Noctisardor Bypass No Expectation. No Drama.

Nightmares still plagued him. Broke him. Hurt him. But hedid his best. But what could be expected. He'd been left alone. One mother had left another followed completely ignoring she had children in her obsession with her wife. Rowyn loved his mom's, buthecould see where it could be considered an issue now.

Amd now the girl was not sround as much. He plopped hisbutt to the ground and thought through his options with winter coming.

Goldfinch had been scarce in her search for her missing siblings; @Artio's return had renewed the grief she felt for @Averie and @Kikimora. Yet she had not found either of her sisters. The wilds felt empty.

She sought Rowyn glumly, carrying a thin weasel for the boy. They would winter alone, it seemed, the three of them. Goldfinch wasn't sure what they would do when the small game became less common. Starve, she thought, if they could not learn to hunt something larger.

Rowyn understood sort of. But his siblings had left his mother's had left. He had been alone for a while before a man came and ruined his life even further. But he refused to dwell on that. He needed to get his head on straight or they would both die. He had watched Ksura enought o know how to hunt. He just had to figure out how to take the theory and the vision and utilize it. He didn't even know where Sparrow, or Bryony or even Phoebe were. Probably dead. 

Rowyn looked at teh weasel and smiled softly, kindly. He took a bite and then another. Are you still hungry? I'm going to practice hunting and see if I can't get some bigger stuff. Okay?

The boy spoke of hunting; Goldfinch's eyes widened a little. Maybe he wasn't quite so soft and helpless as she'd thought. Her familiar darted off into the trees, singing a cheerful song, and Goldfinch could only stare at Rowyn for a few seconds. She was quick enough to remember her reservations: what if he got hurt?

We hunt. She asserted, and this was as far as she would compromise. Goldfinch hadn't found him and brought him here and fed him only to lose him so quickly. This boy was hers, claimed fairly, and she meant to keep him safe.

Rowyn was still soft in the center of his heart. But he had decided in his brief time here as he watched Goldfinch struggle to make sure he was taken care of when he was bigger than her. Well it was unfair and his mothers would have been very disappointed in him. 

he chuckled and nodded. Alright. He would also make sure to excercise more. He was not going to be helpless ever again. He was bigger than most wolves. Who he got taht from who knew. His memories of his mothers well, Wren had been large he thought, but he just didn't know.

He took a breath. Here eat some more. I'll scout some herds and stuff. Promise I won't hunt without you. Just observe until I can figure out a plan.

Goldfinch softened some, and accepted a bite of the weasel. She was thoughtful as she chewed. Rowyn had spoken of scouting herds, something she hadn't thought to do before now. She tracked the little animals, knew their numbers and their habits well by now, but the hoofed beasts intimidated her.

Show me? She asked when she'd finished chewing. Herds. Goldfinch pronounced the word carefully, like someone saying herbs aloud for the first time.

Goldfinch didn't say much. She simply chewed and had a faraway look on her face. Rowyn had seen that on faces before. He knew whoever it was, was thinking. So he kept quiet for now. And truth be told he didn't have much to say anyway. 

He nodded his head. There's a deer herd not far from here. Come on.

he would lead her towards a small meadow he had found. Ensconced in it's golden embrace, would be the fattening deer. After all winter was coming. one kill could feed them for sometime. But he didn't know if two lone wolves could take a healthy one down at least.

Goldfinch brightened some when her boy agreed so easily, though she shot a nasty look at her familiar when it tried to follow. The last thing she needed was a flattened, flightless bird. So her familiar stayed behind while she followed Rowyn into what soon felt like danger.

She flattened herself to the ground when she caught sight of the deer, eyes big. For several long moments she focused only on breathing, taking them in, reminding herself that they were far and she was safe. But the creatures were massive for prey, she thought. Prey was rodents and weasels and birds. Prey was something that fit easily into her jaws.

Looks dangerous, Goldfinch whispered finally, daring a glance at Rowyn.

Rowyn was usually agreeable with Goldfinch, merely because she had seen him at his worst and hadn't judged him. And she was the only wolf he truly knew anymore. His mother's long gone, hsi siblings too. Ksura he couldn't go near him. Because he had given in so easily to the beast Sun Eater. 

Rowyn studied her in surprise as she flattened herself. They were big too though. Yes the prey was big and dangerous. But they were wolves. They were made to kill things like this. He tilted his head and looked back to the deer. Though 2 was dangerous. 

With just the two of us. It could be. We'd have to take an older one or a sick one, or even a fawn.

The feral girl didn't think so much about her relationship with Rowyn, but in a way the boy had saved her as much as she'd saved him. Goldfinch had spent weeks here alone with only Etienne's occasional visits to fill her belly and ease her mind. Otherwise she'd sustained herself on meager meals and cold nights. Even a simple girl like her knew that a wolf could only carry on that way for so long.

Their pairing had settled some primal insecurity within her, whether it lasted a season or a lifetime. It felt right; she felt safer.

Though not in the presence of those beasts. Goldfinch eyed them again, fear morphing into disdain.

The one in the back. She looks thin. Not quite sickly, Goldfinch thought, but unwell in a way nearly invisible to the eye. Weaker, maybe. Even then the task seemed almost impossible.

Rowyn saw her distatse amd though he wanted to argue in favor of. He also knew frankly they probably couldn't catch one just the two. They were too inexperienced unfortunately.

He smiled. We don't have to hunt them yet. There is also.

He motion3d for her to follow him where he knew a small herd of goats sometimes came down. Smaller less fickle at least the ewes