Larksong Grotto O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord,

It felt like a dream- almost like she was back home, just for a moment. The taiga was frosty and cold, besides the flowers she had seen, it seemed unwelcoming to the Déorwine family. The first, thriving, a lush area she had spotted, brought the sylph to nostalgia. Flashbacks of times of running through their home, and to come back to a loving den.

But it was no more- Célnes needed to remember that.

Though with injuries, she imagined her sister and possibly brother would disapprove of the movement. The steeps and ledges, but she was drawn to continue closer within it's center. She moved with grace and ease, learned and grasped the land itself as she watch the elk do the same.

And finally, she found the center.

A beautiful, clear pool of water.

Lmk if it's ok to throw him in

Ah. Tranquility.
All he needed was this peace. Solitide for where he could come to terms with his life now.
No Priest. No Family. No pack.
This was fine, though.

He wanted to be free, really. Free from having to have children born wrong for the sake of a pure bloodline. He was himself, and commanded by the Ancients and himself alone.
They didn't want him to keep having wrong children, it was time for a new Sahira line.
So as he collected himself in this glade he suspected none would otherwise dare traipse, and the snow ebbed away and the pool thawed and the Larksong bird trilled.
He was about to take his leave from his small haven.

 Alas, the Ancients delivered the crow a gift. A woman.
He watched her from the shrubbery, waiting for her to fall. To break herself. Or not.

yah! lemme know if its ok to spot/smell him !

She stepped forward the pond, albiet with a struggle and tiredness. Perhaps she had exhausted her wounded body too much travelling to the inner of the grotto. Célnes slowly drifted her body toward the water, sinking within in the hope her burns would be swallowed by the refreshing water. 

However, "who's there?" she called, a monotone voice to those who stalk.

Ofc!

He watched with eager, hungry eyes.
She made the rest of the descent safely. Unlucky for him, lucky for her.
She made for the water, and he could clearly observe her mottled flesh and cropped singed hair.
She smelt like wildfire.
Did she have a heart like one?

He turned in his spot to follow her entering the pool. She obviously heard him, for she called out to him.
Sure, he'd play with her.
He licked his lips, emerging from his hide, eyes trained on her.
His tail lashed the air, a grin parting his death-giving jaws.
"You'd be hur'?"​ Came his slow, broken speech. He was pretty bad at articulating his words in the common tongue, providing that Tsis was so different.

He stopped, fully revealed, but far enough away that she surely wouldn't be threatened.
He looked at her, slightly side on, ears pressed towards her, eagerly waiting to catch her voice again.  

Broken, but understandable, "Perhaps, but healing." It had been some days since the fire, and her pain was slowly subsiding. Emotionally, and physically. Perhaps she never faced her emotional burns, but nor' didn't she want to face it. Célnes left it with the flames of what had happened.

"But who are you?" The elken woman asked once more.

Perhaps?
It was very clear that she was. His tail waved high, friendly dominance. He felt like he had total control of this interaction.
Perhaps it was his months of segregation, perhaps it was his ego.
Eitherway, he drew closer to her, paw's almost lapped by the water.

He wondered what had happened. Fire, charring. Yes.
But where?
He stared at her with empty eyes for a while longer.
"Earp," he replied at last, " 'n' yous?

She remained quiet on his stance of dominance, it was non-aggressive, friendly-like, but a display. Célnes only displayed a smile of neutrality, "I am Célnes, Célnes Déorwine." Her family name was held dear to the wiman, but to these wilds, the name meant nothing. She felt a slight passion within her heart, but for now the flame was left to be dimmed.

"Earp is an interesting name," she commented.

A name he couldn't pronounce.
He tried it over a few times in his head, but those words were very foreign to him.
"As is yours," he quietly mused, still thinking over how to say such words.
Perhaps one so interesting should be spared from him.

He slowly sat down, almost perching ontop of himself to hug his forelegs as close to his body as possible.
He watched her cool her wounds, then remembered. He could actually help her.
He'd gathered himself a small herbal cache.
Well...herbal/drug cache.
"I has popps, for 'elpin' pain."
He of course meant poppies, but if she couldn't figure it out he'd have to try again.

Was her name strange? Suppose to these lands they were, but her homeland was normal. If she remembered what her mother told her, the name Célnes in particular meant 'cool,' or 'a breeze.' All names in Kingslend had an eventual meaning, but none cared too much. The woman, who was like a sylph in the wind, remember because her mother often said she was akin to one, someone who followed the breeze, and wisped through the land in an ease. 

She wondered if that's true, "Is it? I suppose it is for the natives here. Many simply call me Cel." she smiled with a chuckle.

"Thank you, but I must refrain." At the moment the only physician she trusted was her own sister, but knew eventually the Déorwine woman should find a one with more experience. She didn't trust random seeds- even though poppies were quite common, they did have addictive qualities.

Cel. He could say that, and quietly parroted it back.
"Cel..."
He wasn't native, but she either didn't realise it, or didn't care.
Perhaps she was self-absorbed, and wished to only care for her own bloodline, as Earp only cared for his own.
But if caring for another gave him a prize, then so be it.

"Bu' tit juss be a popp. Nutin' bad. Good fur yous."
Good for her. Good for him.
She wouldn't know what would be happening until it was over, and then he could give her more.
Not many traveled into here, mainly those seeking to escape from the others.
No one would find her for a long time.

His eyes gleamed with something now...hunger...desire.
His head canted, like a pencil dropping off the table, licking his lips.

"Again, thank you but i'll refrain." There was an unease within that she covered with a smooth smile, "my doctor advises me to abstain from them." A stretch, only elonged the truth as @Fréobearnn did warn her to avoid taking too many, and only do so if she felt absolute pain. Addictive qualities can be strong, and she didn't feel the need to take any when the pain had been dulling. 

A man of desire, she knew not to stay too long.

Again, he was denied.
Strongly.
He stared at her with glassy eyes, like his emotions shown just before were caged in an orb.
He thought hard, trying to think of something to keep her here.

"P'r'aps a salv', tuh 'eal your skin."
He started into motion to push her further back into the water, to make her back away from him as he dipped his toes into the water now, body turning sideways to block her swift exit.
His eyes trained on hers. 

She moved, as he circled her, she circled back with a now narrowed expression. However, she remained dull, a simple pumpkin stare of curiosity to the fellow, but had an internal cautioun of the situation, "No." The elken woman said, a more define tone as she said it clearly, without a hesitation to the man.

He moved in a way that held position, so she moved in deeper into the water as the two seemed to circle each other, "I'm afraid I must be going, my family will be worried." Célnes said with a smile.

Feel free to have her just slip past him if you want!

She blatently denied him now.
A flat out 'no'.
He turned back, kept moving towards her, but not letting her escape the water.
Or so he would hope.

She seemed to be shutting down, moving primitavely. Escape mode.
Fight or flight.
His lips lifted, curling into a soft snarl.
"oo cares? Yous a big girl, 'ight?"
He grinned, eyes lighting up, cracking the glass orb he'd containted himself in.

The elken woman didn't respond to him, but instead dipped herself under the water. She wasn't blinded, or giving herself a fruitless escape as her foot delicately touched the ground, she gave herself a quick step forward. A motion upwards, however the farthest she could get was right beside the man.

Célnes side-eyed him, before she slipping out of the water. She disappeared into the forest, avoiding the man further.

Ending here if that's ok!

She moved towards him.
Pushing out of the water, glaring at him with daggers.
The most placid had the sharpest ones, for they were used the least.
And he didn't doubt she'd use them on him.

He dipped his head, extending his muzzle to her, but didn't  touch her.
Didn't try to.
And she breezed past him, dripping water from her scorched skin.
And Earp stood knee deep in the lake.
Alone.