For my own purposes... I'm setting this thread before all my others. EVAR. dun dun dun. :3
<blockquote><font style='margin-left:20px;'><b><i>MAYBE WE'LL GET BLOWN AWAY BY THE DAY</i></b></font>
Alone for most of his life? How could he stand it? How could he even survive? It wasn't the loneliness, it was the reliability, the security, the knowledge that you had others to fight and hunt and run alongside. How can you ensure anything when you're by yourself, let alone your next meal?
Marsh noted idly the almost prissy manner with which the boy sat down, as if he were always so meticulous with his expressions and movements. So why trip over a sleeping wolf, eh? Obviously it was just a bad day.
At the kindly sentiment of the next words, however, Marsh was lightly taken aback. It would not have been his first thought to express such hope for mutual success - would he ever see this boy again? - but it was not an unhappy surprise. Though he still found it odd, Marsh dipped his head, as if to mirror the boy's sentiment. Did he care? Not really, but it was somewhat nice to pretend, and would make this encounter even less hostile.
Oh no - <i>winter</i>. It was so hard to think of such a cold, harsh time when the weather was like it was, but marsh could hardly deny that it was a fear which drove him also. So far in his life, Marsh had been alone for no winter. He was able to keep himself alive, but it wasn't by choice, and he hardly dared to think he would survive the more brutal of seasons. His skin wasn't that thick.
Ah - a question. Well, it wasn't a question, but Marsh recognised the set-up. It was one piece of subtle word-working that he actually knew how to react to. <b>"Marsh,"</b> he said, with unusual ease. Perhaps the unexpected camaraderie between them had helped. Something he had said was interesting, though; <b>"you... come - look for, for p-p-p-p, pack? Here?"</b> His tone made it clear; he wanted to know if Weldering had any specific purpose here, if he knew of any family nearby. Marsh hadn't smelt a whole pack for a while; did this land hold one? He would have to seek it out.
<font style='margin-left:20px;'><b><i>SO WE CAN BETTER ENDURE THE NIGHT</i></b></font></blockquote>