The canopy overhead bustled with life as Wolf meandered through the dense thicket of greenery. The heat enveloped his form and although it was much better than the cold he had endured recently, even he, lover of the tropics, was a little toasty. It was more the humidity than anything. It hung heavy in the air, entangling him. Wolf shook out his mane roughing, picking up the pace just slightly.

    His jaw hung loose as he panted, bobbing with each trotting step; though, he slowed to a stop and lifted his head into the air. Wolf's nostrils noticeably flared as he scented at the still air, drinking in the heat and aromas around him. The jungle was busy, so locking onto anything specific, unless he really focused on what he was looking for, was a relatively difficult task. He thought about seeking out water, but truthfully, it was a very lazy day.

@Enid

code by fear

I will run, I will fly

chase the wind and touch the sky

❧
"Wooooohooooo!" She cried out into the air while she raced through the jungle that she had been calling her temporary home. It was so warm and pleasant on her skin. Enid's feet carried her in bounding strides as she sprinted through the jungle like a little woodland sprite. Her larger body darted between the vegetation and wove around the trees. As usual, her lack of tasks and inclusion in anything lead her to leading a pretty carefree life in this place. She would soon need to branch out and see more of this world than the jungle and maybe try making some friends.

That wasn't a thought that stayed in her head too long, though. The orange flowers she had stuck into the fur behind her ears was clinging on her dear life, desperate to stay in her fur while she zoomed around and stretched her legs. A gnarled tree root ahead of her stuck out of the ground like a sore thumb and in a huge push she lurched herself over it. Another log ahead was the perfect obstacle to prove to herself that she was a great jumper.

Revving herself up a little more, Enid punched the gas and put some extra momentum into her leap to make it over the fallen tree. In her surprise she cleared it! She landed on the other side and carried on forward, looking over her shoulder to laugh mockingly at the log without missing a beat.

Victory! She thought until she turned her head to meet smack into the broad side of an unlucky traveler. "Ooof!"

@Wolf

    As Wolf stood like an immobile statue amongst the vines and thicket, he could hear something tearing around the jungle. More like someone he could tell, as they cheered and hollered. Twitching an ear with a mild amusement, he listened, pinpointing the sound. He tracked whoever it was as they grew near, standing still as he continued to give his attention to whoever drew the party toward him.

    Actually, right toward him. Wolf glanced to the side, now spotting a strange looking creature hurtling directly at him. Confusion left him frozen and all he could muster was a gruff "Watch out—" before being plowed over. He landed with a thud on his side, releasing a cough as he stumbled to paws. His gaze shifted immediately to the stranger, but "strange" didn't quite cover it.

    Wolf shook out his mane, his eyes still fixated on his "attacker." He cleared his throat, trying to play it off as if he hadn't just been knocked to the ground. "Now was that necessary?" he questioned, his eyes narrowing slightly in a playful, unamused sort of way.

@Enid

code by fear

I will run, I will fly

chase the wind and touch the sky

❧
As her body flung itself over her unfortunate target, she landed on her back on the other side of him. She quickly scrambled to her feet, brushing her paw over her chest to brush herself off. Enid nimbly appeared in front of him again and her eyes darted from various points of him. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" her head turned and tilted as she inspected her victim.

She felt the telltale burning in her throat, her eyes welling, but biting it back this time. The hairless girl walked around him for one final inspection and let out a sigh of relief to see that there was no obvious damage to the lion.

"Phew," she exhaled, "You should really watch where you're going, you know. You never know what's lurking in these jungles. A fella could get hurt out here." Okay, obviously she was the one that ran into him, but still.

@Wolf

    Wolf raised a brow. "Riiiiight," he said sarcastically, "Totally my fault." The man flashed her an annoyed grin, his gaze shifting away from her. "Anyway, Patches, I have got to get going," Wolf mentioned, seemingly bored, "This has been super fun though." With that, he turned on his heels and shifted his weight forward to take a step, but the next thing he knew was his chin on the jungle floor. "Ow," he groaned, the simple statement muffled by the terrain.

    Rolling to his side, he moaned again. "This day keeps getting better!" Within his movement, he could feel it now, the pain in his wrist. It grew hot, as if he held it over a fire. Shifting his weight again, he made his way onto his back, paws in the air. He held both forelimbs out, then bent his right wrist. So far so good. It moved freely and without pain. Then he attempted his left. An echoing roar ripped from him quite dramatically. It wasn't broken, twisted maybe, but not broken. He would at least need a few minutes to stretch it out and rest it before leaving, he knew that much for sure.

    With his right paw rested on his chest, Wolf kept his left arm outstretched, gently shifting and twitching his foot. "Ow," he said plainly, elevating his head slightly to look upon the cat he was trying to get away from. "Well, great work, Patches!"

@Enid

code by fear

I will run, I will fly

chase the wind and touch the sky

❧
Patches?!

Enid's face scrunched together and she reeled her head back some. Her mouth opened to retort, but before sure knew it, he was on the ground with his paws to the sky. A small gasp came from her, but she stood and waited to see what he would do. He tested his feet to find the injured one and chose to remain where he lay.

Her head tilted at his peril, but she scoffed loudly at his pointed fingers. "Me?!" She stopped herself before she continued. Okay, it was her. She breathed out and uncomfortably bounced in place. "Ooooh, alright, hang on." With a quick turn she disappeared into the jungle undergrowth and let the search begin.

She mumbled and muttered to herself as she combed through the vegetation until she spotted what she was looking for. A cluster of yellow and orange berries. "Ha!" With careful jaws she picked a stem of them and returned to the downed lion.

"Here," she said, placing them beside him. "Eat the whole plant. The stem and leaves will help with any pain. The berries are an added bonus." She explained while leaning back to sit down.

@Wolf

    There he was, a stranger offering him weeds to eat, flat on his back, in a hot ass jungle. He was really killing it right now. "What is it?" he questioned, obviously not going to just blindly trust her because... well why the hell would he? "I try not to just shove random plants into my my mouth is all," Wolf clarified before she answered him.

    Grunting, he allowed his weight to teeter and fall to one side, his right side. That way, he could use his working leg to gather himself into a sit. It wasn't graceful, but he thought it was better than continuing to expose himself to the hairless woman. Huffing, he blew his mane out of his eyes, clearly not enjoying himself.

@Enid

code by fear

I will run, I will fly

chase the wind and touch the sky

❧
The offer wasn't accepted right away, which in reality made sense to Enid. She had come to learn that there were more lions out there that were less than trustworthy. After all, she did run him over. She backed up a bit to give the lumbering brute space to heave himself upright again. Clearing her throat, she pushed the stem of leaves and berries towards him once more. "Uh, I don't remember what they're called. They help with pain and inflammation." Enid explained, nervously stumbling over her words.

"The leaves and stem are kind of bitter, but the berries will help with that." Enid leaned back and sat down with a prompt thump of her rear hitting the ground. Her tuftless tail coiled at her hip, watching him curiously to see if he'll indulge her.

@Wolf

This had already inconvenienced his day enough, not that he had much going on before this had happened, but regardless, he'd rather get it over with quickly. With a shrug, he shoved the unnamed plant into his mouth, berries and all. "This better work," he muttered to her, raising a brow questioningly.

She was right, the leaves and stem were bitter, but the berries weren't bad. He chewed and swallowed it quickly, smacking his lips and lapping his tongue over his snout a few times. "I've had worse," Wolf joked. "So, where'd you learn about this kind of stuff?" He wasn't really into herbs or plants. He didn't have much knowledge on it at all, hence why he just trusted a stranger who technically could have just fed him poison.

@Enid

code by fear

I will run, I will fly

chase the wind and touch the sky

❧
She was satisfied to see that he did in fact give in and take the plant offered to him. But boy was he stubborn about it. "My brother," Enid answered simply, pausing briefly, "Taught me what he could before I left." And since then she's been learning as she went. Sometimes she would be lucky enough to run into someone who could help her identify some new plants. She would need to find herself a designated mentor soon if she wanted to actually make some progress in learning.

"Look," She started, "Sorry for uh.. running into you and stuff.." Enid trailed off, raising a paw and rubbing the back of her neck. "I really like to run and sometimes I get a little lost." Her stomach was in knots knowing she hurt someone, even if it wasn't serious.

@Wolf