Waking up in the early hours of morning, Samael found himself sprawled out by the den he had made for himself. Sleep walking was real, he had heard, but he never knew it to be possible. The male could feel himself healing, though he was not at one hundred percent. He was thankful to Cheshire for what he had done, but he never got to voice his gratitude to the ashen male. The wolf stirred to the side and rested on his rear haunches. His tail swept over the ground, collecting dirt and debris as he pushed to stand up. As he did so, it shifted his ribs slightly and he cringed with pain. It was not as bad as it once was, but it was definitely not getting better overnight. He walked slowly, careful not to stir any pain within him. Anything unneeded was avoided at all costs. He walked over to the water and started to lap at the cool liquid. He closed his eyes as he felt the water roll down his throat. He was tired, even though he had just woken up, but the water seemed to help stir him awake. His bi-colored eyes stared to the area around him. He decided that he should move to a different area. Being weaker was dangerous in Rogue lands. He needed to go to the neutral lands where there would be less of a threat. Samael moved as quickly as he could, without causing pain on himself. There was one place he could think of that he could get some peace and quiet. The Exiled wolf moved along a lonely trail. His eyes watched the floor as he passed each tree and stone. His tail hung gently between his legs. The sun was starting to shine brightly. His black coat seemed to absorb all the heat, making it feel ten times hotter than it actually was. He found a shady area and walked carefully to lay beneath it. His eyes closed and opened, as he tried to fight them to stay awake. He couldn’t recall the last time he had actually eaten, but he didn’t have the strength to go chase something down. At this rate, if Samael did not get nourishment, all of Cheshire’s work would go in vain and Teren would have been correct.

Thrown into a land of hell on earth, Samael was trapped within his own mind. His body was weak and tired, very tired. He could easily slip into a deep sleep and never awaken. But an angel had come to his rescue. It was a bit strange, but when the midnight wolf opened his eyes, he saw the white creature with two large wings attached to her back. They were large and long, spanning a few feet from her. There was a heavenly glow around her as she floated down to him and nuzzled him gently. A smile appeared on his lips and he licked at her. But as her voice changed, Samael opened his eyes and saw these illusions were gone. The thing he had licked, it was a dead rabbit. The wings and the glow, gone. He looked to her, seeing her body in such distress. Lifting his head up, he propped his upper body up on two elbows. His gaze looked over her form as he tried to utter something to her. "T-Tundra.." His voice was so soft and gentle, it almost disappeared into the wind. He grabbed at the rabbit and started to bite softly. It did nothing, but he did not have the strength or the power to try anything more. He was tired. His body kept telling him to give up, but his heart told him to keep going. There was a reason to live now, a reason to try. Her head was turned away from him, but he could tell she was worried. He hadn't heard much of what she spoke to him, but he knew she was really trying. The Exiled wolf slowly got to all four paws and walked over to her. "Tundra, thank you."

"Yes, you do need to..." Samael spoke as he lowered himself to the ground once more. He could smell her perfectly now. Beneath all the stench of Erenyx, was Tundra, the scent he recalled when she had first joined the pack. It was beautiful, more so than lavender or chamomile. The Exile closed his eyes as he took it all in through his onyx nose. It felt good to see a wolf he actually knew. Cheshire had been a great help to him, and he was grateful, but life was not easy and he knew it would only get harder with time. It occurred to him that Tundra was in danger no matter where she was with Samael. "Tundra... it's not safe here..." He lifted his eyes to look into hers, the amber gaze he adored so much. It was dark and mystical, and felt as though it pulled into his heart and tugged at the very strings holding it together. If anything happened to her, all would be lost and he knew it would be his fault. "They are coming for me. They want me dead..." He turned his gaze from her, and looked back at the food. He needed to eat it, but he also wanted to be close to her. For her, he would try. For her, he would live. Samael pushed himself back up onto his paws. He walked over to the kill and devoured what was left. It was not much, but anything would be better than nothing. Samael could feel his stomach beginning to grumble even more. But he no longer wanted to look weak before the fae.

His eyes scanned the area, looking for anything he could add in his stomach. His eyes looked near and far, catching sight of a fluffy bottom. His ears perked ahead, pointing as far north as possible. The large male was as quick as he possibly could go. It was nowhere near as fast as he had wanted to go, but it was progress. This was the first time he had actually ran since the day of the fight. He could feel the sharp pain in his side growing, and spreading, but he was not about to end this, not now. He saw the rabbit, eating a leaf or something. He stalked quietly, slowing down to barely taking a single pawstep at a time. He lurched closer and closer, keeping his head low. But he knew what he had to do next. It was killing him to know the pain he was about to suffer. Forcing the weight of his body to rock backwards, he shot himself forward, attacking the small prey. He snarled and yipped at the thing, trying his best to pin it down. It scurried out from under his body, but Samael was not going to give up. He almost felt as if this was his first lone hunt, and he was being judged. He knew Tundra would think he was weak and pointless if he couldn't kill a damn rabbit. How was he going to take out a full blown Alpha with years of experience and the size to help it? Teren was the largest wolf Samael had ever seen. He was probably the largest any wolf had seen. The male continued on his hunt, trying to pin down the prey. Finally he got it. He lunged and landed flat on the small body. Stretching out his side in such a way forced the pain to scourge his body. It flashed and flared, forcing the wolf to cringe and whine. Luckily the rabbit had died beneath him, so the chase was over. Samael curled himself into a pathetic ball, whimpering from the amount of pain he had forced himself to take. What was she going to think of him now?

Pain scourged his body, forcing him to feel the weakest he had ever in his lifetime. The Exile laid on the rabbit, keeping it in place, but it was not long until he was wrapped up beside Tundra. Her body was warm and the smell of her scent so close to him yet again, it was a magical feeling. He couldn't explain it, but he felt safer with her by him. He breathed slowly, taking in everything as he listened to her speaking. Her voice soothed him, even if she had not been the most comforting wolf in the lands. "I know others want him dead. I know I could get help, but I have to do this on my own. You don't understand. He has taken everything from me. He took all of my family, and he took my apprentice. The king is a menace and he must fall to my paws, to avenge those I love more than anything. I will not allow him to hurt anyone else I..." he cut himself off. Was he really ready to be making any hasty judgments or decisions now? No. He was not ready for such a step. But he wondered if she would want to hear that he did love her.. or even that he was in the direction of loving her. The brute was not entirely sure with himself, to be completely honest. Samael took a deep breath before continuing. "I would rather lose my own life, than endangering the lives of any others. Then at least everyone else would be safe, and another more worthy wolf, could step up and take my place as Alpha. Hell, even my baby sister could become Alphess of Erenyx if I were to ever see her again. I must see her..." He trailed off in thought as he spoke of Aleu, remembering poor Katyusha was still beneath the benevolent leader. He would need to find a way to help her as well, Steele would have wanted it that way.

"I don't want you or anyone else to be in any danger because of something stupid that I did. Yeah it was brave, but it was mostly stupid. I am an idiot... I just didn't want Chiara to get hurt.. I didn't ant anyone else to get hurt." Lifting his weight off the rabbit slightly, he was able to grab it by the ears and pull it out from under his body. He pressed it to the floor with his paws, in case it was able to rise from the dead and flee once more. "Tundra, yes I got help from a healer, and he didn't tell me much. But he told me to wait it out. I don't have time to wait. I need to be training my body, to build myself back up to what I used to be and beyond that. I am not the same Warrior I was, and I am not good for you now. Maybe back before, I was... You should use your time to go find a wolf of valor and strength. I am nothing now..." As he spoke the words, he felt his own heart shattering into a million pieces within his chest. He didn't know how she would react or even what to say. But he knew the best thing for her, would be to push her away. She had saved his life this time, but if she needed saving, would he even be able to do it? "I am... sorry.... I truly am..."

If there was one thing to be said about Tundra, it was the fact of just how stubborn she was. Samael knew he was stubborn, and he also knew she was just as much, if not more than him. "Damnit Tundra..." he growled as he finished his meal. "Teren will die beneath my paws, I will pin him down and rip out his throat. You are starting to sound like the nay-sayers and the ones you doubt me." He couldn't believe he had done such a thing to her. The wolf who actually came to help him. But it was too late to turn back now. He couldn't take back what he had done. "His little pet will bow down to me once he sees I am King. There will be n attacks from Irrationality, I promise you this. But this is still far from now. I have to rebuild myself and I still have some growing to do. You will see Tundra. I don't need the help from others. I have to avenge the ones I love, the ones I have lost." He grunted as he rested himself to the floor once again. He could feel the pain spiking within his form. But he could do nothing to stop it. "I do not fear Teren nor his scum brother. No wolf is worse than he. He is a monster, consumed by hate and rage. He needs to be extinguished. Once he is, I know there are some noble wolves in Erenyx. It can be fixed. Even if I am not the one to fix it. There are those who would bring peace to the pack, and justice, honor among many other things. They only need the chance. If I am to kill Teren and survive, everyone will follow me. They will have no other choice. If I am to be a warrior to let everyone help, I might as well be a young pup again, allowing my mother and father to hunt for me, to rip my food to pieces before I am even to try. Speaking like that, I might as well rip my testicles off from between my legs and give them unto you as a gift."

He quieted down once more, allowing he fae to speak. She told him that wolves were alright back home. But he knew they would never be the same. He had lost so much of his own blood to the monster, he knew what it was like. No wolf would ever be the same. Samael began to clean the pads beneath his paws, licking them up and down, between each toe. He cleaned himself well, the first time he had in a long while. She spoke on and on, Samael listening as his tongue stroked his paws and then to his legs. She began to speak of burdens and whatnot. She even laughed like a lunatic. The male looked to her, slightly confused. Had he forced her to completely lose her mind? As she began to grow louder with her tone, Samael watched her closely. She was very mad at something. Perhaps she was mad at herself for finally showing a side of herself that no wolf had seen? The brute did not speak for the moment, letting her air out all her frustrations at him. That was probably the best advice he had ever received from his father. "If a fae yells at you, shut up and listen" Samael obeyed the words in his mind, knowing they were to be true. No longer would he leave himself to lay as she finally finished speaking. "You're crazy, Tundra..." He moved himself from the ground and walked over to her, standing before her and he looked into her eyes. "You're crazy about me, like I am for you. You're mad because you don't want me to die, because it would kill you. You are frustrated with me because I can't see the points you are trying to force on me for not only my own sake, but for yours. You can't imagine your life without me, trying to start all over again. I get it..." Samael took a few steps closer to her, staring her right in the eyes still, not allowing her to look away even if she tried. "Tundra, you are the last good thing I have on this earth, and you are not even mine to own. Back there, when you saved me, I did not see a demon. I did not see a monster, I saw an angel. I thought days ago, that I was going to die, that Teren would win and I would never be able to look upon your face, or smell your sweet scent again. I miss my family, and I miss Striker, but if anything happened to you, I would never recover. I might as well go throw myself off a cliff. Not any things matter to me anymore. But you do. From the first night I laid my eyes on you, I knew you were special. I got to smell your scent before it was plagued by the monster who runs your pack. That smell has stuck within my mind, never releasing my hold of it. If you want to yell at me, give me more advise, I don't care. I will take it all, I will listen, and I will learn from it. I would walk a thousand miles for you. All because I love you. I love you Tundra, and I know we can't be official mates, but I want you to know... that if you will have me, I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will be here for you till the day I take my last breath. So what do you say Tundra, Warrior of Erenyx.. the most beautiful fae I have ever laid my eyes on?" It was a bold move, he knew it. But it was all out now. She could do whatever she wanted and Samael would accept it. He would wait as long as he needed to  just to be with her, he would do anything she asked. It had taken a year for hims to realize it, but he was in love with this fae. He wanted to make her his mate and in the future, when the world was safer, he wanted to start a life with her. He wanted all to know that his heart belonged to her.