Eshe had managed to pull down a large branch, and the fruits of her labor were plentiful. But, while finding an oak tree and collecting its leaves was what she had set out to do, she quickly realized she couldn't carry all of it in her mouth. It'd be a waste to leave so many of them behind.

She had had the benefit of proximity when picking herbs at home, but now that she had nowhere, and no cache, to return to, she was in a pickle—especially since it was getting dark.

Eventually, she decided that a pouch would work best. But what material would work best? Using a leaf would be quick and easy to make, but it would be less durable. On the other hand, a pelt would last longer, but it'd also take more time to craft. It'd be a no-brainer if it had been earlier in the day, but she was quickly losing light.

"You know," she murmured, studying the pile, "I don't think I even have time to find a leaf big enough for all of this."

Eshe didn't want to sleep in the open—there had been a few suitable and abandoned caves she'd found earlier in the day—but if she wanted to collect them all, she might have to make sacrifice her comfort.

Someone was nearby—Eshe could smell them. She lifted her head, sniffing the air, and turned in the direction where the scent came from. She had also smelt the pack-scent a while ago but had yet to consider whether or not this territory was their hunting grounds.

Her stomach dropped as she combed through the overgrown landscape when the thought came to mind. 

"Hello?" she called, "I'm not here to cause any trouble." She held her breath, waiting for a response.

Eshe turned as Masquerade spoke and searched for them until she spotted them within the tangle of the underbrush. Although her view was obstructed, their mask was striking and stuck out against the contrast of the greenery. Her gaze lingered on their marking for a beat longer than what would be considered normal; they had reassured her that she was fine where she was.

She only glanced away when the news of the nearby pack piqued her interest. "I'm glad that I'm not infringing on your packlands," she said with a smile, her tail wagging.

"I'm Eshe. Nice to meet you, Masquerade." Their name was as unique as their markings were. 

Eshe sensed the edge of awkwardness in Masquerade's introduction, and she happily took charge of the direction of their conversation."Random question for you," she began, "I'm trying to transport a bundle of plucked oak leaves, and I have no idea how to transport them. Do you know if there are any large leaves in the area that I could use to make a pouch to carry them in?" She figured the other wolf would have a better idea than she did.

Masquerade offered to help despite their palpable discomfort, and Eshe couldn't express how much she appreciated it. "Thank you so much," she replied, her eyes warm with gratitude. "And if there's anything I can do to return the favor—just let me know."

Their search started, neither of them speaking, and she began to look high and low for anything she could make into a pouch. Not too long after they began, Masquerade had an idea. She turned towards the other wolf, considering the suggestion. It wasn't a bad idea—especially if she planned on carrying a heavier load of supplies—but she had some questions.

"So I would carry the herbs in ... it's stomach?" she started with. She wasn't sure if storing the medicine within another's body would have any adverse effects.

Masquerade explained their thought process and gave Eshe a clearer picture of how they could make it work. It would be messy—she couldn't deny that—but the structure's integrity was appealing. Especially since she was living on the road.

"You're onto something with this," she said after a thoughtful pause. "It'd be much more durable than I thought would work."

Eshe began planning the logistics and decided: "I'm thinking a squirrel would work best for now, but I may try a large hare in the future, depending on how this goes." She looked at them with silent inquiry in her eyes, wondering what they thought about the idea.

Masquerade offered to help and suggested they split up to find a squirrel. "Sounds great," Eshe agreed with a nod. "I'll see you soon." Without another word, she turned on her heel and headed in that direction. Before she was out of sight, she turned and looked over her shoulder to say, "Thanks for the help!"

The trail that she decided to follow weaved through the woods. She could tell the squirrel was young, healthy, and carrying some blackberries. Hopefully, if it was eating when she found it, she could catch it off guard and quickly kill it.

Eshe found the animal enjoying its food just out of reach on a low-hanging branch. She frowned, not at all pleased with her discovery.

Unlike Masquerade—who seemed to have things under control on their end—Eshe wasn't successful. She frowned to herself, watching as the squirrel nibbled away at its lil treat, as she considered her next move. Climbing the tree was an option, but it wasn't a risk she was willing to take. Another option was to go and find another scent to follow, but she didn't know how long that'd take.

Eventually, Eshe decided to go with an option required the least amount of effort. She tipped her head back and howled to Masquerade to ask: "Hows it going?"

Alerted by the noise, the squirrel perked and then bolted up the tree, leaving its meal behind.

Masquerade didn't respond, which concerned Eshe. Was everything going okay? Did something happen to them? Time seemed to slow as she waited silently, awaiting any indication of their status or an update.

When they arrived, she released the breath she'd been holding and looked between the hunter and their prey. Although it wasn't a squirrel, Eshe felt they could make it work. But, for now, her mind wasn't on their project.

"Are you okay?" she breathed, looking them up and down as she stood. "I got so worried about you when you didn't respond!"

Eshe chuckled at Masquerade's reply. "Well, I'm glad it was because you had the possum and not because something happened."

When they reclined and looked expectantly at the possum, her attention turned to the project before them. It was intimidating, to say the least, and she wasn't sure how to go about this. "Do you ... have any idea how we should do this?" Eshe sat and curled her tail around her forepaws a she closely examined the body. She glanced at its face and a shiver ran down her spine; it was brutal.

Eshe breathed a sigh of relief when Masquerade offered to see out the task at hand. "Thanks. I feel like I'd ruin it—my paws aren't as steady as they once were," she said, relieved and thankful.

Eshe watched with bated breath as Masquerade forcefully tugged at the skin until it ripped open. The opening was crude, but they had managed to do the job better than she would have been able to. "It's alright," she said, watching as everything drained from the tear.

Then, as the thought struck her, she asked, "Have you done anything like this before?"

"I'm surprised," she admitted. "You seem like you could do this in your sleep." Eshe was impressed.

Their conversation continued; although hunting wasn't her favorite subject, she enjoyed it. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Masquerade said, "Sorry to rush off, I just… I have to go. I hope it works out, Eshe. Goodbye." Eshe frowned; she hoped their leaving was because of something she'd said. "No worries," there were many worried, "Thanks for the help."

Left to her own devices, Eshe tried following Masquerade's directions and failed spectacularly. She had managed to knick the intestine, and the project was ruined as far as she was concerned. Frustrated, she stress-ate and nearly ate the entire carcass herself.

When she was done, she left behind the giblets for the scavengers and searched for a place to sleep for the night.