Aindreas had not allowed the frigid waters to bother or irritate him - he allowed very few normal things to. Things like pain and exhaustion did not slow him, and yet when given the honor of holding the title of Alpha he quivered and sweated and worried and literally ran away from it. And so while he was able to block the icy grasp of the water as it flushed its way through his pelt and toward his flesh, he was frozen inside for other reasons. Perhaps it shocked him a bit, therefore, to see the lass who had so kindly offered to help him in his macabre wash tremor like a leaf in the breeze as soon as she first stepped into the water. His arctic gaze watched her hair run in ripples up her limbs and down her back. Still, she neared him and he braced himself for the pain of her touch that he knew was inevitable and remained stoic, focusing instead on her own discomfort. It was intriguing to him, really, that she would brave the water for his sake in order to help him, especially with so gruesome of a task. What was he but a stranger to her? He knew that he could not smell great - not with the start of infection and the decay of the caked blood in her hairs. But she did not seem fazed by it at all.
'I'm...sorry for being pushy. It's just... I know you need help...'
Aindreas grunted in response and gritted his teeth as she neared even more. His body yearned to lean away from her, or even better to leap from the water and away from her. But he had already accepted her offer, and if there was one thing that AIndreas was not, it was that he was not rude. And so he remained still as a statue, unflinching and unwavering. The only thing that moved were his orbs as they tracked her movement closer and closer. She did not touch him immediately, but instead sat closer to him and precariously raised up onto solely her haunches, her front limbs hovering near the water's surface and near to him. Pools danced to those limbs, as they were the closest things near him and saw her hair lilting about delicately and graceful with the gentle ebb and flow of the tide. How the lake was not frozen over, he did not know, but what he did know was that he was grateful - without it it would have been even more impossible to clean himself.
'I only want to help... So please tell me if I'm hurting you.'
Aindreas could not even shake his head, but focused now on her vocals, so different than his own. Where his were deep in timber and rough in quality, her own were soprano and melodic, spoken without any effort. But what she did say she was clearly saying for his benefit - to put him at ease and Aindreas chastised himself for being unable to hide better his emotions. But then she spoke again and stumbled over her own words, bringing the faintest shadow of a smile to the ivoro's lips.
'M-my name is Amba...' She paused before continuing to speak again. 'What's your name?'
In good form, Aindreas opened his maw to speak in return. "My name is - " He was cut off by the sudden application of her paws to his flesh. Aindreas shut his lids against the pain that was immediate - that radiated from the contact circumferentially. It was like being struck by lightning or being burned - so sudden and intense the pain. Tight lids and gritted teeth helped him bare it and he turned his head away from her so that she would not see his expression. "Aindreas." The word - his name - was spoken swiftly and suddenly in a quick exhalation of air. Before speaking any more, he took a few deep breaths and opened his lids, trying to focus on the land on the other side of the lake to ignore the feeling of her paws through his thickened pelt. "The pleasure of meeting you is mine." The words were spoken with but a moment's hesitation until he was finally able to bring it all under control once more. His focus on the faroff land - too far to swim too, and the shore in between too treacherous to travel upon - allowing the pain to lower to a dull ache. Not once did he feel the pain of his wounds as she danced her claws through his hair, not once more did he flinch. "What brings you to Blossom Forest, Amba?"
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