Somehow she had survived. The summer had been stifling, even for her. To roam the hills invited danger, and after an initial intervention by one amarok, she had gone in to hiding. Avoidance came naturally to her more-so than any other primal skill; but now, with autumn flooding the senses of the lost girl, she knew she had to make a decision. To live in this wilderness, alone, without Man to guide her... The thought was heart-wrenching. But to live among the beasts and allow herself to drift from the teachings of Man, to lose herself, that introduced terror in to her soul.
To live in solitude, then, became the only option. Wandering the hills, picking away at the dead, avoiding the living... It was barely an existence. Aupa had thrived for a short time. A time of adjustment wherein the fat of her body was stripped away. Now she was lean - her muscles were more toned, stronger.
The clouds had cleared from the sky - she had watched, pensive but alert, drinking in the thin scent of rain which hung in the air. It was gone now, or almost gone. The past few days of rain had not dampened Aupaluktok's spirits. She was hardened, resistant. The river babbled before her - a tempting whisper, calling her close for a taste.
With a sly glance towards the trees, to the hills beyond and back again, the dog carefully lowered herself close to the river's edge and began to lap at the fluid. As the water quenched her thirst, so too did it ease her apprehension. Water could only fill the void in her empty belly for so long, though. Soon she would be off again, seeking something dead and lost to pilfer from.
he did not surrender his search for atticus; he dipped himself into the task humbly, vying fiercely for blue willow's happiness even though he had been divested of his own. numbly he thought of his blackpelted demon, and the fiery gem who had stolen him — the season would soon be upon the land, and fox would conceive. the caldera would resound in the springtime with the sound of her children. his heart broke within him.
stifling the tears that threatened to betray his sorrow, lasher lifted his muzzle into the slight zephyrs that broke the growing chill. water was nearby, but he could not catch the scent of the swarthy wanderer. taltos wondered if atticus' head had returned to him, and if so, what had persuaded him to leave the safety and shelter of the plateau. surely it was not lack of attention from the willow! she who had given everything to pay service to her betrothed.
ears cupped forward in curiosity as his absent reverie was redirected by the sight of an oddly fragranced beast crouched over the waters. lasher drew to a halt, paws gripping the loam uncertainly — it was not a wolf, one of his brethren, and instinctively he bristled, though his gentler nature did not bring forth a growl into the air. he was merely silent, watchful.
There was nothing lively about Aupaluktok. Nothing to indicate she was a living thing, save for the slick manner with which she drank. The sounds of her were covered by the subtle sound of the river.
When her thirst was sated, she lifted her head once more and watched. She did not know what she was watching for, only that the action was vital. A breeze rippled through the trees around her and she listened. Her mind drifting with the white noise while a thread of fluid dripped from her snout, sprinkling absently across the surface.
There was nothing here. Or, if there was something, it remained hidden. This secrecy of the wild was what had her on edge. And then, as the breeze shifted, Aupaluktok caught upon a strange smell. Within moments she was made attentive to that familiar note upon the air.
Amarok. She knew it, deep in her gut.
A stirring in her deepest parts told her brought forth a simple warning: beware, and so she took to pacing upon the bank. Her pride had been worn thin, starting with that first encounter with the Wild Thing. As small as she was, there was a desire to become smaller, as if making herself insignificant would save her from the wolf's bestial nature. She did not know where the creature lurked, but in knowing he was there, somewhere, Aupa grew restless.
he was feral, but not cruel; he only watched the nervous, pacing beast upon the bank for a moment more before he glided into view. perhaps to her he would seem fierce and graceful — taltos was naught but a broken vessel clad in the colour of the earth, his heart barely mended from the departure that night in the caldera, and he did not bother to hide the pain in his eyes.
nostrils flared, lasher crept on silent paws some inches closer, to draw the scent so rank with foreign taint into his awareness. the beast was compact, thickly furred, and female, but he had no word for what she was. the delta had never seen a canine before, but instinct demanded he be wary, even threatening.
yet he was neither of those things; he gave a gentle chuff, plume curled above his slim hips to give a brief wave before descending into a comfortable curve at his heels. ears remained pricked, alert, and the sinews of his body were taut, lest this appealing thing yet lash out.