Porcupine Ridge if the world was ending

The female did not seem at all bothered about guarding him through the night, instead she seemed to brush it off as nothing. Still, Maksim really did appreciate her kindness, and he showed it with a smile offered to her as she shifted away from him to stand.

Maksim's ears pricked up when the white-furred female offered him her name. It was a name he instantly commited to memory, not willing to forget it after everything she had done for him. He remained still as Reiko visually inspected him and his wounds, checking over the crusted poultice that she had applied the previous night to prevent infection. Maksim smiled again when she confirmed that he should be much better after another treatment and a couple of days rest. "I can't thank you enough, Reiko, really." Maksim admitted, offering her another smile before he attempted to rise to stand alongside her.

Stiff legs and fresh wounds make it uncomfortable, and the dry poultice made it more painful as it cracked and pulled at his fur as he shifted about, but he managed to stand up none the less. Dishevelled looking and stinking of blood and dried plants, a patch of fur missing from his neck, he did not look as devilishly handsome as he might have previously, though he still showed some potential.

"Do you have the plants stashed nearby, or do you need to collect more?" Maksim asked, his maroon eyes glancing about the rocks and boulders around them. "I can help you if you like? It's the least I can do, and it would probably be good for me to stretch my legs a bit, right?" He asked her, his head tilting to one side in question as he glanced across to observe her obviously pregnant physique.