Cricket Creek Bog thank you for your message but I don’t understand these, wont understand these things

Weejay had come to hate the cold. For a girl whose heart was perpetually sunny, an iciness had crept in; she had no fondness for this thing called "winter". It stripped bare the canopy of her beloved trees, razed and raped the spoils of her crops -- and the frost, that insidious secondary cousin -- was harbinger of cruelty in her eyes. 

Not even the fresh snow, prettily laid across the bog like a clean linen blanket, could invoke feelings of love or awe in the girl. The only positive she saw of snow, was that it made tracks painfully obvious. There were two tracks in the snow today -- the first set belonging to a hare, and the second her own. She followed with no real hope of killing it, for she was yet to be a good hunter -- but maybe she could find its warren, and let Wraen and the other adults know food was nearby.

Towhee wanted to go for a walk today. Sugar decided she would allow it—well aware that the somewhat bullheaded Towhee might not have paid her any mind if she'd decided otherwise—but insisted on grabbing some breakfast beforehand. While the patient waited impatiently, the youngster searched the pack's caches, one by one, and found them all empty.

With a frown tugging at her lips, she struck out beyond the borders, to see if there was anything to be found. There was, although it wasn't prey; it was her cousin, Weejay. Nothing but a distant dab of gray, Sugar plodded in her direction until she could see her relative's distinctive features, then hastened her step to close the distance.

"Hey, Weej," Sugar said, black eyes crossing a little (not that anyone would be able to tell) as she watched her own breath fog in front of her face. "What're you up to?"

Weejay went on, stuck in autopilot mode until she heard someone speak behind her. Jesus! She nearly jumped out of her skin; looking like a bristly pinecone, Weejay slowly turned around and hedged a huge sigh as she recognized it was just Sugar Glider, and not some creepy boogeyman (like that Cavendish fellow).

She didn't notice Sugar's eyes crossing, but Weejay watched as a plume of misty grey rose from the girl's muzzle. It just barely managed to make Weej smile. "Hi. I was looking for a hare.. but... I don't think I'll catch it. The scent's not too fresh.. Why are you out here?"

Sugar bit her lip at Weejay's startled reaction, feeling a bit bad for catching her by surprise. Her cousin didn't seem to hold it against her, quickly settling and offering a smile, as well as a friendly question. The smaller girl's ears pricked atop her head at the mention of a hare.

"I was looking for something to eat for Towhee," Sugar answered, assuming (probably incorrectly) that Weejay would know all about the Kilonova's predicament, "but all the stockpiles are empty." She paused, shifting her weight thoughtfully from foot to foot, before adding, "I'm not the best hunter but maybe we can team up, find this hare and split it?"

Just as Sugar Glider felt bad for startling Weejay, Weejay felt bad for the aftermath: she saw the way her friend bit her lip, and tried to smile encouragingly as to chase the ghost of that expression away. It had all been by accident, and Weejay was not the type of soul to hold grudges for long -- if at all.

Her ears perked as Sugar Glider expanded on why she was out here. "What's going on?" All too happy to assist in anyway she could, Weejay wished she was not always out of the loop.. but the reason she was out of the loop was often because she was out on her own, or daydreaming when she was present -- really, she had no one to blame but herself. "Let's get that rabbit, then."

Only when Weejay looked at her questioningly did Sugar realize she might not know about the convalescing Kilonova. "Oh, she's my older sister. She lives—or lived, I guess—in Asterism Grove. But then that landslide happened and cut off their only exit. She managed to escape but she really hurt herself in the process. Elj—your dad and I are taking care of her," Sugar explained patiently.

But there's no food, she tacked on mentally, opting against repeating herself out loud. Fortunately, Weejay seemed game and so the two of them began to move now, more or less side by side. Weejay had mentioned a stale trail, so Sugar dipped her head and tried to catch the scent.

when that checker almost eats you

Weejay frowned, partially ashamed at herself for being so out of the loop when it came to her home. She had spent so much time outside of Firebirds, that she honestly couldn't accurately sum what was happening within it. Impulsively, Weejay spoke the first thing that came to mind: "Was my brother with her?"

A flash of hope stole across her soft eyes, gradually eclipsed by something akin to abashedness. She should not have spoken like that, when Sugar Glider had mentioned Towhee hurt.. It really exposed Weejay's priorities, which made her feel beyond shameful. "I mean.. besides hunting, does she need anything?"

Although she didn't anticipate the question, it was a logical one. Sugar pressed her tongue against the inside of her cheek as she tried to recollect whether Towhee had mentioned Elfie specifically. "He's probably still stuck in the grove with the rest of them," she eventually said, shooting Weejay an apologetic look. "She's the only one who escaped and she actually hurt herself worse trying to go back for the others..." That really wasn't any consolation, was it?

Weejay tried to return the focus to Towhee and Sugar bit her lip and shook her head. "Right now, she mostly just needs food. It takes energy to heal properl—" The full word didn't quite make it out of her because something abruptly distracted her: a flash of orange against the backdrop of white. Elfie?! Sugar thought wildly.

But it wasn't Weejay's brother. It wasn't even a wolf. "Is that a fox?" she stage whispered to her cousin.

Weejay was crestfallen, but she hid her disappointment well. It was too much to hope for, and Sugar Glider confirmed it: Elfie was not here after all.

Lately things just seemed... not okay. Weejay's world had started nicely, brilliantly even!! But then it seemed like her short summer had ended, and a long, miserable winter had started prematurely. And it wasn't just the killing her flowers that was bad. It was all of it. Her mom. The distancing of her father. Her brother..

Weejay didn't even notice the flash of red; she was too busy biting back a choked sob. Trying to hide that rough emotion she looked up, her eyes watery yet unshed of their tears, and her voice thick. "..whut?"

She squinted, not entirely certain but pretty sure she had identified the creature correctly. When Weejay didn't corroborate her, Sugar glanced over at her cousin even as a croaked, "What?" escaped her. Sugar forgot all about the fox as she took in the telltale glister in her cousin's eyes and saw the tightness to her expression.

Her own face sank into a frown as she turned more squarely to face Weejay. She loved her own brothers, yet she wasn't particularly bonded to them. She was, however, quite attached to Avery. She tried to imagine what it'd be like if it was her sister trapped in the grove, his fate uncertain.

"I'm really sorry, Weej," Sugar said, aware that words were pretty useless but not sure how else she could help. "I'm sure you'll see him again. Have you met Fennec yet? Did you know she got lost because of the quakes too? But she found her way back here. She's safe." She reached out, set a paw gently on Weejay's shoulder. "I'm sure Elfie will be too. It's just," she finished, "a matter of time until you see him again."

Weejay tried to hide her emotions, but it was too late. Sugar Glider's dark eyes fell upon her, and she knew that her relative had seen the tears there. She rubbed her eyes quickly, inhaling in a little sniffle as Sugar Glider spoke. Had she met Fennec? "No.."

It was all hopeful, but Weejay was past hope. She didn't have any hope to spare, even if there were happy stories like what had happened to Fennec.

Happy stories were just that - stories. Weejay didn't have the luxury of a happy existence - her life was the opposite of those joyous fables, and more in line with the karma the baddies got at the end of the fable.. Only, Weejay wasn't a baddie - so she didn't understand..

Maybe it was a matter of time, but Weejay wouldn't hold her breath. "Let's just hunt." She moved away, feeling sorry for so quickly brushing off Sugar Glider's ministrations of consolation. She turned back once, a half-hearted smile given in silent apology.

Weejay asked if they could just return to the task at hand. Sugar pursed her lips but nodded. "Sure thing," she answered, returning her cousin's apologetic smile when it was given. "Let's—hey, what's this?" she said suddenly, almost as if trying to divert Weejay's attention on purpose. Only there really was something.

It looked a bit like a sharp stone thrust up from the snow, though as Sugar moved closer, she realized it was shaped like a hoof. She glanced at Weejay, then began to dig around it, exposing more of what was most definitely a hoof. It was still attached to a leg, which was buried in the snow. Sugar felt her hopes soar as she began to dig more rapidly.

Unfortunately, there was little more than the hoof itself and a bit of splintered bone with only some meager scraps of meat attached to it. Yet that was more than they'd had before, even if it was no hare. And enough time had passed that Sugar was eager to get back to her patient before Towhee lost her patience and went walking alone, putting herself at risk (again...).

"Would it be okay if I took this back to Towhee, then came and found you again to go after that rabbit?" Sugar queried after a moment's consideration.

Weejay gladly shifted her attention to whatever "this" was, surprised to find it was not at all the diversionary tactic  she suspected. She hung back as Sugar Glider nosed around the foreign object, eventually revealing the severed limb of... an ungulate?

Weejay had little hunting experience, so she just gasped -- a low rumble sounded in her stomach as she apprised the limb. Oh, yeah.. sure. Weejay responded, feeling guilty she had maybe made things awkward. I'll wait up. If she had been in a better mood she might have offered to accompany Sugar back -- as it was, Weejay felt she needed a little alone time.

I figured this was a good point to wrap, so I made some assumptions. Just let me know if I need to change anything. :)

Weejay indicated she would wait here, which Sugar anticipated. "I'll try to be quick," she promised, black gaze lingering on her cousin's face a moment. She realized she should've offered to share her find with Weejay, yet it was barely more than scraps and Towhee needed the sustenance more than anyone. She bit her lip indecisively, then picked up the knuckle and trotted toward her waiting patient.

Only when she returned to the grumbling Towhee did Sugar remember her older sister wanted to go for a walk. She couldn't let her go alone. Feeling decidedly torn, she admitted to a gnawing Towhee, "I was going to hunt with Weej. Can we walk this way when you're done?" Thankfully, the injured mercenary didn't give a rat's ass which way they went (verbatim), so hopefully Sugar wouldn't leave Weejay hanging too long.