[Kritaxius]

Regret. 

It was the word of the day; Regret. 

What had even possessed him to follow along with their fool's errand he couldn't recall. Oh wait... curiosity, a terrible thing. Something he'd never given to while living on his own. Curiosity was the kind of thing that would get him killed. But he wasn't a loner anymore, he was part of a pack. Alteron was it's name, and they were visiting another pack; another land. Surely it would be alright? Surely it would be swell to see something different?

Wrong... Wrong... wrong wrong ohhhh so wrong. 

The journey had been too long. The others had walked too fast. But worse of all they had traveled during the daylight hours. 
While all the others went forth with the offering of food to meet the wolves of this other pack (giving precious sustenance away, ridiculous), Kritaxius was hiding in the bushes, trying to nurse his wounds. The sun's rays had baked him to a crisp, and the skin on the bridge of his nose, and on his shoulders was raw and cracked. The only thing that had ensured him reaching Inaria without turning into a lump of sores in the shape of a wolf was rolling into whatever puddles of mud and clay they would cross paths with. Unfortunately for him, there were less and less of those as they got closer to their goal. This was a land of bounty and beauty for most but for Kritaxius, it was useless. At least there were bushes big enough for him to curl into and somewhat hide from the sun. 

Well, he couldn't stay hiding in the same spot too long; Someone would think he was up to no good. Progress was slow, moving through the pack lands, when your only option was to skitter from one bush to another. He wasn't very successful at meeting others either, as he was supposed to do... since no one usually paid mind to a talking bush. Kritaxius was very hungry. Prior to joining Alteron, the skeletal wolf had been starving. But the thing about being hungry is that when you're so incredibly hungry for so long, after a while you barely notice it at all. Now he'd barely begun to get some meat on his bones, he was starting to tolerate actual meat rather than putrid scraps and bugs, and he felt like he was hungrier than he'd ever been in his entire life. He'd eyed the gifts that had been brought with them with a sunken stare, but he hadn't been allowed to approach the offerings, much less hold any of it. It's like they'd known he would have eaten some of it... which he wouldn't have of course.... not much.... just... a nibble. No, a lick...

His stomach beginning to growl uncontrollably, he did the only thing he could do to try and satiate it.  He began to eat the leaves of the bushes he was hiding into.

He was sure that this, he would also regret.

[Bellamy]

It was the rustling of leaves that had caught her attention. 
 
Perfect, she thought. When the Princess is on the hunt, you better pick a god and pray!
 
Without much fanfare, she jumped straight into the bush, expecting to snap up a plump pheasant or stringy hare, ready for those little puppy teeth to pinch right where they needed, just like how she was taught and what Rook offered in tidbits on their journey –
 
Bellamy made purchase with Kritaxius’ face – a very untasty snack - and stumbled back in horror.
 
“I am. SO. SORRY.”
 
Her mother had warned them not to do anything undiplomatic. Was jumping on someone’s face trying to eat them while in a foreign land considered undiplomatic? So many rules!! She couldn’t keep track of it all! But she had to!! If she wanted to be a successful PRINCESS!!!
 
Throwing her entire body down, the pup prostrated herself (but like in a cool, noble way) before this gross sickly old man, who was probably dying of a heart attack right now because he was so gross, and sick, and old.
 
“Please accept my HUMBLEST APOLOGIES! I – I was hunting, and heard a rustle here, and thought you were prey. As PRINCESS –” That’s right, Kritaxius, you have royalty before you, don’t you feel lucky? “– I will do ALL IN MY POWER AS POSSIBLE to make this right! Name your terms!”

[Kritaxius]

It seemed not even the bushes in this place were a safe place to hide. There he was, minding his own business, just chewing on leaves and doing nothing wrong and something came to snap at his face. Tiny little teeth took hold of his nose and the white wolf let out a yelp in surprise as he jumped and stumbled backwards out of the bush. What the hell?? His nose had been blistered and cracked from the sun, so it hadn't taken much for it to start bleeding, which it had of course. Nope. He had said it before and he was saying it again, this was the last time he would ever visit this god forsaken pack land that had brought him nothing but grief.

“I am. SO. SORRY.”

A child? A child had done this? Oh boy... the other folks in Alteron would never let him forget this for the rest of his life if they learned a child had done him in and torn up his nose. He wasn't sure if he could possibly look any more pathetic to his fellow pack mates than he already did, but he really didn't want to find out how deep the bottom of that barrel really went. He realized then that he must have looked like a complete mess of a wolf... he was still as skinny as a stick, and still covered in leftover dried mud from their journey which he hadn't yet bothered to clean away. Ah, if Connor would see him now, he would probably be as uncomfortable as he had seemed with his appearance upon their first meeting. Kritaxius looked around in case the other wouldn't magically appear. As much of a blank slate Connor seemed to be, Krit had a feeling he would know better what to say or do in such a situation. The white wolf did not have much experience interacting with others and aside from Connor with which he felt surprisingly at ease, he usually froze up and didn't know how to react or interact with others. The child proceeded to do some weird yoga pose and continued blabbering on before Krit even had a chance to say or do anything, even wiping the blood pooling on the top of his nose.

“Please accept my HUMBLEST APOLOGIES! I – I was hunting, and heard a rustle here, and thought you were prey. As PRINCESS, I will do ALL IN MY POWER AS POSSIBLE to make this right! Name your terms!”

She was... apologizing... to him? Kritaxius pointed at his chest with a look of incredulity then looked around to make sure she wasn't holding a conversation with an entirely different individual. But there was nobody around for the moment so she must have been talking to him. He looked like a skinny dirty hobo. He'd expected her to run away screaming at the sight of him but rather there she was making a big deal about how she wanted to make it up to him for her mistake. Oh, how lucky the child had been to fall on someone like him. Someone else would have exploited that... maybe ask for something outrageous like a royal wedding. But Kritaxius? Well... lately there was only one thing on his mind.

"Food"

Hunt it, steal it from the offerings, it didn't matter as long as the kid delivered the goods. She had practically offered him anything he could have ever wanted and he had asked for food, because honestly that was what he wanted most at this point in time. Well, except for some good shade and some medicine for his blisters... but he wasn't about to lay all of his problems on a child he'd just met, even if she did hurt him.

"Can you... get me food?"

[Bellamy]

“Food.”

What.

“Can you... get me food?”

“Um.”

She didn’t think this far, and was kind of hoping maybe he’d just laugh it off and she can shower him with more empty platitudes and they’d call it a day (God Kritaxius you’re so RUDE), a funny haha oops memory to look back on, so when he actually took her up on her offer she just stood there. Blankly. Then, overwhelmingly.

Then, she ran away.

“Stupid stupid stupid,” she muttered under breath; unbelievable, why did she just run off like that without saying anything, without being all cool and suave like “yeah man I got you, be right back”; oh god he was probably thinking so many things right now, like what kind of Princess just offers help and then runs away with pinned ears, oh god oh god –

She came back to the bush, half an hour later, rabbit hanging limp from her mouth, and placed it before the emaciated wolfdog.

If he didn’t wipe away the blood pricking along his snout while she was gone, Bell moved to lick it away for him – an angry red, small, like a ladybug – ensuring that her royal saliva wouldn’t let any infection set in!

Now …

“Do you maybe need a healer? You look dead. No offense.”

Appalling how the Inarians treated their senile and elderly. Just appalling.