Phoenix Maplewood knock knock

Chosovi had heard that the alpha female had given birth. She kept well away from the whelping den the initial forty-eight hours, but knew that as a wolf of the pack she'd have to contribute to keep that alpha female alive. Who was providing for her? She had no mate! Chosovi could only catch a measly rabbit on this day, and brought it near enough to the whelping den where it could be noted but far enough where she would not be assaulted for her mere presence alone. She darted off with her tail low and sighed heavily, shaking her head. A rabbit really wouldn't get very far, would it?

And so she threw up her head and howled, hoping to meet a packmate or two... and persuade them to hunt with her.

Laika was nosing about the leaves, tail tip twitching as she heard the howl. It wasn't Saena's (Why would the Alpha female howl for her pack mates when she was busy with pups anyways?), but Laika decided to check it out anyway. It could be one of the newer wolves, and it was good to meet others. 

Paw pads pounded upon the earth, kicking up dust as she went. Her ears were pricked, eager to see who it was but she was still guarded. It could be a stupid trespasser or just a Phoenix Maplewood wolf that shouldn't be trusted. Either way, she wouldn't know until she checked it out. 

Finally, the faint silhouette of a wolf came into view, and Laika slowed her pace. Tail raised and swaying back and forth in a friendly wag. She couldn't be too distrustful until she knew who the wolf was. She didn't want to come off mean. Her blue speckled eyes peered through the last bit of undergrowth before pushing through it. The wolf appeared to be a she-wolf, but Laika couldn't be sure. Her coat was a normal tawny pattern with soft brown eyes. Laika smiled faintly, still not sure if she could trust this wolf. 


"Hello," she said, offering the first words. "It's a beautiful day in the Maplewood, isn't it?" She hoped she could befriend this wolf. It was good to have lots of friends within the pack.

In little time, Chosovi was approached. She turned to face the direction her packmate had come from and grinned warmly at her, ears flattening atop her head in meek submission. Chosovi was no top dog by any means, and hardly desired to test others for their rank. She knew she wouldn't do well ascending in any case. The other wolf was truly pretty, in a unique way. The Ostrega hadn't met many white wolves in her life, and so the impression stuck. 

It really is! I'm glad you could come, she perused the horizon and listened for any others that might come... and frowned when it seemed that wasn't the case. I was hoping one more would come. I know our leaders just given birth... I wanted to bring her something of substance. Rabbits can only go so far, she frowned, and looked back to the prettier she-wolf. I'm Chosovi by the way. New here. Y'know anyone who'd wanna help us that y'can call?

Laika smiled at Chosovi. She was an ordinary wolf, but also a very intriguing wolf. Laika liked her. She was happy that Chosovi was friendly and welcoming. 

"Me too," she replied, her blue eyes remaining friendly. She watched as the tawny female's eyes wandered into the forest behind her. Laika found herself wondering what she was looking for and her own eyes trailed the girl's. They found nothing, but maybe Chosovi saw something she didn't.
 
Finally, her silent question was answered and Laika nodded. She looking for more wolves to aid them on the hunt. Immediately, Laika thought of Spring and Esaro. They were both close friends of hers. She pondered for a quick second. Once she looked around, she realized they were pretty close Saena's den. They weren't close enough to be in trouble, but they were still close. The two year old didn't want to disrupt Saena and the puppies and Spring and Esaro might me busy. Maybe they could explore a little further away and come across the two wolves. 

"Spring and Esaro would probably be up for it," she began. "They may be busy, but we might easily come across them as we look for prey." 

@Spring and @Esaro, you guys don't have to join at all and you definitely don't have to join right now, but if you have time, come join us in the hunt!!

Cool, cool, cool, Chosovi said agreeably as the other brought up the names of two wolves she did not yet know. I didn't catch your name, by the way, she tacked on. Chosovi didn't want to be rude and well, not acknowledge that fact and not know who exactly she was talking to. In any case, now was as good a time as any to track something down, wasn't it? So the she-wolf began to stroll, nose against the earth and sniffing loudly. Old herd scents were pretty stale, but she suspected she'd catch a whiff of something fresh sooner or later. Chosovi had seen small tell-tale signs of a herd that had recently passed through, but never really tracked them to see if it was here or just outside the Maplewood they loitered. We'd have to find something real weak, to bring something down between the two of us, so hopefully they come along. I feel bad. Just been catching Saena nothin' but rabbits. I mean, she's gotta be tired of them, right?

"I'm Laika," she said as a smile danced upon her lips. She turned to watch Chosovi as she tracked down some scents, seemingly finding a few that must've been a bit stale. She obviously already had some useful skill, and Laika was excited to see what else she's got. 

She looked about, glancing mostly in the direction Chosovi detected the scent. Instantly, she knew where the prey was. "There's a small clearing further down that way the I've seen many deer hang around. That's probably where that are now." 

Laika remembered hunting with Spring and Grace in that clearing. She cringed slightly at the thought of Grace's leg. The poor girl had hurt her bum leg even more trying to hunt the deer even though she was told not to hunt large prey. Laika found herself wondering how the small she-wolf was doing. She figured she would go check on her today or tomorrow.

Well, nice to meet you! Chosovi smiled. Laika was a lovely name. Like Saena. The Maplewood harbored a lot of lovely wolves with a lot of lovely names. Chosovi was all about the aesthetic, and she saw loads of it here. That was great; Chosovi felt right at home. She bet even the babies Saena produced would be a ten out of ten. There was a part of Chosovi that was excited to meet those little guys, but another part that was a bit nervous. She wasn't bad with kids, but she also wasn't exactly good. They could survive in her presence... but she did not really know what to do with them but let them basically pretend to be zombies and eat her. She had the patience of a saint.

Chosovi nodded at the others mention of a clearing. Lead the way! she invited, her tail waving. Laika here had longevity over her, and Chosovi was more than content to be subordinate to the other. With no ambition to speak of, like, literally none, Chosovi was happy and subservient to others whims and desires. If Laika thought hunting was a bad idea, Chosovi'd follow the train of thought easily enough. And get Saena another rabbit.

Laika nodded and set off. Her paws lightly hit the ground as she padded through the foliage at a quick pace. Her tail stood straight out behind her, careful not to disturb any undergrowth as she walked by. She waited every few hundred yards to make sure Chosovi was keeping up, but the two eventually made it to the clearing.

She paused and surveyed the area. Low and behold, there were 2 deer. One, a large buck who was growing back his antlers and the other was a doe. She narrowed her eyes. This was going to be a hard one with just two wolves. She sat on her haunches, careful not to make a sound and pondered on it. If they could distract or scare the buck long enough, they could pull it off, the the stakes were high for the doe to startle too.

She and Laika followed the trail. But it was Laika who discovered something first, unsurprisingly. A buck and a doe! Both were a decent size and neither looked injured. Risky, Eshe remarked in a whisper, hoping the passing breeze would overwhelm her words. No such luck. Their audits were perked and their head swung in their joint direction. Whelp, cats out of the bag. Good to know they're here. But... they look in too good of shape, right? We gotta find something sickly... or hurt... these guys are in tip-top shape. The buck is maybe a little young, but that rack...! Could definitely do some damage, she deduced. She grimaced. What other decent sized things could we find? Hey, maybe geese!

Laika nodded slowly. She knew it was too risky, but she itched to hunt deer. When Chosovi mentioned geese, the petite girl nodded. Good idea. "That is probably better. Let's go right." She suggested.

Instead of leading the way, Laika gave the other girl a turn. She wanted to see how good her tracking skills were. It would be good to know there was another skilled Hunter in this pack she could rely on. 

Sorry for short post and since the pack has moved, I'm thinking we should rap this up shortly - perhaps fade out as they begin walking in the potential direction of geese? :D

Fade!

Chosovi turned to lead the way, as bid by Laika, when presented with the option to. She knew just where to go, using her sniffer to suss out the winged-devils and bounding all the way there once they were out of the four-legged hooved-beasts vicinity. Though no doubt the animals knew what resided here. But hell no was Chosovi gonna be the one to say she scared them off!