[Rainer]

The king had yet to claim his kingdom - but soon. Still, he roamed with his ever-growing family, gathering up strangers and kin alike to build their new kingdom. There were many packs and individuals they had come across in the past few weeks of travels, but none had spoken to him like the dream of his homeland. This was, of course, a good thing; it would be no good if the king of a land was to be tempted by other lands. Still, there had been a few (well, one) individuals that had caught his interest more than the rest. He'd be sure to visit once or twice as time progressed, but for now he was deadset on his future.

Someone was here, though, in the shadows. They'd not yet reached the desert, it was still a few days out, but he'd left his group to scout ahead and potentially hunt. It seemed like these little forays into the wilderness away from the big group were often successes in coming across strangers who might be dissuaded from approaching a larger group, even if some had similar features.

He saw her in the shadows before he smelled or heard her - a young female with familiar ears. A diluted version of himself, one might say. Even more diluted than his own daughter, who happened to share half of her blood with a woman from these very wilds. Hello, there. he called gently, his smooth German accent hanging heavily on his voice. He would not approach her, knowing how formidable he could be to a lone female, but he was feeling particularly eager to meet and bring in fresh blood.

♕

[ouija]

ouija

She is small. She is young. She doesn't feel young, though. She feels so very ancient in these bones, taller than these trees, older than the stone beneath her -

Ouija stares at the tree before her, unseeing.

There is no hunger, though her ribs stick from her skin. She thinks maybe she should get some food, but she doesn't remember how. There is no -

Ouija stares at the tree before her, unseeing.

It's getting colder. Ink-dipped toes freezing in the snow, though there isn't any snow, but she knows that there is snow somewhere somewhen -

Ouija stares at the tree before her, unseeing.

It's getting colder.

'Hello, there.'

The fur around her neck slowly starts to rise, fluffing up like a bird, and wide bi-colored eyes slowly swivel to the stranger, and it's a stranger, and it's not her mom but he looks like her, but that does nothing to soothe the fear away because she knows her mother.

But she finds herself again.

Her name is Ouija. She is seeing her first winter. Her mother is dead. She has been alone.

But she wasn't now.

The fluff doesn't die as awareness returns, and the young girl tilts her head just so. "hello." A soft return. An opening, for him.

It's getting colder.

♕

[Rainer]

At his voice, she fluffed up, hackles raising in alarm, though she did not bolt. She turned to him calmly. Stared at him. Spoke to him.

"hello"

He looked at her, recognizing her blood was of his own, if only slightly. She was Bacchus in blood but not fully, hybridized by the other wolves in these parts. Still, she was a child, and she was starving. Winter was coming and the girl was no match for the cold. Are you alright? he would ask, gently. I'm Rainer. Are you hungry? I can get something vor you to eat, rabbit or deer.

He would let her come to him, knowing if he moved towards her to inspect her she might bolt. He truly had no ill will towards the girl, though how was she to know that? Vhere's your family? He was concerned - a pup this young shouldn't have been alone in the wilds, especially with the weather turning cold. He couldn't smell anyone else nearby, so he didn't think her mother was hiding in wait. He didn't suspect an ambush.

♕