Meadowlark Prairie 'Cause I'm reticent

For @Takiyok!

Dawn broke into early morning and Lunaria, being the restless woman she was, decided to step away from the glen to do some scouting.

Luckily for Luna, she managed to find a meaty-looking hare on her way towards a snowy prairie and gave chase instantly -- luckily for the hare, it was able to spot and out-maneuver the huntress just as fast, escaping into its little hidey-hole before the raven got to it first. Shit. So much for a quick catch then. 

Though it didn't deter the huntress from her pursuit -- and with the final lunge forward to snap at it's tail before reaching the inside of its burrow, her head slunk into the opening. Efforts to catch the lagomorph were in vain (and it was a little cramped in here), but blocking off the entryway was her only plan right now. This catch will be Luna's....eventually.....

"Don't worry, I've got alllll day hare dude...."

She had reluctantly set out later in the day to find something different for Taikon—something that might be easier on his stomach. He needed to eat; he wouldn't heal efficiently or properly without protein and calories. She had waited for his return for what felt like forever, constantly worrying that he might be hurt or worse; now that he was finally home, the worrying hadn't ceased. He was sick, thin, and injured and at this point, she wasn't sure how things might go.

So she tried to control the things she could control, and distract herself from stewing over the things she could not. Food was her mission today. She walked quietly through the snow, nose to the ground as she searched for a promising scent trail. What she found, though, was the scent of a stranger. They were still close enough to the forest that she wanted to make sure she investigated. Taikon was recovering and her niece often explored on her own—Taki wanted to ensure this stranger posed no threat.

She tracked the scent easily and eventually saw the form of the dark woman. She spoke, and Taki frowned, glancing around to see if she had missed something; no one else was around from what she could tell. She stopped a respectful distance away and released a low chuff to announce her presence.

The raven sought out a sound, or even a shift in the scent trail that would indicate if this hare had inched closer towards her -- or maybe even a sign of anymore hares hiding inside that weren't noted before. It was difficult to tell since she couldn't see anything, and after a while of waiting in this dusty dig-out she got tired of it.

Luna let out a small, disappointed sigh before eventually pulling her dark crown from the opening, shaking away whatever dust and dirt that stuck beneath her scruff. The 'chuff' noise from earlier was mistaken as a movement in the burrow -- Luna did not suspect it coming from anywhere else. So upon turning around to leave the area, the raven was instead met with the figure of a woman who'd she nearly bumped into.

Widened, suprised eyes of skylight trailed up to meet a hardened gaze like late autumn scenery. Whoops, uhhh....did she follow the scent trail too?

Gaze flitting from the tall snow maiden and towards the burrow a few times, the raven eventually stammered up the words to fill this silence. "The...hare probably isn't gonna come out anytime soon if that's what your searching for -- I scared it too deep in that burrow, my bad...."

At first, her wordless greeting went ignored; the stranger continued about their business, head wedged as far into the rabbit hole as was possible. Taki just watched with a stony expression, unsure if she had been heard or not, but too prideful to try and announce her presence again. 

Instead, she waited, and when the woman finally pulled her head from the burrow, she said nothing. Her surprise was met with her usual shrewd, appraising gaze. 

She sighed and shook her head as she mentioned the rabbit and whether or not she had been tracking it herself. I am not here for the rabbit, she said. I was looking for something else, she explained. Something other than a rabbit. 

Then she thought of what she had promised Taikon. I am also in need of a healer, she added. Do you happen to know of one that can travel to the woods near here. My pack is there and someone I care about is badly injured. She was desperate at this point and would ask anyone she happened to run into the same question.

An air of guarded stoicism surrounded the snowy dame before her, similar to her first impression of Desdemona (except with a little less intensity, of course) and the raven found herself looking toward the dove in slight curiosity -- including while she talked. According to the woman, she was not in need of the hare which Luna hunted after, but 'something else' that she couldn't truly specify.

The dove also went on to explain that she was a pack wolf, and that someone she held dear was gravely injured. "Well, I might not know of many medics wandering about, but I do have a medic from the pack I am from." The moon nymph stated firstly, offering a freindly smile of comfort towards them despite her brows furrowing in worry as she tried to find the words to address this situation. "Although, I, uh...hope you wouldn't mind me asking about you first?" Luna didn't mind helping the woman assist her sick friend, but she wanted to know who she was lending a hand to first before the raven went to scout out Holland.

The only pack she could think of settling in this part of the Kintlas came up from a vague memory. "You tell me your pack is nearby,  you wouldn't happen to be talking about Ivory Rose, would you?" Other than Taikon's mention of his current home, Luna didn't know too much about the forming group...

She was also from a pack, and this pack had a healer, unlike hers. Hope bloomed in her chest, so strong that it wasn't dampened one bit by the other woman stating she needed more information before helping. Besides, Taki didn't blame her; she would require the same thing if their roles were reversed. 

Of course, she said with a curt nod. Ask what you like. She would do whatever it took to ensure that Taikon got better. 

The mention of Ivory Rose raised her eyebrows in surprise. The first emotion she had let show from beneath her icy mask. Yes, that is my pack, she answered. How do you know of them? The woman seemed honest and friendly enough, but what if she had unknowingly run into an enemy of one of her packmates and divulged sensitive information?