Wolf RPG

The early morning had just began its full crawl across the eastern territories as Mordecai came upon the riverbank. It was chilly out, the wind easily pulling the leaves from the trees and tousling anything that wasn't firmly rooted to the earth. A good morning but all accounts, save for the fact that it was far from prime hunting conditions. He had long abandoned tracking for favor of exploration, knowing that it would more than likely be his luck to be upwind of any potential game.

The slow rush and trickle of the river drew him in, once more turning up at a bend in its wide swath. Here the forests butted against it gently, blurring the line of when he imagined he had left the thicker cover of the Hollow behind in favor for the still relatively uncharted. He had the high ground, perfect for some surveying. And survey he did from the cover of the flora, gaze sweeping carefully over the land across before focusing on the bank ahead of him. He had scented a bear crossing through but saw none, and pressed on to walk along the steady flow of the river.

Autumn mornings suck, Tail thought, decidedly. She had been quite young last fall, and she didn't quite remember how bite-y this particular season could be. Winter, she knew, would be most definitely bitter— but she had thought there was more time before the warmth fled the earth.

Her breath emerged as mist as she trekked along the river's southern bank, heading east. Tail felt well rested for the first time in a long time, and now that she had slowed down to enjoy her destination (rather than rushing to it, as she had been), the yearling was better able to keep the edge off her hunger.

Fishing was fun, and it was a quick breakfast. Something about the cooler mornings (and now they were extra cold) made fish sluggish; they were far easier to catch this time of day. Her blue-gray eyes scanned the water as she moved along the bank, searching for a tell-tale flicker of scale.

So far, no luck.

He spied her out from the changing foliage, perhaps no more than a few minutes later. Her presence was enough to give him pause as she emerged from their surroundings, though her interest solely lied in the rushing waters. It was then that he felt the rolling chill from the waters as he idled; the frosty reminder of how time was dwindling before winter spurred him into moving.

With a soft chuff in her direction, Mordecai let his tail swing behind him. He did not discern whether or not she was from the area and for now, attributed it to the general dampness of the morning. For all he knew, she could have come from the neighboring pack that resided in the Grove. Or maybe somewhere else altogether. Perhaps nowhere at all, the latter choice seeming as good as any.

Canting his head curiously as he drew his gaze from her to the waters, he spoke.

"Going for a swim, or fishing?"

Shadows lent the aquatic creatures the perfect camouflage, their dull coloration blending with the river's bed. It was easier to spot them when they were active, for the scales would flicker in the sunlight— but in the morning, in the cold, they hung limp and still in the water. Harder to spot, but nearly effortless to catch.

Her ears twitched at the sound of another creature in her midst, but her gaze did not tear from the water; perhaps it was merely a passerby, and it wasn't yet of a near enough distance to cause concern. But with the soft chuff, Tail's head lifted and she faced the wolf that hailed her.

He didn't seem threatening, and when he spoke it was of a neutral tone. She shook her head, "It's too cold to swim. I'm looking for some breakfast— you hungry?" Tail attempted to nonchalantly take in his scent, and glean what information she could from it, as she spoke. He was definitely a pack wolf, for others were intermingled in his fur, but she couldn't tell much else with certainty.

Her attention torn away to regard him, Mordecai also took the opportunity to give her a distant once over. He dared to let his feet draw him in closer as she spoke, if only for the fact that he did not believe her to be hostile. If anything, there was always a certain vibe about others that could easily be picked up and through experience, he felt he had learned a great deal about who was trustworthy and who wasn't. Rightly so even, she was offering to fish.

"Mm, I don't know about that," he answered as his own gaze went out over the murky depths. "I happen to know at least one wolf who would probably disagree with you on the cold waters. Personally, I think it might be too cold now too." He smiled wane and polite, but the ha-ha was there too. For all he knew, Luke probably loved cold water. And Luke would have probably been all about the fishing too.

Speaking of fishing...

"But if you're offering to try and catch some of those fish, would you mind a hand? I can't say I'm much good, but I've had some practice."

"Well, that wolf is crazy," she told the other, matter-of-factly. The stranger's easy-going nature put the yearling at ease quickly, and she no longer felt the need to suss him out. If she were to be attacked, it would have happened already, and his willingness to converse proved that he wasn't going to suddenly turn hostile— at least in her naive view of the world.

"A hand would be great," Tail agreed with a sweep of her tail. "They're hard to see this early, but easier to catch while they're still. We should have a little while before the sun warms them up and they get all wriggly again."

He chuckled, agreeing silently with the premise that perhaps his friend was crazy. But then again, he couldn't have attested to whether or not Luke would go diving into the frigid waters of winter for certain. It just wouldn't have surprised him if he did. With no further commentary, their conversation shifted naturally to the sunken prey at hand. Mordecai closed in more of that distance to have a better look, seeing nothing at first. But the slow swish of a fish tail beneath the dirtied waters made itself evident after a few seconds.

"Just tell me what you need me to do," he said.

Not realizing the older male had already spotted some, she replied, "Just let me know when you see them; I've been having a hard time." The lack of patience that was often present in youth was definitely present in Tail, and she had a habit of moving on too quickly. She wasn't an expert fisherwolf by any means, but she was usually quick enough to catch them this time of day— when she saw them.

"It's different when it's cold like this," she explained. "You don't have to herd them to the fisher or anything like that. If you go after them as soon as you see them, they're not fast enough to get away." Tail shrugged, "We could probably even split up and double our catch."

She spoke, drawing his attention away from the waters just long enough that when he did look back, the fish had moved on.  In a way, it worked out that she went on explaining, because it gave him the opportunity to continue his search.  Chances were, the fish that he had seen had already tried to sink back towards the warmer waters of the deep.

"There were some here just a moment ago, but, they're gone," he said, debating whether or not he wanted to step out towards the shallows.  That was the trickiest thing he found in fishing himself — the wait.  "Maybe they're down by you?"  But this time, his eyes didn't leave the murky waters, waiting for that flash of dirty silver to swim past again.

From there, the duo had a little bit of fishing and chattered, before parting ways.