Haunted Wood darling you've got to let me know

The shadowed girl had lain claim to a small part of the southern wood, spending much of her time sleeping. The cold had drained her, and she felt sluggish, slow, though as the days passed and time stretched by, so did her strength grow. With Screech she had envisioned a fresh start, of sorts, some way to mend the dark, twisted thing that her mind and life had become. But it seemed poor form to begin one's fresh start as she did now, lethargic and possessing a sort of bone-deep tiredness. 

And yet when she woke that day, and crawled from beneath the willow she'd made her makeshift den, the tiredness seemed to have leeched out of her, the world seeming a little clearer and a little more bright. Head low, she let out a soft call for the boy, wondering if he'd be back today, perhaps, she hoped, with something to eat. She dropped a bit of weight, the best she'd been able to catch a squirrel. With that, she moved towards the general direction of the Caldera, gaze searching.

@Screech

Having left Awinita at the borders with Elwood, Screech decided not to linger long upon the slope. Instead he passed through the caldera and around Raven's medicinal den, and sought the path which would take him to the woodland to the south. Along the way he came upon the southern border; the scent of his family was strong and yet, somehow, made his skin crawl. He paused long enough to scout out one of the caches and after digging up a half frozen chunk of, well, something, he carried it with him in to the wood. He did not have to go far before Cassiopeia's scent hit his nose - so he changed direction, and hastily closed the gap between them.

Her ears pressed forward at the rapid approach of another, for a moment wary before recognizing Screech. Her tail flicked at her haunches as she moved to close the space between them, stopping as she caught sight of him, gaze falling quickly on the half-frozen meal the carried before flickering back to his face, an expression akin to gladness crossing over her features briefly. She did not know what to make of her life as it was, exactly, but knew that for now she could rely on the boy.

When he saw her, he dropped the frozen chunk of meat. It wasn't a graceful act - it wasn't even intentional - but the look on her face made him smile and he wanted to talk to her. He was reminded hastily of his conversation with Colt and that was what he'd wished to address, but now that he was with her... It seemed less important.

He glanced her over quickly, and then ducked his nose to nudge the chunk of carcass through the snow. This is for you, he wordlessly said; then, whether she grabbed it or not, he asked: How are you feeling?

He dropped the chunk, a smile carving its way onto his muzzle. She didn't quite smile back, but there was a lightness in her eyes as she said only "better." She moved to grab the meat, ears tipping back gratefully as she pulled it between her paws as she sat, stomach hungering but putting off eating it just yet. "and you?" She had questions, about him and his pack and of war, but for now, the simple few words would suffice. She sniffed at the chunk hungrily, but her attention was on Titmouse no matter how tempting the mystery meat.

The meat did not smell all that great but it was all he could provide her, and so it would have to do. Screech didn't notice the awful stench of it thanks to his busted nose, but when she turned the query back upon him, he remembered and half-crunched it with a small sniffle. Nose still hurts but... I'll be fine.

As for the rumblings of war on the horizon, he didn't feel the need to mention it. The entire concept made him nervous - but what plagued his mind right now was the imminent danger that Moonspear presented. He was uncharacteristically solemn, letting down some of his usual defenses as he relaxed beside her. I haven't told anyone about... y'know.. killing that girl, he would've said. It had been a few days since his run-in with the stranger (Indra) and he wondered back to that moment, curious about what Cassiopeia had thought in those first few seconds upon finding them.

Then, he remembered the gut-twisting thoughts he'd had about the girl. Without thinking he murmured, Have you ever...? I mean, living in Blackfeather with those.. people... He looked at her with an undetermined emotion; his face was a mess of interest, abhorrence, curiosity, and a dash of apprehension. Did he really want to know?