Redhawk Caldera coigreach ann an tìr choimhich

@Lilitu coigreach ann an tìr choimhich

Adjusting was one way to put it. The girl still was not sure what she was going to do. She actually liked the idea of a family-like structure. It reminded her of home… of course, in her home family meant constantly bickering and she had always thrived on the chaos that it had created. She didn’t know why they seemed to pride themselves on such an environment but she also hadn’t become socially relevant to any of the wolves in the pack.
 
It was something she knew that she should change, but it was difficult. The territory was expansive and it appeared she had simply chosen places to be that weren’t surrounding others. That happened, right? It wasn’t just her subconsciously avoiding the fresh scents she would come across of her packmates, right? Hell if she knew anymore. She moved along the path towards the edge of the caldera, her eyes scanning over the water as she paid close attention to the scents that lingered around her, looking for the faintest hint of land animal to start tracking.

She didn't often stray near the fringes of the territory, but she found herself here today, and didn't regret it. For soon, she came across a pale sylph, a beauty, with the summer sky captured in her eyes.

Lilitu drew to a halt, smiling, tail waving as she beckoned the woman over.

Hello! she called out, her own bright yellow-green gaze glimmering. It was a cool, crisp time for the caldera, where every sensation seemed heightened (rather than summer's way of dulling it all and sending them all into a stupor). 

Her breath fogged before her, paws planted in the snow. She waited for the snowy wolf to come closer, holding her ground with a pleasant expression set upon her face.

A voice caught her attention, eyes widening though her back was away from the woman. The tone was clearly feminine and the scent that flooded her nostrils confirmed it. She turned, a friendly smile falling quickly on her lips just as she had practiced as she moved over, her tail waving slowly from side to side in a cautiously friendly greeting. “Hello!” She greeted back with an equal enthusiasm. The woman was larger than her, though that was not something that was unusual for anything.
 
Everyone in this pack was so nice, so friendly… it was not quite the family dynamic she had been expecting when Eljay had said they were all close… but she could deal with this. Surely she could come up with some way to stir things up. “I’m Medb.” She introduced, knowing that there was no way this woman could have known her name, right? “I’m… a bit new here. Admittedly, I think you’re one of the first wolves I’m meeting.” She offered almost awkwardly as her paws scraped lightly at the snow on the ground.

Medb, she repeated, and it was a good thing wolves dealt only in sounds and not spelling, because oh, boy, this woman's name would have thrown her for a loop! I'm Lilitu. It's nice to meet you. And don't worry about that, she added. We just moved, and it's kind of been a little crazy around here.

But not crazy enough to offer the welcome wagon to the newbie! She gestured to the path ahead, a question in her gaze. Has anyone given you a tour yet? I don't think I've seen it all, myself, and I could use a good walk.

The hustle and bustle of the move had certainly given her the opportunity to keep her thoughts on more productive matters, rather than wallow in woulda-coulda-shouldas. She was glad for it, and she was glad for Medb, who could be, perhaps, another good friend here.

Medb saved the name to memory. Lilitu. She seemed just as friendly as Eljay was, which puzzled her though she schooled her expression to keep that friendly smile on her features. They had just moved and she hummed. “I didn’t know that.” She mused aloud. She hadn’t realized they had only recently settled… that would only help her, she felt.
 
The question came and she shook her head. “Eljay showed me around a little bit, but I haven’t gotten the full tour yet. He left me to settle in instead.” She explained more fully as she followed along, eager to take the woman up on her offer to show her around more. It would give her a little more time to adjust. “I’m still trying to find my bearings… but I’m a hunter and tracker.” She mused aloud. That was what wolves did, right? They did… social things?

She nodded, smiling. Oh, nice, Lilitu responded as Medb mentioned her skills. Always need those. I do well enough to get by, but some wolves are better than others. Medb clearly one of those, if she so willingly shared.

What was she good at? She liked to talk. She was very good at the talking.

Tell me about your, um— A flush of embarrassment, as she remembered her somewhat disastrous encounter with Ukelele. Not family, not past homes. . . Tell me about the hunt you most remember?

Her voice was tentative, but her eyes friendly. Lilitu didn't mean to interrogate the woman; she truly wanted to get to know her new packmate beneath the surface, of what was seen.

Maybe she'd learn something valuable in the process.

Medb smiled softly at the words and nodded. Every pack could use them; it was, in a sense, her job security. It was the skill she knew that she could always fall back on if she needed to. “I’m sure you could be good at it too… it took me awhile; I had to find the right teacher.” Her father had tried and often got frustrated, snapping at her… but her mother? She simply knew how to convey it in a way her father had not, and she had become skilled at it in turn.
 
The questioned statement trailed off and Medb visibly turned her head as she tried to figure out what the woman was asking before the question came. It was not a typical one, but she considered it for a moment. It was a difficult one. “I did a coming of age hunt with my siblings for our first birthday…” She started as they trekked. “We were hunting a moose; the four of us were meant to lead it, to show that we were worthy of joining the adult ranks. It was tradition.” She remembered fondly. “Because of my size we decided I would be a chaser and a herder, and that my brother would lead the attack group… but he hesitated. I got the kill.” It had commanded a certain amount of respect. “Just shows that size isn’t everything, eh?”

Her pace naturally slowed as Medb spoke, and she kept her gaze half-trained on Medb, even as they ascended the slope of the caldera. At the conclusion of the story, her eyes widened in delight, jaw hanging half open. If she had hands, she would have applauded.

Well done! she exclaimed, grinning. Size isn't everything, indeed. I hope your family gave you all the praise for that and more.

It was a thrilling thought, to be the center of such glory. She backtracked a little, and said, Maybe you could give me some of your wisdom—I would appreciate it. Especially for tracking. I can catch things when they more or less hit me in the face, but. . .

Lilitu grimaced, rolling her eyes at herself.

Her story seemed to enrapture, at least by Medb’s standards. The compliment came and she grinned proudly. She had managed to find a sense of high ground in the chase that had allowed her to access the beast’s neck. It had truly been a defining moment. Her mother had been so proud; her father had been shocked. The outcomes all around had been good.
 
“Thank you.” She offered, her smile faltering for a moment before she stated with a certain conviction. “My mother was quite proud.” She made no mention of her siblings or her father. There had been mixed reactions. At one point fae mischief had even been mentioned though clearly dispelled.
 
“I can try… I’ve not had an experience teaching, but there is always a time to try something new.” The words fell like honey from her tongue, an alluring promise to cement her role further within the pack, establish her worth, and gain something. "To hunt prey, you have to understand them... think like them, and it lets you predict their moves. With certain trails you can tell how panicked they were simply by their imprints in the snow or dirt."

Medb shifted into teacher mode, and she the apprentice. She nodded along fervently, her eyes beginning to scan the slope for any signs of said prey. Tracks, smells. . .

Tell me about your mother, Lilitu whispered, without thinking of it. 

Mother was who she'd brought up, specifically. A brother, too, but Lilitu's mind was specifically trained on Ibis. She believed herself in the mold of her own dam; if she knew Medb, she would know her lineage as well.

All the while, she searched for game—

The request was almost enough to stop her in her tracks, though a frown found her way onto her features, hints of a guarded look in her eyes. “Why?” She felt it was a simple question that she was allowed to ask if the woman wanted such intrusive information.
 
She remembered her mother fondly, but it did not mean she was willing to play the cards closest to her chest. Small memories were fine… but if she opened up, then she revealed and that was not in her nature. They were searching for game, shifting their focus from exploring and Medb saw hints of rabbits imprinted in the snow, motioning with her head. “See, the imprints here were fast… the creatures were running from something. If you were a hare running from, say, a wolf… where would you go?” She posed the question and changed the topic simultaneously.

There was that pushback again. She tried not to let the meekness show, instead meeting the other's gaze and replying, I'm curious. You said she was proud—and you only mentioned her.

She left it there, listening keenly to Medb's advice. Her bright eyes followed the trail, trying to find the difference between these tracks and others. Chewed on the woman's question for a few moments—and giving her space to answer Lilitu's own query—before answering.

Somewhere a wolf couldn't go, maybe? she pondered. A tight space between rocks, or underground. Somewhere only a small creature could hide.

She cocked her head, staring at Medb, wondering if that was the correct answer.

She supposed the other woman made sense. Curiosity killed the cat, and her entire life had been faced on her mother’s curiosity and need of knowledge about others. “She was kind, but she was smart. She found that perfect balance between being walked over and flying off the handle with rage.” Her mother had been a mischievous fae herself. “She picked me up any time I fell; where my father saw weakness, my mother saw strength… she was my world.” She was still her world, even if Medb knew she would likely never see her again. She could give her that information at the very least.
 
She hummed softly, nodding in an approving manner towards the woman. “They’ll try and find a hole… the problem with holes, is there is usually a limited number of ways out, and they’re usually close together. Sometimes holes are shallow and with more than one wolf… it’s possible to spook them out.” She stated with a wide grin on her features, that mischief in her eyes. “Do you want to scare some rabbits?”

Every word reminded her of Ibis, and she turned away for a moment, breathing with some effort as sobs threatened her composure. Luckily, she kept the tears at bay, and it was only a few heartbeats longer before she was able to focus on Medb's lesson, a new appreciation for the woman—and where she had come from—in her heart.

Sure, Lilitu replied, grinning back. Let's find some holes.

With confidence that belied her long tenure with Brecheliant, she trotted ahead, eyes scanning the slopes for any signs of rabbit homes. There was— there. Carved into the hillside, burrowing deep underground. She poked her nose in, heedless of danger, and called out, Anybody home?

She thought she caught the faintest sound of rustling, somewhere within the darkness.

Nothing emerged, however, and Medb and Lilitu walked back to the rendezvous, the latter chattering in animated fashion of her own scattered (but still beloved) family.