Blood

[Warg]

The Naama was covered with the stuff. Stiff and sore, every step agony, he finally, mercifully, cleared the forest. Panting heavily, fire lanced across his right side with every agonizing step. How he has survived with this kind of injury is no ones guess and he wasn't safe yet still. Limping along, staring at the ground, the naama continued to trudge down the slight hill and further into the plains. Lifting his head, he sniffed a few times, and looked around. He couldn't tell if he was still in their territory or not. It didn't really matter. He couldn't go on any further right now anyway.

The cabin was a few hundred yards ahead of him still. Turning his head slightly this way and that, ignoring the pain the movement caused. He couldn't see any danger, and frankly, didn't care if there was at the moment. He was in no mood for a fight. Carefully, the wolf picked his way down the slope, occasionally whimpering softly as each step jarred the 9, foot long spikes in his side. It was his own luck that they were thin quills, and hadn't gone too deep otherwise he'd have been skewered.

He dared not stop to rest, even though he was about to pass out. Huffing it out, the last 50 yards were worse then the half mile he'd already travelled. So close, yet still so far. He approached the cabin, and hesitated, sniffing carefully the door and entry. It smelled like them still; very strongly. Still, they weren't here right now, and he didn't feel like looking for any place better. The problem now lay in getting himself up the step. Turning to his good side to the steps, he got one good paw, other good paw, and gingerly dragged himself up. This was repeated for the couple steps and he went inside.

A nice long blood trail lay behind him, from his encounter with Sira in the forest, all the way to this spot. The wolf was hurting and weak. The thought that he might be dieing, never crossed his mind though. He was going to get through this. No damned unnatural was about to have the better of him with one of their cursed powers. Ever so slowly, the wolf lowered himself in a corner and laid down. As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, he was in trouble and knew it.

Turning his head slightly, the wolf inspected the spike in his shoulder. He bit at it slightly. It didn't seem very thick. He could see the holes and cracks in them, signs of age. They were brittle and old. He didn't think about this though, only that they had to come out, some how. So he started to pull on it. Oh what agony this brought on, the naama cried out softly, and passed out.

[-sira-]

Tag&Twig.

He was usually not one to follow into claimed territory. But his companion insisted. The hyper active chipmunk kept leading him into familiar territory. But the smell had been overwhelmed by pack wolves. An uneasy feeling set in his stomach. But once again, his friend followed deeper into the territory. Luckily for him, it was set close to the boarder of unclaimed land. If a pack wolf decided to chase him down he could make an quick and easy escape. "Twig... What in the world are getting me into?" he grumbled as he followed. 

It wasn't long before the two had come into sight of the cabin that brought them together. His blue eyes locked on the sight of the cabin, it brought him a happy memory. Several months prior, is where he had discovered his communications power. Where he figured that he could communicate with animals that weren't of his kind. And where he became friends with the chipmunk that was now sitting on his head. True, the moment was amazingly nostalgic, but it was also extremely dangerous. 

A chill was sent through his body. The winds in the valley had picked up. In addition to the spring smell, there was also the hint of blood. He wondered if it was only recently caught prey, or the results of a fight. He wasn't quiet sure. But some strange force was pushing his legs to move closer to the cabin. Then he looked down and saw it was twig trying to push his paws to begin walking. He growled lightly then gently scooped the rodent up. He left his mouth parted open so his companion could crawl out and run up his muzzle to redeem his place on the top of his head. And then the urge to keep going grew stronger. 

As he got closer to the cabin the smell of blood grew stronger. He had now begun to worry. Even if he was considered a loner and outcast he still worried for his fellow wolf. It was a potentially dangerous trait that he possessed. But for as much hospitality as this wolf has, he had only come across very few cold wolves through his journeys to help those in need. Once he had gotten down the mountain and to the front of the cabin door, he noticed the trail of blood. He lifted his head high to see how long it had been trailed for. And the answer to that made him wince. It was a long and noticeable trail. Whoever laid in here was severely injured. 

He nudged the door open and searched around. Twig darted across the small room for what reason he wasn't sure. But all thoughts faded when he found the victim. It was a young male, several injured and not moving. He ventured in and sniffed the body for signs of life. There was still a breath escaping his nostrils. A faint rise and fall from his chest. He wasn't dead, but could almost be if no wolf had taken time to stop and investigate. The condition he was in was clearly terrible and poor. 

He examined the body. Fresh and dried blood stained his multicolored dirt pelt. And... quills? Was this wolf severely attacked by a porcupine? He examined the quills once more and crossed out that option from his mind. These were not normal quills. In fact they were twice the size of giant rodent quills. These were the property of wolf spikes. They were larger and thicker, but by the appearance of them, they were also old and frail. He wondered if this was a pack wolf. Well, time to dive into more trouble.

He looked around the room for quick cleaning. There was a tin cup on the ground, a human implement. He remembered seeing puddles here and there from previous spring rains. Maybe cleaning up the blood would be doable if he put two and two together. But first things first, removal of the spikes. He started with the large spike that sat on his shoulder. He leaned closer to where the spike was in his skin. Placing his teeth where the quill and skin met, he claimed down enough to get a grip but not enough to break it. Then he slowly pulled it out. He waited a few seconds to see if this would stir the wolf from his blacking out, but no signs. He continued the process until the other eight were out of the side of his body.

He nudged them aside then made his way to the cup he had discovered earlier. Maybe a few trips to and from a puddle would be enough to clean off the fresher blood before it dried and caked to his fur. He picked it up then made his way behind the cabin where a fair sized puddle sat still. Scooped up some water then carefully made his way back spilling minimal water. He poured the water over the fresher spots where blood was coming from. Over the holes from the spikes and other injuries. When he finished with the cup and water he began licking up the drier blood. That was always more difficult to get off. And tongue pressure made it easier. He only hoped the wolf wouldn't stir.

Once he finished with cleaning the wolf up and giving him a more appealing appearance. He grabbed his scruff and pulled him to the farthest back corner of the cabin. In case an enemy would come in, he could at least hold it off while the young wolf was resting. Since he had cleaned him up it didn't feel right to just leave while he was blacked out and unconscious. Now he felt the obligation to watch over the guy until he would at least wake up. 

He made himself comfortable against the wall opposite from the wolf. Incase he would wake and be pissed and rabid, he would at least have enough room to react. Then as if twig knew he was finished, he ran back down from the roof corner and rested himself on the nape of his neck. He laid his head on his neatly crossed paws, and then now was time for the waiting game.

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[Warg]

So deep was his state of unconsciousness, that he never stirred through the whole ordeal. As each quill was carefully extracted, a fair amount of blood trickled forth. It had been in the early afternoon when the Naama had escaped the trees. The shadows were stretching, reaching to claim the ground outside when his eyes squinted, half way opened, closed again. A few minutes later, with a deep breath, the wolf opened his eyes fully. He felt weak and drained, and it was all he could do to lift his head slightly. A low whine drew out at the movement, his head falling back to the floor with a soft thud. A few moments later, he tried again, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to shift and get a slightly more comfortable position. He certainly did not feel like getting up.

Lifting his head again, the Naama looked at his body, and confusion rocked him at the lack of quills. Fresh blood was flowing from one or two of the deeper holes from his movements, but this was not what concerned him. They had not been pulled out by themselves, so what had?

This question was quickly answered by looking around. His gaze slightly narrowed at seeing the white wolf, but it wasn't with hate or malice. He couldn't tell anything different about the other. Not to mention, he didn't have the strength to do anything about it even if he was. Besides, apparently he'd helped. Licking his dry nose and laying down his head again, he would have to wait for a while before he could even think about getting up. He was just too weak still.

[-sira-]

Tag&Twig.

Quiet some time had passed since he finished doctoring up the stranger wolf. And during that time he had laid awake, keeping and eye on their surroundings. It was always better to be prepared incase of an attack. His ear flicked back when he heard shuffling sounds from across the cabin. Apparently it was time to wake up. The wolf was struggling with holding himself up. He wasn't surprised, the condition he was in was almost death like. 

He noticed the wolf with react with defense or anger. And he also noticed he didn't speak. 'Poor guy must be too weak to even speak...' he simply thought. Not thinking that the two wolves were a little more different that expected. He didn't make any advances towards the wolf, he was a little more cautious now since he was conscious. "How are you feeling, little one?" his voice was low and calming. He made sure that attentiveness was on high alert, incase of sudden move change. 

At this time, twig had also waken up. Most likely from the sound of hearing his voice. The rodent scurried off and positioned himself next to his paws.  One thing the two had in common was their worry for others. He could tell that twig was also wondering the condition of the young male. "He is still alive, so you can stop worrying as much..." he laughed lightly as his friend released a sigh of relief. Then his attention turned back to the wolf.

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[Warg]

The loner's ear twitched. Was that wolf talking? No...not another Uuma...The sigh that accompanied this realization was followed by a muffled growl deep in his throat that he just couldn't resist escaping. The naama glared at the other wolf, but didn't bare fangs or growl any louder. Frankly, he just didn't have the strength to care. It didn't really matter to him that he'd helped anymore, though this wasn't forgotten. To the other, his growl could have been for any number of reasons. But obviously, there wasn't going to be a reply.

Lifting his head again, he peered across the room at the Uuma, and that was when he noticed the chipmunk sitting between his paws. His gaze steadied on the rodent. The Naama wondered idly what chance he might have at getting the meat from the Uuma, before the thought drifted off half formed. The chance he had at stealing meat from a healthy uuma were as slim as his chances of getting up on the first attempt. So he was content to stay as he was for a while longer.

Twisting slightly, the loner scented at his shoulder, licking at some of the light blood flow from the reopened wound. Straightening his left leg out for leverage, he pushed himself up and licked at a few of the others that he could reach, biting off half spoken whimpers as each movement required a lot of energy, and stretched sore, aching muscles. Finally exhausted by even this minimal task, his head lay back where it was, the stretched out leg fine where it was. Another heavy sigh escaped him, before his eyes closed closed again.

[-sira-]

Tag&Twig.

He frowned slightly when the wolf didn't make an attempt to answer his question. Ah, it was most likely from still being too weak. He watched as the wolf tried to clean himself up on his own. Licking here and there. Stretching here and there. Even he winced at the sight of it. Even thought he was the one in perfect condition, it still looked painful. And from the muffled sounds of whimpers being held back, he could tell the wolf was struggling to appear strong in front of him. Ah, young wolves with new testosterone. He remembered those years.

Twig scurried across the floor to better examine the quiet wolf. "Get back here and leave him alone... Not all wolves think of you as a friend like I do" he lightly growled at the rodent. He wondered if he should stay and make sure the wolf was capable of being alone. But, knowing him, he would stay until the wolf could walk again. Even if that meant waiting for days. He couldn't leave an injured wolf to fend for itself. That would practically be allowing him to be killed.

[/size]

[Warg]

Pitterpitterpitter. Again, the naama's ear twitched. Goodness, he couldn't be left alone to rest anymore could he? Sliding his head across the floor a few inches until he could see what was going on out of the corner of his eye, he watched the chipmunk draw closer. He kind of blinked a little. He'd thought it was dead between the others paws. Sliding his head a bit more, he wondered if it would get any closer. Maybe it could tell he was hungry and was offering itself to him? That would be nice. Alas, he was out of luck as it stopped at a safe enough distance from him.

His gaze snapped up to the other Uuma, reacting to the growl he heard. He didn't recognize it as a spoken command to the chipmunk, he only heard the growled tones to it. He took it to mean a warning at himself to not touch his meat. Well it was rather wasted on him, unless the rodent was to come any closer. The naama narrowed his eyes at him and returned the growl softly. If he wanted to get it he certainly would.

[-sira-]

Tag&Twig.

Once again all he could do was watch the body language of the wolf. One thing he was able to pick up on was the hunger factor. He had been watching how he looked at his companion. There was no way he would allow this wolf to snack on his friend. He opened his mouth to tell him to stay there he was, then he realized the wolf was too weak to even get up. He motioned twig to get on his back, and he did just that. The chipmunk scurried and sat on his back, and once he felt the furry presence he stood up slowly. It was always best to avoid sudden movements around a wolf on edge. He then made his way out the door. 

Since the wolf was eye his friend like a mid day snack, he had decided hunting for a rabbit would suffice. It wasn't long for him to find one. After all, spring always brought hopes of plenty prey. He lowered his body slowly to get into the running position. He eyes a rather plump rabbit. The bigger they are the slower they run. He quickly dashed through the grass towards his target. The rabbit had caught on and started to bounce away,  but it wasn't enough. 

It was only a short while for his up and leaving. Nonetheless, he still returned. Moments later he walked through the door, rabbit hung from his mouth. He hoped the wolf would feel a little less tension around him if he had fought him food to give him more strength. He walked closer and dropped it in front of his paws. "Eat up..." then he turned back and grabbed the cup from earlier. Once again he disappeared, but only to retrieve water from behind the cabin. He came back and set the cup of water next to the rabbit. It was a small amount for a wolf, but it would have to do until he was ale to get up on his own.
 

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[Warg]

He could only stare blankly in slight confusion and wonder as the chipmunk positioned itself on the wolf's back. This made no sense to him whatsoever. Then again, neither did much of the other things Uuma did. His eyes locked on the Uuma as he rose and approached. From his throat, a deep, snarled warning, with lifted lips to make the point was quickly communicated. The threatening note of it died off though once his direction was towards the door and not himself was understood. He was glad for the other to leave. His growl followed the other out. It had changed into a good riddance and don't come back sort of sound.

Sighing with a feeling of great relief, his eyes closed again, and he tucked his head back inward on himself. He was almost asleep when the Uuma returned. Inwardly he groaned, ears swiveling to the door's direction, slowing being followed by his head. Instantly his eyes were on the rabbit, but just as quickly were back on the Uuma. His snarl returned all the more loudly as he approached. Raising his head, his hackles rose slightly, lips parting further, eventually followed by parted maw as it seemed the will was not being understood. Still the Uuma approached. The naama tensed. Shifting slightly he tucked his extended leg back in, hind feet seeking to tuck under himself as all of his fur bristled out, puffing himself up the best he could.

His head darted forward, clipping his fangs inches from the Uuma as the rabbit was lain before him. His glare and warning growl followed him out the door. Once he was gone again, he eyed the rabbit blankly for a few moments before sniffing at it. He didn't trust the uuma not one bit, but meat was meat and he really wanted it. Still, it was a few moments more before he was thinking about nipping at it, and by then the Uuma was returning. Eyes again locking on the Uuma, his fur bristled, the warning growl rising with each approaching step. This time though, he didn't snap at the other, and he remained laying without tensing quite so much.

Still, he waited for the other to move away after setting down the cup before he returned to sniffing at the rabbit. In the end, his belly won out. Reaching out his head, the rabbit was drug in closer and rather quickly, mostly consumed save for fur tufts and a few bones he didn't feel like dealing with. The cup of water, well that was a problem on it's own. Not quite close enough to sniff at, he reached a paw out to bring it closer, and of course, knocked it over. The move wasn't very brilliant. The naama licked at the small rivulet of water that trickled his way, tongue scraping up dust and dirt and whatever else was there. Still, it wetted his tongue, and the tongue then flicked over his dry nose, and that was fine enough.

This done, his gaze rose to his other problem, that of the still ever present wolf. Flicking his tongue over his muzzle to clean up from his meal, he eyed the other, considering. Head lowering to nudge at what was left of the rabbit, nothing left to be considered any kind of meal, the gesture was more to indicate it's presence then any sort of offering. He grunted a low exhalation of breath, a 'thank you', if you will. His tail thumped once, and his paw shoved at the remnants out of his way before he flopped back over onto his side and stretched a little, tucking paws in again to rest some more.

[Shanto]

[/li][li]Ricochet[/size][/font]

Panting, paws thumping, the smell of blood was everywhere. Ricochet ran from his new kill with a leg of his prize still hanging from his bloodied jaws. This bear was bigger and more persistent than most, so when the male had had a chance to grab a leg and run he did, his right flank gaining a small gash from the massive bear's claws. He was lucky that it was only that. Cursing under his breath at his bad luck, the kill was devoured.

Sorry to Tag was all Ricochet could say, but he would hunt him a rabbit later and if they were lucky the bear might leave just enough for a small meal. Stretching, the oddly eye colored male took to his feet, his eyes danced across the valley his vantage point. This was defiantly his favorite spot to watch the Northerners when they ventured onto Sira's land, but they were away for the day it seemed. Why any pack would be such killers- it amazed him. Blood he had split, but the time for it was long ago, when he was forced to it; forced to leave his pack when things went wrong for the alpha male. When he had the right to take the thrown.

His blood boiled at the thoughts, turning to sadness as he thought of her. Sara. Shaking his thoughts away he saw to exploring the trail of blood he now had found. Ricochet's stomach sickened, it smelled of Tag. "It.. It.. Couldn't be.." and he was right, further examination proved his first thought to be right and he was filled with joy. But at the same time, sadness entered him as he stood in the entrance to the cabin where they had once lived and met, so long ago. Bachelors they still were, but the cabin was no longer theirs alone.

Ricochet's eyes narrowed on the male that layed before them. Blood was split everywhere, quills laying, piled in a stack, Tag's face bloodied from the apparent surgery on the small wolf. He shot a look to his long time friend, kind he was but this may comeback to bite them in the butt if they weren't careful. "Wake up sleeping beauty, your princie is here," a jokerish grin came across his face. Sarcasm was his best character after all.

[-sira-]

Tag&Twig.

Even as the wolf snapped at him for giving him food and hospitality. It didn't bother him one bit. He had seen wolves in this condition before. He had been in this condition before. As he thought about it, the scars down his neck and back had begun to ache. Such a painful yet amazing adventure when he had received these.

He watched as the wolf gobbled down his food and gingerly drink the water. He wondered if the wolf would ever speak to him. But the nod of thanks was good enough. Then he laid his had back down to rest. Once again as the young wolf slept, he felt the obligation to stay awake for any possible intruders. Even though, in all honesty, he was the intruder himself. 

He rested his head on his paws, wondering how this all happen. He wondered what trouble he had gotten into to get into this condition. Twig must've also been wondering the same thing. He watched as his chipmunk examined the quills and scurry back to the holes where they had come from. He smiled at his little friend, they two had so much in common. The only difference between them was their species.

He had been so caught up in thinking about the series of events in the cabin, he hadn't noticed an intruder come to the door. He cursed under his breath for a slight second. Then once he realized he knew the voice very well, a sigh of relief was let out. Although, rather bad timing for it. The young wolf had just fallen asleep, and he didn't act too kindly to the one who took care of him. He would only imagine how he would react once he saw two bigger wolves.

He stood up and smiled, "ricochet! I'm sorry I ran off... Twig insisted..." with the sound of his name being called, twig ran over and climbed up ricochets leg and on to the top of his head. "Although, I ask for you to lower your voice, please... The pup needs his rest..." he looked over his shoulder and back, "I found him in such terrible condition... I had to take care of him..." he apologetically explained to his bachelor friend. 

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[Warg]

Once again he had just fallen asleep when...yep...once again...there was some disturbance. The young wolf whined in his sleep, stirring. He covered his head with a paw, and tried to ignore them talking...when the fact that it was a second voice registered in his head. With a start, the wolf jerked awake, the sudden movement eliciting a further whine of pain that was quickly silenced. One Uuma was bad enough, but now there was two. At least the first one had shown some kindness. There was no telling about the new one.

The naama half rose, struggling to his feet, swallowing further half uttered whimpers. His snarl was as angry as ever as he partially gained his feet though his head swam and his eyes rolled back. The wolf sank back down to the floor.

His eyes reopened after only a few seconds. Though he made no attempts at getting up again, it was far too soon for that, he began pushing himself back farther from the pair as best he could. Every movement was pain and oh how he hated them right now. Non stop growls carried undertones of pain and the mildest note of fear that poured from the Naama with every panted breath. He was clearly very stressed and agitated. He felt his back against the wall, then the his rump against the other wall, curling himself in the corner.

His gaze snapped between the two. He was cornered and trapped and it was not sitting well with for him right now. He was sorely regretting snaring himself in here. He snarled as viciously as he could, trying to hide his injuries with his tail. Fresh blood was seeping slowly from the newly reopened wounds, staining his white underbelly a bright shade of crimson.

[Shanto]

[/li][li]Ricochet[/size][/font]

Something was not right. He could feel it. His heart thumped slower, calming himself as he inspected the males wounds from his spot leaning in the doorway with little Twig still perched on his head."Tag has he talked at all?" Ricochet did not wait for this friend to reply, as the white bachelor had said, this male had been an obvious horrible condition. The other bachelor looked almost sadly at his friend it seemed, and then back at the male laying before him.

Tag was a kind wolf, Ricochet was almost always calmed by his older white friend; but sometimes kindness can be dangerous. This could be a case, the bloodied wolf curled in a corner was, unless he somehow spoke, what Ricochet thought to be a Naama. It would be a sad day for the bachelors if it was true, they could get into deep trouble if they had been found saving a naama from an almost certain death via quills. Now, the bigger male had his connections, and very few enemies, but saving a naama who had most obviously been on a Uumas bad side, could be a difficult task.

"Talk please, just one word to prove your not," He paused for a second, swallowed his fears and then finished,"To prove your not a Naama." He shot a golden, green, crimson look at his best friend. Tag knew what trouble this would mean and Ricochet gave him a worried and sympathetic look. Ricochet knew Tag meant well, and that his kindness could get him in trouble, but others probably wouldn't be as kind to a wolf that helped a Naama.

[-sira-]

Tag&Twig.

His eyes winced as he heard the wolf scrambled around for dear life. His ears laid back in agitation. All this work and it was completely destroyed in two seconds. He nudged his friend out the door and he stood in the door way. "he hasn't said a word since I found him, I'm afraid" he knew this wouldn't settle well with his friend. His dear friend and him had so many differences, and this was a conflicting trait between them. His own hospitality for every wolf and ricochets closed minded ness from his previous pack life.

Before his friend could respond to the recent discovery he felt he needed to open his mind a little more. "Ricochet, please don't do anything to make this situation worse... I know you do not approve of most of my decisions... But nothing good will come out of this if you choose to fight or if a fight is egged on" his voice was low. It was one of his more calming traits, he hoped the so called Naama and ricochet would ease their paws and nerves. "You know I can't leave a wolf in need, wether they are enemy or not... It's not like me to just leave him when he is vulnerable..." he closed his eyes tight then opened them again. 

His eyes were pleading towards his friend, "a wolf is a wolf, and as a wolf we are all the same. Since we are the same we should care for each other like family. It's my philosophy, ricochet. If you don't understand that, then I'm going to ask you to leave..." his stomach twisted when he was forced to say he would rather his friend give him space with the wolf. "Uuma or Naama, all wolves are the same... Whatever your previous pack life is telling you, I'm telling you to please set it aside for my request" he hoped his message was made clear. Now it was up to his friend to make the finally decision. 

He hoped he would stay with him, it would mean more than his bachelor friend would ever know. "If he chooses to attack me, I will heal. But I can guarantee he isn't in any condition to do so, unless he is provoked" he had to let his friend know that he knew there was a consequence if he chose to stay. At least he didn't seem like a crazy old bat wolf if he knew the consequences. 

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[Warg]

Anger flashed through him as the Uuma directed his speech in his direction. He knew he was being spoken to, and it only infuriated him the more that they would even dare to think he might be one of them. His growl ceased just long enough to make restarting it, his obvious answer. He emphasized his point by snapping his jaws in a twisted mockery of Richochet. He was getting very tired again. Being tensed for even this short amount of time was wearing him out. His increased heart rate was only making his blood pump faster, further escaping the many wounds. He had lost much of it already.

He watched Tag pushing the other out of the door and blocking it with his own frame. This was enough for the exhausted naama who finally sank back down to the ground and quieted. He could not take much more of holding back this pain. Sure he had earned his wounds in their eyes, but to him, he was justified in trying to kill that bitch and her pups. Those Uuma unnaturals had done more pain and damage to him than this physical wound. He did not want to die this way. His death would be allowing the Uuma to continue their brutality. He had to heal from this so he could complete his mission of killing every last one of them. Survival meant using your head. Maybe If he permitted their help, then he could earn their trust and kill them a lot easier when their guard was down.

It would not be hard to elicit Tag’s help, he had already done so once without even trying. If only he could tolerate the closeness of the male without biting a leg off. This would not be too hard; he was too weak to fight any more. Too tired to growl. He could not stop them from anything they tried anyway. The thought that surrendering himself meant having to trust them to not just finish him now, scared him. This whole endeavor was going to require a lot of trust on the fly, without promise from either if it would work out later. He was not above abusing their trust later. He really didn’t care. He was dead inside already, they took his soul when they killed his pack.

Resolved now, the naama weakly whined one long, sad, pleading note. Help me was the clear and self-evident message.