Jade Fern Grove a thousand teeth

@Evergreen - hope this is ok!

she hunted the same glade she'd once shared with the stranger, bitterness coiling tight alongside simple hunter's instinct. the first rush, the swift pursuit of a hare, ended swiftly when she pulled back a moment after the creature vanished at the edge of the clearing. breath coiled in front of her, lungs pressing against her chest as she considered her next option. the relative warmth should entice enough prey to leave their dens and hidden places, and the snow was her friend in the hunt. breath began to even in her lungs as her gaze raked the sky, searching for ravens, or some other signifier that an easy meal lay somewhere in her reach.

the sky was empty.

she fell into an easy lope, pushing through spindly, close-knit saplings as her head drifted gently side to side, searching for a scent.

Thanks for starting!

A pair of green eyes peer down at the trail of footprints in the snow. He has never been a tracking expert—more a fisher, than anything—but he's trying to take the words of the Easthollow leadership to heart. Skills are to be learned. It is, after all, one of the very reason his family sent himself and his sister off on their own. They wanted the siblings to experience new things. Evergreen tries to grit his teeth through it.

The bearish wolf marches northbound, following the tracks of a small deer family. One ear perks forward while the other lays relaxed. The trail starts to get difficult following by the time he reaches the saplings; wind and further snowfall from the night before disturbs what was once clear hoofprints. Evergreen is starting to think he isn't made for this after all. His nose twitches, however, as he catches wind of a different scent. Not the deer he has being seeking, but company. He spots the grey wolf—quite camouflaged among the trees. She seems to be searching, too.

Any luck? He asks with a lopsided grin and tail wag.

there comes another, a bearish male who, for a moment, has her shoulder's tense as she rememers another of such stature long ago. the scar on the throat seems to itch for a fleeting second, and then she senses his ease and her own tension dissapates suddenly. "none so far." the bitterness drifts and settles now in her chest distracted now by the stranger. her own tail wafts at her hocks after only a moment, and she suggests with a cant of her head, "I'd have more with a partner." there is easy question in her eyes, a slight curve to her lips. if successful they both will benefit, and the air lacks the distinct tang of blood should the man have made a kill. besides, there is something easily likeable about him. 

"I'm Dawn." Adding Morningside doesn't seem to be necessary anymore. 

Sorry for the delay!

He often forgets his size can be intimidating; others use it to their advantage, Evergreen just sort of lives with it. Maybe Greyback could teach him how to move with grace instead of like a newborn elk finding its legs for the first time. Nevertheless, he remains sunny; bright and all smiles with his tail wagging albeit hesitantly. He can't help being happy once he sees the visible tension wane from her.

Oh, fortunately I'm made of partner material. Evergreen sticks his nose up in the air. Lame joke, right? But he tries. He gives a shy chuckle, sheepishly glancing back towards the grey wolf. Nice to meet you, Dawn. I'm Evergreen.

there is something about his friendlyness - the openness of it, the sincereity, that has her relax further. "it's my lucky day, then." she commits his name to memory; it is familiar in the fact that it follows the naming scheme of Morningside. easy to remember, then, and she motions to the east. "I think we might have better chances at finding something over there." in the summer, at least, the further reaches of the glade offer rabbit warrens and poultry; she was hungry enough to loose and semblance of being picky. feathers were a pain was an easy sacrifice to make if it meant filling the yawning void in her stomach.

Evergreen beams; he really does try his best to be kind. The journey to Teekon Wilds allowed him to get out of his shell somewhat, but his shyness nonetheless remains. Going with the flow is his best bet, and it seems like Dawn is keen to do so, too. He follows the direction—east—where she points with his green eyes first. So, it's safe to assume she isn't new to the area. I gotta warn you, he starts, sheepish again. I'm not very fast. Eyebrows curve upwards. Evergreen has the bulk and the stamina but his speed has been sacrificed as a result. Disclaimer spoken, the bearish wolf heads east; eyes peeled and ears alert for any signs of prey.

"I'll be fast enough for the both of us, then." she teases with a swish of her tail. It was obvious that he had double the strength she did, so, perhaps, that made them ideal partners. her muzzle curves, and she moves east alongside him, but veers slightly away so the pair may cover more ground. she can hear still the heavy step of his paws; she's not all that far. bits of fur, fresh trail and more oull her attention; yet nothing yet seems to yield any prey.

Evergreen winks, his tongue peaking from his lips briefly in amusement. So far, he thinks their makeshift team will do well in this hunt; not only do they compliment each other's strengths, Dawn is kind and marches to the playful tune Evergreen started. Despite his casual approach, the bearish wolf promises to be serious; he'll mind his clumsy feet and dot his "i"s. Following her lead, he spreads out to cover more ground—close enough that he'd be in reach and a shout needn't be necessary, but not glued to her heel like a lost pup. His green eyes roam the Glade, spotting an old marker of what he assumes is fox. It is only when he hears the rustling of dead branches ahead that Evergreen turns, focusing on the area he heard the noise come from.

it's the rustle of branches and the resulting stillness of her companion that has her nape prickle and her own steps pause, gaze finding the general source of the sound. she's much closer then him, though a good 50 meters or so away. she considers their locations and what he's told her, and calls softly through the space between them; a small bark that says be ready. she moves swiftly then to close the space between the source and herself, moving in a wide circle around so that they may stand on opposite sides of the disturbance. the wind favours neither of them, fickles as it is, and so she's still for a moment as she considers. a moment passes, two, and again something shifts and she's able to locate the thing more precisely. she stalks as near as the scant winter cover will afford, and with a flurry of movement rushes the undergrowth. a hare; winter-lean and surely desperate out in the day like this, bolts. she throws herself deeper into the undergrowth in an attempt to drive it more closely to Evergreen. she crushes a bush with her bulk and the hare, terrified, flees in the direction of her companion. mumbled curses are already leaving her lips, however, as she finds herself suddenly in the predicament of being in the midst of a spiny thornbush.

His companion, too, hears the noise. Her bark is left unanswered, yet he gets into a semi-covered position, knowing that their best chances were for him to ambush at the end once Dawn herds the creature his direction. Crouched somewhat low to the ground, his ears stay perked alert and ready. Soon after the silver wolf disappears, there are fast footfalls. The chase began. Muscles tensing at the ready, Evergreen has always been a patient hunter fortunately. The sound of many twigs breaking under the weight of what he assumes is hunting partner has him concerned for a moment, but the bearish wolf has little time to think about that. From the undergrowth rushes a hare in his direction. He charges forth, closing the gap between prey and predator with jaws landing at the back of its neck. The screaming dies quickly, and Evergreen exhales through his nose. With hare captured, he trots in the direction it came, spying Dawn trapped herself amongst thorns. Green eyes widen, eyebrows shooting upwards as he drops their prize to his feet and rushes to her side. Dawn! Are you OK? Eyebrows furrow in concern. Its obvious she isn't, but the worried male can't resist asking. Are you able to back up? He isn't certain how tangled she managed to get herself.

she decides that, given the circumstances, the best bet is to fall motionless. she stills and glances up just in time to see the immidiate aftermath of the kill; grin lights her features then. "good catch!" despite the blood beginning to ooze around one particularly nasty prick in her hock, her voice is cheery. he closes the distance between them, and his worry is apparent. her brow furrows as the huntress peers at the mess of snow and thorn she'd throw herself in the middle of, and contemplative hum leaves her throat. "yeah, I think" Dawn considers a moment the merrits of untangling herself or simply pushing her way out of her predicament, the latter seems to promise a little more hurt. she makes up her mind and lunges toward what seems the path of least resistance, and after a brief moment of struggle and painful prods she stands clear, though her thorns stick in her pelt and, here and there, inflict wounds that sting like wasps. perhaps worst off than if she'd taken the time to untangle herself, but less time lost, surely. much like ripping off a band-aid, if she'd known what that was.

Evergreen grows sheepish, blushing underneath the thick coat of his cheeks at Dawn's compliment. Yet he focuses more importantly on the bush the grey woman managed to entangle herself in. While it is far from the grimmest incidents Evergreen has witnessed, it nonetheless looks painful. Eyebrows remain etched in a worried furrow, the bearish wolf hovers akin to a concerned mother. His ears folding softly back and his tail hanging limp. A quiet whim escapes his lips, but Dawn remains strong. She reminds him a bit of Thistle. With a well placed lunge, Dawn is free. Evergreen makes sure to give her some space, trotting back to their catch he left carelessly a couple feet away. He picks it up, only to place it down closer towards his hunting partner. Green eyes can't help but roam and inspect her injuries. Uhm, would you like some... help? Getting the thorns out, I mean. Last thing the bearish wolf wants is for someone to get a bad infection when he might be able to assist.

she tugs at one of the worst offenders, freeing it after a brief struggle. spitting it onto the ground, she glances to him as he offers his help. with a brief glance at her scarred legs, ensuring no obvious thorns are stuck there (as it would make walking unpleasant, surely) she shakes her head with a smile.  "don't worry about it, really." shes the one that launched herself into the bush in the first place. 

glancing to the catch, her grin remains. "you took it down - you should take the first share."  she offers easily. it'll give her a moment to pull at the worst of the thorns, should he agree.

Evergreen resists the urge to insist on helping her, but he realizes not all liked their space intruded upon, and perhaps Dawn is one such person. His mouth hovers open for a brief second before he clamps it shut again and gives the silver woman a firm nod. A grin curls easy on his lips, trying yet failing to hide the concern of his emerald eyes.

Uh, he pauses, glancing to the hare. His stomach grumbles as if screaming to agree with Dawn's kind offer. Sure... thanks! Evergreen hesitates at first, but soon enough starts to pull the thick winter coat from their downed prey. Man, he loves food! But he'll make sure to save plenty for Dawn, too. Yep.

despite the simple happiness the hunt brings, there is only so long she can put off her thoughts until it starts to feel like guilt. the huntress picks clean her coat, and when she's finally finished, she accepts easily whatever Evergreen's left of the prey. she makes her goodbyes then, and in a moment longer she's gone, moving north.