It was noisy tonight. So damn noisy. "Melissa! Melissa! Lissa! HEY!" so many voices. So many humans intruding in the dark and usually safe territory. It was highly aggravating! This was his safe space, somewhere that he could avoid others. No humans, the other shifters were still in their own territories, and the animals were... Well, animals. Here, he wasn't hunted, wasn't hated for not being the next leader that the pack had wanted. But tonight, it seemed like the peace had been shattered as these humans kept frantically encroaching with loud voices that could wake the dead. Well, if the dead were listening, anyway.<br/><br/>The gray beast snarled as he finally uncurled from the hiding spot he had chosen for the day. A tree that had the soil washed out from the roots, leaving a natural, living cavern that was well sheltered from the harsh nature around. He paused to scratch at his ear, knocking a little dirt loose, then he started to make his way to put distance between himself and the noise. Even if they were looking for someone, or something, else, humans tended to not be fans of wolves. Especially not large ones with sinewy muscle underneath the thick layer of fur, clearly able to take any number of them down without much effort. Even as a weaker specimen of his previous pack, he was much more adept at hunting than they were with their bare bodies.<br/><br/>It was dark and the search had started while the sun was still high in the sky. Thankfully, the light that shone from the various directions gave away their locations as they faded into the distance. As the canine kept moving to put distance between them, he froze. With the ruckus all around, he hadn't realized that he had stumbled right upon the missing person. Well, more like she almost ran him over as she unsteadily stumbled on past. Bright, bluish green eyes caught the moonlight as she fumbled her way past, only to step right off the cliff's ledge that was not that far past. An audible snarled huff was given as the shifter flinched at the sound of a body tumbling down the harsh siding before coming to an abrupt halt.<br/><br/>Having prowled this area for months now, though he wasn't sure exactly how long it had been, the large wolf was aware that it did not sound soft enough to have been all the way down. Carefully, he stalked over to the edge of the ledge and peered down. His ears perked as he watched for any signs of life, the sound of a groan just barely reaching him. A soft sigh was given, then he shook his head before looking around. The search party would never find her here. Not in the dim light of a crescent moon and not when they were so far away from this spot. They were searching, not on a trail, which meant they were slowly moving forward rather than charging blindly ahead. By the time they arrived, it would be too late.<br/><br/>Humans didn't have the natural protection that animals had. If the fall hadn't done the job, the chill of the night would have her cease to live before morning. And as long as she wasn't conscious, trying to get her safely up or down would be too much of a task for the others. Tyne did not enjoy being around humans, since they feared what they didn't understand and they viewed his feral form as some sort of monster. But... Just because he wasn't a fan of them did not mean that he could stand to just leave someone to die. Carefully, so as to not get injured himself, the gray wolf slid down the side of the cliff. His pads were cut by the sharp rocks that they found, but his claws helped slow the fall until he could hop onto the same ledge as the lost human. He could only pray that she wouldn't panic or try to kill him when she regained consciousness as he gingerly moved to lay down beside her, one paw being draped across her body to keep it still as his tail curled around to act as a soft, furry, if even a little dirty, blanket. Hopefully, he would be able to guide her down when she had enough light to see, and then he could get rid of her with the hopes that she wouldn't tell anyone about where he was or what he was. After all, there was no safe or sane way to get down the rest of this cliff's ledge with him like this and her like that. He would need to take to his human form at that time. But that had to wait, because his human form wouldn't provide enough heat and protection to keep her safe for tonight. And as much as he loathed to admit it, this obnoxious stranger's safety was first priority for the time being.