Lost Creek Hollow why, think of everything you've got

@Boreas

once the initial novelty of tag wore off (believe me, it took a long time in toddlers), sionnach had obediently been escorted back to the rendezvous point, in which she sprawled out on the sunning stone and luxuriously slept.

it was late afternoon when she awoke suddenly, a heavy, sleepy lull to the air that took her some time to orient. she propped up on her short legs and yawned heavily, blinking away the last of her slumber as her eyes adjusted to the afternoon slant of yellow sunlight. her siblings were nearby, likely in their own land of slumber, which gave sionnach the rare opportunity to sit in silence, unperturbed by other souls.

her attention drifted from the stone, to the thicket beyond -- where lazily hanging branches seemed to softly invite her within. curious but ever stealthy, sionnach sniffed at the air: there was a tang to it she did not recognize, which meant it prompted immmediate investigating.

Thanks! Sarah told to the ghostly shadow of her mother that she was able to will to life from her mind. Both of them were walking side by side through the hollow. With the real wolf, having a hare caught in her jaws and the spectral one - visible only to Sarah - humming quietly to herself.

Osprey, once summoned those many months ago, had always remained present. At least her daughter believed that she could spot the little details of her mother's spirit in her surroundings and this gave her comfort, especially on days, when it was particularly hard to get up and going. When there were ups and Sarah's mind was occupied - Osprey tended to conveniently vanish only to return, when she was needed again.

Sarah's intention had not been to share the spoils of the hunt with Rannoch's family, but, when she spotted one of the Frostfur girls coming her way, she told herself that children were the same everywhere. They should not suffer just because adults squabbled (or ignored one another in Sarah's case). Therefore she put the hare down and woofed an invitation for the little girl to investigate.

sionnach saw neither ghost nor sarah until sarah woofed; at that, the girl stood abruptly to attention and tottered roundabout, fixing the greyscale woman with a suspicious glint. eventually that skepticism wore off, as she recognized the woman as one of her parent's friends (and an adult, which alas, was a big detractor).

what really caught sionnach's attention was the hare that had been placed by sarah's feet. her ears perked up immediately as she glanced from fallen rabbit to packmate, her tail beginning a slow wag. "can has?" sionnach prompted hopefully, her chestnut gaze tinged with interest.

"Give it a go," Sarah permitted, stepped aside and sat down to watch the kid eat. Only to realize few seconds later that the child in question was only slightly bigger than the rabbit itself and that she might need some help in accessing it. It had been a long time, since she had been around fairly young and inexperienced wolves.

"Wait a bit," she told, leaning down to tear the would-be-lunch dish in smaller pieces. Bones crushed and the flesh broke with ease and soon the tiny corpse was ready for the kid's meal. Sarah herself picked the animal's hind end and settled down to eat herself.

sionnach's eyes lit up with delight as she was given the go ahead. raising her head and exposing her eegar, hellish chompers, sionnach plunged into the rabbit corpse.. only to discover it was tough, stringy, and nowhere near as delectable as the regurgitated meals she was often served.

her brow furrowed heavily and she looked up to sarah as if tricked. was this a joke?? her eyes conveyed suspiciously -- only to shutter shut in a slow blink as sarah instructed to wait and then broke the rabbit's pelt with the awe-inspiring, efficient ease of a titan.

sionnach marveled at how simple that had been  - her teeth were so huge!! but instead of accolades, or even a thanks, the little monster started digging right in, pulling and tugging and smacking at sinew with carnal exaltation.

Sarah found little kids annoying and difficult to handle up until they reached an useful age and she began to teach them the essential skills of survival. During that time she did not have to be either patient, understanding or encouraging, or positive about every single little thing they did correctly. Also it was not required to be absurdly creative or attempt to bribe them to do something. In her school there were few simple rules - "eat or be eaten" and "work or starve", and "don't question me, just do it!" - among them. 

The only time she did not despise the little abominable snowballs was, when they were busy eating. Then they were a pleasant company for the simple reason that they kept their mouths occupied and did not beg her to play with them. Therefore while being under no obligation to talk, she kept the silence between them up until the moment there was nothing left of the hare.

one way to get sionnach to shut up: give her food. sarah had found it out by happy accident, and maybe if she was generous she might impart that discovery to sionnach's long-suffering parents. while sionnach was busy eating, sarah seemed to be silent. that was okay in sionnach's book, because it was very difficult to talk and eat at the same time.

once she finished her meal, she smacked her tongue and licked her lips in satisfaction. her head tilted as she looked to sarah imploringly, as if to say have you got more? greedy!

Surprisingly the puppy finished quicker than Sarah did and regarded her with a hopeful look in her eyes. The older wolf gave her a pointed look and a put a growl in place just so that the sprog (Google says that it is a synonym to "kid") knew she was not going to share and that she should not even attempt it. Some parents believed that kids could have free-pass for all, Sarah was of opinion that she had absolute rights to privacy that should not be challenged.

Once finished, she quickly got up to her feet to avoid playing the regurgitating game. She had done it for all of her siblings, hated every bit and was not going to extend the courtesy to a child that was no relation of her own. "Ain't there's someplace you should be?" she asked, looking down at the girl and trying to find a good reason to leave the kid alone and go somewhere else to have a nap.

so, this grey caretaker wasn't handing out seconds. sionnach dragged her tongue across her lips slowly, thinking with an obvious squint to her gaze. if she wasn't going to share, what kind of adult was she? were her parents seeing how uncharitable this woman was being???

sionnach sniffed, dubious that a wolf could decline her, of all people. she was hink-hecking adorable! how could sarah be so cruel and deny her scrumptious seconds? noticing the woman was looking about her as if disinterested, sionnach sought her gaze meaningfully and then let out a very obnoxious, entreating YAP!!

After having survived six puppies and her siblings, pretty faces did not impress Sarah the least. She was immune to beauty in general, thought in impractical and believed that there was a direct link of being graced by Venus and stupidity. 

She took the kid's -yap- as a "yes". "Brilliant," the older wolf replied sarcastically. "Shoo!" she barked at the girl to imply that she should leave, then got to her feet and began walking in the opposite direction.

This can be my last post or we can go on for a while, if you wish?

sionnach was all for hanging with this older cool lady who gave her food — up until she was barked at rather shortly and told to leave. 

RUDE!! 

the girls head shot up abruptly, the fur along her spine at end. a defiant glare settled in her chestnut eyes, fixed upon sarah with cold inquisitiveness. she need not press further, for the steeled woman had already turned to leave. discomfited by such rude excusal Sionnach sniffed sordidly and decided to seek out a more nurturing audience.