Firestone Hot Springs Good Sleep, a Bath and a Glass of Wine [M]

Although she had been expecting the exact answer that Peregrine gave, it still seemed to exhaust her, as if he were a needle, and she a balloon. On second thought, it was more that she was a tire, and he the one come and poke holes in her, so that, instead of popping, she slowly deflated. She even let out a long sigh, the air expelling from her body like a puncture wound, slowly and painfully. She almost didn't hear his question, the one about why she wanted to join the plateau in the first place.

Slowly, she pulled herself up out of the river water and laid down again at the bank, placing her head on her paws and trying to come up with a reason. In the end, she shrugged. "I'm a wolf, right? Wolves are meant to be part of a pack. I guess to me it doesn't matter what pack I'm in, as long as you guys aren't crazy demon worshipers who sacrifice your members to the Blood God." She gave a tired smile. "I'm guessing you're not. You probably wouldn't have helped me if you were."

She was silent for a bit, and then said quietly, "It's fine that you don't want me. My birth pack didn't want me either, so I'm used to rejection." Knowing that what she had just said made her sound über desperate, she tacked on an ending. "And no. I'm not trying to gain your sympathies by saying that. I'm saying that I literally don't care. I'm used to it. I'll find somewhere else." She laughed, once, shortly. "Maybe I'll make my own pack of wolves without skills and we can all run around and have fun 'til we die of starvation 'cause none of us know how to hunt. That would be hilarious."

She sat up at this point, expecting one or both of them to leave soon. "It was nice meeting you, Peregrine. Sorry for acting like a fool at first. Thanks for saving me."