Spectral Woods turning like parachutes

Walrus, a shooting star flies overhead and you're left with the following prompt: The moon is full, the stars are shining brighter than you've ever seen them, and the whistling wind is like music in your ears. A clearing of smooth, untouched snow opens before you like a ballroom begging to be frolicked in.
For @Sunny only.

Walrus stared at the crisp, unmarred snow with fascination. It was so perfect, so untouched, as though she had entered not a clearing but a bubble of space existing outside of time. Were she still traveling with her cousins, this wouldn't have lasted seconds - they destroyed everything before she could ever fully enjoy it. It made her hold back, take in the stillness and serenity, drinking it in until at last the thirst was quenched.

Walrus lurched forward, crossing the glen with bounds and twists, paws punching through the icy coating and leaving evidence of her existence behind. She frolicked and danced and played, and utterly adored the only sound in the world being just her own four paws and clouded breaths.

Sunnys' head hung low as he traipsed through the snow and dead weeds that tugged needlessly at the edges of his wispy fur. The area was starting to get to him, the immense and twisting trees felt constricting and the land itself felt unwelcoming. He'd regretted leaving his pack and going off into the unknown, especially so early, but there was no going back.

Thoughts began to wander back to simpler times, to warm dens and family, only for a loud 'crunch' to cut through the memories. Shaking his head, strawberry red ears perked up, following the noise.

Careful to not alert whatever was making all the noise, Sunnys' eyes lit up when he spotted the wolf dancing and prancing through the snowdrifts. At least she looked like she was having a good time, and boy, did it feel contagious. The blonde wolf took a few excited bounds forward, skidding to a halt in the snow, unsure if she'd let him prance around with him. A whine escaped his jaws, his tail wagging furiously, and he bounced on his paws back forth where he was standing.

Something disturbed the perfect isolation. Walrus stilled, the flurry of snow that had followed her antics dissipating around her. Fiercely vibrant eyes settled on a rather small, inoffensive wolf with something odd about his neck. She considered him a moment, allowing a heaviness to infect the air between them.

Luckily for him, she had gotten most of the aggression out of her system through her bout with a stranger further south. Walrus lowered her skull and chest in a bow, holding herself with one strong limb while crossing the other over to dramatize the signal. He was welcome to the dance, if he so wanted.

Maybe he was too hopeful in the idea that this meeting would go smoother than the other. Albeit, it certainly was his fault that it went the way it did. The air almost felt tense and thick, as if time itself had frozen in the clearing around the two wolves as the stranger regarded him, sending an uneasy feeling up his paws. Muscles under blonde fur began to tense, preparing to bolt if he had to. Should he have to run, he'd be doing it with his paws instead of his mouth this time, thank you very much. Reddish ears flicked back, not quite pinned to his skull, but enough to show some form of submission.

The troubled feeling building in Sunny's chest dispersed into butterflies almost immediately as the woman bowed, and once again, he excitedly shifted on white paws. Lowering his own head, he mimicked her motion, an exaggerated bow in return to her dramatized one. The blonde wolf refused to overstep this time; she was here first, it was only fair to wait and see if she wanted to lead this dance.

He acknowledged the superiority of Walrus' frame and experience, further dampening the gunpowder stored within her. The wolf was pathetically small, but at least he understood where this placed him in the world. She dodged to the right, throwing her teeth at his shoulder to give a rough nibble if not eluded in time. For her, this was affection, and she was used to it being read as such given that most of her time before now had been spent in the company of very like-minded family.

The wind picked up like music, changing tune as it twisted through the tree line encircling them, and her tail beat through the air behind her. Regardless of success or failure, Walrus would jump back into place and wait for his move.

(This post was last modified: Mar 07, 2022, 04:40 AM by Walrus.)

You discover a half-eaten deer carcass. +5 Health

For a brief second, Sunny wondered if he had done something wrong unknowingly, almost stumbling over himself as she lunged forward. He had expected worse than the rough nip, and gold eyes went wide with confusion. The uncertainty faded once more as he saw her tail wave behind her; this was part of the dance. Now came the next uncertainty. Was he to mimic her actions? She was much larger than him both in height and stature, she could likely lay him out as easy as knocking over a pup, if he chose the wrong move.

Perhaps it'd be better to stop overthinking, surely not everything was a sort of test with a disastrous end result. This was fun, and she had invited him to join her. If she didn't want him here, she would have chased him off by now. Muscles unclenched further as he let himself relax, eager to continue the dance.

Performing a similar motion, he pounced forward, attempting to nip her back, albeit much lighter than what she had done, before bounding away a few meters. His own tail waved behind him, ears moving only slightly to catch the tune passing through the branches and clearing. Otherwise, the stranger had his complete attention.

His fear earned further twinklings of amusement within her champagne sights. Were he to turn and flee, she'd likely give chase without a second thought, much less concern for what he mistook her intentions as. Rather, the other wolf gathered his mettle and continued to oblige her lead. Were she back home, this would have devolved far more quickly into a battle of dominance, shoves giving way to tearing bites without qualm. It was a chance to temper herself in the company of others much more soft, but being mindful was something that would take much practice from her.

She raised a heavy paw to bat and shove at his shoulder next, teeth flashing again she she now began to push and herd after him. Walrus aimed to get him to turn a sharp circle in order to elude her, wanting to spin with the stranger until the forest did too and giggles spilled from her muzzle.