Wapun Meadow You burn too bright, you know you'll never last.

He spent most of the night in Fox's Glade following his discussion with the pale wolf, using the time to weigh his options before making the decision to venture deeper into neutral territory in search of prey. It was still dark when Talion exited his temporary shelter, an old tree that had fallen and hollowed out over time. It hadn't been his most comfortable den, but served its purpose in shielding him from the rain that fell as he rested.

During his short time in the Teekon, the young Roux-Abrhen had not yet found a place to settle. Winter was just around the corner, threatening in the form of dipped temperature, shorter days and wetter weather. He was lucky to have been ousted from the Strand during the warmer months, though he could not deny that the idea of living alone when the snows came roused the fear in him. In his younger days, as a stubborn pre-teen who'd had enough of the Nereides' bitterness toward him, it was his gentle father who often reminded him that despite their differences, it was important for them to stick together if they wanted to survive.

He reminded himself of Nutturno's teaching regularly, and couldn't deny that he missed him fiercely. Talion's sire and the brotherhood taught him all he knew, and as he crossed into Wapun Meadow he wondered if they missed him, too. Shaking the thought of his former home aside, the platinum yearling focused on his surroundings. Dawn had already broke by the time he left the glade, bathing the valley in a dim morning light, the sun rising into a clear sky.

He wondered how vibrant this particular place must be in the Summertime, as he glanced over its dying wildflowers. Pale eyes lingered on muted shades of yellow, pink, white and red, most of which were already wilted. They would feed the earth, allowing new plants to bloom for next year's Spring, the season that brought new life.

As he sauntered through the land, the unexpected happened: a rabbit, wild with fear, darted out directly across his path. Instinct urged him to give chase, and so he pushed off at once to begin his pursuit. 

Here, the girl could disappear for a time, sink beneath the high grasses and dying flowers and disappear beneath their stalks. She liked the silence, the quiet of the meadow, it gave her time to think and time to ponder. Her gaze blinked closed, and she settled her head on her paws, peaceful and serene. It was only the sound of a chase that jostled her, had her surge forward quite suddenly, prickling with apprehension. The rabbit she saw first, and her instincts suddenly kicked into high gear. Lunging forward, she bound one pace, two, before she darted forward like an arrow that sought its mark, fangs finding their place in the flesh of the creature. Its death came quickly as she rose and spun with the thing in her maw, dropping it immediately when she realized that it had not been her hunt to end.

The creature zig-zagged, trying hard to escape the predator who'd locked it within his sight, but Talion was quick on its heels. He followed it closely, gradually gaining on his prize, and he was entirely focused on succeeding with this unexpected hunt that he completely missed the approach of another wolf.

She came out of nowhere, sweeping in front of the young Roux-Abrhen as though she were a shadow. Startled, Talion jerked to the side to avoid her and dug his claws into the ground as he skidded to a sudden halt. Outraged at having lost this kill, the sterling yearling swung around to confront the thief with eyes ablaze, but his expression faltered completely as his gaze met that of a young female who stared directly at him - the rabbit lifeless at her feet.

Talion dropped his previously arched tail until it curved beneath his rear, the immediate instinct to submit tightening his heaving chest as he averted his pale vision to his dirtied white paws. He bowed his head, accepting defeat as he would in the presence of a Nereides.

Her gaze falls onto a boy, her age, she thinks, cast in shades of slate and snow. He is angry, rightly so, but before she can respond he quite suddenly curls in on himself, gaze tearing itself from her own. For a moment, she is still, taken aback by this display, and doesn't move except to stare at him. She wonders what had him switch from aggression to submission so quickly, when her own stance was tense but neutral. Her scars have never exacted such an extreme reaction, though her stomach churns none the less in shame that has haunted her since the incident. She moves slowly, carefully, pushing the rabbit towards the male, for she believes in honour and to take another's hunt seems simply wrong.

She says nothing. Not a single sound is uttered in his direction, not even the hint of a growl. Talion blinks, confused, but does not lift his head to investigate why the female hasn't reacted the way he initially expected.

Instead of slacking her teeth at his ear or even parting her jaws in a snarl, the ashen wolfess does something entirely unexpected: she pushed her kill toward him. Talion lifted his pale eyes then, tentatively raising his head to glance up at the she-wolf's lower limbs and chest, then back to the broken body of the dead rabbit.

"No," the young Roux-Abrhen said softly, shaking his head as he took a swift stride backward. "You took its life, it is yours to keep."