Duck Lake nobody wants to be here and nobody wants to leave

the scent of the odd-looking wolf he had followed had faded, and she had not returned his affection. he did not take the rejection to heart. like any wild thing, ich'aak was guided by instincts over rationalization - he had followed her there out of instinct, and he would follow his instinct out.

the night had come and swallowed the world in navy darkness as he made for the lake. around him birds were silenced and no animal seemed to stir in his passing. his throat was dry and he thought there would be little competition if he supped at the banks at this hour. he was alone save for the flimsy shadow the slender and silvery moon afforded him.

She was bored. God was she bored. Cyclone had passed through half the winter with a pack, but once she'd been found flirting heavily with the alpha male, she'd been kicked out. She hadn't meant anything by it, but there it was. Okay, so that wasn't entirely true. She'd meant plenty by it. His wretched mate bored her to tears, and she just couldn't see why he would like her at all. Not that Cyclone really liked him, but she didn't see how anybody could like anybody so boring.

Whatever, she was out here on her own for the millionth time. She kicked at the snow, her stomach grumbling, but she was used to this kind of thing. Cyclone had been an outcast for as long as she could remember, and she preferred it that way. Who needed family, friends, or any kind of close connections? She liked to live in the moment, on the edge of her seat, ready for the next thing to waltz into view. Luckily for her a dark coyote was the first thing to amble up to the lake, and she gave herself a smirk when she spotted him.

"Hey, pretty boy!" she cat-called, batting her eyelashes and prancing over to him.

It wasn't like she had intended to find, follow, or police her little sister's behavior when she had set out that morning. Fern had no intention of doing anything of the sort when she'd dragged her sorry butt out of bed, keen on finding something that would fill her belly and allieviate the crankiness she had somehow inherited on her trip. Oh, to be home again - but she wasn't home.

So she had set out and somehow, while on the pursuit of something vaguely fox-scented, she came upon a far more familiar scent. Her hunger was forgotten for a whole five minutes; while Fern continued with her task she was mindful of the wolf scent and kept on its path, but had an eye out for orange fur. When she caught sight of some movement her head snapped towards it, and she corrected her course - only to seize up and come to an abrupt stop when she spotted her little sister.

Well, no, Fern heard the girl first and then saw the stranger adjacent. She grinned and charged after them both, aiming to collide with Cyclone and wrestle her to the dirt; the wolf equivalent of sibling rough-housing. "Hey sis!" she called out just shy of her tail.

he lapped at the water, wincing at the brace of cold that stung his teeth and tongue. a noise clattered ahead and he lifted his muzzle from the dark depths, his green eyes following the figure of a wolf. she approached with a brazen flit to her step. he watched her suspiciously, bristling slightly as she crossed the thin film of snow and pulled quickly into his personal space.

he did not understand the language she employed but from her suggestive expression he could deduce her intention. he licked his lips and was about to extend his muzzle in greeting when the crunch of rapid footfall and the fleeting shape of grey broke over the knoll. one wolf might have been okay but two wolves could easily kill him. his ears flew back instantly and with natural agility he quickly moved away from the first wolf's company. it was clear the galloping form was aiming for the wolf that had just hailed him, and ich'aak, knowing how quickly wolves could dispatch a coyote, wasted no time in putting distance between them.

Java, I am making a lot of assumptions here about their history... feel free to ping me if you want anything changed!

For a split second, Cyclone thought she had him in her grasp. What she was going to do with him, she had not yet decided, but she could think of plenty of ways this could go. Unfortunately, all that was quickly tossed out the figurative window when Fern came barreling toward her and the coyote took off. Cyclone took a quick leap to the side to avoid a collision, huffing at her sister's intrusion.

"Fern!" she complained, watching as the coyote put more and more distance between them. She had thought her sister might stay with their previous pack, but that did not seem to be the case. "Look what you did! You scared him." Cyclone gave the smaller canine a pitiful, puppy-dog look as if he were a hurt child.

Cyclone did what she should have expected: spun out of the way of her not-serious teeth. Fern's mouth clapped shut for a moment only, and her ears shot forwards to catch what her little sister was saying. She continued her run for a few steps beyond where Cy was standing and tossed the retreating dark figure of the coyote a sharp look and a scoff.

No way — It was your lack of game that scared him. Her hazel eyes narrowed slightly as she spied the stranger, only to widen a second later, and she looked to Cyclone as if in a new light. What'd you think you were doing? That's a coyote! Gross. Ignoring the fact that her little sister was - well - her little sister, thus veto-ing any shenanigans by default, Fern couldn't fathom doing anything to a coyote besides chasing, biting, and tearing.

She rounded upon her sister then, buffering her with a shoulder. If you wanna call him back, feel free. I'm more than a little peckish!

he clambered over boulder and log with hastiness to his step, darting from vantage to vantage like a spooked shadow. the pair were now a fair distance behind them and he could hear their muffled chatter come through the woods in a language impossible to decipher.

gracefully he clambered up the rough hewn side of a massive piece of ledge, likely some ancient remnant from the cambrian age with its grey features worn by time and tiny fissues of thousands of nameless phyla etched permanently in its exposed face. he remained unaware of their existence, his attention focused on the duo he had left behind. while neither had looked untowardly aggressive, he could not risk it -- electing then to quit their presence once and for all, he beat a bushy-tailed retreat deep into the heartlands.

Cyclone narrowed her eyes at Fern, then rolled them an instant later. "Tail is tail," she muttered with a roll of her shoulders. It wasn't like she was actually going to do anything... right? Yeah, Cyclone would never go flirting with a coyote. Nope, not in a million years. Totally out of character for her trouble-seeking self. "Maybe you're gross," she retorted weakly. Not exactly one of her greatest comebacks of all time.

"So you wouldn't fuck it, but you'd eat it? Well aren't you all high and mighty." When Cyclone looked back to where the coyote had been standing, watching them, it had disappeared. So much for gettin' some with that guy. "I'm gonna go try and find Finley. I think she lives around these parts or somethin'. Maybe one of my other older sisters won't be a complete bore." Cyclone yawned dramatically at Fern, then turned and began to walk away.

Fern scoffed at the little brat she called a sister, but said nothing in response, not at first. She held her tongue in an uncharacteristic act of mercy and then watched, with a bored expression writ across her face, as Neasa began to mosey. The mention of their shared other sister made the fur of her nape prickle a bit.

She was all for a reunion, but Fern hadn't the greatest recollection of the other girl. Finley had left around the time she, and her siblings, had been born. All she knew came back in pieces — stories about the Wilds from the mouths of travellers. Maybe Fern was jealous that Finley had gotten out, or maybe she was angry about the thought of a Blackthorn abandoning the family. Either way, she had some opinions.

But currently, they were held close to her heart.

Fern followed after Neasa with a swift change in pace, and lightly nipped the younger girl's hip as she got close. Sure, whatever. I heard she got knocked up by some fat old man and has become a stay-at-home mum. She shrugged her shoulders and sighed softly, looking quite bored. But if that's what you're in to, lets go. Betcha I find her first.