Haunted Wood I used to be somebody.

Referencing the ash cloud from Sleeping Dragon's fallout.

It is hard to tell how long he has been asleep. Hours, maybe. Days. When he does his mind is clear of the haze brought on by his medicine. His eyes open, glassy, with a distant expression that makes him look inanimate, like a statue. He is sprawled out on his chest with his broken limb propped up behind him, his good hind leg tucked underneath, and two forelimbs forming walls between which his head sits, poised against the ground.

His back is stiff; his entire body is, really, and he is hungry, but Revui cannot recall the last time someone has been around to tend his wounds or feed him—he would take anything at this point. Scraps are hard to come by, though. They've become more and more scarce within the pit; maybe it is a tactic of the beasts living in the forest to starve him until he breaks, and maybe.. Maybe it is working. But his eyes open, he looks groggily at the rigid shadows slanting along the pit's edge, and he sees... Snow?

It doesn't feel cold enough for snow yet, especially down in the valley. Up on the mountain it might have been—his mind drifts to memories of Moonspear, mixes them up with thoughts of Nova Peak before banishing sentimentality—but there should not be snow here, it is too early. Revui lifts his head and licks at the air; after a few attempts at this he catches a flake on his tongue but it does not melt, and it is not the crisp, clean taste of ice. It is bitter, and he spits the ash out in haste, glaring at the layer of ruin which descends upon his resting place.

permission from Thalia for Hela to have mentioned the false name

Valour had never witnessed snow or winter at all, so the stuff falling from the sky was completely foreign to the boy who wandered through it glancing at the sky with confusion. The stuff was scentless and where it fell upon his fur it just lay there, dirtying him up. He had attempted to lick it off but it was disgusting and he spat and coughed, licking his maw in disgust as he passed by the pit in time to see the captive take a taste and react similarly. He stared at the prisoner, a grown man who by appearance and expression seemed to be an unhappy sort and wondered if this was the captive Hela had mentioned before. "Hey. Uyo? What is this stuff? Tastes like I imagine Vengeance would" he tried a joke, praying that the captive wouldn't see him as an enemy right off the bat. He didn't care about Captives that others had brought in, especially since he knew he would have a hard time giving even the weakest ones a hard time without earning himself a beating.

Technically not a false name, though! :P

Hey, Uyo? Came a voice from the edge of the pit; not one he knew, but Revui did not know any of the beasts that kept him on a first-name basis anyway. They were all foreigners, corrupted by some sort of consuming, spreading malignancy. Perhaps he had been infected by their callous attitudes already; or more likely, he had been instilled with his own version by his parents and his siblings. The wolves of Moonspear would always be the strongest wolves in his mind, but they could also be the coldest. The boy's ears turned to cup the air and he gave a lethargic glance to where the sound originated, hearing the rest of the query: What is this stuff?

The boy—or the shape of what Revui presumed was a boy, as he could not rise and inspect them closely—mentioned something about vengeance that didn't quite make sense. Beyond the fact it was a joke and Revui lacked a funny bone, he had not been introduced to the patriarch of this band of ruffians and did not associate the word with a name. With a snort to clear the pieces of ash from his snout, Revui dryly intoned: Not snow. Not sure. It wasn't cold, it wasn't as white nor as sharp-tasting, and he had nothing similar to reference.

The joke seemed to completely bypass the man and he stared awkwardly before settling onto his hindquarters and scratching awkwardly behind his ear. Uyo responded to his inquiry about the falling stuff with something about it not being Snow which drew a blank in his mind and he paused his scratching to gaze questioningly down at the prisoner "Snow? What is that?" he asked curiously wracking his brain for any mention of it and vaguely recalling something about winter and a thing called snow. "Is it what Winter is? I've never been through one" he stated ears shifting back as a scowl crossed his features at the sudden knowledge of how little he really knew.

The boy's youth was evident by his stupid questions, which earned a flick of an ear and a resounding silence. He didn't feel it was his purpose to educate someone on the seasons; especially when they were one of his captors, as he'd sooner tear the child's head clear off his body than give any assistance. So far he had been questioned - and bludgeoned! - by Black Hat, lightly interrogated by Hela, and now what, he was being quizzed by a mindless boy?

Ask your bitch mother. Revui casually suggested, lacking any inflection in his voice which might've been gauged as an insult, although the words themselves might've been sharp enough on their own. He didn't even look to the boy now, and was busying himself with grooming his forelimbs.

He gawked at the captive his eyes wide as he tried to figure out exactly how to respond to this. He could go after Uyo but he had already fought an adult and had proven it to be a stupid idea. "I don't have parents" he said sharply and sat up, shifting and seeming uncomfortable "Do you want food? I can grab some for you. If you'll explain what snow is" he offered the exchange, wondering silently if he would get in trouble for offering a captive food.

The casual manner of the boy's commentary did give Revui a momentary pause; he could not relate in any way, for as far as he knew his parents remained alive and active upon the mountain. He had never faced the loss of a parent. In fact, he had not faced the loss of anything or anyone - except for Yami, and the thought of that made his gaze darken significantly.

Then the boy offered him food. An exchange. If all he needed were words, Revui could spew some as payment. Whether they made sense or were of value.. Well, that didn't matter so much. The more food he got though, the stronger he would become. The sooner he would heal. So the beast gave a grunted, fine, as a response, and then followed up with a bored command: fetch, boy.

The idea was to see if he could get what he wanted and how, no matter what it was he wanted at the time. The deal was accepted and he felt satisfied, though a little less so when the command was given. He grumbled and turned, running off and digging at a cache, grabbing a chunk of meat and bringing it back to the pit, tossing it in. "Snow. What is it?" he asked expecting to be given his side of the deal.

The boy went off. He returned in short order, a husk of some long-dead animal clutched in his teeth. He did not pause long, and tossed the desiccated thing down to where Revui could savor it. The beastly wolf descended upon the offered meat and glut himself upon it, leaving no time to breathe as he ripped it to pieces and devoured. It sank to his hollow belly and left him wanting.

Then the boy was demanding answers; he spoke, and Revui regarded him as an otter might observe a fish - hungrily.

Have you seen rain? When the season changes, it becomes snow. That was more than he was willing to share considering the quality of the meat; but it was enough. It was all he would share unless the boy gave him more - but he doubted the child would linger much longer. At least he'd gotten a mouthful out of it.

It was enough to fill his mind with questions and now that he was distracted he lost interest in the captive. He nodded slowly though was clearly pondering it over, hungry for more information. He stood up and watched the ash fall for a silent moment before looking down at Uyo "Thank you" it was polite though he didn't view the information as helpful enough to deserve it. Even so he didnt feel the desire to be an ass as he usually did and he fell silent again, turning and stalking away without a word more.

Just as he expected, the boy took the answer - complete or not, accurate or not - and was off within a few moments, satisfied. Revui had hoped to coerce more food from the child before his attention waned, but that was apparently not fated to happen. The boy thanked him and slipped away from the ledge and Revui, glowering at the retreating figure, eventually settled to the floor of the pit to rest.