It had been quite some time since the woman had visited the lowlands. The great expanse of grassy tundra was still a few hours trek from the den, so it wasn't a trip the lithe little female took often. Today though, the idea of basking in the peace and quiet of the wide open fields; with its waving grass and refreshing breezes was something she desperately wanted. In the wake of her defeat at the hands of that intruder scum, Raela had hardly been herself. Her own mind constantly berated itself; screamed at her for how useless she'd been when the pack that had saved her life had truly needed her. If that wolf had had more malicious intentions, who knows what could have happened. She could have been murdered. And the pups! Though her pack mates had tried to comfort the girl, there was little they could do to quiet her treacherous thoughts. What good was she? What good was she to any of them? Not once had she ever bested a wolf in a fight; her whole life was a string of pathetic defeats. 

The agouti girl lumbered wearily onto the plains, her head low and posture unassuming. This place held many fewer scents; many fewer traces of others than in the lands to the south and east. She'd hoped to find peace and quiet here, and at first, there was. Her weary body trekked out past the tree line; seeing fit to flop over unceremoniously in the long grass. A soft grunt escaped the woman's mouth as she landed. Her back was still grumbling about its injuries. The now scabbed-over and healing lacerations just in front of her hips had taken some care to truly fix, but they would be small scars. Small scars just like all the multitudes of others that covered her slender frame; hidden well by fur. Her ear had healed much quicker, but it would never be the same. An angular section of flesh was missing; torn away by the horrid woman's angry teeth. Where for most it would be a badge of honor; a battle scar, for Raela it was a mark of failure. Weakness. Her family was right. She was weak. 

The Crest wolf simply laid there, basking in the sun and enjoying the relative seclusion of the tall blades of grass. At least nothing would see her until she stood up. As for smelling her, well, she just hoped she'd be hard to find. Some time passed in her tormented sanctuary – the sun moved along as usual in the blue skies above. At least it was kind enough to warm her fur. The silence was broken eventually though, by the distant snap of a misplaced paw. Her head rose immediately; suddenly nervous that a threat could be approaching. It didn't sound particularly terrifying, and when her eyes found its source among the waving fields, she was somewhat glad to discover that it was a lone wolf and not a bear or something of the like. Still, she was vulnerable on her own. The woman's body might have been recovering well, but she still couldn't take on another wolf by herself. The last one had taught her that. Fear kept the woman from calling out to it across the fields. For a time she simply stared, unwilling to stand and give herself away. 

The more she looked on, the more the woman's sunshine eyes could take in. The male appeared much like herself. His highly contrasting agouti markings and smaller stature almost made the woman wonder if she could have been looking at a relative. That would be unfortunate indeed. Still, the man hardly seemed to pose a threat, and she supposed she could always outrun him if need be. Finally mustering the confidence to greet the stranger, Raela rose from the grass to recline on her haunches. A soft 'woof' parted her lips in his direction. It was a simple greeting that would hopefully tell her if this was a friend or a foe. The subordinate's posture illustrated her curiosity and apprehension as she looked on; her orange ears vertical with attention.  

Her call carried across the field, catching the loner quite by surprise. His stunned expression was only barely distinguishable from the distance, but she could make out that he was indeed startled. Still she refused to move. For a moment the two only sized each other up. Actively her mind sought to determine what the other wolf was thinking, all while monitoring his body for any hint of aggression. She might still have to run. His sudden responding wag and pricked ears spoke of an amiable nature, or at least a good mood. A smile pulled reflexively across her maw while his whine flickered into her own ears. He approached then, an action which put her instincts on edge. At least she could remain here. To quiet the nagging nervousness of her wary mind, the agouti girl rose to her paws as the male drew nearer. Now she could defend herself, just in case. 

In reality, Raela saw little to be fearful of just yet. Her greeting was returned in full. The subordinate's shining eyes studied the stranger; finding that he was relatively well fed an healthy looking for a wanderer. He certainly looked better than she had as a loner. Her inquisitive thoughts were put to rest at the rattling of his voice. At first it was merely confusion and focus that affected her expression, but it was swiftly followed by a grin. Her ears folded backward in sheepish acceptance of the flattery oozing from his mouth. Well well, this one could certainly talk. Her own pleasant tones graced the air next. “Well thank you,” she replied, her voice light with surprise. Only Aeus had spoken to her in such a way before. Come to think of it, he probably wouldn't have been so happy with the male's advances, but for now he seemed perfectly benign to her. 

The mention of her pelt had Raela regarding his own, paler shades. “You seem to have some of that same 'singeing' yourself, but without the *tears.” A glance cast its way back toward her hip; drawing attention to the scabbed and healing wounds. To lack fur in these spots made the injuries all the more noticeable when the blood had been cleaned away. Normally it was bad practice to let a stranger know you were injured, but these were becoming old wounds. They no longer hindered her movement much, only her looks. 

A laugh parted her jaws both out of surprise and courtesy. His joke was funny, but she made a conscious effort to show her enjoyment, as all polite strangers would. She kept smiling as he winked, though inwardly she was beginning to wonder about his intentions. The Crest girl hoped the man wasn't speaking with her only because he wanted a mate. His charm was practically oozing, and she was taken; or at least, seeing someone. While her thoughts mulled over the puzzling male, he offered reassurance; still speaking in a practiced, calculated way. The speech felt even more artfully crafted than what her dark chocolate beau could manage. Impressive. His words however, stirred up thoughts of her disgraceful loss. Her usually bright eyes dropped to the ground as the memories fell all about, again shaming the woman for her failure. 

Before she thought to reveal her mental torment, he had revealed himself to be “Urien.” Well, he was a loner after all. Without really thinking, a sad smile pulled at her lips out of pure amusement. Why would a loner want anything to do with cheering her up? She had a faint idea, but would much rather have clung to the hope that he was simply a good, cheerful wolf, like Lugh perhaps. With a quiet half-laugh, she spoke. “Well Urien, my injuries are hardly worth celebrating. It was a fight I lost.” deciding to leave it at that, the agouti girl looked for his eyes again. He certainly seemed interested in her. What a joy it was for her heat to be long gone. “I'm a bit short on smiles right now,” her pleasant voice grew airy with a sigh; sunshine eyes roaming the fields idly. “My name's Raela.” They locked indicatively onto her small mountain home; the one she'd pathetically failed. “My pack lives up there, on the big hill.” A connection seemed to grasp her attention; livening her speech if only slightly. “I was a loner too for a long time before that, though.” Yellow eyes found her new companion over another melancholy smile. “I wasn't as good at it as you seem to be though. How long have you been out here?”

His words were ever so puzzling. Talk? What was she to speak of? The essence of his statement was at least a comforting one; but the woman found herself staring off into the distance once he'd finished. A reply was beyond her at the moment. Urien seemed unsatisfied with her distance; choosing to move ever closer and still with that empathetic air to him. What a peculiar breed she'd stumbled upon. As the ruddy male continued, his poetic way of speaking did not let up in the slightest. Where could he possibly have been from? No one Raela had ever met spoke in such a way. Was it perhaps, by choice?

Dulled yellow eyes turned back, scanning her new companion as his lips wove more complex sentences. Formulating a response felt a bit like unraveling a mystery; his speech a set of clues. Before her mouth could put forth much of anything, the rearrangement of Urien's facial features gave the subordinate pause. It was a touchy subject to be sure, but the woman had no intention of pressing him for it. She wouldn't want her past dragged out by a nosy stranger either. Thankfully, the man seemed fine with relaying what information he could. Still it brought some remorse to her face. A year? He IS doing well. Now that silence had found him, Raela felt the instinct to help again grow more powerful than anything else. It was just like her. 

“Are you looking for a home?” Her voice was now drenched with concern. Come to think of it, he appeared young enough to be a dispersal; to be searching for a mate. Perhaps this was his quest. Perhaps that was why he was so overwhelmingly charming toward her. “If you are, Round Stone Crest might take you in. They were generous enough to save me from starving last winter.” She'd answered his earlier question, still hoping to return some of his comforting gestures.