Moonspear Is it worth the price you'd pay?

@Althaia


It was late, well after the sun had gone down, and finally he was finished. He had spent a little time that morning doing patrols, and the rest of the day fishing. He knew he'd have better luck in the stream than on land since the fish had been less affected by the locusts. Still, Dash wasn't, by far, the best fisher, and it took try, after try, after try. He had caught three total. The first he had taken to the den of the Alphas, the second he had eaten himself, and the third he had trapped in his jaws, trotting towards the new Omega.

He was exhausted. It had been hours since he began hunting, and he hadn't stopped until now. He padded up to where she was, coming to a stop and placing the fish before her. Turning, he padded a few yards away and went down to his belly, his intention now to rest a bit.

He wasn't quite sure what Ame and Charon would think of him bringing her food. He had brought them food first, and he second, before coming to her. He couldn't very well single-handedly feed the entire pack, but he thought what he had done should be good enough that he wouldn't get in trouble for feeding her. At least, he hoped.

Althaia was starving.
Having survived on only scraps and bones for about a week now, she was thinnest of the pack. Seeming to have made enemies with Judas, or at least a mutual dislike, she was surviving on almost nothing. So when she was roused by her stupour by the black form of Dash and the tang of fish, she was elated. She knew that wolfing down the fish might cause her to simply throw it back up, so she ate it as slowly as she could, piling the larger boned at her side to gnaw on later. The sweet marrow inside would sustain her for a while longer. The fish, she realized, was her best meal in...well, ever. 

She smiled at Dash, it was sincere. Though she harboured a hatred for the other Moonlight wolves, Dash was the one who had been kind to her through all this. His refusal to call her Filth was a strong part of her reason for liking him. "Thank you" she said, and it was probably the most meaningful thank-you she had said in a long time. For the first time in days, hunger had dulled from the sharp raiser it had been.

After his conversation with Amekaze, Dash felt easier about being nice to the Omega. It seemed that while she was going to be here to serve their needs as soon as she was well enough to do so, he didn't have to treat her like anything less. Sure, she was the lowest ranking, and that meant she would have to wait her turn for many things, but it didn't mean he had to treat her like she was nothing. 

He watched her under hooded eyes, noting that she ate slowly. Her stomach had been empty more than it had anything any it, and would mostly likely reject being full too quickly. The smile he returned was equally as genuine, but it told of his tiredness. You're welcome, Omega, he said softly, the name coming out as more of an endearment than a rank. He refused to fall her Filth, he didn't feel Slave fit her, either. But, Omega did, and it was accurate, so no one else should object should they hear him call her that. How are you faring? he asked, wondering if anyone else had been by to see her. He wasn't sure how the rest of the pack would respond to her being here.

Althaia was pleased by what he called her. Omega. It made her feel like part of something, even if she was lowest rank here, it was much better then Filth. He asked about her health, and she gave a small smile. The bruises on her body was fading, and though the scratches on her ankle had shown signs of becoming infected, she had cleaned the wound intently for the past day, and the infection seemed to be retreating. Her ankle was still painful, and after much prodding of it she deduced that a few various bones were fractured, or cracked. 

She stood, and lay sideways so that her leg was in view. It certainly did not look good, but better then it had been. She knew that it took many weaks for bones to heal, but could not help hoping that it would heal faster. She hated feeling helpless. "It's better, Dash. I'm better, I think. I-thank you"

Althaia was one who liked beauty, and nature, and art, had she known it as such. She pulled carefully from the back of her den the skull that Dash had originally used to give her water. She had gnawed at the thing in worry and fear the first few days here, and i had become a habit. Now, it was covered in dents and scratches, giving the skull and odd, weathered appearence, which Althaia found beautiful. She placed it in front of her paws, looking up at Dash. "I made this." she said. Frankly, she had an odd sense of pride for the skull. It was the sole thing she had done since arriving here.

He got up and went to her, attempting to get a better look at her broken leg. It was discolored and the skin torn where his teeth had latched on. Some looked like they were healing, but others weren't so great. Dash didn't know what an infection looked like, so he couldn't gauge if that was happening or not. Is there anything I can find to put on it to help? he asked. He knew there were no plants around, and he couldn't take from the herb stash, but if she knew of something else around, he would get it. He gave her a smile at her thank you. For a trespasser, she was growing on him.

Then, she got up to retrieve an item from the den, which turned out to be the skull he had used to bring her water. His ears perked as his eyes took in the changes that she made to it. Hey, that's pretty cool, he commented. While he liked gnawing on bones, he didn't usually pay attention to what they looked like after he was done. It reminded him, though. Do you need water? he asked, knowing he would go get some if she said yes.

She smiled at Dash, allowing him to come near and examine her leg. He asked her if he ought to get anything for it, and after a moment she shook her head. Harley was taking pretty good care of her, and beside, she knew little of the herbs that grew on the mountainside. Herbs that grew near the sea and flatlands were more her specialty. She smiled shyly at his praise, then nodded. "Yes please, Dash." she said evenly. She was thirst, and the journey to the stream was torture on her wounded leg. Her paws were unused to the harsh terrain of the mountain, and she was nervous that she would fall and injure herself further. She would have to get used to it, but trying now, with a fractured ankle, would not do her well.