Whitefish River and the bargain must be made

mastery thread - tracker

she follows the river, alert for any small creature that may cross her path, but not keen on focusing on them. it reminds her too much of a month past, when she was hunting here with her son in tow, and all was as it should have been. a fortnight, now; that's how long it's been since she was left hollow. 

her focus slips; the fronds in front of her tremble wildly and a sleek form slides into the river; a muskrat. she'd grown used to the river's wildlife after her time in Swiftcurrent, its patterns and fauna. she knows then that the bare, gently inclining earth just beyond the reeds is a drinking place; easily accessible. and so she settles down to wait at what might make its appearance there; packmate or prey.

Assuming he's accepted since he's sorted, but his joining thread is ongoing so I might edit this to incorporate some of the fallout if applicable.

Once the confrontation at the borders is sorted out, he heads deeper in to the territory. It has been a while since the shadow has seen other wolves in great number; his mind flashes to the island where he'd last roosted, to the battle previous to that, foggy though it had become in his memory. Firefly wonders, and he roams. It is different here - the saline smell of the beach doesn't penetrate this far inland - and for a few hours he merely slinks around, acclimatizing.

Before long he finds himself idling by the river's edge. The soil is soft beneath his feet, the air humid. There is an energy to everything here that Firefly doesn't remember from the seaside, despite the booming of the surf and screeching of the hungry gulls. It feels like there is more life here, somehow.

As if on cue, something trembles in the reeds. Firefly has already paused to gather his bearings (and test the weight of his body against the ache in his hip), but his attention locks upon the trembling grass and he stares like an expectant cat. When he grows impatient, he approaches the incline with his head mere inches from the topsoil, unaware that there is someone else lurking nearby with the same instinct. He's looming over the water's edge when he finally chuffs and gives up.

she slips into memories again, and then the question that makes its appearance in growing frequency since that night on the mountains. why do you deserve to live? she had nothing to her name save mistakes and failures; she'd lost those she'd only just begun to love more fiercely than she'd thought possible, their father, too, who she was beginning to finally allow herself to grow close too. had it been one day, or three, in which she'd failed so thoroughly as a mother as to lose her entire family? 

footsteps on the bank, and she's torn away from those thoughts. her gaze finds the shape of another wolf, distorted through the reeds, having missed entirely the first disturbance. she chuffs softly before straightening, extending the top of her head above the reeds to see him more clearly.

The light glints off of the stranger's silver coat, warming it a touch, and gathering his attention. She's attractive at first glance; rugged, a little bit forlorn, as if her mind is heavy with thoughts. Young. The perfect target for Firefly's charm - but no such charm rises to the occasion. He doesn't immediately see her as a target in spite of his inherent nature. He sees that sadness in her, and that seems to sway him away from his usual tactics. That, or maybe he's lost his taste for women - but Firefly won't let himself entertain that sort of thought.

He doesn't approach her. Instead he settles along the embankment, reclining to his haunches. It occurs to him that she might've been hiding there for a reason, but it isn't in his nature to apologize - especially to a woman. So he remarks in a casual, if a bit rough, voice: Kinda unfair to hide that pretty face, and internally he feels himself face-palm for the shitty line. Oh well, he's out of practice - can't fault him for trying to brighten her day.

she pushes through the reeds, pausing at the very edge of the bare, earthy swath and bending to inspect a trail that had escaped her notice previously. fresh, and headed towards the river. what goes in must come out, and she wonders if it'll be here. 

but Firefly has the crux of her attention, and her gaze returns to him after a short moment. his words has her eyebrow twitch, barely discernable, and she replies, "unfair not to be something I can eat." it's only after she says it aloud that she's aware of the pangs of hunger that accompany the words. its been a day since she's eaten last - too much watching the prey, and not enough actively hunting it. a little strange for her, she considers dully.

When his line fell flat (or sounded like it did, looked like it did, based on the girl's blank stare and surly comment) he shrugged his shoulders and looked around. Yeah well, others have tried... He murmured, referring to his own scarred face and the many knots of ruined tissue across the bulk of his body; but that turned the conversation in to something more awkward, and Firefly wasn't sure what to do or where to go from there.

It stung a little that she didn't at least try to play with him in reverse, but... Then he remembered that women were often fickle, and maybe she wasn't as strongly attracted to an obvious warrior like himself. Not his fault, really. Her hunger was probably clouding her better judgement and if he wanted to get anywhere with this silver-haired dame, he'd have to work for it.

Which... Didn't appeal either. So he thought about his next move for all of three seconds, and commented: I could hunt somethin' up for you, but.. Not for free.

his words have her glance over the knotted scar tissue again, curious. "someone, or something?" was that sensitive topic? it might as well have been, from the way he'd simply trailed off, and she berates herself silently. eager to move on from the topic should it fast become an awkward one, she considers a moment his prospect of a hunt. 

"or we could get something together. something big enough to share." she's not all that pleased with the concept of a price attached to hunts, nor does she especially want to ask about it.  she has the feeling it wouldn't be something she'd especially want to pay either, but she hungry enough not to judge any prospective hunting partner too deeply.