Meadowlark Prairie outta the woodwork

Weather: 14°F. Snow (3-7 in.) starting later this afternoon, continuing until tomorrow morning. Winter storm warning!

Dune stood on the edge of the thick forest, which he had finally managed to make his way out of. It had been an incredibly slow process, but he had emerged unscathed. Taking the advice of the wolf he had met there, he had changed his route and headed east, and it was here that he came out of the thicket and looked onto a wide expanse of seemingly endless snow. The sky overhead threatened to dump more snow on the earth, and Dune shuddered at the thought, even though it was so commonplace here. It had snowed every single day the past couple of weeks, and it wasn't showing any signs of letting up.

Instead of heading out directly into the middle of the prairie, Dune thought it best to linger just on the western edge, never losing sight of the thick forest he had come out of. He was in no hurry to dive back in, but if the weather got worse, he knew it would offer more shelter from the snow and wind.

Trotting through the wide expanse of open land, the wolfess grinned, her ears flicking forward. It felt like home. Open, no mountains. Definitely colder, that's fer sure. Slowing down, she held her head up and scanned the snow ladened ground. She had never seen this much snow, and it was beautiful. Looking around once more, she ran through it, her light sounding laugh almost echoing across the meadow. She kicked up the white stuff, and it flew up then fell back down on her. Grinning, she stopped and did a full body shake, her thick fur easily losing the snow.

Catching sight of some trees a few minutes from her, she looked back up at the sky. She didn't know much about snow, but those clouds didn't look inviting. Shelter was top priority, then she could play. Starting to trot towards the woods, a small smile never left her face. Wide open spaces. She hadn't been  more happy to find somewhere that didn't have sharp rocks, high cliffs, or deep ravines. Her ears pricked forward as she wondered what was around the next corner...so to speak.

The crunching sound of footsteps alerted Dune to an approaching wolf. It was grey, not unlike many of the wolves he had met in his nearly two years of life. As its scent reached him, it became clear that it was a she. She did not smell strongly of others, so Dune assumed that she belonged to no pack. A loner, like him.

Figuring it would not hurt to hunker down for the night next to another warm body, Dune let out a "woo woo!" bark/howl combo to grab her attention. His tail swayed easily between his hocks, and he waited for some sign that she had heard him.

Her ears pricked forward as her eyes lit up when she heard the call. She lifted her head and grinned almost lopsidedly at the other wolf. His coat was beautiful, and her tail wagged, her body completely relaxed as she came a little bit closer. Not wanting to startle him, her voice was a bit quieter than normal, but her accent was clear. Well, hi there. You seem nice enough. Name's Ryple. Do you have a name? Well, of course you have a name. Silly me. What I meant to ask is...what is yer name?
Stopping in front of him, she tilted her head and waited for his answer. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at his. She didn't think she had ever seen a color like that on a wolf. 
Opening her mouth to speak, she realized that he hadn't answered her yet. 'Keep yer big mouth closed for one second, Ryple. Can ya do that?' She fussed at herself. It was one of her biggest problems, and it had gotten her into trouble more often than she cared to admit. Sitting down, she wagged her tail as she waited.

A whitewater rush of words came spilling forth from the grey wolf's mouth, and Dune had trouble keeping up. This was only exasperated by her accent, which made her even more difficult to understand. The only bit he really caught was her question, so he responded in his oh-so-typical manner. "Dune." It was the name he had been given. No more, no less. Her direct eye contact made him visibly uncomfortable, and he averted his own eyes. It did not match the rest of her body language, which was non-threatening. Perhaps she was ill, or she was not right in the head.

His single word made her smile spread across her face. But as he averted his eyes, she widened her, just realizing what she was doing. With a chagrined look on her face, her eyes softened with a touch of confusion. Was he off? Or did he not like conversation? Trying to get him to understand, she averted her eyes. Sorry 'bout that. I have bin on my own for so long, I'm acting like a wild animal. She hoped talking a little bit slower would help. 
Getting an idea, her eyes lit up, and she jumped up and took a few steps back, not wanting to start anything. She kept her stance friendly as she spoke. Are ya hungry? Food? I have food if ya want some. It's not much, but I can share. She waited for his answer, her tail wagging slightly.

She spoke again, just as quickly and with the same heavy accent as she had before. She referenced herself as a "wild animal," which made Dune pause. Weren't they all wild? That was what set wolf apart from man, was it not? They did not live in houses made of ice or wood as man did. They made their homes only when needed, for whelping purposes, and for the rest, they slept out in the open. At least, this was what Dune had been born and raised to believe. Perhaps this one did not consider herself quite so wild.

"Food" was a word Dune was quick to latch onto, though, and since she had broken her eye-contact, it relaxed him. His ears perked up, and he nodded. "Hunt?" he asked, offering more than anything.

His ears came forward, and her smile grew. Her tail portrayed her excitement as she nodded her head. Come on. I'll show ya. Gesturing over the hill, she spoke one word, her eyes meeting his for just a second, then back away. He was definitely a different one, but she could get used to that. The last wolf she met wouldn't shut up. Rabbits. Seeing if he was interested, she looked back at him then started trotting towards the hill. It wasn't much, but if he was hungry, she could lead him to them.

She gestured over the hill, speaking of rabbits, but Dune stood where he was. "Storm coming," he said, glancing at the angry clouds up above. The last place he wanted to be in weather like that was out in the open. It would almost certainly mean death by freezing, something he wasn't too keen on experiencing just yet. The winds would pick up soon enough, and Dune had no notion of going any further from the tree line. He wanted to be right here in case the storm started.

She stopped in her tracks and turned, looking up at the sky. Oh yeah. The storm. Laughing lightly at herself, her eyes sparkled a minute. Hold on. Be back. Hoping he understood, she trotted over the hill. The wind was picking up, but her impulsiveness got the better of her. He was nice, and she wanted to do something for him. Seeing the barren bush that she saw a rabbit duck into a hole earlier, she crouched as she neared it. There were at least 4 or 5 in there, but maybe she could get two. 
Belly crawling behind the bush, she waited. It didn't take long for ears to appear, followed by the tentative rabbit. She grinned as one more popped out. The wind picked up, her thick fur rustling as the wind shifted down wind. Letting out a single curse, she shot out of her position, blocking the rabbit hole. The rabbits froze for a second as they comprehended their hole was covered.
Lunging at one, she tasted blood as she bit down on the neck. She dropped it and saw the other rabbit sprint for the hole. Almost slipping, she made a grab for it, her teeth latching onto the tail.
Pure luck was on her side as her teeth sunk into more than just the tail. Not letting go, she jerked her head up then back down suddenly, breaking the rabbit's neck. Not her choice of how to kill them, but it worked. 
Having taken about 15 minutes, the snow had started to fall heavier, the wind whipping around her. Grabbing both rabbits, she trotted back over the hill, hoping he was still there.

She insisted on leaving, and Dune huffed. He was not about to risk his own life to save somebody else, and he did not see why anybody else would do so for him. The wind began to pick up, and then the snow began to fall, and Dune had a strong feeling she was going to be stuck out there in the storm. He was even gladder now that he had not gone far from the trees, as he began to head deeper into the thicket for shelter.

The whiteout conditions made it impossible to see if she had returned or not. Dune sighed and shook his head. She should not have gone out there.

Trotting to the edge of the woods with the rabbits dangling from her mouth, she let out a frustrated huff at herself as she saw he was not there. What was she thinking? No one waited on her, why would this one be different? At least he was the smart one. The icy wind struck her side as the snow begun falling faster. Stepping into the thicket, her eyes scanned for signs of him as she went deeper. Her impulsivity had left her alone again. Letting out a huff that sounded almost like a sigh, she decided to call out once to see if he was even close. Hey, you still there? Sorry 'bout that. I've got food if you're hungry. Swishing her tail, her ears swiveled around, trying to pick up any sound over the wind.

The winds made it almost impossible to catch her words, but Dune just barely caught her voice over the sound. He gave a short howl, hoping she could pinpoint his location from wherever she had ended up. You can bet your butt he was not going to move from this spot until the storm was over. The last thing he needed was to get lost in whiteout conditions. Sure, it was selfish, but as a lone wolf, that was about the only thing keeping him alive.

Her head turned as she scanned the area. Whipping the snow into her face, the wind put a slight scowl on her face. She should've been watching the skies more carefully. Catching a howl on the wind, her head snapped back around, her ears immediately swiveling to catch the direction. Her eyes lit up as she caught where to head. Dropping the rabbits for a moment, she answered his short howl, with her own low one, hoping it didn't get lost in the scream of the wind. She picked up her prizes and started trotting in the direction of the howl. Spotting him, her tail wagging as she chuffed through the rabbits. She dropped them in front of him, giving him a sheepish smile. Sorry 'bout that. I'm glad you got out of the wind. Here, you can have one. Shoving one of the rabbits to him, she tilted her head and gave him a smile, then averted her eyes, not wanting to make the same mistake twice.

Reluctantly, Dune accepted the gift. He knew that he would never have done something like that. Sure, he had led a lone wolf to a frozen carcass, but the weather conditions had been nowhere near what they were right now. Not only that, but it had been more than he ever could have eaten on his own. He plucked the rabbit from the ground and began to rip it apart, gulping down chunks of muscle, bone, and organs as quickly as possible.

When he was done, the only thing that remained was a single rear foot from the rabbit. He nudged it toward the girl. "Luck," he said. It was the least he could do. Without another word, Dune turned and headed deeper into the forest. He would need to hunker down for the night if he planned to see the sunrise, and he hoped she would do the same instead of trying to save poor hungry wolves like himself.

Watching the wolf gulp down the rabbit, she got an odd look on her face. A bitterabitt, nostalgic look that stayed in her eyes as he tore through the rabbit. He reminded her of someone. Not his color, but his quietness, his...person personality. Her face cleared as he scooted the foot towards her and spoke. He turned away, and she watched him with a sad little smile. As he disappeared, she looked down at her own food and was suddenly not hungry. Nostalgia did that to the woman. Nudging it aside, she picked up the rabbit's foot carefully and began walking, leaving the rrabbit lay. 
The wind began to pick up as she pushed further into the brush. Finding shelter wouldn't be the easiest. As the wind howled, she hoped the lone wolf would find shelter. She couldn't quite figure out why he had struck her thoughts as he did. Finding a partially blocked off hiding spot, she wiggled in and curled up. She watched as the wind whipped the snow around. It was a beautiful, yet terrifying dance. Getting caught in that would have been fatal. 
Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes widened. Her brother. The wolf reminded her of her brother. Swallowing hard, she fought back tears as she remembered the last time she saw him. The tears started to fall as the memories came back to her....his quiet nature as he tried to explain things to her, while her curiousity never kept her in one place at a time. The frustration on his face when she purposefully tried to unravel his thought process. The time she tried to outrun him and slipped on the edge, but he was there to rescue her. Her tears fell as she dropped the rabbit's foot and curled up with it. 
The last memory was burnt into her mind, although she wished it wasn't. His back as he walked away. Her low howl of sadness was mixed with the wind, as if the wind itself knew her grief. She nuzzled the rabbit's foot, an odd feeling of longing filling her. For what, she didn't know. But the emptiness stayed with her as the sky darkened. There she stayed, her tail wrapped around her back paws, with her head resting on the foot, the tears freezing on her fur.