Felltree Marsh alone and only a sojourner in the land, without friends or the need of them

using for scout! anyone is welcome :D

once he had found a way past the ravine that had divided the earth from the coast, he felt a breath of relief pass through his lips and ease the worry of his frame. once on the other side, though, he was met with a land that appeared to have been devastated by something massive – something that illidan had never endured or witnessed before in his life. he moved slowly through the snowy marsh as though he walked through the graveyard of the wilderness.

fallen trees littered the earth in a haphazard manner. their dead frames were capped in snow and had lost all of their leaves long ago. in spite of the difficulty that the disaster area was, there was a curious thing in the song of birds that filled the terrain. illidan pushed his way through a thick tangle of branches, feeling them claw at his wounded figure. on the other side, he could hear only birdsong.

Cadeau found during her travels across the wilderness her paws had begun to bleed. The cold snow nipped through the tough skin of her paw pads, leaving them frozen and raw. She did not stop to nurse her wounds nor to huddle down. Movement was one of the few things keeping her warm, the lithe brown bitch afraid if she stop for a moment the momentum she built up would be for naught. Fighting a shiver, Cadeau cast a glance over her shoulder, seeming to stare forlornly at a place only she could see. Cadeau frowned. "I'm running away but I don't even know where I'm running away to," Cadeau said to herself. Cadeau shook her head and kept moving on. Regardless I have to keep going .I don't want to risk running into any unpleasant company... or company at all. The pack animal in her longed to find a group to belong with but with her blood she doubted she could ever belong anywhere. Such was fate. 

Cadeau could pick up the scent of a wolf, her dark colored ears pulled against her head as she try finding where the smell was coming from. It was tinged in the scent of blood, leaving her to assume the stranger had either hunted something or was injured himself. Dark brown eyes looking about, she soon saw the wolf making his way across the territory. Seeing his wounds made her feel sympathetic but at the same time cautious. It meant he was a fighter and who was to say he wouldn't hurt her? Or at least feel threatened? Keeping a careful distance, she inwardly debated what to do. Don't worry about him, you need to watch your own back...

the wind shifted and carried with it the scent of a stranger who appeared to be close by. the sojourn young thing lifted his crown upward and peered through the dismal landscape until his sights latched tightly to the figure in the distance. for a long moment, he did not move. illidan was not certain that this stranger didn't belong to the group on the cliffs. though he had not scented a trace of those brutes, he knew that he should not allow his guard to fall.

after much deliberation, the wounded ghost of a young man took a few hesitant steps toward the stranger. his head was drawn upward and his hawkish gaze peered at her for any signs of hostility. she appeared as though she was just as guarded as he was. this might have been a good sign, but not enough for him to drop his defenses. the world had not shown itself to be kind to him.

“who goes there?” the haunted thing called out to her in a ragged voice. a name would not have given him much, but he figured it was the best place to start.

Cadeau realized all too quickly the stranger had caught on to her presence, however she didn't budge to back away nor try to deny she was there. All she could think of was that he was hurt and as much as she was afraid of getting close to anyone, wolf or dog, she knew it wouldn't be right to leave the stranger alone if he required help. Always the provider sort from taking care of her mother after Snowy's death, Cadeau took a careful step forward, keeping her eyes averted to show she was not looking for a fight. "I'm..." Her name caught in her throat and Cadeau paused. "...nobody important," she decided to say instead, now looking at the male. "You are hurt?" Cadeau eyed his wounds with a concerned face, keeping her voice gentle and calm even if on the inside talking to this wolf was making her feel edgy. The only wolf she knew formally was her father and he was much different than the ones in this forest.

the initial reply was something that caused his guard to flare up. surely, only someone from the cliffs would wish to conceal their identity from him. they must have known that he had received his wounds from their pack mates and thought it best not to divulge information. well, the young boy did not want to show that he was fearful of them. so, he did what he could to appear capable and drew his crown upward to stare down the length of his muzzle at the peculiar woman.

she mentioned that he was injured, and that was enough to make him more crestfallen than he had been before. the gash in his shoulder had reopened itself numerous times since their fight on the cliff, and he feared that it would never heal properly. still, he wondered if she was asking to determine whether or not he would be an easy target to finish off. “have you come to finish the job?” the ghost inquired with a curious tilt of his head.

Cadeau couldn't help but wrinkle her muzzle up when he asked if she was here to 'finish the job'. With clear firmness and disgust lacing her tone, she quipped, "I'm not apart of whatever barbarians did this to you, if that's what you are thinking." She remembered the dog she killed back home and felt her stomach clench. The first three words out felt personal but there was no way the stranger would know that. "I'm no killer. Look, you seem injuried, I have no intentions on hurting you. If you want me to leave, I will but I don't have the heart to let others wallow in their misery." She had a thought, perhaps not giving her name was a bad idea. So against her better judgement, she sighed. "My name's Cadeau." She tried letting a smile grace her face though it felt strangely forced, she couldn't remember the last time she smiled honestly. "What do they call you?"

there was a wave of relief that washed over his lean frame when she commented about the beasts who had caused him harm. she seemed more appalled by the injuries, or those who had caused them, than she did by his accusation. it was her second comment that caught him off guard. she stated that she was not the sort to allow others to wallow in their misery. well, sister, illidan had some news for you; he was born to misery and had been floundering in it since he could walk. his whole life seemed as though it was rife with such things.

then, she introduced herself as cadeau, rescinding her previous comment that her name had not been important. she inquired about his own, and the ghost bowed his head slightly before offering her a hollow, “illidan.” it was then that he noticed just how peculiar she was from the rest of the wolves that he had spent his life around. it was almost as though she did not carry the blood of a full wolf, but something softer underneath. “what... are you?” he inquired in a softer tone, eyes searching her curiously.

Cadeau was glad to see the stranger appeared to be more at ease now, of course the surface layer of a person could only expose so much though. She tried to mask her anxiety under a guise of aloofness, keeping herself still as a statue and focused on the dark furred wolf. "Illidan, it's a nice name." Cadeau commented, feeling a compliment was a good way of breaking the ice. As his eyes seemed to try and rove about to pick at her, she subconsciously felt very small . 'What are you?' The words echoed in her head and she looked away, not wanting to say. Her heritage got her met with exile often. "A wolf," Cadeau lied. Well, it was the half truth. As in, half a wolf.

the stranger commented on his name, saying that it was nice. he’d never had someone who had found his moniker to be of note. most simply accepted it for what it was and moved on in the conversation. the ghostly young man didn’t entirely know how to respond to something of that caliber, so he simply bowed his head and flattened his ears to his crown.
 
when he had inquired about what she was, his sharp yellow gaze latched to her features and waited for the response. she stated that she was a wolf, and he frowned thoughtfully. there was a crease in his brow that suggested he didn’t believe her entirely. “you just don’t look like the wolves i’ve seen,” he said with a small shrug, as though it was a nonchalant statement that he was making. “not that it’s a bad thing…” it wasn’t – as far as he was aware.

'Not that it's a bad thing...' Cadeau bit at her tongue to hold back a personal comment, that yes, it was a bad thing and that yes it was something she wished she could change about it. At least if she looked more like one thing it would be easier to fit in a niche, instead she was a round peg trying to fit into a square hole. She didn't say anything, instead she nodded her head. "I ah... get that a lot." She smiled in an awkward fashion, swishing her tail. "Anyway enough about me. How about you let me help you tend those wounds? I don't know a whole lot about medicine but there's a few tricks you can do to at least relieve the pain and keep them clean." Cadeau took a careful step forward and paused, instead reaching a large wolf-like paw forward in a peaceful gesture, waiting to see if he would meet her half way. She grew up a provider and as always she felt the need to make sure Illidan got some kind of help, even if all she knew about him was just a name. Stranger or not, he deserved sympathy.

the premise of wolves who did not carry the full blood of a wild beast was unfamiliar to the young man. even in his time away from home, he had not really crossed paths with someone who appeared as though they were out of place from the norm. he didn’t imagine that it was a terrible thing to be – unique. at least, this woman was free to make a path for herself without feeling as though she needed to live up to some standard based on her appearance. there was a twinge of envy that pricked at his heart as he thought of this.
 
she stated that she wasn’t entirely fluent in the medical field, but illidan was certain that she knew more of herbs and bodily care than he could ever dream. so, the dark-hooded ghost nodded his head. “if that’s something you want to do. i’ve got a ways inland to search still, so it would be nice not to suffer from this wound in my shoulder as much,” the young man answered her.

Cadeau was relieved the male did not decline her offer of help because she had no idea where she would go from there with him. Though, her previous thought of trying to avoid encountering anyone seemed pointless now if she was willingly assisting strangers. Nobody ever said the heart was smart, Cadeau thought, she shook her head momentarily before turning her attention back on Illidan. "Do you know if there's any water or moss nearby? Maybe some willow bark?" Cadeau cocked her head to the side, risking to approach Illidan to inspect his wound. It needed a good cleaning, that was for sure. She paused, lightly licking the dried blood away with her tongue. That would have to do for now at least.

just as he was ready to follow her into the area that he assumed to be her specialty, she asked him if he knew where any moss or water was. then, she went so far as to think that he might know where there would be willow bark. if it hadn’t been clear before, it certainly should have been in that moment; illidan knew next to nothing about herbs and plants. she could have been providing him with things that would have suffocated him in his sleep, and he’d have been none the wiser about it.
 
“uh… i live by the ocean. there’s water there? and i passed a pack that had some willows just that way,” he mentioned before gesturing toward elysium. then, he squinted his eyes at her, and his lips drew into a thin and straight line. “what’s a tree gonna do for me?” he then asked in a tone that suggested he wasn’t sure about any of this bark and water nonsense.

Cadeau was a stranger to this land and so she knew little to nothing about where to find resources to benefit her. When it seemed he didn't know much, it wasn't very reassuring. She didn't say anything, instead tipped her head in a thoughtful manner. Ocean... That meant salty water and if she recalled correctly salt was good for clensing wounds. "An ocean? Perfect!" She gave a smile. At his question about why trees would help him, Cadeau began to explain, "Willow bark is a good pain reliever. You give it a few chews and it'll instantly chase any aches and ouchies you got away." She paused and then added in a hasty manner. "You don't eat the wood though, you just gnaw it."

the stranger seemed to like the idea that he lived near the ocean, but she didn't fully explain why that was. he had a feeling because she wanted to wash out the wound with the salty water. no thanks – he knew that was going to sting like a bee, and he'd rather have dealt with the throbbing pain and occasional reopening of the injury.

more than this, she wanted him to chew on wood like he was a beaver. seemed fake, but okay. he really didn't have the means or intellect to tell her that she was blowing hot air up his ass. there was an expression of distrust on his dark face, but he shrugged his shoulders after a moment and pointed toward where they would be trekking. “come on, then. gotta make sure you aren't lying to me, so you're tagging along,” he instructed and set off at a slow, gimping pace.

Cadeau could tell by the look in his golden eyes that Illidan didn't really believe her entirely but that was okay, he was still willing to give it a shot at least. That was something of a compensention prize then. When the darl-furred wolf began to lead the way, Cadeau trotted after him with her long lithe legs. "Okay," Cadeau only said with a nod.

the pace that he set was a slow and steady one; his limbs had suffered from the fight on the cliffs, and he had not done well to provide them with the rest that they needed. he did what he could to lead the strange woman toward the willow trees that he had seen when he'd visited elysium. they had been kind enough there, but he anticipated that they would not have been met kindly if they trespassed on the land. so, he figured they could find bark from a willow tree outside the territory.

“where are you from, anyway?” illidan asked, swinging his head around and fixing his sights on the girl. she didn't seem like she was from the wilds; she had a distinct outsider vibe that came off of her. he didn't believe that to be a bad thing, but he was interested in what existed in the outside world.

Cadeau didn't like being asked personal questions, it made her feel twinges of regret as she thought of home. A place she once felt safe and protected in. She didn't want to seem suspicious and casually rolled her shoulders in a shrug. Last thing she wanted was to give Illidan a reason to regard her with further caution. "A place far from here, I'm a wanderer." She absently chewed her lower lip, a nervous twitch she had picked up. "And you?" She turned the attention away from herself. "Are you a native of these wilds, Illidan?' She couldn't help but cringe to herself, spirits above what kind of wolf would call it 'wilds?' That just screamed dog speech to the max. Averting her eyes, Cadeau decided to mask the little blunder. "Anyway uh... you might think itit sounds like tomfoolery but willow bark will help with your pain, I promise."

the girl definitely didn’t seem as though she was entirely willing to offer answers about herself. there were things that were closed behind heavy doors, and he worried about pushing her too far. they had only just met, after all; he didn’t know what terrible trauma was hidden beneath the kindly exterior that she had offered him. illidan knew himself well enough that he was aware of his distinct lacking when it came to social cues. he did not wish to upset her in a way that would cause her to inflict harm on him.
 
“yeah, i’ve lived in the wilds my whole life. was born on the beach and then moved around before finding a way back,” he answered her with a small shrug of his shoulders. really, he was downplaying just how cruel his life had been since his birth. he didn’t feel as though sharing the heavy parts of his youth was beneficial to his newfound companionship.
 
“what’s your favorite place you’ve ever wandered to?” the ghost then asked her, feeling more comfortable with the focus on her.

Cadeau listened to him with polite focus, brown eyes looking at Illidan. Despite his nosiness, she found him to be so far nice company. His voice was soft and it made her feel strangely at ease despite her nerves, as odd as that sounded at least. "My... home had a beach near it, my father used to take us there to chase gulls and watch the sunset before bed." Cadeau decided to say, smiling at the memory. If one looked closet they would see the bitter sweet emotions brewing in her eyes and smile. "Did you like moving about? Itchy feet?" 

At his question she looked surprised and cocked her head thoughtfully. A favorite place she had wandered to? Considering in truth she'd never left her small home town there weren't many places she'd seen until this point. A little exaggerated white lie wouldn't hurt, could it? "I found a grove once, it was very beautiful and lead to a cave where you could see through a opening in the ceiling. The stars were lovely and there been a waterfall that hid it's passage. It was like watching starlight fall." Her father used to take her and her brother there often, it felt almost like a dream now that she let herself think of it. "My pa... I mean my paws lead me there once or twice. Of course I didn't stay."

it wasn’t really that he was nosy, but that he wasn’t a big believer of talking about himself. it often made him uncomfortable and stiff, which he imagined would frighten away his companion. she hadn’t seemed too interested in him when he wasn’t being kind. he wasn’t eager to actually keep her around against her will, except for the fact that he knew nothing about healing and her assistance would have proven to be a great gift to him. weighing his odds, illidan felt like keeping her around was a smarter choice than trying to chase her away. so, he did what he could to ask her questions that didn’t intrude on her past or her personal memories.
 
“sounds pretty incredible,” he remarked at her description of her favorite place. then, he glanced around them at the vast array of wilderness that occupied their corner of the world. “you know, you might be able to find a place similar to that in these parts,” illidan then offered with a small shrug. if the location meant that much to her, there was a chance that finding a way to revisit that nostalgia would help her. of course, he knew nothing about the emotional connection she felt toward that place with her father. he preferred not to.

She was relieved he seemed to have manners and respect, it made her feel more relaxed despite it all. Cadeau didn't want to make it a habit of approaching strangers but if they were all like Illidan perhaps it wouldn't be too awful. "It was," Cadeau agreed with a small sigh, the memory lingering like a nice dream at the edges of her mind. At his words, she nodded. "Maybe, I don't know this territory too well yet though. And... I'm on a um..." She made a face and forced the words out, knowing some honesty couldn't hurt. "A mission, kind of. More like a... where I should go, I mean. I don't belong anywhere because I'm a wanderer." No, it's because you are a halfling.

it was probably for the best that illidan struggled with his words. he tended to keep himself curt and polite, if he could help it. emotion made things challenging for the young man. slowly, he would learn to curb the bubbling rage that forced his tongue to lash out at others. it would take a great deal of time, but he would learn how men of few words were to be respected far more than those who burst with every inner turmoil.
 
when the girl commented on her mission, illidan swiveled his ears to meet her words and frowned thoughtfully at the comment. he wasn’t sure that he understood, as he didn’t see anything wrong with her mixed blood. she might have been different, but he did not see how that would change where she might live. he squinted at her sharply and shook his head. “well, you’ll find a home wherever you feel comfortable, right? you don’t need to wander forever,” he commented to her. then, as though it was something to be admired and learned from, illidan recalled the few things his father had told him.
 
“my dad wandered for… most of his life but he still settled down. that’s how he had me and my siblings.”
 
there was good in change, he thought. at least, he saw that as being a part of the moral of the story. he didn’t understand why his father would have mentioned it if it hadn’t been. there were times that illidan felt the same itch to wander that burned in the pads of his paws and thrummed in his heart like a war drum. perhaps he would pursue it, one day. he had only just been reconnected with his family, though. there would be time to fill his need to wander after he had given himself to them.

Cadeau felt silly telling him this but at the same time it brought some comfort to speak some of her burden freely, even if she did not part with some more specific details about the whole thing. She gave him the same courtesy as she perked her large triangular ears, listening to the male speak. "I... don't really uh feel comfortable anywhere," Cadeau told him after a moment of hesitation, sheepishly her eyes fell to the floor as she walk, looking in dismay at her large wolf like paws. "So nowhere feels like home." 

She felt panic that she was speaking so freely, not wanting her secret getting out even if unknowing it seemed the male already had her pegged. As he spoke of his father, Cadeau gave him a curious look. "Do you live with your family?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

“nowhere?” illidan dug deeper, fixing her with the sharp glow of his yellow gaze. one rusty ear swiveled to the side somewhat awkwardly. as much as he believed that he didn't belong anywhere, he still knew that he could find a place where he felt comfortable calling it home. he thought the world was far too vast for a place like that to not exist for everyone. there had to have been a place that the girl would feel connected to, right?

“yeah, i'm with them now. spent some time separated from them... and it's been good to go back. do you have family near to here? are you close to them?” illidan then answered her question and returned it to her with an additional query tacked on. the curiosity might have annoyed some. cadeau was a good sport for putting up with his constant digging at her personal life. he was not so skilled in personal communication that he understood that there were lines that he shouldn't cross when first meeting someone.