Iridescent Lagoon Moonlight fishing

It was rare that the huntress would find herself away from her pack in the willows so late at night, and yet here she was. Rarer still that she was away from her brother's side, since her presence there was usually constant. That was just how deep their bond ran, but many never really understood it. In the past months she had been a silent presence within the territory. Truly she only spoke to her brother in a constant manner and at times, a short conversation with her sister @Elettra. There seemed to be a dark presence within the territory, and though the chocolate woman had long left her priestess days behind, she still felt a churning in the pit of her stomach. There was something brewing within the willows, and the lady did not like the feeling this knowledge brought one bit.

Lifting her sandy gaze to the moon that was her only source of light in the darkness, Adele slowly let the peace of the quiet night consume her. For a small time, she would not worry about the future, or her dear sister, or if Sorya would ever come back and if Adele would have to tell her the horrid news about Xetor. Settling her gaze on the surface of the large lagoon, the huntress inched closer to the water. Though her presence was silent within the pack, the woman had made sure to always keep the pack caches full. Between her and Enoki, the caches were rarely empty. When her paws were fully submerged, Adele gazed deeply into the water, searching for her prey. It seemed she was in the mood for fish tonight.

"Speech"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

At the end of the day there's another day dawning
And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise

Score Tracker: 70 total
+2 utter name; +3 use barricade; +5 themed table; +10 reference lyrics; +50 write 500+ words

A woman's work was never done and such a statement rang true as the unique patchwork vixen found herself beyond the heavily marked barricade of the ridge once more. The luminous glow of the pale moonlight Enoki's only guidance in those darkened hours. Her usual quarry; the herds of mule deer and white tailed deer, had began their annual migration around the lore to create their separate groups. The does in family knit groups while bucks branch out in bachelor groups, their autumn rut beginning to heighten their testosterone levels while their racks shed their velveteen sheathing in preparation for the coming of breeding season. A time where food would be plenty for the wolves. The rage filled males vulnerable in their desperate search to establish the largest harem to pass on their gene pool, most succumbing to fatal wounds or the unlucky fate of locking racks permanently. A fate that neither party survived.

The woman illuminated under the light of the moon could have scoffed at the thought of breeding season once more looming over them. The misfortune that befell the Ashrelle woman last spring leaving what felt like a permanent bitter taste in her mouth and heart; a heart that once burned red, the color of desire, now blue in its prolonged heartbreak. How cruel Heigen had been to feed her lies so beautiful and empty. To deflower the woman in her most vulnerable state and disappear into the night like the thief he truly was. "Enoki, you deserved so much better" Her lips released in a hushed tone under her breath, storing away the pain that still lingered once more. There would be no use spooking possible quarry with her woeful emotions.

Yet, that time was a ways away still. For now the herds merely moved to better feeding grounds, leaving Hush Meadow a desolate hunting location with grass mowed down to the soil. An event that forced the hunters of Willow Ridge; all two of them from the scents most predominate within the cache sight, Adele and herself, to extend their searching perimeters and the exact reason the piebald woman now found herself nose pressed to the soil and ebony limbs propelling her towards the lagoon in hopes of finding something worthwhile. Smoldering amber optics constantly surveyed the landscape around her for subtle signs a well seasoned killer couldn't miss, swarthy audits rotating like satellites to hear every noise the night offered. No twig snap would go unnoticed, no fleeing figure in the treeline too dark to overlook and by the moons light Enoki had to thank for the latter.

All thoughts soon halted temporarily as a familar scent wafted across her path, causing Enoki's head to lift from its tracking position near the soft soil of the earth. Curiosity plagued her facial features as the cogs of her mind churned to put a face to the scent, yet failing in its attempts. Clearly the scent belonged to another of the Ridge and what better time to acquaint herself than now. Perhaps luck would find favor on the huntress to be and the two could put their efforts together to hunt. There was only one way to find out. Tracking of prey was all but abandoned as Enoki's paws pressed firmly into the ground, ebony nails scratching the earth's surface with each step she took toward her new destination in mind. Nostrils twitching as she ghosted over the trail closer and closer to the mirror like surface of the lagoon. A dark silhouette against the illuminated backdrop drawing her attention. It was upon catching a glimpse of the Archer sibling that pieces fell into place. From here the patchwork vixen had a better inkling as to whom she had tracked. This had to be Adele, sister to Elettra seen only briefly in passing, but who's aroma marked the caches as pungently as her own did.

A soft woof was uttered to signal her impending approach, ivory dipped tail swaying loosely at her ankles in greeting once the distance had been closed to a more casual, yet respectful stretch. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Voice soft on the ears as amber optics noted the woman's posture against the lagoon's shore. From a quick glance it would seem one was in the middle of fishing, or possibly just gathering a quick drink to quench a thirst.

Paw steps that grew steadily closer made the chocolate woman become alert but her concentration on her task did not waver. Her ears pricked attentively but her gaze remained on the water and the fish swimming innocently before her. There was no need to worry about danger for she recognized her fellow pack mate by scent before she spoke, effectively making the woman finally break from her task and turn to the dark woman with a warm smile upon her maw. "I was just doing a little fishing. Truthfully, it has never been my forte,” Adele spoke in her soft alto, laughter in her voice. Her passion was hunting, but her expertise was in tracking not in the simple act of fishing.

Now that the woman thought about it, it had always been a little of an irritation for her. Fish were just so slippery! It always took her a bit to succeed in catching one. Smiling at the woman, Adele realized that she had never truly spoken with the fellow huntress. It would be good to have a friend within the pack that wasn’t family. Archers weren’t known to be overly friendly, but Adele would say she had always been the most social one within her family. Tail wagging slightly, the woman spoke. "Enoki, correct? I am Adele Archer. Care to join me?” Maybe the fellow huntress could share some of her secrets in catching the slippery creatures within the lagoon.

"Speech"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

Relief washed over the patchwork woman when the chocolate pelted woman admitted she had not been interrupted from anything too important. A mere attempt at trying to secure some of the slippery inhabitants of the lagoon being her reasoning for departing from the safety of the willows so late at night, a reasoning similar to Enoki's own, albeit, the prey in her mind was less scaly and more hairy. "I reckon that makes two of us." A lighthearted laugh followed her soft southern accent, nearly inaudible to the ear these days. Fishing was definitely not one of the two toned huntress's forte either having only attempted the art twice, maybe three times in her life. One of those attempts being under the guidance of Angier after a somber conversation in the fog last winter. The aging patriarch had even passed down his knowledge for the best frog hunting spots along the marsh's borders.

Saddling up next to the fellow huntress' side, ebony limbs bowed to take up the position Adele had held previous before her arrival. Dark amber irises settling on the sandy toned ones of her pack mate momentarily with a warm, welcoming smile on swarthy lips before shifting to the stilled surface of the lagoon. "Pleasure to finally meet you Adele. About time I met the other hunter of the pack." The smile on Enoki's face grew slightly in length before her hunters focus took the reins. Lowering her voice to a hair above a whisper, swarthy paws carefully slid into the coolness of the lagoon. Ripples branching out from the entrance point of her legs. "If I manage to catch one I'll be surprised, but I do recall Angier informing me last winter the catfish are straight slugabeds around dawn and nightfall they become frenetic eaters. Especially this time of year they must be trying to prepare for the winter in some way too." How bemusing it was to think a fish needed to bulk up for the cold months.

Adele only smiled at Enoki's greeting, her gaze as warm as her new acquaintance's. She watched as the woman waded into the water beside her, and she breathed out an interested 'hmm' at her words, for she truly wanted to hear more but it was obvious that her concentration lay elsewhere now. The chocolate huntress looked intently down into the water, seeing the elusive creatures swimming between the two women. Her sandy gaze narrowed as she locked onto one particular fish and one paw slowly lifted from the lagoon. A familiar feeling began to spread within Adele, the feeling that she received when she could almost taste the success of the hunt and her concentration on the task before her sharpened. A paw swiftly swiped at the water, making barely a splash, but the woman felt her failure before she even lifted her paw. A flush of embarrassment did not fill her, nor a deep burn of failure. Adele had long since known that fishing was not her forte, and it would have been a true miracle if she had successfully caught her intended prey.

She looked over at Enoki with a shrug of her shoulders, wanting to see if the woman had, unlike her, been successful. She smiled at the woman and silently sat back to see how competent of a fisherwoman she was. The huntress was always open to learning new things.

"Speech"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

Well trained eyes followed the shadowed blurs of their intended quarry lazily swimming between the set of paws, utterly unaware to their impending fate should Lady Luck be so kind as to bless the duo of dark coated wolves that moonlit night. A comfortable silence fell between Enoki and Adele, both seasoned hunters succumbing to their natural instincts of deep concentration. No movement was made on the piebald woman's behalf, but motion out of the corner of her eye drew a dark crowned skull to angle towards the chocolate Archer. With a swift strike of a paw; a method different than the Ashrelle preferred, the sandy eyed wolf gave her first attempt at securing a scaly creature, but to no avail.

Smoldering irises rose to the paler contrast of Adele's offering an encouraging wrinkle at the corners as a smile tugged at her lips, swarthy tail swaying in good spirits. "It was a good attempt." Enoki confided honestly before adorning her gaze back to the rippling water where her forelimbs remained submerged, a look of concentration once more wiping the gentle smile upon her marred muzzle. A few minutes passed and the once disturbed water returned to a calm state allowing a better view of the elusive fish whom by now had begun to swim nearer to the shallow banks, forgetting in an instant the ebony limbs were not mere branches protruding form their underwater world. Some even daring to take harmless nibbles in hopes of a quick meal only to be met with the unpleasant taste of fur within their gills.

It was noticing these fish that had grown comfortable in her presence that the patchy female began to slowly inch her head towards the waters surface, jaws parting ever so slightly in anticipation for the strike to follow. With silent thanks to the moonlit night for hiding any shadows of hers that ran the risk of spooking the target a large spray of water glistened in the moonlight, Enoki's snout submerging beneath the water in a lightning quick snap as bubbles arose from her nostrils. Clamped teeth met the scaly texture of a tail as her head jerked back in an attempt to toss the fish onto dry land. The slippery fish's squirming sadly prevailing in freeing its tail from her jaws. "I could have sworn I had it!" she exclaimed. A brief look of disappointment adorned the woman's features before lighthearted laughter ensued, all looks of defeat swiped clean. Better luck next time.