Skeletal Hill i won't let them break me down to dust

She was getting better at this living alone thing. She'd not seen another wolf in quite a number of days, so needless to say, there'd been no excess strain on defending herself or any of her meager meals. While the mute was skinnier than she'd ever been in her life, her muscles felt spry enough. Perhaps the recent squabbles should have drained it, but instead, they'd granted her a bit more confidence in her abilities. The little female had never been one for brawling, but ever since it had come down to actual survival, she found she had little issue with it.

It also meant that she went after anything that moved lately in the hopes of it being actual prey. Even a branch had fallen victim to her jaws a few days ago when she'd seen it squirming in the wind out of the corner of her eye. A little too desperate, she could admit. But hard times called for hard measures and Pip was loath to let any opportunity for a meal pass her by.

The last thing she expected to see when she stepped out of the trees and into an expansive clearing was a buffet. Sure, it was no feast for alphas but... Beggars would not be choosers.

She descended upon the first femur in view ravenously. It was brittle with age and exposure to the elements and splintered like glass in her jaws. To her great disappointment, any hint of marrow had long since been sucked dry and picked clean by many others. With an annoyed flick of her tail, the loner crunched on a few shards that remained in her mouth as her orange gaze searched for another suitable possibility. Another thick femur deeper in the glade showed more promise - one lick of marrow remained. Even after it was swallowed, she continued to lick at the inside of the fractured bone for the lingering taste. Bones piled high around her and Pip seemed undeterred by the eerie atmosphere, determined in her hunt for a more substantial meal. Skulls were becoming more frequent, even those of wolves. She cared little; her eyes were only for the thickest bones that could provide the most promise.

Perhaps he had gotten turned around one too many times. He was looking for somewhere promising but with the world covered in a white blanket named snow, he had no clue where to go. Almost every hill looked the same and every worn path he could have sworn he had already traveled. Lucky for him (not really) he was accustomed to such a life. Born to a single mother with no pack left him plenty time to explore a small area while she was out hunting or scouting ahead. At eight months old he felt more like a feral man than he did a kid.

It was when he spotted a different shade of ivory that he focused on the world once more. The bones weren't a shocking sight. Hell, often times he had run the risk of being bones. It was just the sheer amount of them all. They formed a hill and against the sun-bleached ivory, there was a russet form. She looked awfully petite despite not looking shorter than him. His brows pinched together in thought for a moment before he mustered the courage to speak up.

"Hey. These yours?" His voice was hoarse but genuine curiosity rang out nonetheless. If this bone collection was hers then Caelean had no problem showing himself out.

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

She'd just picked up another promising bone when she heard the stranger's voice. Pip whipped around, hackles lifted high while her lips lifted in silent warning. The mute was expecting some possessive pack wolf mocking her. Instead, she found herself surprised by a pup about Aegir's age. Maybe it was mother's instinct that could override her initial defensive aggression. Whatever it was, her lips fell back over her teeth and her hackles slowly lowered.

A quick sniff in his direction verified he was no pack wolf. She could afford to be honest to a fellow loner, and a pup at that. Dropping her find at her paws, Pip shook her head. There was a whole big pile here... If he was hungry, she supposed there was plenty to share. If he could find his own bones that had marrow in them, he deserved them.

The little mute stared at him with a wariness that had yet to leave as she plucked up her bone again and bent into a bow with it held between her front paws. She chewed on one end to break through into its center. As this one was still intact, she had high hopes there would be treasure inside.

His tail sought the safety of his stomach when she turned around looking like she was ready to duke it out. Caelean didn't need the marrow from the bones merely as bad as her and he was quickly ready to make his exit before she seemed to calm down. He released a breath he had been holding tightly as her head shook. The answer wasn't verbal but the point was made clear enough.

The rogue boy was content to give her space as he searched slowly through the bottom of the hill. A soft humming barely escaping him as an ebony nose shifted about strangers of the past. When he came upon a skull that looked terribly wolfish, Caelean was quick to step back. That was the last thing he felt like gnawing on. Then it dawned on him that perhaps someone would have done that to him too if he had withered away. He wondered if the petite female next to him was thinking about munching on his bones or meat.

Gross but understandable.

"Do you, uh, live 'round here?" Small talk while digging through bones. This situation certainly couldn't have been stranger.

Even if he was close to Aegir's age, he wasn't like him at all. Her son was surly and sure of himself whereas this pup reminded Pip of...herself. He was braver, she could admit. When she was his age, if a wolf had looked at her like that, she would have run for the hills and never looked back. Curiosity seemed a more powerful motivator for him than fear. Despite the initial fear, he calmed as she had and snuffled through one of the pile of bones near him.

He seemed less than interested in actually finding any to eat from since the skulls seemed to pull his attention most. With her eyes still caught on him, she watched as he jolted away from one particular skull. Her gaze flickered momentarily to it and she recognized it as a shape of their own kind. In a different time, it would have made her sad or fearful. Right now, she felt nothing at all about it and only acknowledged that it would hold no nutrition for her and was therefore unimportant.

His question had Pip shrugged her shoulders a little when she finally snapped the end off the bone clenched between her paws. Her back legs shifted to give her a better angle and she finally looked away from him long enough to focus on her meal. Yes! She'd struck gold. Sweet, sweet marrow coated her tongue. Sloppy, sucking noises were made each time her tongue dove into the center of the rich bone and back out.

She certainly wasn't the talkative type it seemed...

Caelean casually pushed the skull back to where he found it as the awful slurping noises began coming from the small wolf. His eyes widened in disbelief that all of a sudden she was so noisy. He awkwardly stared for a few moments as the petite female kept slurping at the marrow. Perhaps he had been extremely lucky to never go as far as to pick from bones. Sure his meals had never been lavish but his mother did her best to keep their bellies full enough to keep going.

"Uh, you know..." His voice trailed off, feeling awkward in disturbing the female. "maybe we could hunt somethin'? Pretty sure I saw some rabbit tracks just back there. Half the work and all that." His voiced faded out softly, unsure of his decision. He didn't know how fresh they were - hadn't really bothered to look - but certainly, it would be more appealing to the woman than some bones.

Too quickly, her hard-earned meal was gone. The marrow was gone and continuing to dip her tongue in resulted in micro-cuts from bony spicules. The older bones were fragile and fell away easily under the force of her tongue, but this one was fresher still. Despite this, Pip continued to lick at the inside for another few swipes if only to let the taste linger.

The pup, surprisingly still present, captured her attention again. His hesitant suggestion earned a tilt of her head. What a curious little thing to offer such information so willingly. Perhaps it was that they were both loners. A pack wolf wouldn't be so free with information to a loner, would they? At least, not with recent experience.

While tracks didn't guarantee any rabbit was still around, she was willing to take a chance on it. Besides, if she had help, catching one would be all the easier, right? Though...it did mean she'd have to share anything she caught for the help. That thought was less appealing. But he was young and growing and deserved a reward for helping, so she'd not deny it to him.

Pip stood finally and nodded. Sure, hunting would be better. If he knew where to go, then he could lead the way. The mute inclined her head as if to invite him to do just that.

hunting post 1/4? figured we could go for the Successful Hunt (or unsuccessful!) skill points? also, apologies for a short post wanted to keep it to the point without fluff

For a brief moment, he had to retrace his steps in his mind. With her agreeance, he lead the way towards where the rabbit prints should be. A few moments of sniffing was mostly all he needed. "There." Caelean's voice was soft as he pulled his nose away from the small tracks. "Still smells pretty fresh." It was more to reaffirm himself than it was to inform the petite female but surely she ought to know too. The rogue boy had never been one for plans with these kinds of things. He usually just did them. Which meant if his new hunting partner had an idea she ought to speak up. Otherwise, Caelean was going to begin moving along the scent markers.

Hunting Post 1/4

He was awful trusting, Pip felt. He didn't know a single thing about her but was willing to help her find food? Or perhaps he was simply using her for her own hunting skills? Unlikely, she decided. With the way she looked, he must think her a poor hunter indeed. She'd just been down on her luck recently was all. She'd prove it, too.

Pip needed no more direction when he found the tracks he'd mentioned. Without her usual shyness of proximity to strangers, the little mute stepped right beside him and bent her face to smell at the tracks as well. Not even a second glance was sent his way; she began tracking the vermin immediately. Her focus was single-minded and as the scent grew heavier, her paws moved faster and her tail lifted higher.

There, on the boarder of the treeline nestled in a hedgerow was a burrow. Planting her paws right in front of it, Pip looked back towards the pup. It was his job now to find the other side of it. Rabbits were wilier than most thought and there was rarely just one entry point. Unlike wolves, she supposed prey had to be smart enough to have a way out when their nest was found.