Wild Rye Fields Oh... It's you

Sounds great c: Scavenging/tracking post 1/3

The birds in the sky had not gone unnoticed by the girl, and she was wondering the exact same thing as Askan - if there was a carcass underneath. She couldn't help but be a little bit disappointed in the fact that, if there was a carcass, that she wouldn't be able to hunt with a packmate yet. She chased the ridiculous thought from her head immediately - if there was a carcass, it would be much easier than hunting a brand new meal, and might even lend them more food for the pack. Besides, it would be easier on her legs than chasing after something, and that thought reminded Cas that Askan knew of her predicament, and yet he treated her no differently than he would have if she'd been perfectly well. That was appreciated. The little wolf hopped her way down the rest of the hill, sliding slightly and ending up at the bottom far before the dark man, sending snow flying on her way to try and find the location of whatever those birds were feasting on. No point in being super quiet if they were just going to scavenge, so she didn't even feel bad about talking now. "Oh ye of little faith," she teased over her shoulder. "We could totally take down a bison. Between your cynicism and my spectacular people skills, there's nothing we can't do!" she jibbed, waving her tail and waiting on him to catch up with her. "On... second thought, maybe we should just look around for something," she tacked on with a good-natured grin. "Rude!" she scolded, narrowing her sky-colored eyes at him at the way he was talking about his packmate. "He doesn't look weird. He looks... unique. There's nothing on earth wrong with the way he looks," proclaimed the little wolf as she marched on through the snow, towards the circling birds in the sky.

2/3

Askan didn't exactly approve of Castel being sick, but it wasn't something she could really help. As tempting as it was, there would be no use in yelling at her or even blaming her, as sometimes that's just the way things went. Wolves, like every other creature on this planet got sick sometimes. Now, Askan didn't know the true extent of her illness but if he did, it begged the question how would he react? Would he be angry for being misled? Would he take pity on her and perhaps be even nicer to her? Or would he simply shrug it off and go 'oh well?' The second option was probably the most unlikely of them all, but there was a slim chance that he might. After all, Askan was not heartless, nor was he cruel. He was just... Askan. He was simply set in his ways.

Askan rolled his eyes at Castel's flouncy way of moving, the way she kicked up all that snow. By no means was he springy and light on his feet, but on comparison to her, his foot steps were as quiet as a field mouse's. But as Castel had realised, it didn't matter if they intended to scavenge from a carcass. Askan's attention was once again drawn to the sky as a call rang out across the tundra. Overhead a golden eagle soared on by, clearly heading towards whatever had the raven's attention. He'd had a good feeling about this before, but if an eagle had arrived on the scene than it was fair to say there was food nearby. They simply had to make good time before something bigger than the two of them got their first.

Only then, when he was certain, did Askan allow himself to respond to Castel's words. If only to kill the time.

"When I first met him, he looked like he was dying. He was all skin and bones. All pink and white. And he stunk too." He cast her a serious look. "Like real bad, like he was rotting or something. If that's not weird I don't know what is."

He looked ahead again now. He was leading the way, keeping the pace fast so they didn't lose their chance here. From where they were, Askan could now see the corpse, he couldn't see what it was but it was clear to him that it was a busy site. There were so many ravens it seemed as though there was a flood of black and feathers. The eagle had landed and was perched on the side of the body, pecking away at its ribs. And a coyote or two snapped at the birds and pulled at sinew and muscle as they feasted. It was busy now, but when the Rye wolves got there, Askan knew they would have an easy time claiming it as theirs.

(This post was last modified: Jan 26, 2017, 11:02 PM by Askan.)

2/3

Cas' tail began to wag as they grew closer to the carcass; she could smell the food from where they stood. The birds and coyotes were swarming the dead creature, ripping hunks of what appeared to be relatively fresh meat off of it in a sort of visceral shivoo. The young wolf imagined that it probably was, for most of the animals eating the dead flesh were likely starving; it being the dead of winter and all. Steam rose from her maw as a reminder of the cold season, though Cas didn't really mind it. It was better than the scorching heat of the summer, in her opinion. She turned her head as her dark-furred packmate spoke, and her brows knitted together in concern. "He didn't seem that way at all, to me," she replied, tail stilling abruptly. "That's so sad. It's a good thing that he's here now, away from whatever caused something like that to happen. Drestig is a wonderful leader; taking in so many ill or starving wolves," continued the little wolf, voice filled with respect. "I mean, I wasn't dishonest at all with him; I told him everything and no, I am not going to tell you, you nosy bastard - and he still brought me in." She cut into the middle of her own sentence to jab playfully at Askan once again, her tail wagging starting back up. The silver-and-red girl bounced excitedly as they drew closer to the food, her stomach releasing a loud rumble. She turned to her companion with a grin and bumped her shoulder against his. "Race ya!" she chirped and, without further warning, bolted toward the other scavenging creatures, happily yipping and bounding along the way. Yes, she was flouncy, dramatic, and flamboyant, but in her state, she figured she should probably take advantage of any good day she might have left. And Askan certainly wasn't bad company to keep - he was irritable, moody, and a complete downer, but Cas found that she didn't quite mind all of those negative traits. It certainly wasn't the worst thing in the world.

3/3

Sure, it was nice of the Old man to let the mangy and sick into the pack but Askan couldn't help but worry. Drestig seemed to have trouble saying no to big pleading eyes and pretty dressed up words. They said that they would make it up to him, that they would pull their weight, but did they mean it? Were they just here for a free ride? Were they using the field to huddle down for the winter, then as soon as things warmed up they'd just leave without even a goodbye? Askan wasn't sure and the uncertainty was bothering him to no end. It wasn't as if they needed them, after all Wild Rye Fields had done just fine before...But with the Whitestone pack bulking up in numbers, well it was a fine line to walk.

"I wasn't going to ask!" Askan protested with a frown. "Your business is your own and so is mine."

He wasn't all that curious to see what was wrong with her. She didn't want to say, so he wasn't going to ask. It was as simple as that. Castel had to tease him though, didn't she? Couldn't let the chance pass her by. Damn her, annoying little midget. He had to say that he was glad that she had been honest with Drestig, as it would have been quite dishonest if she approached him with deceit on her mind. At least she had the smarts to do that right.

They were nearly at the carcass at that point, and from the cautious stares and worried glances Askan could tell that the ravens and coyotes knew what they had in mind. The eagle on the other hand didn't care in the least, it continued to peck away and tear at the flesh. No doubt it would take flight when they got too close. Then Castel had to make him jump with her sudden exclamation as she burst into a sprint towards their quarry. For a moment, Askan simply watched, debating on what to do. Should he just leave her to it? Not give her the satisfaction of joining her game? Or should he follow suit and claim the carcass as quickly as he could.

With an eye roll, the Yukon wolf made up his mind and dug his paws into the snow as he pushed off into a gallop. By no means was he going at top speed, but he wasn't ambling along either. Castel- for obvious reasons- got there before he did, but he pretended not to notice as he snarled and snapped his jaws at the few scavengers that remained.  The coyotes skittered away with alarmed yelps, but didn't flee the scene. They simply kept their distance, watching them like unwelcome shadows. The birds on the other hand took off, squawking ,flapping and generally making a lot of noise.

Content that the food was theirs for the taking, Askan looked down at the body, half frozen in the snow. A caribou. It likely had gotten lost in one of the recent snowstorms and had wandered off on its own, till it met its doom. It's loss their gain. Pressing a paw on it's side, Askan glanced about, checking for sure that the coast was clear before he sank his teeth into the red, icy flesh of the carcass.

3/3

Cas simply laughed at Askan's indignant response, and instead just ran for the carcass and the animals surrounding it. And, oh, it was so much fun to chase them all away. She wasn't so much bigger than the coyotes, but they were chickens, and she was not at all a chicken. So, therefore, they ran when she snapped and nipped at them, tail wagging in joy the entire time. She didn't plan on hurting them, but the thrill of the chase was not lost on her whatsoever. Unlike Askan, she was more interested in playing than eating the carcass. There was one gutsy raven that didn't flee as quickly as the coyotes. It even pecked her nose, and it hurt, but it was still fun to chase. She was enjoying herself immensely, and even chased some of the birds and coyotes further off while the dark man she was with ate the food. She hadn't been expecting to fall. It wasn't even like she tripped over anything; her still-achy foreleg just kind of... gave out. She'd been running down the hill after a coyote, and her leg gave out, and she tumbled head-over-tail into the snow down a hill. She ended up on her stomach, her bad leg resting in front of her, and her other one folded underneath her. She lay there for a moment, slightly dazed, and then came to her senses. She fully intended on just getting back up and laughing off the embarrassment of falling, but she couldn't quite get up. She managed to get her foot underneath her to prop herself up on, but the other leg seemed to be... kind of stiff. It wasn't broken, and it was only hurting a little more than it had been before. She tried to get up, and tried again, but couldn't do it, and finally admitted defeat. "Askan!" she called, panting slightly from the exertion and trying to put a bit of lightheartedness into her tone. She was more embarrassed now than she had been from falling. "I-uh... I think I need help!" Her eyes burned slightly with unshed tears; not from pain, but from frustration and a bit of despair. She was ashamed of herself; of her weakness and of her inability to do even the slightest thing right. She buried her nose in the snow, hoping to drown before her packmate got there.

Askan didn't notice Castel falling. Even if he had, it would have been unlikely that he would rush to her rescue, not out of maliciousness but simply because he assumed she was perfectly capable of getting up on her own. He had only just swallowed his first mouthful of meat when his ears twitched at the feeble voice calling out to him. He turned, stepping off the caribou, and was greeted with the sight of Castel collapsed on the floor, seemingly unable to get to her feet. With a frown, he trotted to her side and came to a stop. Outwardly, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her. She wasn't laying funny and her legs were not bent out of shape. Did she have a cramp? Or did she simply not have the strength to get up?

Either way, Askan wasn't going to leave her laying there in the snow. Whether he liked her or not was irrelevant, it was his job to look out for the subordinates and that was what he intended to do, even if it included menial things like this.

"Stay there, I'll get you up." Askan said, as he ducked down so his belly touched the snow.He wasn't quite sure what to do, but he had an idea. It was simply a matter of seeing if it would work. "Lean against me with everything you have, I can take it."

Leaning against her side, Askan pushed against her and supported all of her weight. She was so light, so small he could barely feel the weight of her against his side. He couldn't get Castel onto her feet for her, but at least this way she wouldn't have to worry about the weight of her body making it harder than it had to be. All she had to do was push and Askan would do the rest.

"Come on, get to your feet. Have something to eat, you'll feel better. Come on, Castel I don't have all day."

(This post was last modified: Jan 30, 2017, 10:54 PM by Askan.)

Damn it, this was so embarrassing, laying on the ground like a maiden in distress. Still, she accepted Askan's help with a smile and a roll of her eyes, pretending that all was well and that she hadn't just collapsed for no reason at all. "Well, aren't you such a gentleman? I would've thought my prince charming would be more courteous," she said, voice dramatic and sarcastic as she placed one forepaw underneath her to help support her weight, leaning almost all of it on Askan for a bit.

It took far too much concentration and determination to get all four paws beneath her, but with her packmate's assistance, she managed. The left forepaw was held carefully off the ground; it was still throbbing, sending waves of pain up her nerves, but she ignored it pointedly and pushed her nose into Askan's shoulder. "Sorry," she murmured genuinely, guilt eating at her insides for needing to ask for help so soon. If it were just her, she might've frozen in the snow, or become coyote food.

She extricated herself from his side, her left foreleg still refusing to hold her weight, but now that her other three legs were functioning, she could at least hobble along. "Food sounds like a great idea!" she chirruped, making sure that her tone was light and lilting to hide her embarrassment, pain, and slight fear that she felt over the entire situation. "Chasing those coyotes and birds might've been a not-so-great one."

And, with that, she limped her way up the hill, attempting to conceal it by only pressing her left forepaw to the ground when absolutely necessary. She reached the carcass and took a bite of frozen flesh, relishing in the feeling of food finally being able to sit comfortably in her stomach.

I'm about done, one more from you then we can call it done?

Askan wouldn't have put it like that. And he certainly wouldn't have called himself a gentleman either, as he was anything but. Nor was he courteous or charming, or even a prince! But of course, Castel was merely teasing him, pulling his tail, and from the looks of it having a grand time whilst she was at it. Or at the very least it seemed as though she was, at first. Her smile was a little strained, pulled too tight at the edges and there was a flicker of something in her eyes Askan couldn't place. He wasn't really in a position to ask, as not only was he busy getting her to her feet, but he'd made a point of emphasising how he didn't care. How her problems weren't his. But he wasn't cruel and if he saw a packmate suffering he wouldn't turn a blind eye to it.

"If you can talk you can stand."He grumbled, still holding her up with ease.

When she finally managed to stand on her own, he took a step back and appraised her with his sharp, bright yellow eyes. Castel seemed steady enough but it was clear she was not in tip top form. What the hell was wrong with her? And why was she making such an effort to downplay it? Oh yes, Askan had noticed. He was blunt and callous for sure, but he was no fool. His mind was just as sharp as his gaze, if not more so. The press to his shoulder was not unlike how Percy often brushed against him, a display of affection mostly, but sometimes of gratitude as well. As for Castel the latter was clearly what had prompted her to touch him. By no means was he a touchy feely man, it didn't make his insides all warm and squishy, but he appreciated the intent behind her action. And so he didn't dismiss her or turn her down, he merely accepted the touch with a rumble of acknowledgement and moved on.

"Don't be. It's not like it was hard, you're lighter than Percy. By far." He huffed, tilting his head away from her. She had no reason to apologise. It was no trouble. "Now go on, eat. I'll keep watch, then I'll see if we can get someone out here and help us bring as much of this back as we can."

With that, Askan plopped himself down onto the snow, near the carcass. He would wait till she was done, then he'd get to work. For now, she was free to eat her fill.

Yepperoo!

Cas simply ignored the man's grumpiness, giving him a playful nudge with her shoulder before she headed for the carcass. Once there, she ate her fill; expectedly, she filled up quickly, and backed off of the dead creature to think of ways to carry it back to the pack. Her tail wagged happily, thinking of how much food this might provide for her new packmates.

Unexpectedly, she hoped Drestig might be proud of his decision to let her stay; proud of her. Which, of course, was an odd thought, because Cas really didn't ned the approval of others to feel happy about herself or validated. But, for some reason, she really did want Drestig's approval.

Belatedly, she realized she wanted Askan's approval, too. Like she had wanted her own father's approval. So, she decided she'd work hard to get it.

Cas bent down, tugging firmly on the leg of the frozen caribou. It began to pull off, and she nearly tumbled backward when it came off all the way. She wagged her tail hard when she was successful in her task of pulling off the leg and staying on her feet. She turned, giving Askan a triumphant smile around the limb in her mouth, and turned to proudly trot down the hill toward what she hoped was the Rye wolves' camp. She called over her shoulder as she went, her voice distorted from the obstruction in her jaws.

"C'mon, Athk'n, le'ss go!"

-end-

(This post was last modified: Feb 03, 2017, 01:05 AM by Castel.)