The copper pelted pup watched his sister with his head tilted to the side, brows furrowing when she explained that the bark was medicine. Orren glanced down at the pale strips on the ground, wrinkling his nose; to him it just smelled like trees. Karina seemed very excited by the shredded crust though, eagerly rummaging about the pile before finally pointing out a piece, sliding it over to him with enthusiastic instructions. The Baranski boy met his sibling's gaze, one brow raised in skepticism, nose snout still crinkled in disgust at the idea of eating plants; No way! He was no winter starved deer!

His ears flattened back, the pain in his paw making his vision blurry, and his short temper even more prickly. Karina seemed very pleased though, watching him expectantly, and he was very close to snarling at her; She can eat her own bark if she likes it so much! But, surprisingly, the fiery lad managed to rein in his temper, blinking to clear the fuzz from his eyes and looking back down at the bark. If there was one thing his sister knew, it was plants; if she said it smelled like medicine, it was. Sighing, Orren nodded lightly, ears lifting slightly and then flopping to the sides wearily. It was with a disgusted grimace and eyes squeezed shut that he finally bowed down to do as she'd said, gnawing slowly at the bark while fighting back his urge to gag. The taste was horrific, and if he hadn't been in so much pain, he would have spit it back out. But he forced down a couple large mouthfuls before straightening up, tongue sticking out as a clear message of what he thought of Karina's medicine.

While he'd been chewing, she seemed to have realized that they were out of familiar territory, pale blue eyes trained on her brother as she mumbled dejectedly. Orren looked back under wrinkled brows, still in too much pain to think properly. He glanced around, again noting the unfamiliar pattern of trees, standing densely in all directions. Though the adventurous boy's previous trips off the land had been plentiful, none of them had taken him through this particular patch of forest. He turned his warm colored eyes back to his sister, trying not to betray his despair; he didn't want her to know he was as lost as she was. Even silent second made it more apparent though, so he decided to take action, always more of a doer than a thinker. He turned in the direction they'd come from, or at least thought they'd come from, and tentatively tried taking a few steps, finding to his relief that the worst of the pain had disappeared.

Still limping, but no longer grinding his teeth with each step, Orren moved with determination back through the trees, calling to his sister with all the false bravado he could muster; "Come, it's this way!" I think. He was hoping they could back track their route; With Karina's nose..! Surely it was possible. Even though they'd been running. For a while... After a couple more steps, the lad paused, squinting through the fog to try and find any marks from their passage; he'd been stumbling a lot, surely there would be evidence of that in the underbrush. Trying to hide his confusion, Orren turned to his sister and smiled, a little palely; "Your med'cine really worked, I feel much better!" It was almost entirely true, he was in much less pain now. Orange eyes passed back over the foliage around them; If only the plants could help us get back home... He felt his stomach rumble; Great! Just what they needed, apparently the bits of bark had reminded his belly of how otherwise empty it was; I don't suppose there's any food out here either.

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Thoughts ”Speech”

His act seemed to be working, Karina following suit, pleased by his praise; there was a softness in his heart at that, his sister had such a sensitive soul, it often clashed with Orren's brazen personality, but really, he loved her dearly for her kindness - even when he didn't understand it. The sentiment died quickly though, as the salt and pepper girl suddenly turned and darted back; What's she doing now?! Despite the ebbing pain in his paw, his short temper was still one edge, the fact that they were clearly, utterly lost, not exactly uplifting. The black and copper lad continued forwards a few steps and then stopped to wait for his sister, a small grumble leaving his chest as the moments passed. There was an urge to keep going, leave her behind, but it was a tiny, petty feeling, and he pushed it aside; they'd just managed to make up, and as much as he might tire off her wary nature, he couldn't leave her lost in this fog, there was enough protective instinct in him to establish that.

Her first call made his ears turn, tail flicking behind him, how far apart had they come? Could she not see him? Then her second cry sounded, and all mixed feelings and irritability was forgotten as the boy spun around and raised back through the fog; "Karina?!" He called, voice tense and worried. He heard splashing; Oh no-oh no! Had she fallen in the water, she couldn't swim! - None of them could, most of the water in the forest having been frozen since they were big enough to learn - She would drown! Panic was gripping the young boy as he raced forwards, adrenaline masking the ache as he ran on his sprained ankle. Finally he caught sight of her silhouette through the fog, splashing in a pool of water; "Karina!" He cried again, desperation now filling his young voice. He reached the water's edge and skidded to a halt, pausing for a second; What do I do?! He was ready to jump in - to panicked to realize that he would be of no help, but simply risk them both drowning - when he lifted his head and saw her standing in the water, coat dripping large amounts of water into a pond that barely reached her stomach.

Orren stood gasping, heart pounding against his ribs, orange eyes wide as they stared at Karina in the small pool. When he'd gathered himself enough to speak, he barked at her in a mixture of anger and relief; "Jeez 'Rina, I thought you were dying!" Right as the words fell from his lips, the drenched girl yipped in apparent alarm, spinning around in the water, and her brother's gaze followed hers into the murky water. "Fish!" Now his voice was full of delight, and he looked at his sister with sparkling eyes; "'Rina, you found food!" Another growl of his stomach added chorus to the exclamation, and he grinned widely at his sister. Raised as they'd been, near a river, they'd grown up eating fish, and the mild, salty taste, while drab compared to fresh blood, held a special place in the prince's heart.

Eyes narrowing, Orren lowered himself, tongue peaking out between his lips as he concentrated on the scaly creatures, swimming around his sister's legs. They were big too, slow and rich-looking; DELICIOUS! At the bank opposed the lad, ice stretched out into the water, and a small, frozen stream let away, to join somewhere with a larger source of water where the fish had come from. He didn't much care how they'd come to be there though, they were, and he was ready to eat them. After another moment of tracing the lazy circling of a particular catfish, the boy lashed out with a paw, making a large splash as it hit the water and swatted against the fish. The animal quickly skittered away, setting an incredible speed as it disappeared in the shadows at the other end of the pond; Drat! It was only then, that the copper lad realized he didn't know how to fish.

That wasn't gonna stop him though! Straightening up, Orren chose a different pray, readying himself and then springing forwards with both paws, trying to catch the animal and failing miserably. In fact, while the fish quickly made its escape, the River prince lost his balance, front paws slipping in the mud at the bottom of the pond and his whole body tumbling forwards into the water with a huge splash. He fought to regain his footing on the slippery bed, finally managing to get his head back above the water and gasping wildly; the water was freezing. He blinked water out of his eyes and straightened back to his feet, now standing right in front of Karina, just as soaking wet as she.

Word count: 815

Thoughts ”Speech”

He half expected her to laugh at his clumsy attempt at fishing, but it seemed cold and hunger was getting to her too. She gave her own try at catching one of the elusive animals, but with no more luck than himself, the freezing water splashing around his legs as her paws made the surface ripple. The copper tinted boy shook his head, making droplets fly in all directions; This is just GREAT! They had found food, but they couldn't catch it, and they were left to just stare at the delicious fish right before them, yet not within their grasp. A frown settled on the lanky lad's face, his body starting to tremble in the cold; I wish we could just go home already!

Karina spoke, and Orren looked up to meet her delicate eyes, a spark of hope running through him as he deciphered her stuttering words. It died quickly though, as his sister trailed off, lost in memories that he doubted had anything to do with fishing. He made a small, disgruntled sound, looking back down at the prey swimming undisturbed between their legs; Shadows, hm..? His eyes narrowed to small slits as he gazed down into the dark water. He watched, frozen still, as a silvery form came towards him, big, bulging eyes blank and seemingly completely unaware of the danger ahead. As it came closer, he felt his muscles tense, breath seizing as he waited; Just a little more, just a little..! The fish was almost in the perfect spot, and the young hunter was ready to pounce, when suddenly, the scaly creature veered and scooted to the other side of the pond, out of his reach.

Orren snarled in frustration, ready to slap his raised paw against the water surface in a tantrum. Then he saw another fish coming, bigger this time. His eyes were fixed on the beast, noticing how the diffuse, grey light managed to reflect in its scales, making them shimmer lightly. It inched closer, and then, just as it reached the place where the apprentice fisher's shadow fell over the water, it turned around and darted away. "Shadows..." The young Baranski mumbled, then a bright grin spread across his face; "Of course! Shadows!" He beamed up at Karina, eyes alight with the excitement of his new discovery.

There was many things the wild boy wasn't good at: listening, doing what he was told, following pack law; but he seemed to have a natural talent for the mysteries of the hunt, and once he'd figured out what the problem was, he was quick to act. Still smiling, he slowly circled in the water, the freezing cold forgotten as he prepared to strike. He spun around, until the light was right in his face, his shadow falling behind him, leaving the water before him clear. After that, it didn't take long, a fat catfish swam in his direction, and this time it didn't have his shadow to warn it of the danger. With a powerful swoop, Orren dove his paw into the water and threw the fish up on the bank. The animal landed with an audible thud, writhing helplessly for a few moments, before slowly growing still.

With a whoop of triumph, Orren sprang into the air, splashing water on his sister as he kicked out and landed back into the shallow pond. He let out a few laughing barks, grinning at his smaller sibling; "There, I did it! We did it Karina!" He was over the moon, all their troubles, and even his hunger, forgotten in the glory of his victory; "We can fish!"

Word count: 604

Thoughts ”Speech”

Every black, copper and cream hair on the young hunter's body was quivering in his excitement, bright orange eyes shining in his success. He paid no attention to the fish, gasping for breath on the bank, all focus on his sister, silently begging her to share in his triumph. And she did, nipping him gently in praise, and he beamed at her in response.

He had completely forgotten about his catch until she walked over to it, his own eyes wide as he saw it still on the frozen ground. Following Karina's example, her brother splashed over to the bank and pulled himself out of the water, shaking his long winter fur vigorously to get writ of as much water as possible. As curious as his sister, Orren trotted over to the catfish, sniffing at it and prodding it with his nose to make sure that it was really dead. He got no reaction and looking at the animal's open, blindly staring eye, it was clear that there was no life left. The black-saddled lad looked up at his companion with wonder on his face, searching for an explanation. "It's... Dead?" He said slowly, voice a half whisper, as if speaking to loudly could wake up the fish.

The smaller pup seemed as perplexed as her brother, walking around the catch several time, inspecting it from every angle. Orren saw the growing excitement spreading on his sister's face, but didn't understand the reason. However the adrenaline boost of the hunt was wearing off, and a sudden, loud rumbling brought his attention back to his empty stomach; even if it was unexplained, his prey was dead, and he was starving! With a quick, encouraging smile and nod to Karina, the successful fisherman ripped into his prize, relishing the sweet, soft flesh. As he ate, he made sure there was room for her as well, proud to be able to share a catch that they had made all on their own.

As his stomach filled though, the nagging fear, that had been pushed to the back of his mind by his hunger, started to reemerge; they might no longer be hungry, but they were still lost. Slowly lifting his wed muzzle, Orren looked around, careful to keep his motions small and gradual to try and hide them from Karina. He still had absolutely no idea where they were, the small pool was fed by a thin, frozen line of water, disappearing into the forest, but it could be any of the hundreds of creeks that permeated the Cedarwood, all branches of Cut Rock River; But where IS IT?! He was really starting to ear that they would never get home.

Word count: 448

Thoughts ”Speech”

His panic was growing. As the rush of success quickly faded in his chest, it became more and more clear to the adventurous boy that this particular escapade might have gone too far. While they had managed to feed themselves for now, what would happen the next time they grew hungry; And the next, and the next?! In his mind's eye, he was already imagining a reality of never finding their way back, having to get by on their own for the rest of their lives. He was slowly falling into despair.

And then he heard it, possibly the sweetest sound to ever reach his ears. Persimmon eyes darted to his sister's periwinkles, wide with hope, and a strand of disbelief; Can it really be true? But Karina was looking back at him with a similar expression, the name falling from her lips making a wide grin appear on her brother's face; "Naia!" He confirmed, feeling sweet relief wash over him. Of course, leave it to the crafty scout to have noticed the pups' absence and call for them, even masking her signal as a territorial howl.

Orren didn't need his sibling's encouragement, when Naia's voice sounded again, he was already on the move, Karina following right after. He only stopped to answer the second's song, his yelping howl only a pale imitation of what the grown wolf could perform, but never the less adding to her display of strength, and urging her to continue. Afterwards, the copper pelted lad allowed his sister to take the lead, knowing that her ears were better than his own, and she could locate the source of Naia's voice more easily. And sure enough, the landscape soon began looking more familiar, their hectic lope eventually taking them back into the territory of their home pack; We made it! Orren gasped slightly for breath as he slowed to a trot, continuing towards Naia to assure her that they were home safe. He felt small stabs of pain starting to radiate up through his ankle as he crossed this last distance, and grew exceedingly happy to be back in Cut Rock River. It would be quite awhile before he ventured out again.

Word count: 366

Thoughts ”Speech”