The Deep Forest Forward, Into The Dark

For @Kino
Midday. Partly cloudy.
10*F, -2*C

She was at it again. Away from home, and out and about, in completely unfamiliar territory. It was becoming a more common occurrence with Neha Vuesain lately. Not that she didn't love her beautiful lakefront home. She, like her brothers, were simply at that age where you just had to stretch your legs a little and get out and see a little more of the world. There was so much to see and experience. And, others to meet. She knew for a fact that there were other wolves her age out there. Not long ago, on one such adventure, she and @Cernan had the pleasure in bumping into a trio from another pack, not too far away. One dark boy named @Arion ,and two similarly colored females @Bracken and @Ember. Her memory of the encounter was still fresh, and it was more than enough to ignite her desire to try and meet other wolves her own age. Surely they too would be thrilled with meeting the Lake Princess. Wouldn't they?

An endless set of tracks imprinted in the snow, winding in twists, turns and straight lines in the snow, told of her journey. This place didn't look familiar at all. Yup, Neha was lost. But was she worried? Of course not! All the more reason for excitement. She welcomed the challenge of navigating through this deep, shadowy forest in which she found herself now. If she one day wanted to prove herself useful in the pack, be it as a hunter, scout or a healer, she might as well get a head start on developing her skill set. There was only one small problem though. By gods, was she hungry!

A sharp jolt through her stomach stopped her dead in her tracks. Her face contorted into a grimace, shoulders hunching forwards and down as she waited for the sensation to subside. This was no way to travel...she would need to keep her energy up if she was to stay out like this. Lifting her head, warm brown eyes searched through and among the trees for any sign of life. For prey. A rabbit, a squirrel...heck, even a small mouse would be better than nothing! Her instincts, paired with curiosity and determination set in, and she turned her eyes to the snowy ground. Slowly, deliberately she move onwards, looking carefully for the slightest sign of tracks in the snow.

The boy wandered, and wandered, and wandered some more until his legs had driven him into more uncharted territory. The forest he’d come upon, even in the dead of winter, was ominous and dense, filled with towering trees that he found himself weaving in and out of constantly. At least they gave him a bit of reprieve from the wind, and he had experienced colder, but it still didn’t take away from the fact that it was freezing. Kino had managed to snag himself, by some luck, a hare that had stuck itself in a patch of thorns. It had been a day or so since the one-time prince had eaten, and his mouth had practically watered at the sight of the struggling animal. He’d winced as he pried away the thorns, their sharp tips digging their way through his pelt and nipping at his skin but he kept going anyhow. Finally, he was able to untangle himself and the animal from their grip then swiftly end it. It wasn’t a plump hare, but it was far better than nothing. He’d settled himself into the hollow of a tree, presumably made by a fox perhaps but long since vacated.

About halfway through his meal he stopped cold, fuzzy auds swiveling forward to catch quite a strange sound. It sounded like…growling? But not quite animalistic, no…something else. He tilted his head as he tried to think of where he had heart it before, then it hit him. He’d been making the same sound not 30 minutes before. That was the sound of an empty stomach. Curiosity gripped him, forcing him toward the opening of the hollow and quietly outside. His nose twitched, catching the scent of another which only peaked his interest. Who would be all the way out here, other than him? He followed after the scent, moving soundlessly across the forest floor. A flash of off white fur was seen, and he automatically stopped behind a tree. Carefully peering around it, testing to make sure he was down wind(which he was), he watched the girl. She didn’t look to be much older than him, though in much better shape. While Kino’s frame was weather beaten and slim, she was perhaps quite the opposite. He kicked himself for not realizing that the scents that mingled in her pelt made her a pack wolf, and immediately he began looking around. Were there others nearby?

Deducing that there were, as he hadn’t seen any other tracks and certainly hadn’t smelled anyone, he debated as to what his next action should be. Peering back around the tree, he made the decision to remain in the shadows where he was most comfortable. She was hunting, it seemed, though there was fat luck she would find anything in this virtual wasteland. He thought back to the half a hare waiting for him at the hollow, mentally sighing. Why was he always so curious?

Sorry for the wait here!

There was nothing. Almost. A frown crept at her lips as her brows knitted together in both frustration and disappointment. All that she could find in the snow were the tiny, faint tracks of mice. And even they, were likely long since gone, hidden under the snow to keep warm, come spring. She had breezed right by Kino's hiding place, completely oblivious to the pair of icy eyes that were watching her every move. And the fact, that unlike her, he had food with him. Determined not to give up, she stopped and planted her rear end down with a sigh. Head turned down, gazing at the snow, she took a moment to think. Perhaps there was a river or a stream nearby, where she could try her luck at fishing instead. The only problem was finding it. After all, the only water source Neha was most familiar with was the vast lake back home.

Her mind made up, she rose to her paws in such a way that suggested to her onlooker, that she was far from defeated just yet. Circling back around, closer to the shadows in which he hid, Neha had chosen this direction at random. At the very least, streams were known to flow through patches of denser woodland. Her reasoning was that if she ventured further into this forest, she would come across a source of water eventually. Those plans however, were suddenly put on hold when something more promising caught her eye. Not the other pup himself, but the evidence he had left behind. A scattering of tufted rabbit fur lead to the very tree at which he hid behind. There had been a struggle here, obviously and someone or something had snatched themselves a snack. Curious brown eyes flickered up from their lowered position at the earth, peering into the shadows. The forest was so silent that she doubted it was a wolf who had made the catch. More likely a fox, or even more worrisome, a cougar. She shivered at the thought, ears pressing back as she inched forward, closer with a mix of caution and inquisitiveness in her step. Neha was ready to bolt and run if she ran into any unpleasant surprises.

(This post was last modified: Feb 07, 2016, 10:32 PM by Neha.)

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.

Kino's breath caught in his throat as she moved toward the tree he was hiding behind, playing a game of switcharo as he moved around the tree to avoid her line of sight. He was amazed when she heard nothing of him, and a bit proud at the same time. The boy watched curiously as she seemed to flop down in frustration, a frown marring her pale maw. He almost laughed at the pout she displayed, as they were both about the same age and the former prince couldn't even fathom pouting at eight months old. But, as he was thinking she swept her head his way and he way forced to duck behind the tree once more. Carefully looking around, he scrambled to turn around his hiding post as she came back this way. Those had been some close calls, but they had gotten his blood flowing and he'd rather enjoyed it. 


The girl kept moving and he followed along, brows raising as she went closer and closer to the hole he had stored his hare away in. Then, to his dismay she stopped and stared right into it. It was then that he noticed the faint trail of pelt that led the way into the hideaway and he cursed. This seemed to freak her out, her body going tense and her ears falling to her head. It had been all fun and games until that moment, but when she genuinely seemed to be frightened he knew he had to reveal himself. As well taken care of as she was, it occurred to him that this might be one of her first exploration excursions and could only image what was going through her head now. Bad things happened when wolves panicked, they stopped thinking rationally and got into trouble. 

Quietly he stepped around from his hiding spot, "Hey, it's okay," he said. His ears laid at half-mast on his head, head laying lower as the large boy attempted to make himself look smaller. He felt like he was trying to calm a frightened fawn.

 

With a jolt, Neha looked up in surprise. Out from his hiding place, emerged a boy similar in age to herself. Wide eyed, but not fearful, she stared for a moment. His fur was most unusual, she decided. But striking. It reminded her of her mother, only a grayscale version. After the initial surprise wore off, she stepped back, politely. "Oh...uh, hi." She stammered, somewhat embarrassed that she had been caught snooping around. She hadn't meant any harm, and she was far too well mannered to even think about stealing another wolfs kill. "You surprised me there. I...didn't think anyone was out here. Not in this place." She added with a frown while she glanced around the dimly lit forest.

Landing her eyes back on Kino again, her brows furrowed curiously. He was young...and he did not seem to carry any scent of a pack on his fur. Most unusual. Now aware that it was he who had caught the rabbit and not a rival predator, Neha almost felt inferior. Here he was, out on his own (unbeknownst to her) with his own catch. And here she was, alone and exploring, hungry and with nothing to show for it. "Uhm...I don't recognize you. Are you from around here?" She tipped her head to the left. If he was from a pack at one point, it couldn't have been from the one by the Falls. Maybe the recently disbanded pack that neighbored her own then? 

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.