Stone Circle My head is floating somewhere in the clouds

maybe @Valette - AW for anyone though :p

He honestly didn't know what had happened to the once flowering pack he had worked so hard for. Wolves kept disappearing and there was little the mute could do about it. Even his Bud had left; gone away without a single trace he could possibly find. He didn't like it, unsurprisingly, but it did give him his moments in the spotlight. Somehow he had risen all the way to the Delta rank and he was more than elated and motivated to work even harder. And so, he went out and caught a nice, plump rabbit to add to the caches. He had fed himself well already and was shaping up to be a normally sized wolf again instead of the skin and bones he had been at first. He still kept his slender legs and slim, feminine body but was looking more and more healthy.

He returned home, the rabbit dangling from his maw, and trotted through the now familiar lands of Easthollow.

Valette was just cleaning up once of the caches. It was a dirty job but if she wanted to be a good hunter and the main hunter of the pack Valette had to do the dirty chores too. She didn't mind it too much. She separated the good meat from the rotten one. Meat that was too far gone to eat and was for the earth to grow grass from. She had a few good pieces when she noticed another wolf approaching.

She lifted her head and noticed it was a pale male. Ah, the silent one. Valette hadn't talked to him much, no pun intended. She had been busy with other aspects of pack life, but she was happy to see him contributing. The female greeted him with a woof. Her tail was gently wagging, showing her approval of him catching a rabbit. "I just cleared this cache. Lets make a new one further into the woods," she suggested.

He missed Grayday dearly he then realised; having only Phiipa as someone he'd like to spent time with. She did not judge or turn away from his endless silence and instead embraced it. It was the most he could ask for from anyone and he held great respect for her. And even her scent had been... absent as of late. It was time for the young delta to seek a loyal companion; not a mate or lover, just the best friend. Surely it was not much to ask from the all-giving spring Wise One?

He wagged his low-hanging tail excitedly upon spotting the female alpha; they had not been formally introduced to each other just yet (as if he could!), but it was hard to miss the lady. It was strange to think they did not differ much age-wise and yet so much in size and build. As a spectator, he often found even the slightest of differences between individuals highly fascinating. His golden-ringed eyes stared up at her, excited to spend some time with her at last, and nodded at her words. He let out a "woof" of understanding that was slightly muffled by the rabbit. He would then follow her to wherever she wanted to make a new cache.

Valette was a hunter at heart, for which she needed stamina. The female also liked to travel for miles on end as a ranger. This all came together making her quite fit. She was normal sized for a female though, but she seemed lean because of her habit to run. The female was glad to get some feedback from the mute wolf. She liked that he contributed to the pack. It was a good decision to take him in.

Valette trotted up ahead until she approached an old tree with big roots. She had already made a start there to start digging. The roots would be nice to hold the cache together, and once some of the meat was too rotten to eat it would be nutrients for the tree itself. Valette usually liked to take trees as cache markers. She pushed her front paws against the bark and scratched some of it away, giving it a visual mark too.

[table width=80%][tr][td]The ghost had always been a fawn-like creature ever since he was birthed into a war he had nothing to do with, but it had become even worse in the dungeons of the enemy. Now, with his slightly taller build and his wonky yet graceful legs it was easy to see he had gone through some stuff. Easthollow had done him good, though, for there was an amazing difference in the fat on his bones between him now and the him when he joined. But he never took without giving, and so for every meal he took he gave them one back. Sometimes he gave more than he could miss, he knew, but this was for his home.

With his catch still in his mouth, he followed her to a sturdy, big-rooted tree that, indeed, looked like it could serve perfectly as the new cache. His golden-ringed eyes followed the young maiden as she scratched a mark on the tree and then wondered what he had to do. Strangely enough, he had forgotten most things about doing this and it was clear to see on his young, sunken-in face.[/tr][/td][/table]

After Valette marked the tree the other seemed to be a bit lost with what to do. The female started digging at the roots and let out a soft woof to invite him to dig along with her. After all, they would need to have dirt to cover the prey with it. Valette's paws worked continuously to make a decent size dent in the ground by the roots.

Once she deemed it deep enough she grabbed the meat from the other cache and placed it by the tree's roots. She looked expectantly at Calloon, letting him put his own catch in the hole as well. After that it would only be a matter of covering it up again.

[table width=80%][tr][td]When there came no vocal instructions, he stood there awkwardly for a short moment. Then, his alpha moved and placed her paws ever so gracefully upon the soft earth that then bent to her will. He moved out the way of the up-kicked dirt, settling at her side. He started digging as well - his small paws and nimble legs not really made for these kinds of things. It wasn't helping that he did not put down his catch while he did it, ultimately making it harder for him.

When they were done, the woman (who had kept her name hidden for a while now) went and grabbed the other catches and he dropped his own in the hole they had created last. Instinct drove him then, sweeping some dirt back in the hole with a raised eyebrow. Was he doing this right?[/td][/tr][/table]

Valette had to chuckle a bit when the other looked rather awkward. Even while digging he didn't take the most convenient way. Valette decided not to comment on it. She was glad when they were finished and all was covered by dirt. "This should be an excellent new cache. Thank you for helping me," she smiled at the pale male. Her tail wagged gently.

She wanted to ask how he was settling in, and if he liked to live here, but she realized he couldn't answer her. Valette just smiled at him briefly. "If you ever feel like hunting let me know, you can join our hunting party," she offered to him.

[table width=80%][tr][td]The ghostly boy smiled at her giggle, eyes closing in slight embarrassment. He had hoped his mindless cluelessness would've gone unnoticed, but it seemed nothing could slip by the alpha female. He went on and covered the hole in his own special yet not efficient way, grinning brightly when they were done and he was thanked for his efforts. He wished he could say that she had done splendid work as well, but alas.

An offer was made and he considered her words for a short while before nodding - confirming that he would get in contact with her whenever the urge to hunt arrived. He wondered if that was the end of their brief time together, not knowing how to keep the conversation afloat without talking back.[/td][/tr][/table]

Valette was pleased to see the nod. She would make sure to include him on their next hunt. Valette didn't know what else to say, frankly, she felt rather silly talking to someone who couldn't talk back. Or did he prefer that? Valette wasn't sure but now their deathcare task was done she didn't feel much need to linger. "I am going to check upon Steady. I will see you later," she smiled to him, wishing him goodbye. It was a short meeting but Valette though that they could always repeat this again now Calloon knew how things worked.

End?