Lion Head Mesa prolixus

Slate had never felt as appreciated and as home as she did in Akashingo. It was an odd feeling, for the people of Ursus had hardly spoken to her or taken an interest to her, but Akashingo? They were taking an interest in her, they appreciated her on another level, they looked out for her. Like family. She sort of hated and loved it. She hated how they weren't her pack, how they seemed to be thankful for her even though she wasn't even one of their own. She loved it for the obvious reason that she had never been this appreciated before.

"thank you for tending crowfeather." She almost said "it's my job" but chose not to. It wasn't completely true. Tending to the wounded of Akashingo was technically not part of her job description. She just did it because part of her could not leave a wounded behind. Because somewhere deep inside Slate wasn't so bad after all. She looked awkwardly away from the black male. For the first time in forever she felt shy. That was new.

"you are the reason he still lives," If the older woman was able to, she would have blushed at this point. Instead she kept her gaze away from him and felt this sudden urge to leave out of embarrassment. "I do my best." Was all she could say, all she could think of saying. She wanted to point out that the younger male might never walk properly again, that he might be injured for life because of that leg. But she didn't want to damper his mood by stating the obvious.

"Sometimes I wonder if I made a mistake." She looks at him again and begins to expand upon her words. "I joined Ursus to find a home. To be useful. But." She wondered if she could go on, wondered if she could trust this male to not go on and give her away to Merrick. Slate hardly trusted anyone around here, she always put her trust in herself and no one else, but she decided to change that. Akashingo had put their trust in her, it was time to do the same.

"Akashingo feels more like home than any other place I've been to... Ursus offers protection, yes, but it does not feel like home. The way Merrick looks at me... It feels wrong." She obviously had no idea that Merrick at thought of killing her on several occassions, but she didn't like the looks he gave her. It felt wrong, it felt like she was being watched all the time. She never felt like she could be herself around the others from Ursus.

"I should have joined Akashingo." She bites her lip, regrets the moment the words leaves her mouth. She could get in serious trouble for saying these things, or at least it felt like it.