Crystal Castles

"Just keep moving." It had become a mantra now. She hadn't had a real meal in a few days. At first she had tried to hunt the few squirrels that scurried around getting ready for winter, but soon found that it was futile. There were to many trees around. If she could get one in the open it would be much of a problem. Lani realized just how lucky she had been to catch that hare a few days ago. The large game was just too much for her to handle alone and there wasn't much small game to be had. Her stomach growled angrily. "Just keep moving." Another growl voiced itself from the hollow pit she called her stomach. Almost as if it were arguing with her. "Alright already! I get it." She had tried to convince herself before that she wasn't hungry. She even ate a bunch of snow, but that only resulted into the horrible urge to pee. Sighing she turned off the path she was on and headed into the brush. She kept her nose up, scenting for a possible meal, but gazed at the amazing place she found herself in. She was in a forest of willows. The snow had covered their branches in a layer of ice, making them look like crystal. It was peaceful. Then she smelt something. Her nose quivered. It was only squirrel. Wait a minute. Lalani followed the scent to the base of a tree. She stared. "Food's food. Don't be picky." She pawed at the snow, unearthing the ground beneath and begand to dig. It might not be very appitizing but some squirrel caches coule be pretty large. "Nuts and roots are also high in protein." She was trying to work herself up to it. It wasn't very wolflike, but she was desperate. "We're hunters, not scavengers. Thank God no one's here to see this."

(This post was last modified: Nov 13, 2013, 03:04 AM by Lalani.)

Anneliese had found herself in the most remarkable place. All around her, the willows were frozen, so suddenly some even still retained their leaves, encased completely in gleaming shards of ice. Had there been a storm while she slept in her makeshift den? Her green eyes shone as they took in the beauty of it all, steps slow and lingering. It was like walking through a dream, and she wanted every moment to last as long as possible. As she wandered deeper through the copse, something gradually gained her attention. It was distant at first, the scope enough to muffle the sound so entirely it blended into the ambiance. Each step closer increased the volume, however, and soon she was picking up words. As the source came into sight, she caught her very last sentence. Thank god no one's here to see this. Anneliese immediately came to attention, eyes narrowing in an attempt to see what the other woman was doing. Was she.. burying something? Whatever she was doing, thanks to her statement, it was quite likely she was committing an immoral act, and while that also may not be the case, Anneliese had to be prepared for the worst. Cautiously, she approached. "To see what?"

PLOT WITH ME!

Lalani continued to scrape furiously at the frozen ground. It fought her for every millimeter and seemed to get colder by the second. What could only have been a few minutes felt like hours. Her paws were growing numb. Just then, she let out a bark of satisfaction as her claws punched through the earth. Pulling chunks of frozen dirt away, she unearthed the cache. She was so hungry and engrossed in what she was doing, that she didn't register the scent of a stranger on the breeze, the shifting of the snow from beneath their paws, or their appearance from the brush. It wasn't until Lani heard a voice behind her that she snapped to attention. "To see what?" She spun around to find a large, white, female addressing her. Bracing her feet on either side of her find, she spoke. "Always my luck. I hope to go without an audience and God has to play his games." She finished with a sneer. Not necessarily at the female, but at the world in general. Lalani stared at the stranger. She usually with held judgement until she knew someone better but this female had a righteous look about her. As if she had planned to stop Lani from committing some dastardly deed. She lifted her lip, hackles bristling slightly. "You'll have to find your own meal." Lani refused to show any embarrassment over the fact that she was guarding a squirrel cache. It had turned out to be a rather large one, holding a few mouthfuls, but it was still pitiful. Then again, it was all she had. Lalani wasn't sure what the white female had expected to find, but she would guess that it hadn't been this.

Anneliese remained tense as the woman, her stark opposite in coloration, spoke of her wretched luck. Beryl eyes shifted from the opposite's dark dial to the base of the tree behind her and back, unwilling to draw assumptions on the situation given how extremely curious it was. But then, she spoke and donned an aggressive stance and it all fell together. There were no negative thoughts within her head now that it was confirmed there was no evil underway, and Anneliese fell into a far more relaxed pose. After all, in her travels, she had put herself in a difficult situation more than once that had resulted in actions that weren't exactly dignified. It was understandable to be hungry and to do what was necessary to survive. What this woman needed was assistance, and Anneliese had to admit, she could use some help as well. With winter so swift and harsh in its approach, an alliance was absolutely necessary. "Of course, I wouldn't take what is yours. Though, I must admit, I'm famished as well. Perhaps, we could find a more ample meal together?" She genuinely hoped the girl would not take offense to her suggestion, and would see the value in teaming up. Anneliese knew the cost of pride and would not be surprised if it cost them the opportunity. Yet she thought optimistically of the girl, and this was reflected upon her features.

PLOT WITH ME!

As Lalani watched, the white female visibly relaxed. It seemed that whatever dastardly deed she had come to stop was non-existent. Lani kept her muscles tense. She didn't trust this female. Didn't know her. That was when she started to speak. She sounded strangely formal. What she was proposing was odd. Wolves, by nature, tended to work together through bonds, whether pack, family or friends. Not strangers. Although, Lani had been known to do it before. She had jumped into a fight for a stranger. Not a very friendly one at that, but she had still managed to make a friend out of it. Maybe she would run into Aideen again someday. She considered the regal woman's proposal. Stranger things had happened. Hell, here she was, guarding a squirrel cache. It would be another kind of bond. One she had made before. Mutual survival. They needed each other. Making her decision, Lalani snapped up a mouthful from the hole and walked a few yards away. She wasn't about to abandon the fruits of her labor, but seeing as the other female was being civil enough, she left some for her. She was sharing her meal, so the white girl had better follow through. It wasn't going to much prey around, but whatever there was should be easy enough to track in the snow. While Lani chewed she studied the stranger. She realized just how different they looked. Lalani was a dark patch on the snow, a shadow in a bright world, while the other was pearly white, her eyes a splash of color on a blank canvas. Lani's eyes were silvery and devoid of any real color. They were exact opposites. They stood in stark contrast, alter egos, and even complemented each other nicely. Let's just hope that it doesn't continue any deeper, because this is not going to work if I'm constantly butting heads with her. She eyed the green eyed female warily. Lani wasn't sure what her motives were. Was she really just being friendly? Or was she working towards some other goal? Whatever it was, the stranger wasn't going to get anything from her. She didn't have anything to give. She'd keep her guard up and figure out just what the woman's true colors were.

Well, it wasn't a no. The silence was palpable, but it did not bother Anneliese. She simply monitored the physical clues supplemented to her, and acted upon them with equal oppression of her voice. Despite the offer of something better, this other woman dug into the rodent's feast, and smartly so; a proposition was leaps and bounds from substance, whereas this energy source was immediately. It was always wisest to take what was guaranteed. Anna's glade green eyes were fixed on Lani's, and as the girl abandoned her post of defense and returned her gaze with intent, she realized that she meant to share the store; an olive branch, perhaps. It was how Anneliese would take it, and she would do so gratefully. Stepping forward, she approached the cache at a casual lope, scooping into her jowls a sizable amount of nuts. They tasted of the earth, and the bitterness curled her tongue, but her stomach gurgled with anticipation. Chewing thoughtfully, politely, she turned on her heels once more to follow behind her new partner. Anna kept a comfortable distance, and would allow this girl to lead; giving trust in the hopes of receiving the same. Once her mouth was cleared of the horrid tasting meal, she cleared her teeth and gums with a few sweeps of her tongue, and found herself direly thirsty. Hopefully, they would come upon a water source, though to ask for that and a true meal was demanding quite a bit from the frigid earth. It was nothing about another challenge she would overcome. "My name is Anneliese," she offered, after having her fill of the silence. If they were to work together, such formalities would be necessary, after all. "May I have yours?"

PLOT WITH ME!

Lalani contiuned to work through the gritty mouthful of dirt and nuts. It was horrible. Not the greatest thing to eat but it was something to fill her belly. Still, she wasn't about to call it food. Chunks of the nasty things started getting caught between her teeth, causing her to lick at them irritably. The white female loped over to the cache and snapped up what was left. Lani watched with a strange fasination as the she chewed. It seemed she was just as discusted by what she was eating as Lani was. It caused a smirk to appear on her face. Who would have thought that wolves could be laid so low as to be stealing the reserves of a squirrel? But this winter had done just that.

When the woman had finished her "meal" she licked her now, dry chops before speaking. Her name was Annalise. It seemed to suit her. Very nice, feminine name. Lani stood as Anna asked for her own name in return. Lani turned in the direction where she tought she had seen a stream. Though it was probably frozen. "Name's Lalani." Looking over her shoulder she said, "I don't know about you but I need a drink." With that she started to trot away. She wasn't sure whether Anna would choose to accompany her and live up to her bargain or not. Though it would probably help to have to sets of paws if they had to break through the ice. Lani might not know the woman, but she said she would help to find food and she would take what she could get. Lani padded across the snow, almost possitive there was a stream here somewhere, now they only had to find the damn thing.

Anneliese returned the woman's spared smile with a grin, and considered the name she had been given for her. Lalani. It suited her in appearance, but seemed to clash slightly with her personality. Anna decided that she liked this, and took it for a sign that there was something hidden underneath. As her new partner spoke of slaking her thirst, Anna's ears perked up. "You've read my mind," she returned, picking up her pace slightly to tag along at Lani's flank rather than a distance behind. Her nose set to twitching, scanning the frigid air for anything that smelled of water. As they walked, she considered things to ask this other girl. Anna considered that she might have to play a balancing act of working to get to know the girl without stepping on her toes. However, she was a curious individual, and loved to learn about the life of others; it was hard to have patience and resist the urge to interrogate her. After a beat of silence as they both were concentrated on tracking down a water source, Anneliese at last decided to break the silence. "Is there anywhere in particular you're traveling to?" A broad, innocent question, right? Anneliese was far more interested in what had brought the girl to that squirrel's cache, but knew better than to probe about a stranger's past without invitation.

PLOT WITH ME!

As Lani started off into the forest of frozen willows, she caught a glimpse of Anna's grin. Lani wasn't exactly sure what she had to be so happy about. Here they had just eaten a pile of dirt covered nuts and were searching for the slightest hint of water and this girl was grinning from ear to ear. This both intrigued and annoyed her. Lani found that she generally didn't get along with the cheerful types, but the fact that this girl was smiling, even in times like these, seemed to speak of her strength. Or insanity. Only time would tell. Lani chuckled. It would be just her luck if she had ended up with a crazy.

She kept her noze to the breeze, trying to pinpoint a stream nearby. The fact that the water would be frozen made finding it harder, considering they wouldn't be able to hear it. Sadly, everything smelled like ice. Hell, the trees themselves looked like crystal castles. The white female quickly caught up and positioned herself at Lani's flank. She found this rather curious. Anna seemed older than Lani was and yet she wasn't trying to take charge. She seemed content to let Lani take the lead. Maybe this girl wasn't so bad after all.

"Is there anywhere in particular you're traveling to?" Her companions voice carried to her ear. Lani pondered the question. Had she been going somewhere? Not that she knew of. "No. Just wandering. I'm not sure where I would go anyway. Just trying to survive like anyone else." Lani figured that was a vague enough answer. Anna didn't need to know the fact that she was knew to the area, or that she didn't actually belong anywhere. Lani found that this girl was easy enough to talk to, even if she was a little curious. Lani started heading down hill, deeper into the forest, determined to find some source of water. If it became desperate enough, they could always eat the snow.