soulmates, i said, aren't always meant to be

All welcome though maybe @Caiaphas or @Rosalyn?

There has been little success in what Tuulikki is looking for.  The one chance she had running into a wolf hadn’t turned into much and the coast has been quiet since.  She hasn’t even returned to the island where Wanheda remains, waiting for her sacrifice. At this point, over a week later, is she even waiting at all?  A capable wolf should be able to garner one follower, one believer, and she hadn’t been able to do accomplish anything.  If Wanheda isn’t waiting for her, or looking for her, she isn’t sure she wants to return.  

She knows she can’t return empty handed.

Unsure of whether or not she is ready to give up, she decides to seek shelter for the night as the sun begins to descend to the ground. The remaining sunlight surrounds her in the forest, nose to the ground, following the scent of some small game. Her stomach rolls in protest, instead wanting to sleep it off, but she continues on tired paws anyway.  With a sigh, a puff of air forming smokey in front of her face, she happens to stumble across a rabbit tucked at the base of a tree.

Glancing upwards at the cloudy sky for a brief moment, Vin sighed as he kept padding through the wilderness. Today was not a good day. It was cold (despite his thick winter coat to keep him warm, winter had never been his favorite season for many practical reasons), and he was hungry. Stopping to shake his fur, the male then put his nose to the ground, trying to sniff out any trail of prey around the area. There was a faint smell of rabbit, and Vin's tail flicked to the right at his discovery. Following it, he began to move with more stealth as the scent became stronger and stronger. Focused entirely on that, the loner did not may much attention the smell of another canine around. 

Upon seeing his desired prey, he wasted no team leaping forward, startling it awake but it was not long before it was in a sleep yet again, this time eternal thanks to Vin's teeth. Biting down tightly with his maw, he turned, about to lay down to eat his catch. When he did so, however, he saw a stranger, which made him pause. From the look in her eyes, Vin became a little nervous. It seemed that she, too, had been after that rabbit. He wasn't exactly a selfless wolf, so it wasn't easy for him to speak instead of just walk away, but he was honorable, which kept him there. "...Sorry." Vin spoke with a mild tone, his reluctance kept away from the voice. He then dropped the rabbit. 

"Want to share?"

Tuulikki isn’t the best hunter but she’s managed to get this far in her life, even as a loner, but she hesitates too long.  She crouches down to watch the rabbit, barely moving from his spot.  It is a good time to charge forward but she spends too much time preparing and psyching herself up.  Her legs bend, ready to spring forward, lifting one of her front feet, but before she gets the chance she’s disrupted.  Tuulikki staggers back a few steps to hide but she doesn’t get far and instead watches another wolf take her meal.

Her stomach objects and she feels her lips curl around her teeth before she forces them to relax.  Instead of staying, she turns to leave before she’s spotted.  Once more is she too slow and the other speaks up once noticing her and Tuulikki swings her head around.  It surprises her that he offers to share the rabbit, whether out of pity of guilt, the girl cannot be sure, but it results in her turning her attention to the thief.  Little wind opens her jaws to speak but instead of words, all she can manage is a few stiff nods of her head.

Grunting in reply to her silent nods, Vin took a few steps forward, unceremoniously letting himself fall to the ground. He ripped at the rabbit, taking a good chunk for himself, though he was careful to leave leftover meat for the female in front of him. As he swallowed, he nudged the rabbit forward to her, so she could have the rest. Sadly, it wasn't plump prey, it looked as though the thing had been on it's last days before being caught by Vin. Ears twitching, Vin lifted his head though he continued to lay there, glancing around and keeping himself alert. 

At first, he isn't sure if he wants to say anything at all, probably the best choice would be just to leave her to it and get on with his day. But, he figures it might be a long while before he runs into anyone else out here, and Vin doesn't want to be a loner forever. She has no scent of a pack on her, but maybe she knows more about those out in this wild compared to him. Neglecting to introduce himself for now, he however does not let them enter an uncomfortable silence. "Where do you come from?"

hi! feel free to skip over me since i kind of just wrecked the posting order

a stillness hung over the coast, mulled by rolling fog. even the lash of surf seemed tame as it gently rubbed along the worn coast. caiaphas had taken advantage of the lull in weather by carving her way down the distant strand, her pace somewhat erratic as she stopped hither and there, inspecting with ravenous curiosity anything that happened to catch her eye.

during one such inspection caiaphas heard the crash of thicket and snap of bone. abruptly she cast her head in the direction of the weald that hugged the coast, her mule-length ears strained for any resultant sound. electing then to investigate, the siren-queen made her way towards the copse where the two wolves currently were.

8)

Even if the offer to share is on the table, the other wolf eating half of it, she can’t stop the feeling rolling around her stomach that she should get all of it.  She’d seen the rabbit first, he should have noticed her, right?  Tuulikki quickly shakes the thought from her head, lowering her snout and pulling other half of the rabbit toward her.  Once she’s shuffled back enough—even if he doesn’t present a threat—she begins to pick at what’s left.

She struggles to pick it clean at first, her stomach churning at the influx of meat, and her weary paws holding her steady.  He’s made himself comfortable on the cool ground and she almost misses the question.  With rabbit meat between her teeth, she peaks up from the kill and shrugs one of her shoulders.  “The island,” Tuulikki tells him but her head shakes, changing her mind:  no where.

:D partyyyy

Eyes dark, he looks at her cleaning off the rabbit, scrutinizing the action. Despite the fact that it rarely got him anywhere meaningful, Vin always did have the bad habit of judging others based on their appearance. He tried not to let his quick thoughts about others get too mean or spiteful, though. He had some sense of logic, which was more than could be said for others out there (the irony of that thought following the one before did not occur to him).  "Island?" He echoed, somewhat confused. Vin hadn't seen one in his time here. Deciding he wasn't that curious however, he shrugged it off, getting up on all fours again.

Their conversation, though Vin had to strain to call it even that, was interrupted a minute later by the appearance of another, making their way towards them through the forest. He heard them before he saw them, it was another female, a hybrid by the looks and smell of her. As a pure wolf who had only ever been around family until his new (temporary) loner life, he found those with mixed bloodlines a little odd. But he supposed those with at least a little wolf blood within them could always be viewed as an equal. Vin tilted his head at the second stranger, giving a noncommittal sound of greeting.

it wasn't long before she was noticed, though in truth she had not attempted to shield herself from detection. the waif drew up a respectable distance, eyeing the remains of the rabbit with a faintly hungry interest. she sampled the air by lifting a slender muzzle, her gaze falling on the two -- they had shared a meal. she assumed they were together.

she didn't bother interjecting their conversation yet -- with a slip of her haunch she laid her weight against her side, sitting in a lazily inert position. if they addressed her she would oblige in conversation -- for now, she blatantly eavesdropped.

So I'm mildly confused at the interaction.  Vin acknowledging 'phas but she doesn't acknowledge him, so I'm just... gonna leave Tuulikki oblivious, lmao.

The male questions her and she stares down at the remains of the rabbit, a mix of guts and bone she left at her feet.  What little is left she crunches between her teeth, devouring it—she’s unsure of when her next meal might be—while she contemplates how to reply.  When she takes a few seconds to answer, he begins to pick himself up as if he might leave.  Tuulikki thinks to object but, for what reason?  He had no reason to stick around, especially if she didn’t feel like talking.  Trying to convince him to follow her back to the island hadn’t yet crossed her mind but when she notes it, she realizes he doesn’t seem worthy of a sacrifice for Wanheda and so she keeps her head down.

He stops and makes a sound for which makes her head tilt, slowly turning to see what he might be looking at.  The wind is blowing in her direction so she doesn’t catch the scent but she feels her body’s posture automatically change.  Her muscles pull taunt and her ears cup forward, stiffening her form.  

social cues are hard for vin

Vin didn't expect much of a reply, considering he hadn't given a word to go off of in the first place. He was content with seeing the other stranger only sit there, apparently not wanting to interrupt the two for now. He is, however, somewhat surprised at the female he had shared his rabbit with's reaction. She seemed to become immediately stressed at the appearance of any other canine, a contrast to how he dealt with unfamiliar faces. Vin motioned towards the wordless one, before taking a few steps forward. He was unsure if he should stick around.

Not that he'd put himself down as 'talkative' most of the time, he was at least...responsive, unlike his current company. Better to just keep going. "Well," the black wolf breathed, feeling awkward. "I'll leave you two to it." Even though they didn't know each other, he supposed their apparently similar personalities might allow them to bond.

caiaphas' gaze swung to the younger of the trio, the grey agouti who had savored the last of the hare's remains. the female's expression was alarmed, her posture concerned -- with a smooth glide the coywolf departed from the cover of bramble and into the open. 

she assessed the dark male, who seemed eager to leave their company -- with a wryness to her gaze she tilted her slender muzzle, mule-length ears askew as she inquired: "and where will you go?"

The dark wolf makes his way to leave and makes a comment Tuulikki doesn’t understand.  With her brows knit together, she turns to glance back over her shoulder once more to try and see if there’s someone there or whether or not she’s crazy.  Her shoulders tense up, her skin tightening over her body and keeping her still.  As she sweeps back to the one that shared the kill, he’s made his way to leave when a voice suddenly catches her attention.  

Her throat constricts and she freezes, one paw hanging above the ground and looking for the best way out.  The last time she’d been stuck between two wolves had been close to a mountain and she’d been able to get away relatively quickly.  She stands between the two, frozen, waiting for a gap in the exchange.

The hybrid's question makes him pause in his steps, caught off guard. Opening his mouth, he glances back to the stranger he'd shared a meal with, trying to come up with an answer, but he finds none. "I'm not sure." Vin says truthfully. "I am looking for a new pack, since my birth one has disbanded." He explains, not giving any unnecessary details after that. He gazes at her, wondering if perhaps she knows more about this land than she first let on. It would give a reason for her silent watching before.

sorry for the wait.. the holidays really drained my writing muse!

the waif teetered the invisible line between encroaching their camp and avoiding it, her stilt like legs wobbling as if she were perched on some precarious promontory. her feral gaze glanced from female to male, watching -- watching in the way of some cornered she-beast hungry and paled.

the female looked uncertain - spooked. her paw suspended like some hanging pendulum unsure of path or direction. caiaphas' gaze darkened. "there's my pack, ankyra. follow the beach south for cliffs." it was an invitation, but she said nothing further. she felt as if she were intruding and the male looked ready to jet -- rather than be left in the dust the witch made her own departure towards the sound.