you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. Since Ice had come down from the mountains some day or two ago, he'd decided he might as well prolong his stay and see what he could find. Normally, he would've enjoyed the solitude of the harsh mountain range, sitting on a snowy rock and watching the sky and thinking about life - and also being painfully aware of how lonely he sometimes was, and the fact that a huge chunk of his life was missing - and then he'd hunt, eat, and sleep. And then, repeat.
Sometimes he found it very strange that he had taken up such a lonely life at the edges of existence and known land because deep within, he was one who thought the ultimate way to die was to die for the ones you loved. But how could you possibly do that, when you were alone, and thus did not allow anyone to come close? Ice shook his head. He didn't know. He liked the mountains, and that's why he stuck around up there - he wasn't so certain he liked other wolves that much, and he wasn't about to go gallivanting off with anyone. No; only those who were worthy would receive his loyalty. It wasn't something you could buy, it was something you had to earn.
He'd left the firefly-meadow of flowers behind, he'd traveled through the woods, and slept uneasy in unknown land. But now he was awake, and hunger gnawed in his gut. The scent of fresh death caught his attention, and even though he knew the kill likely belonged to someone else, Ice figured it was worth a shot. If it was a rude wolf, he could always try staring it down, eat his share of the meat, and then leave it with the leftovers. But, no point in deciding on such cruel tactics in advance. Instead, Ice perked his ears and trod lightly, almost bouncing across the ground. Social interactions were both horribly awkward, and somehow so utterly exciting it made him feel like a puppy again.
Long before he came close enough to see her, he identified her as female by her scent. Not in heat, no, no, but still there was the hormonal difference, and it gave them away. Curiously, but shyly, he came into sight around some thick trees and slowly de-leafing bushes. The female with the dead elk was average and plain, nothing spectacular but certainly not ugly. Briefly, he wondered at the fact she'd brought such a large animal down a lone, but then he shrugged. There must've been some reason for it to be so easy, and he wasn't about to call her an awful huntress without having seen her in action first. Instead, he approached her slowly, cautious but not uncertain, and gave a friendly twitch of his tail. "Hello there," he began to say, before his stomach rumbled again and he paused, blinking as if confused. "I was drawn by the scent of your kill," he continued. "I'm, uhm, do you want to share?" It looked so delicious, fresh warm red meat... .ice aesir |