Grouse Thicket come on trace the globe and shake your pants

huddled deep into the thicket, val sang to himself quietly in a voice shaky with fear.

the bear had turned from his trail nearly two days past, but valravn still could not sleep.

he was cold. he was alone. he was lost. he didn't recognize anything about where he was. he was terrified to back-track where he had come, because the bear's scent was still heavy in the vicinity and even a boy like he knew he'd only just managed to narrowly escape certain death.

turning back was a fool's errand and valravn knew it.

that the bear was the very bear that had driven his mother -- his true mother -- from the halls of ankyra was entirely lost on young valravn. fate had a way of playing with fools, and he no exception. he shivered as the temperature dropped, at last feeling fatigue and desperation sink deep into him;

tucked under the sparse cover of sagebrush, valravn sang - his voice spilling in synchronicity with the local chirruping of a lively warbler.

The Shieldmaiden herself was currently a very long way from home - from Hideaway Strath. 
But she felt the pull to travel and so she did, backtracking, somewhat, from the way the Saints had come to get to their new claim.

Stopping, Nyra perked her ears, hearing a shaky, small voice infested with terror. 

Concern took place on her features as she saw the wolf pup nestled in the brush.

The massive woman chuffed gently, easing herself slowly to the ground so she could see the child "Are you lost, young one?" Nyra asked softly, glancing around before continuing, just as gentle "Where is your mother? Or father?" 

In the truest sense, she felt a strong need now to protect and defend the youth, until she could get him home or someone he recognized came to his aid. 

"You look like you're absolutely freezing..." Nyra swiveled her ears back as she spoke, crawling a bit closer to offer him a gentle nudge with her nose, or at least the heat that radiated from her body. This poor kid was shaking like a leaf...

suddenly, the warbler stopped.

valravn's ears pricked involuntarily, his quiet voice trailing off in a way that made him feel stupid and insignificant.

two minutes later and the biggest wolf he had ever seen came from the brush. her pelt was a milky white, her eyes a color familiar to him -- but very little else reassured him about nyra's presence.

he cowered despite the softness of her voice, feeling his tail prick his soft belly. as nyra crawled to him he froze like a fawn, doe-eyes wide with terror.

she nudged him and he wanted to run, to bolt -- but fear gripped him. even if she seemed nice, valravn didn't know her and all he wanted was his mommy -- though he was old enough now that he chided himself on such needy thoughts. "m-" the boy stuttered, his brow knotting as he tried to work through his fear long enough to speak. "i'm lost."

It became quickly apparent Nyra's presence was not making the youth feel any better. 

Though he admitted he was lost, he seemed scared shitless of her. In all honesty...she couldn't blame him. 

"Shhhh..." Nyra tried to soothe, "I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to help." Her voice all the while remained soft. 

Offering Valravn a small smile, she didnt try to invade what little space was left between them.  

"You don't smell like any of the packs I'm familiar with...um...do you know which direction your territory is in?" She asked, tilting her head slightly

his eyes roved the giantess' form. how -- how was she so big?

maman was big, and ani big also -- but this wolf.. valravn was in awe of her in a way that inspired tremors of fear. no matter how she smiled or bent to his level, she still came across as goliath to the boy who was hardly bigger than a bean.

he twisted a piece of branch nervously between his paws. should he answer her truthfully? he wished maman was here to scoop him up and away from this dark, nasty place that in a way reminded him of some distant dream where he was trapped in a swampy mire.

"no." the boy answered, a frown fretting his normally bright features. he was totally and entirely lost.

I'm SO SORRY for holding this up ;A; I typed out a reply ages ago and my internet cut out right as I hit "post" ;3; 
12/08/2020: added a conclusion, archiving upon re-post so we both have one less thread to worry about <3

Sadness graced the Goliath Woman's face as Valravn admitted he was lost. 
He definitely looked just as cold as he looked scared shitless, but...Nyra couldn't help being a giant. 
Truthfully she wasn't entirely sure how she could help at all. 
Lifting her head, she sniffed the air. She scented the slight saltiness to the North-- toward the ocean. Turning her head South, the saltiness ceased. 
Back to facing the North, the wind brought forth a bit stronger scent of salt. 
Brows furrowed slightly, the Shieldmaiden sniffed Valravn. He smelled close enough to salt, in her mind, that she landed on the assumption his way home was Northward. 

"Judging by your scent and the scent the wind is bringing from the North...I assume your home is that way." She emphasized this by tipping her muzzle and her gaze in the direction of the seas. 
"If you go towards the scent of salty water, I think you will find your home." Nyra concluded, offering the child a reassuring, gentle smile. 

After a pause, the mammoth-sized female looked back to the boy "If you would like, I can stay with you until mornining. If yes, then you're more than welcome to sleep next to me, so you can stay warm." Nyra offered warmly.
She may not be a very good or decent wolf, but that didn't always mean she couldn't do good or decent things. 

"However, if you would prefer I leave, then I will do so. I do only wish to help, but I cannot, will not, force you to do anything you don't want to. Especially in regards to me, a stranger." The Shieldmaiden finished with a clear hint to her tone that if Valravn didn't want her to stick around, she would understand and harbor no hard feelings. 

Though her presence would likely keep him safe from dangers such as a fox, coyote, snake, bird of prey, etc. Nyra just couldn't bring herself to give this kid a lack of options.

---

With a soft sigh, Nyra didn't bother the child further, instead rising to her paws and heading back the way she had come from. It had been time to go home for a minute now.