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[[ Just a record of what we got on IM. ]]

Thayne came out of the den slowly, his wound obviously troubling him. Now that he and Tony had settled back in the packlands, he had stopped moving so much and his wound had stiffened and ached his shoulder. When that started, he stubbornly refused to stay still in the den and moved around his usual sentry rounds for the territory -- granted, his progress was slow, but company was good. Tony went with him on some occasions, especially when he limped more than usual. She worried over him and it warmed his heart; instead of fussing with her fussing, he only laughed and allowed her to do as she wished. She had been over every inch of the packlands with him except the much-touted seaside; he had studied every inch of his travels more thoroughly than ever before, looking for hideaways, escape routes, ambush sites and prime fighting grounds in case of attack. His encounter with Kurogane had jaded him, and his dedication to the protection of his mate and his pack was becoming something of a silent obsession.

His posture said he was generally relaxed but for the ache in his shoulder. The edges were curled and dark, the skin crinkled as it continued its slow healing process. He nuzzled the black-and-white female affectionately, tail wagging slowly behind him. He sized her up mentally, noting how her demeanor was changing and how the change was positively glowing around her. She was becoming stronger, both mentally and physically. She made him proud when she had politely denied Hige's offer of further charity and gone on to hunt of her own accord. She was making him prouder every day. "Foun' somethin', I see," he commented. "Did y' 'ave a good hunt?"

Tony smiled and licked Thayne's cheek as he drew in close. "I did, and now you should eat." She answered simply and somewhat firmly as well. She could stop worrying when he healed, and he could only heal if he kept himself in good shape, or perhaps if there was a shaman in the area, which she doubted. She'd seen his limp and gotten used to it, but couldn't help but keep it in mind as a reminder for what trouble she'd caused him, vowing to be stronger next time.

He ducked his head obediently with a warm smile. "Yes'm," he said dutifully, knowing there was no use in arguing. He lay down slowly, being easy on his shoulder. It was getting better, but the healing took time. He didn't like that it was taking this much time, since he had no idea when he would need all his strength, but he would simply have to be patient. He didn't have any other choice. He tore open the hare with gusto, eating slowly and appreciatively. He eyed her as he cracked apart bones to get all the meat within the rabbit's pelt. "I 'ope ye ate b'fore ye came back," he said carefully around a mouthful of muscle.

Tony exhaled softly, a smile ever present on her maw these days. She couldn't help it, the feeling of being accepted, wanted, cared about enough to even fight for, it had become all but a lost concept until this dark-pelted male came along. The omega placed a contented wash and n** to one of his ears and settled down mostly beside him, letting him eat silently. She hadn't eaten yet, but mostly due to lack of pressing need. What was more important to her was getting food back to Thayne, who was better off not hunting for himself for now. She'd eat soon, but for now the she-wolf felt no need. "Not hungry just yet," she replied.

"Hm" was his only reply as he continued to eat. It didn't take long to finish off the rabbit, leaving nothing but clean-picked bones behind. He licked his lips slowly to clean off the blood and bits of flesh before he rose and shook himself. He felt like a short dip in the nearby creek. Maybe it would help his shoulder again; it burned a little with the healing.

Tony shifted so that he had room to rise, curious and unaware of where he intended to go. She'd follow, however. "Does it hurt again?" She asked, referring to his injury.

He nodded, adding to it a verbal reply in the affirmative in case she didn't catch his nod. "Aye," he said gently as they made their way toward the creek. "Gonna let it cool a bit." He stepped gingerly into a small waterfall in part of the creek, letting the water wash over his shoulder as he sat in the water.

Tony followed without fail, standing at the edge of the creek where she could watch but still give Thayne the room needed to wash his wounded shoulder. "If there were only a shaman in these lands..." She murmered to herself.

Thayne lapped up some of the cold creek, washing down the taste of blood on his tongue. He shifted slightly to let the water wash out some of the dirt in the wound. "It'd be nice, wouldn't it?..." he said softly, staring off across the trees down the slope, toward the sea.

The border collie she wolf stepped closer, licking his muzzle again. "What are you thinking about, Thayne?" She asked softly.

He nuzzled her gently, standing and shaking himself carefully. "Tha' ye 'aven't been t' th' sea yet," he replied with a smile. "Why not?"

Stepping back, hearing this, Tony gave a soft wag of her tail now at the idea. Since Thayne had eaten, and already taken care of the old battle wound, getting out and seeing the sea at last seemed like a good way to spend the afternoon. She'd already seen every other inch of land this place consisted of, and it was beautiful, but she was curious. "I'd love to."

Tony's ears perked as they always did, hearing him refer to her with the affectionate name. She also did have a small laugh as well at his joke. It took far more energy to be negative and restrain a laugh than it did to let it out, and letting it loose felt better. Knowing that Thayne didn't want her to worry the omega tried not to do so more than necessary.

So... she followed, tail batting softly at the air as she gave a n** at one of his ears.

"I'm sure the view is just as breathtaking, even if we don't get there till the stars come out."

And besides, if they were together it mattered little where. She kept that thought to herself though.

Tony had never seen anything larger than a lake before in her young life. Her pack was centered in the forest, back home, she'd only ever heard tales of the lake that expanded forever but seeing it now for herself left the she-wolf with a deep seeded sense of awe, wonder, and slighted size. Just how big was the world? How far did this go? What was to the East and West of it? It wasn't long before Tony's tail was wagging and beating the air like that of an excited pup's! The sudden rush of freedom she felt was almost overwhelming!

"Thayne, it's amazing! Look at how big it is, I've never seen anything like it!"

A childish glee could be heard in the omega's voice as she gave a small laugh of exiliration. Her entire demeanour had picked up, and you'd swear she was a teenager on a field trip rather than an adult of low ranking.

She wanted to smell it all! She wanted to rush out and play at the water's edge, feel the wet sand under her paws, play a game of tag with Thayne-- there was so much to do here!