It had not been an overnight process, she had felt the gradual changes but she still wasn't fully prepared. The large female was practically crawling in her own skin. Uncomfortable with the way she felt. At first she had wanted to seek out @Kajika but after stopping by the shared den where his scent flooded her nostrils she decided against it. Patience would be key.

She avoided others the best she could and slinked off to a secluded spot on the lake's edge. Her muscles were tense even as she settled to lay down on her stomach. Every sound - from a loud breeze to a leaf rustling - caused her lips to peel back slightly. She was frustrated and defensive. Birtie figured she'd snap at someone by the end of the day if not sooner.

She was over this already.

The whimper caused her head to snap in the direction of the sound. Her top lip peeled back as she eyed the small girl. She had seen her before at the borders when others called usually playing the dutiful role of Moonshadow's shadow. Birtie's tail lashed behind her, stirring up the fresh snow and dusting it about.

She knew nothing about the girl but today wasn't the day she was going to make an effort to learn.

What do you want? Her words were clipped and to the point. The Parlow had not wanted to be social today. It seemed that was going out the window, though. Slowly she stood up as her yellow eyes narrowed sharply. "This better be quick." Birtie internally thought to herself.

She watched as the younger, smaller girl seemed to tremble and linger near the snowy earth. With such submission, Birtie eased her gaze into something more neutral - less demanding. She hadn't wanted to startle the thing to death. Simply figure out what she wanted before sending her on her way.

Speaking of which...

Birtie's head tipped slightly, not fully understanding the girl's words. One thing had been clear. Deer. She could faintly smell the scent through the preexisting odors in the air. It didn't have the fresh scent of something still living but nor did it smell downright rotten. I can help you find it, see if it's worth taking back for the caches. Her head moved to motion for the other to follow. It never hurt to have another set of teeth and paws on the job, did it? Not to mention it would be terribly nice to have something to focus on.

Say... She rumbled softly as she led the way over the snowy grounds, the deer scent getting stronger with undertones of something she hadn't figured out just yet. What's your name? I know I have seen you before but... Her voice trailed off as her shoulders gave a shrug. Neither of them seemed to be talkers when their paths had crossed. Not that Birtie had really minded that. None of the situations they found themselves in together seemed fitting for a small social talk.

Her muzzle tipped to point to where they should turn, cutting into the foliage a bit more. She had to resist the urge to itch against the trees. The large female took in a deep breath and tried her best to focus on the deer scent. She realized that the stink of feline hung around the kill site.

Be careful, not sure if we're alone. She warned the smaller female. Certainly if a hard stare had made the girl tremble a protective feline would too. Lucky for them his faded tracks seemed to lead away from the scene. That didn't mean she was willing to trust the pesky thing being gone, though.

Tulip.

Huh. What an interesting but fitting name. The girl seemed as fragile as a flower. Had the name been intentional or was it some sort of curse that she lived up to the expectation of the name? Not that Birtie was one to go pointing fingers at names and expectations. It wasn't like she was any sort of traditionalist.

I say we move it back before the host of this dinner shows up. She would have smiled but it less of a joke with each passing moment they spent standing here. Think you can carry that end? Her head nodded towards the hind end that seemed to have taken most of the feline's attention. It would only make sense (in her mind at least) for the small female to take the lighter end while Birtie took the bigger front end. Dragging it home would be far easier if they both did some work.

The small deer might not have been too impressive but it was certainly a reward mentioning they hadn't even had to bring it down themselves.