To the lost, sanctuary... (MB)

Ooc-Repost-Leon is going to respond to this.
Rena’s entire body felt weak. She no longer knew how long she had been traveling; it was hard to judge how far she had come when she still didn’t know where she was going. Wherever it was, she felt drawn there, as if she was being pulled by some unseen force. Rena had plenty of time to wonder why she might feel this urgent need to get to this unknown land and what she might find when she got there, but she had been moving for days, weeks, maybe, and she was no closer to finding the answer than she was when she had left her home.
Home. The thought of her den, her comfortable sleeping spot, the smell of the trees, and the clean taste of fresh water she had lapped straight from the stream, all caused a tightness in her chest. She could not remember a time where she had belonged to a pack; she had been alone for as long as she could remember. It was hard to feel lonely when she had never known anything besides that. Instinct told her that she should belong to a pack, that she should obey an alpha, but Rena was a free wolf, ruled by herself and herself alone. And she liked it that way.
She was trotting at what would usually have been a comfortable pace, but without food or water for a day and a half, it felt like she was dragging herself. She had to rest, no matter how strong the need to keep moving was, without food, water, and rest, she wouldn’t be getting anywhere. Rena slowed to a walk and then stopped all together. She sniffed the air, searching for the smell of water, and perked her auds, listening for the sound of a stream.
“Nothing…” she whined hopelessly. But there was something, ever so faintly, the sound of a bubbling brook. She turned her head in the direction of the sound. It was definitely there. She took off at a run, the promise of a refreshing drink luring her on.
“Just a bit further… just a few more steps, come on, Rena, you can do it.” She urged herself on. The smell, the sound, it was enough to make her mouth water! And just ahead, in a small clearing, yes, she could see it now. Rena pushed herself to go faster, she needed this. She… she… but it was more than just the promise of hydration pulling her to that spot. No, it was stronger; it was the same urge that had drawn her from her home. This was it! This was the place she was supposed to be!
Without slowing down she leapt into the brook, water spraying in all directions. She lapped up to cool clear drink, quenching her thirst with big gulps, and then slower, savoring the taste, the taste of home…
After her thirst had abated and she felt bloated with all the water she finally gazed at the area around her, taking in her surroundings.
“Why here? What’s so special about this place?”
She could see nothing that would set this clearing apart from any other. But there was something, Rena couldn’t see it, but she could feel it. Even before she tasted the first drop of water, a feeling of contentment, of belonging had washed over her.
A twig snapped behind her. Rena’s body tensed but didn’t turn. If it was prey she didn’t want to risk scaring it off; she was still too weak to successfully participate in a chase. And if it was a predator… she wouldn’t alert it to the fact that she was aware of its plan to attack. She would take it by surprise. Rena only hoped to be lucky enough for the predator to be weaker than her...

Tristan watched Tellika move, and felt horribly misplaced all of a sudden, sitting around doing nothing. He stretched his pads, then his pillars. The bru circled tightly a few times, looking to the fae steadily. "Before we spend anymore time, I should see Kaia." His nose nudged her once, "You can come if you'd like, but I'll be back." He limped off at a rather quick pace, the others quickly coming to view. He made not of the others he had seen, a brief nod to Sephiroth, but not much other than a glance to the others on the way up. They hadn't spoken enough to really warrant any true greeting. He found himself delightfully untired from rushing himself, and his mood picked up immediately.

He planned what he was to say before he reached her. "Kaia!" He would be exactly loud, but he would speak up well enough in his clipped voice to catch her attention if she would give it to him. "Before you go to the hunt, I just wanted to make some attempt at apologizing for coming into your lands and taking off before making much use of myself." He wouldn't make mention of the specifics. "I'm not sure how long I intend to stay, but I'm hoping I may warrant a bite to eat when you return." He'd give a mild smile. It was rare that he was so pretentious, but he was so lost as to everything in his life right now, he needed to at least briefly right things. After the pack hunt was said and done, he would try to find a time when Sephiroth wasn't around him or Kaia to speak with her personally. That would be hard going... the hellion seemed to be everywhere...

When he came upon them, he tensed immediately. Sephiroth wasn't happy. Angry, defensive... of Kaia. Great, the one he needed to see. He stopped near Leon, unaware that he would be on the offending side... at least frome the fire-hued bru's point of view. He held as still as his body would allow, lips mute. Whatever he had walked into wasn't his business, but it soon would be if he got stuck here.

The words 'my friend' rolled over his head. What harm could it do? Tristan didn't believe he could be any more damaged than he already was, if Sephiroth was to try anything. He hated to create the assumptions he did about wolves, but for his own sanity it had to be done. He looked up, haunting black chasm unmoving as the other usable eye squinted in a smile. "Calling me friend is just fine," he responded simply.

The amber bru's speech caught him the right way. His Royal Disappointment, as he had decided to mentally dub himself, stood to stretch and remained upright, tri-pillared as usual. "Inspiring words, Sephiroth. You make for a good conversation. However," He looked around him casually, "You should go back to Kaia so the hunt can get under way. Being her guardian, as you so claim, a friend like you should be by her side for the take down." He was tempted to walk away, in the need for a walk to clear his senses, but he stayed, allowing his new friend to make the decision as to whether their conversation was truely over. He had nowhere else to be, and had to rely on the others for the nourishment that kept his pathetic hide alive. And for now that was fine by him.