Rissa's Rest aims for love but misses the mark

That was a surprisingly simple answer, one he probably should've been able to work out for himself. But how not okay was he? That was still yet to be determined. He wasn't sick yet, but now that it was winter he was expecting to get at least a cold or something soon. Even during the warmer months he usually got some type of illness, and with being on his own and little experience of how to treat it, it likely wasn't going to be a fun winter. "I s'pose that makes sense."

Wrynn licked his lips at the mention of hunger. He was always a little hungry; his hunting skills were pretty piss-poor for a loner, and with his small size and frail body it was near impossible to take anything down that was anywhere close to his size. So yea, food was definitely on his mind, especially now that it was brought up. But he didn't want to impose on the kindness of the other wolf who was likely also hungry with the scarcity of freely available food. "A little." But he was so cold that he would almost prefer to just curl up somewhere and rest first, as he wasn't sure if his nearly numb form the cold paws would be very useful in catching something to eat.

It was more or less the answer he had expected. If the stranger had said no, Levi wasn't sure he would have believed him. Thankfully, this one didn't appear to possess any such hubris, allowing the Chasm misfit to simply aid him. Who knew, it might be himself in this same position one day; alone again, hungry and cold and far too mistreated by the world.

Levi stood, a little more slowly than he might have otherwise, still unwilling to be any kind of jarring or otherwise harsh presence but ready to relocate, to where those elementary needs could be met.

"I'm Levi. Follow me, we'll get some food and get out of the cold."

If the youth complied, he would turn then and lead the way to a secret he hoped he'd kept well - a private den outside of the pack's territory, a place made after River was gone.

He watched as the stranger stood up, his own body still glued to the snow, and even when the offer was put out to follow he stayed for a few moments longer. Wrynn really didn't want to intrude, but the thought of getting out of the cold was very tempting, and after all, it had been an offer made willingly. Slowly standing up he made to follow, head still ducked as he walked behind. "I'm Wrynn."

The snow was cold on his paws, and he felt himself shiver as they walked, trying to fluff his fur to create a better barrier against the cold. He didn't like snow very much, preferring the heat of summer where he could sun himself during the day, and prey was more plentiful. Hopefully it wouldn't get too much colder. "Where are we going? He asked softly, a little worried that it would take a while to get wherever it was that Levi had in mind.

Levi picked up the pace just a beat, watchful that the other boy could keep up but also eager to make the trip swift. Thankfully, they weren't too far from it. This had been a familiar direction for him to wander toward, and therefor where he had also chosen to dig out said den.

"I um, keep a place away from the rest of my pack," he admitted quietly, ears leaning back with guilt. He didn't like it, but it just had become... necessary. As @Adelard had said and Levi had grown to better understand, the Chasm could get stifling at times.

"It's small, but should be big enough for us both, and I've got some food stored there."

It was just ahead, through where the trees grew thick and then in a ditch at the bottom of a hill. A root system was exposed where whatever forces of nature had eroded away the ground, and there Leviticus had dug deeper, creating a hollow hidden behind a loose wall of earth.

He all but scurried after Levi, doing his best not to trip on anything hidden in the snow, and also not to run into the back legs of the other wolf. His ears flick back against his skull at the mention of a pack, worried now that they'd get too close to the pack border and he'd be chased off. But maybe, because Levi was part of this pack, it'd be okay? Surely he wouldn't invite Wrynn to stay somewhere only to end up causing him to be ran off like a coyote sniffing around where it shouldn't be. No, Levi seemed too nice for that.

Wrynn's mouth watered when the other wolf spoke spoke of food being stored at the place they were going, and his stomach gave a small grumble. Maybe he was hungrier than he thought. The tree growth thickened, but he was small enough to squeeze around, through, and under where necessary, not finding it too difficult to navigate to the small dug-out hollow at the bottom of the hill.

Stopping at the entrance he looked at Levi, licking his lips nervously. It wasn't his home, so it didn't feel right for him to just barge straight into it without asking for permission first. "Do you... wanna go in first?" That was a dumb way of saying it, and Wrynn cringed at himself. Why were words so hard sometimes? But he could smell the delicious scent of prey wafting from inside the hole, and found himself sniffing the air, taking a half tentative step before he froze his body. Levi hadn't said he could go in just yet.

Levi thought the other, looking so thin and cold, would be eager to dive into shelter. He hesitated instead, asking that the den's creator be the first to venture in. The tawny young man wasn't really sure what the issue was, but he wasn't about to berate or interrogate his company over it. Instead, he simply obliged, ducking his head and crawling carefully over the loose earth to curl up behind.

He pressed himself against the far side, giving Wrnn enough room that the space would hopefully be inviting. With forpaws he dug at a soft spot in the otherwise unexcavated back wall, and the dirt fell away to reveal a chewed-on carcass. This was also pushed forward, into the scant open space the den offered and hopefully enticing the smaller wolf to enter.

(This post was last modified: Jan 09, 2022, 07:00 PM by Leviticus.)

Levi moved forward without a moment's hesitation, and he waited until the wolf revealed a morsel of food before slowly following. He carefully stepped inside, curling up into the dirt edge of the hole and faced the other male with a tentatively thankful expression. The carcass had been pushed his way, and Levi had said there was food available, so Wrynn slowly pulled it towards him with a paw and took a slow bite, looking up at Levi as he did so just in case he was doing something wrong.

The taste of food had his mouth watering, and he found himself gobbling up each bite like he hadn't eaten anything in multiple days, and though he hadn't been keeping track that did sound about right. When he finished he licked his lips clean, eyes closing in delight as he savoured the feeling of something in his stomach. Wrynn was silent for a few moments, before his eyes shot open with a look of fear as he realised he hadn't left anything for Levi to eat, and he found his ears pulling back to lay flat against his skull as a soft whine escaped from his maw. "I'm sorry, I didn't leave you anything." Levi was so kind to him so far, but Wrynn had always been the last one to eat back home and if he ate out of turn he was severely punished, so if the other wolf had been wanting to eat some of it then surely he would get mad at him.

Empathy once more reigned within his eyes, watching how Wrynn ate with such ravenous hunger. He'd certainly been there, two times during his search for Riven. The memories were distinct; it was a trauma to be starved of one's most basic needs. Levi wanted to reach out and comfort the other wolf, make sure he was warm and assure him that things were going to turn around for him. He couldn't put his wounded heart into it, and so remained where he lie.

The look of pure contentment that passed over Wrynn's face melted him just a little, and a smile tugged upward at his black lips. Finally - something that felt good.

It was chased away mercilessly by the abrupt look of fear that overwhelmed the other wolf's features in short order. Levi's posture jolted from relaxed to alert, ears quivering at attention. His own eyes mirrored Wrynn's, silently asking what?! Had he heard something ominous from outside? Swallowed a bone?

I didn't leave you anything...

Levi remained shocked.

"... it was for you," he told him gently, brows knitting with both confusion and concern. It was the last straw. The young Armstead swallowed his fears and crawled closer. He hooked a forelimb loosely around the other's neck and delicately pulled him in. He moved to tip his crown against Wrynn's.

"You're okay. I won't ever hurt you."

He didn't want to hurt anybody, and how could he? Levi might as well be fangless.

(This post was last modified: Jan 09, 2022, 10:07 PM by Leviticus.)

He flinched as Levi abruptly became alert, fully expecting to be met with a pair of sharp teeth, but instead the other male spoke gently, saying the food had been for him. Wrynn didn't know what to do in response, maybe apologising was a good place to start? But before he could open his mouth Levi inched closer, wrapping a foreleg around him to bring their heads closer together. Their foreheads met in a gentle movement, and he simply froze in that position, gulping loudly. He'd never been shown such... softness before, and frankly didn't have any idea on how to proceed.

Perhaps Levi wanted them to move closer together, in a hug of sorts? But the words sat heavily in his mind, sounding like a promise of sorts, and yet Wrynn was hesitant. His trust had been taken advantage of before when someone broke their promise, someone he'd cared deeply for, but Levi had done nothing so far to make it seem like he was lying. And so Wrynn slowly closed his eyes, pushing his face in towards the fur of the other male's cheek, a low whine leaving his throat, more softer and gentle in tone than the one before. "Why are you being so kind to me? I dont... don't deserve this."

While Wrynn felt tense, he didn't pull away from Levi's embrace, and eventually began to settle into it. The older boy shuffled a little bit closer, allowing him to rest his head alongside the other's and rest his muzzle against his shoulder. His limb loosened, and if ever Wrynn wanted to pull away, that would be okay. It was simply the best way he could think of to help.

He frowned, ears pressing down against his skull cap as he wondered what had happened to this wolf to make him say such a thing.

"Why not?" he asked instead of answering, voice soft so as not to give any hint of challenge or scolding.

(This post was last modified: Jan 17, 2022, 12:32 AM by Leviticus.)