On this new day a lone wolf had awoken from his restless slumber before the rise of dawn. His mind slow and groggy making him feel as if he had not slept a wink the whole night which, in turn, made him want to curl up into a ball and try to fall back into the bits of slumber he had just lost. Even as he tried he knew that it would be a fruitless endeavor and a waste of a day. So, albeit reluctantly, the dark male slowly crawled towards the opening of his den to start another day; exhaustion making each move he made feel like a struggle. Luckily for the fringe wolf that he had made his home by the long stretch of weathered rock and bone known as 'the wall' which also acted as the entrance to Geminis lowlands. It was a handy location given that it made his trek to their borders less time consuming which in turn allowed him more time to search said borders for hopefuls and possible threats.

The air that greeted his emergence was cold with a bitter bite seeing as the gusts of wind had decided to blow across the land in continuous bursts this day. It was times such as this where he was thankful to have his thick coat bearing his black and brown colorations which promised to chase away the bitter chill that nipped at his nose and brought form to his breaths. The wolf would just have to wait for the suns light to peek over the jagged mountain tops off in the distance before the warmth could be gathered. Until then he would have to bear through the cold as he headed through the opening of the wall and started his patrol. The life of a Ranger was never easy.

Amber eyes scanned the sky for signs of trouble. You were taught early to use the local birds as an indicator of possible danger and just his luck to make out the large silhouettes of buzzards circling something in the distance. Necros narrowed his eyes as a frown marred his features betraying his minds inner workings. There were only a handful of scenarios that could result from following the airborne scavengers but death was always involved somehow and that made the fringe dire tense with unease. Making his way towards the site that had drawn the birds attention the ranger carefully took note on his surroundings. The Gemini pack had not made any kills last night so if there were any signs indicating of such a struggle happening then he knew that it would raise the packs alarm if something had indeed been killed within their borders without their knowledge or permission.  

After what seemed like hours the ranger came within eyesight of the feathered horde and it was no suprise to find them feasting on a corpse but Necros could not make out what the thing had been in life as he was still a fair distance away to make out such details. He had not seen any blood trails or signs of a fight leading to the scene so he had not thought much of any wrong doings of an outside party. Until he saw them. It had been for just a split second before he had ducked down into the golden stalks to avoid detection. Within that time he noticed the figure of a wolf creeping close by the carcass. He didn't know if they had not noticed their scent markers or if they were just that desperate for food but Necros slowly crept towards them hoping that the squalls of the feeding buzzards would cover the sounds of his approach. He couldn't just ignore them they were already flirting with Geminis borders, if they hadn't crossed it already, and by doing so made themselves a possible threat.  Necros would not ignore any threats near his home.

As they peeled off the skin of the decaying carcass the Ranger stood from his position and growled out a warning, "freeze," he ordered, " who are you and what are you doing here!" Now that he could see them clearly he noticed their malnourished frame and he wondered how they could have gotten so thin seeing as they were obviously a full grown adult. This one had a tale to tell and they had Necroses full attention; have no doubts about that.

Necros felt a pang of sympathy stab at his heart as the skeletal huntress slowly turned her terrified gaze onto his looming bulk; she was little more than a fightened child that had gotten caught trying to sneak a meal. Her eyes turned away from his out of shame or embarrassment he was unsure but he highly doubted that she held any pride in what she had become and even less for being seen as she was. Still the ranger wondered how it was that the female had fallen into such a sickly state to begin with and if she really posed any threat at all. In the condition she was now Necros was sure that he could snap her bones like a twig without even trying which made his stomach churn unpleasantly at the thought of doing so. Yes the dark Ranger would proudly fight to defend his pack but he would feel no honor going fang to fang with the shivering lass before him.  She could barely look him in the eye as she tried to find the words to speak and from the sound of her voice it had been a while since she had done so.

“I….I’m Udessa…. But I’m not so sure who I am anymore”

How many strangers had he come across bearing the same loss that Udessa carried? Yet the brown and gold fea before him seemed to have felt hers more significantly than the others. Perhaps depression had caused the wolfess to fall into such a state? Or was her appearance an attempt at self punishment? Was there something in her past she was trying to atone for? The male closed his eyes as his brows knitted together in frustration. Why were all these needless questions flitting through his mind? He needed to focus on the task at hand and find out her reason for being out here and if she was alone or if she had company hiding away. If she was with others they were doing a good job of not getting noticed. He had not smelled any other foreign sents nor had he sighted anything out of place, beyond the corpse and Udessa, in the area; leading him to believe that she was truely alone. A heavy sigh passed through his nose as his eyes opened and focused on the stranger once again. Was it coincidence or irony that the same sigh escaped her before her own gaze met his but, much like her body, the gaze wavered before breaking away causing the ranger to feel another painful stab shoot through him.

“The deepest apologies for intruding, I meant no harm. I’m just…I'm just hungry...I… I can… I’ll leave.”

Silence feel over the ranger as he watched the thin lass hang her head in defeat and walk away from him and Gemini. Was she really just going to roll over and admit defeat so readily? Did she have no desire to ask her own questions or seek something for herself? A strange mix of anger and sadness brewed within his bones as he watched the starving huntress slink away without even so much as a morsel of food. "Is that it," he said over the cries of the buzzards making sure that she could hear him, "are you just going to turn tail and run without even trying to gain something," she might be weak and starving but she was alive and she was here so why wasn't she asking him the questions. "Or maybe you don't think you deserve to ask for anything," he continued, "maybe you don't want to be helped but it's too late for that," rising from his spot the fringe dire approached her once more voice echoing with the authority he had been given, "my name is Necros, Ranger of the Gemini pack, do you seek a place within our family?" Don't be lead by pride nor by pain; let yourself find peace its reaching out for you...you just need to grasp it.  

She had been testing her leg that morning, working the muscles that went unused for so long. Slowly but surely her movement was becoming less stiff, less rigid. She could walk for hours a day, and run for a good while before needing to rest and bare the pain. Ivaylo was pushing herself more than usual. She needed something to keep her mind busy. Not thinking at all was better than thinking too much.

But, the day was still young. The pale woman burst through a clump of shrubs, her bad leg clipping on a branch. A wince, followed by a groan, sounded from her as she tried to walk it off. Her head shook, feet pacing. She was fine. She just needed to breathe. Her grouchy moment was soon interrupted by the sound of pawsteps descending into the lowlands beyond. She glanced upwards, panting, and noticed how close she had traveled to Gemini's wall. Perhaps a quick run through the lowlands would be easier on her. But who did she just hear getting the same idea?

Likely one of the many wolves who kept the pack's borders safe. Nevertheless, due to recent events, she felt a strong urge to survey the area in case her medical training were to be called upon. She didn't want to see anyone lose their life before her eyes again.

The healer pupil padded through the wall's opening, pausing for a moment to stretch her toes. Her foreleg was beginning to get sore, but she carried on. Eventually she caught wind of a familiar scent, and one... not so familiar. And another... dear heavens. After a minute of wandering, she came upon a rather bizarre sight. She felt a wave of unease that was slightly diminished at the sight of Necros, but still remained as her eyes locked on to the decaying carcass laying before the stranger's feet. Likely it was a victim to the strange poison that had tainted Gemini's lands, but it looked as though it had gotten sick and maybe starved. Even so, it was plausible that it had been indirectly affected by these strange occurrences. And possibly this new face as well.

She hesitated at first, but her paws brought her next to Necros, staring face to face with the unfortunate soul who had found her way here. She heard something, something about sanctuary. Was this woman in need of a place to call home? Or someone to assist her in her emaciated state?

"You look frail. Are you alone, miss? What happened to you?" It wouldn't be the first time she came across a hungry one, too tired and afraid to return to a stable society. Being lost and surviving on one's own required a certain mentality, to shut off any emotions and act on only inhibitions that ensured she'd withstand another day. That's what it took remain alive. Ivaylo recalled her time as a loner, the vague memories of killing prey but not being able to hunt or feed herself. Her anger was amplified in those days, and only helped her live when she remembered to. She wouldn't wish it upon anyone, save for the most vile of creatures. But she could tell from this wolf's demeanor that this wasn't the case. She wanted to help her, but she needed to know what was going on first.