Hush Meadow I actually hate the cold

Quote:Your Gift is: the weather is so frosty today that your nose has turned bright red, almost like it's glowing... AW

just watch your back and hold your own

Deluge Archer-Lyall

If Deluge was perfectly honest… she wasn’t sure why she had decided to take her journey at this time of year. She had grown up on a beach, it hardly ever snowed and here the stuff was up into her armpits. She couldn’t feel her toes, or her ears, and her lungs burned with every breath she took. She was sure that if it wasn’t so black, her nose would be glowing like a bright red beacon for all to see.

The directions had been straight forward enough, once you reach the lagoon you travel east, if you hit the mountain you’ve gone too far, but how far east was east really? The mountain was looming high ahead of her, but there weren’t even any trees on this featureless snow plain. Her frustrated sigh let a billow of mist free from her mouth and she slumped to a seat in the middle of the meadow. This wasn’t turning out to be nearly as fun as she had expected.

Hagar plowed through the snow with slow, labored steps. His nose snuffed along the ground between his striding legs, searching what was exposed for the scent of prey. He'd gotten too hungry, had been unable to catch anything and now found himself relatively desperate. This level of urging from his stomach had never been experienced before, and the simple man was unusually stressed by it.

He hadn't come here to starve to death, after all.

Something else was finally heard, but not from under the snow. The chocolate wolf lifted his head above the drifted snow, green eyes peering round to find what it was that had joined him in the clearing. They found a young girl, similarly-coated in shades of earth, with eyes that matched the snow. He blinked, sniffed, thought a moment and then hefted himself up out of his trench before letting out a duo of welcoming barks.

just watch your back and hold your own

Deluge Archer-Lyall

Large ears tipped towards the sound of barks and the girl looked about with a questioning gaze. She hadn’t thought she had seen anyone else here, but maybe her nose was too bloody frozen to pick up on someone nearby. Out of the snow popped a man of similar size, and her backside sprung off the ground in surprise, waving over her back uncertainly as her body seemed to lean away. Well, it was an unexpected development after all. She hadn’t planned to run into other wolves here at all.

“O-Oh-ah… Hi!” She offered, finally finding her voice and offering a broad smile, sounding somewhat casual despite all her outward uncertainty. “I-uh, didn’ see yer there!”

(This post was last modified: Dec 27, 2021, 12:45 AM by Deluge.)

He hadn't meant to startle her so, ears leaning back apologetically. It certainly didn't look fun. He settled onto his hindquarters and tried to look as inoffensive as he could, so that he didn't give her any other starts. He needed her help, and that wouldn't happen if she saw reason to ditch him altogether.

"I was under the snow," Hagar explained without decoration.

"Are you... hungry?"

His head tilted with the last word, a bit of hope reflected in his eyes.

just watch your back and hold your own

Deluge Archer-Lyall

Under the snow? Well that made no bloody sense. A ginger brow arched in response to the statement but any witty remark was lost at his next words. Slack jawed, the rumble of her stomach answered for her and her tail gave a hopeful wave. She hadn’t had much more than voles and other small rodents since she had left home. “Wha-der-yer think? I don’ stink’o’no pack, o’course I’m hungry!” Despite the rough edge to her voice, her ready smile offset any ill intent in her words. Her whole body from her perked ears to the wave of her tail spoke of hope. “Do yer know where a girl can find a decent feed ‘round these parts?”

Her boisterous answer did not offend Hagar one bit. It wasn't easy to do so, and certainly not when one was giving him the affirmation he'd been hoping for. He was back on his paws, tail waving through the air.

"No," he answered truthfully and without remorse, "but we'll find something."

Without plan Hagar strode forward, eyes open and ears swiveling to every sound. For him, his target would be whatever they came upon first.

You smell the remains of an elk nearby. Enjoy your feast! +10 Health

the stars don’t shine they burn

Deluge Archer-Lyall

His reassurance that they would find something had her nodding her head walking parallel to the stranger, eyes to the sky rather than on the landscape surround them. Sure it was all well and good to run down a meal when you had help, but two loners was still pretty shit odds against the likes of a moose or a stag.

Her eyes squinted, taking in the circling black specks and she smirked. Maybe her brothers friends were looking out for her here as well as they did at home.

“Oi,” She called to get the other wolfs attention, tipping her chin in the direction of the carrion birds. “Looks like there might be an easy meal after all.” She lengthened her stride in the direction of the birds, eager to get there before they picked the bone clean.

While she followed along after, it didn't take long for her to speak up again, promptly bidding for his attention. Obediently he stopped, setting his sights where she had directed. Smart, was the only thought that crossed Hagar's mind as he gave her a nod. There was no guarantee that there wasn't a less predator on the scene, and as Hagar set off his hackles raised to make himself appear as large and intimidating as possible. No longer concerned about maintaining cover, he all but stomped through the wood toward the death site.

The smell of death was not yet mixed with blood, as they came upon the fresh death of an aged elk. Lucky, @Moore might have called it. His tail began to wag and his demeanor calmed once more as the vultures began to settle around, waiting for the wolves to break through it's thick hide. Were his impromptu partner an adult, he would have deferred the first bite to her by nature of something close to finders, keepers. Given he judged her to still be shy of completing her second year, he did not hesitate to begin to carve into the meat himself. There was plenty of room for them both to have more than their own share, after all.