Willow Ridge hunter

All welcome!
The stars are unusually bright tonight. Maybe because it's also unusually cold.. brr.

Even far from the north, the cold still wrapped around him in the night. He did not think this far from the tundra it would still seem rough. It was what drove him into the fledgling claim, by accident. The cold had nipped at him long enough that he felt he must rest.

So among the edges of the willows, he had bedded down. It was here, between dead branches, that he could see the brightness of the stars. How fiercely they shined and wished to guide him back to his village, but the distance was too grand to make the trip back. For now, at least.

So he allowed his head to drop and peered upward through heavy eyelids, to continue his skywatch.

spartan does not speak!

So, she'd never been on her own. It was an abrupt learning curve for certain. Thankfully, her mother hadn't babied her at least. She'd always known their stark reality. They must eat whatever they could, and they must be cautious because a foolish mistake could cost a life.

Really, for a while it had just been the two of them...surviving.

Was it actually colder here? Or did it just feel that way with no one for warmth? The night was clear, and she blamed the cloudless sky. Even if the heavens twinkled more vividly than she remembered she didn't take it for a good sign.

Still, she wished she knew if this gnawing, sharpness biting at her every fiber was normal here. Wishes were just that and nothing else. She  did know one thing. There were wolves around here, and that was a promise she could make it. Maybe, even thrive here too.

Thinking about calling it quits for the night, she followed an older path that took her near some willow trees. It was in their reach the snow was less, and she considered hunkering down. Nowhere looked like a particularly great spot.

A stranger's scent reached her nose, and she stood still. Eyes searching.

     

He could doze beneath the stars and the coldness of them, even if it nipped at his nose and ears.

And perhaps he would have, if not for the faint sound of movement. He expected to see perhaps a wanderer of this fledgling claim, or perhaps a prey traveling through the dark. He listened closely until it seemed that the movement ceased all at once.

He chuffed out, warm and agreeable. He hoped that if it was another beast like himself, that they would not greet him with hostility. That they might look upon him and see a man of potential rather than threat. Yet such a thing would not be up to him! It would be up to whatever came out from the cold darkness.

spartan does not speak!

There was someone there. He was kind enough to let out a greeting of sorts. Ok, that was promising. He would have had advantage on her to remain quiet.

Silver eyes worked there way to where it had came. She was certain she could see a pair of eyes but it looked to be coming out of a snow. Now to converse more or just ignore and walk away?

Nah, physically she thought talking would be easier so she’d see where she landed.

“You must be all white. Unless your coat is covered.” Then she might think he was a little off kilter or he’d been there so long the white flakes had collected in a blanket.

Daring, she let herself wander closer. He was certainly no small boy, yet she didn’t notice pack scents about him. “I hope I didn’t wake you,” she offered more for the sake of appearing polite than caring. After all maybe he deserved no peace. She wouldn’t know.

“Was thinking of doing the same, but winter is reminding us they’re still here,” she spoke with a smirk. Amusement was the last thing she felt. Still she let the expression soften her facade, discerning if his face matched his voice. Maybe, this night would pass quicker than the others.

Eve is observing from a distance. Can be a cameo unless noticed.

There were strangers in her home. She watched from a distance with a narrowed icy pale stare. She kept low within the woodland, using the browns of the trees around her to her own color advantage. She didn't think they should be here, uninvited and what not, but didn't know exactly what to do either. Alerting her mother or father would also alert the strangers of her presence. Maybe she would go find her parents... maybe by then she strangers would have left.

As far as Nineve was aware, it was only herself and her siblings, her parents and cousin Ra, who Nineve assumed would not be able to 'sho' these strangers off well given her blindness. Eve only could silently grumble, wonder what to do next but in the mean time, simply scoured.

She spoke plenty, it seemed.

Spartan only grunted warmly, his tail thumped against the cold earth. His muzzled jutted upward to gesture at the starry sky. He wondered if she noticed it too. The clarity of the heavens that had come with the cold. Some part of him worried it meant more snow might arrive as the days went on. That winter would be long and hard.

Even harder for a loner.

A broad paw slapped at the earth next to him. An invitation for her to settle alongside him and he did not mind if she would continue to talk as she pleased.

He remained oblivious, at least for now, that one watched them from afar.

spartan does not speak!

He didn't use words, but he did answer her none the less. Was there a reason he didn't speak? There was no massive scar obstructing his throat, or his mouth. She reframed from letting her silver gaze look further or wander back. They once again took in those stars. The kind that were a clear omen if her mother was right.

"Yes, they are certainly different...here." Could a place be closer to the sky than others? Would they appear brighter a top a lofty peak? She did not plan to find out.

Was he offering what she thought?

It was as plain as the nose on her face he was alone as she was. It felt foolish. Downright stupid to trust him so simply. As if she had come all this way for the first stranger in her path to be like this.Kind..thoughtful or a cunning psychopath?

What the hell.Maybe, he wanted warmth and company. Maybe she did too. What could he do? She had nothing to steal, and rest assured if she needed to she could get away. A chase in the snow wouldn't be much of a chase. Mindful of her paw steps, she found a seat beside him where their coats could touch, but she could still see his face. "You're from much further north aren't you?" It wasn't exactly his coat that gave him away, it was the shape of his ears. "Is it warmer here to ya, or you frozen all the same?" She didn't know they were being watched. She was concerned about the man she could see.

     

They touched and he welcomed the warmth that came with such closeness. Especially when it came from such good company!

She was a thoughtful one, he noted. Attentive to the details of...him! Which perhaps gently stroked his ego and fueled the warmth in his chest for her. He hummed a low, positive note in his throat. Once upon a time he had been in a tundra! The stars had almost always been radiant in a way like tonight! Yet he did not have the proper words to spin this story for her. To tell her that she looked like she might enjoy a tundra too, if she only gave it a chance.

Then he offered a gentle chittering sound of his teeth. To convey the coldness in the air tonight! Just because he had come from a colder, further reach than here did not mean he could not be cold too! Or notice when the weather turned in favor of a longer, colder winter for the two of them.

He offered her a long curious look from his green eyes. She may not be a mind reader, but he was curious about her.

spartan does not speak!

She wasn't surprised to be right, but the sound he made procured a smile of sorts. Yes, she wasn't one to miss details. A trait she couldn't decide was good to have some moments, but it didn't seem to hurt her chances here.

A faint laugh clipped from her throat. "Yes!" She agreed, somehow glad she wasn't the only one affected by the chill. Probably, because she hated feeling weak, and he would know what cold really was. So what brought him here? He was a little older than her. This she could tell, but the rest?

She felt his eyes upon her, intrigue in the green pigment. It was odd they reminded her of spring once she let herself look. Talk about herself? Divulging information? There were usually only certain reasons she'd do that. IF that's what she'd have to give to have warm company so be it.

"I'm Torrent. Left home a month ago, wanted a life of my own. A home.... Probably, should have picked a different time, but harsh reality makes small triumphs more satisfying." There was evidence of pride in herself she'd made it this far, and wasn't turning back. Others may see it as foolishness, young stupidity. Out here there was endless possibilities unlike Wildrose Glenn where the only thing wild was its name.

"What about you? Are you staying here for good?" Or just passing through because he had a destination? She couldn't decide quite if he was the kind with plans, or dreams...maybe both?

     

(This post was last modified: Feb 03, 2023, 10:40 PM by Torrent.)

She was a woman with a story. One that compelled him to give her his full attention. The nipping air and the glorious stars could be set aside for now. She was warmth and far more radiant than any star in the sky, he felt.

He chuffed softly in agreement. Not all times to leave home came when the weather was right, when the world was warm. He had met many men and women driven from their own homes in preparation for spring. Some who left willing, waiting for what the thaws often brought with them. She was young, but on the brink of knowing this herself, perhaps.

As for him? He huffed a sound that could have been considered humored. He was not a man for trees! So his head shook softly side to side. Then he swung to gesture to the mountains beyond that had piqued his interest.

Did she feel the same about them?

spartan does not speak!