Grizzly Hollow force of nature

There was a heady sense of pride that followed each successful kill the small wolf brought home. Months before, the thought that she would be one of the hunters would have her expressing nervous doubts. Now, Pip was able to hold her chin a little higher when there was no one else around. Though the change in her was subtle, it was leaps and bounds from where she'd started.

No hint of sea spray lingered in her fur, much to her siblings' distress. While they mourned the loss of the sea, their smaller sister had flourished in the forest away from Bella Coola where she was encouraged to do things and be more than even she thought she was capable of. While Pip had yet to be relied on for pup-sitting - the mute girl was still quite skittish around the younglings and worried they would think less of her for her inability to speak - she took the spare time that left her with to practice hunting. Rabbits, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, and even birds had fallen victim to her small jaws.

Gently, the little female set down one such victim down and began systematically uncovering Grizzly Hollow's cache to add the carcass to the well-stocked cemetery. Rouge ears pinned back nervously and she turned upon hearing another approach. Spotting @Oula, the girl wagged her black-tipped tail sweetly. With her head lowered respectfully, she licked at her Alpha's chin in greeting.

@Pip

Oula trotted through the territory, senses alert for anything out of place. It was a calm day, the air warm and the slight breeze ruffling her silver and cream pelt. Not far off she could hear the pawsteps, a scuffling of soil, the air bringing her a tendril of scent from one of her subordinates.

"Pip," Oula called out, the small triangles of her ears flicking atop her head as they directed towards the smaller rust and smoke colored female.The leader's tongue draped out in a happy pant as her stout tail leisurely swayed behind her, picking up to a quicker tempo as her subordinate greeted her with small licks upon her chin. Oula brushed her chin over the bridge of Pip's nose. With the verbal barrier between them, it was difficult to tell at times how well the mute seawolf was faring, but with a wagging tail and shine in her eyes she could assume she was well.

Oula's eyes shifted towards the disturbed earth behind Pip, black nose twitching to catch the musky scent of some smaller mammal that had been buried there among others. "I see you've been keeping yourself busy," She said, sage gaze flicking back to meet the ochre pair. Oula's clawed toes drummed the ground, "I suppose it's only a matter of time before we see you dragging bull moose back here, single-pawed." She joked, nudging the girl's shoulder with her own.

It was through Pip's own naivety that she only had a moderately blank look to offer @Oula. To her credit, she did seem to understand the tone with which her Alpha was addressing her and allowed her tail to sweep through leaves behind her on the ground, but her tilted head was clue enough that she wasn't quite up to speed on what her Alpha was talking about.

Were she gifted with a voice of her own, Pip would have wasted no time in asking what a moose was. Of course, if she had a voice, there would have been an endless flood of questions for Oula saved up over her lifetime. As she was, Pip could only hope the question was broadcasted loud enough in her questioning gaze to be understood by the warrior woman. Even if it wasn't, the tawny girl had grown used to simply not having answers for her endless questions. Either way, she'd have to find a moose for herself and see just what it was!

The praise was taken well anyway and her heart lifted with secret glee that her Alpha acknowledged her with any at all. In Bella Coola, it was likely only her siblings would notice her budding talent. It was different in Grizzly Hollow. She was appreciated. Loved, even. Adored! All the things she'd been too afraid to hope for were now well within reach. Was it really that hard for Niq'x and Blitz to understand that there was a home here? They were so focused on the ocean that they couldn't see the beauty of this place, this family, right under their noses! She could only hope that time would allow them to see what she already knew.

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

@Pip

Oula couldn't have known what it was that caused Pip to tilt her head quizzically. Clearly, she noted that whatever she had been trying to convey hadn't quite hit the mark.

"All I'm trying to say is, you've clearly a proficiency for hunting," She explained, "Small game, at least." She added in elaboration. "A moose might be a ways off for you, still." She said with a short swish of her tail. It would be quite a sight to see small, meek Pip taking down something as big as a moose. Some might call it an impossibility, but always the strategist, Oula was sure there was a way it could be done if one were determined, and more likely, reckless enough to try such a thing. And Oula was quite sure Pip was not the reckless type.

Hypotheticals aside, all that really mattered was what it was Pip preferred to do. "Do you like to hunt?" She asked, leaving a pause so that any non-verbal cues might not be missed, "Or, is there something else you would rather be doing?" Little Pip seemed like just the wolf who's own desires would easily be swept under the rug, if Oula did not take the time to listen to them.

Pip beamed as @Oula tried to make herself more clear. She worried she was being overlooked within the pack, Pip realized, and felt all the more affection for her elder reaching out in such a way her own mother had never bothered. With all her Alpha's compliments, the small woman wagged her tail hard enough for it to windmill in a happy circle behind her. While her question about what a moose was still had not been answered, she had garnered some information about it. It was large and not something for her to handle alone! Knowing that provided a profound satisfaction.

Oula's question had her head tilting just the slightest again. Was it not obvious that she was enjoying herself? While she was still learning - in many ways - about the better techniques to hunting, she was definitely getting the hang of it. For one who had so little talent, and that being narrowed down only to fishing in her previous life, finding that she had a propensity for another was the most uplifting thing to discover. She nodded to the first definitively. Pip very much loved catching small prey to help provide for her family. For once, she wasn't the one being provided for.

The next question, however, earned another head tilt and quizzical look. Something else? Like what? No one had ever really discussed pack roles with her before. It was her impression that she was simply told what to do and would do it to the best of her ability. Save for that time she was asked to run to Veho's medical den to help with Oula during her whelping, nothing had been asked of her at all. She hoped for the day where she would be turned to more often for tasks. But what other tasks those could be? She hadn't the slightest inkling.