Rain fell down on the earth, still soft from the previous rain that had fallen upon the soil. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a shadow before the running paws. Twigs broke under her weight as she moved her body to the left to make a sharp curve. Her heart pounded in her chest and throat, mixed with regulated breaths of air. The world was like a haze for her, everything was blurry except one little fur of light brown that ran for its life. Short little rabbit paws ran for the big scary wolf. And she could feel her blood run hot in her veins as she started to catch up on her current prey. Soon, very soon and her mouth would run with dark thick blood, fresh and warm on her tongue with a metallic taste to make her senses go crazy. And with that foresight the timber woman sped up. Long legs stretched and touched the ground. So close, she could almost hear the panicked heartbeat of the little poor thing. Cornelia launched forward, her teeth clamped in soft fur deep until it sunk down in soft flesh and muscles. Her legs scrambled as they hit the brakes to break down her speed. The rabbit squirmed and shocked between her jaws until it slumped down. A smirk would have appeared on her bloody lips if her mouth wasn’t occupied with delicious food right now. For a short moment the woman blinked rapidly, her focus reset to see the world as a whole.

A red world. Orange leaves, deep brown trees and the red glow of the setting sun. Everything was red but the best sort of red dripped down on the soil, washed away by the light rain that continued falling down. In her hunt she must had left the Secret Falls, as the previous part had been everything but red hues. She huffed, her ears turning as she listened to her surroundings. No possible thief nearby for now, she noted and Cornelia felt safe to drop her victory on the ground. She licked her lips with delight, oh the blood was so warm, so sweet. This was the best. A satisfied grin spread on the woman’s face as she tucked her tail high in the air. She was not the best hunter running on the fields but it was always an epic feeling to know she was not rusty in her hunting skills. Not minding the rain she bowed her head down in order to rip the belly of the rabbit open. Delicious contents showed itself and she happily dug into her deserved meal. Oh food was the best. The biggest con of being alone was the scarce food supply. She was not skilled nor strong enough to bring down a healthy deer on her own. She had to rely on little prey like this rabbit. It sufficed but she would lie if she said she didn’t miss the thrill of a big hunt. If the man hadn’t appeared she wouldn’t- no, not right now. Cornelia corrected herself as she bit into the heart of the rabbit. She was not going to spoil her appetite by thinking of unworthy wolves. Not right now.

This was great, Cornelia thought as she munched on her meal. The tip of her muzzle pleasantly warm from the blood, even with the cold raining down her –literally- she couldn’t feel bothered by it. Every victory had to be celebrated and nothing would take this from her right now. Not her past or the darker corners of her mind. The woman had changed a lot over the past two years, she felt it in moments like this how much she had grown. How much darker she had become yet she felt so light during her fights, hunts and simple meals. It were moments like these that sprouted hope in the parts untainted souls. That maybe, just a slight chance, after the rain would stop the sun would shine and slowly warm the frozen wounded parts of her own being.

The carcass of the bunny was already half done when her ears turned backwards, hearing something through the rhythm of falling raindrops. It could be everything of course, it was hard to tell with the rain washing the scents into a vague blur of smells. It wasn’t in her instincts to ignore the sign, Cornelia warily continued her meal but in the back of her mind she kept a close awareness on the things around her. A fox or coyote searching for an easy meal wasn’t new, nor were hungry wolves trying to steal it from her. She done the same, after all. It didn’t particular mean something bad, just something that wouldn’t happen to her. She was a rogue and maybe not on the top of her game –with mental issues and surviving against the word- but that didn’t mean she would have her meal stolen by some incompetent animal.

When she heard something again but closer, louder, Cornelia stopped eating. Her pink tongue darted around her nose and lips to clear a bit of the blood. She saw nothing so far, oh no there was something. Behind the curtain of light rain she saw the majestic antlers and included deer family. Too bad she was alone, if she had one or two decent hunter they could have brought a hind to the end of her life. Not that this rabbit wouldn’t do, brown eyes looked at the bloody heap of bones and fur. There was still some bites left to enjoy. ‘’Hello.’’ The greeting made the timber woman turn in record speed, her eyes glaring at a female with stark blue eyes. A low snarl came out the depth of her stomach through her throat. Who was this woman to disturb her moment alone. It took one quick look to see that the supposed woman was nothing more than a girl. A girl who smelled slightly odd but for now Cornelia ignored her observations in favor of glaring coldly at her unwelcome visitor. If the girl thought for a second she could steal her prey, that she would share her effort with a stranger, she was highly mistaken. Cornelia tilted her head high, her tail mimicking the gesture of dominance as she looked down on the girl. ‘And why would I do that?’ She said with her tone cold as ice. So far she could see this girl would have little benefit to her survival. The girl was just a teenager after all, what could the young thing have on her that would make her feel generous. Time would tell.  

Cornelia licked the blood from her muzzle as she stared at the girl. She didn’t look very confident, then again she wasn’t even an adult. One year, that was a teenager who could almost survive on their own. Depending on their skills and talents, but this girl didn’t look very strong. Maybe the girl failed to find herself food and now scavenging for her leftovers. Dark brown eyes moved to the death carcass of the rabbit, it was not much. Hardly enough to erase the feeling of hunger. Even if she was kind –what she wasn’t- the girl would have little help from the meat that was left on the bones. Cornelia tilted her head slightly as she looked right into bright blue eyes. ‘One would say a proper introduction is key when you ask favors of a stranger.’ She said with a stern voice. In all honesty Cornelia didn’t think she would get much out of helping the girl in front of her. She came to her on the wrong time, the wrong moment. She didn’t do charity and she wasn’t a generous lass who would help anyone who asked for it. Not anymore.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she snorted. ‘Later is a vague promise, girl. Anyone could say that and forget it the moment they turn their back.’ A low growl finished her sentence as she thought about her Queen. No, vague promises and lies were not something she would fall for again. However, this girl could have been her. No, she almost was like her. ‘Where is your family, your parents, guardian?’ Cornelia didn’t know why she asked but it felt important. When she was alone and dying the Queen had saved her. No matter how hard she was stabbed in the back, she would still pray for someone to help her. This girl, how pathetic it might be, begged for slivers of meat that would hardly save her life. Throwing away her own pride and roll on her belly for strangers. Cornelia groaned as she turned her back to the girl and took a few steps back, standing behind the carcass. ‘Go. Eat what is left. Tell me about your skills, if you’re a decent huntress we might be able to kill a young deer. Cornelia Saer, is my name.’ She hated herself for helping the unknown girl, but she would hate herself more if she didn’t help someone who had been in the same situation like her. She could at least make sure the girl would survive another day, until she was no longer her business.  

Two fluffy ears of the girl perked up as she introduced herself as Leotie. Cornelia nodded curtly, remembering the name well as she was going to do the girl a favor. If she was true to her word Cornelia wouldn’t have to, but right now she had no guarantee except the girls own tongue. It was funny how open the girl was in her emotions. When she had hope you could see it in her body, when she was surprised it shone in her eyes. The fact that Leotie was actually a rogue like herself worried her more than it actually should. Instead of a runaway teenager from any nearby pack, or living with some group she was all alone. And by the looks of it she barely managed on her own. Not that it was her problem, she was not her guardian or even family. Still she let the girl eat her hunt, or whatever was left, without any good reason. She didn’t even trust her fully, she just knew that if the girl tried something funny she would have her jaws around her throat in no time.

‘Cornelia.’ The timber woman said as a kind of introduction. She didn’t want Leotie to think she was going to dote on her now, only because she felt oddly generous today. Her eyes darkened slightly as the girl said she had no skills. ‘None? Fighting, hunting, track or scout? What about healing?’ How could a girl her age not develop any sort of basics. Yes, she was young but even she had basic hunting skills when she was Leotie’s age. She was a stupid teenager making basic mistakes of course, there was a reason she hadn’t survived on her own. But she had possessed some skill. She could catch mice! ‘What did your parents teach you?’ Cornelia couldn’t help it, her voice pitched up a bit in her astonishment. This girl was either daft or her parents were really bloody useless.

The girl cautiously requested for more help. Cornelia shot an icy glare down as she started to pace around. This girl was shitting her, how could she have no skill at all. Of course there was a slim chance that she was actually speaking the truth. But Leotie wasn’t her problem. The woman shot a quick once over to the eating wolf. What she ate was barely enough to provide her muscles and body with the energy they needed. Starving was a painful process, slow and agonizing. Cornelia always thought it was quite similar to how poison worked in her mind. Slow but deadly either way. Would Leotie die if she let her be? Dark orbs flashed to the spot where the deer family had walked. No, they couldn’t hunt if the girl was telling her the truth. Even if she put the effort for a whole night of Being-Alone 101 it would still give the girl a little chance of surviving.
‘You should join a pack.’ She mumbled out loud. ‘You’re young, you might get into their favor if you work and learn hard enough. Be loyal.’ Of course Cornelia had no idea what kind of packs were out there. She was a foreigner herself. ‘I really don’t have to do anything. You’re not my problem.’ She laughed softly, she was an idiot. This girl would give her nothing of value. ‘I could teach you some basics. Hunting and fighting would be the main issue, you do know how to stay away from border right?’ Dark orbs fell upon the bright blue eyes. And Cornelia could only hope that she wasn’t making a big mistake.

Okay so it was only fundamental flaws she had to fix. Cornelia felt oddly relieved that the girl actually knew a bit of hunt and track. It was not much but starting from teaching how to find prey and how to wear it down would take more than a day or so. The timber woman wasn't on a schedule but travelling with someone, staying with someone for a longer period of time made her chest tighten. 'Alright we will fix that tonight.' She answered with confidence, there should be enough practice dummies around.

'No guardians who took care of you?' A slight frown grazed the woman's features. Leotie obviously was a orphan, with her lack of skills and no parents it was the most likeable option. But she didn't remember her parents, so why did her guardian teach her nothing. The girl was far too soft to be alone since pup. Leotie was a weird girl.

'Yes, a pack.' She repeated. Even if she had a slight grudge against the term pack, Cornelia wouldn't let it effect her judgement. She was not going to stay with Leotie and unless she found some other nice guys a pack would guarantee safety. The girl had a point, she was practicay useless in the way she was right now. 'You're young, you could ask someone to teach you and take a roll in the pack to make yourself useful. Once you've learned how to catch a decent rabbit you could offer it to the leaders of the pack. As a gift.' The woman shrugged slightly. 'I'm not sure how the packs are in this realm but that does the trick most of the times. Vow your loyalty and effort, send a gift and be true to who you are. Some will send you away but someone must be willing for young blood.' And with that Cornelia gave the girl a sly smile.

'What is a fence?' Cornelia blinked slightly at the new term. Maybe some kind of slang the girl learned in her own realm? The woman shook her head. 'Borders are warnings made out of scents. Mostly the pack members, you can recognize it the moment you come close. The scent is very strong and consistently renewed and placed to protect their lands.' She explained just in case border had a different meaning in Leotie's realm. Cornelia was lucky she actually spoke the same language, everything would have been much harder if she didn't.

'Let's find some rabbits.' Once Leotie was done with her bits and pieces. 'You track them down, I'll hunt one down as an example. You track for new prey and do it yourself. From there I'll give you pointers and advice, if needed.' She spoke in a calm tone. Teaching felt oddly familiar, maybe because she used her old mentor's teaching methods. Perhaps she would actually enjoy this.