Stormcloud Moor disturbed

Hide or...seek?

Haunt had not played such a game in so long! That game had been for puppies. Moreover it had been for puppies with friends, a thing that Haunt had never held many of. If any, at all, really. They did not know these things very well. They had only watched from the sidelines while others had played.

They had not expected to be asked to play games now. Something about it delighted them.

Yes, yes! Haunt wiggled their low form, the excitement of their new 'friend' was infectious. Haunt hide? Haunt seek? It did not matter! They only wished to play now!

There had been a chance that Haunt would have balked at the demand, dismissed her as immature, but Sovanya had been unaware of it in the moment and was certainly bolstered by the other wolf's apparent excitement. Different lengths of time and for different reasons, but the youngster had also not gotten the chance to play in far too long. She hopped, punching new prints into the fluffy snow each time as she never quite landed exactly in the same spot.

"You hide, I'll give ya all the way to twenty, okay?"

She leapt back a few lengths then in several jumps, giving Haunt the space and chance to fulfill her role. Sova ducked down into the snow, nearly burying her russet self in the pale flakes. Her eyes closed shut, and she began to count.

"One... two..."

Okay, okay.

Their head bobbed for a moment. Then the girl started to count! All at once Haunt spun with a feverish pace. The extra foot of snow in the tundra would come in handy now.

The goal that Haunt had in mind was to now bury theirself a few yards away. It would be hard to full cover, but they trusted the pale of their fur to keep them hidden enough. Especially from a distance! A good, keen eye might pluck them out right away. However the goal, to Haunt, was not to stay hidden forever. They needed to only stay hidden for a minute or two, they thought.

They had not exactly accounted for the trail in the fresh snow that perhaps led straight to them...

There was a burst of motion, and Sovanya had to bite back a giggle as she kept up the count. Finally, something more than walking and stalking and looking! This venturing would surely take a turn now that another wolf was here to join them.

"Twenty! Ready or not!" she popped up and twisted round, pale eyes darting around the white landscape. It only took seconds to spot the trench that had been Haunt's wake, and while their natural camouflage was effective all the other clues around caused Sovanya to promptly identify which lump was them. She snorted with the kind of begrudging amusement an older sibling might have at a toddler's antics, and easily followed Haunt's steps to stand right next to them.

Looking down, Sovanya cocked a brow and waited for the other to realize they'd been easily discovered, long-teeth poking past her smile.

Haunt was blinded. Face buried in the snow, a soft chattering of their teeth would be the only sound they made. Nose already frigid from the well packed powder.

They did not realize that the girl already stood over them! Detected!

So it would take them a moment, as they dared to peer up over the snow. Then turned their head to look over their shoulder and — Oh! Bubbled and blurted in genuine surprise. You good! Too good! Yet Haunt had not minded being spotted so quickly. Losing was good when you liked the winner!

Haunt stayed low and turned in the little snow bank they had made, so that they could attempt to offer a submissive lick to the young woman's chin.

Sovanya did laugh this time, from both the surprise that bloomed across Haunt's face and their words. The force of it pinched her eyes closed and shook her shoulders, chest warm. She supposed it was okay if the wolf wasn't the best hider in the world. It was still better than having no one to play with by far.

"I am," she confirmed simply, nose turning up briefly while her smile curled upward at the corners. Haunt's gesture was responded to with a playful nip at one of their ears, and then she bounded away a few lengths.

"Okay! My turn!" she called over her shoulder, a devilish grin passing over her maw before she took off without waiting for confirmation that her friend was ready. There would be no accounting for any difficulties Haunt may have in seeking; Sova would hide as well as she could within the short time limit, and play tricks with her trail in the snow. She was definitely in it to win it.