Amelia turns away, tears forming in her eyes. "No you shouldn't have." She says quietly, lip trembling a bit. As the tears start to fall, she turns her face towards him and glares at him as best that she can. "You're rude and hurtful, and you have no right to call me a brat!" She snaps. "Now if you're going to be unhelpful, leave! Or help me with MY deer." She turns back to the deer as the tears begin falling more readily now.

No no no, don't cry. Ah man she's crying. Now what do I do? Grant thought frantically. If he thought that he didn't know what to do ealier, he was totally at a loss now. He had never been good with crying girls when he was younger; it was always too awkward for him to say anything. It wasn't any different now. Grant reached out slowly before letting his arm drop, "I'm sorry. It was my anger talking and I truly didn't wish to hurt you." He rubbed his neck again and then grabbed the deer, hauling it a few feet, "I'll get the deer. I know it's not much of an apology but it's the least I can do, right?" He looked at her with pained and desperate eyes. All he wanted was for her to stop crying. Gosh. Why had he said that to her?

Amelia wipes her arm across her eyes and sniffs, nodding firmly. "You can get the deer." she agrees. She felt slightly manipulative, but he was being rude. And hurtful. And mean. And she didn't like it. She takes a deep breath, wiping the last tears aay, before grabbing her crossbow off her back. "I'll keep guard so no Broms or wild animals try to steal it , kay?"

Grant sighed slightly, relieved that she wasn't crying anymore at least. He almost felt like he had walked into a trap, but he was so happy to not see her sobbing anymore, that he didn't really care. With a strength that wasn't there ealier - this whole thing really motivated him to do better- he lifted the dead deer onto his shoulders. It was cumbersome and very heavy, but the weight was more evenly spread like this and it was much easier to carry. He had lifted heavier before but he had never really transported a dead deer. It was defiantly an experience. However he didn't get very far without having to drop it again and finish dragging it the rest of the way, "Yeah, just.... Just keep your eyes open..." His breath came out in little puffs. It was so heavy.

Amelia watches in amusement as he struggles and then fails to lift the deer onto his shoulders. "You alright there Grant?" she asks, grinning from ear to ear. She was mostly over their argument, and decided to poke a little fun at the older boy. "How much can a deer weigh that a big strong guy like you can't lift it?" She asks, before quickly looking around, remembering her job.

Grant looked at her with a frown, "Try anywhere from one hundred to one hundred-fifty pounds. It's not as easy as it looks." For some reason, he wanted to show her that he could carry the deer on his shoulders or back. One of his brother's had shown him a picture of men transporting deer out of the mountains on their backs; that's where he had thre idea from he never thought it would be this hard. He looked down at the buck and set his jaw. He was going to carry this thing if it was the last thing he did. Once again he hauled the deer onto his shoulders and set a course to camp. His steps where slow but sure. This time he didn't drop he deer, "I'm fine Anelia. Just keep a... keep a look out."

Amelia frowns a bit at that. "I didn't mean for you to actually try again!" She groans, before looking around again. Seriously this guy was dumb! "I hope you know you're stupid. You're going to break your back or something! Or drop my deer!" She scowls, glaring at him. "But no, don't hurt yourself. Okay Grant?"

@BeCreative

John snorted a little at her vague answer. Trust a shifter to answer a question with riddles.
"Sure, ask away. I don't have anymore dignity left to lose anyway," he said with a small laugh, picking at his rabbit meat.
It was true, he already knew the shifters had a low opinion of him. It meant that anything else he said didn't change it much. Didn't mean it didn't hurt to talk about some things though.

Grant huffed at the effort. He couldn't give up now. He had made it half way back to camp but he was hurting. Carrying a full grown buck on his back was no easy task. After a couple of more feet, he gave up and slowly lowered the animal back onto the ground. He looked at Amelia with a tight smile and sweat under down his temple, "I'm not going to hurt myself... but it's nice to know you care at least a little." After what he had said to her, he didn't expect her to be concerned for him.
---
@Carlsberg
Paisley smirked at him. She didn't want to set off any land mines, especially since he had home field advantage. She tilted her head a little, her eyes brimming with curiosity, "Why didn't you leave the forest?" It was a simple question, but she hoped he knew what she meant. After all his murdering had gone down, he should have gotten out of town and moved across the country. it didn't make since for him to stay after all that he did.

Amelia shrugs. "Even if I dont like you, you're still a Rabin. Once a Rabin always a Rabin!" she then frowns. "Except when you are banished...Then I guess not?" She ponders that thought a little bit as she goes over to help Grant. She grabs one of the antlers, waiting for him to begin dragging as well. She kind of admired how far he'd gotten with the deer, but of course she wasn't going to let him know that!

@BeCreative

John let out a sigh at that, looking down.
"I had nothing to go back to. I'd invested so much in coming here and and trying to kill, that when I failed, I felt empty. I had no home to go back to, no money, no family. So I decided to try and make a new life here instead. And so I've stayed here since. Where else am I supposed to go?" He said, gesturing towards his tent, "But I'm happy here now. People stay out of my way, there's food to eat. What more could a man want in life?"

@Fionraella
Grant chuckled at her rambling. He appreciated the fact that Amelia was so dedicated to her group and therefore, at least by extension, dedicated to him, "Thanks." He hoped that one word conveyed his feelings on the matter but he wasn't sure. His words never came out like he wanted them too so the feelings behind them were lost at times. He then sighed through his nose and began to pull on the deer once again. It was much easier with Amelia helping him and they made it back to camp quickly.

@Carlsberg
Paisley listened to him attentively. What he had said made sense. She wouldn't have anything to go back to either if she ever had to leave the forest. She couldn't return to her family... not after she had ran away from home three years ago. She soon felt sympathy for the young man, "I see." She chewed her food quietly for a minute or so, "Doesn't it get lonely out here? Surely you don't enjoy living alone like this?" She smirked as she thought about what it would be like, "I couldn't handle it."

Amelia grins, seeing the camp up ahead. "We have to tell them it charged us. Make it more dramatic. Oooo! And there was a mountain lion trying to steal it!" She nods firmly, not even very out of breath from pulling the deer. "Do you think we'll turn it into jerky or....just cook up some deer steaks?"

Grant rolled his eyes slightly at the young girl, amused by her. Of course she would want to stretch the truth. If she wanted to then that was fine but he wouldn't, "If that's what you want to do." Though she wasn't out of breath, Grant most certainly was and it took him a second to get the next part out, "We can do both. There's a... a lot of meat here." Truthfully, the deer should be able to feed the whole camp for at least two or three meals.

Amelia nods slowly. "Sacha'll probably want to smoke a lot of it to prepare for winter..." She looks up at him and grins. "hy are you so tired?" She asks curiously. "Some people might think I'm stronger than you are!" She teases and begins pulling the deer harder. 'c'mon Grant! We want to get there faster!"

Her padded coat pulled tightly over her chest, Amethyst hunched over the crackling remains of a fire. The flames had receded to coals, leaving her with dwindling warmth, growing greyness, and a persistent sniffle as her nose fell to the chill of a brisk wind. She grumbled as she was forced to stand and survey the camp. There was wood - sure - but not kindling and not any dry enough to immediately stoke the fire back into flames. She would be forced to move to get warm - or force someone else to revive the fire. Or find another fire. None of these options sounded remotely palatable, so she decided on the most practical choice of action in shoving her hands firmly into her threadbare pockets and pouting.

intense warning [+]

generic filler post alert

Her padded coat pulled tightly over her chest, Amethyst hunched over the crackling remains of a fire. The flames had receded to coals, leaving her with dwindling warmth, growing greyness, and a persistent sniffle as her nose fell to the chill of a brisk wind. She grumbled as she was forced to stand and survey the camp. There was wood - sure - but not kindling and not any dry enough to immediately stoke the fire back into flames. She would be forced to move to get warm - or force someone else to revive the fire. Or find another fire. None of these options sounded remotely palatable, so she decided on the most practical choice of action in shoving her hands firmly into her threadbare pockets and pouting.

Destin heads out of his tent, which was situated near the fire Amethyst was at. He felt the coldness as the fire died and decided to investigate. He looks around and notices Amethyst pouting. He walks over, a bit amused. "Hey...did the fire go out?" He asks, not really caring if it was an obvious question. He shivers as a wind passes over the camp, and he draws his blanket tighter around his shoulders. He looks at the fire and sighs heavily. "We really need to keep this fire, if any going. If this one goes out in the middle of the night, my patients will get sick." He comments, half to himself.

Amethyst glanced over at Destin as he approached. She raised her brows. "Nope. It's going fine." She gestured to the dark pit of weak embers. "Look at that beautiful fire!" She scanned the camp critically, then sharply drew in her breath as a harsh and disappointing realization dawned on her. "I'm gonna have to get more wood, aren't I?"

Amethyst glanced over at Destin as he approached. She raised her brows. "Nope. It's going fine." She gestured to the dark pit of weak embers. "Look at that beautiful fire!" She scanned the camp critically, then sharply drew in her breath as a harsh and disappointing realization dawned on her. "I'm gonna have to get more wood, aren't I?"

Destin nods seriously. "It's a very nice fire." He agrees, then chuckles at her comment. "Yeah. But I can come with. I need a few herbs and some oak leaves for...medicine stuff." He says vaguely. "Let me go grab my bag and then we can go." He turns and hurries into his tent without waiting for a reply from her. He knew if he gave her time to reply, she might not go. He returns a few moments later wearing a thick jacket and carrying his pouch and knife. "Ready?"

<Snipped quote by xiaomiau>

Destin nods seriously. "It's a very nice fire." He agrees, then chuckles at her comment. "Yeah. But I can come with. I need a few herbs and some oak leaves for...medicine stuff." He says vaguely. "Let me go grab my bag and then we can go." He turns and hurries into his tent without waiting for a reply from her. He knew if he gave her time to reply, she might not go. He returns a few moments later wearing a thick jacket and carrying his pouch and knife. "Ready?"

[i'm going with the name misha okkkkkk]

Misha sighed and mentally braced herself for the trek through the woods. "Sure." She peered into the still shadows of the woods, cold but quivering in the slow and steady descent into winter. It was a push to get herself moving. With a stilted motion of her hand, she dragged the zipper on her jacket up to her neck. ""Alrighty, then. Let's get this done," she mumbled as she headed out of camp, grabbing the handle of a stray axe as she crossed the clearing. That's super unsafe, she thought. What if an axe murderer came in here? What if someone tripped and accidentally got eaten by a bear? She contented herself with these thoughts as she headed into the woods.