Kingsfall A Frozen Branch

For @Askan . Light snow. -21°C / -5°F.
RE: Neko, you find a branch partially frozen in the ice. Can you pull it out?

Snow! So much snow and ice! Neko had spent her previous (and first) winter with her nomadic birth-pack, and naturally they had traveled south where winter was milder. For some time now, she had stayed close to the Fields and observed her pack-mates to see how they handled the snow, but she couldn’t just hang around the den forever. Snow or no snow, she needed some time to wander around on her own. She would return home soon enough.

There wasn’t much in the way of herbs to gather as most of the plants in the area that were still alive were buried under the snow, but the strong smell of western red cedar drew her to this particular forest. She knew that the bark and leaves of the tree were good for medicinal purposes, but finding any branches that she could reach was proving difficult, and if there were any fallen branches on the ground, the snow concealed them.

She wandered along, dreaming of the warmth of her mother, father, and brother until a fallen tree branch sticking out of the snow brought her back to the present. She recognized the folds on the bark as well as the strong scent of the red cedar’s oils. The half-buried leaves even had some green on them. If she could manage to drag the branch home, she could add its bark and leaves to her herb stores.

She grabbed the broken end of the branch in her mouth and tried to pull it free from the snow, but it wouldn't budge. She only slipped and fell on the icy ground. She got up again and dug her feet into the snow to brace herself before grabbing the branch again. She made sure she had a solid grip this time before tugging on it again, but still it wouldn’t budge. She pulled back even harder, growling as she did, but still nothing. She wondered if she would be able to get the branch loose at all.

Kingsfall had changed. Askan couldn't quite put his paw on it, but something was different. Again, he hadn't intended to stray this far. Once he'd finished with Sierra Hills he'd looped back to the Shallows but instead of staying in the Falls he had soon wandered off again. Not for long, he'd return once he was done but...winter was giving him a bad case of itchy paws, he supposed. Either that or he was using it as a thinly veiled excuse to look for Cotton...not that Askan thought he could be found at this point. Whatever, it was old news.

Pushing on through the snow, Askan had no intention to hunt in these parts. He could hardly slag off a pair of loners for hunting in his woods, then go and do the exact same to another pack. Besides, he liked Lachesis and so by extension he had to grant Hearthwood River some respect too. Even if not all of it's members were worthy of it.

It was then he saw a dark figure standing out stark in the white wilderness. Their black coat was like a beacon drawing him in till his nose twitched at the familiar scent. It wasn't Inna, or her spawn. In fact, their scent held traces of grass, grain and pine needles. This was a Rye wolf...and if his memory served correct than he'd stumbled upon Neko. A face he hadn't thought he'd see again.

First Gale had turned up at his borders, now this? Why were all the Rye wolves so spread out? Wasn't winter the season to huddle up and stay warm and safe at home? Were they all out looking for Sphinx, or was the pack crumbling to pieces just as he'd thought it would? So many questions swirled through Askan's mind as he drew to a stop, his shoulders hunched and tail stiff. Did he even want to know? Yes, he supposed he did.

"Oi, is that you?"He rumbled as he emerged through the towering trees, taking in the sight of her struggling to yank up a branch. It was pretty self explanatory but he squinted in confusion all the same."What...are you doing?"

As Neko tugged at the branch, she suddenly noticed a familiar scent and heard a familiar grouchy voice. She immediately recognized him and gave an excited yip, forgetting that she was still pulling on the branch. She slid backwards and landed on her rump, then immediately jumped to her feet and almost shouted, “Askan!?” as she ran towards him, her tail wagging furiously. “It’s so nice to see you!” She intended to stop in front of him, but she forgot about the ice being slippery and instead skidded right past him, spinning 360 degrees in the process. She finally came to stop when she slid into a nearby snowbank.

After coming to a stop, she sheepishly got back to her feet, being more careful to keep her balance this time. With a gentle wag of her tail, she said, “I was trying to pull that branch out of the snow, but it seems pretty stuck. It’s a red cedar branch. It’s bark and leaves are good for medicine.” She took a few steps towards him, carefully checking her footing with each step. “I didn’t expect to see you here. I thought you and Reyes went further south.” Not that Neko was all that confident in her sense of direction.

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

Askan blinked, a little dazed and confused by such an open display of affection. These days he had come to terms with the fact that very few wolves were happy to see him, but not Neko apparently. She was all too eager to greet him, so much so that she lost her balance and skidded across the floor as though she was a stone sliding along a frozen pond. With a slight, if not subtle, quirk of his lips he watched her scramble to her feet as his tail swished once, twice behind him.

Whilst he hadn't recruited her, Askan liked her well enough. She was one of the few loners that had joined the Field and actually stuck to their words, she didn't mooch nor had she run away. The fact she still remained even now was telling, even when the Field seemed to be weaker than ever, cracks forming along all of its foundations.

He looked down at the branch again and stepped closer to examine it. He supposed the nice thing to do would be to pull it out for her, as she had clearly been struggling, but first they had matters to settle.

"We've settled in the woods to the south, Secret Falls."He told Neko , taking in the sight of her once more."I'm here on pack business, I guess. Wanted to see Lachesis." Funny how he'd ran into a Rye wolf instead of a River one.

He knew she said she was out looking for medicinal goods but...was it common for her to wander off like this? Did the other's even realise she was gone? Did they even care? The Edge Lord scowled at the thought, she deserved better than that by far. She was one of the good ones.

"I know you're out looking for plants and stuff but how were things at the Field?"He had to learn more, find out whether he was just being awfully pessimistic or if he'd hit the nail right on the head. How bad had things gotten?