Frogspawn Swamp Like thunder in summer

Maia has collapsed midway through the swamp and slept fitfully, but for the first time in weeks, she at least knew where she was.

After her unsuccessful try at the deer, she'd spent the rest of the blizzard burrowed into the snow, partially by her own doing and partially when she'd stopped, exhausted, and the snow had done the rest of the work for her.  By the time she woke up she'd had to dig her way out.

After that it had been a marathon, but the finish line was in sight.  

She didn't bother finding cover.  She was too tired and hungry to think straight right now, and so she'd simply conked out in one of the less mushy areas she could find.  Everything everywhere was wet and cold, it felt like, so she barely noticed the difference.  When she dreamed she dreamed of moose, and it was amazing.

Still, she lingered. From the lake, she traveled into a swamp, and a froggy swamp it was. Preeti didn't much care for the creatures, but she was starving beyond measure. They weren't all so hard to catch, perhaps even easier than fish, given that you didn't have to stick your whole head underwater to get to them. . .at least, not all of the time.

She found a big fat specimen nearby, its huge throat moving with its breaths. It croaked, and she saw its dark eyes widen and glitter with alarm. One wrong move and she would be out of the hunt. Preeti crouched in the shadows, paws sinking slightly into the mire, and then—

Ha! she cried out in triumph as she landed basically on top of the frog, one paw flattening it. She silenced its final ribbit with a bite to the head, and proceeded to devour the amphibian as if she had never had a meal in her life. Chomp, crunch, swallow, mmmmm.

Only after she was finished did Preeti notice the sleeping (likely not anymore, due to her racket) young woman nearby, and grimaced, bristling slightly in surprise and turning her hazel eyes onto the stranger.

rolled in tabletop

Getting woken up from a great dream was bad enough.  Waking up to the sound of someone else eating was even worse.  Maia already felt wrecked from her ordeal these past few weeks, and having food practically shoved in her starving face (overreaction) made her groan.

I just got to the best part too, she grumbled to herself as she sat up.  You couldn't go literally anywhere else?  She said it, then immediately regretted the words.  Normally Maia wasn't one for being mean, and her ears tilted back a bit with embarrassment.  She was just... really really hungry.

Preeti was gulping down the last of the frog as the stranger woke and spoke. She shuffled her paws, tongue rolling slowly, shyly, along her jowls. Sorry, she responded, grimacing and looking quite sheepish. I didn't see you sleeping there until it was too late. I, uh. . .

She took a couple of steps back, head cocked. I could. . .catch you a snack to make up for it? Preeti offered, shrugging. It wouldn't be too much trouble, she thought (famous last words). Besides, it looked as if the young woman was just as taken aback by her own sharp tongue, and now the two of them found themselves in an awkward little dance.

The least she could do was try to alleviate the tension.

The winter had thinned her to almost gauntness, but fortunately Maia's thick fur hid some of that.  She couldn't keep the eagerness from her tone, hard as she tried, when she replied to Preeti's offer.  I mean, yeah, if you feel like it.  The wording was casual but oh boy was she not feeling too casual about it.  If the girl managed to catch something, she would finally have something real to eat.

What was that anyway?  She hadn't caught what she was eating but it sounded satisfying. She could just about eat a rock at this point.  Few broken teeth? Worth it.

I'm always up for a hunt, she promised, smiling. It was true; hunting had always been one of her favorite activities. Seemingly from birth, she'd been stalking and chasing and pouncing upon whatever she could. Of course, in a famine like this, it brought the added benefit of something to eat. 

Frog, Preeti added briefly, pulling a face before entering the mists of the mire once more. It wasn't long before she found another amphibian — her luck had been so good, lately! She returned to the other wolf with the hoppy creature in her jaws, setting it gently at the woman's paws. 

Preeti shrugged. It's about the only thing on the menu here, apparently, she reasoned, but sat down and waited for the young lady to eat before she said anything further.

rolled in discord tabletop, i swear

I am so glad bc every time I roll for Maia she is TERRIBLE

Normally, 'frog' might have made Maia pull a similar face.  She wasn't terribly picky about food, but she did prefer the larger and less slimy variety.  Now, as close to starving as she'd ever been, frog sounded nearly as good as the moose she'd been dreaming about.  Her mouth was watering before Preeti even returned, betting on a meal she wasn't sure was even coming.

When Preeti returned with food in tow, she immediately obtained a new best friend.  Oh my gosh, you are amazing and definitely my favorite person!  Well, second favorite, but that didn't matter right this second.  It was gone in a few quick gulps.  Thank you soooo much, you must be some kind of magic frog-whisperer hunter or something?  It was crazy how fast she'd come back with food, but Maia had been pretty out of it as she tromped through the swamp.  She hadn't even bothered to notice there were frogs, and the small meal had only taken a bit of the edge off.  She was definitely having some trouble focusing in.

My name's Maia, sorry for kinda being ugh.  She finished, waiting for a response intro from her new friend.  Good thing she hadn't completely messed that up, anyone normal might have just left her there and not bothered to try and help her out.  Maybe she owed her a story or something later?

The praise sent Preeti's tail a-wagging, and a beaming smile curved her lips. I've had good luck lately, she said modestly, then added, irresistibly, It's actually not so difficult. I can teach you. She was aware that game did not always come this easily; perhaps her hunger and her fervency to find her mother combined gave her a boost.

I'm Preeti, she replied, and shook her head. Don't worry. I think everyone gets a little testy when they are hungry. She certainly wasn't immune to what some might call "hanger" (a word she'd gleefully add to her vocabulary if given the chance). Besides, she'd sort of woken Maia up by eating—anyone might be a little irritated by that in the current climate.

She cocked her head. Do you live around here? Preeti asked, curious.

That'd be awesome!  Maia began to stand, then grimaced.  Not because she wasn't happy about it, but because she had that moment of 'oh I made plans and now am immediately cancelling on that'.

I actually do live around here, and was about to head back there.  My sister is there and I have to give her news!  Maybe rain check though?  If you are stickin around for a while.  She didn't seem to belong to a pack, but neither did Maia, so she guessed that didn't mean much.  Probably she was on her way somewhere also.

Preeti blinked at the sudden change in demeanor, then let her face relax into understanding as Maia explained. That's quite all right, she assured the girl. Although. . .

She remembered her conversation with the boy at Firebirds, his offer, her contemplation. Winter was now even further along. Was it time to take the plunge?

Do you mind if I tag along? she asked, tilting her head. I'm actually looking for a place to stay during the cold months. Preeti fell silent, then, waiting for Maia to reply. Whatever case she would need to make for herself could be given later.

going to wrap this for us!

Her flummoxed response and the reaction it earned didn't land on Maia.  Her mind was already drifting to how great it would be to be home, how excited she was to see Wraen, how much she missed her...

And she almost missed Preeti's question.  Hm? Oh, yeah!  It registered a second later, like most of their conversation honestly.  Maia had been running on empty for days and at this point was a step beyond slap happy.

They'll love it!  Definitely you should, c'mon!  She hefted herself up from sitting and started off at a determined walk, glancing back to see if her newfound friend was following once or twice just to ensure.  Likely they'd continue the conversation informally as they traveled; on the plus side, it wasn't far now!  They'd be there in no time.

Perfect, Preeti responded warmly, and began to follow Maia through the swamp. In the back of her head, she knew this would likely bring her further from finding her mother. 

But there was potential friendship here, a place to weather the cold. How could she turn that down?