Redtail Rise I'm walking here!

Had he blown it again? He didn't have energy to dwell on that yet. So Tuathal moved forward, though he couldn't feel the stranger's presence following him, nor swooping down to nudge him in the right direction. She seemed to have listened, and was leaving him to his own. He felt very little satisfaction in that.

The Blackthorn stumbled through the ash cloud until his forepaw grazed something raised and more solid than the particles he walked upon. His coughing had stilled, as had the air around him. Tuathal dared a squint through his tears. Sure enough, a stump stretched before him, and guided himself over the rim and collapsed on its scratchy but much cleaner surface.

Only when his lungs filled with a sufficient supply of air did he find his thoughts turning more actively to the stranger, and once again, he felt his ears burn. Why was he always so bad at this? "Uh, sorry for snapping," he stuttered, and scrounged around for some explanation. "I, uh, it was just a bit freaky back there, not being able to see and breathe and all." So that was only half true, but sensical enough to roll with. It had been her soft offer of help that had really riled him - but she didn't have to know about that. He couldn't quite read her expression from where he stood (the goopy tears still blurred his vision), but he could tell she was keeping her distance. Ah, dang it. "Um, I'm Tuathal," he tried, and tested an awkward grin.