Sacred Grove who says it isnt easy

Mid-afternoon

The sun was out today, and the warmth was definitely a welcome change. She could almost believe spring was on its way. Why she'd love to soak it in, she felt she better try to rustle up something to eat. She was starting to get a better map of this place in her mind, and there was something that had drawn her to the grove. The signs of life? Or something a little more?

Why it was evident there was larger prey in this place with their tracks going in several directions, she was after something smaller. She could hear a few mice scurrying under the crust of snow. She was trying to figure out more preciously where before she did any work. They would hold still, and she would tilt her muzzle closer, using her nose to hone in ready to strike. She was about to poke it into the snow when she heard a footstep. Immediately, she jerked her head up, searching for the source.

     

Stella had come down the mountain again, following the forested slopes westward. The Vuesain girl was in search of prey, or any other noteworthy signs she could report back with. She also wondered if she might run into a particular face from the Backwater today, though she did not go so far as to seek out their borders. That might be... a little weird? She wasn't sure. But if they just happened to run into each other, then, that might be okay.

The sun was warm as it slipped between gaps in the winter tree canopy, hinting at the first signs of spring. It set out the gold in her sandy pelt whenever it struck her, harkening back to brighter days. Pausing for a moment, she savored the rays before trekking on with a flick of her tail. It was a hopeful feeling, something she wasn't sure she dared let herself indulge fully in. There had been so much darkness for the cove, it seemed naïve and downright silly to hope for the best rather than to try and prepare for whatever the world might throw at them next. Silly to make time for things like socializing simply for the sake of it, because she wanted to, instead of something more useful like scouting trips.

However, when she caught an unfamiliar scent, the yearling was quick to seek them out. They might be a new but friendly face, with any luck, or else someone that would need to be warned about the mountain passes. Other, less savory possibilities played in her mind as she wound through the trees, though they dissipated slightly as she at last lay eyes on the other girl just as her head snapped upwards. About her age, with a pelt of softly gradiated stormy hues, with eyes like quicksilver. Unusual, and pretty too.

"Hi, I didn't mean to startle you," Stella offered a smile and a wave of her tail from the other side of the small clearing, keeping her tail at a friendly but slightly inclined angle. She wasn't on home turf, but she wasn't far off either, and though her demeanor was friendly she wouldn't take any trouble lightly.

LANGUAGE WARNING

Glad to rp with you again winter. ^^

Note:Before Torrent really starts losing weight/being sluggish. Still a loner.

There was tension in her body as her eyes found a golden color girl, but she didn't see any trouble. Once more she had nothing to take, and she had been certain these were neutral lands. She flicked her ears sideways, softening her gaze as the stranger spoke. She'd never seen a wolf of her color; it reminded her of grass in the fall but more...vibrant? If her coat was vibrant, she couldn't quite pick a word for her golden gaze. Like the sun? She looked like something warm in this long, cold stretch. Maybe, her personality matched.  There wasn't much size difference between them, and it didn't take much to scent the pack on her coat. Torrent was envious in that moment just thinking she had a better place to sleep, and likely anything to eat. Then she was amused, though she did not let either of those feelings reflect outward. She didn't know how she knew, but she was certain her mother would have saw her as a good sign. Maybe, she should too.

"Thats all right," she answered, because she was definitely not looking for a fight. There was really no harm. In fact she probably could have all sorts of useful information. She would guess she'd been here her whole life. "Just trying to catch some lunch. Thankfully it doesn't startle like deer." She offered a side smile, ignoring the hole in the pit of her stomach.

"You must live around here. You don't belong to the pack to the north, do you?" It was the only one she knew of for the fact a fellow had told her.  The scent on her was something like water, and pine? "I'm Torrent. I'm hoping to stick around here, because I haven't met any assholes yet." Perhaps she was like her appearance, a stone with rough edges with some smooth and softness if someone looked hard enough.

     

(This post was last modified: Mar 01, 2023, 08:29 PM by Torrent.)

Thank you, you too! <3

For a moment there was a slight tension in the air, as the other girl seemed to scrutinize Stella carefully for a moment. The Vuesain girl would not blame her for such, but she had nothing to hide, and despite being by herself she felt confident with the mountain at her back. She watched the storm-cloud girl back, tipping her ears to listen when she spoke at last.

Stella smiled again at the girl's own sidelong expression, finding herself liking the other girl despite herself. That wry expression was one she knew well, if not on other faces.

"I'm Stella, nice to meet you," she began, her own stance relaxing. Torrent seemed not only friendly but casual, her words causing a grin to flash momentarily across Stella's features. "Nah, we're up on the mountain at the lake, Sanguine Cove," she gestured vaguely behind her with a tilt of her head before returning her gaze to Torrent's. "Though the Backwater is near here too," it was likely them that Torrent spoke of. Stella wondered if the girl was considering joining up with the pack. "I don't know that there are no assholes, but they're a decent bunch," she spoke fondly of the pack that her own was closely tied with, though not without a bittersweet pang as she longed that some of her own kin were closer to home, to her.

The other girl didn't look in too bad of shape, but she didn't smell of others, and the winter was not an easy time to be alone or on the road. Stella felt bad about having potentially taken the other girl from her hunt, even if she tried to play it off like it was nothing. She'd spent some months by herself and new differently, even a mouse was a mouthful and another bit of energy to keep going. "Did you want to try and hunt together today? Two heads can be better than one," she offered somewhat on impulse.

Nice to meet you. Was it? But, they were close in age, and Torrent hadn't been around anyone her age. It was strange, but nice because she didn't scoff at her like an elder might. "Oh, that's why you smell like you do. A lake huh?" It seemed odd to picture a lake atop a mountain. It just didn't seem like there would be room up there, and the water would stick. It was so odd idea in fact she couldn't picture it. Well, her night heater @Spartan would likely be thrilled to find not just wolves, but a lake to boot. Maybe, this girl would know him. She would save such a question for later.

"I have heard of them. I keep wondering what they must smell like." Backwater was a strange word in her opinion, and she could only imagine swamp. Until she found something to eat, she didn't expect to find out. Even then she wasn't sure. Stella seemed to confirm they weren't a pack to avoid, but self-preservation made things different.

If the day wasn't already full of a nice surprise, she now had a real hunting opportunity. She wasn't about to turn it down. Stella would probably know a good spot. Torrent didn't hide the pleasure it was evident in a full smile, and perhaps her silver eyes. "That sounds so much better than this," she gestured to the snow. "What is it your pack mostly hunts around here anyway?" Did mountain wolves eat differently? If there was a lake up there what else?

     

"Yeah," Stel nodded to underscore the veracity of it all, noting the other girl's hint of surprise. To some the vaulted alpine lake might come as a bit of a surprise, hence the name of Lost Lake, but to her it was home. And to anyone crossing the mountains, it was a lifeline. "Travelers stop by now and then, but the Cove is home," she mused. They didn't try to keep it all to themselves, so she figured that might be good information for the other to know if she ever needed refuge on the mountains.

A smirk grew on her jaws as Torrent spoke of the Backwater and commented on their scent. "And the Backwater, well... they smell like mud to me, mostly," she was only half joking, as she thought of Leo's friend Eros, her sister Kat's friend Archer and her own half-brother Seri. But the smirk was good-natured, and she shrugged before going on. "Still waters, rushes and reeds, some kinda flowery trees, that sorta thing," she thought of the other wolves she'd met who roamed the watery garden-like low lands of the dead empress trees. Give me fresh air and mountain pines any day, she thought to herself.

The smile grew to a grin as they spoke of hunting. She had to agree, her tail swaying as she thought. "If it weren't frozen, the lake's great for fishing. And if there's a few of us who are quick on our feet we can chase pronghorn," she grinned, thinking of the swift and nimble creatures more sure-footed than any wolf. Herds were known to cross the passes from season to season, and there were nearly always marmots and hare in the highlands. The end of winter was more scarce, they'd known feast with the frozen caribou and famine in the lean times, she had not been above gnawing on the bobcat they'd fought and slain. But down here? Torrent's guess would be as good as hers. "Around here there ought ta be rabbits an' maybe deer too, I think," the Grove wasn't her usual hang out, but the should be able to find something together if they tried, hopefully. She tipped her nose to the air, for a hint of which way might be best to start.