The ghostly-white Spirit had slowed a lot since leaving the vicinity of the marsh, which was where she had left a fight. She'de call it a minor cat fight, if only that was a suitable name for it. More like a dog fight, but that wouldn't fit either. It was more of a mixed fight, but Spirit was lucky enough that she had managed to get away so easily, and with probably next to no one seeing her.

The wolfess' eerie baby blue eyes lit up at the sight of the farm-- the exact place she had heard of by a few other animals that had been here, or else heard of her as well. Spirit was one lucky canine for making it here in the amount of time that she did, considering that she did have a wounded hindleg that had a bullet lodged inside. Since that little run in with a couple of humans was some time ago, the pain had weared down a bit, but now her leg was feeling achy and sore. The blood had long since dried up and clotted, keeping it from leaving her body any farther, but since she had to wade through some water, she was quite wet, making some of the blood loosen up and drip down from the wound.

Drawing in a deep breath, especially since she had been going at a fairly fast and constant pace most of the way here, she had slowed now and was making her way out onto the open yard. Looking around, and making sure that no one spotted her, she drug her shot limb along as she moved to the porch, and rested her front end on the bottom step, with her forelegs bent over the top and her wounded hindlimb stretched out over the prickly yet soft grass. She winced slightly at some of the pain, but grinded her teeth together some more, not wanting to give in. She wasn't like that, of course. She could handle things like a brute, but a bullet lodged into her leg was something that had never happened to her. And, if anything, it was by the bone, which could have possibly been something that helped stop it from coming out the other end. Either way, her bone felt fine, except for the dull feelings she got at times when she went to bend it too much. Who knows-- maybe it had nearly been broken?

Pointing her maw upward, she emitted a low, long howl, calling for any assistance, but mostly human. She wanted that Lady to come and fix her up, heal her leg, simply get rid of that darn pain! Then she ended it with a couple barks, and then watched the door, auds pricked. Any time now, but it'de better be soon. Spirit was getting sick of limping around, holding her leg up all the time. It was far more tiring than covering some long miles at a flat out run, even when she was moving slowly. It could take a lot out of you, she simply had to admit.

SPiRiT

The copper-skinned girl peered out of her shelter of braken, chocolate eyes looking about for the source of the howl she'd heard. The spots of brown instantly alighted upon the white wolfess on the porch, and she shifted to get her feet under her as she rose, hand-made leather boots making next-to-no sound.

As she came slowly forward, it became apparent that the black hair that was pulled back from her face was nearly knee-length, tightly bound in zillions of tiny braids, each trimmed with a crimson bead. A matching bit of cloth banded all together, keeping the ebony plaits out of her face. Crimson breeches and overshirt set off a cream-colored undershirt to advantage, though sometimes the eyes of those who could see color wished for less brightness. But red was all the girl ever wore, for reasons that she kept to herself.

She stopped several metres from the porch, lowering into a squat as she leaned on her plain-capped staff, murmuring quietly. What ails thee, daughter of Earth and Sun?

The white fae was still resting on the porch step, awaiting the arrival of some human that could help her. Who it was, she didn't really care, but she had only ever heard of the one they called the "Lady." A name better suited for a canine... she thought silently to herself, with her face emotionless as she was deep in thought. If this valley had animals in it that hated each other so much, then everyone might as well go on their way or be killed. It was the apparent thought given to Spirit when the group of canines ganged up on her and a new friend. Where was he, anyway?

Suddenly, as the new scent of human drifted to her nares, she lifted her elegant head and turned her eerie eyes in the direction the wind was blowing from. Immedietly, she put on her slightly aggressive look, having noticed that this one had come from somewhere besides the house. Yet, maybe she was some helper?
Not desiring to let her protective guard down at all, she slowly slid her legs in under her body and stood, holding herself up in a strange manner. It could be very evident that her leg was wounded, since it was being held up and her body was at a slight angle as she stood there, unmoving, looking up into the girl's eyes. Spirit's eyes held the strong, powerful look, and were just daring this human to make the wrong move. Although this wolf was in no excellent condition to put up the best of fights, she still had a mean bite and could move fairly quickly.

Well; what are you waiting for? she then thought, staring at the human as she spoke her own words in a "foreign" tongue. After that little run-in with those last humans, she had become more wary of them. She had discovered that there were good and bad of every kind of creature. But now to see how this human was.

The brown eyes widened a little, forehead furrowing in concentration as she tried to decide how was best to act with this obviously suspicious canine. Finally, moving slowly, a bronze hand went down into a belt-pouch to retrieve a bit of dried meat, standard-issue for any trader, and deftly tossed it toward the wolf. It landed scant inches from Spirit's paws, and she let her voice flow soft. Here now, khenemset, fear me not. I come to help thee, not to bury thee. What purpose might a pretty thing like ye serve me dead?

Freya wasn't keen to move close just yet, knowing that Spirit had no reason not to take a chunk out of her hand. Venision, khenemset. Probably tasted its like before, though I daresay not spiced like this is. Try it.

Spirit watched the human, unknowing of her foreign words. What did these humans say, anyway? They couldn't possibly have much to come out of those strange mouths, although some animals had quite a bit of trash that came out of theirs. Oh well; Spirit wasn't too worried. Body language was all that she needed for now, until she better learned the ways of the two-leggeds, and humans better learned the ways of animals. Some attacked so pointlessly, as she had just witnessed some time before, along with their incredibly sassy canines that they used as slaves. Humans... A total splinter in the paw.

What's she doing? the white fae thought silently to herself, sniffing the air strongly to take in the faint scent of meat. Some kind of meat. It smelled lightly of spices, but Spirit couldn't be sure. Keeping track of the girl with every sense she had, Spirit lifted her elegant dial a bit higher and stared at the piece of food, almost sure that it was of a deer.
Her head was given a quick jerk backward as the meat seemed to fly over to her, landing only what seemed to be a foot in front of her paws. Auds pricked, she came forward slowly, sniffing the slice more carefully, taking in the scent of spices. Interesting, but wierd all the same. Must be some kind of animal or whatever, though she had to say it smelled of deer. Or something, of course.

Finally deciding that all was safe, or fairly safe, she stretched her neck out and then moved her limbs, bringing her closer to the spicey meat. She then began to lip it up, then was chewing it softly yet quickly within her jaws, making sure to thoroughly mash it up between her sharp canis teeth. Pretty darn tasty... she then thought, finally finishing off the last of the small meal before checking for any side effects. The spices were different, but they tasted good enough to her.
Licking her chops, she looked back up to the human, now sitting back on her haunches. Tilting her head, she practically forgot about her wounded limb, though it still stuck out from the rest of her frame like a "sore thumb." Great; she didn't even have a thumb, thank goodness.

Intense brown eyes watched the pearlescent female sample the meat, and she smiled softly, though she was careful not to show teeth. Her voice was soft and warm, knowing that the tone was the only thing Spirit would understand. Ah, likes it, do ye? Maybe ye would come let me have a good look at that leg, see what I can do? I have more venison, if ye likes. And she lay the staff down, and reached to her belt to draw off her sheathed dagger, laying it beside her.

Freya was now unarmed, and less threatening to the wolf, who could certainly attack her before the girl could scoop up one of her weapons. It was a sign of trust, though she was by no means stupid. The girl was versed in unarmed combat, as all trader children were taught almost from the cradle. If the female decided that she wanted to attack, the bronze-faced girl could defend herself long enough to get to one of her weapons. There now, khenemset. What say ye?

The white wolfess, suddenly remembering what she came here for, winced slightly at the brief shot of pain through her leg. She had forgotten all about it! Spirit had to admit; at times, her mind could be a little strange.

Pulling her wounded, blood-stained limb in a little closer to her sitting body, she gave a soft bark to the girl, as if knowing what she was saying. I wonder just what she's saying... she thought silently to herself, left audit flicking as it was overcome by an itch. So irritating...

Although a wolf couldn't be sure, certainly Spirit, this girl's voice sounded a tad softer than other humans she had heard before. Even in their strange tongue, they had voices that could be understood by the intensity, and all those other things. Spirit wasn't one to just attack when there was no real reason; after all, this human hadn't done anything but given her some spicey meat-- which, above all else, tasted pretty darn good. That was surely a positive thing, no? Hah, one time was enough to change an animal's personality towards something, especially a human of all things. Spirit had never minded the two-leggeds, since none had ever given her much harm, if any, but a strike like this was too expensive for her. Now she was wary. She couldn't let it happen again. And those strange, giant canines at the marsh, whom had been accompanying those humans from the prairie... They'de probably be after her and her friend sooner or later. But when that time came, Spirit would be ready. She would just need to track down her friend. Kanon; Kanon was his name... she thought, keeping her eyes on the human. Tilting her dial to the side again, she gave another light bark. Food? she then asked in her head, watching as the girl. She had mentioned something about the same thing whenever she pulled out the meat, and the girl was saying the same word again. Could it be the calling of the food she ate? But whatever; she could certainly live without it, yet it did taste good. She wasn't here to gain pounds though-- she was here to have her wound tended to. She couldn't stand having her pelt being matted in a crimson wave. It simply wasn't natural.

Intelligent eyes watched the vixen, thinking. How could she convince Spirit that she meant no harm? But then, the white lady responded. The word venison had certainly got a rise out of the wolfess, and set Freya to thinking harder. Perhaps she recognized the word? After all, dogs were smart enough, why not their wilder cousins?

Acting on a hunch, she dug into her belt-pouch again, removing another few cubes of the meat, speaking again, the same word in the same soft voice. Venison. Want venison? She did not throw the meat this time. The bronze faced smiled softly as she dropped a few cubes of it a few inches from her own feet. Digging out a few more, she offered them out with an open hand, palm up, so that Spirit would see that she was clawless and weaponless.

Oh, this wolf was a fast learner. Usually, anyway. When she heard a word, it stuck like glue between a fly and a surface.
Wanting to find out if the girl was digging for more of the meat, or if she was just looking for something else, she lifted her head a bit more, and took a couple small steps closer. She tried to peer in, but couldn't manage seeing what was going on. The food! she shouted gleefully inside her mind, which was just about 100% focused on the hand holding the meat as it was taken out of the pouch. Spirit's eyes lit up at the sight, and her mouth began to water. Heh, so she had also forgotten that she had been hungry. Oh well, yet this human had better have enough food to go around.

As the girl dropped a few cubes not far at all away from her feet, Spirit's eyes hungrily followed the bits. Then the two-legged was holding it out in the palm of her strange paw. Humans; so wierd. A bit hesitant to act, she slowly took another few steps forward, and then, once she was about a couple feet away, she moved forward quickly and went to snatching up the new pieces within her cunning jaws. Catching a cube, she went to chewing on it, leaving the thought of pain out of her mind. Far out. Right as the spicyness hit her tongue, she felt her spine tingle, and she licked at her spiced chops. Yum... she thought to herself, finished with running her tongue over her sharp white teeth before going to put her maw back in the girl's hand to grab some more. Soon she was finished though, and sat there, licking her mouth thoroughly. Auds pricked attentively, she stared at the human, with her wounded limb still sticking out from the rest of her body. Although she appeared so rested and laid back, she was still alert and ready to spring. After all, she was only sitting about a foot and a half away now, since she had backed the opposite direction a bit once she was done eating. She had even gone for the bits on the ground, and her belly was slowly but surely getting filled with deer meat. Delicious deer meat, that is.

The girl dared not move a muscle as Spirit crept closer, and spoke softly and sweetly to her. There, now. Good, isn't it? Now, let's try something new. And she dug in another pouch, moving always slowly, coming up with a few bandages and herbs. Placing a couple of each in the same hand, she lay a few bits of the meat on top and held out the hand again. The meat would draw her close, and hopefully she would recognize the sight and smell of the bandages and herbs, and maybe understand that Freya meant to help her wounded leg. Here, khenemset. Venison.

Still watching, Spirit followed the girl's hand everywhere it moved. She was becoming quite curious of this girl now, for whatever reason; maybe because she seemed so different from the others. But then again, everyone-- and everything, had their differing personalities. An animal couldn't exactly be sure of a human, either. After all, it was practically impossible to tell the actions and feelings of humans without the animal's ability of sensing. It actually was beginning to confuse her a bit. Moving forward again, she took some sniffs of the herbs and other things, catching the scent of the bandages. Something new, she assumed. She had no clue what it was, though. She wanted to try for the other bits of meat on top, but decided against it. Sitting back on her haunches, she stared at the hand, knowing all of the scents now but the bandages. They smelled of non-natural items. Stuff not found originally in nature.

She let the white girl take her time about it, murmuring soft and low all the while. Seeing that her action had brought no result, she decided to try something else. She scooped the meat from the top of the pile and lay it out, letting the wolf take it at her leisure. Finally, she dug into a third pouch, coming up with a pre-prepared treat.

This particular mixture was one they had used onboard ship to tend to their mouse-cats aches and pains. It was the same herb that Freya had shown Spirit before, but ground very fine and cooked into rabbit meat to make it more digestible. It tasted almost just like regular rabbit and, more importantly, the cats didn't know what they were eating. Finicky as they are, most self-respecting cats would never touch the little treat balls if they knew what they were eating.

Pulling two of these out of the pouch, she dropped them in among the venison, a single word voiced. Rabbit. It seemed Spirit was a smart girl, so perhaps she could learn this one too. Plus, if she ate the little treats, they would lessen the pain that the bullet wound inflicted.

Spirit would have to admit: she was beginning to get curious by this unusual human, but slowly, she was losing her interest. This was too long of a process. Couldn't this two-legged see? Spirit was no aggressive creature by simple nature; it took something big to bring out her inner temper. But then, of course, humans couldn't understand animals well enough. She'de just have to accept it, and go along at this rate, no matter how slow and tiring it really was.

Feeling quite content and laid back at the moment, more now than ever around any human, she gave a slight yawn and went to shaking her hueless pelt. She was still alert, though, and wouldn't completely let her guard down. No, that would be simply crazy. Then again...

Suddenly, as the girl laid the meat out, the wolfess came forward again, and bent her neck down to retrieve it. Yum... More! she exclaimed in her mind, muscles tense and taught from her excitement. For some odd reason, she felt so at ease now. But when she went back out into the wild after being tended to, she'de be waiting for the day when those hounds showed up. Gee, Spirit was leading a busy life. She'de miss a certain few, though, sure enough...

Just then, a short while once Spirit had finished off the rest of the meat, the human went to digging her hand around in another pouch. Only slightly tilting her head this time, she expected it to be more of that spiced meat. To her surprise, though, it was something new. While she thought that even this meat smelled familier, she sniffed it some more anyway. It had another scent along with it. Did it smell of rabbit? Spirit knew of most of these animals; after all, she was like a "meat eating savage"-- at least in most human eyes.

Eyeing the new inventory of food, she had inched forward a bit more, taking deep breaths to make sure the smell was locked securely in her memory. She also took the sight in, making mental notes of how it looked. Her auds were there to hear the word, and they caught the sound of the new word, locking that into memory as well, having never heard it come from a human mouth. She figured she'de need to know these, for future reference. Once that was all done with, she went to pluck up the treat items within her strong jaws, with a breath that was now smelling of not only canine oder, but also spices and somewhat of herb. She had to thing, this new food did have a slightly altered taste. Who cared, though. Everything this human had given her so far had tasted different from what it really was. When all the meat was gone, she went to lightly nudging the girl with the tip of her wet black nose, wondering if she had anything else, or was even going to tend to her wounded limb. Little did she know, the herb she had eaten would help rid her of some of the pain.

The copper face seemed to light from the inside as the canine began to nudge her, and she decided that it was now safe to tend the wolf. After all, she didn't want any fingers missing when she was done.

Moving always slowly and allowing Spirit to smell everything she wanted to, the girl pulled out a second herb and mashed it into a paste, spreading it gently over the bullet wound. This woudl cause the bullet to fall out, and avoided the more primitive method of cutting it out, which hurt and also sometimes left shrapnel in the wound. This was much cleaner. That done, she wrapped the wounded limb in a light bandage, cleverly attaching it to itself so that it would not take out any of the white fur. She had also gotten clever and used some of the dissolvable bandages - as soon as the paste had done its work, the chemical reaction of the herb would dissolve the bandages, removing the need for the wolf to come back for more human help. Smiling softly, she spoke. There, khenemset All fixed up.

Spirit continued to sit there while she gave the human a couple last nudges, and then pulled away. Her eyes shown inner intelligence; Spirit knew this human could be trusted enough now to help her leg.

Eerie blue eyes now turning to watch as the herb was mashed, and then she slightly winced as it was spread over the bullet wound. Just beccause the blood had stopped running didn't mean that the skin was still sore. After all, there did happen to be a bullet lodged inside. But oh well; Spirit figured that humans couldn't be very smart in reality anyway.

Auds pricking, she kept her eyes focused on everything the two-legged did, wondering what all this would really do to help her.
The paste stuff must be to help clear up the wound, and the wrap to aid the paste... she guessed, tilting her head as she looked down at her limb once all of the work was finished. Observing it thoroughly, she sniffed at the finished "product," and then looked back at the human. She wondered if this gunk ever came off. Even if it didn't, though, she'de be able to come back to have it taken off.

Finally feeling as though she could walk without pain, which the bandage did help to rid some of the pain, along with the paste, she raised herself up onto her paws, and shook her thick white pelt. She had been thinking about it, and decided that she'de give the human something as a thanks. Although it wouldn't be much at all, it was better than just turning and running off.
She reached out quickly and flicked her salmon tongue out, desiring to give one of the human's strange paws a small lick. Once that was done, she ran her tongue over her teeth from the saltiness of two-legged skin, before then turning her body around and beginning to run off, into the surrounding forest. Finally, she could live like an animal again! Just as soon as she had appeared, but even sooner than that, her pure dove white form disappeared beyond the foliage, with a loud howl echoing out from the trees. Now for her next priority...