March 19, 2024, 08:24 PM
Tempted as she was to remain in the flowering meadow near the coast, it offered little in the way of food, and so once more the loner's hunger urged her back towards the valley where prey was more plentiful. Thankfully, while the air still had a chill, it wasn't as bitingly cold as it had been these past few moons. She felt like the sun itself had a renewed warmth to it, as if heralding the return of spring.
She raced after a patch of sunlight now as it peaked in and out of the fast-moving clouds above, gleefully delighted by this game of chase – so much so that she only stopped when she felt something squishy give way underfoot.
Pukei immediately came to a screeching halt, nearly tripping over her own paws as she did so. Had she stepped on a bug? She lifted a forepaw, twisted it round to see what exactly had met its untimely end. "Oh." Not a bug, but a berry! It was a little early for them, no?
Puzzled, the girl stared at her purple-stained toes a moment longer before shrugging and settling down to lick it clean, savouring the unexpected treat.
She raced after a patch of sunlight now as it peaked in and out of the fast-moving clouds above, gleefully delighted by this game of chase – so much so that she only stopped when she felt something squishy give way underfoot.
Pukei immediately came to a screeching halt, nearly tripping over her own paws as she did so. Had she stepped on a bug? She lifted a forepaw, twisted it round to see what exactly had met its untimely end. "Oh." Not a bug, but a berry! It was a little early for them, no?
Puzzled, the girl stared at her purple-stained toes a moment longer before shrugging and settling down to lick it clean, savouring the unexpected treat.
March 23, 2024, 05:44 PM
Out in the open the snow had melted almost completely, making it easy for Dwin to traverse the vast fields of grasslands that surrounded her patch of forest she called home. It was a true treat to enjoy - she could see far and wide and zoom around as fast as she could. Few months down the line that sunlight and rainfall would make the grass grow thick and tall, obstructing the view and leaving only few well-trodden paths for the wolves and other critters to share, when on move to explore other greener pastures.
Now and then she would stop to examine an interesting scent, a tuft of fur or droppings left by ground-dwellers that too frequented the fields. After that moment of seriousness she would let the joyous youthful side of her take over and she would break out in a run again. During one such stint she nearly swept another explorer of their feet. So well she blended with the surroundings that Dwin caught sight of her only, when the distance between them had shrunk to few feet. She came to an abrupt halt and eyed the stranger curiously. Sides heaving from exertion and white puffs of mist rising from her maw.
"Good day, fellow wanderer!" she greeted the girl in a friendly manner.
Now and then she would stop to examine an interesting scent, a tuft of fur or droppings left by ground-dwellers that too frequented the fields. After that moment of seriousness she would let the joyous youthful side of her take over and she would break out in a run again. During one such stint she nearly swept another explorer of their feet. So well she blended with the surroundings that Dwin caught sight of her only, when the distance between them had shrunk to few feet. She came to an abrupt halt and eyed the stranger curiously. Sides heaving from exertion and white puffs of mist rising from her maw.
"Good day, fellow wanderer!" she greeted the girl in a friendly manner.
March 23, 2024, 08:50 PM
It seemed she wasn't the only one who had been caught up in a sudden burst of energy. Pukei paused mid-lick of her paw as she heard the loud thrum of footfalls behind her, at first thinking she had somehow missed the scent marker of a territorial wolf who was now emerging to throttle the intruder and stake their claim! However, the girl turned just in time to come face to face with a pair of friendly green eyes and a jolly greeting as the other came to a hasty stop before her.
Relieved, Pukei responded in kind with a laugh and wave of her tail, "heya! Thanks for not bowling me over." She stood then, taking a step back to allow the other girl some space to catch her breath, admiring the cute smattering of freckles upon her face. "That was a hell of an entrance."
Relieved, Pukei responded in kind with a laugh and wave of her tail, "heya! Thanks for not bowling me over." She stood then, taking a step back to allow the other girl some space to catch her breath, admiring the cute smattering of freckles upon her face. "That was a hell of an entrance."
March 30, 2024, 02:34 PM
"Thank you - I try my very best," Dwin smiled and bowed lightly. She then took a bit of time to give a quick look over the stranger standing before her. She was a young and pretty creature and her pelt did not hold the scent of a pack she might be familiar with.
"My name is Dwin and I come from Brecheliant. It is a pack located not too far from here," she explained. "Where do you come from and more importantly, where are you heading to?" she asked.
"My name is Dwin and I come from Brecheliant. It is a pack located not too far from here," she explained. "Where do you come from and more importantly, where are you heading to?" she asked.
March 30, 2024, 08:31 PM
The other wasted no time in introducing herself and the pack she hailed from with a polite bow. Brecheliant, huh? Pukei thought she had smelled some pack borders around but had mostly stayed clear of them during her travels. Carefree as she was, she was also aware that some packs didn't take kindly to foreign wolves roaming near their hunting grounds.
The following questions took her somewhat by surprise; she actually wasn't sure where she was headed. Well, first things first. "My name's Pukei!" With a quirk of her head, she motioned from the direction she had come from before encountering the meadow. "I came from over there." She followed up with a wink, knowing that was not what Dwin was actually asking. "In the grander scheme, though I'm from my own pack, a ways way away from here."
"Though to be honest, I'm not really heading anywhere in particular; this is actually my first time away from my family! Thought I'd strike out on my own, y'know."
The following questions took her somewhat by surprise; she actually wasn't sure where she was headed. Well, first things first. "My name's Pukei!" With a quirk of her head, she motioned from the direction she had come from before encountering the meadow. "I came from over there." She followed up with a wink, knowing that was not what Dwin was actually asking. "In the grander scheme, though I'm from my own pack, a ways way away from here."
"Though to be honest, I'm not really heading anywhere in particular; this is actually my first time away from my family! Thought I'd strike out on my own, y'know."
April 14, 2024, 03:53 AM
Though the girl was not much younger than Dwin, the latter felt a bit of patronizing sentiment boiling up from the depths of her mind to the surface and popping like a bubble. Ain't you are going in for a surprise... Dwin thought, seeing so much of the same enthusiasm and naivety in this wanderer she had had, when she had first struck out on her own. And simultaneously she also felt a bit of grief for having lost this to the elements of grown-up life and having gardened cynicism and pragmatism instead.
"Ah... so - are you having a great big adventure before you settle down with a family and a pack of your own. Or rather you would want to travel to all corners of the world and discover all the possible secrets that it holds?" she asked, curious, but also wishing to pick up some of that joyous wonder about the world Pukei felt. Perhaps, it would breathe in some life and color in her all to neat and polished garden she called life.
"Ah... so - are you having a great big adventure before you settle down with a family and a pack of your own. Or rather you would want to travel to all corners of the world and discover all the possible secrets that it holds?" she asked, curious, but also wishing to pick up some of that joyous wonder about the world Pukei felt. Perhaps, it would breathe in some life and color in her all to neat and polished garden she called life.
April 22, 2024, 08:06 AM
More questions followed that took Pukei by surprise. What a stranger's grand plan in life was seemed to be a hell of thing to be asking of someone they had just met. She took the other girl's enquiries in stride, however, with a beaming smile and wave of her tail. "What, are those my only two options?" she laughed.
"Well, I really haven't given it much thought! I figured I'd just let my paws wander and see where it leads me!" And so far so good. She really hadn't encountered much trouble yet. Her luck would turn sour eventually, she knew, but she would deal with that as she did most things in life – by simply winging it.
Pukei's lilac eyes flashed, attempting to catch Dwin's own apple-green gaze with a somewhat dubious look. "Why do you ask?" Surely there had to be some sort of reason for the stranger's interrogation-style questioning.
"Well, I really haven't given it much thought! I figured I'd just let my paws wander and see where it leads me!" And so far so good. She really hadn't encountered much trouble yet. Her luck would turn sour eventually, she knew, but she would deal with that as she did most things in life – by simply winging it.
Pukei's lilac eyes flashed, attempting to catch Dwin's own apple-green gaze with a somewhat dubious look. "Why do you ask?" Surely there had to be some sort of reason for the stranger's interrogation-style questioning.
April 22, 2024, 11:57 AM
"What else can you ask a stranger you have just met?" Dwin retorted laughing. "Certainly not about your marital status and prospects. Or - heaven forbid - politics, weather and religion," she listed all the subjects that usually led to heated discussions and into dangerous territories.
"Well - to be honest - I was under impression that all yearlings and twolings that have not been roped in the family life of their parents or relatives, are the ones, who chase dreams and opportunities. Hence - it is so very interesting to find out, what ambition has driven them in the open arms of the world," she explained.
"Last year I too had my first big adventure - I was not yet one year old, but - boy - was I ready to conquer the world," she shared. "Turned out - the world would not have minded, but I had severely underestimated the sheer size and scope of the task I had been about to undertake," she said.
"Well - to be honest - I was under impression that all yearlings and twolings that have not been roped in the family life of their parents or relatives, are the ones, who chase dreams and opportunities. Hence - it is so very interesting to find out, what ambition has driven them in the open arms of the world," she explained.
"Last year I too had my first big adventure - I was not yet one year old, but - boy - was I ready to conquer the world," she shared. "Turned out - the world would not have minded, but I had severely underestimated the sheer size and scope of the task I had been about to undertake," she said.
April 23, 2024, 11:56 PM
Pukei huffed a laugh in response, certainly glad the stranger hadn't asked about her marital status; she'd had enough of that from her relatives in her natal pack. Although she was always up for an enthusiastic discussion about anything else her company would throw at her, of course, as long as it didn't get too heated.
She listened as Dwin continued on the matter of dispersals. She had similar wonders whenever she encountered fellow lone wolves – ever unable to quell her inquisitive nature. What was their background? What had caused them to disperse? Had they any lofty ambitions they were trying to pursue? Her mind flicked back to Reyna, the woman she had met in the wetlands who sought to claim the mountain. Had she achieved her goal?
Dwin then offered her own experience, though it was scant in details. "Oh?" Pukei quirked one ear, interest piqued. "C'mon, don't leave me hanging," she urged with an eager grin. If she had been seated at a desk she would have leant forward on her elbows as if about to indulge in schoolyard gossip. "What happened on this big adventure?"
She listened as Dwin continued on the matter of dispersals. She had similar wonders whenever she encountered fellow lone wolves – ever unable to quell her inquisitive nature. What was their background? What had caused them to disperse? Had they any lofty ambitions they were trying to pursue? Her mind flicked back to Reyna, the woman she had met in the wetlands who sought to claim the mountain. Had she achieved her goal?
Dwin then offered her own experience, though it was scant in details. "Oh?" Pukei quirked one ear, interest piqued. "C'mon, don't leave me hanging," she urged with an eager grin. If she had been seated at a desk she would have leant forward on her elbows as if about to indulge in schoolyard gossip. "What happened on this big adventure?"
May 01, 2024, 02:42 PM
"Boredom caught up with me in the beginning. I happen to come from a place that is surrounded by plains and small patches of forests and it takes an awful lot of time to cross it and find something meaningful or merely exciting to see," Dwin explained. "Plus, it was mid-winter and ploughing through the chest deep snow as hard and super-frustrating," she added. Of course, in a month or two crossing those fields would be a menace on a whole different level. Long grass everywhere.
"Then came Hunger. It is the worst companion you can ever have. Nagging you and reminding about himself and constantly asking you - When will you eat? When will you eat? When will you eat?. It takes over your dreams during the night. And during the day he makes you unhappy and utterly miserable. At its worst the only thing you can think of is food, food, food," she went ahead.
"Finally the Cold joined them. First chewing the tips of my fingers and ear, then seeping in through my coat and raking my body. Finally it took over my mind and all of I could think of was, how to get warm. Nothing else mattered more than just finding a chance to crawl somewhere warm and never move again," she finished. "So - expect these friends to come along. You can keep them at bay, of course, but they will always lurk in the shadows, ready to pounce at you!"
"Then came Hunger. It is the worst companion you can ever have. Nagging you and reminding about himself and constantly asking you - When will you eat? When will you eat? When will you eat?. It takes over your dreams during the night. And during the day he makes you unhappy and utterly miserable. At its worst the only thing you can think of is food, food, food," she went ahead.
"Finally the Cold joined them. First chewing the tips of my fingers and ear, then seeping in through my coat and raking my body. Finally it took over my mind and all of I could think of was, how to get warm. Nothing else mattered more than just finding a chance to crawl somewhere warm and never move again," she finished. "So - expect these friends to come along. You can keep them at bay, of course, but they will always lurk in the shadows, ready to pounce at you!"
May 11, 2024, 08:13 AM
At her prompting, Dwin provided Pukei with all the detail she wanted and then some. She listened with her ears swept all the way forward, captivated in her tale. However, it was not the story of thrilling adventures and awe-inspiring feats that she was hoping for. The look of utter delight on her features slowly melded into a more solemn, pensive expression as the other girl recounted the horrors of living the life of a loner.
Hunger and cold were sensations she was familiar with, though not to the extent that Dwin had experienced, it seemed. The girl had quite the way with words; was she a storyteller of sorts? You can keep them at bay. That sentence in particular bounced around her mind. Was this the universe giving her a warning? That keeping the hunger and cold at bay was all she had been doing so far and her luck would soon run out?
She shook such thoughts from her mind, replacing the dread with a joke, as was custom for her. "They sound like pretty shit friends," she laughed, before her ears fell back in sympathy as she regarded her companion with a newfound look of admiration. "I'm...sorry you went through that, it sounds awful."
"I mean, you survived through, right?" she said, motioning to the girl with a nod of her head. Unless, of course, Pukei was actually far hungrier than she realised and was hallucinating this whole encounter as some sort of cosmic premonition. "Was it worth it in the end?"
Hunger and cold were sensations she was familiar with, though not to the extent that Dwin had experienced, it seemed. The girl had quite the way with words; was she a storyteller of sorts? You can keep them at bay. That sentence in particular bounced around her mind. Was this the universe giving her a warning? That keeping the hunger and cold at bay was all she had been doing so far and her luck would soon run out?
She shook such thoughts from her mind, replacing the dread with a joke, as was custom for her. "They sound like pretty shit friends," she laughed, before her ears fell back in sympathy as she regarded her companion with a newfound look of admiration. "I'm...sorry you went through that, it sounds awful."
"I mean, you survived through, right?" she said, motioning to the girl with a nod of her head. Unless, of course, Pukei was actually far hungrier than she realised and was hallucinating this whole encounter as some sort of cosmic premonition. "Was it worth it in the end?"
"Why should you feel sorry for me?" Dwin tilted her head to the side and smiled. "These friends are always with you and, in fact, helps you too. Boredom frees the space in your mind, silences the thoughts and fuels imagination. The best games and stories are born, when boredom sets in," she told.
"Hunger keeps you motivated and going - and, while it feels utterly crap to be consumed by it, the joy of full belly is even more gratifying. Hunger teaches you humilty and planning ahead," she said, feeling that she was - oh, so much sounding like the old wise woman and hoped that everything she had told so far had not come out as patronizing.
"And Cold is there to remind you that you are not immortal. Better have that lesson early than too late," she finished. "And - while it did not go as I had imagined, I think I returned home wiser and better. And now I am out again better prepared. Plus - I no longer view the three as enemies. When I feel any of them, I try to look at them as good friends," she told.
"But that's entirely my experience with all of this. Maybe yours is, has been and will be entirely different," she smiled.
"Hunger keeps you motivated and going - and, while it feels utterly crap to be consumed by it, the joy of full belly is even more gratifying. Hunger teaches you humilty and planning ahead," she said, feeling that she was - oh, so much sounding like the old wise woman and hoped that everything she had told so far had not come out as patronizing.
"And Cold is there to remind you that you are not immortal. Better have that lesson early than too late," she finished. "And - while it did not go as I had imagined, I think I returned home wiser and better. And now I am out again better prepared. Plus - I no longer view the three as enemies. When I feel any of them, I try to look at them as good friends," she told.
"But that's entirely my experience with all of this. Maybe yours is, has been and will be entirely different," she smiled.
They talked with each other for a while longer and then parted on good terms.
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