Wapun Meadow Paint young honey, face so sunny, ain't that funny

@Phoebus

The mountains were filled with death. She'd hurried through them ignoring the bodies of bloated animals both prey and wolf alike that she'd passed though their image was sealed tight in her mind. By the time she reached the meadow she was terrified and cold, to soaked and freezing to do much but curl against a tree and peer out with round emerald eyes at it poured. Nearby she could find where Polaris had gone and then...then she could make good on her promise. Lainie was ready now...if she would be forgiven this time. It took her a moment but she realised her hind legs had gone numb and turned around starting to frantically groom the sensation back into her limbs rousing the nerves manually while keeping an eye about her in case someone was to stumble upon her. 

Phoebus had gone quite the distance, without knowing just how far. It was cold, around here. Surely it was a mistake to even come around here. 

Of course, there was always a reason for something. A scent hit his nose. He got his head down to the ground, moving along. Something was around here, something that caught his interest. Phoebus went along, following this peculiar scent through his cold nose.

@Lainie

Vigilant she saw him. Shadowy like the man who'd hurt her but with patches of a color fur she'd rarely seen before, yellow like sunlight and a gaze of intense blue that held her pinned to that tree. Why was he coming toward her? Couldn't he find his own tree? Frighened her lips flew up and over her fangs though the round, frightened look in her eyes never left and her legs now untended began to grow lifeless again. "I'm fast and I'm mean. Don't come any closer" she tried to sound as if she meant it, really she did but her voice was soft as ever and there was only fear and the sort of tough tone you'd expect of a child being stubborn or throwing a tantrum. 

Phoebus moved quickly to the scent, seizing up immediately as soon as he heard a voice. He looked up, gaze settling upon a female. And he chuffed, tail down and ears back a bit.

"Fierce as well. Dangerous, oh please don't hurt me!" He feigned cowardice, head bent down. Phoebus at least could tell she meant business, so he at least kept his distance.

With a wide gaze she sized him up her lips falling and trembling with fear. The man was pretty built...had more muscle than most she'd run into. Any hope she had of being able to fight poofed but lucky for her he simply submitted to her display and it took her a moment of staring in surprise for her to realise he was being playful about respecting her. With a snort and a soft laugh she relaxed a little her eyes softening a bit as she admitted "I'm not dangerous unless you're going to bite me" her voice was stronger but still sweet in tone her tail hitting the soggy ground with a wet thud as she took him in for real. Grey fur but the blonde was almost like a mask of sunlight around electric sky blue eyes with the body of a warrior. Once more Lainie found herself aware of another's presence in a stranger way shifting so she rose up taller and peering at him more shyly than fearfully through silver lined lashes "It's dryer under here if that's what you're after"

Phoebus shook his head at the reply she gave. Bite her? Only if given reason. This wasn't his territory, she was here first. Finders keepers. He moved a bit closer with a somewhat relaxed posture, eyeing the spot she spoke of.

"Better than being cold as well as wet." Phoebus didn't exactly wait for room to be made, just moving in to make himself comfortable. Laying down, head up with ears relaxed.

"It hasn't stopped raining for a while now" she commented shifting over slightly as he came beneath the bowed limbs of the tree. Unable to move over without beginning to get dripped on she assumed her original position her back and hind legs pressed against his as she curled up trying to warm herself. "My name is Lainie. What's yours?'' she tried to keep the simple cconversation going while sneaking attemptedly subtle glances in his direction keeping an eye on him but also curious. It had only been Abaddon and then Polaris who she'd spoken to...otherwise she'd gone it alone. It was scary how easy it was to forget how to speak to people. 

Phoebus kept his gaze out, past the curtain of rain. Sure was a lot of it, and he wondered if it would stop before flooding up the place. He hoped so. What a way to go, stuck under this tree.

"Phoebus" he finally said, after a rather long pause. "What are you doing, all the way out here? In the rain? Got a pack near?"

Watching him stare into the rain she hoped he'd been saved the horrible sights she'd seen. After a silence that had her openly peering questioningly at him he introduced himself. Phoebus...what a lovely name, it sounded bright like the sun marks he wore. Ears shifting back against her head she bit back the impulse to snap defensively about surviving like everyone else and breathed out slowly while accepting the truth of her situation. A bitter medicine to swallow and one that had her voice a little hardened when she replied her emerald eyes turning to watch the droplets of rain fall off of a broken and dangling branch "I'm trying to survive and find my sister. It was hard enough without the rain" she admitted falling quiet and gritting her teeth as her cheeks heated up with embarrassment. Helpless....she hated the feeling but it was once again what she found herself to be alone in this weather. "No pack. Haven't had a home for a long time. You?" 

Phoebus kept his gaze on her now, as she spoke. Taking on the features of her face. Watching for signs of survival as she said she had not had a home for some time. Unlike Lainie, Phoebus had one recently before he left it.

"A sister. I had one. I think." Phoebus had to scratch at the back of his mind to try and recall. "Left my recent home a couple weeks back? Didn't have what I wanted."

Mysterious or absent-minded? Lainie studied him with a little bit of humor finding it quirky and odd how he seemed to have to search his mind to grasp at his home. She'd seen wolves who hadn't seemed to have any family though....if he was one of those it was a sad thought. She gave a small smile nodding "Her name is Polaris. She's the prettiest, sweetest...she's all I have" she hated the way her voice cracked and went even fainter like a mouses as she grew emotional. Focusing back on him before she could get too sad about herself she have him a curious look "I did the same a long time ago for independence from my father. It was stupid and cost me everything. What do you seek Phoebus?" she asked him trying to hide the darkness that lingered in her expression. 

Well now, that was certainly quite something yes. Phoebus had never thought to find his sister. Didn't even know her name. Laurie did. She actually knew her sister, Phoebus never got the privilege.

"Well...where was she last?" Was a start of some form on her search. "Me? I'm looking for something big. Stand out. Game changer." What exactly that was, he did not really know.

Studying him intently she motioned to the east "Just over that way. A place called Easthollow. I can't offer you a game changer but do you think that you could help a girl out? I owe them food..the pack. I can't..I can't hunt" she uncurled herself and stood up more shakily than normal which she used to her advantage displaying her ribs and bones peeking through water soaked fur. Offering him her best smile she shrugged "If we find a fresh carcass floating somewhere we can just bite it's throat and legs and say we caught it" she couldn't care less about the loose morals. Food was food and who would know any different if they'd killed it a day or two ago and dragged it all the way to pay what was owed or not? Fixing him with eyes perhaps a little too desperate and hopeful to suit the damsel in distress she was attempting she gave a small wag of her tail "Maybe we can find something exciting together after if you're lonely? I'm a wanderer" 

Phoebus paused his current train of thought at her request. For him, to tag along? For someone he didn't know, to find their sister in an unknown land?

Why not? He nodded. "I can hunt. Two of us makes hunting even more successful. We settle this debt. Ask them for help. Then we go" Phoebus suggested to Lainie, thinking it the best idea. "We find your sister after."

Lainie was glad that he had agreed so readily her heart fluttering with exictement as she realised she wouldn't be alone anymore. Even though he was a stranger and she had a nagging suspicion that made her wary of being too friendly, he was still kind enough and already had plenty of chances to hurt her if he'd wanted. "That's why I wanted to settle my score with them....she may be there. At the least they can maybe point me in the right direction. They took me in for a week, I promised to restock what I ate but...I couldn't and I was too ashamed to admit so and took off instead of saying a proper goodbye" she hung her head a little her voice tight as it tended to grow when she was speaking about something that bothered her deeply. Releasing a soft sigh she stared out into the rain unconsciously aware of how she snuggled closer to the warmth he radiated so that she pressed more fully against him. "Maybe we'll do that later. Hopefully a slower patch of rain will come" she sounded weary, the warmth lulling her into a relaxed state that made it hard to deny the draw of sleep. 

Phoebus thought on that for the moment. So she offered to restock. Then left....he clicked his jaws together in thought. "Together we get something a little extra, then. Really, really make up for it." Now that sounded like quite the idea, yes.

"Yes, once this deluge clears up then we go. Begin a new journey!" he declared aloud. With that, Phoebus settled his head down onto his forepaws.

She heard the click of his jaws and her ears flattened back taking it as judgement "i feel bad about it. I promise i'll work as hard as I can on my end so you're not doing the work" she meant it but she wasn't sure how how she could do that. She was hungry, it had been a while since she'd found food and she wasn't too keen on eating the carcasses floating around the flooded areas....it felt wrong and she wasn't too desperate. His enthusiasm was rather infectious and despite feeling self conscious now she gave a small peal of laughter and then thought about it a little bit. Begin a new journey.....she really found the sound of that appealing despite knowing she'd promised Polaris to help form her pack. Maybe Phoebus would be interested in that, helping form a pack as an OG member...that was cool right? "Yeah...a new chapter. A safe kind of adventure hopefully" she said with a smile her voice growing sleepier the longer she talked until her chin fell to her forelegs and she had dozed off without response a smile on her face and white streaked eyes closed gently instead of squeezed shut with the tension of night terrors. 

Phoebus observed the female for a moment. Quite the chance meeting this was, wasn't it? He stifled a chuckle upon hearing the promise she made. He had faith in that, but even then he was going to grab something for this...pack.

"It will be plenty safe" he promised in return. That was at least his hope to this adventure of theirs. And eventually? He fell asleep.