She couldn't have taken more than one good chew of the dried up meat before she noticed the young wolf approaching on the far ledge. She continued to knaw at the bone she held between her forepaws, turning her head slightly so that her sharp molars could tear the remaining flesh away. But she kept an eye on the kid, wondering where he'd come from and what he was doing down here. As he inched closer, her duo-toned eyes glanced behind him, thinking perhaps an adult would appear with him soon. But then he woofed at Tauriel, and her gaze shifted back to him. His body language gave off the impression that he was somehow troubled. Then again, it wouldn't be all that surprising for a kid to get lost down here - the caves were a backwards maze that took some getting used to to navigate properly.

Lifting her head away from her snack, Tauriel gave him her full attention for the moment. When he asked for her help, she considered him for a moment, recalling those early days when she had ventured off on her own. Remembering how some of the first wolves she had encountered had lied to her, filled her head with mean gossip and given her false hope in the nature of others. Perhaps she could do differently by this boy. Without a word, she stood up, turning back towards her hidden cache to deposit the bone within once more. She paused before she reached it, though, thinking if the pup was really lost he was probably hungry, too. So, with the meaty bone still in her jaws, she turned towards the tree trunk and began the treacherous crossing once more.

Her movements were deft and would likely look incredibly easy to the boy, but she kept her focus on the task at hand rather than what the kid was up to. Only once she was safely on solid ground once more did she look over to where he had been standing, making her way towards him. Dropping the portion of food, she nudged it towards him with a single white paw. Now that she was closer, she could tell his body was pretty exhausted from whatever trip he'd made to end up there. "Here, kid - you look like you could use a snack." She attempted a smile, wanting it to offer some kind of reassurance she wasn't trying to poison him or something. After all, she'd just been chewing on it a minute ago. "I can help you," she said, as she caught a slight whiff of his scent, "Say, you're sure a long way from home. What're you doing down here by yourself?" Having been born and raised in the mountains, that lofty smell was something Tauriel would likely never forget.