Nowhere to Hide {Naomi}

[Zirin]

It was the wheezing that worried him most. Korvin glanced up from where he was prepping the fish he had caught to look at Boar. The male canine was getting old, but Korvin had never expected him to get sick. The large dog gave a hacking cough and curled into a tighter ball. It was a strange feeling, to learn how incompetent he was without the help of Boar. The wherhandler had never thought about what he would do if he didn't have the help of his canines.

Kosk was a great help of course, but she wasn't exactly a hunter. Her white hide gave her away in the dark night, and her small size wasn't exactly an advantage. Lately he had been leaving her behind to guard Boar while he and Gray went out hunting for small game; which tonight had ended up with a few fish caught from traps. Another wheezing cough sounded and Korvin placed a hand gently on the male's head, trying to calm him. He supposed he should go back to the Weyr... there he could get a good meal for all of them, as well as medicine for the poor old mutt.

He glanced towards the entrance of the cave, trying to guage how late it was. The moon was still up, but he doubted it would stay that way for very long; Kosk had already curled up in a darker tunnel further on to avoid the oncoming light. It was the one downside to having a wher; the beasts were unable to travel during the day, forcing him to stay wherever he ended up when dawn came. It looked like he would be stuck in the cave for another day. He didn;t like staying in one place for too long; it made it too easy to be found if someone came looking. With a sigh, he finished prepping the fish and stuck them on skewers to cook.

[Akira]

Naomi was panting heavily as she ran alongside her large blue wher and two canine companions. This had become an almost nightly thing and so far it was the only way she found true peace within the chaotic world that she now lived in. The moon was shining full and bright in the night sky, showing her everything she needed to see so she didn’t trip or injure herself in any way possible. The keen eyes of her wher also helped keep her out of such trouble. It was silent except for her own breathing and that of Akela, Sarabi, and Nask. They had been running for almost an hour now and showed no real signs of slowing either. The four of them had been doing this for weeks now and they pretty much knew everything that they would encounter since they never strayed from the path they were on.

There was just something about this night that felt different though, and Naomi couldn’t exactly place it. It would be dawn soon, and she knew she had to be back in the Wherhold before then to make sure nothing happened to her wher. Nask, Akela, and Sarabi all stopped dead in their tracks, which made her slide to a stop wondering why they had all stopped, but then she heard something. It had come from a nearby cave that the group had passed many times on their nightly runs like this, and all of the other times he had been empty. But now it seemed as though something was inhabiting the cave. She crouched low to the ground and snuck quietly closer, thankful of her knowledge of the area. Her three companions stayed close to the ground, and followed her as carefully as they could.

Naomi pulled the dagger that she had hidden in her boot, and carefully peered around the corner. What she saw around that corner made her heart stop. Everything that had happened within the last two turns started flashing in front of her eyes and she stumbled backwards and accidentally stepped on a twig. No doubt Korvin or at least one of his dogs or even Kosk had heard it. If she started running now she might be able to get far enough away that they wouldn’t know it was her, but she just couldn’t make herself move. Nask crouched next to her and gazed at her with curiously swirling eyes. Nask’s Naomi wrong? The sweet and soft voice of her wher had her turning her head to look at him, but still, her mind was numb, and she just couldn’t make sense of what was going on around her.

Before she even realized what she was doing, Naomi was on her feet and heading straight for Korvin, tears streaming freely down her face. She stared down at him for a few moments before reaching out and slapping him as hard as she could. She couldn’t make herself speak; instead her lower jaw was trembling as she stared at him, everything that happened since he left still flashing before her eyes. Everything that he could have easily prevented had he just stayed in the Wherhold, in essence, she was silently blaming him for everything. Nask and the others walked into the cave behind her, all of them completely confused by what theirs was doing. They knew she was sad, but none of them really knew why. Well, Nask had a general idea but there were still things that His was keeping from him.

[Zirin]

As always, even when he was comfortably settling down in his temporary home, he was always alert. Tonight was no different, so when the sound of a twig snapping outside reached his ears he froze, his hand quickly going to the knife on his belt. Gray whined, seemingly tossed abotu what to do, which confused Korvin to no end. Normally the shy female would duck behind him to hide... but it almost looked like she wanted to go and investigate... how strange.

Korvin's expression hardened, his hand tightened around the dagger and he moved into a position that would allow him to move quickly if need be. He was expecting a feline perhaps, or even some of the smaller wildlife in the area... no matter what he expected, the last thing he had expected to see was the very angry form of Naomi. How long had it been now? Two Turns? She was crying? For once Korvin was at a loss of what to do or what to say. She wasn't supposed to be here! He had left her behind! She wasn't supposed to find him! Or even look for him! A pained growl came from Boar and Korvin came back to his senses just in time for pain to shoot through his cheek as Naomi slapped him square across the face.

"W-Wha' the hell?!" Korvin exclaimed, grabbing his cheek to stop the stinging. "Wha' the hell wazzat for?!" No no no.... this was supposed to be his safe place! And from the slowly lightening sky outside, it was obvious he wouldn't be able to just run off. Though, he realized he kind of deserved it, even if Naomi didn't necessarily know why.

[Akira]

Naomi glared down at him from where she stood and at first; his words didn’t even register in her mind. But when she realized that he had asked her why she slapped him she wanted to slap him again, and even drew back her arm to do it, but Akela whined, Sarabi snorted, and Nask nudged her side. She lowered her hand to the blue’s head, and took a deep breath. That’s when she noticed that Boar didn’t look so good. She shook her head at Korvin and moved to kneel down closer to the dog, but well enough away that he wouldn’t feel as though she was encroaching on his space. She silently looked him over as she tried to figure out what was wrong with him. Nask’s Naomi sun bad. She looked back behind her and realized that she should have left as soon as she saw the man from her past.

Well, Naomi was here now and from the looks of it, would be stuck here until it was dark enough for Nask to travel again. Then she could be completely rid of the pain that being around Korvin was causing her. Akela slowly walked over to Boar and sniffed him curiously. He wasn’t acting like he used to, which meant something was wrong. Sarabi, who had extremely little to do with any of them after Naomi took her, vaguely remembered the smell of Grey, her mother. She sniffed the older female attentively, and curiously, wondering why she smelled familiar. Nask on the other hand was curiously walking around looking at everything inside the cave, having basically forgotten what had happened already. Even though he was keeping a close eye on the other human His was with, he was carefully looking at every rock he came across.

[Zirin]

Well shards, apparently asking about WHY he deserved getting slap was reason to do it again! He could see from her posture that she had been intending to give him another smack and his hand tightened around his dagger menacingly. He didn’t care who she was… but thinking she could hit him just like that wasn’t going to end well… Luckily, she seemed to have at least some sense, and moved away from him.. just to kneel next to Boar.

The male growled quietly, not even having the energy to do more than lift his head to look at her. His health was pretty bad, though he was a strong canine – he would likely make it through this. Korvin wanted to tell her to bugger off and leave him and the mutts in peace, but he couldn’t deny that she would be helpful… maybe. Company would be a nice change from the last Turn of solitude. He grumbled to himself; the Weyr really had messed with him.

He saw Kosk’s head peak out from around the corner. The little white chirping curiously to the blue, feeling as though she should know him, though her own memory wasn’t working well enough for her to know why. She got the male’s name from her handler’s memory instead. Nask friend? Nask friend of Kosk? The white chirped again, though her stance showed that she would happily fight the blue if she had too. If Nask friend, Kosk share dark sleeping hole. Come Nask? The white motioned towards the tunnel she was staying in. It wasn’t as dark as her den in the Weyr had been, but it was shielded enough to protect her eyes from the burning sun.

“He’ll be fine.” Korvin grumbled in annoyance. “You won’t be if y’ stay ‘ere much longer. Sun’s risin’ soon y’know.” He glanced towards the entrance, where the sky was already lightening. There was no way she’d be able to find a new cave in time to protect her blue, and Kosk had already invited Nask to share he temporary den. “Y’can stay here. But don’t you be troublin’ me alright.”

Shards… the LAST thing he wanted to do was spend the day with the woman he had run off on. As it was he couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes and the faintest hint of red was already showing up on his face… though he could blame it on the heat of the fire if he had to. Gray, on the other hand, didn’t feel the discomfort at all. In fact, she was more than happy to shyly approach the young canine who had a familiar scent. In the back of her mind she likely realized that she was one of her own pups, and whined, shuffling close to nuzzle at Sarabi.

“Oy… where’s tha’ other mutt o’ yours?” He asked suddenly, realizing there was a lot less growling than normal.

[Akira]

Naomi sighed as she looked over Boar, he was too weak to do much more than just lift his head to growl at her. It is alright Boar, I won’t hurt you. Her voice was soft as she spoke to the male canine. She still didn’t know what was making him so sick, but knew that if he didn’t get back to the Wherhold, or the Weyr at least, he wouldn’t get better any time soon. She lifted her head and glared daggers at Korvin as he spoke to her. All she wanted to do was pick up a rock and start beating him into a bloody pulp for what he had done to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to do anything that might cause serious harm to the white Kosk. If only he hadn’t impressed such a sweet wher, she might have been able to claim her revenge on the man that had caused her so much pain.

Nask jumped in surprise when Kosk chirped at him, he hadn’t even realized there was another wher here. He chirped and bounced over to her happily. Nask friend, friends Nask?! Nask come!! He trotted over to where Kosk was and crooned happily. He had quickly forgotten about the whole reason they were there in the first place as he curled up next to Kosk. He was soon asleep, though, he wasn’t sleeping so deeply that he wouldn’t be at his handler’s side in a split second if she so needed him. Of course his mind was still connected to hers, and feeling that helped keep her from doing something so rash that she might regret it later. Instead she stayed calm and thought things through before acting, though it was very hard not to hit him again.

Sarabi sniffed curiously at Gray as she shyly approached him, and snorted in surprise when she nuzzled her. But none the less nuzzled her in return, even after so many turns apart she still remembered her mother’s scent. She whined softly as she nuzzled her mother, and let off a soft bark that seemed to say, “Hi mom!” During all of this her soft tail wagging back and forth like crazy. Naomi raised an eye brow as she watched her young female canine. Sarabi was usually so calm and quite, and to see her acting like the puppy she never really was, was quite the surprise. Oh well, she was allowed to be excited at least once in her life, especially when she was seeing her mother after so many turns apart. Though, she was quite the surprised that the two of them even remembered each other.

Naomi stiffened, Nask woke and growled deep in his throat, Sarabi backed away from her mother and moved to her owner’s side, and Akela’s black hackles rose as she growled menacingly at the man that had dared to speak of Ayame. Why is my canine any business of yours? You who had abandoned the Wherhold and everyone within it, why do you care? Her words here cold, flat, and emotionless as she spoke to him. Her smoky-grey eyes rose to glare into his, all of the pain and sadness that she felt showing openly in her eyes. Whether or not he would realize that most of the pain and sadness had been caused by him was beyond her, but at that point she didn’t really care either. All that she knew was that taking a rock and beating his head in was becoming more and more tempting.

[Zirin]

“I didn’t abandon anyth- the Wherhold!” He replied hotly, finally looking at her, his eyes set in a deep glare. He had been about to say ‘anything’ though in truth, he knew he had abandoned her… even if she didn’t know why… “I ne’er had any intention o’ stayin there. I’m a hunter, not some Weyr slave. I only stayed there cuz Kosk was too young t’be out ‘ere.” Kosk too, lifted her head from where she had cuddled up next to Nask. Kosk’s okay? Kosk help? The white whined, though she knew with the cave getting brighter there was no way she could do anything at the current time.

“Shards. Guess I was stupid to expect anythin’ more than yelling from you. Shows what I get fer givin’ a damn.” Now he remembered why he had run away. Yes, it was partially because he felt boxed in within the Wherhold… but it was also because he was afraid. Afraid of what would happen if Naomi found out what had happened that night at the gather… She was a force to be reckoned with on a good day… but angry at them having made a stupid choice after drinking? Yet… when he looked at her… he didn’t see just unfounded anger… there was something about her posture, her eyes, that made him think twice about why she was so angry with him. She looked… hurt, above all else. Korvin winced… maybe she had been awake after all? The idea that he was maybe thinking a little too much of himself didn’t cross his mind at all.

“Look you. I don’ want any trouble.” He growled, still not happy at all that she had the audacity to invade HIS cave and treat him like a brain-dead wherry. Gray was whining now, pacing back and forth, completely unsure of what to do. It was a loud, wheezing cough from Boar that caused Korvin to finally turn his gaze away from the psycho woman in front of him. He laid a hand on the older canine’s head, trying to calm him. A good meal would do him well… but how much longer could they stay out here?

[Akira]

Naomi could feel the tears threatening to burst from her eyes if only she would just let them. She had notice his hesitation before he said, “the Wherhold!” But what he had been about to say was beyond her. And what, you think I’m not?! I stayed because that is where I belong with my wher! I put what I wanted most behind me because I put my wher first! I stayed there because Nask is safest at the Wherhold! Unlike you I didn’t abandon anyone! By now the tears were flowing freely from her eyes as she glared at him, not caring what she said anymore. She didn’t care if he knew that she knew what had happened the night of the gather, she just wanted answers. She wanted to know why he had left her, had abandoned her. Just so he could live out here in the wild.

Nask was standing now, and pacing back and forth by Kosk, he knew he couldn’t go out there because of the light, but his handler was upset, and all he wanted to do was make her feel better. He whined and growled as he continued to pace. Nask’s Naomi hurt! His voice was for everyone in the cave to hear, and so was the loud, plaintive whine that accompanied it. Akela and Sarabi also knew that their owner was hurt, and upset, and that the cause of her pain was the man sitting in front of them. Akela stood on Naomi’s left side, her piercing eyes never leaving Korvin, her lips lifted in a threatening snarl that showed her sharp canines. Sarabi was on Naomi’s right, but instead of trying to intimidate Korvin, she was nuzzling Naomi in an attempt to help her feel better.

YOU NEVER GAVE A DAMN ABOUT ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR YOURSELF!!!!! As soon as she finished speaking, Naomi jumped up and ran from the cave, sobbing with tears streaming down her face. Nask roared angrily before beginning to whimper pitifully as he watched helplessly as his handler left him behind. He was pacing even more than he had been, and had even tried to go after her more than a few times before giving up on that idea. The light hurt his eyes too much for him to be able to follow her. The two dogs however had run out of the cave after her. She was in no shape to protect herself, let alone pay attention to where she was going. Since Nask couldn’t go with her that left Akela and Sarabi to do it. And with how upset Naomi was, they definitely had their jobs cut out for them.

[Zirin]

“Y’think it’s safe there? Open y’ur eyes woman! It’s a battlefield in that place! It’s safer ‘ere, with me, away from a war we don’ belong in.” He retorted, angry now that she was assuming she understood him. Sure, he wouldn’t deny that he should have at least let her know that he was leaving, but to assume that he had put the life of his wher at stake for his own selfish desires was too much. Out here, they weren’t forced to choose sides, to fight and die. Out here they could continue to live in a way that Korvin understood.

The last thing he was expecting was to see her run off though, especially after claiming she wasn’t abandoning anything. He could hear her sharding blue in the tunnels at the back of the cave. As she ran from the cave, Korvin bolted up, subconsciously moving to chase her, though a few feet from the cave was all he went before stopping. He knew he should run after her, even apologise but… but he couldn’t leave the cave… couldn’t leave Boar and Kosk unprotected; not in the male canine’s current state. Not to mention the fire could easily get out of control and burn everything in the cave. He let out an angry roar of sorts before turning and punching the wall of the cave, not caring that it shredded his hand. WHY did she have to be so sharding unreasonable! Shards… she better not get herself hurt again, stupid woman… he only hoped her canines would be able to watch out for her.

Gray whined, licking at his hand as he re-entered the cave, though he barely took notice. His first priority was to get the fish off the fire before they burnt; a task he accomplished quickly. With that worry taken care of he moved to the back of the cave, holding his hands up in an ‘Im not going to hurt you’ gesture as he approached Nask. “Hush, hush y’ crazy beast.” He spoke quietly, calmly as he tried to approach. “Sssh shh… she’ll be back. Ok? She won’t leave ya…” Kosk whined, worried for Hers. Don’t hurt Kosk’s, okay Nask? Kosk’s nice! Kosk’s help! She tried to place herself between her handler and the blue, though she wasn’t exactly large enough to make a reasonable difference.

Korvin knew an upset wher could be dangerous, so he didn’t move any closer, though he did drop to the ground to bury his face in his hands. His posture showing just how broken he felt at the moment. “I’m such a git…” He spoke quietly, to no one in particular as the blood dripped from his hand. She would come back… wouldn’t she?

[Akira]

Naomi had run almost half-way out of the forest before she finally stopped and fell to her knees. She buried her face in her hands and cried, just cried. She didn’t stop crying until her tears turned to blood. She looked over at her two canines as a sob raced through her body. What have I done? Her voice was a hoarse whisper and her dogs whimpered in response. She called the two canine females to her, and wrapped her arms around them before burying her face into their fur and sobbing quietly. Akela and Sarabi just sat there while their owner sobbed into their fur, and didn’t move away until she was done, and had moved away from them. The looked up at her sadly as she stood up slowly and wobbled a little in the process. Sobs were still racing through her body as she started to slowly walk back to the cave.

Nask growled and backed away from the man that had caused his handler so much distress. He was the cause of all of her pain and sadness, and now here he was talking to him. He recognized the gesture the man used, but it wasn’t until he spoke of Naomi coming back that he quieted down, just a little though. He still didn’t want the man anywhere near him, but then Kosk spoke of her handler helping him, but he didn’t understand how that was possible. He backed as far away as he could, and sat down with his blue tail wrapped around his legs. He didn’t take his eyes off of Kosk and her handler, and wouldn’t until the man proved that he would help him. Nask Kosk’s help Nask’s? His voice was a soft whimper as he spoke just to the white wher.

Naomi hesitated at the entrance to the cave, and wasn’t sure if she wanted to go back in there and face Korvin after what had happened. She was afraid of what he would say to her, after making everyone around her believe that she was this strong woman, and then just completely braking down in front of the man that had taken so many firsts from her. Akela and Sarabi were the ones that entered the cave first. Sarabi padded over to Gray and whined a soft greeting to the older female. Akela on the other hand walked over to where Boar was laying and lay down across from him. She snorted at him, it was almost as if she was trying to challenge him like she used to when they both lived in the Wherhold, but it was obvious that she was just trying to help the aging male.

[Zirin]

Gray whined as the trio of females returned, clearly uneasy about what was going on. Once again, Korvin was acting strangely due to Naomi, though Gray had no understanding of why. She tensed as Akela approached Boar, though when the other female seemed to show no aggression she calmed and tentatively approached Naomi, her voice still a pathetic whine of confusion. Boar lifted his head as far as he could and gave a weak growl, as if answering her challenge. He may be sick and old, but he wasn’t out yet. He’d show her. Soon he’d be up and about and proving how much stronger he was.

Look Nask, look! Nask’s back, just as Kosk’s say. Kosk’s help! Kosk’s good. The white whined, quite distressed that the blue didn’t trust Hers at all. It was understandable of course, Kosk got to see all the sides of her handler, while he tried to only show his confident, independent side to others. Korvin heard the dogs as Kosk gave him the message that the troublesome woman had returned. With a sigh, Korvin rose, leaving Kosk to keep Nask company.

He walked back into the main cave area, and looked at Naomi, surprised she hadn’t come storming back into the cave. He wanted to yell at her, tell her she was an idiot for saying he abandoned others while doing it herself only moments later. It wouldn’t get them anywhere though, would it, and Nask needed her to stay here for the day more than anything else. He grumbled to himself and looked away from Naomi.

“Look, I’m sorry, ok?” He couldn’t bring himself to go into detail of why exactly he was sorry… he hoped she’d understand that his short apology was for everything. He dropped and poked at the fish to make sure they weren’t too hot anymore and tossed oneto Boar, making sure the one was close enough for Boar to get without moving too much. To Gray he tossed two and gave the command to take them to the whers before returning for one of her own. He was glad then that he had managed to catch enough to feed them all… albeit not very well. A meal was a meal however, no matter how small. “Well, you gunna jus’ stand there all day or are y’gunna come eat.” His voice still held a grumpy tone, but he knew he would no longer be able to run.

[Akira]

Naomi looked down at Gray when she approached her, and tried to give the canine a smile, but it didn’t quite turn out as she had hoped. Instead it looked more like she had been hit by something and winced. She sighed and looked down while wrapping her arms around her chest. Her cheeks were stained with the blood that she had cried, and she was still sobbing, but not as much as before she made it back to the cave. Akela snorted at the old dog’s growl, and thumped her tail on the ground. It was as if she was taunting him, and teasing him, but it was obvious to tell that she was just trying to agitate Boar just enough to keep him going, keep him from just giving up. Sarabi on the other hand just snorted at the other two canines while she sat near the warm fire, and watched what was going on.

Nask chirped and wagged his tail just like a canine when his handler showed back up. Nask’s Naomi back!, Kosk Kosk’s true! Even though he didn’t completely trust the man just yet, he trusts him more now than he did before. But he most likely won’t trust the man completely until things between him and Naomi get better. But can you really blame Nask for trying to protect his handler? Naomi watched as Korvin walked back into the main part of the cave and figured he had been back by the whers and wondered if he had been helping Nask, since she obviously couldn’t in the state that she was in. Realizing that only made the young woman hurt even more, and all she wanted to do was crawl into a dark corner and disappear from the world.

Naomi looked over at Korvin when he spoke, and wondered why he was saying sorry. Either way she couldn’t make herself speak, or even look at him for very long, the guilt she felt was just too great. She didn’t move from where she was until he spoke again, but even then she just walked over and sat down near the fire. She still hadn’t wiped the blood stains from her cheeks or her eyes for that matter. She heard the anger in his voice and pulled her knees up to her chest before wrapping her arms around her legs and placing her head on her knees. She just couldn’t find the right words that would tell him everything she wanted to tell him. How could she tell him what had happened to her since he had left? All of the pain that she had gone through, how could she tell him about all the tears she had cried?

[Zirin]

See Nask! Kosk smart! Kosk know Kosk’s good. the white chirped, matter-of-factly. She kenw Hers better than anyone, better even than the canines he had raised. Then again, she could actually see into his mind. She sat down, cocking her head to the side as she always did when she was listening. She crooned softly to Nask, once more trying to let him know that everything would be okay.

Naomi’s silence was unnerving… To Korvin, who had never dealt with her being anything but angry (and once rather lusty and adorable), he silence was something of a scary mystery. Was he forgiven? Was she still mad at him. He glanced over, only then noticing the streaks down her cheek. Shards.. was that all because of him? Why would anyone be that affected by the orphaned hunter? Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a rather dirty rag, lacking anything cleaner at the moment, and handed it over.

“C’mon now girl… yell at me or somethin’… this ain’t like you…” He didn’t know why exactly he cared why she wasn’t acting like herself… maybe it was because they would be stuck together all day? Or maybe it was another reason. Either way, he didn’t want her moping about. Having left the Weyr early on in the fighting, there was a lot Korvin had missed out on. He would never know of the pain she had been forced to go through at the Wherhold. He would never know what it was like to be forced into the situations she had been forced into. He would never know anything, but he couldn’t ask either, still believing that she was angry with him for leaving the Wherhold.

[Akira]

Nask crooned happily at Kosk as she spoke, but he could still feel the sadness and pain that his handler was feeling, and it didn’t sit well with the large male. Nask’s Naomi sad, Nask not know, Nask sorry. The male’s sweet voice was full of guilt and sadness, even though he didn’t know what it was for, but he felt like he had something to do with his handler’s pain and sadness, and was for everyone in the cave to hear. He could feel that it was time for him to sleep, that he should have been asleep long before that actually. Sleep. Naomi didn’t say anything out loud, instead she buried her face into her legs, and did her best to not cry again. Nask didn’t want to sleep, but his handler had told him to, and he didn’t want to disobey her, so he curled up and lay there silently until finally sleep took him.

Naomi looked up at Korvin out of the corner of her eyes and listened to what he had to say. I…I don’t know. She buried her face back into her legs after speaking. She didn’t know how to tell him what had happened to her, what she had gone through after he left. Though, it seems as though her wher has already done most of the work for her. All Korvin had to do was connect the dots. Though, she was almost certain that it wouldn’t matter. He was a hunter and all that mattered to him were his wher and his canines, the three beings that could actually be of some use to him. She sobbed again, but was thankful that no more tears tried to fall. She was positive that she didn’t have any more tears to cry anyways. Even though that was all she wanted to do.

[Zirin]

If Naomi thought Korvin would connect the dots on his own, than she was expecting too much of him. He was just a simple hunter, well versed in the ways of the wild and nothing more. Even Nask’s voice in his mind wasn’t enough to clear it up for him, and it didn’t look like she was willing to talk about it… not that he wanted to listen to an almost crying woman. He just didn’t know how to deal with such things; he never had. The thought brought memories of his sisters to his mind. How many times had they acted the same way after having boy troubles? Oh, was that it perhaps? Well… it the only thing to go on for now… and maybe if he was lucky it would get her to at least say something.

“Alright you, this be’er not be cuz of some stupid boy, y’got it? I don’t deal with brok’n hearted girls.” He was trying to taunt her into divulging something, much like Akela was trying to taunt life into Boar. “Y’u should just give ‘im a good kick and get ov’r ‘im. No need fer cryin, right?” There, he was trying. She had to give him that right? Naomi was wrong though, in believing that the canines and Kosk were all that mattered to Korvin. He had come from a hunting family, he had grown up surrounded by friends and family, working together to accomplish a task. It was the betrayal, and the Turns he had spent with only his canines to rely on that had made him so untrusting of human companions.