Blackfoot Forest A canopy of shivers

Pied couldn't simply leave without a word, not without being absolutely certain of Bon Dye's fate. After her encounter with Ame in the meadow, she thusly returned to the bleak Blackfoot Forest. In any case, she couldn't just disappear without talking to Hawkeye. Although the recollection of their trip to the Dragonwatchers' borders still left Pied feeling cold all over, she considered Hawkeye to be a true friend. She wanted to stick together if they could. If not, Pied at least wanted to discuss what would happen now if Jinx and Bon Dye really were dust in the wind.

Night fell early, bringing with it frigid temperatures and a chill that sank deep into the marrow of Pied's small bones. When she reached the edge of the woods, she slunk directly toward her log. En route, though, she smelled meat and tracked the scent to a game trail that cut through the dense underbrush of the forest. She found a dead possum strewn across the towpath, half its body eaten by some unknown predator. The famished yearling was not picky and quickly bolted down the remains.

Sighing, Pied now headed to her log. Instead of immediately climbing inside and curling up into a ball, she tilted her pale head toward the sky to look for any sign of Mag. She didn't see the bird but, through the naked, black treetops, she saw an indigo sky salted with stars. It was a cold view, yet as Pied's gaze traced over the crescent moon hung like an ornament off to the east, she felt an inexplicable sense of peace.

It felt unreal to Vires. One second Bon Dye was thriving the next...silence. She hadn't met with any pack mates since the rumors started about Bon Dyes lack of leadership. Besides meeting all the wolves at thr pack meetings Vires really didnt have time to meet with the, personally. Which upset her a little. She had the dream of being in this pack where every wolf was close but now it seemed if that dream was just gone.

While sitting in the dense Blackfoot forest lost in her own thoughts night took hold of the world. The forest suddenly grew cold and lonely. Vires not wanting anything now but shelter headed to the east of the forest where her den was located. After a few minutes Vires reached her familiar den, a medium sized tree that at the bottom had been uprooted just enough to allow her slim figure inside with little room. Vires sighed but before she climbed into her safety net of a den she lifted her head and let out a call. It was a locational call, she sounded for any Bon Dye members who were up and near to come to her. She wanted to talk.

set by sophie

A mournful howl rose suddenly into the sky, jarring Pied from her serene reverie and causing her to rise to her feet. For a split second, she thought it might be the haunting cry of a fox, though quickly she realized it was the voice of another wolf. She listened to the lonely message, her heart beating a little faster now. She and Hawkeye were not the only ones left. It gave her hope.

She started to walk. En route, she tilted her pale muzzle toward the dark sky and returned the call. "I'm here," she said simply. "It's me, Pied," she added because, while she didn't recognize the voice, she assumed they'd both been present at the meeting several weeks ago.

The splotched yearling continued trekking toward the source of the sound. She eventually picked up a scent and tracked it east through the black forest. Somewhere along the way, Mag joined her but Pied paid the ghostly bird little mind. She was much more eager to see someone of flesh and blood, a pack mate.

She found the stranger standing beneath the scraggly roots of an uprooted tree, looking very much like a shadow's shadow. Pied approached, deciding not to bother with either dominance or submission. The pack structure mattered little in these circumstances. She kept her bright eyes forward and her tail waved, even with the gentle slope of her pale back.

"Hello," she spoke when she neared the dark-furred stranger. Pied couldn't quite remember if she'd seen her at the meeting. "I'm Pied," she identified herself. "I'm glad you're still here. This place has become a ghost town," she observed, just barely stifling a sigh.

After her protracted request ended Vires looked up to the sky and waited for a rejoinder. Vires half expected her call to go unanswered. The mere fact that there was a lack of wolves here was no surprise to Vires. It was easy to tell, the aromas that once filled her nose to the brim were gone. It seems as the whole contents of the woodland just got up and vacated, leaving Vires back at step one. Vires sighed after waiting a few seconds and not hearing a reply. “Maybe I am the only one left.” she told herself, somberly.

Vires started to stretch and prepare herself for a climb into her den. Before Vires could finish her ritual a reply called. Its owner a wolf named Pied. The voice was unacquainted to her, but the name rung a bell. A face although, Vires could not fit with it. The only wolf she had personal time with now was Hawkeye. Even she seemed to vanish without a trace. ”Maybe I’m not looking in the right places.

After waiting a few minutes sure enough a figure stepped out of the shadows. A white pelted wolf stepped into Vires view, tag wagging. Vires couldn’t help but smirk, while doing so she almost forgot the rules of addressing a higher ranked wolf. Vires dipped her slim head towards the misty forest floor and then quickly raised it as the wolf termed herself.  "Nice to meet you Pied, I am Vires."
She alleged with a smile raging across her face. "I was beginning to think I was the only one left actually. Have you um, seen any other wolves around?" Vires inquired.

set by sophie

Although Vires bowed her head in deference, Pied did not respond to this display beyond a thin and companionable smile. "It's nice to meet you, Vires, though I wish the circumstances were different. The only other wolf I've seen around is Hawkeye. I haven't even seen her for a few days, though," she admitted, her lips twisting downward and her tail falling still. This was her own fault, as Pied had strayed away from the forest for a few days and had even toyed with the idea of not returning. Yet it had been thoughts of Hawkeye that had drawn her back here. She must find her.

"I was kind of hoping I'd imagined all of this," Pied quipped lowly, gesturing at the empty forest around them. "The fact that it's a ghost town, I mean." She paused, shifting her weight slightly. "What should we do?" she wondered out loud, her heterochromatic eyes seeking Vires's gaze. "If there's barely anyone left and the leaders themselves appear to have vanished... well, we won't survive the winter, will we?" An edge of anxiety entered her voice as she posed the question. Even as she asked it, it dawned on her that it was rhetorical. If they didn't figure out what to do soon, Pied and the other leftover pack mates might be dooming themselves.

Vires noticed Pied's indifference in her act of subordination. Vires took note and blame it on the lack of leadership in their pack. Once the female mentioned Hawkeye Vires had a pending image of the wolf in her head. Vires nodded at the reference noting that she had met the wolf before. Once Pied's tail stopped wagging Vires felt a heavy cloud of doubt rush over her.

The female then pushed some of her doubt of survival onto Vires. In all honesty Vires handy thought about surviving the winter, her first thoughts on we're finding pack mates.  "We will survive, we are strong, no need to worry about that!" Vires stated reassuringly.  "First we need to find out whose all here still. We have a better chance of surviving....and thriving if we are with numbers." Vires proclaimed self assuringly. She herself had always survived winter with the help of others, and this time was no different.  "The more we stay together the more prey, warmth, and just keep an overall positive mood we can have. We just need to call out to the others who are...left."

set by sophie

Pied tried to smile at Vires's optimistic declaration, yet her lips failed her and remained in a grim line. She nodded lightly at the other female's suggestion that they perform some sort of role call, yet she didn't feel very hopeful. She had barely seen anyone for weeks now. Perhaps there were a few still lingering, disenfranchised like herself. Pied felt almost certain that the majority of Bon Dye's members had vanished into the ether, though.

"You make some good points," Pied said. Her eyes drifted absently upward to where Mag perched on a bare limb overhead. Her gaze then dropped again and she added, "Well, I'll stay with you tonight, if you don't mind the company. Then maybe we can go looking for the others—if there are any others—in the morning?" she suggested.

Vires watched the female closely. While she was trying to explain her ideas the female didn't seemed to interested in them. "I never was good with decision making." She told herself. Vires sat on her hunches waiting for the females response.

Vires while observing Pied noticed her gaze slip up to a branch on a tree above them. Vires couldn't help but let her eyes slide up the tree, inspecting it's whole make. Slim branches with smooth tree bark. Pied noted that Vires made some good points. Vires doubted that the female felt this way but she kept her thoughts to herself and kept her face without emotion. Pied asked Vires if she could stay with her and Vires was happy to have another wolf near her, even if they had just met.  "Yes I would enjoy you staying with me." Vires announced keeping her face the same, she tried to keep the ill feelings she was getting to herself.

 "My den is snug so you can take it, I'll sleep over there." Vires turned her muzzle towards a patch of soft dirt. Vires walked over and dug a hole big enough for her to fit tightly into it.  "We will join forces again once dawn arrives, and we will find the others." Vires stated blankly. This was more of an attempt to calm herself more than anything. She was beginning to get more nervous the longer she thought about the situation. She feared, and most of all she didn't want to be alone.

set by sophie

When Vires invited Pied to take her den for the night, the piebald yearling shook her head vehemently, yet the other she-wolf didn't seem to notice. She busied herself scraping out a shallow nearby. "That really isn't necessary..." Pied said, yet let her voice trail off there. She didn't want to be rude and she could see that Vires was already settling into her temporary nest.

Pied wasn't quite ready to bed down for the night. Although not that hungry for the moment—the cold possum meat sat heavily in her belly—she felt restless. She wanted to keep talking to Vires, especially since she hadn't seen much of anyone lately and craved company. But she didn't want to disturb the other female's rest, so she turned her attention to Mag instead.

When her eyes clapped upon the figure perched next to the magpie, Pied experienced a sensation like a dollop of cold, wet jelly hitting square between her shoulder blades and sliding down her spine. She shuddered. There was a wolf pup stretched out on the limb beside the bird, looking right at home despite the height. It might have been a humorous or endearing sight, if not for the fact that the pup had evidently been brutally mauled. In a macabre twist, its tongue lolled from its muzzle in a puppyish grin.

Swallowing, Pied let her eyes drop. Her stomach pinched and she made a conscientious effort to keep the half-digested possum from creeping up her throat. Even with her face turned away from it, she could still see the puppy's torn face, slashed throat and other horrible wounds. It had clearly been murdered, either by another wolf or by some other large predator. And though it no longer felt pain, Pied felt wretched just for having seen it.

Eventually, her two-toned gaze crept reluctantly upward again. She saw that Mag was pecking lightly at the puppy, as if trying to get it to to play. The sight made Pied's lips twist. She continued watching as the magpie grabbed one of the pup's torn ears in her beak and tugged at it, then presumably squawked (Pied heard nothing but saw the bird's beak moving frantically) and flapped away before the dead whelp could retaliate.

In the meantime, Pied had momentarily forgotten about her living company and was unaware of how she must look, gaping stupidly at the tree branch overhead.

Vires wasn't tired despite her making her way into the make shift den. She had too much on her mind to sleep but still, it was easier to close your eyes and be left alone with your thoughts than observe the world around you. Before Vires could shut out the world and it's inhabitants she looked at Pied who was gazing up at the trees. Shuddering the wolf's face contorted into a look of despair and disgust. From Vires angle she couldn't see what Pied was looking at and by the way she reacted Vires didn't want to see it.  

"Pied...Pied are you ok?" Vires asked concernedly. Even though Vires spoke Pied seemed not to hear her. Then suddenly Pied looked back down. Pied's face still contorted she didn't seem to see anything else but what she saw in the trees. Vires getting worried about the wolf's well being stood out of her makeshift den and made her way over to the female. Still dazed Pied didn't notice her. Trying to reach the female in any way Vires stated loudly, now nearly a few feet away from the female,  "Pied, talk to me. What did you see?" Vires sat and looked intently at the she wolf.

set by sophie

The sight of the magpie teasing the puppy—who seemed to be enjoying the playtime—heartened her a little, yet all the same, the whole encounter made Pied feel sick to her stomach. She adored puppies and the sight of one so badly battered really tore at her heart. She wanted to reach out and comfort the youngster, even though it seemed oblivious to its injuries. It didn't seem to be paying much mind to her, either, and instead stayed busy trying to tackle the crafty magpie.

She's not in pain any longer, she told herself, applying the appropriate pronoun upon realizing the pup was in fact female. She kept repeating this line in her head, over and over, while watching the two small creatures play—up until a voice in her ear made her start and jerk her head sideways.

"Oh—you scared me," Pied said, her breath catching in her throat. When Vires demanded to know what she'd seen, it took all her self-control not to glance at the dead puppy again. "Nothing. I just... sometimes, I zone out. It's this quirk I have. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," she said, sounding genuinely contrite. Although her eyes still looked a little haunted, she managed to play off the entire thing rather casually and convincingly, due to lots of practice.

Stepping away from the tree so that the frolicking ghosts were out of sight, Pied focused on Vires. One day, she wanted to tell someone of her visions... yet today was not that day and Vires would not be that wolf. They'd only just met, after all. And while Pied had once believed Bon Dye to be the perfect backdrop for her gifts, her faith in the pack was on very shaky ground. She was suddenly glad she'd held off on telling anyone, opening herself to that kind of vulnerability only to watch the pack break apart.

Realizing she was probably making Vires feel awkward, Pied dropped to her haunches and inquired, "So... what brought you to Bon Dye in the first place?" and tilted her splotched head curiously.

Vires noticed after she had spoke loudly that Pied came back into this world. Watching Pied she played off what had just happened by saying it was a quirk. Vires believed her but still had some doubt. Not wanting to push Pied Vires just frowned but didn't push the situation any further. Everyone had secrets, Vires wasn't the best wolf to keep those. Especially after just meeting the other wolf.

Vires watched as Pied took a few steps away from the tree that she had been standing under. She paused for a short moment, seemingly lost in her own thoughts then placed herself on the ground and started small talk with Vires. Seeing this Vires decided it would be best to play along, it was obvious what just happened Pied wanted to keep personal, and Vires respected that.  "I came because I was told there would be a leader who expirenced the...supernatural." Vires stated, pausing before stating supernatural as it was still an odd term to her.  "Curiosity took hold and alas I am here, and yourself?" Vires questioned.

set by sophie

Vires's given reason brought a frown to Pied's face, not because it was a bad one—in fact, it was mightily intriguing—but because said leader was now missing in action. It was becoming a bit of a sore spot for Pied and, though she was usually too easygoing to hold grudges, she found her concern and disappointment giving way to deep resentment whenever she thought of Jinx and her empty promises.

"The same, pretty much," Pied murmured, bobbing her snout. "I myself am a believer in supernatural things, even though I come from a very secular sort of fam—" Her voice cut off abruptly when she heard a youthful bark, very close and very loud. It jarred her. Without looking, she knew it was the ghostly puppy, who had abruptly acquired volume as if she were a television set and someone had abruptly taken her off mute. "—family," she finished, quickly recovering from her shock.

She did her best to ignore the sudden noises of merriment at her back. At least they helped her wounded heart feel slightly less sad about the dead pup's violent fate. Clearly, the youngster wasn't feeling any sort of pain or sadness. In fact, by the sound of it, she was a rather boisterous little thing. It even made Pied's mouth turn up ever so slightly at the corners, as she heard the pup growl playfully at the ever-silent magpie.

After Vires had stated her reason for coming to the pack, She noticed the female frown. Vires nearly added an extra explanation because she didn't want Pied to think she was lying. Before she could expand on her explanation Pied said she had came for the same reason. Vires was wondering if the frown was because of the disappointment so far in this pack. Currently that all Vires felt. She came for explanations and now Vires is looking for survival. 

Vires jumped out of her thoughts when Pied started speaking again. Before she finished something made the female stop in mid sentence. Vires tilted her head but before Vires could question anything Pied finished her statement. Vires shook this event off as one of her...quirks and tried not to seem curious about it. Curiosity killed the cat, or so her mother said. 

"Stupid cat. Vires thought to herself. "Always meddling in things that could kill you." Vires smirked at the thought of a cat. She didn't know why, she just imagined a funny death scene for an overly childish kitty cat. 

Trying to start up the small talk again Vires decided to add on to Pied statement, forgetting about her unexpected pause.  "Yes, I am also interested in that sort of...thing." Vires stated before pausing a little and making sure the next words she wanted to say we're respectful. "I was just expected a little more fom Jinx before she disappeared" Vires spoke, adding a little attitude on more and disappeared, trying to signify her discuss with jinx currently.

set by sophie

Pied knew Vires must be curious or even suspicious about her quirky behavior, yet she didn't let it bother her. She had lots of experience trying to play it cool. In any case, Vires seemed interested in exchanging some more small talk and Pied seized the opportunity to appear normal and relaxed. Besides, she truly commiserated with her pack mate's sentiments.

"Do you really think she's gone, for good...?" Pied wondering, wanting to pick Vires's brain on the matter. Her stomach twisted anxiously. "If she has, we really need to figure out what to do, sooner rather than later." She paused, sipping in a breath. "Do you know of any other packs in the area?"

Pied only knew of one and, if not for the fateful night in October, she would've gone there directly to take shelter with her cousins. Now, of course, it was the last place she would ever go. A sullen expression passed over Pied's face as she thought of Koontz. The indignity of that night still made her skin burn when she thought about it...

A raucous burst of laughter cleaved through her thoughts. She made no outward indication of her surprise, save for the slight tilt of her head. She also peeked over her shoulder to see the puppy on her back, legs pedaling in the air as Mag perched on her belly and tickled it with her tail feathers.

Vires ogled at the ground for a while trying to enclose nosy thoughts about Pied’s…oddity. Vires was a naturally curious wolf and when something this electrifying was placed in front of her it is was hard for Vires to not play 20 questions. Vires started stepping up the courage to ask what the wolf really was eagle-eye-ing when Pied interrupted her thoughts with a question. Vires looked back up at the wolf and just shrugged. "Honestly, I don’t know. Why would she leave if she was going to come back?" Vires inquired, pitching out her rhetorical enquiry before continuing. "Chances are she isn’t coming back, why waste our time on a lost cause you know?" . Vires was wondering what Pied’s stance was on the situation still. "And you? Do you think shes coming back?" Vires questioned.

Vires paused and waited for Pied to answer, but before Pied could Vires noticed she had begun to tilt her head. Vires not meaning to also tilted her head, like a puppy curious about the nearby reverberations of the world. Vires also noted that Pied looked over her shoulder as if someone, or something, was behind her. Vires peaked over her shoulder but she couldn’t see anything noticeable. ” Maybe I am at the wrong angle" She said to herself.

set by sophie

In response to Vires's questions—which leaned in a strongly pessimistic direction—Pied decided to play devil's advocate. "What if she left for a good reason—like to track a herd or go on a spiritual quest...?" She let that question linger in the frosty air a moment before adding, "Or what if she left against her will? What if she's hurt or sick and simply unable to return home? Granted, that doesn't explain the disappearance of all the others," she muttered. Lifting her eyes to look directly into Vires's, she answered the third question with an, "I honestly don't know anymore," and complemented this admission with a long, quiet sigh.

"I can't imagine Jinx would hold it against us if we took steps to safeguard ourselves against the coming winter, though, no matter what's held her up," Pied said slowly after several beats of silence. "Although I don't think she'd appreciate us giving up on her as a lost cause, she would understand that we need to take action, lest we not survive the winter." She rolled her sleek, patched shoulders as she thought out loud. "We're no good to her if we're dead, after all," she surmised in a wry, hollow voice.

The pup's noises had ceased behind her, yet Pied didn't turn around to check on her. Instead, she kept her focus on Vires. As she stared vaguely at the dark she-wolf, she remembered suddenly that she wanted to locate Hawkeye before she did anything else, including making any important decisions. Although she'd just committed herself to staying here with Vires for the night, she felt rather antsy to pinpoint her closest compatriot in Bon Dye.

"Hey, I need to go see someone. It'll only take a little while—maybe an hour or so—then I'll be back. Then we can discuss a plan. Sorry to rush off," she apologized even as she swiveled suddenly. Both the pup and the bird had vanished. "See you in a bit, Vires," she said before loping off into the dark forest, where the pup and bird eventually joined her, the former frolicking on her left and the latter winging along on her right.

Vires listen to all of Pied’s suggestions and counterpoints to Vires argument. "I don’t think she is sick, or on a spiritual journey, she would have told us or someone else." Although Pied had some good points, all of these didn’t add up. If Jinx cared why would she just leave? Plus why would many of the superior wolves also leave. To Vires it looks as though it was planned. Like the subordinate wolves weren’t good enough so they all left to start another pack looking for more valid wolves to join their ranks. Vires felt anger at this idea, but it didn’t matter what did matter was that they made the best out of what was given to them. Pied said they need to survive and Vires agreed with that full heartedly. "Survival is of the upmost importance right now." Vires alleged agreeing with Pied.

Vires decided to finally shoot down any hope she or Pied had left in themselves. "If Jinx is alive, she doesn’t care. If she is dead, then may her spirit roam paradise. We need to focus on our needs now, and that is surviving." Vires concluded with a steady voice. She hadn’t meant to sound so angry but it seems as if it came out that way, because Pied wanted to leave. Vires nodded and didn’t reply as the young wolf left. Vires had her own thoughts to worry about. Vires padded back over to her makeshift den and closed her eyes. Letting the past events replay in her head.

set by sophie