The snowstorm had stopped. Finally. It was still snowing, but there was no more wind to blow the flakes into their faces.

Lynn and One-eye walked through the snow, the old wolf in front, she in the back. One-eye limped horribly; the iron thing that the Pang had shot inside of his leg had been removed by himself and Lynn. The hole in his leg was rather deep, so deep that on the other side it was visible, but at least it hadn't pierced any bones, and he was pretty certain that he'd be able to walk on his leg again once the wound had healed.

He looked over his crooked shoulder. Lynn walked slow, her head down. She is ashamed of her cyborg eye, he knew. He'd felt the same when he'd just gotten his, but gradually he'd grown used to it.

She looked up suddenly. "Why did you come looking for me?"

One-eye flattened his ragged ears. I didn't rescue her because I care for her. I rescued her because I felt obligated to do so. That's it.

"Just, because," he mumbled, as he continued, back to their old territory.

Lynn didn't really look around. Normally she'd love to explore the forest, but the recent experiences had just been too much.

The hunting dogs entering their territory; One-eye being injured; her losing her eye and getting it replaced for a lifeless, uncanny thing; partially befriending a vixen only to have her taken away from her to who-knows-what kind of fate; escaping through the window; the humans and dogs going after them again; having to remove that iron, beak-shaped object out of One-eye's wound. It'd just been a lot to take in, and now she was processing all of that.

She looked down again, at One-eye's paw prints. There were three of them; the fourth was just the tips of his toes occasionally denting the snow.

Just, because. He doesn't care...does he? She didn't know. His behavior was still as vague as it'd been before. She sighed and thought back to the awful time she'd had at the human's. I wonder where Leyta is... Is she dead... stuffed? Or did she get sold? I hope the latter, oh, dear Shinwa, let her still be alive! Not that I want to see her again... but she was nice...

"Hey."

She looked up, and saw One-eye, standing in front of her, ears low, an uncertain expression. Ten meters behind him was the den she'd grown up in. She sighed. Despite everything she'd endured, despite One-eye's attitude towards her, this sight made her think of only one word. Home.