Her days still continued much the same as they had before, accented by subtle changes that she tried to ignore. The taciturn wolf became even more so. She still let herself slip in beside Koda every night, but found she had little to say to him. Her breath was being held for good news and the silence was starting to fill up her days. Yet, the woman was far from idle. The days were spent hunting (actual prey now) for the distraction it offered. Her usual, common-day habit of checking in on every pack-mate each morning had escalated.

She returned from hunting late afternoon. A dangling pheasant scuff the snow on it's way to the caches. There was no satisfaction in carefully placing it on the small pile. Iopah did not even glance back as she started searching. They were all spread out, two at the borders, the others in various dens. All but Silentium.

Again.

Her breath slipped free in a sigh and she turned toward the heart of their territory. Every day was the same. He said nothing, and Iopah would say nothing either, just watch him for a moment and then leave quietly. She wasn't even sure what to say. She wouldn't lie and say Pacem was fine, nor would she tell the boy she feared his brother was dead.

He was in the deepest part of the snow, nestled between two white drifts. Iopah watched him for a long time, much longer than usual. She had no where else to go besides her cold, empty den and nothing to say to Koda when he returned from patrol. Pale paws drew her forward, a low whuff announcing her presence. Deliberately she laid down beside him, far enough that their coats did not mingle and close enough to hear his soft exhales.

Perhaps it was having known him since birth, maybe it was the fact that Silentium used less words than she did. She'd said nothing as greeting and the growing boy had offered nothing that could be take as acknowledgment of her presence. The silence bothered neither, the quiet that swallowed up the space between them was comfortable.

It extended for so long that her form stretched out, hind-legs kicking out behind her and torso resting perpendicular on the snow. Silentium's regular breaths was merely keeping the time for them, her ears had turned away from that soft sound and focused on the forest. She was half-way between asleep and awake. Her ears went through the motions of alertness, but her mind was utterly sleepy and relaxed. The breeze came and went and Iopah remained groggy to the details it carried with it.

Silentium's question made her head turn slow, regarding the youth with a slow blink as she took in a short, deep breath. A trace of deer was mixed in with the earthy smell of long-dead leaves and stale dormant forest. Oh, she thought, that. Her stance shifted silently, going from laxity to a subtle readiness, and her eyes peered in the same direction as Silentium. Communication was more than Iopah's inelegant words and Silentium's heavy speech. She rose to her feet, showing her interest in the situation without words.

There was a brief pause as she dipped low in a stretch and her tongue curled into a yawn within the confines of her mouth, then she was stepping away. The cold and activity jolted awakeness back into her and she was quick to turn to the boy. "Up for a little activity?" She queried easily, curve of a grin indicating that she didn't really expect him to decline. Even if they could not manage a kill it would distract them from what clearly wore at them.

As pale feet swept along the worn wolf-path, her mind fell into the pure simplicity of the hunt. There was no grief, no desperate searching here. This was just the woods both wolves knew by heart and the diminishing distance between them and their quarry.

Even her slighter weight was not enough to keep Iopah from sinking into the drifts with each step. Her toes splayed widely against the softer snow, trying to turn narrow cream paws into showshoes. The scent lead through a sheltered, isolated part of the thicket. There was no wind to compress the snow and no other wolf paws to break the trail for them. She huffed softly when a foot sank to the elbow before catching enough resistance to stop itself. It was a nuisance, but she didn't so much as slow or glance down. She just withdrew the foot and lead them closer.

The deep snow was a nuisance, but it might work in the wolves favor. Whatever made travel difficult for them would make escape difficult for the deer. Everything was a balancing act and this was no different. They just had to be a little faster than the deer was all.

They crept forward, slow and deliberate enough that even Iopah's step punched through the surface of the snow now. They were moving so slow that the difficulty couldn't slow their pace any. The deer were in sight now and patience was all that mattered. She watched the deer as Silentium did. Her eyes roved over them and paused at small details -the narrowness of their sides and the number of antler tines- but stopped at nothing. Iopah was still looking when Si turned to her in silent question. "I don't see any injuries," was offered as she dared to reveal herself slightly. A doe watched her with a wide eye, surprised to see a wolf materialize and wondering if that mean she should run from it. Iopah didn't move forward and the doe didn't move back. They stared each other down as the woman continued her explanation. "Injury is easier to see when they run and," she looked sharply to the boy "never attack if they are facing you."

Luckily it was easy to make this group run. Iopah stepped forward and heard the spattering of cloven hooves as they all jumped away from her. She barked excitedly for Silentium and started forward. This wasn't a full-out race out and Iopah was careful not to startle them more than necessary. The chase would only really start if they found something worth really running after.

The deer snorted angrily at her. Iopah let her tail flick in amusement and continued her non-hurried trot out towards them. There was another exasperated snort and she felt the reverberation through her feet as one stomped a cloven foot. If they had middle fingers they likely would have been trained on her. Iopah let a smirk start along her lips and lifted her head to show the calculated flash of teeth. The reaction was predictable. They all lurched away, jostling each other in their alarm and uncertainty. Iopah had not outwardly attacked yet and they were confused. Should they be running or were these wolves just lost? The buck took a high leap through the snow before turning to look back with wide eyes. Iopah watched it, saw it stick the landing, and veered casually closer to the others.

A panicked bleating made her turn hopefully, head lifting to squint over the expanse of snow. At this point she was looking for injury or even an unnerved animal, anything to tilt the odds in their favor. Stupid and frantic deer were just as vulnerable as the wounded. Her eyes narrowed, looking for their target, then widened in surprise as Silentium plunged forward. The deer scattered in every direction and an older doe turned to race at the wolves in the confusion. All of Iopah's hackles rose as the 170-pound animal hurtled for them, hooves striking the ground dangerously.

"Move! Move!" She shouted, leaping back from it's path and trying to shove Silentium aside with her own body. The doe passed by them harmlessly and she spun without word to race down the others. They were headed for the shelter of the thicket. The snow would be thinner there, but the closely-growing trees would make it harder to follow them. Iopah was running flat out now, the snow flying in her face as she blindly followed the sound of bawling deer, but they still made it before her. She waited only long enough for Silentium to catch up and then rushed in after them, making sure to stay within easy sight of the boy. It would be too easy for them to get separated. "Keep them moving, but don't get too close!" They had to wind the deer for a chance, but the wolves safety would always be more important than a meal.