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She moved quietly, head low and gait suited to curve a path across the mountainside. The destination was inevitably the Oasis or further up possibly, as she had grown jaded on the borderlands and tired of marking the mountain's foot. However there was little hurry pressing her up the slopes. She was preoccupied, somewhat tired, and carrying the weight of the matters; not finding Ferdie, and only vague reminders of something dire having happened, did not sit well.
Yet this did contrast something else, some bizarre satisfaction these last few weeks had given her. This shade of instinctual self-satisfaction inspired its own sort of strength, one that had never filled her lungs before which surpassed the thrill of a successful hunt or battle. She chalked it up to being thrust suddenly into this role, and having not yet been unable to meet its demands or run headlong towards issue -- aside from the missing piece that was the very reason she was allowed this opportunity in the first place.
So she slicked back her ears and found herself on a trail. Of wolf, of familiarity, and certainly of interest, her paws went that way until she loomed from cover into the expanse of the Oasis.
She could see Summer clearly now there upon the edge, and the silent question lurked in her expression: how was he? Amekaze guessed these recent events and changes had their impact on him in some unseen way, especially since he and Jace had been the ones to sniff out any cougar and Ferdie at all. But lately there just had been no time for one on one.. which was to be remedied right here and now.
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Mhm,
she grunted softly, for indeed, she was back but was not particularly happy about it. Which was not to say she was sour about the Sunspire itself, for she still loved the mountain wholly. However the circumstances at play here were the unfavorable part. But with nothing to show for it. The trails.. they yield nothing,
she murmured with a frown that edged on a grimace at times. Were they supposed to keep going? Searching endlessly with so little to go on? Or, when did they simply... accept it? That Ferdie was gone, and for good. She dug in her heels at the thought. It still did not sit well and she took this as a sign to not stop. Not yet.
Perhaps not. I do move quietly, and like to go unnoticed when I can,
she smirked tiredly. She did pride herself on this to a certain extent, so it was not a discredit to the youth's growing skills from the way she saw it. Ame knew that Summer, like many of them, did what he could. How has it been here?
Peaceful, she hoped, as she assumed no news was good news on the home front.
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She mustered a small wag of his tail and found herself appreciative of his outlook. Quite true,
she replied. I would not be opposed,
she then said, finding herself interested in bringing him a good challenge. Perhaps she ought to be even more careful of her tracks. Then again, such was not always possible when her day's duties were literally marking her claim to make it known to outsiders.. Probably why she was not a big fan of the task.
Nevertheless, she knew that Ferdie's absence stung him as it did herself. She had admittedly grown attached to him. Maybe just too much so, and her mind wandered casually to the possibilities of the great many what ifs that followed. It did not help that Ferdie had left them in the middle of something somewhat bizarre, with a decent handful of matters all of his own creation left open-ended.. which reminded her that she had yet to even meet this.. Hawkeye. Amekaze only knew about her through Jace; she'd had enough to do otherwise and rarely thought about it, honestly.
It is a very ominous silence. I first thought it may only be winter's approach,
she shifted her weight; it was on-going that she was inexplicably uneasy about its arrival. Her eyes followed his towards the mountainside. The days shortened quickly and the winds grew crisp. But there is more. I.. feel it too,
she squinted, having once written it off as odd paranoia. She had not known before that Summer was aware of such unspoken, utterly intangible notions. He seemed different from the last time she had been with him, and probably not just because he could breath. A part of me still wants to search more yet.. if it is only a waste, efforts are better spent here in the event something ever does happen, winter or otherwise..
she growled softly and dissolved the note to a huff. It was because moving on without Ferdie was not easy.
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I know,
she replied with a slow exhale at the ugly truth. It is why I am here, after all.
Instead of still out, wasting away the hours and the miles looking for something well beyond reach. It was the mountain and its wolves that made her keep a limit to it, but there was no denying the itch to keep looking that she could not yet shake. Time was making it easier to justify her inaction, for as Summer said, if he still persisted out there, he may be fine.. and the trails only grew colder on their end; obviously, he was not here.
And as she had said, this is why she was here -- to keep something together in his absence and from here, guide them towards strength, survival and camaraderie. While not prepared for the role, she had seized it anyway and now a whole pack looked to her as their center. Her ears flicked; this notion seemed so weighty, and made her shift her own posture subtly. I have known Ferdie for so long, to suddenly not have him around has been.. strange to adjust to,
she huffed. This was a change even she was struggling with for reasons not quite understood.
He had been so steadfast all that time and she had always known where to find him, even when she had been a loner. But it is what it is. I just cannot yet deny the want to search still, although the Sunspire's priority outweighs it majorly. Especially now when there is nothing to go on.
Brows furrowed, she decided to shift the topic. I now wonder if perhaps the cougar he evidently met up with may lurk closer to the mountain soon. Several weeks back there was one -- an eerie albino one no less -- hunting at our base that needed running off.
i keep zoning out and accidentally writing "cougards"... it's obviously time for me to stop
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She had always tried not to think too in depth about her relationship with Ferdie, whatever it was. She knew she brought out something.. else in him, and she always felt at ease in his company. That and she had known him longer than any wolf around here. Many of the other faces she had met and formed any connection to many moons ago had either died or moved on. For so long, he had been an exception.
Anyway, she mulled over the idea of pursuing cougars instead. Perhaps it is worth considering.
There were goods and bads both that came to mind with this approach. Her expression was stern with concentration. But should we find it, are we ready to confront it without major consequence..
she murmured thoughtfully. They could kill wolves easily and her and Jace were the formally titled warriors here (and he had that limp still).
But there were a decent handful that came to mind that she thought could hold their own. But with winter so close, wounded pack mates was not inviting in the least. And she knew the pack probably wouldn't fancy her running headlong at it alone, either. If only we could know somehow and with certainty which one did it.. As much as I would not complain if all the cougars in the area were gone, though, since I suspect they may come here in winter to hunt our goats. The albino one was, and it was not even winter then.
She was thinking the goats would stay nearby even in winter. Maybe move more into the forests or down the mountain, which could just make them easier for other predators (wolves and cougars alike) to pursue if they traveled too far from the Sunspire itself.
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If only..
she agreed with a slow sighing exhale. It would be so much easier if they just had a trail to go on, a real one that was able to be tracked to some kind of result. Yet, they remained with nothing. I have tried finding trace of the ghost cat, but turned up nothing. It was.. not too long after our founding that it was here last, so there is a good chance it lurks here no longer, but there is no knowing for certain.
As she understood it, they could maintain large ranges and truthfully, hoped it had gone away. Far away.
No matter what happens or does not, Ferdie's poor choice in confronting.. whichever cat it was, was so ridiculous it makes my head hurt.
Speak of which, she shook her head. She was leery of him and Jace's potential reunion, knowing that his leave had wounded the dark-furred Beta likely more than he let on. And she knew good and well that those two could go at it with reckless violence if it came to that point. She didn't want to see it happen, though, and pushed the notion aside promptly.
Summer watched his alpha quietly as she spoke, taking in each word and mulling it thoughtfully over in his ever calculating mind. His head may have hurt him, but that did not stop him from trying desperately to use it. Nothing could ever stop that, no matter how many drugs ran through his veins.
He blinked at her as her commentary came to a close, unsure of what to say and somehow losing grip on what she had said at all. He shook his head lightly to brush off the thoughts that were scratching at his tongue, wanting to be said. He had had enough of them for now, and he suspected that Ame likely did as well. "You know what..." he said slowly, bringing himself onto all fours, "Why don't we hunt for something we're sure to find? I saw a flock of geese resting at the river by Sunshadow Rock just this morning. I'm sure that they'll still be there..." He eyed her hopefully, eager to escape this gloomy topic and to try and outrun the looming aftermath of his high.
*me crappily fading this out and hoping that's coolbeans w/ u bc we can always have new ones*
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She chuffed softly, humored some. That sounds good,
she replied, and quickly latched onto the notion of a hunt with a decent chance of a reward at the end of it. There were other times to consider the cougar, and with nothing to go on, there was no point at this time anyway.
Amekaze sprung into motion and swept her head for him to lead the way, although she would be right on his heels towards the geese. Anticipation welled as she already began to think about the thrill of the hunt, and when the time was right, her gait kicked up to a lope towards the destination.