Heartleaf Creek give me an answer

Doin' some self threading. @Roland is allowed, but others PM me to join.

There was nothing left. It was hard to shake the image from her mind. At night she woke up gasping in a panic, her daughter's wheezing voice ringing in her ears, the memory of blood soaked white fur seared into her memory. Her little girl, gone before her eyes and she could do nothing but watch it happen. Let it happen. She was a mother, if nothing else she was meant to protect her children. And in the most basic sense she had failed, Ophelia's life the price she paid. She'd felt helpless then and felt helpless now. Now more than ever she regretted the months of Ophelia's life she'd missed. If only she knew then how preciously limited time would be.

By day she hardly moved from her den, she couldn't see the point. Roland still needed her, the boy was growing, he needed food and love, care and attention. It was all Oula could do to keep his belly filled, the rest of his needs placed on the backburner along with her own. She'd already failed her daughter, nothing to speak of her absent children, it was only fate that she would fail her youngest son, too.

Oula knew she couldn't go on like this. Something had to happen, something needed to change. That morning the rising sun brought with it a sort of clarity that she had not felt in months. A vague sensation materialized into a growing drive that pressed at her soul and pulled her into the outside world. 

She placed a perfunctory kiss on Roland's silvery crown before she quietly slipped out the entrance of her limestone burrow. While it was a beautiful summer morning filled with the trilling songs of birds and the gentle hush of cedar boughs rustling in the wind, the serenity was wasted on the woman. Oula's limbs moved mechanically beneath her, passing cedar after cedar with little notice. The miles melted away underfoot, her gaze sightlessly fixed ahead of her. The sun marched steadily across the heavens as the grey woman matched its pace on the earth below. She made it to the creek as the forest took on the golden hues of sunset. Despite the itching thirst in her throat she continued onward.

A clearing opened up before her, her nose picking up first the scent of a herd long gone, then the musk of another wolf. Taut muscles rippled beneath her pelt as she strolled forward, peering over the tall grasses to see a male milling in the distance, a greyish shape just above the golden stalks of grass waving in the slight breeze. Oula's robotic pace sped up, the slow and steady thud of her heart finally rushing, blood pulsing quickly through her veins. All at once she knew what she had to do. For the first time in weeks she began to feel alive.

White paws thundered over the sun baked earth, a silent snarl pulled over her pallid features. 

Roland had been resting. His head between his forepaws on the cool floor of the den. His mother's soft kiss roused him. He lifted his chin and flicked his ears forward with piqued curiosity and watched as she exited the burrow into the morning light. For a while he remained as he was, staring sleepily after his mother. He was about to lay his head back down, with his pink tongue curling between his lower canines in a long yawn, when curiosity once more got the best of him. Groaning softly, Roland got to his feet.

He stepped out into the waking world and slid forward into a stretch. Then, nose to the ground he hounded after Oula. The older he got the quieter he moved. The more keen he was to notice what would cause others to notice him: dry twigs and debris, loose stones, a shift in the wind. Gradually he was learning to pick where he laid his paws and mind the breeze. He was learning to more effectively utilize the foliage to conceal himself. He was honing his tracking and so could also follow at a further distance now that he was more confident that he would not lose the trail. Roland was a bona fide sneak.

He had no idea where it was his mother was going or what she was going there for. But he would find out.

You can assume he continues following (and trying to go undetected) and tag me if she notices him. Otherwise I'll just follow the thread and toss a post in at the end or wherever seems appropriate. So mostly a cameo from the sneaky sneak! :)

With just about as many cubs as there were adults, Eskil set out that morning with the intent of finding food for the pack. His large paws brought him along winding game trails, roving through the forest, up and down the ravines and gullies of the creek as he searched for a sign of prey. Eskil hauled himself up an embankment as he caught wind of a promising scent, or at least as promising as deer scat baking in the summer sun could be. The trees ahead split, a meadow opening before him. He paused briefly, inspecting the tall grasses that stretched ahead. A perfect grazing ground, and while it was empty now he was sure the herd would be back within the next few days to feast again. 

He padded forward, nose pushing aside the stalks of grass as he sniffed low to the ground, gathering as much information as he could. His mind was turning with thoughts of a hunt, on planning an ambush on the unsuspecting herd when they next returned to the clearing. Unfortunately, Eskil did not realize the ambush he himself had walked into. His head lifted quickly as he filled his lungs with a sharp gasp, the sound of rustling grass and paws beating over the ground startling him. His head swiveled and hackles bristled as he saw the wolf charging towards him. 

Eskil found he couldn't move a single muscle. For those furious sage green eyes locked on his own were so familiar.

If Oula could see past the torn skin and twisted features as the wolf turned to look at her in shock, she might have noticed the dark evergreen hue of his eyes. But all she saw before her was a monstrous face, nearly split in two giving a clear view of pink gums and pearly teeth. Perhaps he had a hard life himself, but Oula simply did not care. This man had done nothing to her, and yet he would serve a convenient outlet to release all her frustration and rage, her sorrow and grief. Oula was aware of the distinct possibility he might injure or kill her in defense, and she found it did not matter whether or not she survived this encounter. Part of her had already burned away when she lost her daughters, what did it matter if the rest of her was consumed in the fire?

The male seemed to be rooted to the earth as she charged towards him, making him an easy target. Oula dug her paws into the ground, white nails sinking through dry earth as her muscles coiled and stretched to launch herself forward. With her forelimbs outstretched she grappled onto his shoulders, bared fangs grabbing for the side of his neck. Her teeth sank through plush fur, fangs catching on skin before the huge wolf shuddered into motion.

Something about the green-eyed woman struck something deep within his memory. He was sure he knew her from somewhere, but wasn't even given half a second to think about it. Eskil wasn't entirely sure what he had done to bring this on. Surely he would have noticed if he was approaching a pack territory, he wasn't an absent-minded fool. Was this hunting ground really so precious to the she-wolf that she had to shoot first and ask questions later? Was she simply mad? And just where had he seen her before?

Before he could puzzle out the mystery any further, the woman lunged straight for his throat. Eskil was forced from his thoughts by the feeling of her hot breath on his neck where teeth sank into his hide. Luckily it was only deep enough to be irritating more than anything else. Eskil moved with a sudden jolt, rocking forward and shaking vigorously as he tried to throw her off of him. His neck arched as he reached towards her, grasping for the nearest thing he could. His teeth found soft muscle as he gripped her shoulder, fangs sinking in and roughly pulling. He didn't want to hurt her, but he'd be damned if she was going to let her rip him to shreds. 

It seemed to be enough to force her to let go of his neck, but like a wildcat she was back on him with renewed fury, spitting and snarling as teeth flashed in his face. He threw his forelimbs forward, roughly shoving her back as her teeth latched onto his wrist. He growled as he bit the loose fur on her nape, again trying to tear her off of him as they both tumbled towards the ground in a tangle of limbs and cacophony of snarls.