Horizon Ridge Somebody call the dweeb police!

The pair had wormed their way through the marsh (which had been a cold and miserable venture, although it left Jubilee possum-free) and then found a way to cross a massive ravine by hugging some mountain ridges; once the two of them got to the fields beyond that it was as if a great weight had been lifted from Jubilee's shoulders. She was still hungry (and could only guess at how hungry @Revolver was by this point) but their chances of finding something would only increase from here.

She slowed the pace and fell behind her companion a few times, but always caught up after a few minutes. The snow was piled high in some places and slick with ice in others, however it was not the snow that slowed Jules down - it was the evidence of deer. She'd found a pile of deer scat lazily buried in the snow, spied some gray figures far-out within the field, and thought she'd found some paths through the snow that had not been covered yet.

But Rev didn't stop, so she tagged after him - finding herself less and less interested in the thought of chasing down something spritely like a doe when there was probably an easier solution available. Once the pair began to ascend a rocky hillside and they'd found cover within the fringes of a forest, she gave a big sigh and stopped walking.

Rev -- Rev, stop! Ya haven't said a lick to me since--  The possum, she was going to say, but nobody wanted to think about that nasty old thing. The golden girl dashed for him and swerved at the last second, slipping against his chin with her forehead in the manner of (a pretty tall) cat. Betcha we find something in here hmm? She didn't want to appear weak to him so she didn't mention how sore her paws felt, and merely basked in his presence with a saccarine smile upon her long face.

His strength was flagging. Revolver was accustomed to travelling long distances through the cold, usually shouldering heavy loads and often at a faster pace than this. But his master had always had food. Good food. Lots of it.

What he would give for the heat of a fire right then. Half-cooked meat from the hand of his musher. His brothers and sisters all piled together, bellies full and minds empty.

He was drawn out of the fantasy by Jubilee's affection - something he readily accepted. The male was relieved that she was back to her sweet, loving self. Things were usually not quite right between them, but moments like this were enough.

"I bet," he replied, nostrils flaring. There's other wolves in there. What do you wanna do? Introduce ourselves or... hang around?"

The last words were said somewhat reluctantly; he still wasn't quite comfortable talking about their thieving habit.

He was always assenting to her wishes - probably one of the reasons she hadn't left him yet. When she'd initially come upon him and his little friends, it had been with the intention of taking food from the weakest link in his little pack, but somehow things had escalated and they were here. He might've been thinking about his master but Jubilee was only thinking about herself, again.

Aw boo, y'know how this works! Introductions are the last straw. That grin didn't waver and she, looking all the more like a golden crocodile than anything else, nosed at his cheek before planting a swift little kiss upon it. Findin' a place with wolf scent is good. Means they could'a been huntin' so that means we could be eatin' soon. She said this like she'd said it a million times before, droning on with a pedantic tone as she slipped from his proximity.

We just gotta get huntin' ourselves! Find what they left for people like us.

A wild grin broke out on the male's face. Hungry or not, he was damnned appreciative of whatever had ended JB's mean streak. They were back to the good old days again, and Revolver was quick to take advantage of that fact.

"Lead the way, sweet nose," he crooned, but he made sure to take the first step toward what was probably hostile territory, just so JB knew he was down. "I'll keep a lookout. Just try not to wag that cute behind too much - might distract me."

He gave her a wink and a nuzzle, starved for this side of her. The side he loved. Her good moods never lasted long enough anymore, but just like their increasingly scant meals, he could survive it.

It paid off to have a lackey like Revolver around. He was burly, strong, stupid enough to follow her around and do what she said - and Jules liked to think of herself as better than that despite being more dog than wolf. If she could survive out here on her own, why not him too? And so what if he needed a master, she was his master now. It wasn't that the golden girl didn't care for him (she probably did) but like every other aspect of her life, Jubilee was looking out for herself above all others and Rev was just another tool for her survival. A tool with a nice face.

So when he moved ahead of her she followed without a word, keeping to his flank. Being behind him and taking great sweeping arcs through the terrain always made her feel good; from afar Jules could have all the space she needed and still control the events as they played out. She would've made a decent hunter if she'd applied herself (probably), and had a knack for adjusting plans on the fly with a few swift snaps of her teeth or a shout. Thankfully Revolver kept close to her this time and she did not drift too far from him, but occasionally nibbled at the fur of his tail when they got too close to one another.

The smells were very strong here - there were wolves, or had been, and recently. Her keen nose didn't detect anything stronger like blood, or the warm-dust smell of anything bigger than a rat, which threatened her good mood.

Honestly, Revolver was looking out for himself, too. He cared about Jubilee, but he wasn't insightful enough to realize how shallow their relationship really was, or that the spice might quickly melt away if they failed to keep each other warm and fed. Theirs was a relationship fueled by passion and reliance, but mostly by convenience. 

And while he didn't know all that, he had a keen sense for when JB was feeling inconvenienced.

"Let's go further in," he suggested. "Who's gonna stop us?"

They were already dangerously close to the makeshift borders. Closer in was almost too close, but Rev was hungry, and there'd be hell to pay if Jubee got anywhere near the same state.

Who's gonna stop us? he'd said, and she couldn't help but feel a swell of pride. With a jolt of energy she bounded alongside him, then beyond through the trees. That's what I like to hear! Jules called back to him with glee, but she was zealous and eager and unaware of her surroundings. Within moments she was tumbling - because beyond those trees had been a ridge and a sudden drop, leading her paws to touch down on nothing. 

Wha --? she shouted just as her body went tumbling. It wasn't a big drop but she still hit the ground hard and rolled, and with a crunch came to rest in a pile of deep snow which had been obscuring the terrain. The girl lifted her head out of the snow (she looked almost like a stain among the white) and looked around groggily for Rev.

"Jules!" shouted Rev as he saw her dart toward and then over the ridge. He hurried right after her, fearing the worst when he saw her body down at the bottom. Although he scrambled down as quickly as he could, he wasn't fast enough to atop her from trying to sit up.

"Lay back, baby," he soothed as he reached her. "Is anything broken?"

His heart was beating loudly in his ears, and in his panic, he forgot entirely that they were not exactly welcome where they stood. If someone came upon them now, Revolver would wholly unprepared to face them.

All she felt was cold. The snow had been so much deeper than she'd thought and now, having fallen and landed squarely in it, she was covered from head to toe. Not too long after that her body heat would fill the cavity it had made, but Jules wasn't suited for the winter no matter how much mutt blood was inside of her. Her teeth began to chatter and she kicked so that her limbs erupted from the confines of the snow, ignoring his attempts to calm her. Rev -- shut up -- her front end was free but her chest, hips, and lower bits were still firmly planted and covered. Get me out you idiot! Dig!

Snow was a fact of life for the seasoned sled dog. He balked at Jubilee's tone, momentarily surprised by the strength behind the command (she hardly sounded winded!) before sense returned to him and he began to dig.

Her cute little tush was freed in short order, and Rev - prepared to ignore any protests - quickly covered her body with his own, licking the snow away from the nape of her neck.

"Let's get you somewhere warm and dry," he said anxiously. "I'll finish the hunt myself."

Her wet fur would only lead to sickness and she knew that, but Jubilee wasn't about to leave Rev for any length of time unattended. It was winter time for crying out loud! If they got separated for too long, she'd probably never find him again. Their previous separation and then glorious reunion had been a fluke, if anything. Jules wasn't about to be abandoned when she knew this season and all that came with it: snow, ice, a dangerous lack of food, and horny women.

You know, that last bit was probably at the forefront of her mind right now. If he went off without her and found another lady to romp around with - or whatever the hell they were doing - she'd never forgive him. So once she was free of the snow and he was talking about going off to hunt, she snapped at him without letting him finish: No you won't! I'll be -- I'll come with, come with you. C-come on, just gotta get up and -- and moving, and warm -- Her limbs were quaking and her teeth chattered tremendously, but Jubilee was nothing if not determined.

"Okay," said Rev, not one to argue with JB when she got fussy like this. Besides, she'd just had a pretty bad fall, and he thought she'd earned a bit of R&R on her own terms. The male hurried along beside his companion, keeping close while simultaneously trying to avoid further enraging her. Damn, he thought, Uncle Searshaw sure wasn't kiddin' when he talked about how crazy women are.

"Got anything, Sweet Nose?" he asked, herding her deeper into enemy territory. Just as he said it, the scent of a fresh kill caught his attention. "Here - " he said, lowering his voice. "Shit - not much left, but practically a feast, compared to what we've been eating," he muttered, descending at once upon the carcass. He couldn't tell quite what it had been, but there was enough for them to both fill their stomachs, if not gorge themselves entirely.