Sleeping Dragon Bubble pon di radio

She meant to take the rabbit carcass back to Thuringwethil, yet the slender and nigh starving yearling succumbed to her baser instincts long before reaching the commander's den. Unable to help herself, she bolted down the entire kill, even chewing and swallowing some of the bones for the nourishment in the marrow. Afterward, she felt not only guilty but sick to her stomach. She sought respite beneath a bare, bent elm tree near the foot of the volcano, trying to fight the nausea that ailed her. She needed to keep the food down or else her efforts would be a complete waste.

Meanwhile, the young Delta tried to reassure herself about the guilt that weighed on her. You'll use this energy to find more food, she thought, breathing shallowly and closing her eyes as she leaned against the tree trunk, her red cheek resting on its rough surface. The urge to throw up was starting to pass, though her belly still ached, feeling overly full after having gone practically empty for weeks on end.

Link to roll.

He had been hungry before, sure. All wolves have. But he had never starved before. Bones that he would once ignore were a goldmine in this parched land. He cracked bones, desperately searching for some nourishing marrow, tearing cartilage from the joints. But as he discarded one stripped femur, he fervently searched for something more.

Hush knew that any animals that still remained would be near the river, not on the peak of the mountain. Of course, with the Phoenix wolves gone, competition was reduced. At least to the south.

He stalked the Dragon's foot, licking his lips at the thought of some scrawny animal filling their caches. His stomach rumbled insistently, despite having been recently filled with the scraps of a bone. He had thought it would be enough for him to ignore his hunger until he found something more substaintial. He was wrong, sadly.

Blood became as alluring as a female's heat now, and Hush lurched with excitement towards the sharp, iron-tinged scent of blood in the air. His mind went from rational to savage in a moment as he ran towards the scent, only to huff in disappointment at the tattered remains of some kind of rodent at Wildfire's feet. He looked at her strained face with concern, his head tilting slightly as he sidled towards the carcass. Was it tainted?

He’d noticed the new scent on the borders a few days prior but it isn’t until that moment that it isn’t all that new. He recognized it, even if it had taken some time to jog his memory, but it still holds his attention. He hadn’t spent much time with the silent wolf but his scent had disappeared from the borders some time ago and only to return and he can’t help but wonder what mission he’d been on, if at all. It isn’t like Thuringwethil to welcome anyone back into her embrace and the meaning behind all of it leaves him curious. 

Gavriel’s unsure if he’ll get his answers following the scent, but another catches his mind that puts a little speed in his step. Blood, and the automatic response of saliva pooling in his mouth, followed by Wildfire and a sudden new concern developing. He tightens his jaw as he nears them, Hush standing nearby and Wildfire with a twisted look on her face. The carcass of a kill on her feet, meager at best, and he frowns once he approaches. Glancing between the two, Gavriel remains several feet away still, silent as ever, with a scrutinizing eye on the returned wolf.

Her amber eyes snapped open at the sound of swift footfalls coming her way. She sat up straighter just as a familiar figure encroached on her space, slightly tense as she watched a series of emotions flicker across his face. It eventually settled into a blank mask of disappointment and she glanced down at the scraps of her kill—all the truly inedible bits—and then back up at the mute wolf, frowning in apology. She would have shared, in better times. Her guilt redoubled.

Then another figure sidled onto the scene, like bees drawn to a sweet spring flower. Although the first face was familiar—and Wildfire knew nothing of Hush's brief disappearing act—this one was more welcome if only due to their familiarity with one another. She was very fond of Gavriel, following their (mis)adventure together, and she felt closer to him than perhaps anyone in the pack besides the Heda herself. She shot him a very careworn smile, then glanced between the two males.

"Do you two know each other?" she wondered, trying to harness the brain power to make introductions if it proved necessary. Wildfire honestly felt less sluggish for her scanty meal, which only served to make her sense of guilt burrow deeper.

Hush frowned, but huffed, shrugging his shoulders. There was nothing he could do now; she had already eaten it and promptly brought it back up. He could find something else if he wanted, perhaps with her help they could find something she would keep down this time.

His pale eyes slid over to the arriving male, chuffing softly in greeting. The wolf was faintly familiar to him, but he barely knew many wolves in Drageda to begin with. Had to do with the lack of conversation he had. The fire-clad woman asked if they knew each other, and the mute responded with another shrug, tilting his head slightly as if to say: "I guess?"

It feels tense, Gavriel unable to keep his attention off Hush long enough to admire his companion but her question at least draws out a little. The silent male doesn’t respond, at least with words, and he’s finally able to break his concentration and turn toward the girl. Gavriel had shown up on the borders in a hectic mess with his own charges and the turmoil against the mountain, followed by the threat of war, locusts, and a famine, and the time spent with the smaller male has been limited.

“Not officially,” he comments with a shrug just as indifferent as Hush. Whether or not the guardian could find comfort in him or not would be left unseen for now. Heda had allowed him back in but Gavriel isn’t sure it’s good enough yet. “Gavriel,” he says, casting a glance back to make sure the other knows who he is.

Hush shrugged and tipped his head. Due to not feeling so hot, Wildfire couldn't quite piece together his meaning. Her attention shifted to Gavriel as he made an introduction, which she took to mean they didn't know one another. She paused for a beat, then abruptly remembered that their pack mate couldn't (or at least didn't) speak, so he wasn't about to provide his own introduction. Her mouth opened on his behalf, only for the strangest of noises to pop out in lieu of a name because, of course, she didn't know one. (His attempt at coughing it out at their first meeting had gone right over her head.)

"Well, um," she blurted awkwardly, accompanied by a long, slow blink. "He doesn't speak," she explained after a moment, glancing at Hush then shifting her gaze to Gavriel. "But we kicked a woodchuck's butt once." Wildfire laughed a little hollowly. "And I guess he was there when we went to Phoenix Maplewood." She looked to Hush again, waiting for him to verify both of these things. She added an apologetic shrug, just in case.

He was used to this, being spoken for. He allowed Wildfire to serve as his mouthpiece, and while she didn't say much about him (well, she didn't know much about him), her summary was fine enough. He nodded in confirmation. He wasn't very happy to be in Phoenix Maplewood, ready to slaughter, he did his duty.

Hush didn't know that the wolf would be the father of the Drotting's pups; had he known, he would have given the wolf even more respect, but for now he treated the wolf as a higher-ranking member of the pack, another wolf above his station.

He looked towards Wildfire, a soft whimper exiting his throat. His muzzle gently poked at her stomach, then he locked eyes with her. Was she ok now? He tried to ask in his own silent way. In his birth pack he was fine with little communication; not many wolves wanted to hang out with him anyway. But here, well...things were harder.

Gavriel had seen the male up close once, at the meeting and then at the gathering the day after. He’d spent his time scouting out the areas between the maplewood and the dragon instead of infiltrating the pack’s territory. A few times he’d smelled a fresh marker that belonged to the coywolf but their face to face hadn’t come to light until now. 

Wildfire speaks up and Gavriel nods, though a name doesn’t come to mind, but he’s at least temporarily distracted as Hush’s face turns back to concern and directed at the woman. He swings his head around, though isn’t sure what he’s supposed to be looking for. “Should I… go?” he asks of the two of them as one paw lifts to begin his retreat.

Wildfire sometimes wondered how she had ended up pursuing a specialty in ambassadorship when she was so damn awkward sometimes. She didn't know what to make of Hush's whimper and inquisitive look, nor Gavriel's discomfited offer to leave. Amber eyes flicked between the two as she inwardly scrambled for some way to smooth out the conversation. Although maybe it was a lost cause.

"Sure, go ahead," she said to Gavriel, feeling as if she was dismissing him even when that wasn't what she was trying to do at all. She was trying to let him off the hook, assuming that's what he wanted. Turning toward Hush, she added, "I think I'm gonna lie down." She froze for a second after that, deliberating whether she wanted to do that here or elsewhere before a cramp in her stomach made the decision for her.

Muffling a groan, Wildfire flopped to the ground. Her stomach felt full but it wasn't the satisfaction she had hoped for when gobbling down the kill meant for someone else. She felt bloated and like she might literally die. Okay, maybe not literally, but... it was enough that she pressed her eyes shut and tried to just lie still and wait for it to pass, oblivious as to whether the two males still lurked nearby.