Drooping Willows Shall We?

Early morning, NW of the WR borders
(This is set after their talk at the Lagoon, before his fight with Rais and her fall into the Caverns...)

Sloane had been so elated after his talk with Narime' the day before that he could hardly contain himself. She had agreed to become his mate in the Spring and he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before he and Nina headed back north. He knew that once the pack was official that it would be even harder to get away to see his love. He had to laugh at himself, since he felt giddy just thinking about the joy that had lit her eyes as it had his own.

He couldn't wait to see her again, but he knew that she would be worried about shirking her duties. His return and the reunion had surely interrupted her hunting efforts and he knew that she took her responsibilities quite seriously. So, he had hatched a plan. He would call for her and together they would hunt and whatever they managed to catch would go towards her pack's cache. Perhaps he could win some favor with her leaders or at the very least help Narime' with her duties while he was near. Help her and spend time with her!

He had chosen the woods a bit northwest of her pack's borders, so that he would not agitate her pack mates with his proximity. The woods also provided ample opportunity for a successful hunt. They might not catch anything big, but he could sure help her catch a mess of small game. He was pretty sure that she would be up early. With a shiver at the thought of seeing her again, even if it had only been a day, he tipped his russet head back and gave her a soft call, inviting her to join him for a hunt.

Knight of Honor

So basically December 9th then.. Can we have them find a smaller animal like a bobcat or coyote instead? Nari's not supposed to find any large game for a while. (That's why she goes to Hush Meadow)

Still no luck. Narimé was starting to think that no deer herds were even in their area anymore. Starting to lose out hope on finding a decently sized prey item Nari had begun slowly making her way back to the willows. Even though she was returning to her home the young hunter continued to scent for any sign of food holding out hope that something large would cross her path.

The sound of a song was what made the silvery she wolf pause in her fruitless tracking. Instantly recognizing the deep baritone that sent shivers down her spine the young woman turned paw and began loping towards the noise. Holding up her head she let out her own soprano to match his searching call.

The song ended with the rhythmic beating of her paws on the snow crusted ground. Long limbs carried her at a comfortable run towards her love. My mate... Nari was still getting used to calling him that. Just the sound of the word sent excitement through her fur like sparkling electricity. Why was he calling her this time? Nari thought that Sloane would have gone back to his home up north with Nina.

A jealous feeling gripped her as an image of Sloane standing next to Nina passed through her mind, but she dismissed the image just as quickly as it had appeared. Nina was a good wolf. Very respectable and kind. Besides, Sloane had already claimed her and she claimed him. Sloane was hers not Nina's.

It wasn't too long until Narimé found her eyes glued to the russet figure fast approaching. Her legs carried her faster to her destination until the she wolf slid to a stop a few paces away from her russet male. Catching her breath Nari pranced around excited to see the big lug in front of her. She spared him a few licks between breaths as her tail flashed back and forth happily.

"What are you doing here?" The dark and light gray girl asked cocking her head with a warm smile planted on her face.

(This post was last modified: Feb 01, 2013, 04:11 PM by Narimé.)

Sloane was beyond excited when his silver lady called to him, announcing that she was on her way. When she came into view, his hearbeat sped up and he felt like a tongue tied school boy. They may have pledged themselves to each other, but he knew that the rush of emotion that he felt right now would always be there when he saw his mate, even when they were old and decrepit. She just made him feel whole when she was near like she was now. Narime' danced around him and he laughed at her exuberance, loving everything about her.

When she finished licking him and stilled enough to ask what he was doing here, he took the opportunity to lick her soft cheek and nuzzle her neck before answering her. "Well, I missed you of course! That and I thought that maybe I could help you hunt today. I know that the last couple of days must have thrown off your efforts and I'll have to head north again soon. This way, you get your job done and we can spend more time together!" He really hoped that she liked the idea as it seemed a win win for both of them. He'd never get enough of his sweet Narime', but she took her responsibilities seriously.

He actually took even more pride in her for that and her words of yesterday, that she would try and be more leader-like. Little did she realize that her strong sense of duty, which was already deeply ingrained, was a huge part of being a leader. A leader that didn't care to shoulder their load of responsibilities was no leader at all. He knew that her confidence in herself would come in time.

Knight of Honor

Rolling her eyes at the "I missed you!" comment Narimé stepped forward and snuggled under his chin into that warm thick cream, rust, and white colored chest fur of his. It was true she missed being around him even if it was only a day ago when they had last met. Even s the thought that he wanted to be with her every waking moment made her heart warm inside.

"Fine, you can help me out okay? " She slid away from him and retook her scouting stance. Head lowered scenting the ground and occasionally picking it up to look around at the flat landscape. The gray tail was held straight behind her to avoid hitting brush or leaves.

Flicking her tail up for a moment she motioned for Sloane to follow as the silvery wolf jogged into the drooping trees. "Come on slowpoke... " She chuckled then kept herself silent. Just because there was prey there now that would be frightened off by noise didn't mean that they wouldn't come upon something soon.

Snow and leaves crushed underpaw as she padded forward still scenting the air. There was plenty scent of hare and rabbit everywhere. They seemed to have had a good year previously with a high population to show for it this year. However the scent of deer was either barely noticeable or so old that it wasn't even worth trying to track. Sighing to herself Nari wished that she could find a larger food item for the pack.

More time passed as she trotted forward and farther to the west. The forest was still thick however a newer fresher scent was on the air. Rotting deer smell stuck in her nose. It wasn't the type of food to take back to a pack, but at least she could get a meal in her to fuel her during the scouting mission. Swiftly changing direction the light and dark gray she wolf began padding South West towards the direction of the scent. Along the way she still looked out for any live prey, but only rabbits flushed upon their path.

He laughed when she rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't contain a sigh of contentment when she curled into his broad chest. He would never get enough of her touch. He felt so alive when she was near! Then the moment was over. She stepped back and said, "Fine, you can help me out okay?" and he laughed again at her tone. She could make him feel giddy even when she teased him, but he didn't mind at all. When she got back to business, indicating that he should follow her lead, he did his best to wipe the silly grin off of his face and quickly fell into step behind her silver form, even as she teased him once more. Slowpoke, eh?

As they traveled his sensed told him much the same as hers. Plenty of rabbits, but it seemed the large game had long since vanished for better feeding grounds it seemed. Narime' didn't even try for the rabbits that would periodically flush from the nearby brush. When she veered off in another direction he was curious as to what she was thinking, at least until the scent of an old kill reached him. Not acceptable for pack caches really, but meat was meat.

When they came upon the carcass, he moved in front of her, instinctively protecting her from whatever had taken down the deer. Chances were that whatever predator it was was long gone, but it could indeed return. He could detect the scent of many animals that had taken some of the carcass, but the oldest scent was that of a cougar. The large cats were not common around here, but they could certainly be dangerous if provoked. He hoped that it had just been passing through and was as long gone as it's stale scent seemed to indicate.

He cautiously approached the carcass, still scanning the area with hackles raised and a low growl of warning to other creatures to stay away. After sniffing the old carcass, he gave Narime' the all clear to come and get her fill. He waited for her to approach before lowering his own head to the not-so-fresh meat and taking his own fill from the remnants.

Knight of Honor

When the carcass came into view she wrinkled her nose at the sight of it. Already more than half eaten it would probably taste okay at most. However food was food; she had learned that very early on while traveling to Wildwood with her father. At least they would be able to eat something and restore their reserves.

Sloane sped up overtaking the silvery wolf. She wore a face calm as the cloudless sky as he checked the area for danger. Perhaps another wolf would have been annoyed with his protectiveness, but she liked the way he always looked out for her. It was proof that Nari would be able to depend on him in the future. She paused waiting for him to declare what she already knew. That it was safe to approach.

She stepped forward scenting the ground before the carcass to figure out what creatures had come here to feast. Coyote's at least two of them, a fox, and the same feline scent she had smelled a number of days ago at Fireweed Rise. She was curious as to what type of cat smelled this way. Maybe Sloane might know.

"Hey do you know what animal made the feline scent? I have smelled it once before but I've never seen one." She waited to eat after he was finished, instead padding around in circles looking for coyotes or other scavengers to chase off. Once he was done she would trust him to do the same while she took her turn and feasted.

She waited patiently for him to survey it all and then she moved forward sniffing at the area around the carcass, much as he had, analyzing the story that the scents had to tell. Then she asked him curiously, "Hey do you know what animal made the feline scent? I have smelled it once before but I've never seen one." He gave her a brief nod of affirmation. "Yes, I do. It is a cougar. A large tawny hunter that can be quite vicious. I've never been up close to one, but I've seen a few in the distance and remember being warned against getting too close as a curious pup." He'd only been about six months old the first time he'd seen them, a pair of cubs, and he'd wanted to check them out. Luckily Tempest had known better and stopped him from getting closer. Then the mother rose out of the nearby grass and glared at them, screeching a warning at the two wolves before excourting her young away.

Once he was done speaking, Narime' made it clear that he was to eat first, so he lowered his head and began ripping at the aged meat, swallowing large chunks to fill his belly as his mate circled him keeping a lookout for danger. He might be a big strong male, but her own protectiveness touched him. Food was a never ending need for a wolf his size, so he took his fill where he could. It would also remove the temptation to sample anything that they caught. He fully intended that every morsel of fresh meat go to Narime' and her pack. He finished quickly so that she might have her fill as well and he took his turn at keeping vigil, licking his bloody chops clean. A few minutes after she began to eat, a small coyote came into view a good ways away, eying them and the smelly carcass hungrily, but he wisely kept his distance under Sloane's watchful eye and silently bared teeth.

Although he kept his eye on the coyote, he continued to scan the area. Nothing else dared approach it seemed and all was clear while his lady ate. When she was done, he waited for her to take the lead. Although she was younger and he was perfectly capable, she was the brains of this operation today and he would follow her cue. He knew that she had become quite the huntress and the knowlege made him warm with pride for his lady love.

Knight of Honor

It wasn't long before Sloane was finished. Then he took his turn protecting her while she trotted forward to gnaw on her share. Narimé didn't note the fresh scent of coyote in the air with the blood covered her muzzle. It was after she picked up her head with a tendon clamped between her jaws that she saw Sloane trying to intimidate the sly creature away. Damn, if there's one...there should be.. Nari kept herself vigilant searching for the second coyote.

Around this time of year they should be traveling in pairs already. Narimé started to eat faster at the better chunks of food under the rotted bits which were open to the air. She wasn't pleasantly filled, but fed enough to help her scouting expedition by the time her ears caught the sound of light pawsteps behind her.

Glancing behind the silvery wolf noted the small male coyote trotting forward. When her face turned to a snarl the small canid jumped away and continued pacing at a short distance from her. It looked like a younger pair. Much like Nari and Sloane themselves, but the difference was that they were higher up on the food chain. Too many coyotes means less food for us.. A snarl ripped through her lips as the young woman turned slowly and tensed herself ready to spring.

Watching the coyote become less and less cautious while she sat there non moving; Narimé waited for the precise moment that it would try to dart by her to grab a piece of loose meat lying to her left.

Come here you little bastard.. She waited ever so patiently, then the coyote darted forward. In that instant the silver she wolf sprang forward herself. The coyote tried to leap away and her jaws missed their intended mark behind the base of its skull. However she was able to snap them down upon the coyotes rear end. The coyote turned its head around and snapped at Nari causing her to let go and pull back out of range. Then the small canine rocketed away into the bushes yelping all the while.

Though it would have been nice if she had killed it right away Narimé did not want to spend more energy chasing the creature down. Instead she stretched her limbs and trotted back to the meal. Her ears swiveled to Sloane to catch what he was doing and figure out if he was okay. A part from that the young woman took a few more chunks of meat to fill her belly, then began padding slowly away from it towards the meadow. She wondered if Sloane was going to try and follow her or not. Didn't he have to go be with Nina and his pack?

"Will Nina be missing you?" She paused in her walking and cocked her head looking at her russet male.

Sloane kept an eye on the distant coyote, although he spared a look at Narime' as she lifted her head and scanned the surrounding area before going back to eating. He knew just what she was thinking. When it came to coyotes, there was seldom just one. She went back to eating and his ears kept up a constant swivel, listening for another small canine or other scavenger hoping for an easy meal. They were welcome to it... once he and Nari were gone. The sound came to him just a bare moment before he heard Narime' turned and snarl at a small male coyote, approaching in quite a daring manner.

His first instinct was to attack the little interloper himself, but Narime' seemed relatively unfazed, growling a warning and laying in wait, knowing that temptation would bring the scavenger closer. Eventually it did and he watched with pride as his mate expertly handled the situation, knowing just the right moment to let go and avoid harm herself. The male coyote got the message loud and clear and ran off yelping his pain and fear to the world. A quick glance told him that the other more timid coyote quickly followed in the wake of her fellow scavenger.

He smiled with pride as Narime calmly returned to her meal. After a few final bites she headed towards the meadow, turning to ask him after a few moments, "Will Nina be missing you?" He gave her a rueful smile, knowing that neither of them wanted to be parted again. But they both knew just as well that they had no choice. At least until spring. Not wanting sadness to fall on their time together, he gave her shoulder a playful bump and answered, "We will head north soon, but today... I'm all yours. Lead on, fair huntress!" he finished with a charming smile and a regal bow, his nose nearly touching the snow covered ground.

Knight of Honor

Sorry for the wait

A smile broadened upon her face. Sloane was going to stay with her for today. Her tail wagged and her heart longed to drop what she was doing and just romp around with the russet wolf, but she knew better. Pack came first, feelings came second. So the young hunter Nodded glad to have the male with her before she took off once more head low scenting the area tail held erect behind her. A small twitch of her banner inviting Sloane to follow.

Staying away from her own packs lands for Sloane's sake Nari wound her way through the willow tree's searching for that ever eluding scent of deer. She hoped, if anything, that if the herds had moved on during the winter; that they would come back early spring. It would help keep the pack fed and ready themselves for the coming summer.

Slowing a little in her lope the young she wolf thought about the upcoming warm months. Elettra will have to provide the pack with pups. Nari knew that Koda was not El's real mate, but will he father pups if it is necessary? She wondered about that for a short while. Her long legs still slowly eating up the ground, only barely did Nari notice Sloane behind her. Her thoughts then turned to pups.

Just the thought of pups in Spring set her tail wagging. Quickly remembering Sloane behind her Nari stopped her wagging tail and looked over her shoulder briefly, a grin on her face. Then she faced forward again to watch her footing. My second year seeing the pups of a pack.. She thought excitedly at first. Then realized sadly that she would not be able to see El's pups. If she was to leave with Sloane in the Spring.

She blushed.

I won't be able to see her pups, but... She wiggled excited and nervous all the same. I might have my own to look after... Her legs paused their working and she stopped mid-stride to look behind her at Sloane. She gazed into his amber eyes and an excited smile crept back onto her thoughtful face. In her head she imagined those amber eyes on brownish and gray puppies. Maybe one of them with blue eyes instead of amber. The thought made her wiggle, and without telling him that the hunt was over Nari turned fully and pounced playfully on his neck.

She wished spring was already there. Turning the ground to flowers and melting the winter ice.