Resting against the wall, Alan's nose caught hold of April's scent just moments before her arrival back at the cave. It was enough to distract him from his thoughts, his attention shifting just in time to see her shift from wolf to human before running off into the cave with her usual carefree abandon. It was a sight that brought a small smile to his tired face. He had noted her being one of the more outgoing members of the pack, this having been made clear upon his arrival. She seemed to be the caretaker of the group, always fussing over people's cuts and scrapes, making sure that everybody was in the best spirits possible. On top of being nurturing, she always appeared to be perpetually happy, at least when he saw her. This was a person who clearly embraced what she was and was enjoying every moment of it, and for that he envied her a little bit.<br/><br/>Alan had sought these people out in hopes of learning control, enough to return to a normal human life with a job and all of the things that came with it. His plan was to stuff the wolf into a cage and hope it simply wasted away to nothing, and forget about the whole nightmare. Alan doubted that was possible, but if anybody could help him get a handle on his personal beast it would be her. She seemed so at ease, effortlessly changing with the same regard one would give to putting on a pair of slippers. Maybe that kind of control could be useful as well... not necessarily locking the beast up, but keeping it leashed and obedient. Maybe he would ask her about control sometime soon. Sure, there were others in the pack that could probably help, but he felt a bit more at ease talking to her, and everybody else had seemed so distant.<br/><br/>Moments later, April had returned with her sewing kit, busy fingers setting to work. Many of them had little projects they pursued in his spare time, himself included, but to him it seemed that April was always making something. Watching her work provided a welcome distraction from the drool-inducing smells coming from the fire, as well as satisfying his curiosity as to just what she was currently up to. Alan watched intently as she carefully arranged the bits of antler, binding them together with strips of leather. Wondering to what end, his question was soon answered as she took out a large feather and bound it to the creation, making a hair clip of sorts. April looked up from her handiwork a moment later, their eyes meeting. He wasn't sure what made her look in his direction, maybe the feeling of eyes upon her, but whatever the reason she got up and was now walking over to him.<br/><br/>A few steps later and she was there, smiling up at him. "Good morning," her voice was soft, but sweet as her hands crept up the side of his face. Alan's body unconsciously tensed up a little bit, unsure of what she was up to, but he held still trusting her not to be up to anything. A moment later, he felt a gentle tug on his scalp behind the ear. Glancing down at the corner of his eye, he could see a bit of the shaft of the feather clipped into his hair. He didn't know what to say, not at all expecting to receive such a thoughtful gesture. As he turned his head a little to get a better look the clip lost its grip on his closely cropped hair and fell, Alan's reflexes quick enough to catch it before it fell upon the dirty cave floor. If he had known what she was trying to do, he could have guessed that would happen... After a days of not being able to wash his hair, Alan had utilized the massive Bowie knife that hung at his hip to give himself a rough, short cut of hair. His skin was naturally on the oily side, and he found the feeling of his hair being greased by body oil all the time to be unbearable. This left little hair for April's thoughtful gift to grab on to.<br/><br/>Fortunately, Alan had a solution.<br/><br/>"One sec..." Alan smiled down at her reassuringly as his free hand dove into one of the front pockets of his black wool pea coat and fished out a dark grey wool cap. Tugging the cap upon his head, he then carefully affixed the clip into the fabric of the hat. The feather now swept upward and back, like an improvised Robin Hood cap. "There! Thank you, April, I love it!" After a moment, he realized that he had nothing to give her in return. Sure she probably hadn't been expecting anything in exchange, but he had to have something he could give as a token of appreciation! Digging through his pockets, he searched his inventory, needing only touch to identify what was down in there. Scraps of paper, receipts... just when he had lost all hope, his fingers brushed against some crinkly plastic. Alan knew immediately what it was and fished it out, a small smile of triumph tugging at his lips.<br/><br/>"Here..." An ever so subtle shade of pink coming over his face, Alan placed a piece of hard candy in April's hand... A lemon drop, one taken from courtesy dish at the last gas station the had stopped at before fate brought him to this cave. It was a humble offering, but it was a piece of the world left behind. "It isn't much, but... these were always a favorite of mine." Alan's face a similar earnest look of hope as he gave her the sweet, hoping that she at least liked the flavor. At least it wasn't a butterscotch... nobody liked those.