Drooping Willows This city never sleeps at night

Late morning. For Hagar only please <3

It was a dreary and cold day, and Clover tucked her chin into her chest as she walked in an attempt to minimise any heat loss. Even among the willows it was freezing cold, and by her standards that meant it was pretty cold as she was practically made for winter with her shorter frame and thick fur. Her breath fogged up in front of her face as she breathed, leaving a little cloud trail behind her. This was certainly not the best day to be exploring, and yet here she was. Doing just that.

She shook out her fur, more to warm herself up with the action than to actually shake any snow off her, and sharply turned towards one of the willow trees. Maybe she'd just lay down for a bit, get herself all warmed up, and then continue walking around. After finding a suitable spot that was partially hidden by some of the sweeping branches, she plonked her haunches down among the roots, taking a few moments to get settled before she curled up. Already it was a little warmer, and she set her chin on her front legs to observe what she could see from underneath the willow branches.

Hagar was still getting to know this weeping forest, along with @Avella and her brother. While the woman continued to appear calm and considerate, plenty about her soot-masked counterpart had the similarly-aged wolf on his toes. All in all, he was glad to be with others and have an actual den to sleep in, but was not yet sure just how long he would remain.

At least he had time. Scully had said the snow would be around for a few more moons yet.

He shuffled along, seeking a wandering rodent to tie over his grumbling stomach and completely oblivious to the fact that he was not alone - until, at least, his traipsing brought her near enough to catch her scent. Hagar blinked in surprise and lifted his head to spy two amber eyes peering back at him from a blanket of white.

"... hello?"

She hadn't laid there for long, her eyes still wide as she looked out from her partially hidden spot with intrigue, before a larger and darker coloured wolf stopped in front of where she was. He looked at her with a surprised expression, going as far to offer her a tentative greeting. Clover resisted the urge to giggle, finding the situation quite amusing, and uncurled her body to stretch out so she was more visible than just a seeming pair of floating eyes.

"Morning, sir!" She said with a small grin, the tip of her tail tapping audibly against the packed snow beneath her. The male had been moving at a somewhat leisurely pace, and she briefly wondered what he had been doing before he saw her. Hunting? Simply exploring? There weren't many fun things to do while it was so cold out, but perhaps he was doing it more out of desperation than fun. "Care to join me? I've warmed this spot up quite nicely... unless you have things to be doing?" It would be rude of her to not offer him to lay with her, and two bodies were definitely warmer than one.

The other wolf greeted him with a bubbly demeanor, and surprised him with an invitation. He didn't need to think about whether or not to accept the offer, giving a single nod of his head before ducking under the ice-laden tendrils and settling in beside her.

"Thank you."

Yes he'd had other plans, but he enjoyed meeting other wolves and had been encouraged to do so by the Archer brother. There were plenty more hours in the day's cycle for him to find a meal.

Still, she'd spoken it like a question.

"I was hunting," he answered, green eyes closing with satisfaction. The light was softer under the filter of ice and branch, and the woman was right - the space was far warmer thanks to her presence. Hagar scented others mixed along with her scent as he breathed, prompting him to ask a question.

"You're from the other pack nearby?"

(This post was last modified: Jan 09, 2022, 07:51 AM by Hagar.)

He wasted no time in joining her beneath the bough of the willow tree, and she wiggled a bit to give him some more room so they'd both be comfortable. His thick fur against hers was warm and comforting, and almost immediately she felt a bit warmer. He answered her then, and she let out a soft hum in response. Ah yes, if she wasn't foraging for herbs she was hunting, and with all the snow she found herself catching prey more often as it was just too cold for most herbs to be growing.

Clover turned to face him at the question, nodding along enthusiastically. "If you're referring to the pack to the north along the heartleaf creek, then yes! I was out here foraging for plants and herbs." It was a long shot, but she had hoped there would be some places beneath the willows where there were still a few stalks or leaves growing she could harvest. But if that failed then she would make do with bringing back some prey to fill up the caches.

"Were you successful in your hunting?"

So they were neighbors. His green eyes peaked open when she mentioned seeking out plant matter. Odd, he thought, for his pack had not known how to tap into the medicinal properties of the physical world around them and therefor he only saw use in eating foliage. A fruitless effort in the dead of Winter, to his experience. Still, she was not his kin to pry on the efficiency of her time, and it wasn't as though she appeared starved for the sake of favoring debris over meat.

"Not yet," he answered honestly and without a hint of disappointment. The hunter did not always capture their prey, and that was life. It wasn't as though time were against him.

He mused quietly to himself a moment, before finally giving in to the desire to ask, "are you hungry?"

(This post was last modified: Feb 08, 2022, 02:49 AM by Hagar.)

She gave a half shrug at his response of not catching anything. Such was the way of hunting, and there were many instances where she had gone for so long during a hunting session without coming across a suitable prey animal, or even failed at catching it. Hunting was hard, and she much preferred the art of healing. At least the herbs couldn't run away from her.

Clover briefly closed her eyes during the silence that stretched between them, really allowing herself to get comfortable with their shared warmth. But at his query her eyes opened, and she gave him a sideways grin. "I could maybe go for a snack." There was a teasing tone to her words, and she swiftly got up to all fours, giving her forelegs a small stretch to warm up her cold muscles.

"Got a particular hunting spot in mind?" She would be happy to hunt whatever they came across, as two wolves would surely be enough to catch anything that wasn't far larger then an average sized wolf. Maybe there was a burrow nearby, that way if they caught multiple she could take some back for the pack caches.

He'd of been fine either way, but did perk up as she swiftly vocalized that yes, she could eat and stood. The cold swept into the now empty space at his side, ushering him onto his own paws. Excellent, he thought - this improved his odds, making it more likely he could bring something back to his pack, a perpetual aim. He gave his coat a shake to fluff it up against the winter wind before stepping out of cover.

"We could try the warren," he replied, unknowingly echoing her thoughts. On his own, he didn't stand a chance on the hares' home turf. With help, however, maybe they could outwit a couple of them.

"I'm not fast, but I can help to try n' corner some of 'em."