towards her as he glanced at the plant in question. Nothing was so appealing right now as the liquid which clogged the rabbit's fur, but he felt an immense need to obey her simply-spoken commands, and once more he felt the queer notion that she spoke the truth. Nevertheless, he sucked on the rabbit for a short while further, reaching the point where the notion of pulling away did not feel impossible, and then with great self-discipline did he reach for the plant, catching it gently in his teeth. He glanced once at the dark woman before tightly closing his eyes and swallowing it with as few chews as possible, for the taste did not appeal. Still, he consumed it all, as bidden, before turning back to the rabbit to resume more a more pleasant activity.

It occurred to him to thank her, but it was at that point that suddenly he realised the twofold nature of the carcass gift; the water-laden fur had been one thing, but at once he craved the more flavoursome liquid contained inside. With an eager crunch, and strength renewed by the provision of such sustenance, he broke one of the body's hind legs and proceeded into its torso from there, the meat cold but he did not care. Though hungry, he could not handle the shock of too much at once, and had only eaten half of the creature before finally pausing, only then remembering his need to thank her. All of these base needs had turned him into something rather feral, need-driven and unlike himself - but then he remembered that circumstances were not ordinary, and he could only be grateful that somebody had taken pity on a broken wretch such as himself, for otherwise, surely, he would have died. At the very least, he was beginning to grasp that.

Once more his eyes, now more alert, found her face. Out of the blue, he noted it as quite lovely, though perhaps he was simply more delirious than he had thought. His voice was soft, the edges still raw, but he had a more firm - if still fragile - grasp of reality now. "Thank you... thank you."

Ava watched his feverish feeding intently, somewhat pleased and disheartened at the same time. As quiet and calm as she appeared outwardly, her mind had begun to race and she only saw his shape and movement, hardly focused on the details as uncertainty began to gnaw on the folds of her brain. Did this mean he was truly, actually going to live? She hoped so; there was no way Ava could bear his death on her own now. It had to be a good sign, that he was quenching his thirst on his own, right? What if it wasn't enough? What if he needed more? Surely he needed more. If only she could bring him some container full of the lakewater, or if only if the lake were right outside of the hidden den as opposed to all the way through the packlands and out the poison path and still yet some yards to go. Bright amber eyes remained fixed upon him while Ava tried to reason with the insecurity. Maybe he would need more soon, but his condition didn't seem to be worsening as he lapped the water from the sodden creature. That was good.

Much to her continued delight Sticky went ahead and actually listened to her, as if she had such the authority. He didn't reflect that the herbs were pleasant at all to taste, yet he did it anyway and it instilled within the Poisoned girl a sense of responsibility that she accepted more openly than she had originally. Before, Naira had abandonned her; she had relinquished her own duty and left Ava with three lives: Datura, Belladonna, and this curious fellow. The simple fact that their existence was riding on her was more than a mouthful to swallow. Sticky, at the very least, was proving to have some will to live as well as some ability to do so. Ava couldn't help but allow a small smile upon her face; what if some of his pain subsided, thanks to her instruction? What if she proved to have worth?

He was not finished yet with his attempts to live. It surprised her that he could tear the rabbit on his own. She hadn't really been able to tell his condition when he'd been unconscious, but now she'd actually have to assess his well-being. Sticky probably couldn't hold over on scraps from the cache, now that he was awake. In his comatose-like state he'd seemed almost frozen, hanging around one plateau and neither getting better or worse. This was his chance to truly recover, and he'd need plentiful food and water for that to occur. Of course, that would mean a consult with the new lead female... and likely through her, the stranger that had taken up her side. Ava could not hold back her grimace; oh, this was such a mess. Briefly she allowed her gaze to flicker toward him again, taking in the protruding bones and the limp mess of fur.

Fine, she would wade through the mess, just to prove it could be fixed.

Naira would have gladly allowed him to eat from their stores and Rhysis... had he even known about their secret? Athena might not be so lenient, not now that they were on rocky ground with missing members and two brand new children to take care of. Perhaps Ava could arrange some sort of agreement. But first, perhaps, Ava thought as sanity finally came back to the surface of her brain, I should maybe figure out who he is.

The sound of his raspy voice took her attention back to him, tilting her head in his direction. Ava paused and gave him a quizzical look. Thank her, for what? Naira had done everything, she'd known how to save a life. She had basically given the black-pelted female a list of instructions. It was basically what Ava did best, following the instruction of her leaders. Scrub the wounds, fetch the hellebore, try to get him to eat. And sure, it had saved his life.... but Ava was just some amateur apprentice. Glancing away from the male, she refrained from divulging such information. He might very well have a heart attack and die knowing his well-being was in such slippery hands. After a careful moment she responded, "There's no need to thank me."

It was still difficult to tell much from him, even if his eyes were now open. Trying to subtract the weariness that malnourishment added, he looked to be about her own age, but any recognizable scents in his fur were long gone. All he smelled like now was the cool interior of the mountain den, and thankfully much less like death than he used to. His coloring was simple, patterns made of shades of brown, though in some places she couldn't tell if it was dirt or a wound or a distinctive marking. Had Ava known the original family of Relic Lore any better, perhaps she would have recognized the fiery eyes trademark of the Tainns. But as it was, the brief mention of a missing Kinis by her nameless Swift River friend was no where near the grasp of her thoughts at the moment. He was truly unknown to her, and she the same way to him.

It was time, then, to shatter the illusion that his presence had been to her. Fixing her expression with a gentle smile, she began, "I'm Ava. My mentor and I found you on the mountain. Do you know who you are?"

Her last word hung in the air, esoteric and haunting as if she were some prophet and this was the beginning of his destiny. But that was wrong, there was no mythical dragon-slaying journey beyond the stone walls of the cave. Just a regular life, that he probably had a place in, somewhere off within the bounds of Relic Lore. "I don't know who you are," she clarified hot quick, just in case. The last thing Ava wanted to do was be misleading in any form at all. As much as she enjoyed the nickname Sticky, a real name could be useful.

No need? But surely that couldn't be right. Kinis was not stupid, nor proud, and he could accept the very real possibility that he owed his life to this woman. He was not above gratitude where it was deserved, but he recognised that it was nothing worth arguing about - and he did not have the energy to waste. Instead, he dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement, though neither accepting or denying her claim. Perhaps there was something he was yet unaware about. He had no idea how long he had been in this state, so was it premature of him to jump to these conclusions?

She offered her name soon afterwards, and his ears pricked as she spoke. Her mentor? So she had not been alone... but why could he not smell... or was he just still too dazed? His nose wrinkled, and he sneezed lightly, as if all that concentration on his senses was too much, or perhaps this place just stank too much of flowers.

He had not missed the question, though, and moved his head back up to meet her eyes. She did not know him, and yet she had helped him. Did she really reject his gratitude? ..."Yes," he said slowly, quietly, and then tried to take a deep breath to steady himself. Faintly, a lump in his throat ached at the effort, but he ignored it. When he tried to speak again, in a more ordinary volume, the ache did not fade - and it stole most of the wind from his chest, so that his voice came out hoarsely and with great pain. Flinching, Kinis dropped his head, shocked by the sharp agony in his throat. He was used to aches all over, but this... the implications of it struck him with a cold dread, and he closed his eyes and tried again, but it was futile.

She had asked him a question. Shaking slightly, once more did he lift his gaze to hers, and in a voice softer than before - barely a touch above a whisper - he answered it. "My name is Kinis." But the joy of remembering himself was blown away by the panic that was his ruined voice. Why could he not speak normally? He had hurt all over... and now this, too? At least he was capable of a hushed volume, but what if his voice never recovered? If he could not speak much above a whisper... could he howl? Would he ever sing with his family again?

It was too much. He could feel himself slipping, falling into a darkened panic, and lowered his shaking head to his paws, eyes wide and unblinking. Perhaps this had all been too much, too soon... or perhaps he shouldn't have woken up at all.

Yes, he said. He hadn't lost his memory. Ava was both relieved and worried at the same time, her gaze focused on him as he attempted to speak one more time. Yet it seemed his throat was still unkind to him - perhaps she ought to fetch him more water - so she turned away and thought for a moment. In doing so, she was unable to see him lift his head again, and when the soft words suddenly appeared in the cool cave air the Poisoned female's heart nearly stopped. Kinis. The word was like a direct slap in the face and it showed. Her eyes grew wide and immediately she turned back to him. For fucks sake. It couldn't have been some random loner wolf, it had to be Kinis Tainn.

As though her nameless Swift River friend did not haunt her enough, his voice sounded again within her ears, plain and clear as the very day he'd spoken it within the Thicket of Secrets: Ruiko - the Creek lead male, and Indru's litter mate - comes along to tell us Kinis, said friend's litter mate, is gone. And then the woe commenced. Of course, the woe commenced, because this was their beloved sibling and his loss was devastating and now he was here, on what was still technically considered enemy territory. It was practically unfathomable. The very idea of it set off a crawling sensation beneath her skin and she suddenly felt suffocated within what was considerably a spaceous cave. Ava maintained her composure long enough to shine him with a beaming smile and announce, "I'm going to get you more water." Then she scampered out right quick.

Once more did she approach the pack's cache with her mind reeling. If this had been a different time, maybe... no. Ava was not so low as to use an injured wolf as a pawn against a pack who had every right to hate her own. Truthfully, Swift River had never done anything wrong to them. Her eyes narrowed as she wondered if Naira had known who he was, though it pained her to imagine the tawny she-wolf as sinister in any way at all. Rhysis, on the other hand, could've always hatched such a plan. Then the memory of Aeylen Tainn's visit struck her just as viciously as the boy's name had, and she winced. It had been her dark leader she'd sought, so the male had obviously had history with Copper Rock Creek, that wasn't likely pleasant. Most friends didn't come seeking a visit in the dead of night.

Ava returned to the lake's edge with a new rabbit to soak its fur. She was sad to note the monotonous pattern of her route did nothing to take the edge off her racing thoughts. This was her mess to deal with, now, except for the minute detail involving Athena. Damn it, if she could only keep this a secret forever. But there was no way the black she-wolf could feed him for the weeks he needed to recuperate, and she could not hide him if he gained enough strength to drink from the lake himself... she couldn't even catch enough food to make the cache look less suspicious. She decided then as she once again emerged into the cave, jaw dripping a trail of little water drops behind her, that she would reign over the issue for as long as she could - Athena would wait.

After gently setting the rabbit before the injured Tainn she stepped back and sat down, wearing a calmer expression than her earlier facade. Only a moment's hesitation could hold her back, and then the words forced their way off her tongue. "I'm the Second of the Poison Path pack, previously lead by Naira and Rhysis. Naira was with me when we found you. She basically nursed you, until they disappeared. Your family is really worried about you, but I don't want to let you go until you're better. Our former Second took over the pack when Naira and Rhysis left - her name is Athena - and she doesn't know about you and I can't predict how she'll feel about this little secret. I can't keep it from her for too long, either. It's ultimately up to her if you can stay and recuperate here. I'm only in charge until she finds out." Loyalty would always be her weakness. There hadn't been any active scents on the path she took to and from Kinis, so she did not fear anyone over-hearing her confessions. Instead her focus was entirely upon the male, awaiting his reaction.

Caught up in his own growing misery, he did not see the sudden comprehension on Ava's face, that recognition of his name. Not for a moment did he suspect that he would be known to her - after all, she was as much a stranger to him. He had no reason to believe that his name carried far in Relic Lore.

From the corner of his eye he saw her wide smile, and, oblivious to its source, listened mutely to her announcement, feeling numb. With a jab of guilt, he wondered if she was doing that for his voice's benefit - had she noticed his disability? But then, how could she not? What kind of wolf was he with no voice? Swallowing hard - and wincing at his throat complained of it, though it was a psychological pain - he lowered his head once more and waited for Ava to return. She would return, right? But maybe she would think him a lost cause and abandon him... he would not blame her, for she truly owed him nothing. He owed her everything.

When the second rabbit was laid beside him, Kinis took to it with markedly less enthusiasm than the first. His need to be appreciative meant that he could not ignore her kindness just because he was feeling sorry for himself. As it happened, he barely had a chance to run his tongue along the water-soaked fur before she began to talk, and almost instantly her tone told him that this was not going to be brief.

The rabbit temporarily forgotten, he watched her as she spilled everything, every new sentence bringing with it fresh revelations. It was almost too much for his clogged mind to take in at once. Poison Pack?! Rhysis?! His family... but Ava was keeping him here - did that mean Ruiko didn't know? Kinis didn't know whether to be joyed by that or not; on the one hand, it meant that Ruiko had not abandoned him, but on the other, the idea of being kept a secret from his family did not sit right at all.

It was only when Ava went on to talk about Rhysis and Naira's replacements did he realise that she had said 'previously led', and though he idly wondered at the story behind that, he was inundated with information as it was. Athena was the new leader... whoever she was... and apparently his fate rested on her decision. But she didn't know about him.

"I..." he began, blinking once, clearly overwhelmed. "That's... wow. I had no idea." Of course he didn't, but he barely had the free space of mind to berate himself for his own redundancy. "I... What happens now? I mean - I don't... I should be - with Ruiko. I need to get back to the Creek." If he could even walk. But with so much to think about, his mind had spiralled in on the most important point, and until he had had time to process the rest, he clung to that simple fact. But... "How - how long has it been?"

There had been a violent expulsion of words from her mouth, each one toppling over the next before the pattern of syllables had even been completed. She wasn't surprised when he needed silence for processing, or by his shell-shocked reaction. Ava had half been hoping for something else - something to solidify what decision she had to make. If he had attacked her, or exploded in rage, it would've been simple to just kick him out of their packland and let him make it back to Copper Rock Creek - if he even could. If he'd begun bawling about his pain and how awful everything was, she would've felt certain about keeping him here. Yet as it was, she couldn't quite read his expressions, though Ava couldn't possibly blame Kinis for it. The dark-furred female had enough nonsense pouring from her mouth and swimming in the pool of her thoughts to have any brainpower to judge what he thought of her infodump.

His words followed slow and unsure, and though they were obviously not meant to be humorous Ava could not help but wear a grim smile. "You couldn't have known," she responded with a half-assed shrug. "You've been basically unconscious the whole time... You suffered a lot of trauma, Kinis, but you survived." With her humorless continuation the expression fell from her face.

Though he was concerned for his future, the Tainn seemed equally at a loss of how to continue on. The role of dutiful and professional Second was becoming more and more difficult to play without breaking character, so with a deep sigh Ava relinquished herself from the role. She simply could not act the part of being in charge, for she had no idea how to command the situation. Nervously she glanced at the recovering boy and admitted, "It's been a month, maybe more..." But she continued hastily before he could display any amount of sadness or panic about how long he'd been laying within a Poison Path den. "I don't know what to do. I have to tell Athena. But you're not well enough to leave if she doesn't know what to make of you." It was entirely possible to use him as a bargaining chip for safety from Copper Rock Creek, and perhaps even Swift River, but how poisoned could they possibly be? Ava could not use a family member to cruelly manipulate two packs that had done them no wrong. Would Athena do it? Probably not. But the very idea still clutched her heart with worry.

"I didn't know who you were, until you said your name. I haven't been trying to do a bad thing - I've been trying to do the exact opposite! I didn't know what Kinis Tainn looked like... somehow I was too slow to put two and two together," Ava dared yet another glance at the bright-eyed wolf, wondering if she still deserved any hero worship. Some savior she was.