Hush Meadow plain and simple truths

January 27th; Late morning; Freezing fog; -6 ° F, -21 ° C

Having been cooped up within Willow Ridge for the past few weeks, Angier decided that, for just a few hours, he would wander beyond the markers he kept and savor a simple change of scenery. The fog was no help though, and had it not been for the ever conscious step-counting and the very obvious move to deviate from the trench-like paths in the snow that encircled his and Elettra's portion of the Drooping Willows, the Leader might not have been able to actually leave his homeland for such a day trip.

His steps were neither swift nor heavy but in due time, he eventually broke into what could have been Hush Meadow in the mist. The bottle brush-like tail rose up at first before lowering into a more neutral and relaxed position. He strained to see through the fog, unable to pick out the trees that bordered the meadow in the distance or sample the air for any fresh or curious scents - deer, squirrel, rabbit, a rogue wolf, someone from Whisper Caverns, or otherwise...

He stared up into the gray skies, his ears cupping forward with disappointment. It had been a very long time since he had last seen or smelled a wolf-bird, let alone hear one cry out to scold him for whatever reasons they might have. It was worrisome; if they didn't make so much as a peep within the Willows - where there was shelter and wolves to observe and scavenge from - they definitely were not chatting it up out here.

Angier's head leveled at the prospective thought of facing starvation; the image of his three sons scuffling with the likes of Octavius and their older half-siblings etching a look of distress on his face. The corners of his mouth turned downward. Just a few more months, he told himself in his head as he began to slowly move over the virgin snow towards the middle of the wide open space. After that, then the real spars can come and go... but, until then... He shook his head as he lifted his left paw and stepped down into the frost, letting his mind wander as he went.

Think its time these two finally had a chance to meet.

The morning sun had risen hours ago as Enoki found herself wandering through the curtain of frozen vapor that lay suspended above the undisturbed layer of snow freshly fallen from the night before. Whereabouts were partially unknown to the woman from the lack of visibility at hand as nothing but silence greeted the soft tuff of fur that lined the insides of her rounded ears. The need to keep the pack caches as full as possible drove the bi-colored woman to head in the general direction of the meadow in search of something easily obtainable to fulfill such a task. A rabbit, groundhog, or even a carcass of someone else's kill from the neighboring pack that so happened to rest on the Ridge side would do at this point. As long as she had something to show for her efforts Enoki could call it a successful day. Winter was a harsh season and the Ashrelle woman would be damned to let the pack suffer while her hunting skills were of availability to them.  

Despite her best efforts, though, no sign of life seemed to exist in the snow blanketed meadow. Nothing but her own presence filled the emptiness, not even the familiar sound of ravens squabbling over the slivers of meat dangling of animal bones. Their caws were signs that food was to be found and now that she gave it thought, the lack of their presence made the woman wary. Was there enough food to get them through the winter until the herbivores that had migrated away in the search for warmer weather made their annual return? Enoki could only hope so as her pace slowed, her attempt to hunt for the pack thwarted by mother nature. If she could not hunt what else was there to do? Maybe a nice stroll would help to put her at ease. One paw then continued to fall rhythmically in front of the other until a peculiar sight caught her fiery gaze. A quick bend of her head towards the colorless powder revealed a set of paw prints that couldn't possibly belong to her own. Curiously Enoki placed a paw beside the other finding that hers was smaller in comparison before giving the prints a whiff. Angier.

Given by the strength of his cologne he hadn't passed by no more than an hour ago. "Now what brings you out here..?" She spoke just above a whisper, her words not intended to be heard by others as her head gave a tilt to the side in slight puzzlement. There have been many trips to the meadow in recent days and not once had his scent tickled the fine receptors that lined the inside of her nostrils. This left a new desire to burn within herself. Find Angier and make sure all was okay. Picking up her pace her body ghosted over the trail of tracks he left behind while her gaze fixated on the farthest set of tracks her eyes could manage to make out through the dense fog that cloaked the area, a loud woof emitting from her jaws to alert the Ridge king of her impending presence .

Angier had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had failed to even realize that the footsteps in the snow behind him were nothing like 'echoes' of his own. So when a feminine voice - a bark that certainly did not belong to Elettra - called out to him in the fog, he whirled about in startled fashion. For anyone to truly take notice of Angier, on or off of pack lands, was something he had yet to get used to. Even his own sons didn't mind if he kept to the background of things, allowing Elettra and her sister Sorya to actively rear and groom them; they barely even batted an eye if they managed to see him or even noticed his absence.

Through the haze, it was hard to distinguish whether or not that wolf-like shape in the distance was part of a tree stump that he had somehow missed or merely the fog swirling about as it continued drifting to the east. He let out an audible snort and soft woof, a couple of sounds that declared his indifference over being accompanied or left alone. The susceptibility of being prone to wanderlust might have run in his family, but as far as the Leader was concerned, he was not just a loyal mate but a devout family man and a keeper of his pack. Many things might have currently clouded up his mind but the decision to leave the ones he held dear was not one of them.

He set off again on his path through the snow, walking about at some sort of angle as to somewhat traverse the Meadow in an oblong fashion before circling around and heading back home where he belonged. As if to also clearly state that he was not up for unnecessary shenanigans - as he was not particularly sure if he was being followed by a Willow Ridge subordinate or someone else - he let out a much louder secondary bark that was underlined with caution more than warning. The rogue who knew better than to pester a male with such a deep growl would make themselves scarce, the curious and attentive pack wolf, however, he supposed, could take it however they pleased... so long as they did not come to him for succorance or anything else that could have come up in Elettra's absence.

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Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

Squinting her fiery gaze in a miserable attempt to see through the fog better Enoki could have sworn she saw movement ahead, the contorted figure holding a wolf like shape, but with the fog impairing any chance at being certain there was no way for her to completely tell for sure without investigating. Her ears then gave a small shift to face forward as a noise so faint and soft she almost didn't hear it came drifting back in her direction. The sound was definitely male though sounding indifferent about the prospect of company and perhaps the Ashrelle woman had managed to find the pack patriarch, or accidentally came across the path of a different wolf entirely. Again, the weather was not offering a helping hand that day as the fog continued to drift inward from the eastern most direction, skewing anything that was not readily in front of ones face.

Bringing her lope to a halt she trained her eyes to the best of her abilities on the silhouette in the fog, ears focusing in its direction in an attempt to catch any other vocal signals the man furthered offered. No other sound came and the shape once motionless returned to moving across the meadow, Enoki following suit right behind while gradually closing the distance between the two of them. If this was a lone wolf and not the leader she had every intention of prying whatever information she could out of him, unafraid to run him away from their territory should his intentions seem off at any time. That was when secondary bark was ushered from ahead, louder and more cautious this time around. It didn't take much for the sound to carry to her ears and a small wave of relief washed over her at the familiar tone of Angier's vocal chords. Silhouette wolf was no threat, but the swarthy female still wasn't reassured that all was okay just yet.

Increasing the frequency of her footsteps she was determined to cross the remaining distance until the mangled form of the patriarch began to steadily become more clear, the outline of his larger frame going from blurry to crisp. Parting her jowls a loud secondary bark of her own rippled from her throat to give him another friendly warning of her presence before allowing her medium frame to slowly saddle up next to his side, instantly dropping her body to hang lower than his already taller height while the fluff of her tail curled to tickle the underside of her belly submissively, eyes adverted to settle on the tuft of his chest. "Good morning, Angier. I don't think we have properly met yet, but i'm Enoki." Test the waters first. For the briefest of moments her gaze drifted up to rest upon the graying fur lining the lips of his muzzle to judge his reaction to her crashing of his 'alone time' before dropping back down respectfully. Hopefully she hadn't angered the lead male by seeking him out to assure he was okay.

A bark alerted him that his shadow of a companion was still on his trail and to that he blew out a puff of air. So be it... Her footsteps drew closer and Angier's own pace slowed to a more leisurely stroll before stopping completely. He turned around, narrowing his own eyes in attempt to pick out who it was that had come to seek him out. What came to manifest before him and at his side was a face he had seen only in passing, a scent he had only ever trailed when the shadows grew long and faded into the darkness of night. She was respectful in not directly staring, standing up too straight, or even allowing her tail to wave about the way an excited pup's might. In fact, she stared at a fixed point at his chest and tucked her tail to her belly.

"Good morning, Angier," she called out, her eyes flitting to his face before averting. The Leader's head tilted to one side for a few moments. "I don't think we have properly met yet, but i'm Enoki." Angier's brows rose and when they came back down, his face remained neutral. There was nothing to be angry about, upset about, or even worried about.

Elettra was home, Greer was back, the pack was getting along and the yearlings seemed to be behaving for the most part...

It took him quite a long while before he could even really look at Enoki and give her a nod, to wordlessly tell her that it was all right to stand up properly and relax her tail. When he returned his gaze frontward again, to peer into the fog, the features on his face seemed much older and more grizzled than it had been before, as though the silver along the bridge of his muzzle had appeared overnight. He didn't even look at her when he spoke again, his voice tired and weary, "Glad to meet you fin'lly, Enoki, but what brings ya out 'ere?" There is nothing out here to see, hear, or enjoy... "'Ave the boys managed ta sneak out again?" If she actually said yes, he wasn't so sure he'd be so surprised or alarmed anymore.

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Silence hung between the two for some time and if it wasn't for Angier's neutral facial expressions Enoki would have thought she had done something wrong, but alas that was not the case as the large man gave a nod of his head. Signaling silently that she was free to relax her body rose to its neutral height which even if she stood tall the crest of her crown would barely reach the apple of his cheek, tail now dangling limply behind her. He didn't leave his gaze on her for long, opting to peer back into the dense fog that held absolutely nothing worth while to stare at insinuating her own to follow suite and glance forward into the misty abyss. The two remained this way in quiet for another moment or two before the patriarch spoke in a voice laced heavily with a weariness that she could not ignore, the ear closest to him rotating towards him to catch the words as they fell from his lips.

Glad to meet you fin'lly, Enoki, but what brings ya out 'ere? Ave the boys managed ta sneak out again? It was a simple question and deciding the spare the older man the unnecessary details of her reasoning she shifted her weight momentarily before lowering her haunches to touch the frigid powder that left everything a shade of white. "Likewise, but no. The pups are surprisingly nestled in the den where they ot' to be. I reckon they get more adventurous with each passing moon and are growing too fast, those rapscallions." A soft chuckle followed her words. Nearly everyone in the pack knew the Ashrelle woman had a soft spot for the pups and had become quite close to Deacon in particular, acting as a second guardian over the little prince aside from the auntie Sorya(another wolf of the Ridge only seen in passing) who held an official role.

But all joking was set aside as she came to the serious end of the question, why she was here. "I was hoping to do some more hunting to restock what dents have been made in the caches, but this fog made quick work of stopping those plans. I can't hunt if I can't see my target or smell it properly." She paused momentarily, letting her amber gaze follow the haphazard flying pattern of a magpie across the sky, its predominantly dark feathers being the only visual que that it was even there. "I then picked up on your scent and tracks. We may not have met before, but I still wanted to make sure all was alright." Briefly her ears laid back upon her skull before facing forward again, her eyes stealing a quick glance towards his face then back to the nothingness before them.

 

"Likewise, but no. The pups are surprisingly nestled in the den where they ot' to be," Enoki informed him, continuing on to say that the princes - rapscallions - were becoming much too adventurous and growing up too fast. A trace of a smile attempted to make the corners of his mouth curl up at the sound of her slight laugh, returning the lighthearted sentiment, "Yer tellin' me..."

For each member that had become apart of Willow Ridge, there had been a reason for their inclusion. For most of its original founders, loyalty had been a major factor. For the cubs: a long-lasting legacy and a duty to keep the pack strong. For Angier: devotion, support, and a need for valuable resources as well as an undying need to prove himself. For Enoki, as soon as she had answered his question, her reason had become clear. She was a hard-worker and a steadfast hunter. Even if the fog had bogged her down and robbed her of most of her senses, she still had a mind to track him down for the sake of having a productive day.

"That's kind o' ya," he commented, turning to look at her once more, sizing her up and trying hard to put her face, voice, and pelt coloration to memory. "But it usually isn't me anyone ought ta worry 'bout." His gaze lowered down to her paws, where the crisp edge of the snow met her limbs. "Any ravens about lately?" he questioned then, his tone of voice becoming somber as his ears cupped forward for a few brief moments before relaxing again. "I 'aven't 'eard them fer sev'ral days now."

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The slight presence of a smile upon the patriarchs lips did not go unnoticed by the two toned woman as her limbs shifted to adjust her weight enough to keep them from growing too cold from the lack of movement and blood flow that kept them warm when the temperature decided to drop below the freezing mark like today. "Yer tellin' me..." Angier responded in a light tone before continuing to thank her in good nature for checking up on him even though there was nothing to worry about when it came to him. And it was true from what she could see and knew in passing. If anything her worry really lay upon her swarthy brother who appeared less and less around the pack territory and who she had yet to make up with after their failed hunting attempt that left bad blood between them. Then there was the two Archer yearlings(Morganna and Skoll seen only in passing) that left a bad taste in her mouth and a sense that they were up to something and that something wasn't good. The two were hardly seen among the other members and seemed to always slip from the borders when everyone had their backs turned. Very suspicious behavior according to the Ashrelle, but it was not her place to question the doings of Elettra's brood.

"Any ravens about lately? I 'aven't 'eard them fer sev'ral days now." A shake of her head was her answer as her rounded ears faced back to lay on upon her skull momentarily. "I come to the meadow twice a day every day to try and bring back something to the pack, but every day is the same." Enoki paused to lower her rear to the ground and wrap the white tipped tail of hers around her paws. "Nothing is seen or heard. I haven't heard the calls of a raven in a week at least and it worries me." Shifting her amber gaze to him the orbs of her eyes reflected the worrying tone that laced her words. "Ravens are signs of food and with them not around in our hunting grounds I wonder if there is food still here. The pack has many mouths to feed and I fear the worst." With the last of her words falling from her lips her gaze fell from his muzzle to glance back out over the fog encased field.

Enoki shook her head and Angier heaved a soft, airy sigh. It was here that Angier wondered if the Old Gods might spare them a bit of something - a sign that Willow Ridge would be able to manage for the rest of the winter or, frankly, anything edible for the younger members of the pack - if he gave them a prayer or tangible offering of some sort. His eyes kept fixed on the blurred silhouettes of the trees in the distance, listening attentively as she told him that she often came here, on two occasions each day, and that each trip had been the same as the one before, and the one before that.

"Ravens are signs of food," she stated, to which Angier gave a concurring "Mmhmm." Continuing on, she let him know of her concern over whether or not there was food left within their part of the Lore. The air in his lungs escaped through his parted lips, hissing through his teeth. He moved forward, slowly headed towards the west. "'Ave ya been to the Marsh lately?" he asked, stopping briefly as to look at her from over his shoulder. His conscience in his head begged him to turn around, to keep close to home, but his paws and legs were itching to keep moving. His mindset was slowly slipping into survival mode, taking him back to the practices he had as a lone wolf, the days in which he was starving and pack-less. The Survivalist in him dared to differ; typically, when his personal caches had begun to run low, he resorted to scavenging and any other means to fill his stomach. It took every bit of him to remain in place, "Maybe, tried to fish?"

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