Swiftcurrent Creek sweeper

Possible joining thread? :D

Her paws were a blur, appearing to barely even hit the ground as Pukei raced after the panicked creature – a rabbit, baited out of hiding and startled into chase. Begrudgingly, she knew she had little hope of catching it, but the opportunity had presented itself quite suddenly, and she was not about to let it pass her by without at least an honest attempt.

They had been racing along the riverside, headed towards a lake, until the rabbit had suddenly darted to the left, and Pukei followed suit, tail flying wildly in the air as she spun on her heel. Her prey stumbled, and her heart leapt into her throat as she managed to gain an advantage. She was so close! With a rush of renewed energy, she surged forward with a flying leap, hungry jaws peeling open...only for them to close around nothing but her own tongue and a mouthful of fluff.

The girl staggered to a unceremonious halt, coughing and spitting out the fur as she watched the creature disappear into the trees, her tongue beginning to throb in pain. "Ah, fthuck 'ou!" The muddled curse fell from her mouth in a rare show of frustration. Not only had the rabbit escaped her grasp, but she only now noticed the thick tang of wolf scent on the nearby trees – the rabbit had disappeared into pack territory, and she wasn't about to risk her life to go after it.

Her tail lashed as she stared after it with a pout, blood beginning to trickle from her mouth. Good riddance then; it could get torn apart by the pack for all she cared!

EDIT, I can't believe I wrote Pukei doing the exact same thing as Ancelin did lmao

!!!! I was hoping we'd get a Pukei stopping in here.

A graceful "fthuck ‘ou!" rang out across the creek—disturbing a pair of birds that took to instant flight with a disgruntled squawk. Feathers rained down from above him, and his ears flattened—bristling at the jump scare he had basically received.

With a start, the ebony wolf was quick to spring forward, about to intercept whatever cautionary tale was playing just outside his borders when a rabbit bolted before him in a panic, only beginning to steer away from him when it noticed him. Unwilling to resist fate, his own course adjusted, jaws snapping down, a clean kill, spare for the last spin the creature gave, rabbit kicking him in the jaw.

He grunted, scooping up his catch and moving quickly to his borders—pale eyes tracing over the one he assumed hollered so colorfully before.

Unceremoniously, he dropped the rabbit to the ground, gaze tracing over the she-wolf before falling upon a pouting yet bloody lip. “Does it help to know this will feed a pregnant she-wolf?”

Yay! She can serve as comedic relief – SC has really been going through it ;_;

After staring dejectedly into the tree line for a few more moments, Pukei gingerly lifted a forepaw to touch it to her mouth, the pain had lessened at least. She frowned at the blood that stained her white toes when she pulled it away. A prey animal made her bleed...that just wasn't right. She turned then, ready to retreat from the borders and perhaps nurse her wounded pride in a deep, dark hollow somewhere, when suddenly the faint sound of paw steps signalled the approach of another.

She tensed, ready to either sprint away or word-vomit out an apology should the stranger be aggressive about her being way too close to their pack lands. Instead, a dusky-hued man stepped out of the shadows, dropping a very familiar looking rabbit at his feet.

Pukei's eyes lit up, her ears swivelling forward as she almost thought for a second that the tall, dark handsome had caught it just for her. His words shattered her fantasy in an instant. She tried not to let the flash of disappointment show, instead biting it back with an overcompensating smile. Well, at least it would be put to good use.

"Oh, thwell..." Ow, her tongue. "...I'm happy to be of service, sir," she said with a bow of her head, as if she were delivering an Uber Eats bag to their doorstep and now eagerly awaited a tip. Hey, corralling wayward bunnies into your territory wasn't a free service, you know!

He should have felt slightly victorious in this moment—a perfect catch he could flaunt to Arric’s mate, earning him bonus points with her and maybe some good old fashioned jealousy from his bestie… But his eyes swept over her once more—a poignant bow of her head and what he realized now wasn’t just a lisp—she might have bit her tongue?

“You’re bleeding,” he huffed—slightly annoyed that he cared. He shouldn’t.

A soft sigh elicited from him, his muzzle dipping down to scoop up the rabbit to his jaws. Humor glinted in his eyes—though he remained silent as he stalked toward her, closing the distance.

When closer, he would drop the rabbit—giving a nudge to it, an offering. “Tell you what—don’t tell my Beta I just gave you his mate’s meal and you can have it. I’ll find her another one.” He could already hear Arric chewing him out—not because Arlette needed the rabbit, but because he would know it was all just because there was a pretty girl in front of him.

It wasn't like he had offered Ancelin a rabbit.

She swiped her tongue over her lips to clear the stain, following up with a rub of her paw for good measure as the man pointed out the blood. She almost went to counter his remark out of sheer embarrassment – no, no, this is the rabbit's blood! – but remained quiet, instead looking sheepishly to the side.

She looked back just in time to see the stranger amble forwards, following his movements in surprise as he dropped said rabbit at his feet. Her eyes moved several times between it and his own burning gaze, appreciating the offer but also conflicted.

"No...wait...are you sure?" she stuttered in earnest. He didn't look to be hurting for food, at least, but with the knowledge that the meal could have gone to a pregnant wolf made Pukei hesitate to take it.

"Aw, man," she followed after some deliberation. "You can't just tell me this was gonna feed a pregnant lady but then give me it back!" Not that it would have been much, but the offer had thrown her into an ethical dilemma. She knew how important puppies – and their mothers – were for packs.

Her tail waved as she straightened, determined. "I'll accept it." Hey, ethical dilemma aside, she was still hungry. "But you gotta let me help pay ya back!"

It was insight she had given him perhaps without even knowing—the moral compass displayed when the prospect of taking the meal from a pregnant she-wolf from a pack she did not know troubled her.

That was all the pay back he needed—truly. It was nice to see not everyone out there was a complete asshole.

It was when she straightened—accepting the offer and then determined to pay him back. The offer quirked his lips upward—his gaze lifting to the sky for a moment as a cloud drifted over the sun, casting the shadows of the trees.

“Pay me back, hm? You gonna scare another rabbit into my home?”

There was a pause in his words, his gaze drifting back to study her soft features. “You been traveling long?”

She didn't miss the smirk before he looked skyward, and his words after had her tail beat against the ground. "I mean, that tactic seemed to work like a charm, dinnit? I could be your resident rabbit chaser!" She followed the comment with a wink, though she wasn't entirely joking. Pukei lacked any sort of proper hunting experience, but chasing prey into the waiting jaws of those who could do the dirty work? That she could manage!

His next question caused her ears to fall back as she mentally calculated how many moons had passed since she dispersed. "Hm, it's been a while, I left my birth pack during winter." A foolish mistake, she knew now, but in her defence no-one had cautioned against it. In fact, they had seemed all too eager to see her off.

She frowned at the thought, contemplatively staring at a budding flower in the dirt before her, before she looked back up to the handsome stranger with a smile. "Been just wandering here and there since!"

Winter was harsh for a lone-wolf—he was surprised to hear she had chosen dispersal then—even more so that she hadn’t tried to settle somewhere yet.

Her offer to be a rabbit chaser brought a certain amusement to his features—an eyebrow arching in return. “Sticking around the valley to claim yourself a resident, then?”

A pause given as he settled back to his haunches, trying to piece together this puzzle before him. Youthful she-wolf in the midst pf breeding season that had dispersed in the dire season of winter and somehow, she seemed as chipper as ever.

It was like witnessing something as miraculous as the lochness monster.

“I’m Akavir.”

His response caught her off-guard and her ears splayed sideways, suddenly feeling a tiny bit self-conscious of her brazen comment. She had been joking, but whether or not she would admit to that had depended entirely on his reaction – but now she wasn't so sure. Did he mind if she stuck around the valley? She thought back to that large man who had cautioned herself and another to move along as they had been close by his claim, still feeling a little sour at the encounter. Surely not everyone was so territorial?

He then offered her his name, and she gave a nod of her head in a polite bow. "Nice t'meetcha, I'm Pukei!" She paused, then added in a more serious tone. "Sorry to be so close to your borders – I've been trying to stay out of the way of packlands, what with puppies being born around this time and stuff, y'know?" She motioned towards the rabbit at his feet. "But this was the first time I actually got the jump on a meal...I almost had it!"

“As long as I don’t find you on my side of the borders, we’re good,” he offered her, the corner of his mouth tipping up in a partial smirk. She seemed utterly untainted by the life of a rogue—it was almost refreshing to witness. “Unless you’re looking to join, Pukei.”

She was proud of her rabbit—keen on avoiding cranky wolves. She seemed a decent creature—certainly charming.

Of course he was going to try to recruit her. “Our Beta female and healer is going to have pups soon. If they're anything like they're father, the Beta male... They're going to be a handful. All hands on deck, y'know?”

She opened her mouth to respond to his idle warning, to assure him she would never do such a thing – being on the receiving end of a territorial pack's wrath wasn't in her near-term plans – before he put fourth a question that had her jaw snap shut. Her ears pricked in genuine interest as he continued, explaining the oncoming situation in the pack. It wasn't a bad problem to have; if anything, it was quite exciting! Would she want to be a part of it, though, was the question.

Pukei thought back once again to the man who led Yellowstone and the woman who had almost tripped over herself to join his ranks. She herself had declined then; she couldn't see herself living on an open plain. A forest, however...

Silence followed as she mulled over his words with a soft hum, the look of an inner struggle clear on her face. On one hand, she enjoyed the roving lifestyle of a loner, but it would be nice to have a steady supply of food, and a safe haven to sleep, not to mention actually having a chance to actually make a friend or two instead of a polite conversation before moving on once more.

"Well, I did say I wanted to pay you back, right?" she finally announced with a wink. "If you'll have me, I'd be honoured to be a part of your pack!" Another pause as she studied Akavir's dark features; he was hard to work out, kind of stoic but seemed to only want what was best for his pack.

"I also love puppies!" she added, beaming. "At least, the ones you can give back afterwards. Not as much of a fan of their wailing and tiny teeth! Though when they're older, I could teach them a thing or two about foraging for herbs!"

It seemed he had caught her off guard—the click of her jaws and the conflict on her features. She seemed to wear her emotions easily—also something refreshing to see, and for a moment, he worried the Creek and the drama that clung to them would taint her somehow.

Yet Arlette was fine—and no doubt the two would get along quite well.

A soft snort was uttered at the mention of loving puppies—particularly when you got to give them back. “We will definitely need a pupsitter,” he confided, his form relaxing as he stretched back his shoulders. “Wouldn’t hurt to have another scout or diplomat,” he offered also—eyes grazing over her to see if either mention piqued her interest the most. “And of course, a hunter,” he murmured, words lightly teasing.

“Arlette—our Beta female, is our only healer currently. So any herb gathering and lessons are appreciated.” He paused, muzzle tilting slightly. “Want a tour?”

Feel free to reply once more or archive here! <3

A pupsitter. Yes, she could easily fulfil that role! As Akavir relaxed with a roll of his shoulders, Pukei sat up straighter, as if wanting to leave a lasting impression on her new leader of what a proud, upstanding resident she would be. She turned over his mentions of other responsibilities in her mind, particularly that of a scout, before giving a sheepish huff of a laugh of his added comment about also needing hunters. She would admit that she was a rubbish solo hunter, but now had two successful catches with another's help – that had to mean something, right?

Arlette. Pukei nodded affirmatively, eager to meet their Beta. If she was currently their only healer, maybe she wouldn't mind taking on an apprentice? "I'd love to!" she replied, quickly rising to all fours at Akavir's offer then of a tour. An overenthusiastic, "yes, yes!" slipped from her mouth, before she shuffled her paws and regained her composure; she needed to leave a good impression on him, damnit!

"I mean, thank you – that would be wonderful."

There was a certain innocence that practically oozed out of the youthful girl’s pores, and for a stricken moment, Akavir wondered if living in a place like the creek would break her of such a spirit.

After all—trouble and despair seemed to linger over their heads like the worst cartoon raincloud—what would happen if she got caught up in their storm?

Still—he pushed the thought aside—the hope that someone as bubby as the girl before him would not only thrive with them, but act as a breath of fresh air to them. With a dip of acquiescence, the man began a tour for her—already feeling slightly protective of the exuberant butterfly-like she-wolf.