King Elk Forest like a dream

It was beautiful, time had frozen for Miriam and before her, as the snow disregarded her stunned mind and fell onto the white ground. The massive trees could not hold against the powder, as it tried to keep away from the barrage of only for it to fail and continue to pile around the trunk. Untouched snow, with only her steps following as she was a ashen speck within the wonderous glowing world.

The wisp had stopped, her starry eyes locked onto the stag- the beast who seemed to tower over herself despite being so far. She had failed to see so many of them, yet there he was, within the small field surrounded by trees, staring into the sky and not noticing the lilac wolf, who stood in quiet, too amazed by the scene. Truly beautiful, she thought, as nature blessed with such a look, but she also felt fear from him, for she knew nature was beautiful, but could be cruel. She was not reckless, to venture forth and attack the elk knowing that a bitter defeat was within the path. Her fate by the Goddess would not be there, but a bystander to it's journey.

A beauty, and another beauty watched in peace.

With his mother healed, mostly, Bronco was free to go about his business as he normally would have, without having to focus so intently on the borders now that he had a partner again. Of course, he and his mother weren't the only two who patrolled- but it was in their DNA to think that nobody could do as good a job as them, so between Bronco and Niamh, the ego they shared made them believe that the borders weren't safe unless both of them were there and physically capable of patrolling. Given her return, Bronco had gained a bit more free time, and decided to do what she'd failed to do, on account of her injuries- he'd go off and scout for potential prey and hunting grounds. 

He'd been told of some of the former hunting grounds and had been told to check out the thicket where grouse usually lived- but he was more interested in the forest which used to be a wintering grounds for the many herds of elk. They'd feed more wolves, and Bronco was keen to know if they had returned. He meandered as quietly as he could through the forest until he came upon the tracks, freshly imprinted in the snow, left behind by a female wolf. He didn't recognize her scent, but if nothing else, this might be a chance for him to practice his flirting skills. 

What he didn't realize was that in following her tracks, he would not only find a velveteen beauty, but he wound find her patrially in hiding, watching a herd of elk. Bronco couldn't believe his eyes- and he wasn't sure where to look first- to gawk at the massive, magnificent creatures that could potentially feed his pack, or to gawk at the female whose pelt, in the tree-filtered light and against the staunched colour of te snow, appeared more lilac than anything else. He remained in the shadows still within the woodlands, gawking at the massive herbivore who stood in the small clearning, dominating the scenery for his size, but the one who commanded his attention for their beauty was easily the lilac female. Not wanting to spook the massive creature, he hissed a quiet breath through his teeth, in hopes of gaining her attention. If she got too close, she could be killed...And even the two of them together wouldn't be enough to bring that powerful a stag down, or so he thought. If he could convince this female to go with him...And then return with a hunting party....Then they had potential.

It wasn't the first time she had seen an Elk, but the King before her was an indisturbed scene, a beauty in its own. She felt at peace with what was like a memory, a scene that wouldn't move. However something else did, while the maiden felt frozen, her hearing did not go unnoticed, as an ear twitched from the sound of snow crunching beneath, and the faint smell of another wolf. Though not rushed, but quiet, she hoped that it meant no harm by the secretive way, just as she came to watch the giant up ahead.

Her snow-white gaze, glancing beside to see if it was true, as she heard the faint sound of a hiss, and grabbed her attention. Gaze broken from the King, her head slowly turned with her soft body to face the other, and gave a questioning tilt of what he had desired from her. Miriam saw she wanted her attention but did not know why, and seeing as no aggression was shown, she was calm, but still guarded, and awaited for the other to continue.

Looking past the female toward the king elk, Bronco couldn't help but feel his gut clench. How long had it been, now, since he'd eaten until he could no longer eat? When was the last time he'd eaten so much he could actually feel full? It seemed like the insatiable pit in his stomach was always clenched, to the point where he wondered if he did eat too much, if his body would reject it. But in seeing the elk before them, he simply wanted to eat- and to eat every single bit of that creature. 

The female looked at him questioningly, and he flicked an ear in her direction. This sort of creature wasn't one for two wolves to take down- especially considering that he was a novice. But hunger was beginning to drive him mad, so he padded forward with a hunter's stalk. His previous plans went more or less forgotten. Surely there was one elk among the herd that they could single out- he was so hungry, he felt invogorated with power. He gestured toward the elk with a deft flick of his chin, before he bared his teeth and lunged forward with a savage snarl. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it- but he was going to eat a whole damn elk just to kill the demon of hunger within him.

Miriam, only continued to watch in question as the stranger did not respond, only walked forward. A hunters march, she thought, looking at him worridly. Surely not, would he challenge the king before them? Though, through her own wisps she could see his own were crazed for a hunger, as she had not been around to what the Wilds had done to them- a great hunger to all. Healthy, and beautiful was the doll, but compared to the weakened wolves, they would take the risk to avoid the starvation.

"Wait, don't!" Her voice would be not heard, for she called forth a plee, but he had begun. A snarl twisted from the other, a savage lunge came forth, and he begun the attack. Miriam watch the large Elk look at the other, but almost seemed he was leering at the one who dared to challenge. The Maiden couldn't watch as he would foward himself to a death-match, for she did not believe that he could take him down, and even with the help of herself, the two would be in defeat. She hoped to lunge, to take him down before a foolish mistake he would make.

With the elk's impassive gaze upon him, Bronco felt angry at the thought that he might possibly be thought of as nothing more than a bothersome flea by a creature so impressive. Of course, he was nothing compared to the elk in size, and it would have strong legs and sharp hooves with which to defend itself. His impressive rack of antlers had whale tines which extended down past his haunches, and had been sharpened to points for the earlier rutting season. Now, he kept them merely as a defense mechanism through the tough months of winter- for use against foolhardy wolves like Bronco. 

Fortunately for all involved, it would seem, Bronco's hunger and rage blinded him to the blue of ashen velvet that darted in from beyond his peripheral vision, catching him off-guard and sending him toppling over harmlessly a few times before he was able to scrabble and regain his footing. Panting, he squared his paws and raised his tail in alarm as he cast a bewildered gaze to the female who had accosted him. The elk still watched, seemingly somewhat unphased by the anti cs of the would-be predators. 

"Damnit, missus," He cussed, shaking some snow from his pelt. "You outa your mind?" He asked, still somewhat dazed from his tumble.

Pounding of the heart, and swirl of the mind, "I am sane," she said in a soft whispery-tone, carefully going upwards from the previous exhilarating act she had done. Miriam was thankful she was in time, and managed to do so to the stranger before he engaged the kingly elk, who simply stared unrused toward their moment. 

"He is large," sharply, she started, "can he be taken down by one?" Though coldly said by the doll, she looked at him in worry. There was large doubt he would be able to do so alone, especially by how unphased the herbivore was by the unsuccessful attack. A herd of wolves she believed, could only be savage enough to bring him down. Though the lilac maiden, couldn't help but also feel she didn't want to see him go down by them. A beauty to her eyes, but survival was a must in the harden times.  She too, needed to be fed, but just maybe, all could survive in this scenario. But there was a hope, he could be free alongside them.

"Please," she pleaded, to be calm and think. Unspoken words, but Miriam hoped he would reconsider the attack.

Sane? Really? She wasn't a terribly large wolf...He felt ashamed, now, that he'd allowed himself to be toppled by so elfin and dainty a creature, who still stood her ground and insisted with a calm deliverance that he listen to reason. He cast a sour gaze toward the elk, who exhaled sharply through flared nostrils, causing the hungry, moody boy to roll his eyes and flick his tail the way an angry cat might. He looked up at the pretty, ashen female again, even though his muzzle was tilted down, as one might when confessing to a lie or apologizing for some misdemeanour. In his case, it was likely both. But he was too stubborn to admit both out loud. 

He shrugged. "Stupid deer," He hissed. "I'm'unna come back here with my pack, an' we'll take 'em all down." He said dourly. He looked back to the female, and gave her a quick once over. Very pretty- her looks were understated, and she had no bold markings to make her unique, but there was that lilac tint to her pelt that made her look as soft as thistle down. "You wanna come with? We c'n get others, an' come back. I'm sure they'd be fine with you helpin' out with the hunt. Could even get you a place in the pack," He said with a shrug- as though trying to pass off the idea with non-chalance.

A sigh of relief escaped from Miriam as the golden and brown stranger took heed of her words. Though fustrated he was, she was thankful he had listened. Listened, but not given up. A shame, she would think for the kingly elk to be taken down- but her Lady had set those down, for destiny to take form for the herbivore. The other was determined to eventually bring him to his knees, and dethrone the large one. While courageous, she couldn't help but feel a bit of ache.

Unique tongue, the lilac beauty had to take some time to process what was said through the accent. Perhaps a silence fell between, as she took time to carefully decide the words she needed, and nodded to the other, "I will help." If it was to be his last- Miriam would be the one to see it alongside the others, "however.. Grateful for your offer, I am on a journey at the moment." There wasn't a current desire, to tie down to others. She desired to see this world for what it was, and what would be.

"I am Miriam, Miriam Iris Willows. It's a pleasure to meet you." Her words were so soft, and so delicate, she was barely audible to some.

Well, in the very least, he'd gained a hunting companion- once, of course, they gathered more members to take down the elk. There was the chance as well that they might return to the woodlands to find that the elk herd had moved on, but hopefully if they were able to find some of his packmates quickly enough, they'd be able to track them down and launch a proper hunt again. He didn't realize it, but Miriam had likely saved his life- something he should have thanked her for...But he was oblivious to that fact, as per usual. 

Like Maia, this was yet another woman who didn't want to settle down and join a pack just yet. He sighed. "Alright. You got another pack you're after joining?" he asked, wondering if she might simply have her eyes set on another home location. Maybe she had family in these parts- it was impossible to say. He'd almost forgotten the fact that they hadn't been introduced until she spoke her name, and he nodded in greeting, and responded with a much more brusque greeting. "Bronco."

A soft shake, Miriam replied, "I do not." Simple and soft words, was all that was needed. While in the future, perhaps a pack could come into play, for now she had desired for the wanderers soul, to be a free spirit and see what was to be offered. Intriguing this place was, and whimiscle was the wild. She had part ways with the Orchid, to be within the world, and the lilac beauty, would grasp every chance she could to see what there was.

However, she didn't want to pass up what could be- a lover, a friend, a companion, a family. If he were to lead, wherever they would go would be the second pack she would interact with, but officially the first. Shame to say, the first Miriam ran off in embarassment.. Long ago that was though, she had a slight bonus of courage since then.

"Where do you live?" she inquired.

So he might not have to worry about other packs as competition, but Miriam clearly wasn't about to settle for just any pack simply because the offer was there. He tried not to take it too personally, and also had to try and not judge her too much. It was winter, after all, and there was a famine at hand- so what wolf in their right mind would choose to be on their own rather than join a pack? She herself couldn't take down one of those elk- but with Bronco and the assistance of other Firebird wolves, hopefully, they might be able to get a meal, for once. 

Their trek took them further East and North, and Bronco was eager to keep a good speed to their movements lest the elk find a reason to leave the forest while he and Miriam sought out help. To her question, he gestured. To their left was Nimbus peak, but dead ahead, across the snow-covered swamp, was a line of trees marking the edge of their territory. "That copse, up ahead. I'mma call now, so we can get this hunt on the go," He announced eagerly, tilting his head back and singing out urgently for his packmates to come and join in a hunt for elk. If they were as hungry as he was, they'd come flying across the swamp on the double. 

"We c'n just wait here for now. No sense goin' back an' forth. But my pack's called the Firebirds," He said, figuring with the time they had to wait, he could give her a bit more information about them.

She had ease with keeping up, while power was not in her best suit, the long distance of travelling gave her confidence of her stamina, and well-pace to stay upfoot with Bronco. She followed him to his packlands, cautiously observing the terrians they were to pass. Miriam knew she would trace-back eventually to fully immerse herself with them, but for now the task afloat was about the mighty elk, and the summons for more members.

So he called, and they would wait. She couldn't help but feel nervous, especially since it's been so long since she had faced a group of wolves. The group he named, Firebirds, was an unknown number, "How many will come?" She asked questioningly, if any would come forth to help the hunt. The two along- not even three she thought, could bring him down. They would need Earls, or Warriors some prefer to refer. A sparkle within the maiden's wisp, as nervous as she was, an excitment came from her heart.

Bronco shrugged at her question. "Not sure," He replied thoughtfully. "But I'm kinda hopin' a bunch do. This far into the famine, we kinda need a kill like an elk. S'been too long since I've had anything that good to eat," He admitted. Bronco, like his mother, was a good eater- a ravenous, endless pit, and they also shared the trait of becoming 'hangry' as well. Fortunately, Bronco seemed to be a better sport about it than his Mom was. 

"Here. While we wait for some of them to show up, wanna play a game of bobstones?" He asked, and began scuffing through the snow for small pebbles, hoping she'd take him up on the invitation. Normally, it would have been more fun to spar, but given the fact that they needed to conserve energy, the silly little betting game would have to do for entertainment.

"Famine?" Miriam was unaware of the tragedies Teekon had faced, for during those times she had been away from the wilds, and near her homeland. She was far healthier compared to some, as she was well-bodied and shown no signs of illness, weakness, nor' hunger within her ribs. Though his words made sense for his crazed state earlier, if the food as thin, it was a given a wolf would be driven to danger to survive. She felt a pity stir within, and a sorrow for how much his pack had been through.

Though he remained optimistic it seemed, as while they wait for the help, he would play a game, "bobstones?" but a game she did not know. Miriam was full of questions today, for new options continuously came to be.

Bronco tilted his head and looked at Miriam in surprise, catching the curious, but concerned glint in her pale, silvery eyes as she asked first one question, and then another. He wasn't too surprised about her not knowing about bobstones. Normally, Bronco thought that bobstones was boring and repetitive, and though he liked to cheat, it hadn't really worked in such a game. Still, the idea of showing it to someone for the first time, as a means of passing the time while they waited, made it a decent enough option.

"Yeah. The usual herds of deer and elk that live around here left. We had a bunch of like...Strange things happen. Earthquakes, landslides- even massive waves out along the coast so as I was told...And since then, a lot of the prey left." He admitted. "We been living mostly off small stuff the past few months," Bronco said, though he was unsure of the timeline. He continued to scuff about as he spoke until he'd unearthed four small pebbles- each no larger than a pea- and then scuffed out a patch of snow so that it was more or less down to the frozen earth, and shoved the pebbles onto it, and sat at one edge of the small, semi-cleared circle. Before he went into detail about the game, which was now more or less set up, he raised one eyebrow at Miriam. "Where'd you come from, before this? Like...Direction-wise?" He asked. If this was the first she'd heard of a famine- then perhaps she came from the place where the herds had gone.

The ghostly maiden watched him gather the tools required for the game, as he answered her questions. She was curious on the game, as not one she was familiar with, but there was few she knew of, for the young ones of the Orchid played simple games. A chase, a pounce, maybe a lost one hidden away. 

"Unfortunate, i'm sorry to hear that." How horrible, she wondered why the Goddess had sentenced so many disasters upon their land- perhaps a trial? Though Miriam dare not dwell too much on the questioning of Her Lady, and only hoped many did not suffer from these lands. Definitely showed the longing on why the desire for the king elk came to be, and a need for him as well. She knew he was needed, for his Pack.

Though her own? "I came from the West, far from here." It would take many, many moons to return to her homeland, for Miriam did a long journey to com to Teekon, "You are born here, yes?" An assumption, for his native-talk and terms she did not know of, such as bobstones. Either been here for a long, but one looking so young did not seem to be elderly, perhaps one born of the Firebirds, and lived here since birth.

She empathized, but it caused him to raise one eyebrow. She could empathize all she wanted- but Bronco sincerely felt more concerned for her. "We'll be OK, we're a pack. I hope, if you're really not into joining a pack, that you're able to do OK on your own. An' if it gets rough, just remember- that copse over there? That's where my pack is, an' we're friendly. Jus' mention that you met me, an' that'll...." That would what? Miriam would likely come across Niamh first along the borders, and Niamh knew more than to accept her son's quick judgement. He chuckled. "Well. I'm still in training, so I can't do much. but I can put in a good word," He assured her. After all- she was pretty, she was well kept, and she certainly looked healthy, so those were all good markers, right? Plus, she was polite- and hadn't harmed him in any way. She certainly had more patience than he had, and she'd more or less saved his life when he'd charged the elk. She'd earned his respect, anyway. 

"Yup. Born an' raised a Firebird," He said, pulling the rocks in front of him, having not forgotten the game. Truth be told, he was a bit too young to really care about learning much about her. He hadn't learned yet that it was best to display an honest interest in others if he hoped to make a real friendship- and he was really only interested, now, in beating her at Bobstones while they waited for his packmates to arrive. "So," He huffed, indicating the tiny pebbles between his feet. 

"This is bobstones. You can use any pebbles really, but the smaller the better. I found five, which is good. What I'm gonna do, is you're gonna turn around and close your eyes, an' I'm gonna hide 'em all under my two front feet. Then when I say it's OK, you gotta turn around, open your eyes, and try an' guess how many pebbles I got under each foot. Sound okay?" He asked.

"I will keep that in mind." Miriam knew he meant well, but she felt a bit uncomfortable on how much he emphasized the Firebirds, how much he desired to have her join. She trusted him, that they were friendly enough, but still was not ready to slow down her journey just yet, "will they come?" However.. As friendly as they seemed to be, his call seemed to be in vain she thought, as none are coming to them. They simply waited, and plaid this.. Game, which was intriguing by itself.

"Alright, I understand."

With reference to his packmates, Bronco could only assume that over the vast kilometers that their territory spanned, it might take longer for an individual within earshot to arrive than what had spanned since he called, so he shrugged. "Prolly someone will," He said somewhat offhandedly. Unless there was something else tying his packmates up in business- which could, of course, be the case- he knew someone would be up for a hunt. 

"G'awn, turn around then," He said, gesturing with a flick of his muzzle. "An' close your eyes," He said. He waited whilst she presumably did so- and then leaned to each side, to make sure he could see her closed eyelids, before he began shuffling the five pebbles around, making a messy patch on the ground which would make it tougher to see where each pebble went. Then, he spread his feet a bit, allowing for the pebbles to settle nicely between his toes- hiding three under his left foot, and the remaining two under his right. He attempted to space the toes on his right foot out just a bit, knowing he would need to have his feet look as symmetrical as possible, before he chuffed "Okay, now you can turn around an' guess. How many do I have under each foot?"

Miriam nodded, hoping it to be true. She didn't want Bronco to feel the disappointment of none coming- as her patience can become for weeks, but what of his? She worried, as the maiden turned around in thought, listening to his words with eyes closed. When she turned around once more to face and watched his paws, she definitely did not know how many there were.

"Five on left, two on right?" She questioned.

She made her guess, which made Bronco wince. He shook his head, but shrugged as well. "Sarry- I thought I'd mentioned- but there's only five pebbles total." He said, and shifted slightly, but didn't move his feet. He gave her a sympathetic smile. "I prolly forgot to mention that, so...You can have another guess. I got five pebbles, but you hafta guess how many I got under each foot," He advised, and grinned, pricking his ears, hoping she'd rise to the challenge now that she was better informed of the details.

"Three on left, two on right?" Miriam re-corrected herself, simply lowering the number she had claimed before. A fascinating claim the maiden thought, and hard to win as who could tell what was beneath the paw. A game of guessing, but if one didn't hide it well enough, perhaps it could be one- though sadly he hid them perfectly, she could only give vague guesses to how many was underneath.

Her silvers grazed upwards, noticing the dimming of the sky, and the reddened clouds, "It is getting late," she commented, "perhaps the hunt is destined for another day," and that the King gets more time of the peace.

Last post from me. Thanks for the thread!

Holy smokes. "Hah! You got it!" Bronco said, impressed with Miriam's sudden turn in expertise, as he pulled one foot back and then the other- having to more or less shake the pebbles out from where they'd gotten lodged in between his toes- to reveal that she had answered correctly. Normally Bronco was a sore loser, and often tried to cheat by shaking the pebbles out of his feet in such a way that they'd fallout and roll over toward the other foot, but he didn't care about losing against a stranger. "Beginner's luck," He said cheekily, and pushed the pebbles toward her. 

But like a true hunter, her mind was still back on the game, and Bronco frowned. "Must be somethin' up back at the pack...An' it is gettin' kinda late, so I shuold prolly go." He said. He was disappointed that his packmates hadn't turned up, but at least he had a prey sighting to report, and he'd been able to get a bit more experience tracking and hunting. "I'll see ya around, Miriam," He said, giving her a cordial dip of his head, a cheeky wink, before he turned and headed for home.