Nothing. After everything she had nothing. Bedraggled feet scuffed over the rocks that dotted the quiet shore. Her dark nose followed the terrain; hauling up and over the broad stones and dipping low as she padded through the freshwater tidepools. Her tracks were dark and thick with grime. Present motivation was only enough to keep her moving, Noble didn't care for appearance or properness. Nothing should care for her and Noble couldn't care if feet dragged and pelt tangled.

Her first winter was far harsher than it should have been. It was a wonder Noble had managed to grow into her full height. Her legs seemed unnaturally long and uncomfortably bony as her belly tucked sharply to her spine. Eyes shone with desperation, not youth. That was the only part of her to shine, the rest was matted and filthy with inattention. Her mental state was no better with no one to converse with and only uncertainty around her. Nothing, her mind whispered as the dark girl gazed over the water. The landscape echoed the sentiment and Noble grunted softly to herself. The lack of social interaction had made a mess of her mind. Natural timidness had become exaggerated defensiveness. Noble was over over-sensitized and trusting of none. The winter had taken everything.

Now she had only a fierce desire to live... not that it would get her very far by itself. She didn't know how to make her life work and was too suspicious of others to ask. Noble shuffled along the shore, only vaguely aware that she didn't even know how to fish.

Watch the water, watch the stones.

The mantra continued over and over in her head. Her gold eyes would lift to scan the water for any edible movement, feet continuing a slow measured. She would figure out how to catch a fish later... when the opportunity actually presented itself. After the predetermined number of steps (Noble had been searching for days and a system had been developed), her gaze slipped from the tranquil waves to rake the stony shore that stretched out before her. There had to be a way to survive out here, the bird calls and animal tracks were proof that it was possible.

She tried not to think about everything she'd search for in her short life, tried to ignore how much she sucked at finding things. Her muzzled twitched and gaze ripped wildly from the water. Something stunk. Clearly it was dead, and had been for several hours now. The smell was thick and oily on her tongue. She could feel saliva pool in her mouth and scrambled over damp rocks towards the dead freshwater clam. Her teeth had just closed on the deplorable meal when a voice rang out. Wide-eyed and mouth occupied, she jerked her head up to see Desideria.

Perhaps if she hadn't been so desperate, Noble would have been embarrassed to be holding onto the leaking, smelly thing like it was the only thing she'd eaten in other a day (which it was). Dezzy came closer and Noble watched, carefully keeping track of the space between them. She had no intention of letting this new-comer taking her prize away. Noble's eyes squinted at the statement about the lake. She turned to it briefly, it looked the same as it always did. She nodded stiffly in response.

Without a word Noble, shuffled backwards to yield the water if they wanted to fish. They could have the water, the vagabond-girl was already looking forward to finding another dead clam anyways. She promptly ignored Desideria, spending a few quiet moments to pry the shells apart and slurp out the softening flesh. The next few minutes were spent pretending she was searching for more dead things to eat, but she stole glances at the older wolf. Finally, she dropped all pretenses and sat watching Desideria with open curiosity.

It didn't take long for Noble to come to a definitive conclusion: fishing was more interesting than searching the gravel for dead things. She looked down at the water-logged stones under her feet and flipped one dolefully. It was empty underneath. It might be hours before the waves pushed another clam ashore. Noble had been lost at the worst time in her life; she'd grown into the leggy body of a yearling without the knowledge of how to hunt as one. She could hunt rabbits because it was the one thing @Minka had taught her young daughter, but everything else was far beyond her experience. Perhaps she could have gone and scavenged in the forest, but Noble was powerfully curious about how fishing worked now.

It was hard to see much. Noble scooted forward an inch, fascinated by the chaotic ripple of water and stray glint of dusky green fins. She was so captivated that it wasn't until the other wolf stopped and Noble's gaze lifted from the water that she discover Desideria was watching her in turn. She shifted sideways, scooting away like a child caught with their hand in a cookie jar. "I'm fine." Noble pressed out, feeling horribly embarrassed. Mentally and physically though, she was far from fine. This was the first conversation she'd had in nearly two weeks and her heart slammed at being put on the spot like this. Pelt clung tight to her body, the long bones uncomfortably clear underneath. Her eyes, when they finally dared to meet Desideria's, were clear and alert. Noble might be starving, but she wasn't dead yet. She flashed a bashful smile, teeth flashing a healthy white in the sun. "I've just never seen anybody fish before."

She wasn't sure what to make of Desideria's deflecting response. It certainly seemed that Desideria knew what she was doing. Noble glanced at the lake, the surface was unbroken and shining in the sun. There was no sign of the fish now, presumably because Noble had pulled the attention of the fisher-wolf away. Whoops, black ears folded back in apology. Now they would go hungry, a situation Noble could certainly sympathize with. Despite that, the other didn't seem angry with her. In fact, as her gaze shifted back, an invitation was made.

Noble's mouth fell open in surprise and her tail swung in the air. "Really?" She stuttered out. The answer was clearly yes, but it seemed so intricate a task. The fish were deceptively fast and how did you chase something that could easily swim away. Noble was hesitatingly over her own ability, thinking of how bony and helpless she must look right now, when Desideria proposed something more realistic. Noble's ears swung forward in interest. "How? Where?" It seemed to good to be true and Noble simply had to add: "I've looked."

"Do you... do you think you could show me?" Respect was a more deeply ingrained wolf instinct for Noble than hunting. The girl approached very slowly, feeling her tail tuck farther with every step that brought her closer. It felt rude to speak from a distance and she wanted her interest in this supposed 'free meal' to be evident. "I'm Noble," was the shy introduce once they were finally a comfortable distance from each other. "Is it somewhere near here?"

"...but what are you gonna do, right?"

Desideria had her interest right from the get-go. This was a rationale Noble could understand and sympathize with. No one could've known what was going to happen to the Lagina princess. The time everyone thought they had was suddenly gone, and every lesson she'd needed to survive had never occurred. There were a million things that Noble wished her parents could have explained: how to hunt deer, accurately follow the stars, interact with strangers. But that was the past and there was nothing she could do about that now, right?

Noble nodded firmly at Desideria's first question. All attention in the lake was lost now, she was oblivious to the gentle sluice of fins and whatever disgusting offerings were being washed ashore. The instructions were easy to follow and deceptively honest. Noble said nothing, simply listened and connected the points. Find a pack, wash her scent away And then steal. Her ears lay back in shame and she heard the crash of water on the shore. Maybe there would be something dead and rotting for her to eat now. Maybe it would keep her alive till next week. Maybe there was nothing. It was sheer luck, not Noble's own ability, that had kept her alive this long. Something had to change and this was the only "something" being offered. Didn't the benefits outweigh the crime? Hadn't Noble lost things as well?

The second nod was slower, but no less firm. It sounded so simple in theory, but Noble knew it would be far different in practice. "How far do I have to run? Won't they chase me?" This was not Noble dismissing the idea, but rather trouble-shooting it. Her eyes meet Desideria with a shy smile. "I was always faster than my brother." This could work!

It had to; it was all she had.