Wapun Meadow Down the rabbit hole

Forwarded to 6/23.

She had left Sunspire two days ago after making sure everyone was alright. Liffey(another new face to her!) had given birth, Seabreeze seemed to be doing somewhat better and nobody else really seemed to be ill or injured. So she had sent up the call and left, heading past Arrow Lake and straight into Wapun meadow in a day and a half's time.

As she entered the meadow the first thing she spotted was a wiggling little tail in the grass. Her mouth watered and she remembered how she had stunned herself by doing great in helping take down the moose in Sunspire. With that thought she stalked forward and then lunged, jaws snapping around-

Thin air. The rabbit bolted about fifteen seconds sooner than her jaws had closed. She looked to where it had disappeared and sighed, pouting at the loss of food.

Timing had been ideal in the catching of the hare. Kavos had simply been near when the female had lost her chance to close her jaws around the creature, and he had found that his own predatory fangs had made purchase in the tender flesh of the prey animal. How fortunate that he would have found himself there in that precise moment, unaware of her misfortune as well as profiting from it. Had the young ghost been anywhere else, the rabbit would have fled to a warren underneath the comfort of the earth and lived to fight another day.
 
The pale coat around his muzzle was stained red after he had secured the catch. The brute had lurched forward and driven his fangs as deeply as he could until he had felt the fragile frame of the small creature crack beneath the pressure. Satisfactory and small, the meal would allow him to continue trekking for a while longer; he could search for signs of his missing siblings without feeling the ache within the pit of his stomach.
 
The scent of the female reached him and Kavos drew his crown in her direction.
 
The plan had not been to come in contact with strange folk. She carried the aroma of a pack on her silvery coat. He could tell that from where he stood with little issue. The molten burning of his stare followed her disappointed body language. The scent of fresh blood would certainly give him away; he had, after all, stolen the very catch she had worked to obtain. Kavos cared so little. It was not he who had decided her fate. He had merely benefited from her miscalculation.

since her recent foray to bearclaw valley, mona's restlessness had not abated; on her pelt she carried the scent of her friends indra and tadec, however, and this seemed to alleviate some of the girl's anxieties. here now she paced determinedly along the paths that led to the great wide meadow, intending to bring something for the caches.
mona had not seen nathaniel in quite some time; the druid-child's heart was beginning to sunder within her. but the pinprick of tears behind her eyes now went swallowed, ignored; the mayfair could ill afford the time she had spent before weeping. and so grim-faced, murkwater eyes darkened, mona followed her tasks and was largely silent.
the tableau of loss and capture played out by the pallidly delicate she-wolf and her charcoal-cloaked counterpart did not go unnoticed. against the lowland sweep, the brilliant red of mona's coat stood out in stark relief, and soon thereafter did the witchspawn draw toward the pale sunspire woman, though not too near. pausing in her steps, mona tipped her scarlet muzzle toward the thickfurred, feline male, ears sweeping forward in wondermnent and worry.

She watched as the rabbit took off, hesitating too long at a chance to give chase and gain another attempt at capturing it. Instead she heard it's death cry and the scent of fresh blood slowly permeating the air, leading her to believe that someone else had caught what she wanted. Curious she took  a few steps closer, finally spotting the male who stared at her directly, like he was watching her and waiting.

Waiting for what? Did he want to rub her loss of good food in her face? "Good catch. I never was a good hunter" she said dismissively. She wouldn't give him the benefit of the doubt. With a swish of her tail she turned, only to spot yet another wolf. A red furred female who looked rather concerned at the presence of the male. This immediately made Hyacinth feel protective over the other and she gave a slow wag of her tail, drawing in closer to the female with a kind smile. "Hello. Apparently I have a crowd to watch  failure" she said, joking around of course.

The wolf who had failed their catch was something of a talker. Kavos was not fond of those who spoke too often and far too quickly. The predator regarded her with a cool flickering of his brumal stare. The catch he had demonstrated had not been one of great skill or calculation, so he did not accept her praise. It did little to his ego to receive kind words from strangers. The savage young wolf thought to turn and depart, but his attention was stolen by the startling red shape of another. This too was female, he noted. She seemed wary in her approach, tipping her muzzle toward him with emerald eyes that danced along his frame.
 
The other female spoke again, creating some form of joke about her failures. Kavos sneered at her; it was not his place to remark on her poor hunting skills. The brute had won the prize, and he was not interested to know what else she might have to say in regard to the fumbling of her meal. The savage young creature was not intent on sharing his catch, either. With a flick of his tail and a low bow of his skull toward the red watcher, Kavos turned and left the scene. The rabbit dangled from the pricks of his sharp fangs.

the woman spoke, prompting a glance from mona, but it was not until the fierce man was gone from view that the firefly granted the other her full attention. "it happens!" she purled encouragingly, swaying her crimson plume. "i'm mona, from bearclaw valley." she could not help a last look in the direction the feral creature had gone, her lips tightening into a thin line with a sentiment she did not understand.
the alabaster woman wore the scent of stone and water, one the girl knew as belonging to sunspire. "hunting in the lowlands today?" the druid-child mused politely. "i'm actually up for a hunt, if you still are?" murkwater eyes glinting with invitation, the red she-wolf lowered her muzzle to the earth, moving away a few paces and glancing back along one thin shoulder to see if her companion would follow.