This woman had to be absolutely insane. Not that Katherine didn't speak to her dog like that at times, but she didn't think she'd ever do it so comfortably around others. The brunette had always been one of the quieter people in a room, in a crowd. She hated attention being drawn to her unnecessarily. But she also was a bit headstrong and perhaps a little naive. She remained silent through most of the other woman's talking and explaining, eyes still flickering with some hesitation between the odd pair. The dog, she could trust with time. But could she trust another person? They had ulterior motives, a consciousness that demanded more than just basic sustenance for survival. Sterling seemed to have the same thoughts- perhaps Katherine was as crazy as this stranger, if she thought she knew what her own dog was thinking- as his hackles slowly lowered and his muzzle tilted towards the other canine just as he began to bark noisily. After a moment, the brunette sighed, though her stance nor gun relaxed.<br/><br/>"Tell him to be quiet. Noise like that with a scent like this is going to attract every hungry predator within a six mile radius." Her tone and statements were blunt, and though the other woman offered what was likely a small smile, Katherine wasn't keen to profer one in return. The last few years had turned her into someone more serious than she had any right to be, at barely twenty-two years old. She'd lost everyone and everything except the dog beside her, and she wasn't about to let her guard fall for a second, even with a woman who was in the exact same situation as she. Still, her thoughts whirred rapidly through her mind, eyes still trained on the redhead. It wasn't that the woman's offer was a bad one- perhaps a little unfair, Katherine thought, considering she'd been the one to take the deer down. It was that Katherine knew she and Sterling desperately needed whatever they could find. And having a nice lunch, however delicious it sounded, wasn't going to preserve her food source and keep her alive if she couldn't find another deer in the next week. Or if, God forbid, she ran out of ammo.<br/><br/>"Look," she started. "I can give you a flank and a shoulder. That's almost half the meat, right there. We can use half of the backstrap to fix some lunch and then I'll take the rest of my kill and dry it out into jerky. If you find me again in a few days, I'll give you a bit of that too.. if you don't dry out your own meat." There was a slight feeling of apprehension that paired with the miniscule murmur of guilt that darkened her heart, but she shoved it down quickly and ignored it. This was an eat-or-be-eaten world now, literally, and Katherine had to look out for herself and Sterling. It was the only reasonable thing she<i> could</i>do. And if being a little bit selfish to a stranger meant life preservation, Katherine<i>would</i>do it. After a moment, she added, "This is my second<i> and</i>final offer." Perhaps it was a bit harsh. But if you didn't stand your ground, others would find out really quickly that they could push you around. And what was the other woman to do, regardless? It was either she accepted Katherine's offer, tried her luck in a shoot-out, or left empty handed. The brunette had a feeling she'd much rather take one route over the others, especially since they both had companions to watch out for.<br/><br/>Realizing she hadn't introduced herself or her dog, she gave a grim quirk of her lips. "My name is Katherine. This is Sterling. Such a pleasure."