As the Cogs Start to Turn (super open)

While Ember began eating Khalessi became focused on the treeline of the Eastern Forest, paying no attention to the two males who were just standing around watching Ember eat. Finally she decided to silently steal away from the group and entered the thick brush without so much as a glance to see who had been watching.

When she returned, it was to a bickering pair and to her amazement Blaze was neither of the involved. In fact he was standing on the sideline watching silently as the two went back and forth, and occasionally ignoring the glances of support that were tossed his way. As Khalessi neared and seated herself she tried to gauge what she had missed based off of what was being said. From her point of view it seemed Inferno was getting out of line, but just because she had lost her pack didn't mean she was willing to lose her character, so she refrained from harsh judgement since she had not witnessed the entire argument.

When Ember's unexpected laughing fit had subsided Blaze shook his head in amusement and answered her rhetorical question with a smirk. "Not at all, that is, if you still don't consider yourself above our 'sorry group'." Blaze reverted his gaze to Inferno at the quote then tilted his head in slight interest as he attempted to extract some sort of reason as to why Inferno was out here in the first place. "Although, the way he talks so highly of pack-life, you would think he would be able to maintain a position in one."

Khalessi cleared her throat at Blaze's low blow then looked to Ember and nodded respectfully. "I'm Khalessi at that would be Blaze and Inferno" she said while pointing each male out. Though it was a pathetic attempt to divert everyone's attention away from the subject, at least Kahlessi was making one. "If they've offended you, I apologize for their...abrassiveness". She looked to Blaze with a stare that reminded him that scaring off loners was not the purpose of this gathering. "We simply understand how hard it is to travel alone, and decided to share our fortune with those who also understand the concept". Khalessi finally locked her hazel gaze onto Inferno, and addressed the male she had been trying to avoid. "As for you Inferno, it is clear you do not belong out here. Perhaps it is best if you return to Silverlight and get over any mishap you happened to experience with the pack." she said calmly, already knowing that he would have something to say that objected to her statement. Khalessi narrowed her eyes, studying the male without concern of him knowing whether she was doing it or not. She had been there that day when Inferno had been made beta, and she had instantly known by the way he carried himself that he was proud of the title. However, giving it up was something she would have never expected of him.

Inferno flicked his ears slightly at Blaze's comment, but all attention turned to Khalessi as she took the conversation into her own paws. He sat still and listened to the white wolfess speak, but couldn't help frowning a little at her explanation of their motives to share the kill, still not convinced that was the entire story. Inferno had a tendency to get obsessive over issues, and without any assistance in curbing that tendency amid all the mounting pressures he took upon himself in Silverlight, the wolf had morphed into a chronic workaholic. That had crazed drive had brought the end to his days in the pack, and it was what was keeping him here, insanely curious, when it was time to just move on and leave these wolves alone.

The male turned to Khalessi as she addressed him. She was right: he didn't belong out here, and neither did anyone else inhabiting the Banished Plains. Where he did belong was in Silverlight; he wanted to be there, just on different terms than he'd been under previously. "No 'mishap' occurred between me and the pack, Khalessi. I left of my own volition," he corrected her, his amber eyes narrowing as she tried to indirectly order him about, especially when her knowledge of his situation was speculative at best. "Returning to Silverlight is what I intend to do, just not yet". Because he couldn't, not alone, though he had some ideas on how to make that happen. Fortunately, none of them depended on any of these loners here. He was tired of knowing that behind Khalessi's searching gaze she was still lingering on this topic. There was no way it couldn't be clear by now: Inferno wasn't leaving them alone until his suspicions were either confirmed or denied. And talking about him was getting old and boring really fast, for everyone, surely not just him.

Ember found herself smiling gratefully at the other male's words, mostly because they were the only sign of any help she received against the cynical copper male who seemed to have it out for her and think she was an idiot. She shook her head as he mentioned 'being above our sorry group' and looked over at the white female as she spoke. It was good to finally know names, and she looked at each wolf as they were introduced. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, and once again, thank you for the meal." She said, ignoring the large copper male whom she now knew of as Inferno. When he defended himself against the other two wolves, it was her turn to be silent.

But as she sat there, she found herself looking curiously over at Blaze. She wanted to say that she had all of these wolves figured out, but she found that he was the one that she just couldn't understand. The white female had something planning, and it was obvious that she and the copper wolf had known each other at some point, she assumed the pack. But she wasn't quite sure where Blaze fit into everything, but she found that she really wanted to figure him out. But for now, she remained silent, observing and making mental notes about each wolf as they talked amongst themselves.

Her eyes remained locked on him, but she made no gesture to signal that she had actually been listening to the ex-beta's words, and when he finished his retort she merely blinked. "It would be a mistake to take me as a fool, Inferno" she simply stated before releasing her gaze and turning back to the female who was expressing her gratitude for the feast. Khalessi offered a smile, "perhaps next time you would be willing to demonstrate your hunting skill, if you stick around long enough for a next time." The white wolf dipped her head in dismissal and turned to walk back into the trees, but as she walked in Inferno's direction she locked her eyes upon him once more, scanning his form as she passed him. The look in her eyes was soft yet distinct; an odd mixture of persuasion and enticement. Whether Inferno decided to accept the lure, knowingly or not, was up to him, but she wouldn't bother herself to wait and see as to what his response would be. Instead she pushed her way into the foliage and continued until coming across a small clearing. Upon this clearing she seated herself sighing softly at this new hinderance that had presented itself to her. So suddenly Khalessi had become uncomfortable with Inferno's knowledge of her current status and situation among the neutral lands, and it was a problem she preferred to deal with sooner, rather than later. Hopefully she would be able to resolve it before he ruined her one chance to pull this off.


As Khalessi walked off Blaze was left to give his full atention to this Ember character, though Inferno was present he wasn't as pretty to look at, and Blaze would be damned if he ever picked a raggedy beta male to talk to over such an exquisite looking creature. "Where are you from?" he questioned in the name of conversation, having been pulled in by her strong ability to stand up for herself and her lack of fondness for pack life. Blaze found himself wanting to learn more about Ember, and the extent of her feelings toward the supposed 'true' life a wolf should be fufilling.

Ember watched Khalessi as she talked, her eyes following the white form as it disappeared into the trees, seeming to pause and invite Inferno along as she passed him. But if the copper male was invited there, then Ember had every intention of staying here instead. The less contact with him, the better. So she turned away from the trees, looking over at Blaze as he addressed her. She tilted her head to the side slightly as she looked at him, wondering how long he had been watching her. But soon she forced herself to focus on his question, and looked up and slightly to the right as she tried to explain the answer in words.

"I was born into a pack about two or three weeks journey south of here." She said softly, glancing off in the direction that she was speaking of. "But I only stayed there long enough to learn basic hunting and fighting skills and the like. When I was old enough, I left." She said, looking back over at him as if her actions of leaving her pack without a word were the most normal thing in the world. It was obvious that she didn't miss her pack, nor did she feel bad for leaving them. They had never done anything for her, nor did they want her. Why should she care? But at the same time as her lack or concern for her pack, there wasn't exactly hatred there, merely indifference and lack of love. She didn't hate her family, she just...didn't consider them family. But either way, those days were behind her anyways.

Why was everyone so avid about assuming they knew what he was thinking? No dig had been made at Khalessi, so what was she so defensive about? Of course, she just had to be confusing and completely reverse her dark and off-putting statement with an invitation, essentially. Inferno was becoming more and more sure that Khalessi was crazy, but he hoped that without Blaze nearby he might extract some information out of the wolfess. The hope was that Khalessi was ready to have Inferno move on as much as he wanted to get going; if this was true, then this talk with Khalessi would be short.

Without a second look back at Blaze or Ember, Inferno walked off after the white wolfess after a moment of pondering. He followed her trail and emerged from the thick herbage to find Khalessi seated, waiting. He stepped up and stood across from her, ears pricked forward and expression wary. It was impossible to know what to expect from her anymore; he had every reason right now not to trust her. He would see later if there was anything believable in what she had to say.

Khalessi watched closely as Inferno entered the clearing. Though the male was obviously distrusting of the situation she remained relaxed and at ease, daring not to think of what Inferno was capable of doing to her out of spite or anger. Yet, even that, she was sure, was not enough to raise caution. As of late Khalessi seemed to not care what happened to her and had taken much more risks than the average wolf was susceptible to. When the male had settled she sighed softly "It's obvious that you don't want to be here, so what is it that you want, Inferno?" It was obvious that Inferno was after something, though he had not had the experience of getting to know her; Khalessi had been more than observant of her former pack mates, and Inferno had definitely been the investigative curious one. She remembered he had once went asking questions about her to other members of the pack, but it had gotten back to her eventually and she was amused that her presence would cause such interest and slight suspicion. However, now it was more of a nuisance than anything.


Blaze tilted his head slightly and chuckled at her comment. "Yeah, that tends to happen a lot" he said sarcastically but didn't press the issue. The last thing he needed was to scare the female off or piss her off. Based off of what he had seen with her and Inferno, she had a feisty mouth on her, which he ultimately could relate to and respected. She was interesting, not to mention attractive, and he found himself hooked as always. He wondered if she planned on sticking around for long and decided to ask "So how long does a pretty little thing like you plan on staying?" He questioned her while laying down comfortably and looking up at her, eyes wandering across her physique of course.

"I want to know what you're doing here, Khalessi. If you hate us so much now, why come back?" His voice was hard; all he wanted was to get his answers and move on, as lingering around here in Khalessi's presence was only augmenting the painful sting of her betrayal. But after hearing just how angry she was, it was impossible for Inferno to accept that Khalessi was hanging around the pack borders for no reason, no matter how hard it was for him to consider that she might be planning something sinister. Though he was no longer a part of the pack, Inferno had grown too attached to Silverlight to not care. The original Silverlight for him, with Blitz, Khalessi, and Fallon, was what he considered home, and so far one chunk of it had become lost and corrupted; there was no way he could bear to stand by and watch that one chunk tear apart the rest of it.

Khalessi listened to his words respectfully, though she felt a bitter pang of anger hit her abdomen as Inferno assumed her feelings, but she maintained her composure successfully and merely shook her head in slight disagreement. "I didn't come back Inferno...I never left". There was something going on within Khalessi, a struggle to survive a tragic ending. She felt like she was drowning in feelings and thoughts she had been protected from all her life. She didn't know what to think, what to do, or how to handle most of it, but true to her character, she wasn't willing to put it on anyone's mind either. As Khalessi looked over the familiar male she realized her ties to him were too deep, her former loyalty too strong, and she wondered if this feeling held for the rest of them as well. When it came time to face her target, how would she hold up?

As her lungs burst into flame, fighting the lack of oxygen in her drowning she looked out past the beta at the different forms of greenery behind him. "I don't know why I'm still here, perhaps to gain closure. Why did I have to be the one to get left behind?". Of course none of this Inferno would be able to detect, he only saw what she wanted him to see, and her current struggle wasn't part of that image.

The wolf pricked his ears, listening with rapt attention as Khalessi spoke. Her speaking was more stream of consciousness than explanation, and there were major holes impeding Inferno's comprehension. Of course, a million new questions popped up from this, and the wolf's innate desire to have them answered was already making his tongue twitch, but there really was only one question that actually mattered at the moment. "What do you mean, about being left behind?" Inferno's tail flicked, the only indication that he was fuming inside, again. If this had something to do with those lies Blaze had burned into Khalessi's head, then firstly, he had to set the record straight with Khalessi. Secondly, he might have to stalk back over to Blaze and bite his head off. That was quickly becoming more of a priority than discovering just how Khalessi planned to 'gain closure', though that would have to be answered, too.

Khalessi tilted her head, as if wondering how exactly he had not been able to answer his own question. "Let me guess, you just assumed I walked out of Silverlight and never looked back? Perhaps you've forgotten that I went through the same hardships as the rest of you, and was the sole one who had to find a way to fix it. I busted my ass to become everything you all expected in a hunter and more, and fed you as if you were my own blood, and just like that you thought I walked out on you all without even the slightest remorse? Not even the slightest decency to assume I was dead and an attempt to recover a body. So tell me Inferno, which is it? Was I awol, dead, or not good enough to care about?" she let the aggravation release into her voice then snorted softly, as if she wasn't willing to hear the answer to her question anyways. It had mostly been rhetoric.

Ember's ears flicked backwards very slightly as he spoke, his obviously large ego flaring as well as his cockiness. But she had to admit, she didn't mind it. In fact, she took it as a compliment instead. There really didn't seem to be any hidden hostility behind his words like there had been with the copper male, Inferno, so she didn't mind and in fact smiled at the question. She watched him lay down, tilting her head ever-so-slightly to the left and looking up to the right as she thought, her right ear flopping over a bit because of the tilt. She wasn't sure how long she was going to stay, or why she hadn't even left yet. There was just something about this dysfunctional group that intruiged her. She knew it definitely wasn't Inferno, but Khalessi was interesting, and Blaze had caught her eye in a few different ways. So far - other than Khalessi's silent acceptance of her - Blaze had been the only one openly nice and seemingly interested in her.

But she had to admit, she did want to get to know the white female a bit more. She had never gotten along with other females before, but she did miss the companionship a bit from time to time. But she figured by the way Khalessi looked at Inferno that she shouldn't follow, so she had decided to put that off for the time being. As her mind wandered she frowned, realizing that she still hadn't answered Blaze's question. She looked down at him, blinking for a few moments as she fought for an answer, coming up empty handed. "I don't really know, to be honest." She said softly, sitting down and wrapping her tail around her paws as her eyes spotted his eyeing her up. Yeah, she knew that look. She had seen it on the faces of plenty of males on her travels, and even in Inferno's eyes for a few short moments. But she found that instead of the normal disdain and annoyance it brought, this time she felt a small shiver run down her spine, confusing her. But she pushed it to the back of her mind, focusing on the male's face instead of his gaze. "Although, I could definitely use some practice hunting along side a guarenteed meal. I'm afraid that although I'm not the worst, I'm also not the best hunter." She said, figuring that he had already assumed that by her eagerness to take the offered meal and her thinner form. She figured she could learn a thing or two about hunting from these wolves, why shouldn't she take the opportunity? There was nothing wrong in wanting to get better, right? Especially if it would save her from starving in the future. She had no problem admitting that she wasn't perfect, because she knew for sure that she wasn't.

Inferno bristled at her tone and her assumptions. Not caring about the way Khalessi tried to preemptively brush off a response from him, as if what the pack actually thought didn't matter, the wolf growled coldly, his tone automatically reflecting hers, "Do not assume your own bitterness toward us mirrors our thoughts on you, Khalessi. We loved you, we appreciated what you were doing, and we mourned that you never returned. We believed that if you were alive, you would return, and half the pack was sick to the point of non-functioning or extremely injured; there was no one to send after you - and where to begin looking?! - especially when it was becoming certain to us that you were dead." He got to his feet with a snarl, aggravated knowing that nothing he had to say would matter to Khalessi anyway. "Even as we tried to rebuild the pack, even though certain you were dead, we couldn't bring ourselves to replace you, hoping deliriously that you'd somehow make it back from wherever the hell you'd ended up. Only a month ago did Fallon take your place, because the absence of a head hunter was hurting the pack. She, Blitz, and I never quit missing you, and if there'd been any way, we would have gone to look for you." Leaving Silverlight in the end had become out of the question, for any reason. During another period of famine in the pack lands, Inferno had suggested that he leave to search for food, much like Khalessi had, and Blitz had rejected the idea, worried about losing yet another wolf. If only they'd known the first time that the pack could have survived without Khal leaving... With a deep breath, Inferno finished, voice lowered and sincerely mournful, "However you try to twist it, Khalessi, we did what we thought was right. I'm sorry we were imperfect, and I'm sorry that hurt you. You have to know that wasn't our intent." The wolf studied Khalessi's face, looking for a flicker of softness or understanding, acceptance that he was being honest. From what he'd seen so far, the wolfess had been believing for too long her own (or Blazes) deluded stories about the pack; and if that was true, Inferno knew an attempt to sway her from taking out her pain on the pack would prove pointless. That might change things.

The moment Inferno began to speak Khalessi regretted saying anything. It was no use trying to tell Inferno anything, and arguing with him was going to get them no where. If she was alive? Alive, yes she had been, but her life had been controlled and rested on the filthy foul paws of that mutt that lingered just a two minute walk from where they were now. It had pained her to know that the pack had suffered another unnecessary famine. She knew that it had not been due to lack of skill, or an absence in prey, but rather the game was in hiding and she had learned exactly where. Unfortunately, Khalessi had been taken from them before she could get back to share her discovery. She listened to his bout about replacement and mourning, but it had never been about being replaced, and had nothing to do with her hurt. The way he expressed his sorrow was irking, they had been so sad and in pain at her absence that they had stayed put even now when everything was getting back to normal? Was she so wrong to expect the same response she would have given if it had been one of them? Khalessi envisioned the role being flipped and was absolutely sure that if it had been Inferno, she would have searched high and low for him. Finally the white female opened her eyes insulted by Inferno's accusations. She wasn't twisting anything. There was only one side to the story that she knew and was sure of, just as he was sure of his. However, instead of expressing such frustrations Khalessi left it at that then finally stood and stared at the male before her. "Who am I, Inferno?" she questioned him softly, slowly brushing past him and circling around to sit beside him. "Describe me" she requested while looking at the spot where she had just been. For so long she had wondered if it was her fault, her ultimate doing. The pack, with the exception of Blitzen, had known so little of her and if that was so, she couldn't have expected them to be concerned with a female they had known so little about.

And that was it. Inferno watched dismiss his words in favor of her own expectations. He couldn't change the past, and he couldn't change the fact that he and Blitz had failed Khalessi. It was horrible that it happened, and it was horrible that Khalessi had to go through such misery, but neither Inferno's words nor Khalessi's disappointment would change that. That had just clicked for him, and gone was any more will to continue fighting for the white wolfess's understanding. What did it matter if she cared about the leaders' motivations? Obviously, the answer was 'nothing', as they'd still not done what she expected.

As the wolfess came and sat beside him, the coppery male side-stepped away, hackles rising angrily. "I'm not playing that game with you, Khalessi," he growled, ears back, knowing what she was up to. Both of them knew he was doomed to lose. He could describe her as well as she could describe him - vaguely, with distantly observed traits from long ago. Whatever she was going for, that answer was not going to satisfy her. This was going in circles, and Inferno couldn't take it anymore. "You were once my pack mate; that's all I know. As for who you are now, I wish you would just get over yourself and tell me." But that hadn't happened so far, and the male had stretched his patience far beyond its limits. Her unwillingness to suck it up and be straight with him was going to make things more inconvenient for the male, but Inferno was at the point where that was a better option.

He faced her for a moment, shaking his head almost imperceptibly for a brief second. "I'll be around. If there's one thing I've learned from all of this, it's that you belong here even less than I do." If his ex-pack mate wasn't going to tell him what she was up to, Inferno would just have to keep an eye on this little group, though for Khalessi's sake, he hoped she'd just clear out altogether. Staying so close to the pack lands was not doing her any good. With an eye still on the white wolfess, the male headed for the trees, gritting his teeth at the pain in his foreleg and at the disappointment that nothing had been accomplished here...well, he did get a meal out of this...

((Inferno continued - with about a year time lapse - here: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t144-the-return ))

Khalessi's eyes sparked with interest at Inferno's lack of wanting to 'play her game'. The male's refusal to answer the question told her everything she needed to know, so in a sense he perhaps was willing to play. Not that she was making some game out of it in the first place, but she found it amusing that his response generated the thought of a pup and she merely stood there as he tried to release his aggravation and anger with her. What did he want her to say? That she had felt betrayed, lost, forgotten? And that those feelings hurt more than she had ever experienced before; more than he could have ever possibly known? She was the same Khalessi she had always been, but just a female who had to learn to deal with pain, and letting go. This, it seemed, was something Inferno could not grasp, something he himself would not be able to share and help her with. So there was no reason in expressing herself. What he thought he wanted to hear, was not what he actually wanted, of that she was almost sure. She stared deeply into his eyes as he faced her and acknowledged his words with the slightest turn of her ears. Respectfully, she let him leave, but before he could get out of earshot she made an offer. "Then I guess it will be the both of us, when it comes time to face the almighty Blitzen". With everything said and done the white female stood and walked off further into the trees with no intention of returning to the others. What she needed was peace.

((Khalessi continued here: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t117-back-to-the-beginning-open ))

Blaze could only laugh at that statement as he tried to busy himself with cleaning his paws, which had yet to be cleaned from his recent meal. "Join the club" he said teasingly then glanced back at the trees where the other two had disappeared to. "I just sort of stand there and make an ambush when told, Khalessi is the real hunter. I'm starting to feel she could outrace and outrun anything if she felt like it". Which couldn't be said much for Blaze. The brute was so muscular and large, he wasn't even capable of much running, it was more like a sort of trot, and even that wouldn't last very long before Blaze gave up the pace. For someone who couldn't hunt well enough on his own, energy was a necessity and wasting it on running was a big risk for the heavy male. So instead, he scavenged, or took to finding the burrows of foxes and hare's if he happened to be lucky. Still, not much of that was to be found around these parts. "Although, I don't know how much practice you're going to be able to get. Neighboring pack lands are completely intolerant of loners, and all the prey is inside the lush landscape of this Silverlight pack. Luckily, from what I hear, the pack isn't doing too hot and might be easy to overcome. It's be a golden ticket to a nice meal." Blaze looked up to the female then to the direction of the heart of Silverlight. It was a tough world out here, and no place for the weak. Unfortunately for them, Blaze was too hungry and in need of such security to pass up the opportunity to take it.

Ember listened silently to Blaze's words, frowning as he said that Khalessi was the real hunter and that she wouldn't get much practice this close to the pack. It was rather annoying that the food supply was within the pack's lands, but at his mention of overcoming the pack, she glanced over at the lands. She was no warrior, and even if she did stick around with Blaze and whatever part of this group didn't fall apart, she doubted she'd be much help. If anything, she'd be a liability. Blaze looked strong and powerful to fight, but she could tell by the scents of this pack that it was fairly large, and their tiny group had little hope of overtaking them without casualties.

"Well, just because they're not doing well as a pack doesn't mean that they're easy to take over necessarily." She said softly, looking back at the male and frowning. "From what I can tell, there's quite a few members in this pack. I'm sure that not all of them are disloyal like Inferno." She wanted to add 'and Khalessi' at the end of that sentence, but she didn't know for sure whether or not the white female had been a part of the pack. "If you're trying to recruit help by offering other loners food, I'm afraid I'm not much of a warrior either." She said and flattened her ears apologetically. She didn't mean to be difficult and argue with him, she was just a bit confused. She didn't think it was possible, but that didn't mean that she wasn't interested in sticking around. Although, she did know that she wasn't going to stick around and fight a pack - probably losing her life or getting seriously injured - for a small group of rouges that she didn't have any loyalty to, nor had reason to. She had to think of herself, afterall.

Blaze looked up at Ember expectantly wondering where exactly she would get the idea that he wanted to use her to fight a pack that outnumbered them. Firstly, he was much smarter than that and secondly, not everything had to be won by brute strength; though that was one of his finest points. "They don't have to be." he retorted with slight amusement at her assumption "and no one is trying to recruit you as a warrior". He laughed softly then looked back to the pack lands with envy. "I've got a few years under my belt, and although it's nothing to be proud of, warfare and strategy is still a talent of mine. Unfortunately, they're just the target because an big old wolf like me isn't ready to kick it in the dirt just yet, or bow down to get a chance at a meal". Blaze yawned softly then looked over Ember once more and offered his usual smirk of confidence. "You just get your hunting practice in. It's not everyday you get an opportunity to learn from some of the most talented wolves of this age".

Ember couldn't be more confused at Blaze's intentions, but she let it go, assuming that she'd figure it out eventually. When he told her to learn to hunt, she nodded slightly, intending on doing just that. But still, the white female had not returned, and she began to wonder whether she ever would. But for now, she waited patiently, something that surprised her. She was hardly ever patient. But then again, she had company here, so why worry? It's not like she had to start practicing right now, right?

When she looked back at Blaze, she took note of his confident expression, although she herself would naturally interpret it as cockiness. But she didn't care, he hadn't done or said anything to offend her...yet. She said nothing for a while, laying down slowly and resting her head on her paws in bordom. Her belly was full, her mind at easte (for the time being), and the obnoxious Inferno absent. What could possibly go wrong?

Even as these thoughts ran through her mind, she spotted movement in the bushes. Her mind told her it was something dangerous, but her nose told her the opposite. Her ears pricked in interest as she scented the hare, a bold little animal, huh? Without a word her laying position shifted to a crouching one, her ears perked and her eyes on the bushes. Now, an experienced hunter would wait until they could see the animal before lunging, but well, she herself had said she wasn't very good. Now she accidentally proved it. She lunged into the bushes, failing to recognize their composition. She came crashing down on painful thorns, sending an echoing yelp through the trees as the hare ran off to safety. "Crap!" She growled, wincing and yelping softly as she tried to right herself and escape the throned tangles of the bush.

Blaze sensed Ember's growing ease with his presence as she decided to lay down, and although it was a good sign of her sticking around a bit longer, he couldn't help but feel insulted a bit. There had been a time where everyone had been frightened of him, and no one dared stick around let alone allow themselves to get comfortable. Perhaps, yes, the females did have a certain air of protection from him, but still, was he not as threatening to the public? Had he lost his certain edge that kept others at bay? Blaze snorted and huffed in protest, all the while wondering what he looked like to through their eyes. He was just about to say something when Ember picked up interest in a hare.

He hadn't smelled it as she had, but his heightened sense of hearing had picked up on the critter long ago. He hardly paid attention to those kind of things these days, and he wondered why Ember was now zoning in on the small mammal. When it became apparent by the way she lowered herself to the ground he said nothing and went back to grooming himself.

The loud crash made his head jerk up as she turned it to look at the female who had tumbled into the thorn bush and yelped with pain. The large brute stood at this laughing with amusement and walking over as she struggled to free herself. "I admire your sense of eagerness to get started. Though I didn't mean right this second." Blaze sat down right in front of the bush and smirked at her predicament. He wasn't sure if he should help or let her do it all on her own.

Ember scowled at him as he laughed at her and walked over, his voice mocking and obviously amused. When he sat down and watched her, a smirk on his face, she huffed in frustration. She was squirming to free herself, wincing as the thorns tore at her and left small, painful cuts all over her. "That's ok, I've got it. Don't get up." She growled, her ears flicking back alongside her sarcastic tone as she struggled and squirmed to free herself. She only managed to get herself more tangled, and somehow had a branch twisted around her muzzle, leaving a scratch dangerously close to her eye.

Finally she quit moving, panting in frustration and defeat. The stupid bush had won their brief and painful fight, and now she was sitting there helpless, tangled. She got stabbed or cut every time she moved, so she sat there, glaring at the mocking eyes of the male wolf as he sat there being everything but helpful.

Blaze's ears perked and swiveled at her sarcastic remark, and like she insisted, he didn't move a muscle. "Alright, if you say so" he retorted with just as much sarcasm. He patiently waited watching her move this way and that, cocking an eyebrow as she outlasted how long he thought it would take her to quiet her movement. When she finally did and took to just glaring at him, the large male only returned her menacing look with a crooked smirk. "You know, your beauty doesn't change even now."

He rose at the comment and walked over cautiously, making sure to keep an eye out for stray thorns. Against his better judgement Blaze reached over and placed his head against hers, gently using his longer canines to separate the thin wiry branch around her muzzle from her skin. When it hooked just right he pulled it away from her, slyly sliding his nose against hers as he withdrew. When he cleared it from her face he spit it out and studied the rest of the tangles with interest, avoiding the look in her eyes from his inappropriate move.

Ember continued to glare at him as he spoke and then waited for her to stop struggling. At his next comment, her ears flicked back slightly, not sure how to react to it. So instead of saying something, she said nothing. She watched him walk closer, closing her eyes as he hooked the thin branch around her muzzle and pulled it away from her, her ears pinning back as he slid his nose against hers. Now that wasn't necessary.

She could tell by the way he avoided her eyes that he had done it on purpose, and she scowled at him, but said nothing. It wouldn't help her case any if she were to start yelling at the only wolf that could help free her right now. So she kept her mouth shut, grateful to have it free of that sharp branch that he had just removed from it.

The majority of the branches were wrapped around her legs, but luckily clumped together so it would be easy removing those. So far the only seriously hazardous one he noticed had been the one he removed from her face, so the brute decided to do something,well, brutish. He raised his paws and stepped onto the clumped thorny branches around her leg, focusing on the front two. He winced slightly as he leaned forward and his weight pushed them down so that she could step over them. For the remaining he reached to her shoulder and quickly took two branches in his mouth and jerked his head back until they snapped from the pressure. It was better to do it quickly so the pain would be over quickly. He shook his head as that familiar metallic taste entered his mouth then he went for the few left around her belly. When he snapped those two he remained standing on the thorns, waiting for her to move out before he released them from underneath his weight.

Ember was surprised as he worked to free her, watching his expression change as he removed branches and snapped them from her body. Finally she felt the looseness around her legs, leaping quickly from the bush and onto solid ground behind Blaze. Then she sat, licking at her cuts with her ears perked up and her eyes on Blaze. "Thank you." She said softly, obviously embarassed by her failure and well, crash and burn. She then went back to licking her cuts, her ears flattening as she lost count of how many she had.

Then she looked back up at him, frowning slightly. "Maybe that wasn't the best idea." She said softly, her ears flattening to the side in embarassment as she watched him for his reaction. She assumed that he'd outright agree with her and make fun of her, but she didn't really care that much. At least she was prepared for it, right?