the feeling still hadn't returned, not fully. for days after the incident, anathi had been bedridden, confined to the soiled hole he'd crawled into. eventually, hunger pulled him from the den; crawling with his hind legs sprawled out worked long enough to lead him to a pond. 

there, anathi found himself grateful for the girl's lessons about die water. it took hours of frustration and failure before he finally, finally, caught a fish just smaller than his paw. he stayed beside the bank for as long as necessary before he was once again able to stand. 

it wasn't...it was standing, but only by definition. anathi's legs shook like those of a fawn. these episodes of strength were momentary, lasting just long enough to close miniscule distances. for days, he worked tirelessly on his balance, stopping only when on the verge of fainting.

hunting felt impossible. his survival was made possible by the picked-over carcasses of long dead prey. occasionally, he would test himself to a chase but thus far, they'd all failed.

eventually, anathi was strong enough to carry himself for moments at a time. his hindlegs still hadn't regained feeling; instead of walking, he moved with an exaggerated limp caused by the dragging of his paws. there were often times wherein he needed a break and would revert back to the more comfortable (and more vulnerable) crawl.

he remembered the woman who'd found him in the den. just like the others, their conversation was essentially non-existent. still, he remembered her persistence and what had been perceived as compassion. anathi thought to seek her out. 

there was a pack some ways from where he'd fallen. it would have normally taken a morning to find, but this trip took days. when anathi did arrive on their doorstep, he drew in a deep breath of relief and took a moment to express his gratitude. finally, the hunter tilted back his head and sounded his request.

the expectation of submission was one that anathi was grateful for. it allowed him to lie down and rest under the guise of respect without exposing his vulnerability. the woman spoke, and he listened, though meaning was lost in translation. eh..., he was searching for the words, hier, wolf. help my. these were words that he'd used before, words that he knew she could understand. frustration began to tick as he realized that these might be the only words she could understand.

still, anathi continued. siek den. kom help, ek is beter. small sighs as he tried to communicate his gratitude. dankie. bedank haar. every word was said almost painfully slow in hopes of increasing comprehension. he waited for a response, though he doubted he'd understand it anyway.

okay, okay. anathi pushed himself backward to put more distance between them. he kept his head low, both his ears and eyes pointed toward the ground. the goal here was to get into position without inciting an attack. 

he glanced over at the elder to see her initial reaction. doen dit, okay? he was going to give her a step-by-step walkthrough of everything that's occurred.

it began with the fall. anathi worked his way up onto all fours and fell over onto his side, sticking out his tongue to emulate the body of a corpse. for a moment, his eyes were closed, but he peeked from one to see if she understood.

then, he stood again, this time positioned like he was about to begin a crawl. another look. okay? anathi used his forelegs to pull himself a few steps forward. wolf, help. nou, beter.

to conclude the demonstration, he stood properly before her. his legs wobbled and shook, one of them threatening to give out. after a moment, he was able to steady himself. anathi smiled and looked again at his audience. eh, help, it working.

name? sounds sorta like naam, right? anathi could work with that. rhode, he replied. it was a second name meant to cater solely to the strange tongues of foreigners. there was a warm grin slowly enveloping his maw, though he took care to not bare teeth.

to steady himself, he allowed his tag to carry an enthusiastic wag. occasionally, anathi would find himself tipping over. still, he worked to hold his stance. name, pak? he asked, hoping for some intelligible response.

learning a language was a generally difficult task, but anathi found names to be the most trying part. there were just... there were so many! finley bla-ck-torn, he whispered, fi-yur bird. finley blackthorn, firebirds. 

the furrowing of his brow made his rearising frustration clear. anathi took a deep breath and tried to replay finley's words. are you looking for a home? well, yeah! and if he'd understood the question, he would've said so immediately! 

uhh, anathi's tail slowed its wag as he picked his brain, wat now? it was the same phrase that finley'd used earlier. as his youthful energy began to return, he gave her an expectant look, as though waiting for her approval.

simpler sentences, thank goodness. if anathi really focused, he could understand almost nothing. there was one word that he paid attention to: live. it sounded a little like leef, and while the connection was a stretch, he decided to roll with it.

live, fi-yur bird? the she-wolf, she did live here! anathi could hardly contain his excitement. he was so happy to have made a breakthrough that his entire body shook with joy. it was too much for his legs to handle, though; still nodding, anathi sat down. ja, live fi- fire bird. 

anathi waited a moment but the she-wolf did not appear. he sighed impatiently, then adding on, bedank haar? he smiled at the elder and stood to move, soon enough hobbling out of sight.