Phoenix Maplewood Realization of Old Friends

((@Laika)

Spring padded close to the borders checking for intruders.  Scenting the air.  Smelled like, huh that was strange.  Could she really scent Laika?  She had meet that loner, Laika once in her travels to Phoenix Maplewood.  They had even become pretty good friends... before they got separated.  Slightly surprised, her fur rose a little.  Laika was mixed with the pack scent.  So did that mean that she was part of Phoenix Maplewood to?

Laika was on the hunt once more, tail straight out behind her, eyes trained intently on the rabbit. The deer had been a lucky catch yesterday when she was with Reek. Not many deer come through pack territories in the winter, especially in the middle, when most of them are weak from loss of food. The best she had caught since was an unlucky fox who happened to cross her path. Normally, she didn't eat fox, but the pack was hungry, and it was trespassing, so why not?

The she-wolf dropped low, padded forward very slowly as not to disturb the thick sheet of snow. Her blue eyes never left it's target as she made a wide arch to assure she was downwind and her scent wouldn't carry. Once she was close enough, she burst from cover, barreling towards the rabbit. Before the animal knew what was happening, Laika was on it and killed it with her landing, her weight snapping its neck. 

She stepped off, pleased with the second catch of the day. Sinking her teeth into its flesh, she picked it up from the froseb flakes and padded towards the pile of dirt she has made and half mile from here. That was where the other dead hare lay.

Spring began to follow a fresh trail of Laika's scent, at a run.  Quickly finding Laika she stayed behind the other female.  Downwind.  Spring’s eyes widened surprised it really was Laika.  Noticing her catch which smelled pretty good and juicy and looked fat enough to feed at least maybe one or two wolves.  She padded out of her cover.  “Nice catch Laika."

Laika spun around, her silver hackles raised in surprise. No one else the the pack knew her name.. Unless Reek has told them, and that was a possibility. But something about this voice seemed familiar, almost like the voice that haunted her thoughts.

Eyes widened and her jaw opened, letting the rabbit carcass slip to the ground. Tail raised in excitement and she tilted her head, tongue lolling out the side. Could it be? Was it possible? But she died! 

"Spring?" She managed to utter, surprise and disbelief engulfing her like a giant wave. "Where did you come from?" 

Spring. The wolf she met on her journey to the mountains. She had just made it the the mountain range when a strange wolf had crossed her path. They had been friends since the blizzard: Laika taught spring sone over her battle moves and hunting tactics, and Spring had taught her some of the herbs and how to use them. But then the blizzard came by, separating the two, and sending Spring of a cliff edge. The cliff was close to the ground thankfully, maybe 15 feet? But Laika thought Spring had died.

Spring wagged her tail. “Nice to see you agin Laika.”  She paused.  “But may I ask, how did you get here?  No offense, but I thought you died when we were separated and I fell...”  Spring trailed off.  “How did you get off the mountain?  Before I feel off I saw a flash of white fur, whatever it was it had been following us.  I thought it was going to kill you.”  She whined.  “What happened?”  Spring felt curiosity course through her, but she also felt regret.  Regret that for so long Laika had assumed her dead.  She felt regret that she could not have sent a sign that she had been okay.

Laika laughed. She remembered that white blur. No, it was not something dangerous. Not at all. 

"Yes, I got off the mountains. That white blur was a snow hare running for cover silly." Laika explained how she let it be, figuring to would be safer to find cover and wait the storm out. 

"Once the blizzard calmed, I went looking for you for two days straight! I couldn't find you anywhere, so I left the mountains and kept going."

Laika felt a deep pang of regret. Maybe if she had kept looking longer, she would have found her. Maybe if she dug deeper into the snow, she might've found her. She brought her front half down, forelegs splayed out in a playful manner and barked. Maybe she could hide her regret. She wasn't a very open wolf when it came to feelings. Even with good friends like spring.

"I'm just so happy we found each other again!"

Spring nodded.  “After I fell off that mountain I think I was out for a day.  When I woke up I searched for you for five days.  Never found you, so I just started padding away from the mountain.”  She admitted guilt in her voice.  “I lost the tip of my tail though due to frostbite.  Nothing else though thankfully.”  Spring admitted.  Tail wagging slightly happy to see her friend, who for so long she had thought was dead, again.

Spring felt a tickle of snow.  She glanced upwards, squinting, seeing snow begin to fall.  “Looks like it’s beginning to snow.”  The she-wolf commented.

Laika looked up. The snowflakes abscured the sky, dotting it with white patches that seemed to grow larger as they floated to the ground. A cold flake landed on her nose, causing the female to sneeze. Then, She remembered her catches.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I ought to get the rabbits back to camp before they freeze. Care to join me?"

Laika stooped down to sink her teeth into the cold pelt of the carcass and without waiting for a reply, turned to pad the rest of the way to her dirt pile. She squeezed through a thick matting of bramble bushes and finally arrives at the spot. Without setting down the rabbit in her jaws, she uncovered the other. Then, they tossed it over her shoulders. With the snowflakes dotting her silvery coat like poka-dots, she headed off toward the camp. 

"Come on!" 

Spring nodded.  “Sure thing.”  Then padded after Laika as they made their way to the other rabbit.  Feeling the cold soft snow tickle her nose.  She smiled.  Happy to be with her best friend again.

As they approached the other rabbit.  Spring saw Laika drape it over her back.  She padded closer to her friend.  “Here, let me take that.”  Spring commented.  Taking the rabbit from Laika and grabbing it’s scruff.  She padded side by side with her friend, rabbit in mouth.  Padding back to camp.

Laika smiled warmly, her eyes portraying her true happiness of reuniting with her old friend. She still was stricken with disbelief at how the female had survived that fall. Laika had assumed that she had at least broken a few bones on the way down, and had been buried under the snow, unable to move. But, she knew Spring was smarter than she let on.

"Thank you." 

Audits turned on ther axis set on her head, sensing for unfamiliar sounds. Her vibrant eyes scenes the territory, always on the alert for misplaced, or odd things. Her paws beat the earth in the rhythmic pattern of a lazy trot, the rabbit swaying gently in her jaws. Her tail swayed to keep balence as her lithe muscles worked to keep her slender frame moving. Finally, they arrived at camp.

Spring padded side by side with Laika, rabbit in jaws.  She heard Laika say a Thank you and nodded in response.  In the back of her mind.  She found herself wondering what Laika travels had been like.  But didn’t say anything yet as they continued on.

Finally curiosity overtook the she-wolf as they arrived at camp and she put down Laika’s rabbit.  She asked her question.  Spring opened her maw and began to speak.  “What happened after we were separated.”  She asked.  “Just curious is all.”  Spring added.

Laika chuckled, remembering her 4 months of being alone. 

"They were fine." She admitted. 

They reached the middle of the territory and other wolves were visible, milling around the dens. She dropped her rabbit on the ground by a bush, free for anyone to eat. She sat down in the snow a couple yards away, licking her bloodied paws. Once they were silvery white again, the Epsilon turned to lap at her shoulder. The she-wolf rose to her paws, back stretching and tail arching in pleasure. Her paws itched to continue on her hunt, or maybe just wander around the borders to make sure there were no intruders. She gave a long yawn, pink tongue curling in her mouth before she blinked her blue eyes, turning back to Spring. 

"Would you like to join me on a hunt/border patrol?" She suggested.  "I'm just itching to be out in the forest again." 

Tail wagged in anticipation and she pranced on her paws, tongue lazily lolling from the side of her mouth.

Spring nodded in response.  “Oh that’d be lovely.”  Spring started to trotted ahead of Laika.  Happy to be with her old friend.  She felt happy and reunited.  She hoped this happiness could last forever.  But she knew with the cold harsh symptoms of winter, sad things were bound to happen.  But for now, she would not think of that.  As Spring searched for a piece of prey with her best friend, Laika.



((Fading Here, We’ll Have To Create A New One Soon))