arrival(open)

Kynn had no real business being at Estreya's Pond. He had no one to accompany him, no one to meet and greet upon arrival, and certainly no lovely she-wolf to rendezvous with. No, he was simply wandering, uninterested in much. The lands here bored him and the creatures even more so. He had, on his way, seen a Caribou running through the fields as if his rump was on fire. The creep had been bellowing and spewing out gargled yelps like he was dying or something. Come to think of it, Kynn had gotten a strong scent of decay after the bull had vanished. These lands were boring, but strange. Licking his nose to moisten it, the wolf walked nonchalantly down the bank of the bond, turning a curious gaze toward the crystal like water. It was so clear, so still that it was almost hypnotic. There was the stir of a turtle as he passed by and he paused a moment to watch it float toward deeper water. Peculiar indeed. What would it feel like to possess a mobile home that doubled as a shield? Kynn pondered the thought for only a moment before he continued on his way.

The wolf was losing himself in his own thoughts when a scream cut through the warm air. He froze, ears erect, head cocked to the side. What the hell? He remained silent, unwavering like a statue alongside the water, as he listened for any other cries of distress. It was not that he heard anything more, but he—as a predator— could sense a being in anguish not too far from here. Naturally, he would search out whatever it was and make it an easy meal. But not this day, for Kynn’s breakfast sat heavy in his belly. He had no desire to shed blood, and no desire to end any suffering that may be going on. Still however, his curiosity was peaked from the shriek, and so he headed in the general direction. Perhaps it was a fawn that was separated from its mother? No, couldn’t be. He knew deer too well, when a fawn has been separated from his doe, he’ll bleat like the world was ending. Had they not learned to silence their children? That crying was a beacon for predators, including him. Kynn could sense he was getting near, and it wasn’t too long before he stumbled upon the scene.

A young looking antelope, no older than a few summers, was unconscious in a mud pit. Kynn clambered on a large rock to stay out of the thick substance as he observed the situation. She was definitely something he hadn’t come across. She was smaller than him, he could tell by this distance, and he could tell she definitely was not the norm around here. Kynn snorted in confusion. What the hell was she? Not a whitetail, not a mule deer, nor black tail. A mutant, perhaps. She was breathing heavily, and there was a nasty gash on her right leg. Bummer. He thought as he tilted his head a bit and took a large breath into his lungs. Kynn hesitated when he turned to leave. It was quite the pity to be in her situation. And while he was a wolf, that by nature ate her kind, he felt as though he could have a bit of fun with her. He knew well of Estreya's Pond and knew that if he were to come with soiled thoughts and discontent intentions, he may suffer from something he could have actively avoided. Besides, he already ate this morning. There was no need to kill the unconscious injured female who lay so pitifully in the mud. A smile crept onto Kynn’s face and he sat down on his boulder, peering down at the youngster. He cleared his throat unnecessarily loud so he’d wake her and said, “Whoa there, Princess, you seem to be in a bit of a pickle. How’d you manage that?” His tone was an overly sarcastic one, and he hopefully used the right one to signal that he wasn’t here to eat her. "Care for a helping paw?"

It took a few moments, but sure enough, the young doe had her eyes trained on the wolf in front of her. As was to be expected, she lashed out and tried to retreat, seeing him only as a threat. He ducked quickly when a glob of mud flew in his direction, but straightening up with a chuckle. Kynn couldn’t help but smile as she squandered her already drained energy, only to fall back onto her rump in defeat. He turned his gaze on her injured leg, which was now inflamed and bleeding. The scent of blood roused the predator within him, but it didn’t take much effort to sooth his inner demons and wish away the desire to kill. The wolf took a deep breath when the doe seemed to calm down. It took another few moments before his words seemed to register in her brain. And then she began to respond positively, which earned her another closed lip smile from the predator. “That much is obvious, sweet pea.” He said in almost a mocking tone, amused of the fact she had gotten herself into such a bad position that would only lead to be taken advantage of. Kynn prided himself as he careful clambered off the rock, knowing he would never had let himself get to where she was. He was a smooth, well thought wolf who took his time and never rushed things.

Before aiming toward the mud, the wolf landed on the grassy bank, turning and looking back toward the water. “Wait here a moment.” He commanded with a deep, throaty chuckle. Hah, where was she to go? Kynn abandoned the small deer to return to the pond, the distance seeming father than he expected. He waded into the cool water, relishing in the feeling of it cooling down his fur. What he was looking for was moss— a sponge of some sort. And it wasn’t too long before he found a big of rock covered in a thick deal of the strange plant. He tore off a mouthful, scrunching his face up in the bitter taste. Gah, how did herbivores handle this disgusting plant diet? The wolf tried to ignore it as he dunked the moss in the water, inflating it with liquid, before he went trotting back toward the helpless doe. He reappeared on the rock and looked down at her muddy position again. Grinding his jaw and letting some of the water drip out and splatter on the surface of the boulder, he set it down and hopped off again toward the forest. How was he going to set it in the mud so she could drink? Why, he’d use that big old wolf brain of course! Kynn grabbed a disgusting mouthful of leaves, leaned over the mud, and dumped them in a pile in front of the deer. He then took the soaking moss in his mouth and leapt down with her.

Kynn grimaced at the feeling of mud between his toes as he trudged through it toward the tiny deer like creature. He circled around her, examining her left side before passing her rump and coming along to press himself against her right side. The feeling of mud digging through his fur to press against his warm skin was sickening, but he did his best to ignore it. It was only then did it actually process through his mind how much larger than her he was, and it gave him a sense of power and authority. He bent down and dropped the moss onto the pile of leaves, which thankfully kept the water from draining. “It’s only a sip, but it should help.” He mumbled, leaning over and sniffing at her injured leg before carefully nudging his muzzle under it to lift it from the mud. “Keep it off the ground.” He directed, flicking his ears and shaking his head to get the mud off his maw. He waited a few moments for her to lick up the water contained in the moss before saying, “Lean against me for support, alright? We’ll take this one step at a time.” And then, he slowly began to lead her from the muddy pit up a shallow bank and through the forest toward her intended destination.