Firefly Glen good news, good news

@Arcturus

The scent of Rusalka was still strong on her fur. When not travelling, Ying occupied her time by rolling in an assortment of half-frozen mud puddles and piles of snow in an effort to free herself of the stench. They were all untrustworthy and disloyal, regardless of what they claimed; hypocrisy ran rampant at the plateau.

She had been successful in several small hunts, but found that none of them had been enough satiate her for long. Ying wandered through the plains in search of a trail to track for the duration of the afternoon.

down the spear arcturus went, driven again by inconsolable wanderlust. the spire was but a black silhouette behind him as he slipped into the glen, charon’s old haunt.

ahead of him a form; ghost white, and tracking. the cool burn of arcturus’ golden gaze followed her, but he did not come close. his breath plumed in silversmoke as he watched ying scent along the ground, ears cupped and eyes minted with interest.

The presence of a stranger did not go unnoticed. Ying kept her head down but allowed her gaze to shift, until eventually settling upon the distant shadow. A low growl sounded in her throat though she made no move to approach. 

A call caught her attention. The huntress stood at full attention and listened for another, until finally pinpointing its source. There was a small flock of brds within walking distance. Again, without making direct eye contact, Ying looked over at Arc and flagged her tail in silent invitation.

stilled by the growl that pressed from the amazon’s throat, arcturus froze. his gaze arced past her, where the cold frontier stretched in lonely ribbons of pale snow and bare, bruised earth.

out on the range, a trilling call rose from the mists.

a flick of her tail in silent invitation. did she wish for his company? he found her hard to read. slipping quietly after her trail, arcturus felt a thrill thrumming his heart.

The invitation was accepted. He quickly fell into line, trailing after Ying as she led them toward the bounty. Every few steps, she would shoot a glance over her shoulder to check if he was still following.

Birdsong gradually grew more prominent. The huntress stopped and looked up into the canopy for any visible targets. She looked at him and noted the stark black of his coat. Her eyes lingered for a moment, though her attention was soon turned back to the hunt.

A game? she proposed, wondering if he would be interested, Winner keeps all. Ying raised an eyebrow, curious to see his reaction.

for each time ying cast her gaze about her, arcturus slowed and met her eyes with a silent look of interest. she was easy company, and that was what he needed in this hour -- a silent partner in which to delve into their more basic needs: the hunt.

his gaze trailed past the mist beyond, where the chatter of birdsong was fluent. a game, the winter-wraith proposes: arcturus looked to her in slow-dawning surprise, and then blossoming interest -- a game sounded exactly like what he needed.

he accepted with a courtly nod, yellow eyes trained ahead as he readied.

The invitation was welcomed without protest. Ying nodded and turned her body opposite of Arcturus, deciding that she would verge toward the eastern ridge once the game commenced. First to three, she whispered. A look was shot back in his direction to ensure that she had been heard, then she trotted off and began to search for her first target.

First to three, she whispers. Arcturus paused and marveled after her as she shot into the brush. Harefooted and swift, Ying disappeared into the tussocks.

Arcturus fumbled into a lope, diverging from her path in the snow. Gradually the birdsong grew clearer, drawing a slowing of pace from the mountaineer as he cocked an ear and listened, prowling low after a particularly close one in the thicket.

Hunting in the thicket became easier the more familiar it became. She wandered to a small clearing lined with thorn bushes and huddled near to the fringe. Her coat was useful as camoflauge, the black stripe between her shoulders blending nicely with the barren branches. 

A small flock flew overhead. Ying watched as one bird drifted toward the ground and hopped from one station to the next, flapping its wings as if to take off. She leapt forward but got her paw caught on the thorns, resulting in an embarassing tumble and no bird to claim.

She shook the debris from her coat and moved on. Another bird sat nestled in the crook of a branch. Ying settled into a hunter's stance and prepared to pounce, but as she did, her snout bumped into the rotting wood. She fell back to the ground and tried to blink the tears from her eyes which were only worsened by the shock of a falling tree limb.

The huntress was beginning to lose hope. She began to walk back toward their meeting spot when suddenly, a blue jay appeared. It was pretty enough to catch her attention; Ying watched in awe as she settled back onto her belly. She crept carefully forward but the bird was wise to her attempt. It flew away, just before it could be caught, leaving her with nothing to bring to Arcturus.

ying was gone from arcturus' sight, but not his mind. he prowled ahead, the crunch of snow underfoot announcing his presence to just about every living thing within a mile radius. finding a swath of bare earth several hundred feet from the tree line, arcturus hunkered down and listened.

he heard a crash in the distance, but did not connect it with ying and her failed expedition. just as he was about to move on, a soft trilling sounded between the pines, followed by the cautionary head-poke of a grouse disturbed from its roost. arcturus watched with stilled breath as it darted across the trail, followed by not one, but four flockmates. there was no time to question his luck -- when he felt the time was right he burst from cover like a bristle-backed wrecking ball, his eyes on the closest bird to his fangs.

already they were bolting, attempting to run fast enough so they might become airborne. arcturus snapped at the first and it veered with a squawk, crashing into a startled flock-mate in a flutter of furs. he pounced upon it with a snap of his jaws and flung it aside, catching sight of the third streaking by his flank. with a grunt arcturus bounded after, knowing his time was short. the bird sprung into the air in a series of panicked clucks, only to be plucked to the dirt by arcturus' teeth around one of its tail feathers. arcturus held it as it struggled and beat against him, shaking roughly with his head until its movements ceased.

collecting both in his jaws, the mountaineer turned back to the dark-backed she-wolf, expecting that when he arrived she would have her three birds patiently lined in a row.

Contrary to Arcturus's expectation, she didn't have any birds. Seeing him carry his two catches only served to further her embarassment; Ying turned away so that she didn't have to face him. Was this a childish display? Perhaps, but that didn't matter.

She stood and faced him, tail lashing with slight aggravation. You are lucky, she declared. How else would he have beat her? Ying drew in a deep breath and sat back down, obviously upset by this defeat.

arcturus' features fell when he came upon the frost-furred she-wolf; her paws were empty, and defeat lingered in her gaze. he smiled softly, acknowledging her response as he gently tossed one of the dispatched birds to her feet.

"i am." arcturus conceded, placing a swarthy paw on the remaining bird. "for dinner and good company. one for you, one for me." he did not think less of her capabilities for returning without victory. arcturus knew well the burn of an empty stomach, and the sting of defeat - more often than not, these days.

Well, what could she say? Ying was quick to swoon. She tried to fight back a smile but only for a moment, eventually relaxing and allowing the grin to take hold. Whatever, she replied, Next time, I beat you. It was both a promise and a threat, open to whichever interpretation he preferred. What your name? she asked as she bent down to begin plucking the corpse.

arcturus had no doubt that next time, ying would be victor. she did not seem incapable -- if anything, he was struck from the moment he saw her about how proficient she seemed. a moonstruck huntress, arcturus thought bemusedly as he plucked at his still warm meal.

"arcturus." he answered, chewing thoughtfully as gristle scraped his throat. "what is your name?"

Wanna fade?

Arcturus was too difficult to pronounce. Arc, she said, I am Ying. She continued plucking the feathers from the bird, eventually deciding to draw into the bird. I am glad to meet you.

fun thread! lets have another soon <3

ying. the name was simple - the way it rolled off of her tongue, delightful. arcturus repeated it mentally, smiling as he ate his fill -- which was surprisingly little. "ying. take this -- we are well met." he pushed the remainder of the bird, which was most of it, towards his new huntsmate.

"i should return to the 'spear. if you would like to hunt again, simply howl for me by the mountain." he gestured to the spearing figure of stone that shadowed even the glen they stood in. once the she-wolf acknowledged, arcturus dipped his head and turned back on the solitary road for home.