Greatwater Lake Harappa

OOC: Mood Music The days... the days were growing colder. And for each rise of the sun to bring forth another day, the female did not feel herself getting any closer to a full belly. Let alone fulfillment. In times of the stillness and the quiet she would think, letting her mind tread back to the days on the mountain. There was no want for food, for the income was regular as each wolf played their part to either hunt, section, or disperse the food. There was a system to take part of, one that kept the inhabitants alive... however dull and cold the existence might have been. At least they all lived. In the times she stood as the outsider looking in, she would return time and again to the pitiful conclusion; that there was nothing beyond the doldrums of routine. No purpose beyond what was dictated by the ruler. No future other than what was forseen by the lead and his blind eyes. And she was glad to have escaped it, to have taken a paw across the threshold of her own volition. However that moment of pride had all too quickly deflated when she looked back now to the mark she had left on this strange, new world. And there was none. Only a figment of a mark that faded quickly under the weight of new fallen snow. Before the sun reached its peaks, the quietly dame rose from her bed of frost and leaves and bent down for a stretch to loosen her tired lips. Her maw would part in silent yawn, her teeth rattled in the cold air til they were sheathed again. She had no direction, no need to lift herself from atrophy. Yet she was obliged to none the less. Perhaps from habit. A final walk along the lake before nightfall, to see the first of the stars grace the vast sky.

The week or so Kuno had been in the pack had been a chilly one. He didn't have the protection of a cave as he once did to protect him from the falling snow, but he did the best he could. Every now and then the scarred male would stumble across a hollowed out cave of tree roots or an overhang of dirt he could rest under for the night. This was, so far, not proving to be one of those nights. He wandered the territory, his pelt fluffed against the cold breeze. For a once mighty warrior, once would think a simple winter would be nothing for him. But it was proving quite the opposite. Having been on his own for a couple weeks as he traveled from his old home to this new land he had done minimal hunting, preferring to keep moving. Because of that, he was now thinner than what was probably considered healthy for a wolf of his size.

As a branch scraped against his cheek on his blind side, Kuno growled and stepped back. Shaking his head slightly, a motion caught his attention. Silently following the figure, he noted the female and where she was going. She was a decent sized wolf, and he noticed that she, too, seemed to be hungry and in need of a good feast. He followed behind for a while, before eventually making himself known by stepping on a twig, purposefully making noise to attract her attention.

set by Emy

Her progress was slow as was the intention of a stroll. Time remained at her disposal even as she ignored it and the minutes frittered away to hours. The cold continued its steady creep across the lands, offering little snow and partly clouded view of the heavens above. It would make for a difficult time in star-gazing, but it might offer a different view than the clear windows from earth to the glittering lights as emerged. A sound pulled the female's gaze from the sky to the earth, and from there around to the pursuit of something other. Though it was not the mirror of the sky, the pelt at her rear was nothing short of dark riddled with as many scars of life as there were stars in the sky. The dizzying constellation could only widened her silent gaze in awe. Her nose quivered slightly, testing the frosted air for tell of his origins, yet found with a wrinkle that he was marred by the neighboring pack. Acute auds descended gradually til they rested against her crown, then sprang forward again to the tune of nothing as her tail too danced with a casual sway. She offered no word for a moment, simply stared at the face, the withered body before her. Carefully her peered down at the male's weathered paws noting with a minute interest how worn and clipped they appeared to be. A wanderer that at last found his rest, perhaps.

He stood there for a moment, his weight shifting on his paws. The wanderer in front of him seemed to be taking great interest in his appearance. He matched her eye movements, watching as her gaze went from his scarred face to his paws. He turned his head slightly, moving his good eye closer to the female as to get a better look at her, without the blur that lead to the black he had grown used to on one side of his vision. For a while, he wondered if she was disturbed by his blind eye and various scars, but that quickly vanished. She didn't seem bothered by his appearance at all, but rather, she seemed almost intrigued by it. He gently cleared his throat when her gaze remained on his paws for a while. He lifted one paw tentatively, digging up a small patch of earth with his claws.

He looked the femme over himself, noticing her interesting colouration. Not to mention the curl in her fur. The wolves e was accustomed to seeing were smooth pelted with black, grey, and cream or tan fur, much like his own. When your pack has lived in a cave for generations, all other colours seem to work their way out of the family DNA. He found himself staring just as much as the other, but for different reasons. "You seem rather... interested in my paws and scars. I will admit I am a bit beat up, but is there any other reason why you study me so much?"

set by Emy

She would have done well to limit her observation to a few glances at a time, but the thought hadn't crossed her mind. At least not yet. Truly, she was entranced by the many scars that littered his physique, each telling a story of some ill event or hard circumstance conquered. As one would listen intently to another's history, she gave the same care in mapping his features. Even going so far as to step forward to better see his flank, but limited her interest to where her paw would imprint the ground as she settled. Her ears twitched when he spoke effectively pulling her attention from his paws to his muzzle. Her own muzzle wrinkled slightly as she blinked several times to return moisture to her eyes. She hadn't thought she was staring that long at the male. "No," she uttered quietly. "Nothing else."

Kuno gave a small nod to the woman, taking a few steps closer to her. He circled her, taking in her appearance. Her curls certainly were something different, though that's not to say he didn't find them... oddly enough... cute... on the wolf. He stopped again in front of her, silently taking in her scent. She had a small bit of the pack on her fur, whether that was simply from possibly being in the pack for a short time or being with one of the other wolves, he didn't know, but he was going to find out. "You have a faint scent of the Plateau... Did you try to join?"

He was almost tempted to turn this into a mind game, but that was something he usually reserved for wolves taken captive during times of war. This was not one of those times, and it didn't quite feel right to him. Kuno was trying to change his ways along with the new territory, but he was still finding it difficult. Having been trained since he was young, it was drilled into his very being to want to find out the secrets of other wolves and use it against them. Eventually he would break the habit, whether or not that was today, he didn't know.

set by Emy

The plateau. Though she harbored not more disdain for tthem than she would in inescapable nuisance, she bristled. Apparently not enough time since her encounter had gone by if their scent still lingered. Or perhaps it was the doing of the alabaster male. Assuming calm above brash repsonse she breathe, inhaling the crisp air through flared nostrils then exhaling softly in sigh. "Unfortunately, " her tail twisted sharply. "I was approached by their kin when I stood near their borders in pursuit of my hunt. I could not complete it without their acceptance. However, I did not deem their presence worth enduring for the sake of a meal." Her paws shifted slightly as she eased her weight from one side to another.

ooc: posting from my phone so sorry for typos and possible shortness

He watched the woman as she spoke the short story. A meal, something he would love to have, and something she could have had and was denied. Giving a small, almost thoughtful nod, Kuno took a few steps away from her, his back to her for a few moments as he thought. Normally, he hunted small game on his own, but in times like this winter, it would be beneficial to him if he tagged along with a more able-bodied huntress to potentially catch a larger meal. When the herds were scares and the small prey was hibernating or even just in hiding, wolves could starve, and that was not on his list of things to do this winter.

"I see. There are few opportunities for prey here around the Plateau right now, it seems. However, if we worked together I am sure a larger animal could be found and taken down." He knew it might require venturing far from the pack, but given his low status he was not particularly worried. Quite the contrary, he was almost itching to leave, but the instinctive need for other wolves kept him from willingly venturing as a loner. Eventually his opinion might change, but currently he was hardly needed here. The pack would not miss him if he traveled for a day or two to hunt.

Ooc: Oooo I see what you did there! Less prey... she knew there was truth to his words, though confirmation of her understanding seemed redundant. She did however tip her head in acknowledgement, offering a benign manner in sway of her tail as he went on to express his speculations of a hunt. If larger game were to be found, then of course the pair would have chance to down it, but given the known strength of the female, more mas would benefit to being about success. But before the anticipation became high, she impressed the fact that they were both aware of. "There is hardly large game in these parts," she uttered softly. "The scent of the plateau would keep a buck from leading his harem near. Grant me half of this day and perhaps I will find a better trail to follow." It was the best she could offer, as she was doubtful her strength at present would be enough. At the very least, she could find for them a trail. Then strength would come from him and those she could rally when desperate. She looked to the male expectantly, eyeing his muzzle for his reply.

Kuno gave small nods as he listened. Though he was not much of a hunter, he knew the logic of it all. If she would be able to find a trail to follow by the end of the day, that would be great. But, he didn't want to risk it being a dead trail or something of the sort."Take as long as you need, rushing is not necessary." He knew they should find a meal as soon as possible, but tiring themselves out too early would be rather counter productive. Besides, they might need more wolves than just the two of them. After all, it was the dead of winter and they had not had a large meal for a while.

He turned back to her, giving her a small, almost soft smile. "Besides, we might want to gather more wolves. With just the two of us, being as hungry as we are, the chance of us being able to take down an animal large enough for multiple mouths decreases a bit. While more wolves would mean more mouths to feed, it would be useful during the hunt itself." He stepped closer to her again as he spoke, watching for her reaction. He didn't know how the lone wolf would feel about more joining them, he wasn't sure if she was a fan of being around a group. Heck, he knew for sure he wasn't a fan of his own idea, but he was thinking more of the meal than his personal comfort.

set by Emy

Again, the male spoke the truth, but there was no need to reiterate. A simply tip of her muzzle would do to acknowledge his wisdom, whilst the swift flick of her tail conveyed her kind regard and anticipation. She would do well to find a trail before night fell completely in the hopes of beginning the hunt at the first of the morning light. Even fodder slept though the will of a wolf could keep one awake for much longer. An ear twisted slightly as he neared her by a step. Eyes of umber and gold turned better to greet him joined by the curious tilt of her muzzle. "I have no comrades," she uttered blatantly. "However if there are those of the plateau you would have take part, you are welcome to summon then when the moment is right." Her tail twisted sharply. "Those please be mindful of whom you bring." She had not desire to endure the tempers of proud wolves. Entitled beings that knew little of starvation or the struggle. She strove only to feed those that new of desperation, for it was through them, however weak their physical forms, that they would find success and all would eat. Her head dipped slightly as she placed a paw forward as she made to turn, her muzzle wriggling with anticipation as it sought to begin its scour of the earth. The sooner she marked the trail, the better.

Go ahead and finish this up with your post. Also feel free to archive it, if not I will.

Kuno began to turn his back on the other wolf, preparing to head back toward his territory. He would return every now and then to check on the woman's progression, though he wasn't planning on making this obvious. "There are none in that group I plan on bringing with me. The group that hunts with us will be whomever answers the call when the time comes."

He waited for a few moments, wondering if she would say anything more. Eventually, he swished his tail in farewell and began to make his way back to the Plateau. Before he got far, though, Kuno turned back and called to the female. "See you soon."

set by Emy

She felt neither bothered nor interested in the male's feelings toward his comrades. As long as he was another body to aid in the hunt, she would be glad for him. Another's estrangement to their brethren was of no consequence. As he turned to leave, the wanderer did the same offering him a soft woof in farewell before turning her muzzle to the earth to begin her search. [Exit Xi'nuata]