Meadowlark Prairie someone to rely on as thunder comes a-rolling down

for the first time in several weeks, astara left blackfeather. 

her home was but a blot behind her as she wandered in a seemingly aimless fashion, investigating the meadow that bordered the dark forest. while astara was nearly a year old, there was still much for her to learn, some of it outside of blackfeather's depths.

relmyna had left them. their mother had gone, before they were grown. how was astara to learn the intricacies of life now, except from hardship? how was she ever to grow up to be like her mother, without her there to guide her?

averna was handling their dam's death far better, and astara knew why. the silvery sibling had always been a wolf with one foot in the spiritual realm -- she knew relmyna's spirit still walked among them, but astara, try as she might, never saw the shade of her mother lingering.

night was falling in the valley astara stood in, and as she watched the darkness collect about her, once more the girl felt overwhelmingly alone. she canted her head skyward, where the stars spun cold and indifferent, a thousand miles away -- just her mother. in a manner unbidden, the nightcub's jaws parted and a tender, sorrowful song lilted into the wintery air -- a song of grief and sorrow, and of fear and worry for what was yet to come.

ooc; tho her entrance is on march 10, i'm making it so she's aware in her 'respite' thread and not in this one lol

the world was a cruel enough place without tragedy. Heloise cel Mare was no stranger to the hardship of any sort, even if some of them had not yet graced her being. her frame was a bit sunken from travel - though most of it was leaner - however, she refused to drag her paws. her head was held in some respectful way, eyes sharp and ears piqued for anything interesting. she did not know where she was and found she did not care. a passing interest at most.

so no, she was not aware of her entrance to the new realm. her steps did not sway her to Teekon by choice. this was just another stop on another unwavering adventure. the ivory being would pause at the howl, one paw raised gently, and her gaze would shift. and there, among the dark of night, was the pinpoint of location. perhaps not so wise to do. and perhaps concern moved her forward until she stood among the girl's presence. t'was hard to see her a bit, due to her night graced body, though Heloise would train her eyes to focus.

"all alone, girl?" she asked calmly, having stopped a far bit away. she did not want to startle the child nor alert the parents. if she even had them. the call had been one of sadness.

as the nightcub’s song tapered to a finish, astara reflected on the quiet that crept back into the snow-dewed valley. 

a flutter not so far off alerted her to the presence of another. training her gaze on the shadowed form, astara measured the ivory sylph in a quick, decisive glance. she was not ashamed her keening had been heard; if anything she seemed to meet the woman’s presence with a set jaw, as if challenging her to ridicule if she saw fit. 

a question was levied into the air and it remained unanswered; the girl did not possess the faculties to respond, and instead she rose as if to quit her haunt on the hill in light of her company.

she did not blame the child for wanting to leave.

she was a stranger to the girl, and therefore an unknown variety. children were often a bit fickle on who they associated with. either they took to you or not. Heloise would move to the side to allow her passage, not keen on keeping her if she had places to be. though she did not the other refused to reply. whether she was mute or just ignoring her words... well, that remained to be seen.

"I see" it was clear she was alone, though the ivory beast did not press for information. no, she was not the sort to charge into someone's business if they did not wish it. and no, she was not going to ridicule the girl for her call. her face was set in a stoic expression, watching the other leave quietly. if they even did. "I apologize for intruding" though after a moment she did offer that. "I merely wished to know if you were well." which was true.

astara was but a few strides before the even-keeled words of her company were heard. she drew up, craning her neck so that she could pin the woman full in her sights again.

there was little to be seen of a malicious nature surrounding this ivorn wolf. in light of this, astara’s shoulders appeared to lose their roughened edge.

a soft exhale pressed from her muzzle; she was as fine as she would ever be, not that the woman was aware of it. a quiet lull spilled between the two of them before the nightcub flicked an ear and strung her muzzle to the ground, nosing around heloise’s form in a browsing fashion.

the other seemed to relax, causing Heloise's own shoulders to droop slightly. she still stood tall, dignified and even militant. though that was merely her being her. it had nothing to do with the situation. she allowed the girl to 'browse' in the sense of sniffing about her. subtle movements ceased until she was sure that the girl was content. 

though she should probably introduce herself. "I am called Heloise" for adding her surname to a child's mind would mean nothing. once more she assumed the girl was mute or refused to speak. no matter. it did not exactly bother her. she had met individuals like this before in her travels. the ivory woman knew there was a slim chance of a reply, but mannerism won over common sense.

most wolves were offput by astara's silence. after a few probing questions that went unanswered (and the gathered affront that usually came with being ignored), most wolves quit her company. as she nosed around heloise, she realized this wolf had yet to leave.

perhaps she was not so offended by quiet.

astara had gathered all she could tell about the woman from her scent: healthy, seemingly alone -- after a second casual inspection of the woman's scarred features, the melonii rounded her shoulders in a shrug and started to make down the hill. she wasn't about to stick around and be asked (or told) a hundred more questions -- but if heloise wanted to hunt with her, the nightcub would allow it.

she was not entirely sure what to do in such a situation. yes, it was confirmed she had met others like this yet she never truly stuck around for long. her days spent wandering overwhelmed social means. even if those social means were a one-sided effort. it was not the fault of the mute or unspoken that she had left them be. their personal disability did not affect her negatively. she just had a wanderlust.

tempted to leave the girl by herself - her nose not equipped yet to distinguish pack scent in the Teekons -  and continue on as she was, Heloise remained. the girl was young still, and she felt a protective surge over her well being. the woman could not simply leave her alone until she knew the other was safe. so she simply trailed after the girl, content to keep the silence between them. if the other walked across a border, she would leave her be.

like a ghost, the pale woman followed behind. astara kept a slim ear canted to her backside, but of course, made no comment of the woman's decision.

after rousing a scent from the snow, astara followed after it at a casual lope. the scent was an older stag -- the girl had no hope of bringing to down, truly, but she was curious to see of its condition and if he was worth keeping in her periphery.

the scent lead over some small hills before it dipped behind a stone-clad grove. astara began to prowl low to the ground as she entered the quiet bosk, her attention rapt on all of the noises the forest had to offer.

it would seem the young thing had a goal in mind. catching the scent of prey, Heloise would pause. a male deer by the smell. judging (and mostly assuming) by the lower stance, she assumed the other wished to find something to hunt. Heloise gave a small smile, impressed with the girl's instinct despite being so young. most children hung onto the coattails of their parents or pack until they were a year old.

it was because of this impression that Heloise stood back and allowed the girl to try to find food. she was larger than her and therefore would scare off most smaller prey if she treads among the lower brush. having a good distance away from the other now that she waited, the woman would follow after the child. she was giving her the space to learn on her own, and not bounding over in an attempt to do everything for the other.

she was not the girl's mother. she would not act as such.

astara of course, had a feather's chance in hell of bringing down a male deer -- but she was interested to study this specimen, and learn of his mannerisms. she paused on the brow of a low rise, sniffing the air cautiously.

some distance behind her, the pale wraith tread.

ahead, she saw the shape of the buck as it moved through the thicket. its head was low, the proud crown of antlers on its head scratching and catching the canopy as he walked under. he was browsing in the snow for the first sign of spring grass, absorbed in his task. perhaps he knew as a male in the height of his power that he was unlikely to be challenged - least of all by a yearling.

astara stole one glance to heloise and then went wide -- the buck ignored her as she went.

positioning herself so that she was directly across from heloise, but on the other side of the buck, the fiendish child smiled and then sprung with a racket --

the buck, lifting its head, instinctively turned away from the noise and its path appeared to be headed directly for heloise in its panic...

bold.

the child was ever bold in approach, brazen in action. most children would think twice about tangling with a larger piece of prey without back up. Heloise never stated she would help, either. perhaps the girl knew that she would - that she was perhaps a 'sucker' for assisting strangers. either way, the girl would spring into action and the ivory beast was ever ready to reply. the stag would start at the cub's attempt, twisting its magnificent body about to charge in her direction.

Heloise reacted with a fire in her gut. travel had made her weary and hungry. desperate for food, for substance. the girl provided it. she summoned the last bout of her strength to latch her jaws around the neck of the herbivore. she would jump to meet the charging beast head-on, her paws meeting hide as she embraced the prey. an eternal hug. blood gushed from the impact and the stag wheezed, lying still after she clenched her fangs further. a gentle snap was heard if close enough. the breakage of bones and muscle.  

Heloise parted her lips to allow the dead stag to fall to the ground. her chest and face smeared with crimson though she did not seem to mind. the primitive skillsets bestowed upon her had come in handy, yes, but she was back to her usual calm self once more. "eat, child" she breathed, focusing her eyes upon the girl "you caught it as much as I did." if not for the startle, the wild attempt at fleeing and its panic, it would have done damage.

astara had anticipated the buck would flee. she had not anticipated that heloise would rise to meet it. 

in an instant it was over. the woman’s fangs sunk deep in neck tissue, and the frantic kicking of the ungulate’s hind gradually slowed. astara approached with a wary step, disappointed her ploy to startle the adult had gone so awry. 

she ignored the instruction to eat, instead padding to the buck’s felled head. grappling an antler in her teeth, the girl worried the beast’s head this way and that in the attempt to loosen the antler from the beast’s skull.

still, the girl did not respond. moving forward, ignoring Heloise's generosity, she would grip the buck's antler instead. it would seem the ivory woman's attempts at establishing a rapport would be wasted on the child. her neck craned down, biting into the side of the corpse and jerking back as quick as possible. in her jaws now was a chunk of flesh. still, she did not waiver from her quiet assessment. stubborn, perhaps, she would decline to the earth and watch.

chewing softly on the meat, she'd look at the girl from time to time to see if she was still there. noting the antler being chewed at, she wondered if she should help break it. then again, the girl did not seem to care for her attempts at assisting her thus far. grunting, she'd continue to swallow her kill and recharge her strength. if anything, this encounter had succeeded in finding her food. the girl could have the rest, for Heloise only needed a bit. though if she chose not to take it, there were probably plenty of other wolves around grateful for the fallen beast.

sometime later that evening, astara might find herself grateful to have come across heloise. for now, her brow set in a determined scowl as she wrestled the sharp tines from their stay. 



they did not budge. the buck’s skull held fast, and the girl was spent. scowling, she turned from heloise and sat a distance away, her form sphinx-like as she watched heloise consume her kill.

she allowed the girl to test her strength against the cloven beast, yet it seemed the buck refused to give up his magnificent antlers so easily. the other would walk off, her eyes on Heloise as she ate. the pale woman did not know why the pup did not eat. as far as she was concerned, the girl had assisted in bringing down the buck. she was not going to deny her some food due to her ego. though she also did not know why the girl desired the antlers so.

perhaps a trophy. something to line her den... there was plenty of options. "do you want me to try?" she lifted her blood-stained snout to look past the pup at the corpse. Heloise was larger, though she lacked hefty bulk, and she was confident in her strength. just not egotistically so. with the meat refueling her, she could try to get the antler for the girl. though if the girl did not want it, she would not press. she knew she would be offended if someone asked to get something she could not do herself.

astara gave a few more valiant tugs. the antler remained rooted. undeterred by the persistence in which the skull held, the girl’s eyes swept to heloise as she offered her aid.

it was rebuffed by a quick shake of her slim muzzle, perhaps the first sign the girl understood but chose not to speak.

situating herself by the buck’s elegant neck, astara sunk her teeth into throat and began to make her way through to the spinal column, blood, meat, gristle and all.

ooc; end thread? =D a good one tho!

perhaps she was getting somewhere after all. "alright, then" Heloise took no offense to the girl's refusal. having finished her meal now, she began to quickly groom herself. still, no knowledge of the Teekons was given. the woman had no idea where she was. she would get nothing out of the girl and she should continue to move once more. find her own answers. or someone that could easily gift them to her.

licking the taste of the buck's blood from her ivory coat, she would rise when she deemed it was 'good enough'. finding a stream, or a slow-moving river, to wash herself off properly later would be her goal for now. content the girl would eat her fill, she'd turn her back and begin to walk off. "farewell, child." she would offer, dipping her head slightly to the girl. if the other saw fit to hold her back, Heloise would stay. but for now, she saw little sense in sticking about.

astara’s face was one drawn in effort as she continued to chew through sinew, masticating the gristly flesh with a look of concentration on her features. she startled as the woman rose, her gaze accusing — but then re-settled to her task, watching as the she-wolf softly spoke and then departed. 

astara had never been one for companionship; her gaze was cold as she worked bloodied buck between her tongue. the woman had given her a gift in the buck, but astara was not sentimental. 

after several minutes of struggle, astara rose with the severed head in tow. it was a gristly sight; the buck’s tongue lolled from its bloodied mouth, and the spine dangled exposed as she walked. the skull would serve a future purpose, but for now the blackfeather wolf hauled it homeward, leaving carnal plumes of red in her wake.