Cedarwood Forest Nowhere to go, I'm out on my own

Llinnea followed, keeping up by bounding through the deepest snow drifts and pulling up next to him when he stopped to whisper. She saw the black-tipped ears too and her mouth watered at the thought of the meal. She hadn't had fresh food in months, and she'd never had fresh-killed meat. Llinnea glanced up at the man who'd, for some strange reason, decided to help her, and nodded once. The snow was a hinderance, but she would do her very best.

"Hva skal..." she paused. "What are you going to do?" she asked, matching his volume as the hare's ears twitched.

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What was he gonna do? Alright, so it seemed they really were starting from scratch here.

He shifted his weight some, a soft roll of shoulders. This once he decided, he would help secure a meal for her. Only this once, he told himself! Every other time (god, would there be other times?) she needed to do the dirty work herself.

You chase it towards where I'll be posted. Then I handle the rest and if all works out, you got a meal, cubbin'. He motioned for her to stay there. Then he worked himself in a wide crescent shape, so that he may be posted on the other side of the nervous fidgeting hare. Time would be limited and he hoped that when he jutted his chin, she would work fast.

He still had to catch himself something afterwards, after all.

Llinnea nodded silently and crouched, sitting still against the cold snow and waiting for the man's form to settle back down on the far side of the hare. She could barely see him over the ripples of snowdrifts and underbrush jutting like teeth from the white powder, but she saw when he gestured for her to go.

Llinnea launched herself from her spot, bolting straight for the hare. No sooner had she moved the hare was off, running toward the older wolf's resting place. Having the hare running in front of her woke something within the young pup and strength she didn't know she had flooded her limbs, pushing her faster. A thrill ran through her; she had to catch this hare!

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If anything, she learned fast, or at least knew how to listen well.

He watched as she launched into action and the hare played its part too. Diving and weaving on a course he imagined might lead to its warren. It would be good to know where it was, but his mind ran a short course right now. Feed them and move along. With or without the girl who seemed more like his shadow now.

It came close and he, without warning, dived in. The lean body of a coastal fisher gave him some strength and speed in equal turns.

His jaws snapped down, quick and harsh.

And then he tossed that now limp, still warm, body towards the girl. The message was silent. Eat up.

Llinnea was so focused on the prey fleeing before that she almost forgot her new friend was lying in wait up ahead. She was so close, just another few steps and-

The stranger was suddenly driving into the hare before her, snatching it away in a swift and powerful motion. Llinnea skidded to a stop, nearly bumping into him, eyes wide and heart hammering as she stared up at him. It took a moment for her brain to catch up and process that this was planned, that it wasn't him and the white body lying before her was in fact food and not her mor.

And its smell made her stomach rumble.

Her panic was quickly consumed by hunger and she didn't need to be asked twice, falling upon the hare and ravenously tearing into it. Had she not been quite so hungry she might have taken more time to appreciate the flavor and warmth between her teeth; as it was, she was starving and couldn't scarf it down fast enough.

About halfway through she regained the wherewithal to remember her manners and paused, looking up at this man who had fed her. "Spise," she said, before remembering and correcting herself. "...eat too." She could easily down the entire hare, but he'd helped her and he deserved to eat too. That's what her Mor had taught her.

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He was quick to shake his head. He had the experience to know that hare was really only big enough for one and that he had, for some ungodly reason, decided to feed this beggar.

Yuck. He was endeared to the little thing already.

Eat up, then come on. He would not take her trying to offer the meal to him again. This time his path cut across to head west, to lands beyond the forest. He figured she'd catch up fast enough with how quick she seemed to scarf down the hare.

Llinnea hesitated, but was hungry enough to abandon her attempted politeness and continue tearing into her food. She ate faster when the man began to walk away, somehow panicked at the thought of him leaving her. How had she gone from wanting to move on from him to wanting to not be alone so quickly?

Food in her stomach made a great motivator, plus the man's grouchiness was somehow endearing.

She quickly polished off the hare and hurried after her new friend, trudging through the snow in his tracks. It certainly made walking easier when he broke the snow for her. She didn't know how long she might follow him, or how long he might allow it, but for now... she almost felt a semblance of safety.

FADE

(This post was last modified: Jan 12, 2023, 07:55 PM by Llinnea.)

Currently traveling with Loach and Claw