Although Ariadne had a broken leg, she felt she was doing much better and wanted to try hunting again. The members of Village Moonglow had been generous in bringing her food, and she found herself wanting to repay each of them for their kindness. She knew it was a risk to try and hunt, but she couldn't help herself; it'd been nearly two months since she'd fallen, and she was growing restless and wanted to resume her everyday life.
She followed the trail of a quail, nose hovering just above the ground and casted-leg swinging wide as she attempted to stalk after the bird.
the glacier looks imposing, and jr shudders as she stares at the ice looming overhead; snow frosted and gleaming with the sunlight trapped in it. even from afar, she instinctual wants to shy away from it, from the cold she swears she can feel wafting from it. a small shudder slithers down her spine as she considers what it might be like for the wolves that call it home — for she can pick out the scents that tell her a pack is forming ( or perhaps even has formed ) here.
ghost flies overhead, talons catching loose wisps of her nape fur as he dives and dips, tugging her scruff briefly in a direction; his intentions clear: follow.
she does as the falcon instructs, pacing after his shadow; steps slowing as she comes across the trail of quail and a stranger, intermixing. she hesitates before pursuing, letting out a breathy noise of greeting when the other woman comes into view: draped in a pelage the mixture of fawn browns and soft creams.
Instead of quail, Ariadne found a Towhee Jr. She paused, standing tall and ears cupping forward as she listened to the strange noise the wolf made—it was unlike any sound she’d heard before.
This woman greets you,
she greeted, gaze briefly flitting to Ghost. Welcome to village Moonsong—is there something I can help you with?
She sniffed, noticing the absence of a packscent upon the adolescent.
the woman's lips begin to move — this, jr is used to — and she squints to catch the movements; focusing on the words she can pick out ( for her lipreading skills was still pretty lacking ). despite that she is confident that ptero will go unknown, it has been so long since she's signed that she can't help but make the gestures with her paws that spell out -hello.- offering a soft, wispy breathy noise of greeting; her body posture relaxing to indicate she meant no harm.
ghost lingers above; a vigilant watchfalcon.
i help. i help?
it was the only words jr was able to pick out and she offers a sheepish crook of her ear, head tilting to the side; unsure if she was being asked to help or if she was asking if she ( jr ) needed help.
an unsure shake of her head no is given; uncertainty crackling along her shoulders like a palpable thing.
This was a different kind of conversation, and she was unsure how to navigate it. She watched as the other wolf lifted her paw to signal something, and she did her best to interpret what it meant. You...
she attempted, her mind fumbling as she moved her toes on the ground similarly.
You ... don't need help,
she guessed, after JR shook her head. Ariadne frowned. Oh, okay,
she said, unsure what to say next; she found it strange trying to communicate with somebody who didn't talk back. This was a new experience with her.
If you are hungry, you are welcome to help me hunt—I am happy to share the quail.
jr struggles, similarly.
again, that teeny tiny little thought that nested in the back of her head told her she should go back to moonspear: where the wolves knew how to communicate with her. she was too stubborn, too determined to give it any room to grow or take hold.
she refocuses on the woman's lips; on the words she is speaking but jr cannot hear.
her mouth forms a visible and silent -uhh-; pistons in her mind firing rapidly.
she'd understood one word: hunt.
jr gives a nod, never truly willing to turn down the opportunity to feed her and ghosts' bellies with the help of someone who wasn't hearing impaired. it definitely went quicker.
she paws at her left ear and shakes her head then, hoping to communicate that she couldn't hear, just in case it ended up being a deal breaker.
Finally—a breakthrough. When Towhee pointed to her ear and shook her head, Ariadne finally understood that she couldn’t hear. Oh!
she said, despite knowing her exclamation would go unheard, and then nodded to indicate her understanding.
Now that she knew they couldn’t talk, she had to think on her feet to find ways to communicate so their hunt could be successful.
She jutted her nose northward, where the trail led, indicating that’s where they were going before setting off.
a nod, perhaps overly eager and filled with a sweet swell of relief, is given as she watches the exclamation of understanding morph itself on the other's face. it is the easiest and most effective way she knows how to communicate her disability to others.
keen eyes watch as the other woman juts her nose northward, towards the scent of the quail and takes off in it's direction. if jr hesitates, it is only for a second before loping after her; content with letting her take the lead.
a quick glimpse overhead tells her ghost is trailing; and she hopes that his presence overhead doesn't startle their quarry.
There was an eagerness to Towhee that Ariadne relished in; it was nice to finally communicate at a rudimentary level. Although they'd been successful, there was still so much that she wanted to know. Why was the hawk following them? Why was she alone—she seemed young! What was her name? These questions went unsaid despite them driving her crazy, as she had no way to ask.
The quail wasn't far from where their paths had intersected, and soon, it could be spotted in the distance. Ariadne stopped and turned to Towhee Jr, wondering how she could share her ideas for their hunt.
You,
she pointed at her hunting partner, who looked stronger than her, Kill?
she took her paw and made a cutting motion across her throat. I
she pointed at herself, Chase it towards you?
she made a running motion and then pointed at Jr again. Did she understand that?
an effort is put forth to reading her lips, picking out the single words a bit easier than she had whole sentences earlier. still, that she could read lips at all was a small victory in and of itself, proof that her work during her stay in redtail rise hadn't been in vain at all.
she was to kill the quail.
while her companion was to chase.
jr eyes their quarry, wondering if it could fly and if so, how far and how high. or was it primarily a earth bound bird? these are questions jr had no answer to. despite her reservations and her history of failing her last bird hunt, she nods in understanding and agreement.
This hunt would be a risk, but it was one she was willing to take. She slunk off, circling carefully and wide, keeping her eyes on the bird and paying attention to where he stepped. She had never been much of a hunter, but now, with a village to tend to, she suddenly became more interested in hunting; too bad her leg prevented her from really hunting. Stalking and tracking was the best she could do at the moment.
Once in position, upwind and behind the oblivious bird, she lept, hoping to scare it toward where Towhee Jr stood. It flapped its wings, suddenly spooked, and sprinted in the direction opposite Ariadne.
jr drops to almost her belly, using the foliage, dead and reedy as it was for coverage. keen eyed, she watches the other girl as she sneaks up behind the quail. ears, useless anyway, flutter back against her skull as her gaze then shifts from her hunting partner to their prey. it remains unsuspecting, until it is spooked.
it comes towards her at a sprint.
jr's muscles tense; a spring coiled and ready to be let loose.
it draws nearer and she lunges at it. it scrambles to veer a different direction suddenly; confused. panicked.
this time, it is easier. this time, jr finds success as she uses the bird's disorientation to her advantage and ends it's life. quick; not interested in making it suffer.
pride swells beneath her breast as she scoops it up and brings it towards her companion, tossing it onto the earth between them.
Towhee Jr quickly killed the quail, and Ariadne was thrilled. Aya!
she cheered once she was sure it was dead, Great work!
When the animal was placed between them, she shook her head and pushed it back towards the lone wolf.
No,
she insisted, shaking her head, Yours.
There was plenty of food in the caches, and she was sure she needed it more.
it was her first victory, at least, when it came to avians. there was still the matter of the coyote that had bested her ( even if it had turned tail and ran ) but that was a fight she would pick on a different day. when she was more trained and more prepared.
for the moment, this small victory was her's.
to her surprise, the trophy was rejected. towhee jr's brow furrows and she considers for a moment.
she lifts her paw towards her companion in a 'you' fashion. -take.- she signs in ptero, before nudging the kill towards the other with her nose. the victory of a successful hunt was enough for jr.
Towhee Jr denied the offer, and Ariadne shrugged and pulled it closer; there wasn’t a need to twist her arm to take it. The quail was plump, and she was sure it’d make a fine dinner with enough left over to last her until morning.
Now that they’d accomplished their goal, there was something that she wanted to ask, but she wasn’t sure how to sign it.
Do you have a place to live?
she asked, speaking slowly and wondering if there was a way to communicate better what she wanted to say. You can stay here with my village, if you would like.
jr, satisfied, watches as the woman takes the kill.
her tail gives a soft wag, glad to have been successful, and glad to give it away.
the woman starts speaking again, and jr focuses in on her lips, trying to make sense of the words. it takes her a bit, prolonging her response.
towhee jr's expression morphs into one of contemplation; considering. she understands the importance of having a pack, especially given her disability. she has survived well enough on her own, sure, but she attributes a lot of that to ghost and his learned ways of communicating with her.
she weighs the pros and cons before offering a grateful nod of her head, taking the leap of faith. yes, her nod says. -i will stay in your village.- she signs in ptero. it might give her a sense of accomplishment, helping to build and maybe establish her enough to want to stay for good.
After some contemplation, Towhee Jr agrees to join Moonsong, and Adriane is elated. Aya! What wonderful news!
she exclaimed with a wagging tail. I am thankful for you,
it'd be good for them to have more women in their ranks—especially ones who were as capable as Junior.
Then, she points at the other wolf's paws. Will you teach me to use my paws to talk?
she asked, genuinely wanting to learn; it'd be beneficial for the entire pack to know how to communicate with the newest member.
it's a struggle for her to make out the words, her mind buffers, proving that she definitely needed more practice with reading lips. but jr gets the gist when the woman points to her paws, combined with a few easily discernable words.
she wanted her to teach her how to sign.
a nod is given, secretly glad that she was willing to learn ptero. it would serve to make jr's life a little easier, though she was still determined to continue her lip reading journey.
Ariadne was thrilled, and it showed in her expression. Great!
she said. I will be happy to learn.
With Towhee Jr officially a part of the pack, she figured they could look for somewhere for her and Ghost to bed while they still had light. Would you like me to help you find a cave?
she asked. Theres one not too far off from the glacier that you might like.
as per usual, jr's response is delayed between the struggle to lip read and the time it takes for her to process what she does pick out of the mix.
cave.
a cave? this puzzles jr a bit, before she realizes that it made sense; her expression morphing from soft confusion to a bashful sort of sheepishness. she nods and signs -yes.- in ptero, hoping to sneak in an easy lesson in ptero.
Once confirmation is given, and Ariadne watches the sign for -yes-, they start walking towards Moonsong's heart, giving Towhee simplified explanations of their plans to relocate to the caves above. When she is confident that the newest villager is settled in, she takes her leave with the quail in her mouth and returns to her den to enjoy the meal, satisfied with both the recruitment and hunt.