Eventually? Just how long did she plan on following around, and why’d she insist on him being the victim of her need to talk.. She had a pack, surely she had parents as well, and even if she didn’t she could’ve most certainly went to bother her packmates for company. Sure she went on and on with questions and suggestions he didn’t quite care for but she wasn’t as annoying as she could’ve been, even as a child she had a more mild energy than most so why weren’t they out here teaching her not to talk to strangers..

A short huff flared his nostrils, if she knew every nook and cranny as she said she did then she could take her time tailing him.. he wasn’t blind, and clearly she could see just clearly as him, this weather wasn’t getting any lighter any time soon, in fact it was getting heavier, if she didn’t go home she’d be stuck in it just as he was.. and he could only hope she didn’t plan on staying with him throughout it as well.

“If that’s why you’re so interested in following me then I can assure I’ll be just fine..” He might not have known these woods as well as she had, however he truly didn’t care to learn either, this wasn’t, and surely wouldn’t be his ‘home’, there was nothing to go back to, so when he continued moving there was no need to remember the marks in the trees or rocks that made an area more special than another.

Had she only just realized his scent had no connections aligned with it? Though it took her time, she wasn’t wrong. He was alone, with no affiliations nor ‘company’ besides herself just now, he had no intentions in becoming apart of any kind of group, he was just fine being the only one giving him instructions and whatnot.

He decided to stay silent after her last statement, his paws caving into new patches of fresh snow with each step. He couldn’t quite help noticing the shadows of the trees along with themselves becoming more elongated than before. The sun was setting, and it wouldn’t be too long before it had completely fallen over the horizon, was there any vacant cave on this damn mountain??

[she doesn't know that the world is turning just for her]

skill: [none]

Now, Euphemia was beginning to get flustered. Perhaps being around her brothers and siblings and uncles all this time gave her an inflated sense of self-importance, but it began to bother her that this wolf showed no interest in her at all, over and beyond her perspective on death. He largely ignored her, though she was being perfectly kind and demure; ignored her so entirely that he didn’t bother to turn teeth on her, or bark at her to scram. Euphemia fell quiet, aware that she should not be walking in stride with him anymore, but unsure what else to do.

He did, however, assert that she was following him because she believed him to be alone. At this point, Euphemia realized that she was following him, but she didn’t just want to let him go. There were a lot of reasons: he looked like dad, she had a place to sanctum to offer weary travelers, and the fact that she would want to be treated the same way – amongst other reasons. Her mouth pressed into a line, she muttered That’s not why. and continued to trot in a continued silence.

Whatever.

It only took Euphemia a few moments of traveling in silence to emotionally recover from his devastating blows. Need a place for the night? she offered as an olive branch, voice soft, eyes on the setting horizon. A specific location bubbled up in her memory, and Euphemia grinned up at the darkened spectre, petering her pace to a stop. Follow me, she suggested, turning her breast 45-degrees in the other direction, positioning herself to lead him away from… wherever he was going.

She wasn’t so certain that he would choose following such a childish nuisance over following his morose solitude, but it was worth a final shot.

---

A whisper of an explanation.. well not quite, she said that wasn’t the reason why.. which only made him question if not for the pity of another in unfamiliar woods then what was it? His posture and lack of voice at times surely wasn’t inviting, he did not even pay her much mind when she first approached him, let alone now. However he wouldn’t rack his thoughts with useless inquiries he was quite positive would answer themselves in time, the silver sprite had all but stayed quiet.. well until now.

The silence was a short lived blissful experience, it had seemed she had ran out of conversation for the meantime. He figured this meant she was getting rather tired of these one sided conversations he very minimally contributed to. Though she soon gave a bark of an offer, a place to stay? The wind was getting stronger, and the snow heavier, he would have little luck catching anything in these conditions.

Did this mean she would leave him to keep his own company? Surely it did! She had a pack as spoken earlier, clearly they were large enough to not need even the smallest, noisiest sprites to aid them after such a loss with a bear, and it would be common knowledge not to rest beside a stranger, even in his original body he knew that.

It was hard not to underestimate the little sprite that now led the way, even now he could completely see over her, with her in his normal resting eye height she was nothing more than silver ears poking into the bottom of the invisible box, and to add to it she talked.. a lot, so no, he wasn’t concerned about her turning on him, he was more concerned that the people, no, wolves, in this world hadn’t taught their children basic survival skills. Just where were her guardians??

So with such a thought lingering about, he followed the silver sprite, his ears twitching and mildly reacting to the quick light steps she made compared to his slower, much heavier ones. What a day this was turning out to be..

[she doesn't know that the world is turning just for her]

skill: [none]

Euphemia felt strangely self-conscious as she guided him, half surprised that he actually did so, and half uncertain exactly what to do now. Did Euphemia know of a place he could pass a night? Of course she did, they were in a prosperous & fertile mountain valley, there were infinite places he could safely tuck himself away and slumber undisturbed. But Euphemia was curious about him, so she walked somewhat aimlessly, ready to pull off to a random sleep-quality crevasse at a moment's notice.

The maiden glanced backwards, over her shoulder, at him. She wondered why he didn’t seem to have a destination he was working towards. For all intents and purposes, the nameless male appeared to be wandering aimlessly. That was weird – what kind of weirdo had not a single soul waiting for him, or to rush back to? It made her sad, and knowing these lands well, Euphemia wondered if he was recently awoken. It was always obvious when someone was new to Mythris, as they acted much like him;

aloof, aimless, despondent. Like they had recently lost everything they loved.

Euphemia slowed her gait down so significantly that the only way she would not be walking beside him would be if he ceased walking entirely. She now looked up at him beside her, instead of behind. She smiled, wondering if this would be the smile to break him. I’m Euphemia,” the silvered maiden finally introduced, leaving empty space afterwards for him to introduce himself, too.

---

He could feel the cold dampness of the snow ticker across his coat. The snow was falling harder now, in thicker clumps with spurts of heavy winds here and there. He had been following the little sprite for quite some time now, approving the silence that settled between them now, it seemed she wasn’t so full of questions anymore, maybe she had simply ran out of fuel, or perhaps she had gotten tired of his indifference within their one sided conversations, well except for the one partaking the topic of death.

‘Are you afraid of death?’ Was a question with only two answers with many variations, however the dame answered with the most common, yes. He expected it, she wasn’t only a child, why would someone so young be prepared for something so dreadful? She was healthy, curious, full of life as it seemed, she had something to live for.. while he had not, he had already live a life previously to this one, it was long, tiring, he was indifferent to his death, and yet here he was, not dead. He was thrusted into a new beginning, in a new land, with no responsibility he hadn’t given himself, it made him wonder just what was the purpose of it all.

The silver sprite seemed to slow her pace, putting herself right beside him rather than ahead of him.. he had seen this before, she was about to start talking again. Before she could even get a word out, he gave a rumbling sigh, mentally preparing himself for the new format of questioning he’d be sentenced to. However there wasn’t a question, just a statement, her name. ‘Euphemia’. He contemplated answering with his own, and yet thought against it. Names would make them more familiar with each other, and he was not yet ready for such a task, so instead he looked at her, if not for only a few seconds before parting his lips to speak once more. “Is your pack aware that you willingly talk to anyone you meet?” He questioned, if not to change the subject, to induce some kind of self preservation in this lonesome child who clearly hadn’t been taught better.

[she doesn't know that the world is turning just for her]

skill: [none]

Euphemia hauled a deep sigh, not sure what she had been expecting from him, but disappointed all the same. Maybe his own moniker was something embarrassing on un-masculine, or perhaps it harbored memories or trauma, and that was why he did not reveal himself to her. Euphemia was not disappointed because sadness or hesitation existed, but because she desired to know those parts of him. In the length of this interaction, the maiden had managed to become exceedingly curious (and worried) about him, and naturally, wanted to know more about what made him the way he was – including facts such as, and including, his name.

and several other things there-after.

Truthfully, Euphemia was not frightened by darkness. She lived and thrived in the darkness; which some might find surprising, given her small stature and youthful vigor. Still, she had oft experienced grievous loss and the vicissitudes of her heart in even mundane things left her sometimes despondent – unsure what was right or real. She understood this as an innate part of herself, and she saw that within him, and whatever their life experiences, one thing would always be true;

that misery loved company.

If he passed her a glance, Euphemia did not notice. She looked forward, nose pointing in the direction they were heading. You to are willing to speak to anyone you meet, it seems. she commented simply, wondering if that was as obvious to him as it was to her. For what it was worth, Euphemia was rather good at readying body language and he had the miasma of a sullen street cat. Angry at the world, but not exactly pushing it away either.

Euphemia decided to explain further. You could have demanded me to leave. Could have run me off. Not that she ever wanted to push someone to such an extent with her presence, but she believed in his autonomy. If he wanted to, he would have. Suddenly, Euphemia stopped in her tracks, and finally looked his way.

But there is no need. Here you go.

Off in the yonder distance, there was the beginning of a large cresting hill, and at the base of it – a crevasse that was large enough to fit a wolf or two. Its best feature, Euphemia knew, was that the way the earth and rocks had eroded made it so there was a perfectly viable alternative exit, if one needed. It was her favorite place to find respite when she decided to take a reprieve from Dawnbreak, but did not want to sally too far off. The maiden hadn't intended to leave him here and share one of her private abodes to the world, but here it was when she needed it, as it always was.

Unintentionally, Euphemia cocked her head as she looked at him and wondered what he would do next. Would he bid her adieu in some gruff manner, or perhaps give some snarky remark in that weird way of his; the one that was silently begging not to be left alone.

---