Silverlight Terrace I'm staaarrrvinn'!

Backdated travel thread @Arrille

From Neverwinter Forest, Maude travelled west-and-south to the Hinterlands. Sometime back, she remembered Kjalarr mentioning his brother further inland, with a pack of his own. It was a vague lead, but it was a lead nonetheless, far better than just wandering off with a child in tow.

Said child was rather young, and Maude found that he could not walk as fast as she. She had figured that the boundless energy of children meant they could run faster and longer than the older wolves, but they had little in endurance. She had to stop often to rest, which Maude hadn't minded at first, but they were becoming tedious. She called for another stop, and turned to the little tyke. Ye hungry? She asked, feeling her stomach growl.

Arrille's tail had been hanging low, like his head. He was beginning to regret leaving his mother without a word. Maude brought him out of that. The little one was trailing behind the larger wolf, trying his best to keep up while also being mopey. "Y...Yes." A question popped into his head, one he had not asked. If he had, he did not remember asking and perhaps had gotten distracted afterwards. "How do you know my father?"

With the question asked she was ready to leave the boy and let him rest, but another question was posed, stopping her in her tracks. Maude furrowed her brow, at the first word - how - then relaxed as he went on. I met 'im when I's was travelin'. Bantered wit' 'im fer a bit, then wandered off and joined a pack called Saltwinter. Turned out he was a member dere too; the Beta. She recalled the time fondly, when they would both insult each other, teasing and prodding at the other's weaknesses. It was something she sorely missed about Kjalarr, for he was the only one here in the Wilds to really do that. You want t' come wit me an' 'unt, or d'ye want t' find a place t' rest? She didn't realize how adult these questions were, or that giving children choices wasn't always the best idea, but Maude was never really fit to be a parent.

Arrille's little head tipped to the side as she answered his curious question. Had his father met Maude before his mother? He wanted to ask, only stopping himself when he recalled that Maude did not seem to like his mother so much. "Saltwinter...where was that?" he asked before she went on about hunting. 

"Um...I think I can go find a place to rest" he answered, his paws feeling pained and tired. At so young, he never did any venturing this far out. He did feel like helping her hunt at first, to show off his skills he thought he had, but his legs protested to that. "My legs are feeling tired."

By t'shore, She recalls her time in her pack, the first true pack she was a part of. North an' east a ways from t'forest ye were born in. In this place called Ankyra Sound, She scratched at her ear, shaking her head. She stood, ready to head off and hunt. He consided to stay and wait rather than come with her. She frowned in worry. 'ide yerself. Stay safe 'til I come back, She warned, turning off into the brush.

His head tilted. That name he hadn't heard before. Learning all of this was fascinating, making him wonder more and more why his father had never spoke of her. They seemed to know each other quite well. Perhaps it was entirely his mother's influence over his father.

"R-Right." He wasn't sure why his voice was shaky then, as he normally tried to be brave. He ducked into the brush and laid down, laying his head on his paws. In this moment, he began to wonder if he had even mae the right choice.

Maude was largely unaccustomed to inland hunting. The pretty here was larger and tasted woodier than she was used to. She missed the taste of salt in her meat, the pink flesh of fish compared to the bloodied meat of venison. But she and the kid were hungry, and beggars could not be choosers.

She was lucky that she found some rotten semblance of meat remaining from some bear's kill. The bear scent was long gone, but recent enough that she was wary. The pirate screeched, chasing away the vultures and crows and ravens that had lofted on the creature's body. They perched on the trees and bushes nearby, waiting. With a short howl, she summoned the boy to her.

Arrille continued to wonder whether he was right to leave. His mother was no doubt worried, his only one mother that he held close to him, so dear to him. But these thoughts were gone when Maude summoned him, no doubt having found food. Hunger drove him forth, his legs carrying and his hungry salivated mouth directing him. 

He arrived, only to find that it looke,d and even smelt, rather old. The birds above, he wasn't sure what they were. But he knew that some birds ate at old carcasses. He approached slowly, feeling that if he ate this it could potentially make him sick. Or it was his pride talking. "Um...It looks kinda old...It that all right to eat?" he asked, glancing up at Maude.

The boy came as he was called, practically conditioned to her call. She keeped a close eye on the carrion birds above, baring her teeth at the teasing avians as Arrille arrived. She let the kid eat first, her eyes set on fighting away any scavengers that lurked nearby. Her ear swivelled back to the boy's reluctant voice, turning for a minute to look at him, confused, and back to the scavengers. Aye, She huffed, her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the lofting birds and the shaking of the bushes nearby. Better than starvin'. I mean, unless, ye want t'eat dem crows up dere,

Arrille whined like young pup, not getting his way. The birds would have been more fresh. Although, he doubed that Maude would even help him catch those birds. He very highly doubt it. So, he shook his head and took a bite at the older animal. 

He gagged on it, although it was all in his head. If he had thought nothing of it, then he would not have even minded the taste, no doubt. It was better than starving. He gave a subtle glare over to Maude, even if she had let him eat first.

She snarls at the bushes and trees alike, pacing around the carcass. If there is one similarity between the sea and the inner land, it is the scavengers. Tough, stubborn bastards they were. Though these were more content to wait than the seagulls, having more experience with wolves and the like. Wolves were a rare thing along the sea in general, a few isolated groups like her Tortuga and Kjalarr's Vikings aside. 

When she thought Arrille had his fill, she butted in beside him, tearing the flesh better than he could with her stronger jaws, opening a place in the flesh for them both to eat easier.

Arrille tried to get his fill. His jaws weren't as strong, as most of his food had been hunted and he had help getting into the meal. This time, he had no such help. Not until Maude bumped in beside him. He moved back to give Maude some room. If he were to be honest, he was a bit scared of Maude. Mainly because Maude was an adult.

When he saw that she had made it easier, he went to dig in again, but not before thanking her silently with a nudge to her shoulder, just as he had been taught to thank others. Then he began getting his fill on food.

She stepped back a bit to let the kid eat some more, gnawing at what had been caught inside her mouth until she rounded on the other side, opening another, smaller hole for herself and tearing through.

When her stomach was full she stepped back, waiting for the kid. The crows and ravens and vultures and other scavengers had landed nearby, seeing that the two were close to the end of their meal. Maude growled at them again. Yew almost ready, kid? She snapped impatiently, done with dealing with these stubborn creatures.

Arrille kept on going at it, eating away whatever he could fit into his hungry little stomach. Until the impatience of Maude made him flinch, backing away from the carcass. He gave a nod, licking along his own muzzle to get whatever was left. He wanted to hurry while they could, before he got hungry again and regretted not finishing off the entire thing. "Lead the way."

Maude, finally ready to leave the pesky birds, grunted in approval. With one last lunged to sate her pride, she turned to lead the tyke in their seemingly haphazard and random course to a place that only Maude seemed to vaguely know.