Firestone Hot Springs Battered but not Broken

Instead of joing her, Nishu tells her he is going to take a look around. Guilt claws at her as she calls out, "Wait!" She drags herself out of the water, wincing at the cold. "I'm sorry, please stay with me." Stepping in his path she tries to explain, "I didn't mean to snap at you." She folds her ears back. 'I just....th- there are," she stutters. "Sometimes there are small things that bring up certain painful memories." Rain sits with a sigh continuing, "I try to keep them burried, but once they surface it has a negative affect on me and I can't control it." Turning her head from him she whispers, "I'm ashamed that you had noticed it. It makes me seem weak."

Rain drops her head down, shaking from the water that has gone cold on her fur. "Forgive me for being so weak. It wasn't you that caused my silence. If I was just stronger..." This is a side of her that she has never shown to anyone. She wonders what makes Nishu so different. Why is she telling him all this, why is she showing him her weakness? Usually, she would have let him walk off without saying a word. She is a proud wolf, never did she act this way. "I wanted to ask you to come with me, to join the Sunspire..." That has been her intentions since her first attempt to help him escape the Sound pack. But will he want to now? After seeing this side of her?

Suddenly Rain called him to wait and then places herself in his way. He forced to stop he decided to listen carefully. She seemed to have changed again and now was explaining what happend. Nishu found her unpredictable, there was really no way to know what she will do. First she was fun then she snaped at him and now she reveals her personal problem. He need to think for a moment so he stayed silent for a moment while looking at her.

A painful memory? He wouldn't understand how it felt, he never had anything really bad happen to him. But memories are something of the past. They serve as lessons but he didn't see how it could effect emotions. She called herself weak but Nishu didn't agree. Being able to speak about the problem is harder than running away and that was something he understands.

"I find you being able to share your problem a strong point so it would be wrong to call you weak." He said as he turned to looked at the hot pools. "Anyway I wasn't going to go far, I thought you needed to be alone for a moment. But if that isn't the case then I don't mind staying with you. I still owe you for helping me out over there at the cliff, right?" He said with a grin. "Come on, It's time to let our bodies relax." With that said he step in the hot waters. It was warmer than he thought and hesitated on laying down in it. He hope that Rain would recover physically and return to her normal mood that he enjoyed. Only then will he be allowed to really rest.

Relived that he stays and grateful that he doesn't see her as weak, Rain joins him asking, "So what will you do now? Will you join the Sunspire with me? You are a strong wolf and we could use your strength. Especially if Anykra Sound decides to come to the Sunspire looking for trouble," she says to him. "Not to mention if the Sound finds us alive they may try to kill us again. I will need you around." She lets the offer hang in the air.

If he turns down her offer, she tells herself that she will do whatever she can to keep in touch with him. She wants to make sure that Ankyra doesn't catch up to him and kill him. She wants to watch him succeed with his Royal Knights as well, besides who will spread knowledge of the Knights and do great Knightly deeds if he isn't around?

Nishu slowly laid down into the hot water. Once he was in it he didn't want to move at all. It was great and relaxing, he would have regreted it if he had left. He noticed Rain had joined him. She questioned him on what he was going to do next and then offered him a chance to join her and her pack. He laid there thinking again. The offer sounded nice but there was something that bothered him about it. If he joined her pack as a member then he wouldn't really be a Knight anymore. It wouldn't be the same.

He rolled onto his side and continued to soak in the waters. "Honestly I didn't have anything planned except staying by your side until I can repay you for helping me out. I could join you and this Sunspire but only if my duties as a Knight allows it. As for the Sound, I doubt they will go far from the coast so I don't think we have to worry about them here." He was already set on sticking to her until he returned the favor. Then it reminded him of something. "I also owe you a duel, just to show you the strength of a Knight that you challenged." He said grining at her. He found duels always fun and a great way to train. If he had chance to spar with her he would surely take it.

A soft smiles touches her lips as she says, "The only thing you owe me is that duel. You don't need to repay me for helping you. I would do that for any wolf who was treated with such unfairness and hostility. It's in my nature to defend and protect those in need of it," Rain explains seriously. "There was no respect or honor in what they were doing to you. Though I am normally against involving myself with the affairs of other packs, I also expect that all packs will treat their wolves well. Ankyra Sound is far different than any pack that I have met both here in the wilds and beyond it."

Rain thinks about the attack for a moment, realising that she didn't necessarily involve herself with Ankyra because Nishu only makes these contracts of his with wolves. He isn't really one of them, she tells herself, feeling a little less conflicted.

"Okay," she starts suddenly, "if you won't join my pack because it goes against being a Knight, then how about you make a contract with me," she smirks a little. "Since you feel the need to repay me, then you can pay me back by protecting me if Ankyra finds out we are still alive and do end up coming after us. Second, I have a sister, Ryuu, who has been missing for a long while and I need help finding her." Rain gives him a look, daring him to argue. This may keep him with her for a while if he accepts, which she won't understand if he does not. She believes it to be a great opportunity for him to show part of what being a Knight means. "And if that is not enough," Rain adds, "then I would ask you to keep me alive until I find my sister. She is the last of my kin and of my old pack who may still be alive."

So she had helped him because she believed he needed it? He had mixed feelings about that. He was glad she helped him but it made him feel a bit weak. He could have taken them all still, would be harder but he could still do it. "I didn't reeaalllyy need your help." He said looking away not admiting that he did need a little help during that fight.

Then she listed things that could be done to repay her. She purposed that he makes a contract with her. He thought about it, He didn't see why he should refuse to make one. But when Rain said something about a missing sister named Ryuu he felt like it was his job to help. He stood up leaving only his paws in the water. He looked into her eyes and gave an answer. "You have a missing sister who could still be alive? I won't ask what happend to your old pack but I'm willing to help you find her."

She also wanted his protection in case Ankyra Sound did decide to take measures against them. It's a worthy contract, it would be the first real contract he made. "Alright, I'm willing to bind myself to you. Allow me to make the offer." He faced her and held his high mighty stance. "I offer myself as your Knight until the day your sister is found. I will follow your every honorable commands and protect you with my life and in return I ask for nothing." Then he bowed down his head.

As Nishu offers himself to her and takes a bow, Rain watches him for a moment. "I accept your offer, Knight. May you carry out your serives well until such a time that our contract is completed." Now they will have to talk with Amekaze. Hopefully the alpha will accept Nishu in their territory.

Jumping up from the hot spring, Rain trots out and shakes the water from her coat. "How long should we stay here and rest before we go?" She could stay here for a day before heading out unless he wants to get going. "Will you be staying in the Sunspire then? Or find a place outside the territory?" She questions while sitting close to the warmth radiating from the spring.

The contract has been made and now Nishu must honor it. The Knight felt no regret about it and was happy to have done it. He now had the possibility to progress further in his goal to become the greatest known Knight. He had to make sure to do his best for Rain. No effort should be saved no matter how little the up coming tasks will be. He had to prove them all that he can do anything.

He stretched out his every muscle. They recovered enough to where walking is no longer difficult if it ever was really that difficult. He answered Rain once he sat down in the water. "It's not every day you can relax at a hot springs. I would recommend staying a night to fully recover but if finding your sister is urgent then we should leave as soon as possible. I'll leave that decision to you. There's no need to worry about my condition."

She asked where he would stay. He knows that he can't stay at her side all day and night but he would want to be nearby in case anything happens. "As a Knight I would want to remain close to you. It really depends on what works with you, I can settle pretty much anywhere." He said calmly. The closest he could ever go was next to her den but it was forbidden to share the same as the leader. It was important to respect someone's home and not enter unless permitted to but even then they can't stay for long. There was no exceptions.

"My sister has been missing for many months, tonight may be no different. And as much as I may want to find her, we need to speak with my Alpha. I would like for you to be able to stay within our boarders, but that will be up to her," Rain informs him, thinking it all over. She finds herself rather relieved to be staying at the springs for a while longer as well.

Ryuu, she knows, is not within the Teekon Wilds because Rain has just been to each area with no scent or tale of her. I could have missed her somewhere in this area, but something tells me Ryuu isn't here. She wonders when her sister will show up. She knows that Ryuu will come here eventually, her sister has managed to find her before. Knowing her, she will come back with some sort of trouble tailing her. A slight sigh escapes from her. Ryuu has always managed to get herself into some sort of trouble. It seems that knack for finding trouble has rubbed off on me lately.

Rain makes herself comfy next to a spring saying, "I can't stay awake any longer. We can get goin at sunrise if that's all right with you." A few minutes later she is sound asleep, paws twitching as she drops into a dream where she is running from Ankyra Sound and the large black male.

[size=x-small]I guess this thread ends here :P goodnight wolfies[/size]

When she said her sister has been missing for many months he felt his chances of success fall. Even if he had to rely on plain luck he can still find her if he tried his best. But what could he do to increase his chances? The only thing that could help would be to find clues, there has to be atleast one out there. He was sure of it.

It looked like he would have to present himself to the Alpha of Sunspire. He experienced what happend when try to ignore other members. He learned that it caused distrust which may be the reason for the attack. This time though he'll do his best to get along with all other members instead of focusing on training when he has free time.

Rain favored resting first before moving. He nodded as she prepared to sleep. Then he stepped out of hot waters. "Rest well m'lady." He said softly. He sat down not far from her but wasn't quite tired yet. Before laying down to rest he thought about what to expect from Sunspire. Were they peaceful warriors? Did they have a special belief like at the Sound. Which ever the case it is, he was going to need to adapt better than he did before or else he might end up getting attacked again and maybe he won't be as lucky.