She was exhausted! Several times earlier in this adventure of hers, she'd thought of herself as such, but those had been mild cases of fatigue compared to her current state. Though she'd caught a few rabbits over the past weeks, and kept a steady supply of strengthening herbs with her, there was only so much one body could handle, and hers was at its end. Since her meeting on the hilltop - the last time she'd seen another wolf - the vixen healer had made regular trips up the steep hills to orient herself, using the mountains as a guide as best she could, since the sky was hopelessly covered by clouds most of the time. It was a flawed system; several times she'd managed to get herself turned around once she descended to the lower lands, only discovering the next time she made the climb, that she had been moving in the wrong direction. It was both frustrating and arduous, and many days she had to stop before it had even gotten dark, too tired to keep moving.

Such, her progress was protracted, amounting to almost nothing each day, and it made her hopeless. Right now, she was lying by a small creek, the light just starting to dwindle as the sun began its descend somewhere far above. She had been too exhausted to stay on her feet, and had dropped to the dusty ground to drink. Belly now feeling a little less empty with the water sloshing in it, she had turned a little and now lay with her head on outstretched paws, copper eyes half open, staring at the slow moving water; But still faster than me... She sighed, a hollow, heavy sound, so bare of optimism that it hardly sounded like it could have come from her. The position, gasping at the bank, reminded her painfully of a sight she had once seen herself, a lifeless body stretched out near the creek known as Heartleaf; though that wolf had been much bigger than herself.

The slender lass closed her eyes, fighting back tears, back then, she had come to Coal's aid, but who would come and safe her? Not her former mate with the calm, dark eyes. Then who? Miccah..? She wished it with an ache in her tired heart, hoped for her dark knight with the beautiful azure gaze to come find her and bring her home. But she didn't truly believe it would happen; Not anymore... It had been too long.  A strangled sob escaped her clenched jaws, and she wondered if this was what had become of the man she once loved, if he too had wandered into this wretched land and gotten hopelessly lost, unable to return to those who waited for him at home. She didn't want it to be true, both because she still wanted to be angry about his disappearance, and because she did not want to share that fate. She couldn't! She had a duty to her pack, to Nina and Koda and Iopah, to the boys whom she had helped raise. She wouldn't abandon them. but she was so tired...

Word count: 523

She dozed in her misery, the sound of the slowly trickling water lulling her into a restless sleep. In her rapidly shifting dreams she was running away from something, she did not know what, through lands that reminded her of the places she knew; broad tundra like the area where she was born, large fields of grass similar to those where she first learned to hunt, forests reminiscent of the deep Wildwood, and dense thickets like the one she now called home. But every time she thought herself safe, sure that she knew exactly where she was, she took a turn and ended up somewhere new and unfamiliar. Paws kicking and scraping at the stones and sand of the river bank, she tried to outrun her nightmares, but never moved an inch; I just wanna go home! Please, PLEASE! "Please let me go home..." She mumbled in her sleep, tossing her head and continuing her static escape.

The sound of splashing water awakened her, head lifting with a jolt as she realized there was no place for the sound in her dreamscape. Blinking the haze out of her eyes, she struggled to roll onto her feet so she could get back up. She gazed out into the creek, eyes narrowed, searching for the source of the sudden splashing, and quickly found it. With a grunt, the rust pelted lass shifted in the gravel and lifted herself into a sitting position, copper eyes locked on the stranger standing in the middle of the stream. The woman had a light, silvery coat, faintly marked by a touch of russet, as if she was dusted with ochre, her frame was large and boxy, and her eyes a multicolored amber. If Aideen hadn't just been roused from her slumber, she would probably be overjoyed to see another wolf out here, after so many days alone; ass it was, she was however uniquely aware of her bedraggled state and the vulnerable position it put her in.

After staring at the stranger for a while in silence, she slowly parted her lips, taking a moment to lick them before addressing the other; "He-hello." The thin she wolf said, voice thick and creaky, and followed by a few coughs. She felt light headed, her head filled with fog making it hard to think. Her body was tense, ears laid tentatively back and tail flicking lightly at her hocks, waiting for the unknown wolves response.

Word count: 407

The stranger remained silent, watching the much smaller shewolf closely, but never moving to speak, or make any recognition of the offered greeting. Had Aideen been in a better state, her head clear enough for her usual compassionate self, she would have wondered if maybe this other woman hadn't understood her, and she would eagerly have tried again to make contact. As it was, she was more instinct than conscience, so when the light pelted female moved closer, she took a small step back, tail stopping its nervous twitching to instead press down along one leg. She shrank into a defensive, half crouched position, back arched and ears flattened against her skull. The massive stranger circled her, like she was studying a piece of prey, looking for a weak spot, and Aideen turned her head to follow the motion, copper eyes trailing the other as closely as she was watching her.

The vixen healer's head was starting to clear, adrenaline rushing through her veins, driving away the fogginess of her exhaustion. Knowing how vulnerable her position was, she was already on edge, and the grey wolf's behavior did nothing to calm her stress; Just get away from me! There was no scent of pack in the stranger's fur, nor any other hint of familiar smells, but for some reason that only made Aideen even more uneasy; What do you want?! Finally, after finishing her circle, the grey giant sat down, at last parting her jowls to speak. Russet ears twitched at the sound of the apathetic voice, one of them lifting from the crouched girl's head to listen closely. The words made a shiver run down her spine, and fire sparked in her eyes, anger steadily starting to smolder in her chest; "I didn't ask you to consider anything!" She said defensively, voice tense, with an edge of agitation.

Lag of good manners usually wasn't something that bothered her much, but something about this bulky female had rubbed Aideen the wrong way, and the fierce temper, which she was normally able to control easily, was flaring up in her. She glared at the cinnamon dusted woman, stance still guarded, but her hackles were beginning to rise. Her voice was louder, the anger in it more confidently showing when she continued: "I'm just trying to find my way home, if you actually want to help me, you can tell me what direction south is!" She made a small motion with her head, shifting her paws a little to get a better stand but never taking her eyes off the other. It was likely her nastiness would just drive away the stranger, but she really couldn't be bothered with niceties; Certainly not when she WON'T! The otherwise good spirited girl was tired, tired of being nice, tired of meeting everyone with an enthusiastic smile. She didn't have energy to be positive anymore; I just want this over with!

Word count: 486

The stranger’s lag of reaction only further infuriated the fox like woman, copper eyes glistening as the other simply waved her ears at the question; What is she, stupid?! Then, without even a word, the grey giantess turned on the spot and started trotting of, and Aideen was left to stare after her, brows lifting in surprise. She'd figured her nastiness would drive the other off, but she thought it would be with more protest, this unresponsiveness rather deflated her build up anger. Leaning back, she sat down on the gravel with an audible thud. Her tail swished over the stones in her vexation, ears twitching as she listened to the steps slowly fading into the distance; So now what?

The short encounter had left her energized as well as annoyed, and for some reason, she no longer felt quite as miserable; I guess I should thank her for that... But she still didn't know which way home was - the thought of starting another, exhausting climb up the hills was less than pleasant - and she was hungry. It was her hunger that finally brought her attention to what the pale stranger had already noticed, the scent of deer easily filling her nose now that her attention wasn't focused on the other wolf. Her body tensed, tail stopping its unnerved twitching as she lifted again from her seat on stiff legs. She couldn't afford to miss an opportunity to hunt, even if it meant competing with the impolite woman for a piece of the prey.

With steeled determination, she set off after the dusted dame, footfalls silent in the open underbrush, accustomed as she were to the dense shrubbery of the Thicket. She arrived on the scene just as the other wolfess made her opening move, springing straight at the terrified deer. It was only a young animal from last breeding season, but it was still a risky move, and Aideen held her breath as the beast reared, kicking out with its sharp hooves. Thoughts of hunting were whisked away as her healer's mind kicked in, brain spinning to find the best way of treating an injury in this landscape that she didn't know well. The large grey wolf seemed undisturbed though, dodging one kick and then lashing out again, getting a grasp on the deer's leg and snapping it easily with her strong jaws.

After that, the animal had no chance, its life was ended swiftly and the grey huntress stood over it triumphantly, light fur now pied by the crimson blood. The fresh, sharp scent made Aideen's stomach growl, but she was still in healer mode, eyes darting over the large figure searching for injuries. Surprisingly, the bulky lady seemed unharmed, steps even and strong as she grabbed her price and started dragging it back. The fox like lass stepped free of the trees then, shaking her head lightly; "Stupid." She said flatly, eyes on the prey rather than the hunter, her previous fear for the stranger gone; "One hit from those hooves and you would be dead." She looked up at the stranger, face strict as if she was scolding one of the boys back home; "I could have helped you, you know." Between the two of them, they could have taken down the deer easily; And WITHOUT unnecessary risk!

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The shrug didn't serve to satisfy Aideen's urge to scold, this giant of a wolf seemed completely ambivalent to the danger she'd just put herself in; One should think a woman of her age would have learned to take care of herself! Either the dusted dame had been part of a pack all her life, never hunting without the aid and protection of others before, or she had been unfathomably lucky; And probably hide quite a few injuries under all that bulk. Whichever it was, luck could not stay with her forever and the carelessness in her manner left the smaller lass stupefied. She shook her head again, suppressing another wave of chastisement; What would it matter? There was little chance that a stranger could make this titaness see the error in her ways; She'll have to learn the hard way.

The slight girl almost rolled her eyes at the reply to her words; "You could have asked," she pointed out, still feeling rather cross with the other, but the gracious offer softened her copper eyes. If she hadn't been so starved, she might have argued, or wondered why exactly a complete stranger would share her kill so readily; maybe even grown suspicious of the woman's ulterior motives. As it was, she simply smiled palely, nodding her head once; "Thank you." She bowed her head and quickly tore into the deer's hide, ripping large strips of meet free and gorging herself with a grateful rumble. The grey female remained quiet while she ate, leaving her to take as much as she wanted, only stepping to the carcass when Aideen finally pulled back, stomach ready to burst from the heavy meal.

The healer instantly felt reenergized by the protein, sitting back with a satisfied sigh and casting a look around the clearing. Despite the small opening between the trees, there was still not much horizon to see over the tall treetops, the grey sky only appearing in slim band over their heads. When the other suddenly spoke, Aideen jumped slightly, turning her gaze back to the woman with a much more favorable expression on her face than any time before. Her eyes widened slightly at the words, both with surprised that the woman remembered her question, and wanted to answer it, and elation at the given information. She followed the other wolf's pointing motion; "Oh so the mountains are that way!" She yipped excitedly, then looked back to the grey dame with a displeased look at the addition; "Well I know to keep them left, the trouble is keeping sight of them from down here." She gestured around at the tall trees and steep, plentiful hills, letting out a small sigh before turning her eyes back to the ochre dusted lady. "But thank you," She said with a fresh smile; "For helping me out, even though I was so nasty before. And I'm sorry about that." She lowered her head and ears in apology, she was lucky that it had been this woman, and not someone less benevolent, who had found her.

Feeling a strong urge to get moving again, now that some of her strength had been restored, Aideen half turned, positioning herself with her left shoulder towards the direction pointed out by her rescuer. She gave a last nod, waving her tail lightly; "I need to get on home, I have already been gone way too long. Thank you again, and should you ever find yourself near Secret Woodlands, I'll be more than happy to return the favor. Just ask for Aideen Smoke!" She didn't allow herself to think about the possibility that she would never find her own way back there, she had to! Giving a last wave of her tail in salute, the reddish lass set off in a slow trot, to focused on her goal to even turn her head once and look after the other, though her ears remained back turned to catch any last words of the helpful woman, before she got out of earshot.

Word count: 672