Snowforest Taiga [feast] deimeika

aw but she is looking for @Ensio & @Arius :D

the moonlight was bright.
heda watched the duskfire wolves. she took a bite of caribou meat and chewed it nervously, jerking her eyes away from them as not to seem like she was staring.
but after a moment she had swung her head around again, and this time the war-girl approached hesitantly, tail waving behind her hips.

Nearby, Ensio had been gorging himself while the feast was full swing. He was far from a glutton, but tonight he could make an exception. He was in good spirits anyways. The massive ribcage of a caribou lay sprawled out in front of him, with ample amounts of meat still clinging to it. He swallowed a thick wad of meat, licking his chops.

He had better take a break before he burst. Moving away, he bent down to wipe his muzzle clean in the snow. Dusted with the white substance, the dark mask of his face took on a more faded look than usual. Mid roll, he paused. Movement caught his eye. Someone approaching. A young girl, white save for a blaze of fire along her spine.

With sharp icy eyes he looked at her. He liked the contrast of her colors, he decided. Quite different than his own. Ensio had a naturally intense air about him. He couldn't help it even if he tried. He was after all, Wintersbane's son. He stood up, trying to shake out his coat as best as he could manage. Mirroring her posture, he pranced forward, stiff legged. Dark tipped tail high, waving with the invitation to play, dance or dine with him.

he was coming right toward her —
heda sucked in her breath, heart hammering the inside of her ribs.
the boy asked her to engage in the age-old way of their kind.
heda was far too nervous for food and too clumsy to dance. she lowered herself into a bow, snapping playfully at the air before darting sideways.

His invitation to dance in their ancient ways was accepted. Naturally at home in the snow, with his thick coat, the boy wasn't in the least bit shy of a romp in the white powder. In fact, the more that peppered and clung to his hairs, the better.

For once, his brother, Arius, was not welcome, should he make a bid to join in. His thick plume of a tail sliced at the air, while she bowed down and skipped away. He half grumbled, half whined, pawing at the snow, to flick a dusting towards where she once had been. 

Then he pursued, diving through the currents as naturally as a fish would in water. He reached out, teeth snapping harmlessly inches away from the delicate tips of an elusive tail. He swerved to the right, glancing to see if she might be in pursuit.

the boy dazzled her. he was heda's age but seemed older. taller. his grace was the sort she wanted for herself. he followed her; she felt his breath. her hackles prickled as heda thrilled.
when ensio veered right, the war-girl followed.
the sounds of the feast were muffled now. heda lunged for his shoulder, teeth seeking not to seize flesh but comb through the fur there, a growling laugh rising in her throat.

As they ran and romped through the snow, they drifted further afield from the congregation. Not that he much cared. Ensio could look after himself. But she was an outsider. She may not know the terrain as well. Should she show any sign of worriedness (if she were that type!), he'd guide her back.

Location hardly seemed to be on either of their minds while they played in the dark winter night. Glacial eyes trailed up the flaring line of fire, mesmerized. She came for him and he turned to face her. Only to offer his shoulder right for her mouth. He saw not an attack, nor felt the puncture and grip of her teeth. He returned her growling laugh with a low vibrating sound in his throat, not at all threatening. He swung his muzzle towards hers, bopping her cheek with a freezing cold nose were she not to release in time.

heda burned where ensio touched her. her fangs pulled through his fur. she tasted the myriad scents of the glacier on him, sensed the power that surged in potential just below the surface of him. ensio simmered with something she did not understand.
heda surged against him, pushing her smaller, wiry frame against his shoulder: testing him.
the rivenwood girl surged ahead after that. ensio was more powerful than she. but heda intended to test his speed, for she knew hers was great.

She pushed close to his shoulder, then fled him. Testing. Smirking, he happily accepted her little challenge. He watched, keenly noted her speed. Couldn't help but stare, watching as she ran, like a blaze through the undisturbed snow.

Grunting determinedly, he used the bulk of his already large form to race after her. For a boy his size, his speed wasn't half bad. To hers, it paled in comparison. Ensio was built more so for brute force and strength. As he felt his lungs and legs burning, his mouth and tongue began to feel heavy. Still, he would not give up on her. 

So he changed tactics and improvised. He shifted and branched off to the left, curving in an arch to try and get ahead of her. He hunkered down low, using the camouflage of the snow and the cover of shadow. His paler color served him well in this season. He had learned tips from his mother. He would see how well his methods worked.

when heda looked back for ensio, he was gone. the girl drew up sharply in the snow, hunting for his scent. not far away, the wolves of moonglow and duskfire mingled. her breath rose to the starlight. "where'd you go?" she hissed, half-laughing to herself.
heda's senses told her that he was close, and so then she began to look for him again, pacing through the pale night with tail arched playfully over her hips.

He kept low, hunched down in the cold snow. Unmoving, save for the slight wiggle of his rump. Icy eyes aglow in the low light, he tracked her every move. With her fire kissed hackles, she was quite easy to spot. She called out, seeking him. He would not give her the pleasure of an answer.

Instead, silent, while she continued her search, he inched up again. Like a great cat, he began his prowl. Stalking her without a sound from behind. He plowed through the snow, faster. Closer. Until he was all but upon her. "Here!" He boomed playfully. The Duskfire rose up on his hindquarters, plummeting down to try and capture her by the waist with his forelegs.

ensio was on her before she knew what was happening. the young wolf yelped and went down into the snow, though her good humour recovered. she kicked fiercely away from the boy, laughing all the while. her own paws tossed white driftflakes his way, and eventually heda scrambled to her feet.
she leapt for ensio then, hoping to initiate a wrestling match. her growling could perhaps be heard by the others now. all in good fun, while her heart thudded and thrummed inside her chest.

He had her pinned only for a few fleeting seconds. She wiggled and kicked at him with her paws, then wrenched free. His humor mirrored hers in the form of soft play growls and gentle mouthing of what fur was still within his reach. Snowflakes splattered his face, making him squint his eyes closed temporarily.

When he opened them, it was his turn to be on the receiving end. She was coming for him. Slapping his paws into the snow, he hiked his butt into the air. Bring it on. Smirking, tongue hanging from his mouth, he leapt forward to collide with her head on. He didn't care who heard them. If anyone came to investigate. He was having too much fun, enthralled with his playmate.