Dawnlark Plains Longing to belong

@Theia; Winter, -4°C/24°F

 

       The winter is a hard time for any lone wolf, but it was even harder for a young loner like Nara. It had broken her both mentally and physically. Her last meal was five days ago. A scanty rabbit. For some reason, out of all the rabbits on the plain, she was only able to catch the weakest, smallest and ugliest looking one. Nara even considered leaving it in the snow, but she was too hungry to do that. And now she was hungry again. Her joints ached and her mind was tired. The cold winds stung her eyes and small drops of frozen water had gathered in her pelt. At least her paws didn't hurt anymore. The freezing soil and the snow made sure of that. They were numb.
       Nara didn't know what was keeping her alive. She had been traveling for days. Up and over a mountain and now she was drifting across a vast, white plain. Where to? For a moment she wished for dear life that her mother was still with her, that she could cuddle up to her and feel her warmth, smell her scent. She wouldn't have to be afraid to die, because her mother would protect her and care for her, always. 
       Nara stopped walking. The memory of her mother nearly brought her to her knees. She couldn't go on like this, she needed to find a place to rest. Or find something to eat. Or find someone who could actually hunt. 

Luckily for Theia, her wound was a superficial one. It had ceased in its stinging quite some time ago. What stung more was that she was cast back out into the world alone. She trotted along the plains with her eyes downcast to the ground, bitterness bubbling up in her breast like bile. Why? What had she done to deserve this? Was it even deserved at all? She just wanted to be happy for once, like she was when she was young. But those days were long gone, and she was a very different wolf now, tainted by illness of the mind. To her, though, she has simply been enlightened. The world was just out to get her for some unknown reason that she hoped to one day uncover.

A movement caught her eye, and she jerked her head upwards—which she quickly regretted, as her body punished her for tugging on her torn flesh. Theia grimaced but studied the woman before her. She was pale and appeared to be a loner, just as she was. Also like herself, she didn't seem pleased by her predicament. Striding up to the she-wolf, she spoke in a wise, authoratative voice with a reserved mask to boot, It's tough being out here alone, yes? I am Theia—what is your name? Her chin and tail were raised high to further assert herself as the higher being that she was, despite her recent encounter. Theia hadn't even considered the fact that her wound still looked quite gnarly, blood still staining her fur.

       Nara was dragging herself through the snow. How much longer, she thought, can I keep going on alone? As if fate had heard her, another wolf came walking towards her and introduced herself. It is... I'm Nara, Nara answered. She looked at Theia curiously, her head slightly tilted to the side. Theia looked confident, tail up high, and even the way she spoke made Nara instinctively lower her head a little. But the dried blood that clung to her grey fur made Nara think that maybe she wasn't as alright as she wanted Nara to believe. Are you okay? She asked, nodding at the wound.

Nara, she repeated in her mind so as not to forget it... Not that there were any promises with her. Seeing the woman's head lower submissively stroked her ego nicely, and she resisted the urge to grin. When Nara asked about her wound, her eyes flitted down to it for a moment as if it'd been forgotten (it hadn't). I'm fine; just a minor altercation, Theia explained confidently, meeting her gaze. It wasn't a total lie.

Perhaps she could make a follower out of this wolf. Are you hungry? She then asked, sounding like it was more for Nara than herself, but that would be a lie. A rabbit was something, but not nearly enough for a starved beast such as herself.

       The other wolf made it seem like her wound was nothing important. Although something in her eyes made Nara think that it did hurt, at least a little bit. I wish I could be that strong, Nara thought, and immediately felt like shit. What a weakling she was. How insignificant. The wolf that stood before her was wounded, alone and probably hungry, but kept her head up high. While all she could do was feel sorry for herself and catch puny rabbits. That's why Nara was all the more happy when Theia asked if she was hungry. She could barely control herself not to squeal 'Yes!'.
       I am, she said instead, I haven't eaten in days. Would you like to hunt?
Nara shook off the snow that had nestled in her pelt and stood up straighter. Ears pointed forward. Trying to at least look the part of a viable hunting partner. While she was, in fact, not that good of a hunter. Chasing wasn't the problem, she was fast and agile enough to keep up with most prey. But the catching part... Her paw-eye coordination was what you could call nonexistent. Of course, she wasn't going to tell Theia that. 

Ended up rolling for rabbits, go figure. :v

Yes, let's, She replied with a smirk, keeping up her air of wisdom. Theia trotted off, nose to the ground in hopes of finding something—anything edible. After a short while of tracking, she caught scent of a rabbit that'd recently left its burrow. There's a rabbit burrow up ahead, She informed Nara at a murmur with a serious sideways glance. There should be numerous exits they will try to escape from. I'll start digging at one hole, and you wait at another, but be prepared if it chooses a different exit, She ordered.

With that, she approached one hole and got to work, paws disturbing the earth and shoveling it behind her from between her legs. As she did, more and more of her body was able to squeeze into the entrance. Sooner or later, the inhabitants would have to flee, lest they be snatched up in Theia's jaws.

       Theia instructed Nara to wait at an exit of the burrow while she dug out another. Nara followed the scent to a hole underneath the thin layer of snow. It was faint, but it was there. She tried to tread lightly, as to not alert the rabbits to her presence. She waited quietly, head low, body close to the ground. 
       A sudden movement to her left. The rabbit had chosen a different exit. Nara sprang up quickly and darted after it. She jumped to catch it - but missed. Shit. She then pushed her body forward and managed to land a quick blow with her paw on the flank of the rabbit, hurtling it through the air. The animal landed with a thud. Hopefully, it was enough to kill it, or to at least immobilize it. 

Just as expected, a rabbit escaped from another exit, but it was one Nara was not waiting at. Still, she managed to stun the creature, and Theia ran up to its body to finish the job with crushing jaws at its throat and a quick shake of her head. Once finished, she looked up at Nara and said, Good job. We can share, if you'd like. She really didn't want to share, but Theia was learning that compromise and swallowing her pride could get her further in life.

She slid down into a lay and began tearing fur from the back end of the rabbit with her teeth until the skin was exposed. Then, she tore into the delicate flesh, making sure to leave room for Nara to feed, as well.

       Nara waited impatiently. Theia finished the kill, so it seemed only fair to let her eat first, but still... Nara was hungry. She laid down next to Theia and licked her lips in anticipation. There really wasn’t anything better than that first taste of a fresh kill. While she was waiting, she wondered about Theia. They only just met, but still, Nara didn’t know anything about her. When Theia finished her meal, Nara quickly devoured what was left and showed her gratitude with a small bow of her head. Where were you headed before? She asked after a pause. Then she remembered the wound Theia had. Maybe she was running from something? Or someone, Nara thought darkly.

Licking her lips of the remaining blood, she answered, I was trying to join a pack northwest from here but was ambushed by a white wolf. To her, the attack was completely unjustified, as was that fiery wolf snubbing her. But she concealed her emotions with a flat mask.

Now, I'm heading southeast to try my luck at another, Theia decided to add, wondering if this wolf would want to travel with her. As she pondered this, the question left her lips: Where were you headed? Her voice carried mere curiosity.

       Indeed, where was she headed? She didn't dare to admit that she wasn't really going anywhere before. That she was running from a past that kept up with her. But something had changed. Her future had seemed so bleak just a few days ago. Now, she meets this wolf and for reasons she can't understand, a fire had started burning again. She didn't know why, but Theia made her want to give life a second chance. Perhaps her tough demeanor was rubbing off on Nara. Theia was talking about finding a pack. Could there  be a knew home for me too? Nara wondered.
       Then Nara noticed she still hadn't answered Theia's question and shot her an apologetic look. I... she started, Wasn't really going anywhere, to be honest.
I might as well tag along with you if that's alright? Nara added quickly, in the hope not to lose the only being that seemed to actually want her around for the moment.

We can fade after your post, if you'd like, or keep going—whichever you prefer. Theia will next be in Emberwood, where Kelina and co. are. You're free to join in that thread. :^)

Theia was totally unaware of how her confident demeanor sparked such motivation in the pale she-wolf. At this point, she didn't expect anyone to like her once they got to know her. A bitter thought, which she quickly dashed away as Nara spoke up again. You are welcome to join me, She answered with a sideways smirk. Though you'll leave me like the rest, a negative voice added in her mind, and her smirk dropped. To recover from this, she hastily rose to her feet.

If you're finished eating, we should get a move on. Perhaps we can find something else to eat, as well. If Nara were indeed finished, Theia would head southwest at a steady pace with her in tow.

 

I'll join you in Emberwood for a while and after that Nara will start towards NWF.

Theia got up and starting walking. Nara quickly followed only a few steps behind. The more south they went, the softer the wind blew and there was less snow now. Tiny patches of stiff grass appeared scattered in the snow. There were more trees too. In the distance, mountains could be seen. Nara felt a rush of excitement going through her, would they be going up there? But Theia seemed to be going more and more to the east. Nara stopped for a moment, looking at the mountains, she felt she was turning away from something. Maybe someday, she thought, and trotted to catch up with Theia. At least for now, Nara decided to follow Theia.