Sacred Grove Rabbits, Rabbits Everywhere but None in Sight

ooc: @Sven Midmorning Heavy snow
13 ° F, -11 ° C

When she had made her decision to leave the Bend Triell had told her she would like it out west and so far she did and couldn't wait for spring to arrive. Though things had been a lot different than what she was used to she was learning new things about herself everyday. The fear of getting lost was something that still lived inside her even though she had not lost her group no matter how far she traveled. She felt her tracking skills were getting better with each passing day. Leotie didn't feel that she was at a point where she could stop working on her skills but she wasn't as afraid to head out on her own as much anymore but there were some days she really had to set her mind to getting out and doing some exploring.

Since coming to the west she’d had explored Sacred Grove enough times she felt comfortable venturing there by herself. An exploration wasn't what had brought her, instead while out patrolling that morning she’d come across the scent of rabbit and had tracked it into the grove. She intended to catch it to share with the others and despite the scent having gotten stronger she had not caught a single sighting. With her nose to the ground she continued to search every so often raising her nose into the air. If the scent was on the air then she might be getting even closer.

(This post was last modified: Jan 20, 2017, 09:59 PM by Leotie.)

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He smelled them too, but had yet to spy hide nor hare of his intended prey. Perhaps if the winds weren't high and the snow blowing, if it was warm and summery and meals were abundant, he would have given up and turned around. But as things were, anything that could be brought back to the Ridge was worthwhile. Every bit helped keep @Elettra and @Attica well fed no matter how dwindled their pack's numbers.

So he pressed on, determined to let nothing distract him until something new filled his lungs. New, but... there was something oddly familiar about it...

What was more, her scent crowded with others but she didn't belong to the Cedarwoods wolves. What was this?

Sven sought her out, and when he found her, nothing clicked. He still didn't know who she was, but something tickled within his chest, telling him that he should.

He chuffed lowly in an attempt to get her attention. He had to figure this all out, and hopefully she would be cooperative and help him out. If not, he supposed his day would just be longer, because it was clear that there were more wolves to be found here.

It was really a frustrating thing to have followed a scent, knew your query was around and yet not see them. She didn't want to go back to the others without anything to show for her efforts though she doubted Triell would fault her for it. It didn't matter to her she still had a responsibility that she wanted to fulfill on a daily basis if she could. Right then she didn't understand what she was missing and refused to give up.

As she continued her search checking scents both on the ground and in the air she caught another scent.

It was unfamiliar to her but she knew it belonged to another wolf and not just any other but a pack wolf. She'd met others before but it was the scent of a pack she didn't know and she wanted to know what pack he belonged to.

A chuff reached her, a greeting that told her the owner met no harm. Turning she took in his scent she realized this was who she'd been looking for. “Hello there,” she greeted him cheerfully. She may not have found rabbits but she did find him or he found her she wasn't sure. It didn't matter they were finally meeting. “I'm Leotie what's your name?”

(This post was last modified: Jan 21, 2017, 04:05 AM by Leotie.)

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There was nothing shifty about her appearance initially. She turned to him with soft blue eyes that held nothing kindness, and it encouraged him to lower his guard ever so slightly. He had been as quiet as he could while still garnering her attention, mindful of the hunt they were clearly both on, but she did not seem to mind dismissing the chase for conversation with him. Her friendliness reminded him of another recent encounter, and he hoped that this one would prove smoother. And more fruitful.

"Sven," he answered, straightening his posture out of the stalking hunch he had been holding incase it had been rabbits he found instead of her, "Archer."

Leotie was a rather lyrical name, and it quite fit her. Her open features reminded him of yet another wolf, one of even more ambiguous opinion than Cas, and he wished that for once he could stop linking his present to the past.

"I didn't know the Grove was occupied. Am I... on your hunting grounds?"

He wouldn't apologize just yet, but his tone was nothing other than polite. If another pack was forming here, Elettra might wish for a positive relationship (if she didn't deem their proximity a trouble), and so he would be nothing but a gentleman until given reason to act otherwise.

While during her time in the grove she had run into a few new wolves, two of them even joining their group she hadn't been expecting to run into anything that day. His appearance and body posture clearly stated he had been hunting too, perhaps the same thing. Now that she faced him the hunt for the rabbits hadn't completely left her mind but finding out more about him seemed important with her group not too far off.

He was kind enough to offer his name after she had given hers, “It's nice to meet you Sven Archer may I ask what pack you belong to?” she asked as he stood up straighter which she took to mean he would join in conversation with her. She wanted to know his pack partially for her own curiosity but also because Triell might want to know and it was something she felt needed to be reported to him.

She thought about how she should answer his inquiry about the grove being occupied. Her group hadn't formally claimed the land as theirs so she supposed he hadn't technically trespassed. “I’m with a small group that have been staying in the area,” she explained, “You aren't on our hunting grounds though.” She assured him.

With him asking about her hunting grounds and running into him hunting she became a little concerned, “I haven’t stumbled into your territory have I because if I did I'm truly sorry.” Though she didn't think she'd come across any markers she thought it better to be safe than sorry.

~Table by Switch

(This post was last modified: Jan 21, 2017, 10:31 PM by Leotie.)

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A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

A small group, she phrased it. Sounded like a pack, but wouldn't she have said that? Did wolves just roam in bands at times? He didnt believe so. They may be transitory now, but they would settle eventually if not soon. This information would certainly be brought back to @Elettra. This Leotie's own questions wouldnt go unanswered either; Willow Ridge might be down on numbers, but their establishment gave them a leg up on these rogues. Sven did not feel threatened and perhaps making Leotie and her gang more aware of their surroundings would encourage them to act with regard for the Ridge's long-held claim.

"Willow Ridge. We're further south, and hunt mainly in the Rise. So you're not stepping on our toes out here," he reassured her with a smile, though a little voice at the back of his mind chimed not yet, anyways.

Hopefully, they would push further north before laying down roots, for the wider the berth between packs the better. If they decided to settle here, however? It wouldnt be the worst thing in the world (unless of course Nonna declared it was), so long as the leads were just as mindful and polite as Sven's current company.

"You guys lookin' for territory? Sounds like you're just borders shy of being a pack."

The amount of information she could give was limited and like before she also knew she had to be careful of what she said. Still she gave him the truth about her group because that was what they were. Becoming a pack wasn't something any of them had talked about yet it did feel like that was what they were becoming. Still she would feel more comfortable if he shared a little with her which he did.

He shared the name of his pack and hunting grounds as well as reassured her she wasn't hunting in his territory. “I'm glad to know I'm trespassing,” she said relief in her tone, “Were you hunting the rabbits as well?”She inquired curious if he'd had any luck either.

His next question wasn't a hard one that she didn't feel uncomfortable answering, after all if they became a pack and stayed in the area their presence as a pack would be known. He wasn't wrong about them being close to becoming a pack in numbers at least. Without it having been brought up she couldn't say for sure that was the plan but it felt like their group was on their way.

“We are looking for a place to settle for good,” she affirmed, “We are doing well so I don't think it would be out of the question.”

<center>~Table by Switch</center>

(This post was last modified: Jan 23, 2017, 03:37 PM by Leotie.)

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The rabbits. By now he had removed them from his mind, because if they'd been difficult to spot before then surely they had taken to their warren holes at this point, what with their conversational woofs and chuffs reverberating through the air as they spoke. The teen nodded in affirmation, before she answered with further details about this mystery group. It was all good to know, but still the questions were piling up within his head.

"Hmm. I doubt either of us'll be having hare now. Tell you what," a few curved teeth poked through as a friendly smile spread over his features, "if you guys do stick around, I'll come pick you up for a hunt. Repay you for what this conversation is costing ya."

Hopefully, his extension of goodwill would prove beneficial to them both. As it was, he wouldn't be surprised if this was the only time he ever saw Leotie. There was nothing keeping her pseudo-pack here, anyways, and that just seemed to be the way of life regardless. In and out. But if they all stayed? Well, it wouldn't be anything to throw a shivoo about, but it wouldn't hurt to foster a good relationship when more and more Willow Ridge felt isolated at the edge of the world.

It was sad really that she hadn’t been able to find the rabbits she’d been tracking most of the morning. Bringing at least one of them back to the group would have been really helpful though they weren’t hurting by any means so she wasn’t too distressed about it. Her conversation had proven to be a little more fruitful so she wondered if it was all that bad that she’d missed out on the rabbits.

He spoke once more, Leotie shook her head in agreement about the rabbits but she rather liked the offer he proposed. She did raise a brow curiously but then a smile crossed her features, “I would like that very much, it shall be fun.” She told him cheerfully.

She wouldn’t get her hopes up too much that Sven would return considering that they had only just met and he didn’t really owe anything to her but she did hope that he returned to do as he said. It would give them a nice chance to talk some more. Not to mention they could both be helping their packs, not only with the hunting but the getting to know each other better.

<center>~Table by Switch</center>

(This post was last modified: Jan 27, 2017, 07:29 PM by Leotie.)

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