// @Reiko but AW <3 set midmorning, 3/16
It was remarkably easy to get to this place from the bottom of the mountain. At first, Evien had been concerned at the height and the rocks and things that would normally make it highly treacherous for a wolf with only three working legs to traverse. However, Evie was never one to back down just because something looked like it might be difficult, and this time he'd been rewarded.
Having grown up around water, and with fish being the only thing he was physically capable of hunting well, the sight of the lake nestled in the dip of the mountain was a blessing. Evie didn't want to admit it, but he had lost some weight on his journey - his pride stung at the thought, because to him, even acknowledging that he wasn't doing perfectly well on his own was like a victory for his parents. Logically, he knew this wasn't the case, but he could just hear his mother's shrill voice as she fretted over his physique (as if her own was the picture of health:) "Evie, dear, you have to eat more! But not too much, because of your height, you don't want to put on too much weight. It's bad for the joints."
Evien sighed heavily, shaking his head to clear it, and stepped into the water. It was cold - of course it was, with Spring having just started - but it was a welcome chill for his aching muscles. Green eyes drifted shut for just a moment, savoring the feeling of water lapping against his chest, before he began to scan the surface for prey.
He didn't have to wait for long. A silver flash glinted in front of him, and in one fluid motion, the boy lunged down and caught it in waiting jaws. It was one of the two things he was good at - fishing and herbs, his grandfather had said. The one adult in his life who had treated him like he was something more than a complete invalid. (Although Evien was hopeful that he might be better at more than just those two things.)
The mottled brown wolf turned on uneven gait and made his way back to the bank, setting down his prize. His stomach rumbled and he shook out his fur, licking his jaws and settling down to eat.
Continuing to scout around the mountains for any straggling Uaine wolves to bring back to the Vale, to bring back to
@Ibis to lift her mood - and heck, if she could find Sarah that would be the best of all, the best way to bring up the young lady's mood and lift her out of that slum they both found themselves in.
After meeting with the leaders of Sagtannet she had taken a few days to rest before heading out again, taking along one guard to keep an eye on her as they both ventured out into the wilderness. She was adamant about them not helicoptering all up in her business and so they remained at a certain distance away, within calling distance if she were to recall how she told them. The wilderness was cruel and so were other wolves as proven time and time again.
As she came up to the lake, wanting to quench her thirst, she approached carefully as a stranger waded in the water. He was young, small, and cute - but so was she, and Reiko was nervous to boot. With delicate paws she paced forward with dancer-like strides, keeping her cerulean eyes on the stranger as she lapped up the water with the pink tongue of hers flickering in and out the water. Then, like a flash, he moved and so did she.
In a surprise, she took a step back, but as quickly as they both moved, a smile found its way to her face. He was fishing! Unnoticed by the body it inhabited, the tail behind her swished as she watched him drag the fish out with such grace and begin eating. Kaistleoki wolves were so good at it, he reminded her of a small Evergreen.
The boy was so wrapped up in his meal that he nearly missed the snowy figure watching him. It wasn't like him to be so unobservant, but in his defense, he was very hungry and the fish did smell very good. Still, even as green eyes flickered up to meet cerulean, he wasn't particularly surprised or alarmed. More in awe of the appearance of the girl - striking white fur and clear blue eyes like this were not things that Evien had encountered often in his life. She was small - hardly much bigger than he was - but he felt incredibly inadequate in her presence. Ruffled brown pelt, dripping with lake water, totally unkempt.
He felt as though he was a dirty peasant in the presence of a princess.
Shaking his head to jostle himself out of his stunned silence, Evien cleared his throat and nudged the fish toward her, not wanting to appear unfriendly - even though he'd spent a good few seconds just staring at the girl. "Are you hungry?" he offered.
Feeling herself being observed, she felt warm and embarrassed - but it wasn't like she wasn't doing the exact same thing. He managed to catch a fish all on his own, something she could not even dream of doing any time soon without much more practice, also thinking back to Evergreen was also tough to tear her eyes away. There was just something so cute and pretty about green eyes on a brunette, maybe it reminded her of summer trees.
Never once did she think of him as a dirty peasant - nor would she possibly ever see someone as such a thing!
What did manage to pry her eyes away was the question of whether she was hungry or not. Of course she was hungry. The days have been long and she spent little time eating while making sure everyone was settled and safe, with all the roaming she had been doing lately to find stragglers of Uaine. Uh umm mmmm.. I mean.
She fumbled over her thoughts.
Fish was such a rare treat she couldn't help but take a couple of steps closer after being offered some! A bite would be a treat!
Carefully she took a couple more steps closer, enticed by his offer but still hesitant as she continued to watch for his demeanor.
The girl stumbled over her words and Evien was suddenly put more at ease. It put a small smile on his maw and his shoulders relaxed from where they'd been tensed up. Of course, the two of them were just wolves - her brighter colors didn't mean she was somehow infinitely better than him in every way. It was his lack of experience interacting with others, he figured. If he'd been able to socialize more growing up, he probably wouldn't feel this way.
Or maybe it was teenage hormones. A mixture of the two, perhaps.
The white wolf was cautious in approaching him, and he offered her a gentle smile of encouragement, nudging the fish forward with his muzzle. "I don't bite," he stated in a lame attempt at soothing her nerves. "We can share."
She could feel his nervousness too, perhaps that is what made it so easy to trust him right now. They were both equally concerned about something with the other, and yet they both put on a mask of ease, both were being friendly despite that same jittery feeling that blossomed in both of them.
As he nudged the fish closer to her, for them to share, she smiled brighter and quickly accepted the offer. That first bite (not too big of course, they were sharing) of a fish was delicious, the meat was light, flavourful and fresh. Cheeks flushed as she chewed at both skin and meat. After swallowing, she was beaming with delight. I haven't had fish in such a long time, thank you!
One more bite she delicately peeled off the bone, appreciating the moment and the newfound company. The silence between them as they ate was not awkward at all, well not to the soon-to-be-empress at least. She savoured every bite without engorging herself either, taking the time and letting the boy eat more so his fill than her. It was his fish after all.
Once pleased with her little rare treat of fish, she took a step back and licked her chops clean. Clear eyes wandering back over to the darker boy. I can't thank you enough, that was very generous of you... uhh... Oh dear.
Wide-eyed, she was clearly in a moment struck with panic.
She didn't introduce herself.
Evien had quickly found that this conversation was not awkward, but instead sweet - the both of them had been nervous at first, but it was oddly enough that nervousness that relaxed him, in the end. A sense of camraderie had grown between the two, and he was more than happy to share his fish with the small girl before him.
"No, you don't need to thank me. Fish are the only thing I can hunt properly - I'm actually kind of proud that I get to share one right now," he admitted with a sheepish chuckle, then dipped down to take a bite of his own.
Now, the young Kastner was often not one without much to say, but he found that in this instance, the silence was better. More comfortable and serene. The fish was not large, so it didn't take them long to finish it, but soon it was all but a skeleton and a head laying on the ground before them. Evie nudged it back toward the water so it could feed the rest of the fish that lived there.
His ears angled toward her when she spoke again, one brow raising in confusion before his expression relaxed into a smile. "Evien Kastner," he introduced for her, dipping his head and getting to his feet. "I didn't ask who you were either."
The boy proceeded to boast about his fishing abilities, which frankly, he was more beyond welcome to do so. It was something to boast about. It's very kind and generous of you.
A trait that was rare to find these days, the wilds were cruel and very few were able to hang onto their blissful ways. Even Reiko had a hard time finding joy in the little things lately, but oh how she tried to regain that wonder again. How about the next time I catch a rabbit, I'll share with you!
While he was good at fishing, Reiko was good enough at catching small prey.
Evien, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
She took a quick curtsey. I'm Reiko Izuka, I live over in the Northstar Vale, just beyond the mountains if you ever want to take me up on that rabbit offer.
Purposely she left out her soon to be title in the vale, it wasn't something she was willing to brandish over everyone else, especially those who did not have a home for their own.
It is being claimed by a pack, so I suggest you call instead of coming in in search for me.
The words tumbled a lighthearted manner, though she was certain no one would attack on sight, the last thing she wanted was to put anyone in an awkward situation without preparing them.
Generous? Evien supposed so, but really it had been because he wanted to spend time with another wolf. So it was perhaps more selfish than the snowy girl had realized. Sharing food with a beautiful wolf had certainly not been a hardship for Evie whatsoever. A broader smile stretched his lips when she offered to share a rabbit with him. "Well then we'd be even," he responded with a wave of his tail.
"You, too, Reiko," he said with a nod of his head. It really had been a pleasure, and he found himself hoping to see the white-furred girl once again. He hadn't expected her to invite him to her home, but he wasn't going to complain about that either. "I might just take you up on that offer someday."
It was getting a bit late, and Evie was certain that Reiko was going to want to get back to her home soon. So he stepped back a bit and dipped his head once more. "I'll keep that in mind," he responded, tail wagging genuinely. "Get home safely, Reiko. It was nice to meet you," the boy finished, turning to head back down the side of the mountain.