Of the many souls that Wormwood had met in his long life, there weren't many that he had met who didn't know how to do things such as walk properly. There were members who couldn't walk with all of their limbs due to injuries or being paralyzed or something along those lines, but never one that walked in such a way just because they simply didn't know how to do it properly. He had met children before that didn't quite know the true ways of the world outside their own little self contained bubbles – Roy was one quite prominent example, with the boy being so wildly different from everyone else when he had first shown up. Roy was still sort of the same way, but he had been adjusting to life within Tanglewood after Worm had adopted him, and was finally starting to learn more than just the inside of a lab or the words of a book. Wormwood supposed that he also could've had the same logic applied to him. After all, before he had arrived here, he had only known what it was like to be within his birth bones the Pride. However, he had been an adult at that point. He had been able to walk properly, and talk, and adapt more quickly to everything going on around him. He had been taught all of that within the time when he had been living in the pride with his Mother, Father, and Brother. However, it didn't seem as though this child had been taught anything of the sort, or at least not some quite vitally important things, like the proper way to walk.

When the guardsman heard soft and confused words carry over to his ears along the wind, he blinked in confusion before glancing around. He had been outside of his home more and more often lately, making sure to watch over Roy and also trying to stay away from being alone with his thoughts. He didn't want to think about all of the things that had been happening lately. The raid against the Pitt had been a good thing, but... the stench of death still seemed to fill his nostrils with every step he took through the territory, the visions of Leroy dead on the library floor still clinging to the insides of his eyelids. He couldn't stand to just be alone in his house, thinking of how others could possibly be feeling. How Crow could possibly be feeling. The lion gritted his teeth and stubbornly shook off his raging thoughts as he started towards the source of the soft and strange voice, blinking when he came upon The Child. He blinked at them in surprise for a moment, taking in the strange way they moved, and the way that they seemed unbothered by anything going on around them. Worry immediately came over the old guardsman, and he quickly moved to step in front of the Child, hoping to grab their attention, "Hey... hey there, little one. Are you alright? Is something wrong with your legs? We have healers here who can help you, if you need it." He didn't want to overwhelm them too quickly, even though he wanted to question the kid's name, or why he was already over the border of Tanglewood, with seemingly no regard for where the scent line was. Perhaps it needed to be refreshed?

A sound, unlike those of the Marsh, reached them. They rose their head, taking in the sight of the Lion. (Blue eye.) A response. Had their words reached Them? But no, the Lion seemed to not recognize them. It must be an inhabitant of the Mash. There was a tightening in their chest, so they took a breath.

The Lion's words brought them confusion. What was wrong with their legs? [b]"What is wrong? I am walking," they said, raspy words breaking. They paused to take a breath. "It is very inconvenient." Inconvenient in the way speaking was, with throat and tongue, and lips, and words. They knew the words, ancient and new in the way all was, but they did not know the flesh. Only trial and error had allowed them a way to communicate. They took a breath.

They could help them, the Lion said. "What Nest is this? Where is the Guardian? Where is my Guardian?" Even now, they were unused to such silence. Their own words scratched and rattled inside their mind, clawing at their flesh. It was different from the chatter of their Siblings and the soothing hum of their Guardian. Foreign; disgusting; abnormal.

Something else was coming. They watched as the Dragon (pink eyes) stopped in front of them, eye momentarily glancing at the corpse. Black. "Goodbye," they said to the corpse. They took a breath. They focused their attention on the Dragon once more.

Were they alone? They remembered the Man who had once asked them that. 'No,' they had said back then before the Man had departed. They were never alone. (What did they think? What did they think? What does that mean?) This time? Were they alone? They could not be alone. They were never alone. They were not supposed to be alone. They were not allowed to be alone. They did not bother to take a breath, even when the tightening in their chest began. Nothing was supposed to be alone. The animals were never alone; there were always Kin near. The plants were never alone; they had sprouts, and seeds, and leaves, and branches, and roots. The Moon had the Sun, the Clouds had the Sky, the Ground had the Water, the Guardians had their Children. What did they have? Where were They? Where were They?

Were they alone? Where are You? they ask again. The same hum within them replied. No. No. No. No. No. "No," they gasped, temporarily breaking eye contact from the Dragon. Is this what the Man meant? Is this what the Man meant? Their questions went unanswered and they lacked the knowledge to answer it themselves. "Where are You?" they wheezed out, voice failing them. Spots dotted their vision and they became aware of the heavy feeling in their chest. Air. The body needed air. They remembered how they had lost consciousness when they had first awoken. Air. Air. They took a breath. Took two breaths, took three, and ignored the unfamiliar sensations that came with every shudder. What was this? What was this? They were breathing but the tight feeling persisted. Ignore it; set it aside; they had to focus on breathing.

The odd sensations remained, like a tick grabbing hold of an animal to suck the life out of them. The Lion said they would help them. Maybe the Lion and the Dragon knew the answers to their questions. [color=#538575]"I am alone. Why? Why? Why am I alone?" They took a breath, took two, and puzzled over the feelings in their chest.

(—don't you think?)

The quick succession of confused questions that left the child made Aurum almost recoil from the strangeness of it all, unable to truly process what the other was asking him. When the child mentioned that walking was rather inconvenient, a soft snort left the guardsman, and he rumbled softly to them, shaking his head, "It wouldn't be quite so inconvenient if you were doing it the right way... you're not supposed to just drag your legs like that. You're supposed to move all of them when you step." As if demonstrating, he trotted around in a circle, showing off the way that his paws left the ground and returned to it with a soft thud, watching them closely as they continued speaking. The questions that left them had practically no meaning to Aurum, and just left him more frustrated and worried than before, racking his brain over what they could mean. What nest was this? Where was the guardian? He understood the words individually, but without any context he just found himself at a loss, mumbling after a moment, "Er... I don't think I can answer your questions, little one. I don't know where your guardian is..." His first thought was that the child was talking about some sort of parent or relative, but that didn't help much either, since unless their "guardian" lived in Tanglewood, he wouldn't know where they could be. Thankfully, it didn't seem as though Aurum would have to deal with this alone, with the arrival of Delilah coming with the gentle nudge of a wing, making the lion glance over at her and shrug. He hadn't seen anyone with the child, but that didn't mean there wasn't anyone, it just meant they could be hidden.

However, it seemed as though Delilah had asked an upsetting question, at least if the child's reaction was anything to go by. Aurum watched as they eyed the prey that Delilah had with her, granting it a final goodbye, before finally seeming to process what they had been asked. It was concerning immediately when he noticed that the child's chest wasn't rising and falling rhythmically anymore, and immediately he found himself stepping forward, concern in his one blue eye. It was then when the child broke the silence, gasping out a soft noise and asking where they were. Aurum wasn't sure if the child was talking to them or to whatever guardian they had been speaking about, but he still answered softly, "Tanglewood... breathe, kid. Breathe." He let out the softly concerned order and watched as the child seemed to process the fact that he needed air, their chest slowly rising and falling again with deep, forced breaths. Aurum had never met someone who needed to force themself to breathe and walk properly, but evidently the child was very different. It was while Aurum was contemplating all of this when the child's feelings came crashing down on them, their words a slightly anxiety fueled jumble as they asked over and over why they were alone. Stunned and without an answer, Aurum glanced over at Delilah helplessly before speaking, "I... we don't know why you're alone. We just found you here and you were alone... did you have someone with you before? Someone we can look for?" He wasn't sure how much luck they'd have, scouring the entire jungle for one person they might not even know, but he had to offer.