Blacktail Deer Plateau seven billion and him.

@Kieran Adrien

If you had asked Moonstone a year ago where she planned to be when she grew up, she might have said something like, In momma's den! or, With Bubba and Boo! Almost a year had passed since she'd last laid down in that den, and it had been months since she'd last seen her siblings. It had only been weeks since she'd heard their screams for help, days since she'd last cried out for them, miles from where they lay, and hours since she'd last replayed the scene in her sleep. Now, if you asked Moonstone where she'd like to be even a day from now, she'd say,  As far from myself as I can get.

Her feet dug mercilessly through the ground, kicking dirt up into her flaring nostrils. Moonstone was so entranced by her own grief that for a moment, she'd lost touch with reality. There were a few seconds in which she couldn't feel how the rough skin on her paw pads scraped away against the hidden rocks, or how her claws bent against their rough exteriors. The pain was irrelevant; even if she had felt it, Moonstone would have been grateful to know that she was still grounded, even if by only a string.

The boy watched from a distance. For a moment, he had thought the wolfess was Gwen, but as he came closer it became apparent that that wasn't the case. The other huntress had not returned, and quite honestly Kieran didn't know if she ever would. He always tried to help those who felt lost, as he had once felt that way himself, but there was not always something you could do.  He recognised the grief, even from a distance. It was so clear to see that this stranger was struggling with something, and he wanted to help. He needed to help - or at least try to. He would do all he could.

With that thought, he sprang forward, rushing toward where the white furred wolfess was, struggling momentarily to catch up. "Hey! Wait up!" He called, finally getting closer. "Please, just for a second." He added, a little quieter. Maybe this wouldn't be the best way to introduce himself, but if he didn't grab her attention she probably would not have even noticed he was there. So caught up in something was she - it was a dangerous state to be in. He might not know her, but he didn't want anything bad to happen to her. When wolves were depressed, they often became careless and that was when accidents happened.

An unfamiliar voice echoed faintly in Moonstone's ears, dimmed only by the steady flow of blood that'd blocked out most of her surroundings. For a moment, she continued her digging, then slowly stopped to see who had called her. He was young and unfamiliar, but something about his presence brought her a strange sense of comfort. Moonstone tried taking a step forward, but winced and drew back once the raw skin on her right paw touched the stone barrier to her right. With a sigh, she sat back on her hindquarters and looked sheepishly at the boy.

She had been digging, he could see, but he also noticed the way she winced - she was in pain, clearly. The boy came closer, then copied her movements and sat back on his haunces. Kieran tilted his head, trying to figure out why this wolfess had been digging so aggressivly, but when it became apparent that looking at her would not give him any answers, he spoke. "You..... I mean, are you okay?" His brows were furrowed with concern. Though he did not know this girl, he still cared. He didn't want anybody hurt.

"You looked.... upset.... You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to, but I just wanted you to know that I'm here if you want to talk." Perhaps that might sound strange coming from, well, a stranger, but Kieran did care. If she had something on her mind that she wanted to say, then he was all ears. "I'm Kieran, by the way. You're.. new here, right?"