set for whenever charon and aria are out scoutin'. and if anyone else is gone with them somehow then ignore their reference in this LOL
It was bitterly cold, especially after the storm had swept through. After that, temperatures had simply plummeted to dangerous new lows. The naturalist in her winced, wondering what the after effect of this would be, and for how long it would span. The wild beast in her spurred her viciously towards ensuring survival of her and her own. Sentiment had her worrying about her mate, his brother, and the state of many things here at home. She'd heard Alastor's howl, gone to sniff out Zoratto's frozen dead body for herself, and none of that set well with her.
With this in mind, she'd slipped just beyond their borderlands when she'd faintly smelled something of interest. It brought her to a frozen deer carcass, full grown. Although not a large doe (probably one born late in the spring, a little behind the rest), it was free food she didn't have to expend energy on hunting. She'd claim it before a competitor did, without a question.. The worst part was hauling it back to the mountain, which she could cope with.
She lugged it past their familiar foothills that rose into woods. Once she was a good way into the territory towards the rendezvous and her neck was feeling sore enough to outweigh her patience, she howled for the collective entity of
@Alya @Lyra and
@Hydra then
@Korei Julia too.
@Pyx also was invited, unquestionably by nature of being one of the few others left on the Spear at the moment. It may not be the most massive of meals, but it was
something for them each. She had to share the free bounty in these cold times, even if it may not entirely bolster the morale with so many of their comrades away right now.
While Amekaze waited, she began to work on ripping her way through the ice frozen into the deer's fur and into the meat of the prey.
Pyx had noted the despairing howl of Alastor on the wind. She hadn't ventured out to see the source, for she wasn't keen on getting cold. She'd bundled herself up in her den, venturing out only occasionally. She didn't like the fierceness of the cold, the way it seemed to bite directly to her bones. She'd made sure to watch the herb cache, of course, keeping it clean and dry. There wasn't a whole lot she could do in the way of stocking now- not with the snow frozen overtop the plants. Something did grow in winter, but most things would not grow in ice.
When Amekaze's howl came for the princesses, though, she couldn't keep herself in. She trudged out into the crunching mess of white and made her way towards the woman's voice. She wanted to check in with everyone, make sure no one was sick or wanting. Perhaps she could find out what Alastor had been howling about too. The red wolf came upon her leader tearing ice away from a deer. Pyx took in the body for a moment, noting that it bore no marks of violence. It surprised and frightened her to realize that it had frozen to death. She chuffed to alert Amekaze and made her way forward.
"Did it die of cold?" She asked, hoping against hope that perhaps Ame had felled it somehow. "I didn't think it was that terrible, that's frightening to think it froze to death. Is the pack alright? I heard Alastor howling...but I didn't know what happened." She trailed away, falling silent. She moved to the rear of the deer and leaned against it's rump, hoping her body heat would help thaw it out. She, of course, would not attempt to eat until Amekaze had, knowing the pecking order.
Licking and nibbling at the frozen carcass was slow work, but she was able to open up the abdomen eventually. She kept ripping, steadily, hoping to make it easier once the others came and pieced out her share of choice organs first.
When Pyx arrived, she lifted her head and wiggled her tail. A jolt of aching fatigue ran down her neck with the motion, and she wondered how sore she'd be tomorrow. But, at least she would be fed. "Think so," she sighed. "Found it in the foothills," she detailed. The carcass was clean, except for her own work on it in defrosting it enough to eat and hauling it here. "I doubt it was very strong before the cold snap anyway. It smelled awfully alone.. and seems a little lacking in bulk, so I would hazard a guess it just was not ready for this," she gestured up and around vaguely; the cold was brutally everywhere all at once. "It is pretty bad out there." In the fields of the meadows, out in the open where the snow and ice could just accumulate or blow around in the gusting winds, it was awful.
"Alastor left. I suspect to find Aesop, who left without a word a few weeks back. They were close.. Alastor joined because of Aesop." she explained to the simplest extent, a touch of frustration present mixed with sorrow; this was bad timing. "He found Zoratto dead, frozen presumably. I do not think he could willingly adapt to the mountain, and it cost him.." Based on where he had died, or rather where Alastor had left his snow-covered grave, it was her best guess. He had never gone up the slopes for reasons tied to his culture and this was where it got him: dead as could be. She gnawed on tough piece of meat before detailing any more bad news, or whatever else was weighing on her thoughts.
Pyx nodded grimly, though Amekaze's next words made it seem a little better. "I've noticed. I'd hate to be a loner out there right now." She listened with interest at the details about the wolves, though she soon developed a frown. She could hear Amekaze's frustration and understood it. It would have been better for both the pack and the wolves if they had lingered until after the storm, or after winter. She thought back to Charon talking happily about their rising numbers not too long ago, how he was pleased to have them through winter. She doubted he was very pleased either.
Her eyes widened a little at the mention of Zoratto and she grimaced, shaking her head. "How awful." She hadn't much cared for the male, and he hadn't really seemed to care for her either, but she would have never wished death on him. And certainly not death by freezing. "He was a strange male, the one conversation I had with him." She offered. "I figured he'd come around in time, how horrible to die that way though." It was what happened when one couldn't adapt though. Just like plants, if they didn't learn to compete with new weeds or invasive species, they would be strangled and killed.
"Charon was so hopeful about the new members," She said sadly. "it was nice to think of the extra help through the cold. I never spoke with Aesop, but I did speak with Alastor. He seemed like a nice brute. I hope they're both alright." Amekaze took a moment to gnaw on a piece of meat she'd finally freed from the frozen corpse. Pyx glanced towards the borders, wondering if the males had met the same fate as Zoratto. "How are the girls handling the weather?" She said finally, hoping to talk about something more lighthearted. It was their first winter, after all, and while it was a rough one the children would likely still be full of wonder over it.
Her expression was a little grim at the thought of being a loner these days, and how tiresome that had to be as she nodded and chewed. It was surely why she smelled so few travelers lately, and she had to wonder if more would come looking to settle in the weeks to follow. If prey went scarce in response to this, she'd almost expect it to happen in some way or another.
But, finding out that Pyx found Zoratto strange came to little surprise. "I know, me too. I only really talked with him at length once, but understood more about his culture from knowing about them in the past. Mountains and them, I do not know, obviously were not meant to be or his luck was just bad. Still, a shame." It was never easy to see packmates die in addition to losing two other able bodies in Aesop and Alastor. She fought the lingering frown just barely. "I understand flux happens, and is natural, but this timing is certainly not the best -- especially for those intending to travel." For them lost to the winds and for those who remained alike, none of this would be easy though. She was less worried about matters here on the mountain, but knowing Floki still roamed out there who-knows-where would make her nervous until the weather broke or she heard news of his safety from the others who were out, searching and wandering themselves.
Pyx's question about the girl's was timed well enough to let her think and chew at once. "Decently enough, all things considered I think. I really do wish they were older before having to deal with such bitter cold," she'd expressed this discontent before, vaguely enough. But it was her fault for summer puppies, as always. "Korei is not quite as robust as the trio weight-wise, so I cannot help but worry a little extra about her." Pyx would likely understand most of her considerations, for Ame believed she possessed a good eye for logic. Truth of the matter always had been that Korei was their litter's odd-one-out, so the dark alpha wondered if that would affect her more if times got any harder. "But still, they seem to be handling it as well as I could hope. At least they have each other to help stay warm, and we can all keep fed for now. That is one plus," she gestured to the frozen carcass, all while hoping these times of plenty would outlast the cold's stay.
Pyx nodded, pleased at least that she wasn't the only one. "Perhaps that would have helped me understand as well. He didn't seem to want to talk much at all." She couldn't really understand why he hadn't tried to adjust more. She supposed it was something he couldn't control, surely anyone would have changed if it meant keeping their life. "Definitely not," She agreed about the timing, continuing on that idea to ask another question. "Is the weather normally like this in winter? This cold and harsh? I haven't been here for a winter yet. My home had it's bad years, too, though I don't know if it was ever this bad." Was this what she could expect for every winter? It was good at least to know now what to expect, to be able to gather more herbs and stock the caches next time.
She was relieved again to hear about the girls doing well. She was sure she'd have heard if anything overly bad happened, but at least they weren't suffering anymore than anyone else did. She hummed her agreement. "I don't think anyone is old enough, to be honest. And those that are, are too old for it." She was trying to be humorous, though there was a small bit of truth in it. "If you get concerned enough for her, just let me know. I'm sure there's a herb to help with weight gain somewhere in the stores. I know of a few options, though I've never used them myself. It would increase her appetite, help her to hold onto the weight." Pyx could understand her worry, and while she wasn't quite sure Amekaze was wanting a treatment she still wanted the dark woman to know one was there.
"Yes, I'm sure having her sisters does help. Especially when you can't stay in the den with them. I'm sure they're growing terribly restless though, having to stay inside so much. I can't imagine they enjoy playing in the snow very much, considering how biting it is?" Her last was phrased as a question, and she glanced to Amekaze. "It's frightening that the cold is strong enough to kill the deer, even sick and alone, but I'd rather have them here than not. Much easier hunting, something frozen and dead. I'll be sure to look out for anymore and let you know if I find them."
She paused for a moment, eyes drifting off the the distance. Then, they returned to Amekaze. "Has there been any news of Floki?" He had gone scouting, she had found out. She had spent a few days nervous and wondering if he would approach her at any time over the conversation that she and Charon had. Hearing that he had gone scouting and hadn't returned however, worried her for more than her prospects of romance. He was a good wolf, a kind wolf. His loss would hurt the pack deeply reguardless of what future they may or may not have together, she too would mourn his loss.
Zoratto had been a difficult read for them both, it seemed. A wolf she would have hoped to learn more of, as an individual and even greater picture that had cultured him as he had been. But there would be none of that. "Not normally. But last year was very mild. We were overdue for some cold to finally bite hard," she sighed. Nature's cycles continued and fluctuate often even within themselves. Each winter she had seen in the Teekon had been different than the last, but this one always did feel a little uneasy to her, like it could not decide if it was going to go easy on them or not. She did still wonder how much it would commit. Would these deep freezes and heavy snows last to make for a long winter?
Which, if it did, she might become more concerned over her pale daughter. For now, all was well enough and she was still trying to figure out all the instinctual fine-tunings that parenting involved. After a thoughtful pause, she nodded. "I will. Hopefully, it won't come to it.. but something to keep in mind all the same," she mentioned, somewhat curious about that could entail exactly. "They are doing as fine as I can hope for now. Disgruntled about being cooped up, but I think we are all feeling a little restless about it already." Winter had never impressed her. She'd been born right to it, high in the elevations, so she'd learned about it very early on. Didn't mean she liked it. "It has to be a lot for them to take in.. They are curious, as always, but I still doubt they appreciate it much when they are used to easy autumn and just a hint of winter.." She had other things on her mind too, one of which played into her next question, one greeted with a deepening frown.
"No. Nothing at all. Charon and Aria are still out looking. I am assuming the weather is going to slow them down, or make anything they do more difficult," she said, not even having heard any howls from any party involved to clue her in one way or another. By now, trails had to be getting lost and she worried that if they'd not caught any hints about Floki before the ice and snow, there would be no chance by now. Next concern was getting them home and relying on them each to do it. "They all need to get back here soon." Simply enough. She peered at Pyx quietly, having finished her piece of meat but not yet motivated for seconds -- and taking this as a good hint that her daughters were well-fed enough to not come to her dinner bell right now, or, that the cold irked them insist on want doorstep delivery..
I just realized Pyx and the pups share a birthday, funny.
She wouldn't deny that hearing that the cold was especially hard this year was a relief. She didn't enjoy a winter with this much bite, as Amekaze said. She nodded, smiling a little. "That makes me feel better at least. I was worried I'd have this to look forward to every winter." She accepted Amekaze's answer easily, glad at least to have given the knowledge. She hadn't expected the woman to want it now, and would have wanted to see the princess before administering it anyway.
"They're not alone." She agreed, glancing out over the land with a small frown.
"I miss being able to walk without worrying that my feet would freeze. It's tiresome laying around all day, but being in the cold isn't much better. I haven't decided what's worse yet." Pyx chuckled a little at the thought of the Princess's disgruntlement over the weather. "
The first winter is the hardest." She agreed.
"I was born near to when they were, and learned of the world in the fall. Winter was exciting at first, but a shocking surprise. Summer was surprising in a different way, I found myself preferring the cold to the heat of the sun back then." She laughed a little, grinning now as she remembered her younger years.
"You can at least content yourself to think that once Summer comes, they'll be wishing for the cold again."
The next topic drove the smile from her face, though, as soon as she noted Amekaze's frown.
"I hope they're all alright." She said softly, gazing once more out and away, as if hoping to catch sight of someone. She nodded to Amekaze's simple but true statement.
"Perhaps they'll come home soon, and let the weather clear a little more." She knew if they hadn't caught sign of him yet, the chances were slim they would scent him at all. The best they could hope for would be someone knowing something. Perhaps Floki had sheltered with another pack, or a loner friend.
Feeling the woman's eyes on her, Pyx turned to look at her once more.
"At least the winter has given us this to apologize, though I think it'll take a little more to earn my forgiveness." She said, attempting to joke. She hadn't felt overly hungry when she arrived, but now, with the smell still wafting around her she felt the desire take hold. She glanced to Amekaze, then nodded to the deer, her brows raised slightly. A silent but polite request. She wasn't sure if Amekaze would mind her eating with her, and she didn't want to offend her friend's customs.
Amekaze felt she would never be able to favor winter over the greener months. How could she? For all the reasons Pyx mentioned between being cooped up and frozen out in the elements, so little about it appealed to her interests and quite frankly, hindered many of them. But, did find herself interested in the tidbit of information Pyx offered regarding the timing of her own upbringing. "Well, that is always true.. I think it has been like that for them: surprising, and who knows what they will learn to prefer.." She'd observe it all the same, in their best interest and her own in mind. "And good to know you knew the same as they. I was.. born near the winter solstice. Hating the cold for keeping me confined is perhaps one of my earliest, worst memories," she snickered softly; it had stuck with her all these years later. "I always find myself wanting the summertime like that." Even now. Her pups were coming from an entirely different vantage point as summer whelps. Almost exactly the opposite she'd known herself.
And too, as the subject dictated, she was sobering quietly in thinking of her mate away scouting from this mountain -- her side, in all this awful weather. She knew he'd be fine, but after so long of him always being right there with her.. any absence of his had become unnerving to a certain amount. Amekaze nodded softly with a small sigh, as if to say she agreed on all accounts and hoped for their safe return all at once. "That is what I am hoping for too," she eventually said after a silence.
On what winter had given them, she could soften up and sharing the bounty remained a part of this. In Pyx's company, the dark alpha was thoughtful and relaxed -- good, mainly, even with conditions a little less than what she preferred. "Seriously. It had best keep this up," she warned playfully, and looked the carcass over again before selecting her next piece deliberately alongside a slow, waving tail. We deserve this she thought often.
Pyx nodded and grinned again. There were wolves who prefered every type of weather. She herself disliked storms, the dark and crackling thunder and pouring rain, but she knew many loved it. Each wolf was different. It would be interesting to see what the children favored as they grew, the things that set them apart. Pyx chuckled at the thought of an angry little Amekaze. "Fierce even when you were small, then." She commented. "I myself prefer the fall. The flowers and plants bloom so well and in early fall have only just started to fade. The air has a crisp smell and the weather is generally agreeable."
Pyx made no further comment on the subject of Aria and Charon, feeling there was no need. She simply nodded and turned her mind away from thoughts of what would happen if the male did not return. Pyx laughed at Amekaze's comment and nodded. "Yes, or give us an early Spring at the least." Amekaze's posture was noted, and she moved forward to choose a piece herself. She gnawed on it thoughtfully, feeling relaxed and contented herself, despite the situation around them.
i'm wrapping bc i let this get dated/it was heading to an end anyway i believe <3 <3
She offered a soft chuff. Pyx was not far from the truth. Fierce, but perhaps not for all the right reasons. Maybe winter had given her that extra edge, and maybe it was why a young Amekaze had been nothing sort of ruthless, enough to push the point of recklessness. It was not often a thought she preferred to visit at length. Her packmate's preference for the autumn came as a much gentler thought. Ame's tail swished a few times as she conjured her memories of the distinct scent, the vivid colors, and then yearned for them just as viciously as well.
"An early spring would definitely be nice.." she smirked. Anything but this drab, desolate cold. But these easier moments helped it pass by faster than the average. Soon enough, it would be here.
Amekaze let the conversation taper and munched now and again on frozen meat while she enjoyed the easy company with Pyx. She'd long realized how fond of her she was, so times like these were not often shared between her and many others.. Nevertheless, when the time was right, and assuming no one else joined them late for any bites, she'd cache the leftovers then bed down somewhere warm to rest.