Cedarwood Forest be my bloody valentine

February 20th, Afternoon, Overcast, 39°F, 4°C

Beneath the dappled light of the afternoon sun which fought to break through the dense cloud cover and sparse cedarwood canopy, the small tundra wolf had managed to conceal herself away from immediate view and nestled up against the moss-covered bark of a rotten tree trunk.

Clenched firmly between her large dirt-stained paws, a half-naked dead rabbit slumped awkwardly to one side, its once deep brown eyes now a dull navy blue as Embla took her time to delicately pluck the soft fur from its limp body. The bitter chill of the wind quickly stole the last touch of warmth from its skin and blew the discarded clumps of agouti fur across the frosty forest floor.

Grimacing at the pieces of fur which clung stubbornly to her teeth and dark lips, Embla scraped her tongue against the sharp pointed edge of her incisors to dislodge the irritating mass. The bridge of her muzzle wrinkled, and her ears pressed back in mild annoyance as she snorted the fur away, her deep amber eyes watching as the rabbit fur floated away in the breeze.

Focusing back on her meal, the young female began tearing open the rabbit, her dark whiskers taking on a crimson hue as she continued to nip and gnaw at it hungrily.

(This post was last modified: Mar 02, 2022, 07:38 PM by Embla.)

O O C | Hope you don't mind me throwing Lia in here for my first post as well :3

Ha, suckers, she thought, leaping through the icy forest away from them. She was ready to be out of that damned cage, ready to see her mother and siblings again. What if they were no longer alive? She shook the monstrosity from her head, determined that they were here, somewhere. They had to have been going to the same place that she was... right?

This place was so unfamiliar, yet it wasn't scary to her. It was new and inviting -- well, maybe except for the ever-expanding amount of snow. As far as she was concerned the frost could leave and let back all of the plants and animals that she loved to spend her time observing. She skidded to a halt as another wolf's scent crossed the wind. It wasn't one of her relatives, certainly. But where would the other specimen be? Her yellow eyes scanned for any sign of life that she could see, but the only thing she could spot was small dapples of blood in the snow. She pressed her nose down and sniffed, slowly inching forward.

(This post was last modified: Feb 21, 2022, 04:14 PM by Italia.)

Tearing open the rabbit now that she had plucked away the irritating fur, the metallic scent of blood filled her nose as Embla nuzzled it deep into her meal. Nipping and licking at the cadaver, the tundra wolf would have become completely engrossed in satiating her appetite had another scent not infiltrated her nostrils as she sniffed at her meal.

Dark nostrils instinctively flared to sample the breeze as the white wolf slowly lifted her head and pricked her ears as she peeked over the top of the rotten tree trunk she had concealed herself behind. Dark amber eyes spotted a dark figure approaching towards her, following the small dapples of blood upon the snow which exposed evidence of the ambush that had occured a short time earlier.

The darker fur along her back bristled as Embla considered if the older female might wish to steal the rabbit she had only just begun to enjoy. Deciding to confront the stranger instead of waiting to become a target, the younger wolf dropped the cadaver at her paws and stood up to reveal herself from behind the fallen tree.

Quickly meeting the dark wolf's bright yellow gaze, Embla lifted her charcoal lips to flash her fangs in warning, silently urging the stranger not to approach any closer.

(This post was last modified: Mar 02, 2022, 07:38 PM by Embla.)

O O C |

s p e e c h / t h o u g h t s

Almost as quickly as she had started following the trail, another she-wolf popped up, admittedly startling Lia somewhat. She wasn't going to let that be known, though. She noticed the younger female was protecting her meal. She wagged her tail, ears perked, and smiled. It wasn't on her agenda to make enemies with the first creature she had come across since her journey to this foreign land.

"I'm not hungry, " she chuckled at the ivory lady before her, shaking her head. While it was a terrifying experience being held captive for the amount of time that she was, the humans had kept her well-fed during her stay with them. Food was not currently on her mind, and, if it had been, stealing it was not something she was interested in. Her soft eyes blinked, making sure that she wasn't just seeing things due to the heavy snowfall.

She smiled once more, hoping that she hadn't made a mistake by happening upon another loner like herself. Maybe this one was not on the hostile side in the general sense of the word, just when it came to her meals. "My name is Italia, " she spoke softly, hoping to change the demeanor of the girl and let her see she had no ill-intent.

Vultures are circling something out of sight. Hunt Opportunity! +5 Health

The stranger's non-threatening and pleasant demeanour quickly reassured Embla that they did not intend to swipe her meal from her. Relaxing a little more, the dark hackles along the tundra wolf's spine lowered and charcoal lips fell to cover her sharp snarling teeth. Dark amber eyes softened as the elder wolf introduced herself as Italia and, mirroring the dark stranger's slow blinks, Embla quickly committed their name to memory.

Lowering her muzzle to quickly nudge the dead rabbit deeper into the small crevasse beneath the fallen tree trunk, Embla quickly cached her meal for later, turning to kick the frosted forest dirt over it with her back paws before she refocused her attention back on Italia. "Italia," She parrotted, testing the name on her tongue. "My name is Embla." She replied, giving a soft nod of her head before she leapt effortlessly over the fallen tree to approach the female.

"Are you native to this area?" Embla asked, giving a curious twitch of one ear. She had yet to come across any claimed territories and was interested to know if there was any packs nearby that she should be aware of.

(This post was last modified: Mar 02, 2022, 07:38 PM by Embla.)

O O C |

s p e e c h / t h o u g h t s

Embla, she played the name in her mind, then shook her head softly, realizing that it wasn't the name of anyone she could recall from her previous pack. This saddened her, but, she was happy to hopefully be making a new friend nonetheless. "It's a pleasure, Embla, " she spoke to the ivory figure, her tail relaxed now and unwavering. She could spot vultures in the distance, circling. They seemed to have found an injured creature nearby.

She snapped back to attention at Embla's question. "From here? Oh, no, " she spoke with a sort of sadness to her voice, remembering her homelands. She sniffed the air deeply, attempting to catch the scent of her family once again -- yet, nothing. "My family and myself were relocated here. I haven't seen them in many moons, they were taken before I was, " she continued solemnly. The chilled wind gave her a shiver, and she directed her attention back to the vultures she had spotted moments before.

"I'm going to assume you're not from here either?" she asked, seeing as they were both on unclaimed lands. She was hoping to find any sort of hint of a scent marker here, but, it turns out that would be far too easy. She kept her eyes on the vultures, hoping they wouldn't depart. She didn't want to skip the pleasantries with Embla, but, had thought it would be nice to offer her assistance in a hunt, and maybe catch something larger than the hare she had obtained prior to their meeting.

Embla was a little disappointed to learn that Italia was not native to the area either, meaning that would unlikely have much information about what territories and packs to avoid. As the older female explained how she had come to wander the cedarwood forest, the young tundra wolf noticed the sadness pull at their expression. Dark amber eyes tried to make contact with Italia's solemn yellow stare, curious to find out what troubled the dark wolf, though Embla found it hard to keep their focus as they sniffed the air and glanced off in the distance.

Pale ears pressed back and her brow wrinkled in confusion at Italia's story. "You mean to say that you and your family were somehow forced here against your will?" Embla asked, obviously sceptical. "How is that possible?" She pressed, taking a step forward to approach the stranger, her dark nostrils flaring as she took a sharp inhale of her unfamiliar scent.

"No," Embla confirmed, shaking her head softly, her ear twitching awkwardly at the distance call of a vulture circling somewhere overhead. "though I would not be opposed to settling here." The young wolf admitted, breaking her focus to glance about the forest around them. She turned back to Italia, her head tilting curiously. "How about you? Would you consider staying here once you've found the rest of your family?" The land seemed plentiful and she had not come across another pack yet on her travels.

(This post was last modified: Mar 02, 2022, 07:38 PM by Embla.)

O O C |

s p e e c h / t h o u g h t s

She collected herself, knowing that she had good hopes in finding her mother and the others soon. It was just something in the air about this particular area that she knew was pulling at her heart, a sense of welcome and peace as though they had traversed this land and others in proximity to it. She spoke with a taste of sickness on her tongue, "The creatures with the two legs captured the Valles, and rumors were so it was to populate another area unknown to us. " The wind whipped up slightly, blowing soft flurries between and around the both of them.

Italia nodded at the next question Embla asked of her. "Yes, I feel as if I must return to my mother and be of any assistance I can, although... " she trailed off, turning her head and looking away from her opposite, mind swirling with thoughts. She had no idea what had been happening in a year, let alone if any of them were even alive still. She perked her ears up and listened at the cry of a creature, frail sounding and weak.

"I just don't know if I am needed anymore, "she said with a chuckle, tail swishing softly. She pointed herself towards the vultures' direction fully and looked at Embla once more. "Well, we can head in that direction and see where it leads us to? Maybe get a bit more of a meal for along the way, " she invited, hoping she could get someone to accompany her for the beginning of her travels. If they happened to go their separate ways after the hunt, so be it. But it was better than going it blind to the lands, and even worse - alone.

(This post was last modified: Feb 28, 2022, 10:51 PM by Italia.)

The older female's reply both shocked and disturbed the young tundra wolf. She had never heard, or encountered, the so-called 'two legs' before, and from the sounds of it, Embla did not wish to. They sounded dangerous, for they must've been stronger, smarter and more violent than any bear or muskox she had encountered before — to force a family of wolves from their home and insist that they repopulate elsewhere, the thought of encountering the two-legged creatures terrified her. "How did they capture you?" Embla asked, wide-eyed, her voice verging on panicked. "And how can you be sure that your family are here as well?" Her ears pressed back against her head and she took a step back sheepishly, suddenly feeling a bit rude for prying.

"What is your mother's name?" Embla asked, her head tilting curiously. "I can send you a message if I happen to hear anything about her." The younger wolf offered, a small smile curling at the corner of her dark lips in response to Italia's lighthearted chuckle. Following the darker wolf's movements, Embla turned to catch a glimpse of the circling vultures above them and nodded in agreement to Italia's suggestion. "Sure, when did you last eat?" She asked, turning around to grasp the rabbit she had caught earlier between her jaws before swiftly catching back up to Italia, hanging back a little to allow her to lead the way.

(This post was last modified: Mar 02, 2022, 07:39 PM by Embla.)