Heartleaf Creek Not stopping for nothing

This had started out as a simple hunting excursion. A day or two spent scouting the neighboring lands. The herds had to have gone somewhere. Elk and mule deer were too large to simply vanish. The notion that they had all gone over the mountain pass was too dismal to consider, so Iopah had resolutely put the idea from her head. Nina would never cross the mountains after them.

That being said Iopah had not stopped to check the wind or look for tracks in some time. Hours, maybe. There would be guilt later, but right now Iopah was exhilarated by the feeling of freedom. She had spent over a year living in the dense, close thicket. After being a mountain wolf it had been a difficult transition. Even though Iopah could now slip through her home without snagging a single thorn, she still missed the openness she had been raised in.

Feet flying, ears flung back by the wind. This was a close to ecstasy as Iopah could hope for. She raced along the winding streams that cropped up, unconcerned with the potential for an aquatic meal. Rushed headlong through the sparse forest, unaware of any watching eyes. A blur of creme, gray and high-flung snow.

The famine and her sad past still existed. But, as long as she kept moving the thrill of the run kept it at bay. Soon enough, she slow and turn back, but not yet.

Coquina loped along through the snow, her gaze held upon the creek. The water was slightly flowing, attempting to keep ice from forming. Coquina's jaws part and she begins to pant. Her coat had overheated her as she ran along. She approached the icy water, craning her neck downward as she did so. She lapped slowly at the water, tongue bit by the numbing cold. Though the water was freezing, it was still refreshing. Her body temperature cooled from her run after she finished her drink. Lifting her head, the woman sighs. She was tired and getting frustrated. If it weren't for the snow, she wouldn't be pissed. It was just getting to be too much.

She seats herself now, rump plopping on the thinned snow on the creek's shoreline. She looks into the water, gazing quietly at her rippling reflection. All she could think about was her hunger. Thoughts of her old family didn't cross her mind since she had left her old pack. Her main focus right now was to just find a new family. Coquina's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the sound of crunching snow reached her ears. A light pelted wolf like herself was bounding through the snow, but faster than Coquina had been. The Ladios woman shifts her body slightly, admiring the speed of the wolf as it dashed through the snow. Would it notice her?

Coquina stands now, turning her body. Her golden-brown gaze remains upon the running wolf. She was tempted to make a vocalization, but silence held her jaws together. She just watched, curious and intrigued.

(This post was last modified: Feb 05, 2014, 03:41 AM by Coquina.)

Eyes squinted against the wind, Iopah can see nothing but her randomly selected path. She can feel the tingle of her nose, her body sluicing through the snow, and the wind. Her mouth opens once, tongue forced out and to the side. The cold instantly numbs her tongue, canine teeth. Her mouth re-closes and she makes a noise that would have been a laugh if she wasn't so out of breath.

She has met no one since she started out from the thicket. Another wolf is the last thing on her mind. With her self-created tunnel vision and only the sound of her heartbeat and strumming of her feet in her ears, she could be running directly into company for all she knows. Which she is.

Another stream comes into view and Iopah slows briefly. Not to consider stopping or tuning, but just to contemplate. Over or around? A premonition of returning hours later comes to her. Her, tired and maybe sore, having to jump it again or slog through throws the decision and she veers to the side.

Directly into the path of another wolf.

Her gold eyes open wide. Her shock is as evident as if she had announced it aloud. For once her feet work to slow her, skidding in the soft-packed snow. Still, she needs to veer to the side again to avoid running over the fellow wolf. Her eyes never leave the pale female. Too surprised to be defensive, she finally comes to a stop and simply stares. The rudeness of her staring comes to her all of a sudden, her left ear flicks once and she blinks. Her head lowers, as much of an apology as she can muster, after all she did nearly run over this wolf. While she waits her tongue lolls out, panting heavily.

Unexpectedly, the wolf almost runs her over. Feeling her heart nearly jump out of her chest, Coquina moves as Iopah does to avoid contact with each other. A woof escapes her muzzle as she does so; not out of aggression, but surprise. Her eyes grow wide as she veers away, pupils attempting to focus on the other wolf. Snow sprays in the air at their sudden actions, but soon the powder has settled again. Jaws parting, the wolf finds herself panting again. Quin eyes the water briefly before she looks back to Iopah. "Close one" she says, panting. Her breath steamed in the cold air.

As she pants, Quin releases a slight chuckle. That was close. She didn't believe that the wolf did it purposely- no, she looked as surprised as Quin did. With a nod to the wolf, Coquina turns again to lap up some water. After calming her mind, she turns quickly. "Are you alright?" she asks. From what Coquina could see, the wolf did not appear to be injured. Maybe she was running from something, or perhaps she was just... running. Her chest rises and falls in a relaxed manner now. She had caught her breath after she had taken a drink from the creek. With her expression soft, it was apparent Coquina was not angered. Her tail flicks as she awaited the words of the energetic wolf before her.

It was a bad idea just to stand there and watch her run, but she had not a clue that the woman was to run right at her. She was likely just coming for a drink, as well.

'Tis nearly 1am here, it messes me if I stay up too late, I'll be on bright and early.
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Awkward. That is the only word Iopah can think of. Too out of breath to speak and too embarrassed to move. She can not even begin to guess the last time she nearly ran into someone. Her breath comes in great bursts of white as the two females regard each other. When Coquina turns and speaks Iopah relaxes the stance that she hadn't known she had tensed. She can only nod in agreement, but she does so vehemently. A blush ripples under her coat and she laughs softly at herself.

Finally she has her breath. When Coquina asks if she is alright, Iopah does laugh aloud. "I'm fine. Just... distracted? I'm not used to this forest. It's pretty." Io smiles, but she feels 'pretty' was the wrong word. Pretty does not really matter to a wolf. Invigorating.

"Sorry, I don't usually do that." She admits earnestly, letting her gold gaze meet Coquina's again before sliding away easily. There is a quiet pause as Iopah looks the stream up and down. Her eyes flick back to Coquina, then away in silence. A thought, more a question had occurred to her. In the stillness of the forest were there no other wolves? Surely there used to be a pack here. Iopah had never been one to follow other packs movements. The idea of packs leaving home is unsettling and a hint of foreboding returns to her.

The question was unasked on her lips, but Iopah's expression, her vivid gold eyes were transparent. Her ears swivel, taking in the deafening silence of the forest around them.

Coquina titters lightly at Iopah's words. "Well, at least we avoided the impact" She gives a shrug of her shoulders now, briefly imagining what that would have been like. It would likely have been a shock wave through her body during this cold weather. She had already felt like an ice block; the impact from the other wolf may have shattered her. With a twitch of her ears, Coquina speaks "I haven't been here long, but it is quite lovely. I just wish the snow would stop...." her voice is culled by a strong wind that whips through the forest and along the creek. With a disgruntled face now upon her, Quin turns away from the force of the wind.

"This is what I mean" Though her face was scrunched, she allowed herself to laugh a bit. It was the only thing one could really do to tolerate such things. "Have you been here long?" Coquina asks, suddenly curious. If the wolf didn't want to talk, that would have been fine by her. Maybe she had gotten too embarrassed. Coquina had already started acting as if the run-in had never even happened. She spoke as if she had casually encountered the female. Awaiting her answer, the woman looks back to the creek. Imagining the fish within the freezing waters gets her stomach to growl. Gritting her teeth, her eyes come back to Iopah.

"I'm Coquina, by the way" she offers her name up, but does not expect to hear the other wolf's in return. They had just met each other in an odd way, after all. Such things were petty to Coquina, though. She was always moving forward.

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

As Coquina's disarming words continued Iopah relaxed further. Letting herself recline to a sitting position, smoked tail curved slightly around her white feet. She listened to other female, head tilted mildly to show her interest. As a lone wolf she had never been fond of meeting new faces. She supposed she lacked the ability to make idle chit-chat. Every newcomer was a potential threat. Words were little indication of trustworthiness... many wolves could lie better than Iopah could.

So, for now, she simply listened. Nodding faintly in agreement and smiling when the moment called for it.

Finally she was asked a question. It was such a broad, unassuming query that Iopah felt no suspicion at it. The realization that she was part of a family had not escaped her. She would give nothing away that could lead some wolf to her pack mates. "No. I'm not sure that I've ever been in this forest before." There was no self-concern in her admission. Iopah was not worried about finding her way back. Her internal compass, sense of direction had always been excellent. It was the reason Iopah had survived to sit before Coquina today. "I live north of here."

"Though I am originally from much further south." She hesitates before deciding against adding more. The Black Hills are much too far for any leaked information to risk reaching them, but that part of life holds dark parts of her she would prefer to forget. Today was shaping up to be a good day, Iopah didn't want to ruin it.

As the wind shifted it brought the smell of deer to Iopah. And lynx, but that was considerably fainter and she paid it little mind. Her gold meet Coquina's without delay. Surely the other female had noticed it. Or would any second. A sly smile, a silent invitation. "Maybe we're not the only ones in this forest. Let's go." With a slight huff, she rose to her feet and started in the direction her nose told her was correct. As she started to lope, her head angled behind her. She had almost forgotten Coquina's admission of her name. "I'm Iopah."

Coquina lifts her nose to the air as Iopah speaks. "Seems that way" She gives a smile and a nod. She begins to lope steadily behind Iopah, and soon approaches her right side. Though she wasn't a wolf of great speed, her stamina and strength certainly made up for it. "Pleasure to meet you, Iopah" Coquina says, steadying her breathing as she ran alongside the other woman. It was difficult to keep a steady rhythm of breath during the winter time. Steam continued to escape her jaws as she huffed along quietly. "I arrived in these lands from the west." Her eyes focus on something mangled ahead. Her nostrils widen; the scent grows stronger. Immediately her stomach tightens with hunger.

"I lived near the ocean" she says this as she begins to slow her pace a bit. Her golden-brown gaze scans the snow in search of the lynx. It seemed the scent was a bit old, about a half hour or so. She could still scent the blood from the deer's carcass; it smelled overly enticing. As she slows, Coquina's tail begins to slowly wag. Her lips tug into a slight grin before she looks to Iopah. She had noted multiple scents on the woman; it seemed she belonged to a pack. Quin wouldn't ask though, for she didn't want to be intruding her privacy. Her head lowers as she approaches the carcass carefully. As she nears, her stomach releases an obnoxious growl. Quin feels her face flush with warmth before she speaks, "What I'd do for a fresh meal.." Her ears flatten as she looks to Iopah, nodding to her. She wouldn't mind if the woman dug in before her. Ah, she was too polite sometimes.

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