december blues

The rivers and creeks have completely frozen over. @Gent

Somberly Quick had begun to entertain the idea that this new land was rejecting her like a bad transplant. Each day since her arrival, save for one, had been more severe than the last, with constant snowfall and blustering winds and generally unkind conditions. Quick had lived on a mountain. She was no stranger to the ferocity of winter. It was perhaps only a coincidence that the weather would take for the worst after her arrival, but she couldn't help the connections her mind would make.

Finally the drift of fat flakes began to recede, becoming less of an attack and transforming into a passive snow fall. Thirsty from the force it took to drag her skinny rear across the massive expanse of territories she turned her dark nose to the air, urgent in that this might be the first break in an otherwise long snow storm. Hardly nonsensical with this life or death situation, the steel-eyed female began a search with as much concentration as she could manage.

Quick found the creek several moments before she knew it. She could smell the ice, and it was close, but the water was trapped beneath thick ice and blanketed in a layer of fresh powder. It wasn't until she placed a paw on the frozen surface that she realized it, recoiling instantly at the stark cold. She held her offended paw in the air, then lowered it, brows following suit, while the situation dawned on her. There was water right beneath her nose, inaccessible.

Dark claws tapping at the ice's edge she seethed, contemplating her misfortune and a solution both at once. This situation certainly didn't refute the idea that she had no place here. Perhaps her time would be better spent reconsidering her future, she thought bitterly, since it seemed rather dark if she stuck around.

. quicksilver

Gent had taken up the idea that if he followed the rivers, he would be more likely to find food. It was as decent a lead as any, and at this point he didn't care much which method was taken. It was beginning to seem that they had only knocked down their chances of starvation by a few percentage points, as the prey they required had abandoned the land altogether. The boy was becoming frustrated with the lack of progress. He had gone to the west and found only threats, and now it looked like he would be traveling south for a long while if he was to find anything at all. The idea of putting more and more distance between him and his pack was extremely unpleasant, especially considering the turbulent conditions of weather. If the right storm hit, he would be separated from them for good. However, he could not settle for patrolling their borders or entertaining the whelps at the den site. Gent had to be moving forward, had to at least be trying. Their pathetically minuscule cache was an offense to the eyes and he couldn't stand to look at it. So he had come south through the woods and into the falls, and from there had chosen the thickest channel to pursue. Occasionally he saw scraps of animals that, at this point, where worth catching, but altogether he failed to sink his teeth into any of them. Irked but never disheartened, he slipped over and through the drifts of snow with lethal determination, arctic eyes absorbing every detail of the landscape that unfolded before him. In a very short amount of time, a scent cropped up on the crisp winter winds. However, it was a disappointment; merely a straggler. While Gent was one for conversation with any type, he nearly passed up the opportunity for being so focused on his current. However, the thought occurred to him that she might posses some useful bit of information, and so he went to her. Gent found her at the water's edge, an embittered look upon her face. His heart lifted as he realized the advantage he had; the falls, from their momentum, had yet to freeze over, offering drinking water to any who knew their location. He could lead her there, if she proved open and provided him answers to the questions he needed to ask. His approach was cautious but forwardly friendly, his posture casual and neutral rather than dominating. He gave her vocal warning to his presence before reaching her as well, to ensure she would not react negatively if startled. Finally, reaching a couple yards distance, he spoke, eyes bright and focused on her own equally pale outlooks, that ever charming and crooked smile shaping his lips. "You're at the wrong end of the stream for that, ma'am."

The frost-colored female snapped out of her inner rage at the sound of another's voice, flicking an irritated ear at the stranger's words. Despite the cadence of his voice and the upturned corners of his lips her words came flying through her teeth, no less sharp. "No, I am not," she protested, her bitterness manifesting into a stubbornness that she didn't typically possess. Embarrassed to be seen pouting at the edge of a frozen creek the pale she-wolf withdrew her paws from the ice and stood to face the yearling.

With her ink-rimmed eyes she judged him, riding her embarrassment as gall that she normally would not have. He was taller than her, as most wolves tended to be, especially this far north. Perhaps he'd reached his full height but the boy's build showed there was still room to grow. Blacker than night with cold blue eyes she imagined he could be an intimidator like no other, especially in his prime. Maybe staring him straight on wasn't such a good idea. Once the blood in her cheeks had drained she averted her silvery gaze, releasing the last of her frustrations with a quiet huff out the corner of her mouth.

"It's all frozen," Quick said, not insistent at all like the first time she'd opened her mouth. It didn't seem necessary to mention she had just stumbled upon the creek. Neither did it seem bad to assume that all similar water sources were trapped beneath ice. The temperatures refused to rise. Even when there was enough heat to produce flurries there certainly wasn't any to melt the ice. Despite her logical train of thought Quick decided not to share her amateur meteorologist opinion with this fellow, already starting to feel foolish for her rude outburst. There was nothing more for her to do besides let her eyes wander the frozen landscape and perhaps prepare to flee, if she'd insulted the wolf enough.

. quicksilver

(This post was last modified: Jan 10, 2014, 12:49 AM by Quick.)

Her biting choice of response did not phase the boy. With the demeanor he often held, cocky and insulting, Gent had grown beyond accustomed to being meant with both verbal and physical violence of every degree. And so his casting remained completely unchanged, the only movement being those glacial blue eyes, which scanned her over as she moved and spoke, taking in any secrets she might betray about herself. He was enjoying what he saw pass over her face, as each minute inflection offered him hope that he would be able to ply what he needed from her. However, even if he could open the door, it didn't mean that there would be anything behind it; she could have absolutely no information for him, and this interaction could prove a complete waste of time. But he would hold out hope that this possibility was wrong. "Here, yes," he mused in agreeable fashion. "Perhaps one of many reasons why its so difficult to find so much as a trace of prey in these territories." Stretching out a limb, Gent touched his paw to the stream's frozen surface, the tips of his dark claws tracing the grain of the ice. Blue eyes followed, leaving the girl's face to take in the dusting of snow and the pockets oxygen trapped within the thick sheeting. He broke eye contact to ease the aggression of his presence, in order to not allow his following questions to be mistaken as threatening. "You haven't managed to catch tale of anything, have you? When is the last you have been able to eat your fill?"

The youth did not take offense to her frosty demeanor. She took this for some great show of patience and refused to test it any further, keeping her pale eyes on their snowy surroundings while he responded to her without any snap to his words. His outstretched paw nearly caused the fur along her spine to stand straight once more, but she inhaled deeply and maintained a composed exterior. He wasn't trying to attack her, he was just demonstrating, or something. Either way it wasn't worth ruffling her feathers over, and Quick was slowly harboring a need to prove she wasn't the hapless loner that she totally was.

So when he posed a question, finally letting his electric stare off of her shoulders, she glanced his way and briefly let her gaze return to explore his face. Why did he care? She could not find a hint of malice in his expression, that he was using her for any gain, so she pursed her lips in thought. It had been a while since her hunt with Naia in the valley beneath the limestone bluff, but he didn't need to know exactly how long it had been. Her winter coat was thick and fluffy, layered of Arctic fur, so he couldn't well see the ribs protruding beneath it... could he?

"Not so long ago," she responded firstly, reaffirming that her initial response to the yearling's approach wasn't indicative of her over all ferocity. "Not recently either," she added, for honesty's sake. Her jaws closed and she pondered for a moment if that was all she ought to say, still wary of his reasons for asking. Perhaps if she kept talking she could build an image of strength. Then would she feel less intimidated by the ice-eyed stranger?

She drew her paws closer together, shedding her bolt-ready stance into a calmer, more neutral one. Briefly she allowed her silver eyes to meet his, trying not to respond to their piercing quality. She pondered, "Why do you ask? Do you pity me?" Her tone was curious, not teasing, as Quick still had no need to provoke the male. But she did wonder his motive, so she wondered it calmly, nicely, and with a charming half-smile pulling on her blackened lips.

. quicksilver

@Quick Gent looked up again when she began to speak, gaze hard with intent. She failed to give him any true information at all, and this caused his smirk to fade, replaced with the smallest of frowns. Useless, then; is that what this encounter would be? He pulled his paw away from the faltered stream and stood in consideration of what should be done next. Would it be fruitful to pressure her for a more detailed answer, or would the interaction best be wrapped up here? What reason would she have to hide knowledge of the herds, unless she was just an overall suspicious character? Before he could come to a decision, she spoke again. His ears perked and the curl of his mouth flattened, all inflection wiped from his dial. "Why would I do that? You've given no indication of being any more disadvantaged than the next wolf." The statement was casual, an honest observance, and a chance for him to consider if he should explain his motivations or not. Quickly it was decided that vague honesty was the best course; perhaps if he showed transparency, she would be more inclined to elaborate on her own luck. His gaze wandered at this point, his mind considering the location of the falls as he thought to take her to them anyways, despite her lack of use. "I'm trying to locate food for my pack, but the herds have gone and I'm unable to figure out where they went." A pause, to give her time to reflect and hopefully consider feeding him more information, before he rolled his raven cloaked shoulders in semblance of a shrug, both his smile and his polar gaze returning to meet her's. "Did you want to know where the right end lies?"

While the words were slipping through her teeth the youth's face was changing, little nuances in the corner of his lips and the hardness of his ice-cold eyes. Her heart continued to beat strong, but she was turning her nervous edge into a brand of her own ferocity. Whatever he was making of their encounter in his head Quick was becoming less and less partial to. She was a smart girl, too, and she would make sure his piercing stare didn't get to her any longer. He denied her question, perhaps even kindly. At least, she wouldn't comment on another's disadvantages or lack there of. Finally letting his icy stare off her he changed the subject. She was not surprised by it, but the common ground set her more at ease than she had been trying to be. Hardship was something all wolves understood now.

Of course, she would be of no help to this male - not that she knew that was what he wanted. Pulling her dark lips into a grim line she sighed, "If they're not dead then they're long gone." Certainly it wasn't what he wanted to hear, looking for food for his pack. It was worth assuming that the survival instinct ran strong in every red-blooded creature in Relic Lore - and that instinct told them to go until they were safe, and that was likely far from here. She allowed her silver gaze to settle on his with a definite contact for once, her expression only slightly sympathetic. It was the truth that there was no food - that didn't get split between the packs and the loners.

Even if she had nothing for him, his offer was somewhat tempting. Quick was still unsure if she felt comfortable about this black-coated yearling, but a little information couldn't hurt. "Alright," she agreed, trying to be selfish. It was useful information. But she felt bad being handed it - it did feel like pity, even if he refuted it. Matching his shrug she added, "Maybe you'll find goats by the mountain."

. quicksilver