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The sound of her heavy, ragged breathing made her ears ring, but Azani stumbled forward in spite of it all. She had to get away. Far, far, as far away as she could. The blood on her flank had dried, as had the drips down her cheek, but she couldn't think of them. She could only think of moving, moving forward, one awkward step after the other. It had taken a great deal of the energy she had left to escape, but although the wolf who had injured her was far behind her Azani felt the need to keep moving. She needed to find help, but she trusted no one and, clearly, with good reason. Her foot caught on a hidden branch and she fell with an injured yelp before she could stop herself. Noise attracted attention, and that, she feared, could be fatal. Fevered, glassy purple eyes surveyed the forest around her from her place lying on the ground, but she didn't move. Rest. Her body... it just needed to rest.

---

Skor had matured into a large wolf, his body bigger than any of his siblings. Hell, he was even bigger than Father! With that size came muscle, which rippled under his chocolate-and-caramel pelt as he moved through the forest. He'd been spending alot of time away from the family, not because they were suffocating or anything; just because he wanted alone time. Skor was a rather solitary wolf. It wasn't that he wasn't social, because he was -- on his time.

His paws ate the earth soundlessly, one after another, tail flagging out behind him. He smiled as the sun beamed down on his back. His smile faltered, however, as he heard the yelp that rang through the forest. He froze, stiffening. Who was that? Mother? The thought of Shezaam fallen somewhere, injured, it tore at his heart and he lunged forwards, in search of the sound.

---

Azani's side rose and fell as she breathed, then she hesitantly tried to get to her feet. She got as far as an odd crouching sit before she fell onto her rump and just sat there, dizzy mind trying to remember how to stand without falling over. Her ankle hurt, but it wasn't broken. Just a strain on her muscles. She would be fine as soon as she got somewhere safe where she could lick her wounds in peace. This area was foreign to her until recently, and the part of her mind that wasn't burning up wished it had stayed that way. She slowly let her head fall towards her chest as she closed her eyes.

Walk. Walk. She had to walk. Right now that seemed a bit impossible, but she tried anyway, managed to force herself to her feet, where she stood unsteadily as her vision swam. That had been stupid. From first smell she had known the wolf was trouble and she should have gone her usual route of tucking her tail in and running. This was what she got for trying a slight bit of conversation with a strange, apparently packless wolf.

---

He was hardly noiseless as he crashed through underbrush, searching frantically for the injured yelper. Oh, god. What it it was Voila!... She and Rend had left the packlands earlier that day. He blinked back uncertainty, pulling back a mass of ferns with a paw to peer through to the darkness behind them. There, swaying on the spot where she stood, was a coffee-and-cream-pelted wolf, female, obviously. Skor's pale eyes watched her, suddenly nervous but never showing it. She didn't look...good... He sidled up slowly, clearing his throat. "Um... Are you alright?" Worry creased his forehead.

---

The voice that swam through Azani's ears barely registered, but she gradually realized that she was being spoken to and turned her head to stare blankly at Skor. She panted, but said nothing, taking a few uneasy, unsteady steps away from him, looking about ready to bolt. Was he the same one who attacked her? She squinted slightly. No, no, not him. Helping him? Just thinking hurt her, but she couldn't show she was hurt, so she simply stared blankly at him, as if it were any other day, any other encounter. Her dry tongue reached out to slowly lick her muzzle, and she flinched slightly at the taste of her own blood. Wait, had he asked her a question? Was an answer necessary? She looked around, looking for any other wolves he had brought with him.

---

The nagging feeling in his gut told him that no, she was not quite alright...who was he to ask her that as she stared at him, violet eyes void of anything but a flicker of pain and fear. He bit his lip, circling her once, tail low. He saw she glanced around, looking for something, perhaps a pack? Was she a pack wolf? "Do you have a home I can take you to?" He enunciated clearly, biting out each word.

---

Azani flinched as he circled her, then stood with tensed muscles, looking ready to spring at the first sign of him attacking her. What was he saying? Home? He wanted to take her home? She watched him cautiously, but she really could stay silent. If she did, she wasn't sure what he would do.
"Not here," she said, voice sounding cracked, but clear enough to understand. Was he looking to take her out when she had no friends near-by? Her lip curled ever-so-slightly in a snarl and she backed away from him, almost falling over as her vision swam from the movement.

---

Skor caught the flinch of her skin, the nerves that raced through her body. His own body was afire with a strange, nervous energy that came with helping such an odd loner. A rogue. Not part of a pack at all, it seemed... Yet he couldn't make himself turn around and leave her there, injured, to die alone.

He nodded. "Listen... I have a place you can go to recouperate. Can you walk? Can you come with me?" His tail gave a brief wag, then stilled as she offered him a snarl. His own hackles bristled and his voice became hushed. "I'm trying to help you, not hurt you."

---

Her lip dropped back and she regarded him with that glazed, impassive look again, mind racing fire behind her eyes as her blood pounded so hard she almost couldn't see. Slowly, carefully, she took a step, then another towards him. The paniced pounding of her blood eased somewhat as she took another step and then she stopped. She had demonstrated well enough that she could walk. Walking was easy. It was not falling over that was hard.
"I can... walk," she agreed, dropping her head and her tail to show submission. Making one mistake was one thing, but Azani wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

---

He watched her, staring into her eyes, watching her. She stopped the snarl as soon as she started it, and he felt himself relax. The last thing he wanted was to be taking a crazy little rogue into his packlands...not that Agua Azul wasn't against the crazies. His coat ruffled in the summer breeze and he turned away, nodding in the direction they were to move. "Good. I'll be here, right beside you." He half wanted to say 'I won't let you fall' but for one, he couldn't gaurantee that and for two...it just seemed too sappy. She -was- just a rogue afterall... "This way."

---

Azani followed with jolting steps, trying to keep her eyes locked on the forest around her. She couldn't smell much over the scent of dried blood and now the wolf male beside her, but she was trying anyway. Half-dazed and half-blinded by pain, she knew that trust could be fatal, and if this male's pack turned out to be as bad...
She looked over at him as she walked and nearly tripped. Hardly her usual graceful self. Her gaze fell to the ground again as she focused on walking. If she could just make it to help... Leaving home was the biggest mistake she could have made. She should never have decided to take time to see the world. Her introverted nature didn't make her as safe as she had hoped she'd be.
Until she got better and could make it home, however, she was stuck accepting aid and hoping it was genuine. And until she felt she truly knew these wolves, she wasn't about to tell them about her pack or where it was. Too risky. Too risky.
Better for them... to think you're a loner, she thought to herself, though that was the extent her sluggish mind could comprehend.

---

He kept himself beside her, resisting the urge to brush up against her, fur to fur. He sneered inwardly at himself. A rogue, he reminded himself. Not a lover or a sister. Something in the back of his head made him chuckle. Not yet... He shook his head and forged on, stepping carefully over the borderline and headed for a particularly nice den away from everyone.

Skor found it with ease, skirting away from her to pad across the stone floor. He looked back at the wolf, green eyes wary but interested all at once. His tail gave another uncertain wag. "I'm Skor," he said simply. "This is Agua Azul... No one will find you here. My brothers do scout duty, but I can keep them away from you..." Just until you heal, he thought.

---

Agua Azul. Agua Azul. The name burned itself into her memory as she cautiously entered the den, breathing deeply to see if anyone else was in the den. It only smelled of dirt and cool air, which felt like heaven against her fevered face as she went further inside. His brothers did patrol, that was convenient.
She slowly sat on the floor, looking around her new accomodations without really seeing them. So cool. She slowly slid into a laying position, legs stretched out before her and rested her face on the cold ground. Cool... so cool...

---

Skor fell silent. There was no need for chatter. She was injured, fevered, and he wasn't sure how much was actually getting through to her. He frowned. She'd need water... He couldn't just...leave her here. She didn't know the lands. He took a breath, trying to think about what to do, when it came to him. Until the rogue was better, he would remain right here, by her side, vigilant. He could take her to the river and hunt for her. He smiled to himself. Yes... "Sleep," he purred softly, settling down into a laying position right outside the den. "I'll keep you safe, little wolf..."

---

Azani watched the light almost bouncing off the glossy leaves of one of the trees beyond the cave entrance. The fever had finally burned off, and Azani was finally beginning to take sharp note of her surroundings and the male who had, apparently, saved her. She remembered very little from the last few days-- or was it a week now?-- but so far the only wolf she had encountered was the male who had helped her. Skor. He'd mentioned his name only one time she could remember, shortly after her fever had broken, but she had yet to give hers. She remembered the lone who had done this to her well enough, and a stranger was a stranger. To help or hurt, that was now painfully clear.

----

Skor paced the forests just outside the den, carrying in his jaws one plump rabbit of brown and white fur. Red tainted the fluff around its throat and it hung limply in his mouth. The taste was sweet and he was slightly hungry. He should've been used to this by now; caring for the rogue as if she was a best friend. His hospitality surprised even him, as the normally rough-around-the-edges wolf was feeling charitible and caring. Slipping through the mouth of the den, he sought her out. Her smell tinged his nose and he let a small smile appear at the curves of his lips, dropping the rabbit at her paws. "Feeling better?"

---

As she took a deep breath Azani's nose caught on Skor's scent in the cave as the wind carried it to her, the only smell aside from hers in the den-- and the fresh kill he'd brought for her. Azani stared at the rabbit a moment, then stared up at Skor, silent. She didn't know what to make of him... but that wasn't surprising considering she had only, really, known him for the last day or so when she was coherent and competent enough to acknowledge there was really someone else there. Azani stood and stretched out her front legs carefully, then sat back down slowly to keep the world from going dark. Fast movements were still not on the list of things she could do.

Face carefully blank, she examined the kill again, and then looked back to the Skor as the wind caught the branches and made them creak and clack together in a mating that took place a million times. If she hadn't received meals from him before, she would probably still be staring silently, but she nodded slowly.
"I am." Her muzzle dipped so she could lick at the blood staining the rabbit's fur and she was hit again with how ravenous she had been. What had she eaten while she was out of her mind? She glanced up at Skor again, still checking to see if he would take it away from her at the last second, then laid down again and carefully tore out the throat of the rabbit, occasionally casting glances up at him.

---

A light lit up his hazel gaze, pride filling his chest. "Good. Good," he murmured quickly, turning away. He plopped down gracefully on his rear and then slid down til his belly touched the cool stone of the floor. His ears were tipped forwards as he watched her slowly, carefully devour the prize he'd given her. He caught her glances every time, returning them with a small smile, but it was a smile he kept on a leash. His tail wagged briefly as he waited for her to finish. She was a wolf of so few words...at least for now. He couldn't blame her; she probably trusted him less than he trusted her. And he trusted her just enough, because he knew she wouldn't win in a fight between them, not with her wounds. That thought alone kept him going. Hopefully he'd be able to befriend her before she got her strength back so that when she did, and she could move fast and snap those pretty little teeth, they wouldn't be at him.

---

Although she worked slowly, Skor didn't seem inclined to move and any time she lifted her eyes he was watching her. It was uncomfortable, but not in a way that would make her hackles raise, despite his odd level of friendliness. She'd forgotten that wolves like that even existed, and for a brief moment she felt a jolt of homesickness. When the rabbit was finished, Azani carefully licked the last of the blood from the bones and then her tongue swept up to lick her muzzle, her eyes locking with Skor's for a brief moment before they purposely slid away to avoid a confrontation.

"Thank you," she said softly. Behind her mask her mind turned over again and again, trying to decide when she would be strong enough to leave-- or at least protect herself when others came. And she was assuming there were others, although perhaps Skor's lack of fear came from her being too weak to fight rather than a knowledge of friends near-by. Azani certainly hadn't smelled any other wolves where she was, which was in keeping with the vague promises she remembered him making the night he'd brought her to this den. Her tongue swept her muzzle again and she could taste the blood that was likely staining her brown fur. She needed to wash her face and her paws, if nothing else.

---

Skor stood slowly, letting his body stretch out with a few pops of his spine. He looked her in the eye. "No worries," he murmured coolly, then tilted his head to one side. "When you're all washed up, I could accompany you to the river if you're strong enough." She was so closed up, that he could see by just watching her. So he had to be the one to make conversation. Maybe she was one of those wolves who were taught not to speak unless spoken to? It made his lip curl. Every wolf should have the right to free speech. He shifted his weight, then moved to stand outside the den. The sun danced along his chocolate pelt, making it shine and he smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Damnit. He felt so aloof. "Can I at least know your name?"

---

Azani's eyes watched Skor's lip pull back and for a brief moment her stomach tensed before he turned and stepped outside. She relaxed slightly and slowly stood, her eyes glued to his body as he moved into the light. He wasn't much older than her, she'd known that, but he was still a male and as the sun caught his rich pelt Azani was acutely aware of that. Definitely more than a match for her if she tried to run, or defend herself. So far he'd shown no ill-will that she could remember, and she hoped that for however long her recovery took it stayed that way.
A name...
She blinked and one of her ears flicked back before she made her way over to him, wincing briefly as the light hit her eyes directly. "I would like to see the river, please."

---

He wasn't even aware that his thoughts had brought around such crude behavior, let alone a behavior that might make her fear him more than she already did. Perhaps, if he would've noticed, he would've apologized. Instead, he looked at her blandly with another tail wag. No name... But the river. He pricked up his ears and ducked his head slightly, a grin curving along his jaw. "Yes, of course. Follow me!" he said and began the short walk to the riverside, keeping his pace slow and even, as he wasn't sure how fast his little rogue could move. Finally they stood beside the river and Skor not only drank from it, but waded in. He looked up at her, albeit a little playfully. "Join me for a swim?" he asked.

---

That was a claw dodged. Her name would come out if and when she felt comfortable, and that was far from what she was feeling. He kept his distance, just enough that she didn't feel crowded but it still seemed as if he was concerned with helping her. She let the silence follow their trail down to the river and set her paws in the water after watching him drink, digging her feet into the mud and then letting the water rush by and cleanse her paws of the blood and dirt. Her legs tensed at Skor's abrupt suggestion, but she regarded him the same way she had been for several long moments. Her ears pinned back gradually and her tail tucked slightly, but her expression remained the same, hiding her confusion. He seemed playful. Was that just a guise?

She was being silly. What could he accomplish from getting her in the water, even if he weren't as trustworthy as he seemed? Azani looked down at the water her paws were still resting in and carefully began wading in after him. She wasn't sure if she could swim, per say, but she could at least let herself get a little wet, if only to get her fur clean. She hadn't had a wash since before the attack, so she must look a frightful mess. Her mother would have kittens instead of pups if she could see her daughter in such a state of uncleanliness. Azani looked at her reflection and the stain on her muzzle, then beyond it as far as she could. She darted a look up at Skor, judging how far away he was, then dipped her whole face under water and lifted a paw to rub at the blood caking to her fur. She'd worry about the rest later. Right now, she wanted her face to be clean.

---

He stared at her, waiting for -some sort- of emotion to break through that pretty little facade she wore, but nothing. She merely looked at him. He frowned and focused on the water. His fur swooshed in the current, pulling away from his body with a wonderful cooling feeling and for many minutes he just closed his eyes and stood there. He didn't pay her attention and he didn't make a sound. Maybe if he ignored her, she'd talk to him... Or maybe not. He didn't see her wash her muzzle as he paddled out into deeper waters, his paws leaving the stony bottom. Wasn't it his luck to find a rogue who was stubborn as well as beautiful. Even Tada! had managed to find a girl who at least talked to him... Skor frowned. Wait. He didn't -feel- anything towards this stranger...did he? He looked at her, hazel eyes boring into her for many moments as he tried to conjure up feelings. They never came. He shook his head and continued to paddle. Why was he comparing her to Kearith... He shook his head once more. Foolish boy... By the time he hefted himself up out of the water and flopped down on the shore, his own facade was back.

---

Azani lifted her head above the surface of the water, face scrubbed clean of blood from her and from her latest meal. She was surprised to see Skor so far from her, and for a moment it showed in the way her ears perked forward, then she calmed herself again and abruptly vanished beneath the surface with a deep breath. The water pulling through her fur and carressing her flesh as it pulled dirt away from her felt more divine than it had a right to. She stayed under almost too long, rubbing as much of her dirty fur as she could manage before she had to surface again. Even distorted by the current her reflection looked better and she looked Skor's way again. She dipped below the surface for a secondary scrubbing, rubbing her paws over her ears the way squirrels sometimes did, then surfaced and began paddling for shore.

The spot she chose was a bit further down from Skor, but still fairly close. Closer than she would have come before, anyway. Clean and with a sense of herself again, Azani felt a bit more confident, although the weariness sinking into her from her vigorous scrub didn't help. She took a drink of water from the riverside, paying Skor no mind for the moment, then turned her head slightly to regard him from the corner of her eye. There was an open space in the sun, that would do. She walked over, ignoring that she was only a few steps from him, and laid herself down to dry. He had stopped trying to make conversation. At least now she knew how far his stubbornness went. Hers could go farther-- if she wanted it to.

Azani," she said abruptly and quietly, just enough for a wolf to hear. She promptly tilted her head at him, though she didn't meet his eyes, then laid her head on her front paws.

---

Skor lay with his back legs stretched out, his muzzle placed atop his front paws, watching the sky. The clouds danced through the blue pastels and blurred the sun. From somewhere behind him, a lone cricket chirped and it was just beautiful. Life, at times, was beautiful. The sudden surge of emotion made him open his mouth, ready to tell her that this spot exactly, was the perfect spot to watch the lightning. He closed it again and turned away. Like she would want to hear...

She laid down beside him in the sun. His ears pricked as the name was spoken -- offered, one word only -- before the girl lapsed into silence again. "Azani..." He played with the word in his head then decided, with a short nod, that he liked it. "It fits." One brow raised and he lowered his voice. "I'm not going to hurt you, you know."

---

: 'It fits.' Azani wanted to add that as a tally against him, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it, despite knowing that in any other circumstance it would instantly be tacked onto his list. This one cared too much about what she thought and not nearly enough about who she really was. What if she was crazy? He clearly had no survival instincts what-so-ever or he was far too naive.
Not so naive, she thought, remembering how he watched her eat. Maybe that was sheer goodwill, but somehow... she doubted it. He was nice, but it didn't seem that he was stupid.

'It fits.' The words turned over in her head, but she didn't respond verbally to his lowered tone, or his assurances. Words were just words, and Azani had behaved foolishly only twice since she had been alone. She wasn't about to ignore her instincts again.
To keep from being rude, Azani blamed the sudden care on her upbringing, she flicked an ear at him to at least show she was listening, even if she wasn't entirely ready to trust him at his word. He hadn't shown any signs of duplicity yet, but until Azani had seen him with clear eyes for a bit longer, or until she figured out his motives, she was going to hold on to the thoughts that kept her safe from situations like the one she was in right now.

---

Skor caught the flick of her ear and it made him grin, a rumble of laughter coming up his throat. She was listening to him, even if she didn't show it. He wondered, briefly, what she thought of him. Sure, he was some random male who had come upon her injured self in the woods. Something inside of him -- something he'd gotten from mother, no doubt -- had clicked. She'd needed help and he'd wanted to help her. Strange, especially for him. He was usually as cool as a cucumber and a silent but moody follower, not a savior of rogues. Hell, he didn't even LIKE rogues. But he liked her... She was...different. "I don't know what you went through," he murmured, continuing on through her silence. "But I won't hurt you. And I won't let the pack hurt you either. I'm the son of the alpha's heir." With this came a proud grin. "Agua might not seem a safe place to one so...frightened of the world. If I may be so bold as to suggest that. But you're safe as long as you're with me. Like it or not."

Skor kept pale green eyes locked on the clouds, their white forms forming shapes against a backdrop of blue. His tail brushed the earth for a moment, a wag of contentment, and then he turned back to his charge. Her coffee-and-cream pelt glittered in the sun as it dried, making her look like a goddess. He turned away once more. Nope. Those thoughts weren't allowed. A rogue. A friendly, non-speaking rogue, but a rogue. She wasn't pack...but... she was beautiful.

He watched as she stiffened. A smile creased across his lips and he stood with a stretch. "Want to go back to the cave?" His head tilted to the side. The day was young, but she was hurt and probably -- most definitely -- feeling it. He padded on ahead, ducking his nose and trusting her to follow him back to the den. Where else would she go?

Skor gracefully sat outside the small den, puffing out his autumn-fluffed chest and gazing around, eyes focusing on her. Azani...A rogue. His rogue. He snorted softly, then peered into her captivating amethyst eyes. "Azani..." He opened his mouth to say something more, but nothing else came out. He closed it again and nodded towards the den. "There you are." And then lapsed back into silence once more.

He had many questions, questions which bubbled to the surface and that took time to beat back down. She didn't like him very much -- no. She probably liked him just fine. She just didn't trust him. That's all. It would take time, but he would gain it. That, he was sure of. "You're doing better..." He said, almost whimsically. "I...just want you to know that if you don't want me around, all you have to do is say the words. 'Get lost, Skor' would do. I'm not trying to burden you." Just trying to keep you safe.

Skor watched her, waiting for a reply, almost hopefully, although one never came. Instead, she curled up and went to sleep. Her breathing went even and contented, she seemed peaceful only in slumber. Skor frowned. What a strange female... Why couldn't he have found someone talkative? Or someone who at least answered his questions.

He sighed.

Oh well. She never told him to get lost, so he curled up outside the den and, watching her for a moment, took up the sentry duty of keeping her safe.

Why? He wasn't quite sure. It was strange, being one's savior.