Moonspear Snack Pack

Moriko was on her way, trotting back to her territory. She was beyond happy with her small little haul she had collected. She had muiltiple captured rabbits in her mouth, so much so that her cheeks hurt and she was drooling slightly. But this didn't deter her from her mission. She had captured so many rabbits and some other small animals it would be rude not to share her bounty. After all she had caught SO MANY, she find basically a whole town of rabbit holes to stick her nose in.

She trotted up happily, now in just the outskirts as she adjusted her mouth, shaking off some drool so she could continue.

"Snack for the pack! Snack for the pack! Snack pack!" She sang to herself in her head as if she had tried to with her mouth she'd release a pile of rabbits.

Atlas had remained near to Moonspear for the last several months, dutifully tending to things within the pack. He had almost forgotten of the world that existed beyond their claim. The borders of the mountain had become a second nature to him; the dark young beast believed that he could have walked them in his dreams. This had been the shade’s intention – a border patrol – when he had caught sight of the pale figure and her mouthful of rabbits. For several long moments, Atlas watched her carry her load cheerfully to where he assumed she had a cache. The fragrance of hare was surprisingly alluring to the dark young wolf.
 
Rerouting, Atlas trailed behind the pale individual. He kept his pace far enough that she might not feel the watchful golden eyes against her back. When the shade had closed much of the space between them, he parted his lips and barked to draw her attention. “Looks like you’ve had some luck with hunting,” the young Ostrega remarked with a soft smile. He slowed his pace so that she would not feel threatened by such a close proximity.

Moriko hopped a bit, turning as she lifted a paw, tilting her head

”Hmhg-!” She added, wagging her tail as she dropped her small pile of rabbits onto the ground.

She flicks her tongue around a bit, licking inside her cheeks before shaking her head bit.

She let out a small laugh. “Jeez- who knew your mouth could get so sore and tired-! Would you like a snack rabbit-? Geddit- jack rabbit snack rabbit-“ She does a little wiggle, bouncing her body a bit to amplify her stupid pun.

Her tail is still wagging happily, as shes more than happy to offer some food to her family, as well as rest her mouth.

Within moments of approaching the unfamiliar figure, Atlas had determined that she would be an interaction steeped in high energy. Her movements were bouncy and light. The air in which she addressed him was so lackadaisical that he was almost taken aback.
 
The rich gold of his vision latched onto her features with a stern expression of interest.
 
“You’ve got a knack for hunting, it seems. My brother is the same way. I’ll have to ask him about carrying a load of rabbits in his mouth and whether he has tips on that,” Atlas responded in a youthful baritone. The quandary of his attempt at humor was really that he’d had no experience in the field.
 
For the first time, the yearling felt uncertain of himself.

She gave a soft smile, tilting her head happily as her ear did a little flop in glee.

”Thank you-! Thats very sweet of you!” Her tail wags happily as she lets out a small laugh at his little attempt to a joke.

She gave another snicker before responding back. “You’ll probably get a strange look at first- hey how can I hold ten or so rabbits?” Now she’s giggling, imagining the look on anyones face when asked this question.

Sweet…
 
There was something that the dark mountaineer had not been called. For a moment, he’d wondered if she had intended it in a mocking way, but as his gaze trailed her frame and latched onto the joyous wagging of her tail, Atlas realized that she had intended every word.
 
When the girl remarked that he might receive a peculiar look for asking such a question, the young Ostrega smiled faintly and allowed his tail to waver behind him. “He might, or he might be relieved that I’m finally taking an interest in something he can talk about,” the shadow remarked to her fondly. Somehow, the two boys managed to get along quite well despite their differences.

His response was a lot calmer and friendly than the last- and this made Moriko feel more at ease.

”Speaking of which- would you like a rabbit-? Atleast some of one, maybe we could go halfsies.” She smiled.

She nudged one of the rabbits with her nose as she said this, wagging her tail softly.

”After all what is luck and good fortune worth if none is shared?” She gives a soft smile, tilting her head as one of her ears flicks a bit.

Moriko enjoyed making others smile or happy. Espically if those others were hidden behind somewhat of a shell. Others being happy is what made her most happy, and it seemed her first impression to him was going quiet well.

”One was a runt though- so they were easy to catch-“ She joked. “That one was like the warm up round.”

She offered him one of her prizes, even suggesting that they could take one and divide it in half so that they could both share it. Atlas wasn’t even certain that his brother had willingly offered one of his catches; prey was the prize of the wolf.
 
The pale shewolf nudged the animal toward him with a gleam in her mismatched gaze. Atlas’ expression did not shift. The shade appeared to her as a dark young thing, charming and welcoming with his features and body language. There was only a moment of pause before he took a step toward her and the space between them vanished entirely. The scent of rabbit was far too much for the mountaineer to pass up.
 
“Thank you for sharing,” the Ostrega boy said to her with a smile that lined his dark lips but did not reach the molten gold of his eyes.
 
“What is your name?”

“Oh-!” She laughed sheepishly. “Its my pleasure, I am called Moriko.” She added, blinking as her tail wagged.

”And you? What name should I make this take out order to?” She jested, laughing as she motioned to the rabbit between them.

Despite her peaceful demeanor, once you encourage her puns and jokes, shes on a roll.

Moriko…
 
He stole the name away in his mind for later, knowing that it would be rather challenging to forget someone with as much high spirits and energy as this girl had. In a matter of moments, she had inquired about his own calling, typing the query with a quip about his ‘take-out order.’ The shadow couldn’t make much sense of that, but he read her tone well, smiling gently.
 
“I am Atlas. My mother Hydra is one of the leaders here. My family fills a good number of the ranks,” he answered her conversationally. The Ostrega clan had made themselves relatively well known in that region and beyond. They had earned the pride that came with their lineage and land.

Her head poked up. 

“Oh! I see where you get your charm from-!” She smiled. “All of you have this truly instant charm.”

She shook her head a bit, giving a little shake. Giving a cheerful smile then.

”Hydra is wonderful- a woman wise beyond her years and quick as a whip.” She chimed, moving her paws to display the quickness the was talking about.

Atlas could not help but smile at the compliment that was offered so freely by the girl. He had only just met her and she already had claimed she could see his charm. For a young prince of Moonspear, he could not help but to be touched by that remark. Moriko was rather delightful in her own regard. She had quirks, but Atlas was warming to her swiftly. 

"She can be rather frightening when she needs to as well," the dark yearling commented with a smirk and a quick wag of his tail. It was said playfully, but Atlas knew that his mother was capable of terrible and powerful things. She was not a wolf to trifle with.

Moriko let out a giggle but nodded in agreement.

"Oh yes, exactly. She's very sweet, but can change to sour if she needs to."

She shook a bit, shaking out her ears as she sighed, smiling. 

"Very admirable, as it is hard to be both sweet and strong, but she pulls it off almost effortlessly. Also it doesn't hurt to have silky fur and a walk of confidence."

She smirked, as Hydra had an amount of confidence that Moriko only dreamed she could have. Hydra was confident and deserved to be.

She leaned a bit closer, jesting with him. "Mothers are loving yes, but they are also a force to be wreckened with."

She of course knew this not only as a she wolf, but also from her own mother.

She's very cute ;o;

“Was your mother like that?”
 
The question tumbled from his lips before he could stop it. The dark young wolf might have looked surprised at himself, were it not for the stern creasing of his brow and the thoughtful line that his lips made. Atlas had only ever had experience with Hydra; he had not known the methods and teachings of other mothers. This was nothing to be saddened by, of course. He had simply found a curious tickling in his mind to know what it was like to be raised under the guardianship of one who was not quite so fierce.
 
Surely, the bubbly girl Moriko must have had a warm mother. Atlas did not imagine that someone as kind and pleasant could come from much else.

Moriko blinked, a bit taken aback by the question before she gave a warm smile.

"Yes.. I used to think my mother was another level of being..it seemed like she knew everything." She gave a small huff laugh and continued. " A very smart and caring woman.. she radiated warmth and safety."

Moriko sat, her tail curling around her as she did so. "She saved my life, and now that I know she has returned to the Earth, I can see why the grass seems greener and the storms seem stronger. Why the sun seems brighter and the winters seem colder."

She pawed at the ground, smiling to herself. "She was and is a force, and I can still feel her love and energy everywhere, as it now lives within me and within the Earth as well."

 She toys with the soil a bit between her paws.This is how they were still always connected..always rooted together. The dirt of the Earth held both her mother just as it supports her now as she walks above it. for death isn't an end, but the passing of the same energy onto another or others.

She gives a tiny laugh realizing she zoned out. "Sorry for getting to mopey on you- if she were here right now she'd tell me my ears were almost at the moon and I'm zoning out again." She gave a laugh, remembering how her mother always said she had her head in the clouds. She'd then pretend to wipe the stardust from her ears with her tail as a pup, something she enjoyed as a baby would peek a boo. 

It felt nice to speak of her mother.

The girl seemed to be inspired by his query.
 
Moriko spoke fondly of the woman who had raised her. She spoke with love and reverence that Atlas had never heard before. The sound of the wolf who had brought her into the world and carried her into her current state was marvelous, he would not doubt. The way that she was referenced did indeed make it seem as though the mother of this girl was no longer with them. When she had finished, she fixed him with a softer stare and apologized for being ‘mopey’ with him. The dark yearling could not help but to shake his head in response to the girl.
 
“No need,” he assured her in a thoughtful voice. The smoky tone of his words carried a hint of warmth with them, shrouding the two in a moment of understanding and peace. “She sounds like she was an incredible force to be reckoned with, hm?” the dark Ostrega then added. The expression on his dark features lifted slightly, hoping to inspire the same happy and joyful interaction that he had shared with Moriko before the conversation about her mother.

Moriko blinked before she began to beam back at the wolf. She was embarrassed at her rambling, but she felt comfortable in the wolfs presence. She snickered a bit.

"Yes she is, and I hope to one day be a force of nature like she was." Moriko added proudly, before wiggling softly as she looked at herself. "Having messy fur CHANGED by the force of nature doesn't count.." She jested, poking fun at how some tufts of her fur were altered due to the winds patterns.

"Maybe its my mother telling me to groom myself so I don't look so ghostly and scrawny." She's laughing harder now. It felt good to joke and talk about her mother, and even better to share it with someone else.

Atlas could not help but to be momentarily stricken by the girl named Moriko. Her bubbly nature was not to the point of overbearing for him, and he found the mannerisms she had to be relatively endearing in nature but not distracting from those flashes of her personality. She didn’t quite fit the mold of Moonspear, he thought to himself after her comment about the weather messing up her coat.
 
The dark yearling’s lips curled into a warm smile, lightening his features for a few seconds.
 
“You know, I don’t think you look scrawny,” he assured her, his smoky voice seemed to melt with understanding. “We all have days when we look a bit rough.” The lamplight colors of his eyes flickered to her and he bobbed his crown in a way to show that he didn’t find anything wrong with the things she’d mentioned.

Her face began to glow as she gave a warm smile to his remark.

"Thank you. And of course, what's on the outside isn't what matters most." She softly began to wag her tail.

She tilted her head,blinking. "As long as I am a kind person who does my best, that's alright with me- and hey- if I look like a mess atleast they'll think of me as a friendly mess." She gives a joking wink, raising her paw.

"You have a truly kind and warm presence." She added, wagging her tail faster. "Must run in the family, you all have a heart of gold."

The sentiments she offered were seemingly heartfelt. The message was a simple one; she valued the actions and the spirits of others over what they might appear. Atlas was not certain if he was the same way, or if he had only just been sheltered by his life on the mountain.
 
When she complimented him, saying that he must have gotten it from his family, the dark young wolf could not help but crack a smile. He did not know if Moriko simply saw what she wanted to see in others, or if she believed that the Ostrega clan was one of warm hearts and kindness.
 
“You really think so?” he asked her, doubt reflecting in his tone.

She gave a warm smile. "Of course, I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. You have the moon in your eyes and the night sky on your coat." She added, flicking her tail softly against some of his fur to prove her point.

She flicked an ear, turning to face him directly. "Your inner traits shine through brightly and allow you to glow. Others see it as well, and you should to." She wagged her tail. "I can sense your greatness, but you already know of the greatness that it holds."

She offered compliments so easily, and the inkwell found himself flustered by the manner in which she seemed to comment on his cloak and the color of his eyes. It was not every day that the boy was marveled at by anyone other than his scrutinizing family. When she had spoke of the greatness that existed within him, the dark young beast looked at her with a curious glow in the warmth of his eyes. How could she know of the greatness inside of him? She had only just met him, after all. Nevertheless, Atlas did not feel as though his new friend deserved to be left without compliments of her own.
 
“But you… you seem to be as peaceful as freshly fallen snow,” he murmured, voice rumbling from the back of his throat. The pale colors of her coat helped with the mental image. There was something bubbly beneath that – something beyond what he could see. Atlas felt like the peace she offered was something only he could feel and that it was foolish to have tried to offer her such remarks. The boy’s cheeks burned hot with his embarrassment.

Moriko, instead flickered her ears.

”Oh.. fresh snow. Crisp but silent, heavy but light. Snow is lovely, espicalpy when it is untouched and laid across land like a soft blanket.” She smiled warmly, wagging her tail softly as she tilted her head.

She could see he was a bit embarrassed, but she couldnt understand why. He had nothing to be embarrassed about, and his remark was sweet. Sure he seemed a bit uncertain in his words but it was the thought that counted.

She couldn’t help but do a little happy dance on her paws. “What a lovely thing to say.”

She carried on his compliment so easily that he was stricken with speechlessness. The dark yearling gaped at her softly before a small smile curled his lips. She had enjoyed that he had compared her with snow and the satisfaction of that enjoyment was something he hadn’t really felt before. Though the emotion was unfamiliar, it did not stir the anxiety in him. Atlas felt warm and happy that he could share that small moment with someone he had never met before.
 
“You’re very nice Moriko,” the inkwell yearling commented to her, cheeks flushing red. “I hope you’ll stay here for a while.” The statement was made earnestly. He hoped that she could find a way to bring others like her into Moonspear’s fold. They needed their warriors and fighters, yes… but did they not also need storytellers and healers? Bards and pupsitters?

She let out a soft laugh, smiling. 

"I plan on it, you're all stuck with me." She jested, giving a small smirk. "And I'm glad I could make a good first impression, everyone here is so welcoming, it's nice to finally have a family again." 

She wags her tail happily. She was truly happy in her pack. She thought everyone was kind and caring and really just closely knit together. She loved her knew family.