Lost Creek Hollow Poison and Whine

Now that he could actually walk again, he could hunt. He was in tip-top shape, but had managed to lose a few pounds while he was sick. He needed the exercise as much as he needed the mental reward of a successful hunt. Being confined to one place while his leg recovered was torturous in every way. 

He didn't want to venture far, so he didn't. And this place seemed good enough as any to find small prey. Rabbits, mice, maybe an otter. He wasn't even really hungry, just bored. And he needed something to feel normal. Nothing was more normal to him than taking down prey--it's what most of his life to this point revolved around. 

He was more or less scouting out the area now, looking for signs of anything that might be edible. He'd seen a few dead rabbit dens. Their scents were too faded. Either they had been picked clean, or the rabbits moved. He hoped the latter, but it was too early to tell. 

The wolf's muzzle was painted brown with mud, indicating he'd been rooting around in the abandoned homes. His paws were in no better shape, either, covered in black soil nearly to the shoulder.

As Leto made her way through the wood the vegetation did little to hide her bright coat. She planned to make her way through the valley quickly and return to the cold environment that was about a days travel away.

Unfortunately for both her and anyone who planned on picking off the prey animals in the area, Leto was not doing much to keep quiet: taking heavy steps, rubbing against trees to leave her scent, and sticking her head into any hole she came across.

Overall her actions could be taken as somewhat vulgar - however in Leto's case she simply didn't have the experience to know how to act outside of a territory that did not belong to her; this doesn't make it any less inconvenient for other's, of course.

The wolf's ear flicked before he'd registered that there was something to hear. He cocked an eyebrow. Footsteps, probably, but large. Nothing that could fit in the holes he'd been examining. Much too clumsy to be a deer, too. 

He turned his head, catching a glimpse of something white maybe thirty feet away, obscured by spotty foliage. 

He'd felt a flash of annoyance. Whoever that was was making his job harder by bumbling around. The large wolf had been careful to stay silent, but the other wolf--a female, he now realized, catching her stench on the wind--had ruined any attempt he had made to stay undetected. 

He wanted to make her leave, though he knew there was no point now. So he wouldn't. But he at least wanted to express his frustration. 

He shook his fur free of the wet dirt that clung to him, cleared his nostrils, then padded forward. 

"Was wonderin' why I ain't been able to find any food."

He chose not to elaborate further.

Surprised by the sound of another voice she finally paused her stride, whipping her head towards the source and spotting another wolf - though they were much dirtier than her and she couldn't help but wonder why that was.

The statement confused her, and she raised a single eyebrow at him. "I had the same question - I swear I could smell rabbits around here not too long ago." She responded casually, as if speaking to a familiar friend. It was difficult to discern whether she was being disrespectful, or if she just wasn't very bright.

"Could ya, now?" Pepper asked, laced with sarcasm. He took a seat. 

He wanted an apology, some admittance that she'd done wrong and ruined his chances of success here. It hadn't and wouldn't cross his mind that she had no intention of doing so. 

"Was that before or after you went around puttin' yer stench on everything?" 

He'd smelled her before, he realized, earlier in the day. Though at the time he couldn't pinpoint the smell. No wonder the dens were all vacant.

Leto took a moment to consider his question. Did that scare them away? She never would have thought that small animals would be so fickle. "Are rabbits really that sensitive?" She asked with a frown. How odd! She never would have guessed.

"Well, I doubt that they went very far - and they'll have to come back eventually, right?" She suggested to the other. Leto wasn't an expert on rabbits, but she knew Caribou and they seemed to follow the same paths each year - maybe rabbits were the same.

Leto had not yet realized that this was a confrontation, or that the male was upset - but she rarely noticed these types of things, too focused on her journey and analyzing the stranger.

"Rabbits ain't got no defense other than their quick legs. 'Course they'll run if they think they're in danger." 

He really didn't understand how he needed to explain this. And yes, she was right. They would come back. But he wasn't in a waiting mood. 

"An' I'm sure they will show back up. I just don't like to be kept waitin'." 

Still no apology. In fact, the wolf seemed altogether clueless of his annoyance. Maybe he shouldn't be so hard. It's not like it'd clear her scent from the woods. 

"You don't do much huntin', do ya?"

"No - not with rabbits." She responded, finally ceasing the shuffling of her paws and sitting down. "I prefer Caribou, but you can't take them down on your own. That's a good way to break a bone or two."

Leto took a moment to think before looking to the wolf, dropping an ear. "Do you like eating rabbits? They're so small." Sure, a rabbit would keep him fed for some time - but surely a wolf like him, who has even larger than her, wasn't living off of rabbits of all things. He had to be eating something more.

Break a bone or two, or die. Caribou didn't mess around. 

He did like eating rabbits. Hell, he liked eating anything. Meat was meat. Sure, some tasted better than others, but it all ended up in the same place. 

At any rate, it wasn't like he had a pack to structure hunts with. 

"They're fine," he replied, which could be interpreted however she liked. 

"Would prefer something bigger, but it's like ya said."

Leto nodded, sighing in a somewhat dramatic manner and briefly dropping her head before lifting it back up. "I suppose it is better than starving - but I really do miss the kinds of things you get to eat in a pack."

Sure, it was likely that not all packs would feed each of their members something so precious, but she had little to reference from. "I thought I would have found a few out here by now, but you're one of the first wolves I've managed to bump into."

She appeared to be disappointed by this briefly, but was quick to perk back up. "You seem alright though!" Leto decided.

"Hah! You're telling me.' 

It'd be clear by the wolf's stature that he did enjoy a good meal. 

"They're here. West, I think. Met two others." 

He didn't have much info on them, though. Recalled the pack's territory to be rather faded. 

He wasn't sure how to address her last comment, though. The wolf never felt like he made good company--partly because he tried to keep it that way. 

"Glad ya think so."

"What's with all the dirt though? Isn't it uncomfortable?" She questioned, lifting her paw to poke at the remains of the shook off mud. "You should get it cleaned off, hm? I've seen the matts of fur it can create."

She seemed to be straying from the topic on hand - an attempt to keep the wolf sat with her for at least a bit longer. Leto was tired of being on her own; this was a good change even if it was temporary.

Pepper looked down. His paws had accumulated quite the coating. 

He faced her again. 

"Somethin' wrong with it? Been tryin' to dig up rabbits. It'll wash out." 

He didn't understand the constant need quite a few wolves harbored to clean themselves. Survival was dirty work. He found pride in being dirty. Meant he was doing his job well. 

"Guess I won't be finding any, though. Know of any water nearby?"

Leto nodded, looking him over once again. "I saw a stream not too far back." She recalled. "It won't take long, so let's go - mud tastes weird so I'm not doing it for you, and I doubt you'll do it yourself. We can let the water do it's job."

She decided, returning to a stand. Based on their previous conversation she likely wouldn't take no for an answer. "Nothing's wrong with it really - but doesn't it feel better when it isn't weighing you down?" Leto asked, finally answering his initial question.

His brow furrowed at the comment. He wouldn’t ask her to. But she was right, he had no plans of using his muzzle. 

If she knew of somewhere, he’d follow. A drink sounded good, anyhow. 

”Sure,” he agreed. Though, he hadn’t really given it any thought. Sounded like it was getting washed whether he agreed or disagreed. 

This whole interaction, he’d been trying to pin down her age. She was large, which threw the whole thing off. She seemed way too naive to be anything but a pup. 

Which made him wonder why she was alone. He didn’t smell others in her wake. And she’s all but admitted to being alone earlier. 

”So no pack, hmm? They kick ya out for ruining hunts or somethin’?”

He’d follow her lead to the water.

Whether it was meant to be an insult or not, Leto snickered at the comment. "Of course not - I was much better back home." She responded, flicking her tail upwards as she began her trek towards the stream.

"I was encouraged to leave though. It was just me, my parents, and my siblings." She began her explanation, recalling the open territory she used to reside in. "My littermates each left when they were a year old, but I took another twelve moons or so. They wanted me to build my own life."

Leto was admittedly unhappy to have left, but she understood that it was necessary. You can't leech off of your parents forever - or well, you could, but eventually you'd be out of luck. It was better to meet other wolves and find a new pack, one where she would be taken care of when she grew old, and be able to continue her bloodline.

So, two. Or thereabouts. 

His pack experience had been different. Small family pack, yes, but he wasn't kicked out. At least, not at first. Not for age. 

"Hmm," he responded. He doubted her hunting ability. 

"And that seems to be going good for ya," he said. A question, but also an insult. If she was looking for a pack, her lack of one spoke volumes.

"Well it isn't going bad." Leto responded, lowering her head. She had been having some trouble as she simply didn't understand the best ways to interact with new wolves.

"Apparently just being friendly isn't normal though - other's don't seem to like it." She said with a grunt. "But isn't that better than if I tried to rip their face off? Back home everyone was perfectly nice."

Of course, back home the only wolves she tended to come in contact with were her family or the occasional wanderer who was more scared of her than they were willing to fight.

The large wolf stifled a laugh. He somehow couldn’t imagine her ripping a face off. She was big, sure, but not the type. 

”Well, ya haven’t tried it, have ya? You’d be surprised.” It was sarcasm. 

”Joking,” he muttered. ”You probably just ain’t met the right wolves yet. Ones that enjoy their prey bein’ driven off. Or told they’re dirty.”

"Well you are dirty! It isn't an insult, just a fact." Leto responded, looking rather smug as she spoke.

"I really do miss it though - having other's that you're close with?" She said, glancing back at him. "The world is a lot colder, and a lot quieter when you're on your own. I'm not suited to that sort of thing."

Spotting the stream not too far ahead now, she increased her pace.

The wolf narrowed his eyes at her, glancing only for a moment before looking forward once more. 

He followed her pacing, speeding up as she did. 

He'd rather not get into the details of why and when he left his pack with her. Wasn't worth bringing up. 

"I could see it." he started. "The not being able to live alone part." Another insult, though he really was only joking. Not about the concept--he fully believed in what he'd said, but still joking.

Leto stopped as they made their way to the bank, testing the water with a paw before stepping in. The temperature was just right - that was a bonus of the hot weather.

"What, do you think you could?" She asked, looking up at him as she laid down in the shallow water, wetting the majority of her lower body. "There has to be something about companionship that you prefer over being alone."

He followed suit, two thick paws rippling the water, which quickly turned cloudy around them. The water felt nice on his paws, which were quite sore from all of the walking. 

"Sure," he responded. He'd been alone this long. He was good at it. Kind of. 

There were some things he did like. Having a warm body to sleep beside, someone to complain to. Dumb things, like someone to tell secrets to. He missed it all quite badly. He missed his deep brown eyes, and the stupid face he wore when he was right. 

"Huntin's easier. For damn sure. And I don't know shit about tendin' to wounds."

"I can get behind that.. I've never fully understood what to do with all the plants and such. I can deal with small cuts, but if something really nasty happened I'm not sure what I'd do." She said, rolling onto her back to wet the rest of her lightly coloured fur.

Leto soon sat up, unintentionally sending some water hurling towards her companion. "More than anything I miss having someone to talk to though - and someone to curl up with when it's cold. That was nice."

Soaked with water her fur thick, long had deflated - revealing a soggy and slightly smaller wolf underneath.

I bet, he thought. She seemed like a talker. Something told him she was holding back, too. Not a healer, either, which made him wonder what exactly she did at her last pack. 

He winced, turning his head when water was flung his way. He wasn't upset, as he intended on soaking himself fully anyway. 

He waded further in, now soaking his back legs and up to his belly. More murky water clouded around him. Maybe he was dirty..

"Probably wouldn't want to curl up with me. I'm told I need to bathe more, probably smell awful." He planned on bugging her with this same joke for a while. 

"You don't ever enjoy silence, though? Can be good for ya to do some thinkin'."

He sat, then slowly lowered the rest of his shoulders into the water.