Swift River bloodstream

@Tagg - Setting this between sinner and reusable treasure

She had, true to her word, woken up quite early and woken Kerb up as well. She encouraged him to look for food by himself, but stay close. They could cover more land if they split up. She stayed to her ritual, first getting a drink, and then looking for breakfast, wandering towards the River that ran through the grove, intent on trying to find something delicious to get her through the day. She was trying to shake the cold out, but given he fact that she’d woken up maybe an hour before, she was still quite drowsy and she could feel the biting wind pulling at her eyelids, trying to convince her that sleep wouldn’t be a bad idea… she couldn’t fall for it!

Her chocolate eyes were the only thing that appeared warm in her appearance, a frown even finding its way on her features as she gave her pelt another shake. At least it wasn’t snowing, even if there was already snow on the ground. That would only make it worse because it’d start to pile up worse than it already had! Her swarthy coat was being rustled by the wind that she walked against, keeping herself downwind of any prey she might be fortunate enough to find. She was finding these strange lands intriguing, and wondered just what she’d find in each of them, or around every corner, for that matter.

Word Count: 385

Tagg was getting both tired and cold.  He’d traveled a long way, pushing himself perhaps a bit further than he should have, considering he had only recently recovered.  Still, he’d been gone long enough and was eager to return to the land he’d designated as home.  He paused and shook his fur, still uncomfortable with the way it settled now that he had a few more scars around his shoulders and haunches.  He was grateful his fur was long enough to cover most of them, but it still stuck out in a way that felt odd to him.

As he walked, Tagg swung his head each direction to allow him a better view of the world around him.  It was second nature to him; he’d been blind in his left eye for three years now, and he could barely remember a time when he had use of it.  He almost scoffed to think of how awkward he had once been.

The slight breeze shifted and he pulled up for a moment, sniffing.  There was someone else out here. He smiled to himself at the memory of the last time he’d been in this area on his own headed towards the mountain, though granted he’d been on the other side.  He’d met Rift, someone he’d considered to be a good friend.  The smile turned to one of bitterness; she’d left him too. Everyone left in the end.

He shrugged off his sour feeling, something he was no tyro at. He had changed a lot this last year; that much was certain.  He continued forward, searching for this other loner.  He finally spotted her through the trees, a powerful black form stark against the white snow.  She was about his same size.  Tagg let out a short woof to announce his presence before continuing confidently closer and wagging his tail to let her know he meant her no harm.  He was used to other wolves being put off by his appearance at this point, and he was sure the way he walked so he could see his surroundings clearly would be seen as weird by wolves who didn’t know him.

“I’m Tagg.” He introduced, stopping a few wolf-lengths away from her so she didn’t feel that he was invading her space.  “You been in the area long?”

"Speech"  Thought

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Her search, she hoped, would prove successful and she prayed to find at least a hare to take down and devour. It was surprising how things like climate and weather could change so fast yet draw out for so long as to divide the cycle (a year) into four full seasons with their own unique characteristics. She was upwind of the other wolf in the area, unaware of his presence and she continued her search… until she heard a soft woof that put her on edge, her head turning to look over her shoulder, caramel gaze widening for a minute before she forced the shock to disappear.

He’d gotten into trouble… he could potentially be dangerous. Maera had seen too much of the world to think that any wolf with a scar, or multiple scars for that matter, was dangerous. She put a soft smile on her face, doing her best not to stare at the injuries, or recovered injuries she supposed, as he greeted her, introducing himself and asking her a question. That seemed to be a popular question, now didn’t it? First Kerberos, and now this Tagg wolf… at least that was how he’d introduced himself. Perhaps that was just the curiosity of the male population.

“It’s nice to meet you Tagg. I’m Maera.” It was habit for her to use her full name rather than her nickname of ‘Mae’… at least unless they provided a nickname of their own. Tagg was too short to have a nickname to it unless someone called him T-Dog or something. “I’ve only been around for a couple of days, but I think I’m going to stick around a while longer. I like it here.” She seemed to have better luck in this land with food than she  had the last, and that was a good reason to stay in her books. “What about you?” She didn’t smell a pack on him, which had her curious to say the least.

Word Count: 291

Tagg appreciated her effort not to stare, but he couldn’t help but smirk at her expression when she’d first seen him.  It had been a while since he’d been in the company of a new wolf, so it had been a while since he’d had the pleasure to watch someone stumble over themselves to avoid being impolite.

He smiled in a friendly manner, though he knew the scars on his face made his lips pull up in a funny way.  “It is a nice area.” He commented, glancing around.  One ear was trained on Maera, the other flicking around to keep tabs on his blind side.  His glance told him the area was still safe, and anything trying to creep up on them would likely get caught by his hearing, which he’d noticed had improved, almost as if to compensate for his lost eyesight.

“I’m making my way to a pack near here, though perhaps I took the long way ‘round.”  He twitched his nose, gently sniffing her general direction again.  He thought he could pick up the faint scent of another wolf on her pelt, but he wasn’t entirely sure.  He thought better than to outright ask her, instead increasing the attention he was giving to his listening.  Perhaps wartime had changed him more than he’d thought; here he was, in generally friendly territory (in his experience), suspecting this nice young lady of some sort of subterfuge.  There was no way she could have known he was coming in enough advance to send a companion out to ambush him while she was distracting him.  He forced himself to release his tension a bit, but couldn’t bring himself to relax his guard.  Regardless, he would be friendly unless she was otherwise.

"Speech"  Thought

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@Tagg

He didn’t get angry when she did catch herself staring, and for that, she was thankful, trying to keep a peaceful conversation with this wolf. He seemed friendly in return, even, and that surprised her a little. She didn’t know what she expected… maybe a grump and whiney wolf, because a wolf had scars that “ruined their pelt”… she knew she shouldn’t make assumptions, but that was one that was a little harder to ignore. She still kept a smile on her face, keeping her eyes trained anywhere but the mass of scars on his left side. “I’d have to agree with you.” She shrugged though the smile remained… did she repeat herself?

Oh well, what was done was done, and she brushed it off as he explained that he was headed to a pack, but took the long way around, confusion and curiosity both showing on her features. “I have yet to stumble across a pack scent… are they nearby?” She felt the need to watch out for packs. The last thing she needed was to get on the bad side of one and as a result pay hell for the rest of her years. No, she much rather preferred peace with those who decided that a mass of wolves living together was better for them. Then again, hadn’t she just decided that it was better for her to work with Kerberos than it was to stay truly alone for the rest of her days?

So she was a little hypocritical. A few seconds after speaking, she felt the need to clarify why she wanted to know. “I’m trying to avoid trouble… getting on the bad side of a pack by lingering too close is bad for my lifestyle and my health.” She hadn’t missed the way his nose twitched, no doubt he knew she was a loner and would understand what she meant.

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Tagg tried to hide his amusement at her confusion; he didn’t want Maera to feel that he was mocking her.  He was a little surprised, though.  Wouldn’t she have made sure she wasn’t going to cause trouble before settling down? 

He pushed his curiosity to the back of his mind; it had become a habit to squash it since his time with the outsider pack.  He chuckled instead.  “No, they’re still a fair distance away; two days, maybe one if I hurry.  Their territory is by a lake up on the mountain.”  He explained.  He wasn’t sure how Vespertio would feel about having a loner on the borders, but the pack he’d left wouldn’t have minded the loners as long as they stayed outside the boundaries.  Regardless, she was still more than far enough to avoid trouble.  “As for other packs in the area, I’m not sure.”

A faint crunching sound caught Tagg’s attention and he turned his head abruptly, listening hard.  He sniffed again.  Deer!  He glanced at Maera.  There was only the two of them, but maybe, if they were very lucky…

“Care for a hunt?” He asked quietly, so as to not spook the deer.  He couldn’t see them, but he assumed they weren’t too far away.  “I can hear deer nearby.”  His eye lit up with excitement at the prospect of a proper hunt; he hadn’t been part of one in what felt like ages.

"Speech"  Thought

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Her worry that she had overlooked something was soon enough soothed by the man’s words, a reassured smile returning to her features as he explained that they were two days out by normal speed, a soft nod of her head in understanding. She was fine, then! She had nothing to worry about! Well, almost nothing… he said he wasn’t sure about the other packs in the area. “Thank you for the information.” It was something she needed to do, because he had given her information to avoid the mountains, because if she stumbled upon a lake? Well, things could end badly.

She didn’t necessarily care for the mountains anymore… her love of them had turned sour with the passing of her father, the final straw on the proverbial camel’s back, which had already been weighed down by the death of Lacey and Pascal. She caught the scent just as he did, watching as the man glanced at her… a hunt? She was more than down for that. Had she not been out originally looking for food? Besides, taking down a full deer? If they could do it, she could bring some back for her new companion as well, and the two wouldn’t have to worry about food. In fact, they could move past the Grove to someplace else. It was good to keep on the move. It was always finding direction that was most difficult.

Her reassured smile turned to a wide grin and a nod. “I can smell them… I’m down if you are.” She whispered in response, letting him lead the way since he was the one with the better hearing it would seem, or more of the one to offer a hunt to begin with.

Word Count: 200

Tagg wondered at her aversion to packs. Don’t most wolves look to find one?  Either way, it was none of his business, he decided.  She probably had her reasons.  

He grinned and led the way, keeping low and walking so he minimized the impact his feet made on the snow, which helped to muffle his steps.  He held his head so he could clearly see where each paw was stepping to avoid messing up their hunt with a peccadillo.  

It didn’t take long for them to reach the small herd – only five or six deer total.  He crouched down to scope out a worthy prize.  He looked first for a deer that pulled up lame, but if there was one, he missed it.  The buck wouldn’t do; the two of them wouldn’t be able to take it down.  He spotted a fawn, one that must have been born late that spring.  It was still fairly small for what he usually saw this time of year.  

He pointed it out to his new hunting partner.  “Shall we take that one, or do you see a different one you’d like to go for?” He asked, voice as quiet as he could manage.

"Speech"  Thought

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Maera could feel her blood starting to pump as she followed him, her heart thudding against her chest as she pulled herself into the mindset she needed for larger prey. It’d been a while… the last time had been with her family, right before her dad died… it’d been hard to give her mother the motivation to go after larger prey after he left the world. She didn’t blame her mother, but it’d made it harder on her. While he was doing his own analysis, she did hers, her eyes narrowing as she followed a similar pattern. She ruled out the male first… there was no way they’d be able to take him down, not without more wolves and it would scare them away to call for Kerberos to help them.

From there she saw the smallest fawn, saving it in her memory before looking at the rest. She didn’t see any injured or lame one, so the smallest female would have to do. He pointed it out first as she nodded. “She’s the only one I see that we could realistically take down.” She whispered back, careful to keep her tone as soft as possible, as her tail lashed from side to side, watching carefully. “I’ll sneak around the side and we can work on separating her from the rest of the herd. Then we go in for the takedown?” The plan popped into her head as she relayed the information to him, careful not to spook their prey.