Sunbeam Lair A whisper in the breeze

ooc: perhaps we could get a fox hunt in :D?

She had ventured outside of the cave, loping up the mountainside that made up the ceiling of the den as she landed into deep snow at times. often, snow would break apart and slide down the mountain as if they were tiny avalanches. shikoba didn't weigh too much, though, luckily, and was often able to get on top of the snow at times before sinking. the faster she moved, the less sinking occurred. with a fast pace, she lumbered her way towards the upper parts, before finding a small, open platform that was free of snow. it looked like a rock that peeked from the snow, a place to stand on without being on a slant. it was almost as if it was a stage for someone to stand or to observe the land before them.

the native leaped onto the stone bed, observing the land around her. grass, trees, dirt-- all covered in a blanket of white as the sky was clear of any clouds. the sun shined brightly, though it was still a cold temperature outside. gentle breezes carried through the air, whispering in shikoba's ears. she could hear them speak to her as if they were trying to tell her something. "what is it, great spirits?" she asked softly, feeling the breeze's direction shift and blow against her as if the breeze wanted her to return to the lower ground. at first, she did not move, confused about what they were trying to whisper to her, but then a foreign scent caught her nose. it was not a wolf, but another animal. and this particular animal was drawing too close to the cave.

she understood the spirits, they were pushing her to go and remove the threat to her tribe (or so she thought). With a fierce leap, the wolf skidded towards the lower part of the mountain to go and seek out the fox and hopefully weed out the problem as quickly as possible.

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Oftentimes, it was beneath the cover of the lair that the dragoness could be found, weaving through the forest aimlessly. Something had drawn her out and into the open that day, encouraging her to patrol and then wander around in the outside world. She did so with a smile on her face, tipping her muzzle back against the incoming breeze every once in a while. It was quiet, peaceful and ideal, and so she carried on with her short journey. Where she might go, the vessel knew not—and then suddenly her nose had been flooded by scents. The most prominent was that of Shikoba, a fellow tribe mate and a notable woman, whilst there was but a hint of fox. Once upon a time, she had defended a couple of vulpines, having attempted to warn them away from a wolf on the prowl. Ultimately, her efforts had been made in vain, for the foxes had been killed and she’d never seen the man again. That memory was but a distant one, though, buried beneath the present as her course was altered so that she could see what was going on.

Eventually, the undeniable outline of a wolf had been spotted. After picking up her pace, the distance between the two woman was gradually closed until Asterr was well within speaking distance. Without missing a beat, she asked, “What is it that you plan to do with the foxes?” The question was used, too, as a way to announce her presence. She wondered if the lesser canines might be killed for having wandered too close to the land of wolves or if their lives would be spared and only their homes uprooted.

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shikoba landed on the bottom of the mountainside, hair spiked up and all. trespassers were not welcome here, not one bit. normally, shikoba would've immediately ran after the foxes and just slaughtered them right then and there. yet, some force held her back, as if it was telling her that killing the foxes was wrong. the voice of someone caught her attention, pulling shikoba away from her thoughts. she turned her head to see asterr whilst giving her a dip of the head in respect. her chieftess' question made the native look around to where the scent led to.

"move foxes. take home, chase out." she was honest with her plan, though she left out the whole killing part. for some reason, asterr looked as if she wanted the lives of the lowlife animals to be spared. it wasn't that shikoba was a savage or anything like that. it was more of her defensive side. even though foxes were small, they could bring in larger animals and breed more and just cause more trouble than before. that was a risk she was not willing to take. she turned to gently meet the gaze of asterr while giving her a reassuring smile.  "shikoba try not hurt foxes, just move foxes."

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Asterr had seen the fire of a fox’s coat, just as she had seen the destruction that it so often left behind. Like the raging infernos that a vulpine so closely resembles, they could destroy once grand forests and leave little more than ruins in their wake. They are a force to be reckoned with—yet, as destructive as they are, a heart still beats within each of their chests, and a soul still takes root within each of their cores. She could not bring herself to kill one, to smother a flame until there was nothing left to see but ash. They threatened her home, the very existence of her tribe, but she could not seek them out and paint the mountains red with their blood. It put her at ease when the woman’s answer was received, for she knew not if she could even witness their downfall; in the past, she had, but she wondered now if her heart had changed so greatly that spectating the same act again might bring her to her knees. With a soft smile to compliment the reassuring one spread across Shikoba’s lips, the Chieftess nodded, truly appreciative of the answers given. She could not bear the thought of falling from grace right before the eyes of a fellow member of the tribe.

“If you do not mind my presence, I would like to observe,” she said, voice carrying its usual softness. “I will be here to assist you, should you be wounded.” Wily and unruly, she would not put it passed the lesser canines to attack a wolf. When it came to defending their own, there was no telling what any species might do, and so Asterr was cautious. She would protect her family, but by taking an approach most unlike the Native’s own. There would be no risk of harm, only the gentle touch of a mender’s muzzle should the foxes attack her sister in spirit.

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It appeared that her answer was appreciated, the chieftess seemed to like shikoba's words by giving her a gentle voice. The Mexican wolf merely nodded towards asterr, glad to have company come with her in her expedition to remove the fox problem. The more the merrier, but more importantly the more the safer and stronger. "Shikoba..." she said, trying very hard to say the word she had learned recently. "Appreciates Asterr helping," she said with a grin, glad that not only she remembered the word and that her message was clear, but how involved the chieftess was. lost creek hollow had active leaders as well, but the packs and wolves shikoba had met before were very distant from their subordinates- as if they had never exchanged glares before. It was a strange lifestyle shikoba hoped wouldn't happen to her, to be left to her own devices while the leader meandered around.

st the base of the mountain, shikoba set off with her chieftess, her nose was lowered and was only a few millimeters from touching the ground. Several scents wafted into her charcoal nostrils, scents that she was used to by now- the scent of the cave itself, the fresh and crisp air, old and authentic trees with their woody scent, with some twinges of animals like rodents scurrying around. Although she was sniffing for a few minutes without any signs of picking up the trail, shikoba kept at it and eventually found the scent. It wasn't strong nor weak, it stood in the middle spectrum. With that, the Mexican wolf set off to follow the scent and hopefully uncover the den where the vermin lay awake and ready to breed. She hoped that it was a male because males bred and ran most of the time, or at least, what she had seen when she had to fox hunt with her brothers.

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There were plenty of days during which the young Chieftess kept to herself, wandering throughout the lair and inspecting the many species of flora. Those moments kept her grounded, preventing discord from erupting between her and her home. Yet, despite the serene nature of her lonesome walks, she enjoyed spending time around others just as well. Nestled somewhere within the deepest depths of her breast there lived the craving for interactions; it was often silent, rearing its head rarely, and easily settled. Simply spending time in the company of Shikoba, who the dragoness would observe, quelled whatever desires she might have harboured for a social exchange. It pleased her, too, to hear her proposition be accepted, as did the sound of the fellow female’s voice. Her words, though interrupted by a pause, brought a cheery smile to Asterr’s lips, the expression followed by a slight nod of her head. “I am glad to help,” she responded, soft-spoken and brimming with relief. Never had she been the most dominant of creatures, that side of her having long since been locked away with Draco, which left her knowing that she would have walked away had her presence not been welcomed. Knowing that her tribe mate did not wish her away left her with a light feeling in her chest, the Native proving with each passing day that she was truly one with the family.

As the duo made their way across the land, the Draconid hung back. She allowed for the other to lead, for the mission was hers to complete and Asterr was there only to observe. Always was she at least a meter or so behind, enough of distance kept so as not to crowd her, but close enough to not lose sight of her form. And when they might finally reach the vulpines’ base, she would settle nearby, watching and waiting to see if her assistance might be needed.

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she felt as if she was searching for a needle in a haystack, there was so much ground to cover in order to rid the place of foxes. these animals were crafty, vicious, and quick. they could easily escape a wolf if given the right circumstances. with her chieftess present, shikoba would withhold from the slaughtering of the vermin. for now, she wanted to only get them out of the near vicinity of the cave. her nose remained close to the ground, poking through bushes and trees and grasses and-

before she could think anymore, the scent finally grew strong around a bush. the bush was very thick, robust as well; it served as the perfect hiding spot for any den for small animals. these foxes were a bit too smart for shikoba's taste. she turned to asterr, signifying with nudge on the bush's leaves that she had found the den. it had to be right beneath her, or at least, somewhere very close to that.

shikoba kept herself low and quiet, slowly inching in to test the waters of the den. were the foxes out? or were they inside and waiting to shoot out of the den? whatever they were planning, shikoba would be ready to rush them. she waited only a bit of time before heading in quickly, beginning to use her paws to dig the foxes out. she could feel her heart begin to race and breathing quicken. she loved for moments like this.