"Niles?! Niles, are you okay? Hey, come on, man! Say somethin'!" Keaton knelt down beside the outlaw, sitting up against the wall, who had awoken in a fit of shouts, startling the wolfskin. This wasn't the first time this had occurred, either. A clawed hand was lightly placed on Niles's shoulder. He sniffed the air around his friend, frantically. The scent of salt and sweat was present as was iron, no doubt from Niles suffering a quickening heart rate, blood pulsing heavily through his body. The man's breathing was loud and heavy without any response. Keaton's tail continued to wag madly and ears twitch with concern. A short whimper escaped his throat. "Want me ta…fetch ya some water or somethin'?"

The outlaw didn't respond at first. His head remained hung low and hand shielding his face, teeth biting into his lip. His hair draped lazily over his eye, though he did nothing to keep it out of the way. Sweat trailed from his forehead and off the tip of his nose as his hands were shaking. Niles shook his head. "J-just go back to bed; I'm sorry," he coughed up right before brushing Keaton's claw off of him. "It's nothing. I promise!"

"No, it's not!" Keaton barked, followed by a growl, almost hissing at his comrade. Nothing phased Niles, not ever the flash of his fangs. "You've been screaming in your sleep night after night, now, and if I have to share a tent with ya then it's my business, too! Let me help you." The wolfskin's claws spiked into the ground, collecting dirt under his nails. His ears remained spiked high, alert and frustrated with how Niles was acting.

"There's nothing you can do!" Niles snapped back, shaking his head. "Just go curl back up in your corner already. If I want to play then I'll call for you. I don't need your sympathy!"

"Don't treat me like I'm a child!" he snarled instantly as he gripped Niles's shoulder again, this time much tighter. Dirt stained the man's cloak as the points dug into his flesh, almost breaking the skin. Keaton's eyes narrowed to just two red lines, furious. "I'm not your fuckin' pet for ya to dismiss when you don't want me around; I want to help you!" Each word near exploded from his mouth in a growl, trying desperately to get Niles's to listen. The man still kept his head hung, not even looking at Keaton. "I ain't askin' ya to tell me whatever you're screaming about every night; just to let me try and make it easier on you!"

Niles didn't even budge. He remained silent as if he could ignore Keaton until the wolf tired himself out.

A hushed breath vibrated out of him, before he forced his grip to loosen up. Keaton was trying to keep himself under control, now. It was no use getting angry at over something like this. "Niles…I know you have trust issues, and that's why you treat me like you do…but I mean it. You're my friend. A burden shared is a burden halved; didn't anyone ever tell you that?"

There was a paused that stretched into a silence. Niles remained still, now trying to control his breathing so that he was quieter. "…water," he finally muttered just faintly enough so that Keaton would hear him. Without a word, the wolf sped off, leaving him alone. A series of grumbles erupted from him, clearing his throat as he forced himself to his feet and to sit down on his cot. He kept telling himself he didn't want to do this, but knew Keaton's persistence wouldn't let up. The outlaw shook his head about to toss off the excess amount of sweat from his brow and then tied his hair up into a knot. His breathing evolved into pants as he brushed off his clothing; first his boots and then his cape, harness, belt, tunic, and undershirt until finally all that was left were his striped trousers and eye-patch.

Niles remained hunched over, elbows on his knees and hands holding his face by the forehead.

"Here," a stern, but caring voice called out form the darkness. "It ain't all that cold, but it's the best I could do this late at night; and I brought ya a damp wash cloth, too." Keaton had returned and stood before the outlaw, holding out the flask for him to take. The wolfskin then sat like a dog, across from on the ground yet remained in his human form. His hands kept shuffling about themselves, uneasy as he kept scrambling for anything else he could say to convince Niles of his worry.

"Thank you," Niles finally said after he had downed the drink. He was now making use of the cool cloth, whipping away his sweat and then holding it to his forehead to calm his feverish state. He glanced up to see the wolfskin's eyes spike slightly before dropping back down, again. Their eyes met for only a moment before Keaton looked away and grunted. "You're welcome."

After a sigh and a pause, Keaton started speaking again. "Listen…I meant what I said earlier," he began. Niles didn't respond. "I don't mean ta be nosy or anything, but I worry about ya. Hell, so does Lord Leo and Corrin an' everyone else!" Keaton's tail started to swish slightly as he spoke, enthused about what he was trying to say. "We wolfskins…we handle everything as a pack. We're used to being feared, seen as monsters, and hunted for our pelts, like we're less than you humans. We stick together because we find strength in our numbers and like to keep our family close so we don't ever lose anyone, and as long as I'm here then you all are my friends and family, too!"

He stood up and cautiously and took a step closer to Niles's cot to hold a claw out for him to take. "I know I ain't really the best at this kind a' talkin' stuff, but please believe me. So…let me be your friend, already! I've already trusted ya since we met so the least you could do is return the favor, just a little…." With that, he hushed himself but didn't budge just yet. Seconds ticked by like hours, heavy and unnerving as Niles just sat there on his cot, head hung and buried in the wash cloth. Keaton was about to fall back until he the archer's other hand finally budged, slowly reaching up and placed it limply in his paw. Fingers traced along the wolf's palm before finally gripping it, weakly, tenderly.

"Stay with me," he whispered. That was all he could bring himself to say in that moment. His body was tired, voice strained and dry. "…just for tonight," he added on after hesitation. He had trust issues, but so did Keaton. The outlaw was all too well aware of how much wolfskins had suffered, even witnessed it during his time before joining Lord Leo. He was criminal, scum, and a had committed acts that deserved him of death, and Keaton knew this. Yet the wolf still trusted him and even cared for him. Niles tugged at him, softly.

The wolf blinked in surprise over Niles's words and actions. Had he actually gotten through to the man? His eyes shot up immediately, tail wagging from shock. "Does this mean we're friends?" he asked excitedly. He didn't wait for a response. "Don't you worry, Niles! You ain't gonna regret this at all. I'm the best friend a human like you could have; promise!" Keaton had to hold himself back from pouncing on the other and licking Niles's face as to show affection, but that didn't stop him from forcing his arms around the man's shoulder and putting the tired archer in a brief embrace.

Niles's just grunted before going numb in Keaton's arms. The hug would have lasted longer, had he not taken the opportunity to lick the inside of the wolf's ear, scaring him off. He chuckled. "What? I thought we were friends. I thought that's how you wolves acted," he teased before laying down on his back and folding the cloth onto his forehead.

Keaton's face, though covered by the shadows of the unlit tent, was red with blush and a wide, toothy smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he answered. It was clear this conversation was over, but he still had a job to do. The wolf proudly crawled over to a little space on the floor beside Niles's cot and circled up before plopping down into his usual sleeping pose, arms crossed and used as head support. He'd remain beside Niles all night! One final huff was let out as he started to drift off…but not before he felt a curious hand being placed atop his head, followed by the ever pleasing sensation of nails scraping along the root of his ears. Keaton mused a pleased whine while kicking his legs about before he felt the hand rest within his fluffy mane.

Niles wasn't such a bad guy, after all.