I apologize for Hotaru being so rude. She's just grumpy.

Word Count → 325

Hotaru's ears twitched as she heard slow, heavy footsteps approach from behind her. Whoever was approaching her sounded much larger than Cain and they were coming from the entirely wrong direction. Even so, the blind wolf still held onto some desperate hope that it was her nomad friend. Hotaru turned her reddish head just slightly to show that she acknowledge the presence behind her. "C..Cain? Cain, is that you?" Even Hotaru could hear the panic in her voice as it quivered and shook. Hotaru knew and dreaded the answer and as she heard the strange males description of his pack her heart sank.

Dread clouded the young woman's face at the realization that she had been abandoned and betrayed. Not only that, but now there was some strange male behind her. Fawkes noticed his master's distress and protested vehemently against the stranger's appearance. Spreading his massive wings, Fawkes glided to his master's side and stared at glared at the red male. Hotaru, sensing Fawkes by her side, placed a quivering hand on the birds back. Fawkes waited patiently for direction, if need be the hawk would throw away his life to protect Hotaru.

Hotaru didn't move from her spot on the log, nor did she turn her body to face the male. Rather, she turned her head away, but left her ears facing towards him. If he were to approach, she would hear it. She did not trust him, despite the fact that he seemed to be sincere in his concern. The grey women took a deep breath before replying with a cool voice, "I am sorry if I have trespassed. I am new here and just a little lost. My companion should return soon, he is just... a little late is all. Which means he will come back any minute now..." Hotaru wanted the male to go away, for Cain to come back. She wanted to back home with her brother, to see again.

Word Count → 280

Hotaru could tell she was being rude. Before her injury, she would have politely introduced herself and give a pretty little smile. Hotaru would have been oh, so pleasant and her brother... Hotaru shook her head frantically, trying to wipe the memory from her mind. The last thing she needed was to reminisce about the not so distant past. Hotaru had made it out with no visible injuries, but her mental wounds were festering. The grey wolf fought off her anger and rage. Whoever this stranger was, they did not deserve her biting tongue.

Hotaru carefully turned around, but did not leave the safety of her log. The blind women could hear her perch creak in protest under her shifting weight, yet the sound was so minute that she doubted the stranger before her could hear it. In an attempt to seem normal, Hotaru pointed hear massive head in the direction she though the male was standing. Unfortunately her aim was off and her head pointed too far to the right. Still, her eyes gave no sign of the disability that impaired them. Hotaru worked to change her body into a more submissive position, but could only succeed in lowering her shoulders and tail. Hotaru's ears acted as window to the outside world and she could not, would not, lower her ears for the sake of appearances. "There is no need to search for my...companion. I fear Cain may not be returning. If you could escort me to a cave or unoccupied den, that would be...so...helpful." It bothered Hotaru that she needed to rely on this stranger's help. She did not trust him, nor would she ever trust someone again.

Word Count → 326

As the strange male moved Hotaru's head remained still. Despite the male's large size, his movements were quit and well concealed. Fawkes kept a weary on the male, but made no comment on his movement. As far as the bird could tell, the strange wolf was not moving towards his master, thus the movement was irrelevant. Hotaru continued to stare off into the distance with her shadowed eyes, unaware of what was happening. Hotaru's ears were able to pick up a slight rustling, but her untrained mind mistook the noise as a shift in position rather than a shift in location.

It wasn't until the male spoke up that Hotaru realized her mistake. The sudden change in direction caused her to start and her red ear's flipped toward the direction of his voice. The grey woman's body tensed and her heckles raised out of instinct. But as her mind took over, she realized that Fawkes would have given a warning cry if the male had come closer. Slowly but surely her muscles relaxed, but her guard was up. Hotaru reached for her staff and set the carved wood across her lap. If need be, the staff could be used as a weapon to defend her self. She had carved the staff herself and was sure of it's sturdy weight. It was a simple tool with none of her usual finesse. She would have to re-learn the art of carving in order to return to properly use her craft.

Once Hotaru was calm enough to respond she answered in an icy undertone. "Perhaps these strangers can do me a favor and 'escort' Cain home." Hotaru was clearly mad. Not only was she abandoned, but this strange male was playing stupid games. She did not choose to be blind, and did not appreciate him taking advantage of her disposition. Still, Hotaru needed to find shelter so she did her best to remove the anger from her voice. "Is there any place that I may reside safely? I have some... difficulties getting around."

NP.

Word Count → 44

Hotaru kept ear keen ears trained on Shawchert. She did not want to be caught off guard again and would be ready if the male decided to move. Hotaru's ears twitched a little when she heard the male sigh with relief. He was trying to get her to stay with the pack. The grey wolf's mind flooded with thoughts of doubt and suspicion. Why did this stranger want her to be with the pack? Why did he insist on playing such stupid games. If things were going to turn violent, then Hotaru needed to know more about her opponent. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that and she was just being paranoid.

Before answering Shawchert's question, the blind woman turned her attention to Fawkes. After she became blind, Hotaru had worked on a few commands with her avian companion that would help her out in situations like this. Although Fawkes was extremely intelligent, the routines still took time to teach. "Fawkes, inspect." It took a minute for the bird to understand what Hotaru was asking, but once the command was processed, he took off without further hesitation. Using wide sweeps, the red bird circled around Shawchert several times before returning to his master to report his findings in low speech.

As Fawkes was circling around the male, Hotaru took time to answer the his questions. She had calmed down a little was able to keep her voice steady and polite. "Please don't mind Fawkes, he is my eyes now and is simply looking. Fawkes is a red tailed hawk and on of the smartest birds I have ever seen. I don't know what I would do without him." When the hawk returned to Hotaru's shoulder, she reached up to stroke his cream colored underbelly. Fawkes cooed with delight and nipped happily at her fingers. "As for myself, I am Hotaru Ki...just Hotaru. I appreciate your help and I am sorry for getting angry earlier. I've been on a short fuse lately, so I apologize for being rude."

The blind woman had decided to abandon her last name a while ago, but the slip made her sad. The pain of loss and betrayal were still fresh in her mind. Perhaps she should join Shawchert's pack. The new surroundings might be exactly what she needed to forget her past. Plus, with the support of a pack she might be able to learn how to carve again. The thought of wood carving cheered Hotaru up a little, allowing her to finalize her decision. With a quick nod to herself, she turned her head and smiled a little at Shawchert. For a breif moment, the old Hotaru had returned.

NP

Word Count → 271

Hotaru and Fawkes noticed the approaching stranger at the same time. Fawkes rustled his wings a little and nipped at the grey woman's ear to alert her. Hotaru was expecting the stranger, but the added presence still made her a little nervous. She was not sure what to make of this situation, but she kept her goals in mind. The grey wolf needed shelter, and she needed time to adjust to her condition. She only hoped that this pack was friendly.

Hotaru's ears perked at the sound of the strange woman's voice and she listened quietly as Shawchert explained the reason for her intrusion. Although the blind woman did have a hard time hearing Shawchert's comment about her condition, she could still make out his words. Hotaru rolled her amber eyes and waited patiently for her turn to speak.

The grey wolf couldn't believe her luck. Not only were the two wolves considering letting her stay with them, but they were also a pack of artists. The only thing that reveled her excitement were a few slight twitches in her tail. Other than that, Hotaru's body remained still and complacent. "Nice to meet you Skye." The blind woman gave a polite tilt of her head. "It is as Shawchert said. I am without a home and any assistance that you and your pack can offer me would be more than welcome. A pack that center's around art is quite unusual. Are there any wood carver's in your pack? I used to quite skilled at the art before my... accident, and I would love to be able to pick it up again."