Weeks of hard travel had worn the pair down, both physically and mentally. Their pads were raw, and their bones aching from little rest. The fear of being found by their families drove them to almost a dead run day in and day out for the first week, with little rest in-between until they'd put a sizable distance between the Basin and themselves. He wasn't used to the demands the journey put on his body, but he managed to keep his mouth shut; he hadn't complained once. Not for lack of wanting to, but Carolina seemed so determined that he felt it wouldn't be appropriate to make her feel bad for setting the bar so high.

Rainier gingerly picked his way through the woodland, following Carolina as she led them towards the sound of water. She broke out into a trot and disappeared around a bend in the path without a word. He sighed, ears swiveling back as he followed at the same plodding speed. He descended a worn path, and pushed past a tangle of brush only to emerge onto a rocky bank. The river beyond was at a wide point of its stretch; the surface glassy, and the current lazy.

A smile rose to his lips as he observed the scene. Standing chest deep in the shallows was Carolina, and circling just out of reach were the inky silhouettes of fish. Large ones at that. The focused look on her face, and the ridged set of her body quelled the urge to call out, and he instead contented himself with observing in appreciative silence. His hackles raised when, like a bird, she shot out and snatched a fish right out of the water with lightning fast speed. It flopped around as she carried it back to shore, ceasing only when she bit down with an audible crunch of bone.

Tail up and wagging, he bounded over to meet her as she slogged through the water and onto the rocks. She dropped the catch and shook the water from her fur. Rainier hummed a note of pleasure when she bumped her nose into the curve of his ear with an affectionate chuff. The wordless interactions were much more frequent nowadays; before they... well, he, had filled the air with noise, but now it was simple, and Rainier wasn't sure if it was an improvement. When she pulled away, she turned and trotted into the woods, leaving him with his lunch.

He watched her go with one ear cocked back, but quickly remember his hunger and turned his attention to the fish. He placed one paw on the head to steady it and began using his teeth to cut into the soft flesh, tearing off chunks only to wolf them down.