Hush Meadow Scouting Around

Go ahead skip lez Titan

Narimé pushed forward not worrying about her sons energetic play. There was nothing around for him to disturb a part from herself, and frankly she loved to see any of her children with smiles upon their maws. She watched him snap at the flakes and batter it with his paws while he lay sideways in the pile of snow.

Forwards I go.. the she wolf chimed softly within her subconscious while trotting forward. She didn't have time to play right now. Even if no scent or sight of prey was around Nari still had to be on the lookout for other things.

Things like badgers, lone wolves, lynx, bobcat, or even mountain lions.

Bears probably weren't much of a problem during the cold months but most of the other animals on the list were awake and running around during winter.

So she kept her eyes out ignoring the playful romping of Titan behind her. Or at least she tried to until he sped past her right side. Then Nari gave him a sharp yip to slow down before she spotted something moving in the blurry white landscape. Narrowing her light blue gaze upon the young Thorben, Narimé watched him slow to a stop. Her ears picked out the name he called out tentatively to the moving shape. Or at least it had been moving. Now the shape was well hidden by the snowy white background as it stood still before them.

She picked up her own pace lengthening her stride and using those lean but strong muscles to power through the deep snow. Once beside Titan, Narimé took a few steps forward then stopped. Her head raised and her tail held neutral but above that of her sons ebony banner. She heard the calls of a wolf and registered the shape through the snow as another she wolf. A white one who apparently could hide very well in this cold season.

Twitching her ears at the white loners response to Titans question, Nari answered for him and gave Titan a look that said "stay quiet" before stepping forward and closing the distance between them.

"We are wolves from Whisper Caverns pack. My name is Narimé. " She stopped a respectable distance away and looked over the white she wolf. "Are you out hunting?"

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

Coquina dipped her head when the silver wolf joined she and the youngster. Quin figured the male was her son, but wasn't quick to jump to conclusions. With a nod of her head, she replies to Nari. "Lovely to meet you, miss Narimé." Her eyes wince as an icy breeze stirs up once again. "I am... though there hasn't been much luck." She gives a bit of an irritated grunt, shaking her head lightly before continuing "This winter is quite harsh. It was horrible timing on my part to travel." Her mind started cursing at her. Yeah, it was a stupid idea. She was on the edge of starving, and all she could do was wander and continuously look for food. She had managed to scavenge from some carcasses, but such did not fill her for long (nor was it a satisfying meal). Images of deer prancing and elk herds began to twirl through her head. How she longed for a good meal.
"Are you out hunting as well?" The question slipped from her mouth without her thinking much about it. She blinks innocently, head tilting again but this time to the right. Eyes look to Titan before switching back to Nari. She had picked up the look Narimé gave to the dark wolf as she had approached Coquina. He was most likely her son. A pang of jealousy shoots through Coquina's heart; she wished she had pups of her own. Unfortunately, she was never given the opportunity. Her pack had acquired new leaders before she had left, and she was in no mood to challenge the lead female. She had wanted to start fresh.
The morning sky remained clouded, allowing snowfall to continue. Coquina tips her head upward slightly, eyes observing the flakes as they fall gently from the sky. If she wasn't talking with these wolves, she would be surrounded by silence. Though it was peaceful, it could begin to break down one's mind. The silence of offered an elongated amount of time for one to think. Coquina did not desire that any longer. She was glad she had run into these wolves.

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

Titan's ears pushed forward as he struggled to hear past a short breeze. The other wolf spoke her name clarifying that she was not Aphrodite. His tail stopped its slow swaying as the tall young boy looked over the female. His mother quickly appeared at his side then stepped forward to greet the stranger. She gave him the "be good" stare, or at least that's what he thought it was, and began speaking with the white she wolf.

Coquina. That sounds nice. He thought quietly upon the white womans name. It was unique and rolled off the tongue. Even though she was shorter than he, Titan could hear the age in her voice. She was probably even older than his mother.

His young mind ever being distracted, Titan scented something good on the breeze that slightly changed directions from behind them to hitting the three wolves left sides. Maybe if I can find the rabbit mom will be happy... He took off to the left following the scent on the wind then realized something. It wasn't just one rabbit he could smell. There were at least two.

The ebony pups shoulders rippled in strength as he pushed his way through the snow. Little did he know that it would be impossible for him to catch a light rabbit in the snow. The little creatures were light enough to run on top of the snow whereas he and the other adults would have to plow straight through the white stuff.

The young male stopped in his tracks as he suddenly lost the scent of both rabbits.

That is weird... Titan thought quietly while looping in a circle to try to catch the scent again. He'd come 270 degrees around before facing the adults and scenting the rabbits again. Somehow he had managed to pass the source of the scent without realizing it.

Stalking forward quietly as he could, Titan scented the little creatures growing close. However he couldn't see a damn thing. No hiding places for the rabbits, and certainly no rabbits at all in sight. So where were they?

The pup got his answer when he stepped into a snow hidden dip in the ground and a flurry of snow exploded in front of him. Closing his eyes to protect them from the snow Titan began snapping at the air in front of him. Nanoseconds passed and he'd gotten two snaps around nothing until he felt something between his jaws. Clamping down and blinking an eye open the child realized he had surprised a pair of rabbits and somehow caught one of them as they tried to escape their snowy hiding spot.

The boys eyes widened as he gripped onto the struggling creature who was calling out in distress. Titan realized quickly that he was in danger as the rabbit tried to turn and scratch his face while dangling from its broken left hind leg. Shaking the rabbit hard, the Thorben child didn't give the rabbit a chance to bite him. Thinking quickly he released the rabbit for a second to re position his jaws. Long sharp fangs pierced the rabbits head and neck as Titan caught it near his paws and chomped down hard.

He was too busy making sure the rabbit wasn't moving anymore to see the second rabbit, blinded by the falling snow, headed for the adult wolves who could blend into the light landscape more easily than the dark child could.

WHISPER Caverns

(This post was last modified: Feb 05, 2014, 03:26 AM by Titan.)

Coquina watches from the corner of her eye as Titan takes off on a quest for rabbits. Raising a brow, she smirks softly as he steps into the dip of snow, resulting in a small flurry. Her ears perk up as she looks to Narimé "You've got a good hunter on your paws" she says, the smirk still on her face. She nods her head lightly, eyes looking back to the young man before she speaks toward Nari again "Oh, look..." Her voice is lowered as she spots something heading toward she and the silver woman. Another rabbit. Feeling her heart begin to pound, Quin lowers herself instinctively. An excess of saliva gathers in her mouth as she imagines sinking her fangs into the flesh of the creature. With a quick look to Nari, Coquina focuses.

She quickly creeps forward, keeping herself low to the snow so she can blend in with ease. Her nostrils widen as she watches snow get kicked into the air from the fearful rabbit. Taking in a deep breath, she could smell the critter clearly. Excitement stirs through her as she takes a few more steps forward. Thought this all happened within moments, it felt like minutes to the woman. Her jaws open as she suddenly leaps right, determining the rabbit's movements. For a brief moment, she loses sight of the prey because of the snow. Soon, though, she is snapping her jaws, feeling the soft fur reach the palette of her mouth.

More saliva. Her lust for blood takes over as she crunches down on the creature and shakes her head. The shaking was quick and violent, sure to end the life of her soon-to-be meal. After she jerks her head, she stops. The body is limp within her jaws. A wave of relief floods over her. Finally! A fresh kill. She puts the limp rabbit down, and looks to Nari with a meek grin. "If you want this, you may have it- I apologize. I just haven't had a proper meal in awhile..."

She nodded, a small smile lighting her face as the white lady greeted her then answered her question. She knew from experience now that traveling in this harsh weather was not a good idea. Which was why Nari had kept close to the borders now that she was back from what seemed to be her long ago journey over the mountains. She only really ventured out when hunger drove her to do so. The food in their caches were all but gone. So every little bit of food found was precious.

Nari scented them as soon as her son had. Rabbits, the wind had shifted enough to alert the wolves of their presence. She watched him lope off to look for the source of the scent and debated on going after him. It would be near to impossible to catch the creatures in the deep snow. Only if they had enough wolves to encircle the rabbits would they have a chance at catching them.

Or simple dumb luck would suffice. She smiled proudly hearing Coquina's compliment of her son while dumb luck happened right before their eyes. Titan had doubled back obviously missing the smaller mammals hiding place. Then as he flushed the creatures Nari tensed ready to jump forward herself to help her child. The wail of a rabbit was cut off as she realized that Titan had taken the creatures life. Then to her surprise the wind picked up at their backs. She spotted the second rabbit hurrying away from Titan and running in their direction. She stepped forward but hesitated as the lone wolf dashed forward. Nari growled a little as Coquina took the second rabbits life. The white wolf put her rabbit down then looked her way.

"If you want this, you may have it- I apologize. I just haven't had a proper meal in awhile..." Coquina's voice graced her silver ears asNari sighed looking over the female. The pack needed food real bad, but she couldn't will herself to take away the sustenance that the lone wolf so badly needed. Coquina was even skinnier than Nari was. So Narimé nodded gesturing to the rabbit.

"You keep it. As long as Titan is fed I'll be okay going without food for a while." She answered gesturing with her nose to Titan who still seemed to be trying to kill the already dead rabbit.

The words from Nari pressed into her mind as a small wave of guilt washed over her. She was acting on instinct... on hunger. Her jaws open and she picks the rabbit up an inch or so above the snow. Quin places her right paw on the lower half of the rabbit as she tears into the flesh of the kill. The odor of the fresh kill made her almost shake with excitement. Quickly but cleanly, she strips the meat and organs from the rabbit's skeleton, swallowing them up as if she hadn't eaten in days. Her tail swings low as she does this; it was actual fresh food. This was no rotting carcass.

Sheets of snow uplift from the ground as the wind blows again. Squinting, Coquina wrinkles her muzzle as she rises from her crouched position. The warmth of the blood on her muzzle becomes cold as the icy wind ruthlessly whips across the land. Quin looks over to Titan, her face settling into a calm expression. Briefly, her mind wanders. How many packs were here? How many had passed from this winter? A frown threatens to pull her dark lips downward, but instead she turns her head toward Nari. "I should be continuing my...." Journey? Search? Wandering? What exactly would she call what she was doing? Closing her eyes for a moment, the light pelted woman sighs before she musters up words. ".. My travels." Silence grips her before she speaks again, her fluffed face still in Nari's direction "It was nice meeting you and your son" She offers a small smile now, her gold-brown eyes looking to Titan before flicking back to his mother. "Perhaps by the time this snow is gone I will see you around" The black-tipped end of her tail flicks at these words.

After she speaks, she gives a dip of her head to the silvery woman, and would leave after her and Titan's actions. She had quite the travel ahead of her as she grew closer and closer to Willow Ridge.

Titan was finishing up his rabbit meal when he finally noticed the adults talking far to his right. The shadowy pup hadn't noticed much of anything while he had been munching on the furry white carcass, and that included the second hare that Coquina had grabbed. Now his dark gaze spotted Coquina standing scrunched over something as if she were bowing. Voices murmered on the wind but the young male was too far away to know what they were talking about. Instead he turned back to his small pieces of leftover rabbit and quickly finished them off; even going so far as to scrape off the membrane layer before the skin and fur on each piece.

The crunching of paws alerted the pair of she wolves that the crow child was approaching. He expected his mother to offer him congrats on the catch but was surprised to hear Coquina speaking her farewells. He had only covered half the distance between them whne Titan had heard "Perhaps by the time this snow is gone I will see you around" come from the stranger ladies muzzle. As the young Thorben padded forward closing the distance between them he began waving his tail a bit looking towards the lone she wolf. Then the silver tipped ebony child dipped his head in farewell to the other woman.

"Good luck out there!" He offered the goodbye while finally reaching his mother. The blood on his face covered the flecked silver around his dark jaws making him look like he had messy lipstick on. "Did I do well ma? " Titan turned his head excitedly to his mother hoping she had seen his catch. A part from the attempt on a turkey Titan had not actually coem close to catching his own meal. That rabbit, as lucky as it had appeared, had been his very first kill.

Waiting for his mother to reply Titan glanced back and forth from Nari to Coquina wondering where Coquina was going to be leaving to.

WHISPER Caverns

Got permission from Coquina to PP her leaving

Allowing the female time to eat in peace Nari padded a few steps forward to look at her son. He was scarfing down his own rabbit just as quickly as the lone female as she ate her own catch. Feeling her stomach ache at the sight and smell of food the silver she wolf turned her head to look towards her own territory. The wind was beginning to pick up but no other scents were carried upon the breeze. It was as if they were the only living things around in the barren white landscape.

Turning to listen as Coquina spoke Narimé nodded in understanding. As much as she loved traveling normally Nari had learned from past fall that it could come at a great cost. Winter was also not a good time to travel without a pack. Just too cold, in fact the silver wolf wondered how the stranger had made it for so long without a pack. Perhaps she had dispersed from another pack recently. the mother thought quietly though she knew that the loner didn't have any old pack scent on her. If Coquina had come from a pack she must have been away from them for some time for all their smell to leave her pelt.

"It was nice meeting you and your son"

"The pleasure was all mine." She dipped her head slowly in farewell glad to meet a good natured wolf out in the dreary winter cold. If food hadn't been such a commodity to her pack mates Nari probably would have asked the loner if she were looking for a home. However right now any food they had was to go to her pack firstly. Thus there was no room for any new wolves.

"On the off chance you are looking for a home within a pack there is another family called Willow Ridge in that direction." Nari gave the woman some guidance by pointing her nose in the direction Elettra's pack waited. Then she flicked her tail in a gesture of farewell to the woman and watched Coquina trot off towards drooping willows. Only then did her eyes turn to Titan.

"That was wonderful little one. Soon I think when the herds return we should have a deer hunting trip. Then I can teach you how to chase the deer into a frenzy." She turned to lead Titan away flicking his side with her tail in a silent gesture to follow, and the tall child immediately obeyed too happy to care that his mother was leading him around blindly.

(Exit Nari, Titan, and Coquina)

(This post was last modified: Feb 25, 2014, 04:14 AM by Narimé.)