Twisted Slough With a dare comes a promise.

The sun dipped even harder through the treeline, extending shadows to gigantuous proportions. His body became much more hypervigilant in the waning light, and after Kai silently promised she would remain safely behind him, he only then began to take those steps to investigate the felled trunk. Nares went to work, scouting what his eyes couldn't see, and ears tore apart any twitch or sound make near and about the designated spot. Closer her crept, rigid body in ease with the need to remain alert, paws disecting the steps to take by least amount of leaf litter, possible. It was the stance and movement of a wary predator, one of wolf and prey, alike. He neared the log by another foot, and another, until he was just upon it. And from his eyes, he saw the ends of the entrance within the oak was callous, scuffed, and dry. Someone had been here, but not recently. It held a stale scent, something almost like badger, or even mink. But minks preferred holes, and the assassin knew this oak was not enough for a nestle of minks to feel secured in. Taking an oppertunity to peer inside, he cautiously found-

nothing.

Adjusting himself to look around the exterior, he circled the potential temporary den, looking for any hidden intruders, but alas none seemed to be present. They were on luck's good side today, it seemed. But ultimately, he left the choice to Kai. He recalled how she was with cave dens, and this one being much smaller, only now properly seen to be large enough to fit her, he couldn't be in there with her if she chose to take it as her bed, tonight. It would be even more clausterphobic.

Bringing himself back to her, the guardian asked, concern bringing both his body to illustrate and his voice to narrate his proper feelings about the situation. He was worried for the youthful girl, not wanting to see her distressed be it physically, or emotionally.

"I found a tree trunk for you to sleep in," he compassed to her, nosing his snout in the direction he had just come from to the sitting girl. "Now you don't have to sleep there," he pointed put out, shifting on both sets of limbs. "We can sleep outside near the woods, but I need you to rest, Kai."He needed her to be strong for this journey, for this pack to come. Gwen more than likely had healer abilities, considering her tender nature, and once he got her here and settled with the others, Kai would be well looked after. But for now, he had to protect her while he could.