~3~

Thyrious slept on the couch in the living room for the night, not wanting to scare the female off. In the morning, he got up and went to check on her, only to stop dead in his tracks at seeing a naked woman in his room instead.

She was spinning around in circles, giggling to herself. Her long brown hair was free along her back and whipped around her face. She wasn't as small as he had suspected but maybe a head smaller than him. She had green eyes that reflected the forest leaves and her smile was gorgeous.

Thyrious cleared his throat and the female looked at him. She clapped and ran over, hugging him. He caught her, but pulled her away to stare at her. "What are you doing?" he asked. She blinked at him, still smiling. "Can you understand me?" he asked. Still no reaction.

Furrowing his brows, he made her sit on the bed with a blanket around her then mimed out the question, "Who are you?"

"La Rue!" she happily said. "La Rue! La Rue! La Rue!"

At least she can talk, he thought to himself. Then he pointed to himself and said, "Thyrious."

La Rue furrowed her brows and tried to say his name, but it came out as, "Tyous."

It took her several tries before she finally was able to say his name. Then her stomach rumbled and she hugged herself sheepishly. Thyrious chuckled and grabbed some clothes. When he turned back, she had shifted into her wolf and was running out of the room. "La Rue!" he called and ran after her. She didn't stop until she was at the door and began scratching it.

Before Thyrious could catch her, the door opened and she ran out. Reyna stood outside, watching the wolf take off. "Who was that?" she asked him.

"La Rue." Growling to himself, he undressed. "Excuse me, Reyna." Shifting, he took off after the mystifying female.

La Rue ran happily throughout the forest until she found a rabbit. One of her favorites. She loped after it, loving the chase. Sometimes, when she was lonely, she would make a game out of it with the small creatures, but it wouldn't last long. Five minutes later, she caught the poor thing and killed it, then ripped into the flesh and began her meal.

Thyrious watched La Rue hunt with fascination. Never had he seen a wolf be so happy about hunting or be so clean with their kill. He gave a yip and La Rue spun to see him, then went back to eating. She didn't even raise her hackles or stop to offer it to him like most wolves do. It was confusing.

He waited until she finished before leading her back to the house. Reyna was still there, waiting for him and scowled at La Rue. Thyrious gave La Rue the clothes he wanted her to wear and nudged her to the bedroom. She went, tail up in the air.

Thyrious shifted and dressed, then went into the kitchen to begin some eggs. "What was that about?" Reyna asked.

"She got here last night and attached herself to me. She won't let anyone else near." He stopped and shook his head. "Scratch that. She wouldn't let Embry near. I haven't tried anyone else."

"Are you going to send her back to where she came from?" Reyna crossed her arms, her scowl deepening.

"I'm not sure she has anywhere else to go. If she does, it's far away from here."

"Good! Then let's figure out where that far away place is and send her there."

"It's not that easy," Thyrious said.

"How is it not that easy?"

Before he could answer, La Rue hopped towards him in his clothes. She didn't wear his pants because the shirt dwarfed her many times. She looked at the eggs and wrinkled her nose. He chuckled and pointed to himself. Shrugging, she opened and closed cabinets, ignoring Reyna who glared openly at the female.

After another long minute of La Rue looking around, Reyna got in her way and gave her a smile. "Where did you come from?"

La Rue blinked at the female and tilted her head. Reyna repeated herself and La Rue mistook the question, answering, "La Rue."

Reyna shook her head. "No! Where did you come from?" she asked in a tone as if La Rue was stupid.

Thyrious pulled La Rue over to him and had her taste a piece of toast with butter on it. "Be nice to her, Reyna."

"Thyrious, she is mentally ill or something. Even Russians can understand some English."

"She isn't mentally ill." He watched as La Rue took her first bite and delight washed over her face. "She's just not like us."

"Okay, so she's not ill. Then she's delayed. Retarded."

Thyrious growled. "Don't call her that!"

Before Reyna could respond, La Rue launched herself at the female, using her nails and hissing like a cat. As amusing as it was, Thyrious lifted her off and handed the toast back to her. Reyna huffed. "She's crazy!"

Thyrious gave another low growl, and again, La Rue went after Reyna. This time, Thyrious caught her. "Leave, Reyna."

She did, and La Rue relaxed.

He grabbed a plate and served himself, then went to the table and sat down, eating silently. After a moment, La Rue came over and hesitantly did the same, as if not sure about the new things she was seeing.

She stared at him, stared at his utensils and the plate. Finally, she pointed and gave him that curious expression again. "Fork," he said, pointing to the object. Then pointed to the plate. "Plate."

She seemed to grow more confused. She pointed at him, then to the outside.

He shook his head. "No."

She frowned.

He wondered how to explain that hunting wasn't necessary for them when there were easier ways of getting food. Then La Rue pointed at her chair. Each time she pointed, he told her what it was. She watched him wash his dishes and put food away, then she followed him outside. He frowned when he saw she didn't wear shoes, but La Rue didn't seem affected by the hard rocks and pointy sticks.

Suddenly, she tugged on his arm and pointed. "Chair!"

He chuckled. "Swing."

She frowned and he led her over and sat her on it. He made sure she was hanging on before pushing her. Immediately, she got off, shaking her head. He held up his hands and they walked on. She stayed close, hiding behind him when others came around. He realized she wasn't used to being around so many people, wasn't used to having a pack. He wondered how long she was a rogue.

"Thyrious."

Thyrious glanced up to see Embry, Osric, and Heskel walking over. "What?"

"There are visitors at the border."

"Who?"

"Jimba and his pack."

He nodded. "Let them in and have Jimba come to my office." He turned to grab La Rue and lead her there himself, but saw no sign of the female. He darted his eyes around, but saw nothing. "La Rue!"

After a moment, he saw a head peek out from around a corner. Sighing, he held out his hand. She looked around, as if not wanting to be seen by anyone, then ran over, holding onto him tightly.

He went to his office and closed the door. La Rue explored the new place and asked him with her look what each thing was. He told her, but when he heard footsteps getting closer, he pulled her into his lap behind his desk and put a finger to her lips. She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder.

Surprised by her willingness to listen, he stared at her until the knock on the door sounded. "Come in," he said.

As the door opened, La Rue lifted her head to see who it was. In came Embry and Jimba. Immediately, she tried to get up and run, but Thyrious held her close. She began to scream, tears running down her face. Both Embry and Jimba stared at her in shock while Thyrious made her look at him. Her eyes were wide with fear, her body was shaking violently and she had begun to shift, her claws digging into his own arms.

"La Rue," he said in a soothing voice.

"Thyrious," she said in a quaking voice. "No, Thyrious. No."

He tilted his head in confusion. "No?"

She pointed to Embry. "No! No! No!"

Thyrious made her look at him again and wiped her tears away. "Yes."

It was like he just ordered her death. Her head drooped and she began to sob. Appalled, he asked Embry, "Have you two met before?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I haven't seen her in my life."

"Then what is going on?" he growled, not liking how La Rue was behaving towards someone she just met. Then he got an idea. "Where have you been since yesterday afternoon?"

Embry thought for a moment. "With my mate, with the rogues, with the patrol border."

Thyrious narrowed his eyes, then made La Rue look up. "La Rue." He pointed to Embry. "Friend."

She didn't respond.

Sighing, He made her stand and looked at Jimba. "You may follow."

All four of them went to the dungeons where the rogues were waiting. As soon as La Rue saw them, she tried to run. Thyrious held her close, keeping her face hidden in his chest and stroking her hair to calm her down.

Volga growled at La Rue, obviously recognizing her. Jimba growled back at the caged wolf until he lowered his head with a whine.

Thyrious finally understood and led his party back to his office.

Once there, he stopped outside the room with La Rue and waited until the door shut to make her look at him. "La Rue."

She shook and pointed towards where the dungeons were. "NO!"

He held her face. "No."

La Rue visibly relaxed. She then pointed to the office and said, "No?"

"Yes." She didn't fight to get away this time, just frowned. Thyrious pointed to where the dungeons were and said, "Enemy." Then he pointed to his office. "Friend."

She thought for a moment, then let out a long sigh. Taking this as a sign of her compliance, he led her into the office and sat down with her in his lap. She rested her head back on to his shoulder, staring at Embry for long moments before closing her eyes.

La Rue listened as the males talked, catching words Thyrious taught her and hearing a lot more she didn't understand. She still smelled those males on the one Thyrious called 'friend' but wasn't as terrified anymore. She now understood that this one was helping to keep those four away from her, keep them from hurting and chasing her. The other male, the one that seemed to be like Thyrious, was not one she recognized. Therefore, she let him be until he made a move.

After an hour, she heard the two leave and felt Thyrious sit back, one arm wrapped around her back while the other was doing something she didn't see. There was silence and she liked it. She liked the fact that Thyrious cared for her. She hoped it would continue. She hoped she didn't have to run to find a safe place again. She hoped this was the best safe place for her.

"La Rue." She lifted her head and looked at him. "Food?" He made a motion of eating and she smiled. Nodding, she let him lead her back to his home where he proceeded to make something. She smelled turkey and lunged for it, only to stare at it in confusion. This did not look like the turkey she has seen.

Thyrious took the flappy piece of whatever it was and laid it down on something yellow. She pointed to all of it and looked at him.

He pointed to the brown stuff and said, "Bread," then to the yellow, "Cheese," then to the thing that smelled like turkey. "Turkey."

She pointed to the so called turkey and shook her head. "No."

He raised a brow and took it off, then found something else and said, "Ham?"

Again she said, "No."

Thyrious was confused by her not wanting meat on her sandwich. He thought she liked meat since she hunted rabbit this morning, but now he was confused.

A tug on his arm. Thyrious let her lead him into the living room where there was a picture of Indians hunting animals. She pointed to a bird and said, "Turkey."

He smiled and nodded. "Yes."

She then went into the kitchen and pointed to the sliced turkey. "Turkey, no."

Thyrious understood now. Then, he left her and found the large turkey he was saving for the holidays and hefted it out of the freezer, and took it into the kitchen. La Rue's eyes brightened. "Turkey?"

"Yes!"

Setting it on the counter, he grabbed a knife and made cutting motions, then pointed to the sandwich. "Turkey."

She looked back and forth from one to the other and widened her eyes. He chuckled because her ignorance was cute. He put the large bird back into the freezer then finished her sandwich, and set it on the table for her. She looked at him with confusion. "Fork?"

Smiling, he showed her how to eat it, then watched as she mimicked and looked at him for approval. "Yes," he said. La Rue began to eat.

After lunch, La Rue explored while Thyrious went into his bedroom and showered, not wanting the rogues' smell on him. When he returned back into the living room, he found Embry with La Rue, playing a game with their hands. It seemed Embry was now okay for La Rue and she squealed when she won. Embry laughed and looked up. "We were playing Rock, Paper, Scissors while we waited for you."

La Rue turned and said, "Thyrious, fun?"

He smiled at her and went to sit beside her, but said, "La Rue, home?"

She frowned and tilted her head.

He said, "Thyrious home," and gestured all around them. "La Rue, home?"

Her frown deepened. "No."

When he asked about her parents, she turned away and didn't speak, nor would she look at him. Embry was as shocked as he was. "Do you think they abandoned her?"

"Either that or they're dead," Thyrious said.

Letting La Rue have some time to herself, the two males went into Thyrious's home office and spoke about the patrols and about rogues and other packs. Thyrious kept an ear open for anything that might happen to La Rue, or in case she called for him.

But she didn't call. No, what he heard was two pairs of screams. Both he and Embry shot to their feet and ran to the living room where Reyna was holding La Rue down, a forearm to her throat. "Reyna!"

The female glanced at him. "She's insane, Thyrious! You should put her down!"

"Reyna, let her go!" he ordered.

Tears were streaming down La Rue's face, eyes wide with fear and anger. "I won't let her attack me again!"

"Reyna," he said in a warning tone.

"Thyrious, she should have stayed away. She should have left us alone!"

Embry snuck up behind Reyna and grabbed her, hauling her off La Rue and keeping her arms pressed into her body. La Rue stood and ran over to Thyrious, yelling, "Enemy!"

Reyna hissed, then began to shift. Right as she was about to launch herself at La Rue, Thyrious stepped in between and glared down at his pack mate. "Step down, Reyna!"

She growled.

"Defy my orders again and you won't like the consequences."

She growled again, but laid her head down in submission.

"Go cool off, then come see me. Don't come back until you are done finding ways to attack La Rue."

Reyna growled, but ran off. Embry shut the door and sighed. Thyrious turned to La Rue. "No fight!" he said in a stern tone. "Reyna friend."

La Rue frowned but nodded.

Thyrious was about to turn away when he saw blood on her shirt. He strode over and lifted the shirt, seeing one long scratch down La Rue's chest down to her stomach. He saw smaller scratches on her arms and legs. Sighing, he grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen. Embry followed, grabbing the First Aid kit and handing it to Thyrious, who lifted La Rue onto the counter to sit. "Do you need me for anything else?"

"No. You may go."

When the door to the house shut, La Rue pushed Thyrious's hand aside and said, "No."

"Yes," he said, and dabbed a cloth with alcohol to her injuries. With a strength he hadn't known she had, La Rue shoved him away, then ran out of the room. Sighing, he went after her. 

<Now, don't take her lack of knowledge as stupidity. There is a reason for everything. What do you think? Why does she not know what sliced turkey looks like? Hoped you enjoyed!>