Larkcall Lowlands it might take my whole life just to do

Random Event: Blind date matchup for Sova and @Caspian.

They longer time went on, the less Sovanya was concerned about putting distance between herself and what had once been home and found herself mainly being led by prey. She tracked a herd into the lowlands, following them with the sole goal of finding something weak enough that she and @Enera could tackle it together. Then, finally, they'd be able to do more than just snack.

The problem was, all these deer appeared healthy and strong. Even the children amongst them looked alert and formidable enough to the inexperienced yearling that she wouldn't consider them.

All this time, wasted, unless she found different prey. Sovanya sighed, making her mounting frustration audible to any around her. Why did being one's own have to be so difficult?

After his lesson with Jethro, Caspian had taken things to heart, and had been tracking the prints he found left through the snow whenever he found them. The boy was eager to show he could contribute to their newly formed group. A solo trip back to their old home at the lake had sparked this latest adventure, where the set of deer prints he followed had lead him west from the lake.

Eventually, they met up with a herd, and Caspian lay low for a while, hiding his white form in the snow as he watched them mingling in the distance, their breath puffing in the late afternoon sunlight.

He was about to turn and start his trek home, to let them know of the herd's movements, when a soft, nearly inaudible sound on the still air caught his ear. Rising from his spot and turning slowly in a circle, he couldn't help but wonder if a ghost was watching him. Someone certainly was, from the way his fur was dancing on end. Normally he was a little braver, but he was kind of far from home today!

"Hello?" Cas braved to call out. Sure enough, there was a lightly-earthen hued form a short distance away that definitely was not a deer.

Sovanya's ears jumped as another's voice rung out, their presence utterly unknown to her prior to that moment. Without thinking she popped up from where she'd been crouched, some of the deer spotting her easily then and stamping their displeasure. The herd continued their ambling, but were warily watching her now as they grazed what was all but dead beneath the snow.

She didn't spot him at first, his coat efficient at keeping him hidden amongst the wintry landscape. Her brown eyes narrowed, and then she spotted the sharp green of his own gaze. Sova moved a bit closer, black nose wriggling as she tried to catch his scent and learn more before making a move. The stranger looked male, and for some reason that gave her pause.

Sovanya chose to watch and wait to see what more he would do.

Cas flicked one ear sideways as the girl moved closer and then paused, her eyes narrowed. Had he ruined her hunt? But she was the one that made the noise. Still, her expression was enough to give him pause, but only just.

Being a very outgoing lad, he wanted to greet a new face. And well, she looked about his age. He'd never met anyone his own age except Ryder! He wasn't sure if Ryder had or not, either. It was a chance he couldn't pass up.

He chose to approach, though he watched her closely for signs of crossing some boundary. Mom would want him to be polite, of course. His head dipped low, but his gaze searched for hers, and a smile flickered around his jaws. "Are ya trackin' 'em too?" he whispered loudly enough that she could hear, though the deer seemed more annoyed than alarmed but the two young wolves so far. He still did not want to risk spooking the herd away from here.

The boy seemed friendly enough. Yet Sovanya watched him closely as he moved closer, keeping that resting bitch face that she'd learned from her adoptive mother strong. She even gave an ear flick, close to but not quite signaling irritation. Keep him guessing and metaphorically at a distance, and he couldn't pull anything fast on her, right?

Are ya trackin' 'em too? he asked, and she promptly felt a strong urge to chase the herd off suddenly just to see the look on his face. Just so that he couldn't have them, even if it meant she couldn't either. Briefly, she wondered why. Maybe she was actually missing having baby brothers to torture, and just didn't want to admit it to herself. Whatever the cause, Sova swallowed back the desire and chose to act rationally rather than like a month-old pup. Or at least, her version of such.

"I was," she answered, almond eyes flickering toward the aforementioned prey then back as the words came out. She could smell him now, and he reeked of others. Was his home intact then? Had their water stayed throughout the Summer? Dick.

"Don't think they're worth comin' all this way for though. You can have them."

Speaking dismissively, she turned to move away from the herd, her back to them and nose turned up. She certainly wouldn't admit that her and her sole companion couldn't handle such healthy, large ungulates.

(This post was last modified: Feb 12, 2023, 02:23 AM by Sovanya.)

Her expression remained cool, cold even, and Caspian drew up short, offering a hesitant smile as she flicked an ear at him in annoyance. She didn't seem hostile though, and he was not about to just give up without even trying to make a friend when this was the first time he'd met someone his own age.

Her response was as perplexing as everything else about her. Like it was all beneath her and of no concern. Briefly he wondered why she seemed to dislike him, but just as quickly he dismissed it as nothing personal - she didn't know him after all.

"Well okay, thanks I guess" he shrugged as she moved away from the deer with apparent nonchalance. He supposed he would tell Jet of the herd when he got back, but Cas could no more take down the deer himself than he could catch the moon in the sky. Even if she did say he could have them.

"You don't even want nothin' in trade?" More confidence in his smile now, as he thinks he might have an idea. The thought of turning her away did not sit well with the boy, even if she was the one doing the turning. He was from a group of loners who'd banded together for the good of the group, and the idea of outsiders to the pack was something still unfamiliar to him. Besides, if she was just gonna give him a herd of deer like they were hers to give, he should give her something in return, right?

He said something interesting then. Sova's russet ears flicked toward him first, then her bright gaze. Dark lips curled upward.

"Meal for a meal?"

She asked him, knowing perfectly well it would not be an equivalent exchange by any means. If this boy was willing though, why not take advantage? Especially when it meant looking out for herself and her big sis. Sovanya turned to face him fully, a bit closer now, more resembling a proper conversation than a passing glance. Her tail moved behind her, not quite a wag and not quite the jerky motion of irritation.

He watched her jaws move into something like a smile at last. Clearly, he had finally said something that wasn't boring. With an enthusiastic wag of his tail, a flicker of a grin, Cas was not afraid to acknowledge this small victory.

"Okay, deal." he declared the words without hesitance. Of course, it might take him some time to be able to pay up, but this didn't worry him, it was already worth it.

"I'm Capsian," he gave her his name to seal the trade. She might as well know who owed her, whether she'd tell him her own or not, offering his own was just the manners he'd been taught. "We used to live around here but we moved... gonna be a pack now," he still was not sure what that meant or why it meant leaving behind their old home by the lakeshore, the one that had seen them all through the summer and brought them together. Maybe she lived around here now? That idea was strange, but not altogether awful. But introductions aside, he had to think of what he could hunt up, now.

This time his own ear flicked, gears turning.