Silence hung heavy in the air, so quiet was it within the sett that Atlas thought he could hear the very beat of her heart. Perhaps some trick of the mind, for he could most surely feel the steady pulse through the barren flesh that pressed against his side. Or maybe it was his own heartbeat, resounding loudly within his ears as he waited for her to tell him to go. Even the winds beyond the hovel that they laid within were tuned out, focused entirely upon the female he had saved. Eyes of pale yellow had fully adjusted to the darkness within the den, and they traced each injury and scar that littered her frame. Some might look away from the gruesome wounds and scars, but where others would feel revulsion Atlas felt only compassion.

He was pulled from this silence suddenly, and with the first sneeze he nearly jumped for he was so taken by surprise. As the sneezes continued to wrack her body, the tension went out of Atlas once more, though he could feel how it riddled hers. On some deeper level he imagined he could feel her pain, wishing only that he was capable of lessening it. As her ears slicked back against her skull his eyes flashed to the shoulder that had taken the brunt of the attacker's malice. His gaze then shifted to the barest bits of flesh that were still semi-exposed at the edges of his chocolate coat. A sudden sense of helplessness consumed his heart, wishing more than anything that he'd taken the time to learn from Meryl or Yin at least the barest bits of healing.

As her body stilled once more, her words betraying the slightest bit of weakness, though Atlas could not help but ignore it. If he further latched onto her pain he would only make things worse, he was certain of it. Her words assured him, though, that his presence was still wanted, and he nodded slightly. It was a silent pledge that he would remain and do all that he could for her. His eyes shifted to the top of her skull, just between her ears. The river had dirtied her pelt, and a smudge of mud behind her ear distracted the boy just long enough that he did not fully process that she'd asked him his name until a moment of silence passed. Gently he shook his head, doing his best to keep his body still as he cleared his mind. "Atlas, my name is Atlas." He finally said.

Absently his tongue slid from his mouth, flicking across his nose in an attempt to refocus his attention. He didn't even know her name, he couldn't very well help her to groom herself. "And what may I call my..." He was at a loss for what to call her, not wanting to refer to her as a damsel in distress or some other moniker that could be taken as derogatory. "...mmm, you?" It was not exactly the most suave of recoveries, but then again that didn't seem to matter so much in these moments as it might have to the heroes and helpless maidens in tales from his youth.

ooc; ugh sorry this is not great; i've got a head cold and my muse is not cooperating. D: