Stone Circle don't wake me

@Kaito

greyback's announcement left blondine shaken to her core. the leaders of easthollow were evidently not opposed to exile, and while blindness was not synonymous to insubordinance, she feared that they might equate it to incapability. even without eyes, she was a hard-working woman; it was only a matter of proving herself as such to the leaders.

from her den to the pond was forty-three paces. from the pond to the border was — a'hunnerd-eleven, a'hunnerd-twelve, a'hunnerd-thirteen — a hell of a lot further. blondine was trying to make a mental map of the territory, but found it quite difficult without knowing the direction she was walking in. i'll either get there or i won't, she thought, continuing with her walk.

Thanks for starting! Tag is for reference :)

The reeds in Kaito's mouth dragged in the snow, scoring snake-like paths behind him across the mark of his gentle step. Easthollow lay in serenity, largely quiet, and still. He could only really hear the song of the winter birds, who called to one another in a vibrant array, a chorus that usually stirred his heart and willed his tongue to sing along. No voice came from his mouth today. His breath fled from the corners of his mouth, and touched the bitter air like wraiths.

@Arlette had wanted to help him today, but he had sent her away. Until tomorrow, he'd said, with the half-truth that he had preparations to make for their next lesson in healing. Since Vespera's exile, he walked on stilts around her, fearful of Greyback, the anger in his eyes. Fearful that ire would turn on him. Distance would keep them safe. Arlette had shown that, when she'd shied away from him at the meeting that day.

The sound of counting touched his ears, and Kaito turned to listen. "... a'hunnerd fourteen, a'hunnerd fifteen..." and he saw, between the thinning trees, and walking his way, a stranger clad in rust and earthen brown. She didn't seem to see him, seemingly too focused on the ground. Kaito watched a moment longer with a tip of his head, before he called out a muffled, "Whaadryou," before that garble reminded him of the reeds in his mouth, and he let them fall to the ground, "Sorry, ah, sorry ma'am - what're you counting?" If she'd been any lower than a'hunnerd twenty, maybe he wouldn't have asked.

an unfamiliar voice stopped blondine in her tracks. at attention, but not unfriendly, the huntress swivelled her ears atop her head in search of the source. countin' steps, she replied with a grin. the stranger stopped speaking after that, leaving their location unknown.

where're you at? don't wanna run into ya. blondine would wait for a reply before turning in an attempt to face him. did i interrupt sumn'?

"Oh. Um, neat," Kaito's voice trembled with a nervous laugh, caught off-guard in every way for what this woman said and asked. Some distance obscured them, but he could see her, which meant, she must've seen him... right? Probably not in every detail, I mean, he wasn't close enough to see much more than the vague outline of her face, but was he really that easy to entirely miss?

"Nothing that can't be interrupted," he said with a smile, touched with uncertainty. What if she was joking with him? What if she was not? How could he even know, and what options did he have? He deigned for politness - it was what his mother would have wanted, and this was a stranger after all, but a packmate... so if this was just her natural humour, he supposed he would find out soon enough... and better to be kind, and play the fool, than to laugh and play the same. "I'm, uh, just in front of you."

blondine could hear the edge in his voice. she smiled, lowering herself onto her belly and using her wrists to hold up her head. i'm blind, the huntress laughed, but i still believe in eye contact. best as i can, anyhow. another laugh, this one softer and less abrasive. i count to keep track of where i'm at.

looking up, eyes still closed, she hoped to meet his gaze as best as once could. she would wait for him to say something before continuing. my name is blondine, blondine abernathy. a moment's pause. did i hear you drop somethin' earlier?

Kaito might have felt abashed, if not for the nature of this woman's reveal. She delivered her confession of blindness with such pomp and peculiarity that the boy felt his curiosities pricked more than his sympathies, and he found himself accompanying her laugh with a soft chuckle of his own. "That makes so much more sense!" he said through a grin. In that space she left for him to talk, he offered, "I'm Kaito, by the way, for what it's worth, I'd say you've got your eye contact down pat."

And he found he rather liked her name, for hers felt earthy, archaic, and warm. And he wondered what history her heritage spoke of, where she'd come from, who she'd left, and what had led her here. How she'd been blinded, what that was like, living without seeing -- seeing, through touch and taste and smell. These thoughts filled the pause she offered. Her voice again reeled him back to the present.

"Oh! Yeah -- um," he dropped a quick glance at the long river grass, and the reeds laying limp in the snow. "It's, um... it's really nothing. Just a little experiment I'm preparing for, um... for a lesson with Arlette tomorrow..." and he toed the long stalks, feeling heat stroke his face when he said her name, "honestly, I - well, I'm not even sure it'll work..."

blondine waved her paw in mock grandiose. why, thank you, darlin'. she smiled, then lifting herself back up to a seated position. you still didn't give me your name. her eyebrows tipped, as though to warn him of a scolding that she had no intention of delivering. 

arlette was a name that she didn't recognize, but figured it didn't make a difference. they were packmates, or so she assumed. you'll have to be more descriptive than that. blondine chuckled and took a few steps forward, nose to the ground in search of his "project".

"Oh - actually - ah -" he felt his face flush, and he tipped his nose with a bashful splay of his ears - less because he felt embarrassed for not giving his name, and completely more because, well, he had told her. But was it kind to suggest a blind wolf might be going deaf as well? Simpler enough to just repeat, "sorry Blondine, I'm Kaito. Kaito Kalderon."

He scuttled aside when she drew closer, and bit his bottom lip in a gesture of uncertainty.

"I'm hopin' to make a splint, for, y'know, broken bones and stuff... I dunno if it'll work, but..." was there really anything to lose if he had Blondine help him a little first? Better embarrass himself in front of someone he wasn't trying to impress, rather than Arlette. "It'd be easier if I showed you. C'mon," he scooped up the vines in his mouth. "Ith's jus'ova'ere."

And from here, he would lead her to his set up in the Circle, if she would deign to follow. And if she would not, then he would simply spend the afternoon in the very same way as if she had, only without the company of help.