Cedarwood Forest Kindred Spirit

It seemed like minutes, possibly even hours might have passed by since she sent her call into the air. And still no answer. Her ears tilted back on her russet and gray crown, her lips forming a slight frown. She was beginning to get lonely. Was everyone else really so caught up in their busy lives that they didn't have time for her? Or was she simply being too slow to come out of her shell? Perhaps it would do her some good to be more adventurous, going beyond the safety of the borders every once in a while. She certainly had seen her fair share of adventure while she was on her own. And while she was still young, she still had a taste for it now and then.

Finally, the approaching footfalls and scent of another announced their arrival. And who else would it be other than her closest friend himself. The familiar odor of the dark chocolate boy was soothing, yet at the same time it stirred nervous little butterflies in her stomach. Spinning around and rearing up on her hind legs, she dropped down to wrap her forelegs around his shoulders in a youthful hug. "Karpos! It seems like it's been ages. I was wondering when I'd see you again." She exclaimed with a happy ring in her voice, bottle brushed tail high in excitement. Releasing him from her grip, she pulled back and planted her hind end in the snow. "I've been adjusting well enough I suppose. But I still haven't had much of a chance to get to know anyone else." She added, with a slight edge of disappointment in her voice. She had remembered what Lachesis had said about the River wolves being busy pulling their weight. Hopefully her timing would be better in the weeks ahead. For now though, she was quite content to spend some much needed quality time with her friend.

He mentioned being busy with patrols, and she nodded to show that she understood. "So that's what you've been up to, huh?" She joked cheekily. Jynx was still trying to figure out her place, what her role might be. If she was to stick around, that is. His plans of forming his own pack, to which he asked her to assist him with, had not escaped her mind. And as time went by, as their bond strengthened, the less she liked the idea of being away from Karpos. Wolfish brows rose curiously at the end of his sentence. A friend of his she had not met yet, she assumed, had asked a favor it seemed. "Oh...and what would that be? Mind filling me in?" Little did she know that this involved avenging his dead father, and Aponi's as well. As an orphan herself, but under different circumstances, the red yearling would be intrigued.

While Jynx thoroughly enjoyed the company of Karpos, she would be the first to admit that she needed to branch out more. To form friendships with other wolves, ideally her own age. However, as it was, there currently were no other yearling females in the pack to bond with. Not that she would mind forming connections with some of the more mature adults, but a similarly aged female best friend was something girl needed. There was also Rook, the mysterious young male who she had scented throughout the territory on several occasions, but never actually met. He was a mystery to her, and she was curious of his own reasons for having joined the pack. The growing pups too, she also needed to socialize with, perhaps to pass on some of her knowledge to them.

Her rust colored ears tilted back, down against her head when she heard Karpos speak again. Her flaming eyes flicked to the side, and down. "That's....that's terrible." She paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. The dark male had never told her that his father had been murdered. It must have been very hard on him, forced to grow up without such an important figure in his life. "I wish you both the best of luck..." She replied honestly. Jynx pressed no further, leaving it for him to decide if such a personal matter should be shared with her. He surprised her with his sudden outburst of excitement, the stench of moose and blood carrying to her nose. Her wolfish brows raised up, perplexed. How could he become so excited so quickly, after touching on such a sad subject? Nonetheless, she took this as an opportunity to grab themselves some lunch, and fill up the pack caches. "Yeah, your right. It's close...." She said a bit distractedly, nose working overtime, heading in the direction of the borders, where the scent of decaying flesh grew stronger.

Should he wish, Karpos was always more than welcome to seek her out, to open up about his emotions. He had no need to hide anything from her. Regardless of what he revealed, Jynx would not judge the dark male on how he felt. Those emotions were his, and whether they consisted of sadness, joy or guilt, he had every right to feel as he did. But at this moment, here and now, the time wasn't right. Ever since he had caught the scent of food, Jynx had refocused her attention. She was bound to track it down and grab themselves a meal. She had hunting skills to hone after all.

"Huh?" She queried, pausing with one fore paw lifted mid step while she looked over her shoulder at him. Bright yellow eyes locked with his earthy ones for a moment, showing nothing but curiosity. "Oh I'm fine. I just get distracted when I know there is prey nearby." A wink of an eye followed, to help to try and melt away his concern. Perhaps he hadn't heard that she was pursuing a role, after her time spent with Kisla. But maybe Karpos would catch her drift and figure it out. Out of the corner of her eye, up ahead a shape stood out. There wedged awkwardly between two trees, laid the carcass of the moose. "Looks like we found it faster than I thought we would." She said while stepping closer slowly, naturally on guard due to the lingering scent of coyotes. A good look inspected the body, noting that several of the ribs were cracked or crushed. "It must have gotten trapped here some time ago. But, it's ours now. Let's eat!" She did a bouncy little dance around the animal, before taking up a position at the haunches to dig in.

She would nod in affirmation, a small grin placed on her dark lips. While fully aware that Karpos was merely being playful, Jynx was taking the idea of becoming an official hunter quite seriously. "Indeed. The more practice I can get in, the better my chances." She gulped down a portion of the meat and flesh, licking her lips clean of any stray blood. "Thanks, but I don't mind if it'll take time for me to earn the position. It will be well worth it." Bright, burning eyes flicked up to his brown ones, ears tipping back slightly. "Oh...it is? Well...I am sure you will make a fine guardian once you prove yourself to Maksim and Kisla." She assured him confidently, placing a paw atop on skinny hind leg of the carcass to stabilize it.

Jynx had chosen to go after the role of a hunter for simple reasons. The pack already had more than enough healers, and she had little interest in spending the majority of her time collecting and studying plants. As a modestly sized female, she certainly did not have the build of a guardian, even though her temper said otherwise. She had survived learning to work her way around danger, not to confront it head on. Hunting to her, was a rich and exciting activity. The idea of getting out and watching your prey, learning their habits and favorite grazing spots, appealed to her mind. Then there were the different hunting tactics to practice, modifying them as need be to each situation. Scouting had been her second choice, but again, there were already plenty of spots filled. She looked up at him again from her meal, not fully aware of the extent of his feelings towards her. She wasn't entirely sure in what way he meant that, but she decided to just go by the simple tone of his voice. "Plenty, Karpos. But I live in the moment...or at least I try to. I think towards the future, wondering what it will bring. And what steps I can take to better my chances of that future becoming an ideal one. Even though I know nothing is ever guaranteed."