Phoenix Maplewood not giving up

Ah, so this was one of those wolves. A what's in it for me? type. Honestly, that was pretty common around here - in the Saints was where Evien had seen it most, but even some Ursus wolves were fairly self-focused. Not that it was a bad thing - it was actually a pretty good survival tactic - but it did get annoying when all Evien wanted was for this guy to break a branch off of a tree for him.

"There's plenty in it for you. Like the knowledge that you did a good thing today for someone who needed help." Obviously, that tactic wasn't going to work. Evien's sarcasm bled through his words every step of the way. 

But really, there wouldn't be a lot in this, really, aside from the goodness of this stranger's heart. Which Evien wasn't sure existed, just yet. Of course, there had to be some - if there wasn't, he probably would've just eaten the medic instead of responding. 

He took a deep breath and shrugged his shoulders. "I'll be honest with you. The best I can offer is treatment for injuries, if you've got any, or maybe a share of the maple sap." But why would he want that? He paused, thinking for a moment. "Or, if you're hungry, I can try to catch you a fish." He'd prefer not to, really, because that would involve getting into the water which would be unpleasant right now. 

"Oh, and fucking riveting conversation, if you're into that shit." Sarcasm dripped from his words - Evien was hardly the easiest guy to talk to, and small talk wasn't really his thing, but if this guy wanted to shoot the breeze, he wouldn't turn him away. 

But there it was. All the cards laid out on the table. Take it or leave it.

Not a problem at all! I love your writing.