Whitefish River A thousand voices howling in my head

Nighttime found the alpha following the length of the river again like he did many nights. The air was cold, and a thin layer of snow covered random parts of the ground as walked. The headaches were less frequent, but they still terrorized him, and he knew he would need to tell his mate about them soon, despite his need to never burden her with his problems. He didn't feel right lying to her anymore, though, and he was honestly surprised he hadn't had one in front of her yet. They seemed to come on with little forewarning, so it's not like he could remove himself from any situation at the first sign of their approach. He had already found that one out, unfortunately. 

Kavik hadn't seen any sign of the bear since its attack on the plateau, which he was more than thankful for. Every time he did a patrol or wandered outside the borders, he always checked for signs of the monster, secretly afraid it would come back to try and finish the job. He shook his head as if he could shake away the fear, slowing his pace to do so before continuing down the length of the river. He knew it well at this point, and he welcomed its familiarity as he moved through the cold night.

He had left the south in search of...something. The ache in his bones was still present, like a child refusing to give up a chew toy. His head hurt less but the pain was still there with the louder noises or bright lights. It was why he moved through the night. His large form was rather pathetic in this roguish state and maybe, unconsciously, he was trying to hide himself from others. The man in the south had been nice but how did he know anyone else would be?

His nostrils flared at the scent of another. Outlander was not in a mood to be social and so he let out a soft rumble of discomfort to warn the other.

The noise made him freeze, his ears briefly flattening in an instinctual response. He glanced around until he saw the large stranger. Brows creasing in concern, he took a few more steps before stopping again and lowering his head. The male was large like Kavik, but not nearly as healthy looking even with the alpha's healing wounds. From his scent, he appeared to be a lone wolf, which made sense given his appearance. Finally, Kavik's good nature prevailed, pushing him to ask, Are you in need of assistance? Maybe that's why the grumpy male was so close to the very obviously claimed plateau and hanging around the part of the river frequented by all of the plateau's members.

No. He replied swift and sharp. It was as if his own body cursed him for turning down the offer of help. A throbbing of pain in the back of his head. He would blame it on the other though. Outlander had let out a warning growl and the stranger had — instead of listening to the warning — had struck up conversation.

He shift his weight uncomfortably, fluffing up his coat a bit to try and hide his lack of current weight. He had never felt so naked in his life. If he had the comfort of this fellow pack wolf, Outlander without a doubt would squash him.

Alas he was merely a hollow shell of his former self.

Kavik raised an eyebrow at the sharp reply. He looked like he could use some food at the very least, so the alpha wondered why he would be so stubborn as to turn down freely offered help. Still, it wouldn't deter him from trying. Are you sure? Not even something to eat? he asked. Winter was fast approaching, and the pack had been busy filling the caches. The alpha figured they could spare one meal for someone who looked to be in desperate need of it; he didn't think anyone would have a problem with that.

He didn't know why all these pack wolves were so helpful. He shouldn't have been so against it but it made him wary. One helping him was one thing but two? In a row? What do you want for it? He asked gruffly as he eyed the male with a narrowed peach gaze. The large loner was highly doubting that his luck was so good as to just be offered free help two times in a row. Was he that bad looking? Did they all take pity on him suddenly?

I want nothing for it, he answered, meeting the others salmon gaze without hesitation. The question and subsequent glare from the stranger oozed distrust, and Kavik understood. It was hard to imagine that others had good intentions when you were on your own--dangerous even. The alpha had no ulterior motives, though. He offered help because he wanted to help and had the facilities to do so. He watched the other wolf curiously, waiting to move until he knew whether or not his offer would be accepted.

That was hard to believe. Nothing in return for a meal? He wanted to snort and further protest but even Outlander knew it would be stupid to do so. He would feast on the kindness of this stranger. Fine. He finally answered, a bit colder in tone than he had expected to. Whoops. Thank you. He awkwardly mumbled with a roll of his shoulders. His peach gaze softened some although it was hard to wipe away all of his skepticism.

The alpha nodded when the stranger finally accepted. I'll have to go back to my territory, but I'll be back soon, he promised with a lift of his inky muzzle towards the plateau. With a dip of his head he turned and headed back home. There was a cache not too far from where the river flowed from the plateau, and so it wouldn't take him too long. He worried the male might be gone by the time he got back, but if so, then it was his loss. Kavik thought it would be pretty dumb to run away from the prospect of free food, especially in the condition the stranger was in, but it was ultimately his decision.

True to his word, it wasn't long before he made his way from the plateau to follow the river back to where he had left the loner. The alpha carried two rabbits between his jaws as he moved; he was a large man as well, so he knew the other wolf probably required more substantial meals than most.

He nodded and waited. During the male's absence, the large rogue had made himself comfortable and found an easy place to lounge by the water. Perhaps he shouldn't be letting his guard down so soon. What if this was a trap? What if the male had truly gone off to get more pack wolves? The thought made his nose crinkle. It would be stupid. The pack male could have easily taken Outlander by himself.

When the male returned, it was a pleasant surprise to see two rabbits. He could not stop the thumping of his tail or the strand of drool that began to leak from between his jaws.

As he followed the river farther into the flatlands, he was glad to see that the stranger had remained where he had left him, and he trotted back up to him and dropped the food at the male's feet. He took a few steps back, allowing him a comfortable amount of space to eat before asking, How long have you been on your own? The alpha thought maybe it had been quite a while judging by the way he looked, but who knows what this loner had been through. He knew how hard traveling without a home could be.

Outlander wasted no time ripping into the food. His stomach was greedy for such a nice meal. Manners were quickly thrown out the window as if he never had them — and hey, there was a strong likely hood the beast never did have manners. The question forced him to stop stuffing his face with the rabbit, though. I'm not sure. He answered honestly and almost a bit upset at his own words. With the question answer, he goes back to stuffing his face like a greedy child.

The male's answer didn't surprise Kavik; when in survival mode, it was easy to lose track of time. He seemed to be in rough shape, though, so he figured it had been a little while. He gave the male a few minutes to eat before talking again. I'm Kavik, one of the alphas of Blacktail Deer Plateau, he started with a dip of his head. Do you need a place to stay? the alpha asked next, not wanting to assume anything. If so, you're welcome to join our ranks and heal up a bit. He figured his healer mate wouldn't mind helping out someone in need either.