Mountain of Dire Dread in My Heart

Unfortunately, the cold air made all the brisker by elevation did not carry scents as well as the summer breezes, warm and humid. It didn’t help that any self-aware marmot would have gone to ground sometime within the past few weeks – at least, in the past, he found the chubby rodents tended to disappear sometime around mid-autumn. He was only half-aware of Cottongrass sniffing behind him; while he couldn’t be too sure how effect the lad’s efforts were, at least he wasn’t laying around anymore.

The lone wolf had picked up the scent of a chipmunk and was half-considering abandoning his quest for the tiny snack when a small squeak caught his attention. Lifting his head, pointed ears pivoted in the youngster’s direction, head tipping to one side as he watched Cottongrass alert, and return to his target. He didn’t waste a single moment, trotting over to the site and putting his wet nose to the ground. Yeah, that was about right. Apotheosis of marmot stink right there; pleased, he bumped one shoulder into the yearling.

“Good,” he muttered, drawing back. “Now we gotta be careful. Don’t wanna lose the damn thing. Think y’can catch it if I scare it out? ‘er you rather do the scarin’ and I’ll do the catching?”

His tail wagged so hard at the shoulder bump and the 'compliment.' He couldn't give Reyes a brighter beam of a smile.

"I'll do - I'll do the scaring and you can, you can catch it, yeah?" He nodded to himself, once twice, before he dropped down onto his belly. And forward he shuffled, tail wagging behind him and ears perked. Without much grace or care he shoved his head under the slab, throat scraping against dirt and the back of his neck scraping against jagged rock edge. It didn't feel good, but he'd be fine. Probably.

The squeaking intensified at his sudden intrusion. And what he hadn't accounted for was exactly how dark and tight the little burrow was. But it smelt good - all warm and delicious in his nostrils. Something with coarse fur brushed against the tip of his snout and his jaws clacked down blindly on nothing but air. He scrambled forward more, blunt nails digging into the dirt as he struggled to get another few inches deeper. He heard the garbled patter of tiny feet and little claws in the packed dirt. It was than the thought hit him - he really hoped there was another opening somewhere near by or the marmot just might turn against him. There was nothing but the sound of his own panting in his ears. Maybe the marmot ran out the other side he was hoping existed. who knew. He certainly didn't with his head and neck shoved under the stone slab.

(This post was last modified: Oct 18, 2016, 10:54 PM by Cottongrass.)

Good. This was good. At least the kid wasn’t too dumb to analyze his own skills. If he wanted to scare the marmot, Reyes wasn’t about to argue – at the very least, the wolf knew he could catch a damn rodent. He hadn’t survived three years on his own by scavenging alone, after all.

As Cottongrass hunkered down, practically shoving his entire body beneath the stone and into the crevasse that probably housed their dinner. At least they knew the animal was in there. Once the pale wolf had wedged his body in the space, the squeaking became much louder and louder, the scratching of feet against hard dirt adding to the symphony. Hopefully, his new partner in crime would remain stalwart in the face of one panicked rodent, or the damn thing wouldn’t run out the other side.

Reyes held his breath, considering instructing the boy (would he even be able to hear down there?) when a head poked out several yards away. The head was followed by a furry body, and Reyes was off, sprinting after the first marmot with a terrible growl. If there was more than one, well – Cotton could surely handle a single marmot while he pounced on the one, right?

The silence that reigned over the marmot's den was still and heavy, the kind that made his paws itch. He waited for a tense few seconds - eyes blinking in the darkness with his ears straining and nose twitching at the stuffy air. But nothing happened. From his lungs he heaved a deep breath that he didn't know he was holding. And so he started his awkward wiggle backwards, scraping himself more against the stone slabs and bumping his forehead on the way out.

He blinked at the sudden brightness of day, drawing himself onto his hindquarters with his eyes roving. There was a second of panic as he wondered if Reyes left him. But he caught sight of the older male several yards away, their dark form a flurry of movement behind the plump rodent. He stood up, jaws falling open in eager grin. With an excited woof he followed after the wolf and marmot, shaking the dirt from his coat as he went. His paws were thundering as he bounded, strides high and bouncing with his tail swinging.

While Reyes had the better chance with his head start and speed, Cottongrass was nearby if the creature tried to scurry off on them. He rounded close with his path a length behind and to the side of the male.

@Cottongrass -- maybe you can fade out with your post and we can archive/collect our LP? (:

Unable to see his partner in crime, Reyes focused wholly on his task. The marmot zigzagged across the mountain’s steep slope, kicking up small pebbles in its wake. It might have been startled from its torpor, but adrenaline seemed to be doing its job, pressing the creature to run as hard as it could. A thrill raced up the man’s spine as his heart thundered in his chest – god, but to run. To chase. To coil and pounce and throw himself onto the fuzzy body with a victorious snarl, sharp teeth sinking into dark winter fuzz and into the animal’s neck.

It was simple from there, to wrap his jaws around the marmot and give it a firm shake. The rodent’s spine snapped in a matter of seconds, the coppery taste of blood spilling over Reyes’ tongue as he turned, finally aware that Cottongrass had dug himself back out of the animal’s den. He gave a muffled woof, trotting over to the other wolf and dropping the meal between the two of them. The animal was certainly fat enough for two to share – he might not be full to the brim after this, but it would be satisfactory.

“Good work,” he congratulated the boy gruffly before ducking his head and starting his feast.

His prancing lope came to an amicable shuffle as Reyes brought down the marmot with a violent pounce and a snap of hungry jaws. He couldn't help the eager grin that spread across his face, lips slack and tongue lolling as the older male gave a muffled woof around their meal. His tail wagged as he met the other wolf halfway, steps light and eager.

Somewhere in the back of his head, an upbeat tune that he called 'indulgent pride' blared. It went something along the lines of goodworkgoodworkgoodwork. He pressed in close to the older male like an overgrown puppy, paws shuffling and hindquarters swaying. His excitement at warm food wasn't something he could tame and without much more ado - he bent over and ripped into the meal with gusto.

All his past worries of tiredness, creepy forests, and equally creepy wolves faded as he ate. None of that mattered when he had the rare delicacies of food and someone to share it all with at hand. His thoughts buzzed happy and warm, and he didn't stop squirming once as he ate. Too much joy to even think about being still.  But at the very least he would be quiet, the air instead full of the snapping of bones and two wolves chowing down.