Silver Moraine VII

augur moved away from the rise.

it was not clear what called to the man that day. he would return. 

his trail took him over the flat ground clear of snow. here he inhaled, scenting pika in the stone folds.

the wolf climbed, alone.

She'd wandered a bit from the Emberwood today. Perhaps it was her yearning for Vesper that drew her out, or merely just a sense of curiosity. Probably the former; she ached badly for the presence of her older sister. Losing Vesper was like missing a limb. She didn't feel whole.

The girl stalked up the ragged, rocky stretch, picking her way up the slope. In the distance was a huge shape, and she narrowed her eyes at it, thinking of the man who'd accosted her in the woods the other day.

But that stranger had been dark, and this one was pale, like her.

Blueberry barked toward him, increasing her pace a bit to close the gap between them. She was wary, but friendly enough, and her round midnight eyes were inviting upon him when he—if he—turned to face her.

there was a girl with twilight eyes. augur stopped to ponder her. she was alone, or perhaps he did not see the others.

he rumbled a greeting, the two syllables of his name. 

the man let his tail fall neutral. he approached cautiously, ready to stop if the girl showed fear.

Au-gur. Was that. . .a name? Or some sort of greeting in a tongue she didn't know? She was gonna go with the former, and nodded, calling back, Blue-berry. Separating the syllables, since this one didn't seem much for words so far.

She came a little closer, her indigo eyes wandering over his massive white frame. Where do you live? she asked, lifting her chin.

They could use him, she thought. He would be a much better border guard than anything they had around the Emberwood; he was even bigger and more imposing than Bronco. No one would dare oppose this guy. 

But he smelled of other wolves. That was a problem.

augur imitated them badly. she was giving her name sound. but he had already titled her in his mind as night stare.

she and blood eyes had been named the same way to the wordless boy.

when the young female stepped forward, augur did the same, allowing her to explore the scents on his coat with a gently waving tail. 

night stare spoke questioningly. augur put his head to one side. live. 

he turned and blinked in the direction of the rise.

She turned to stare the direction he pointed. She wasn't familiar with it. Blueberry returned her eyes to his and shrugged, shaking her head. So not here, she surmised—obviously, she chastised herself.

Her eyes roamed along his rugged muscles, the little bits of scar tissue sending his pelt off in whorls here and there. Are you a fighter?

She remained silent for a moment, then added, Can you teach me?

Might as well give it a shot. She took a few more steps closer upon the moraine, gaze easy enough but unmistakably keen upon his face.

fighter. teach.

augur had added these some time ago to his inner lexicon.

but he was not a warrior. he was a hunter.

the boy circled all the same and slid into a playbow. he slapped the earth with his massive forepaws, inviting the girl to rush him.

Rush him she did, with absolutely no pretension as to skill or finesse.

Blueberry would likely slam into the man like hitting a brick wall, but she did, to her credit, try and grasp onto one of his broad shoulder blades, hoping to worry him there. A seasoned fighter would have told her to use her swiftness to her advantage, but. . .

Her jaws snapped—whether upon flesh or open air was up to his next move.

she might have been no infant but the other was still a pup.

augur let her teeth graze through the fur of his shoulder before he swung his paw up, intending to bat her away.

she was smaller than he and so the man would attempt to do this in a reined way.

his tail lashed again, conveying that this was only play. augur invited her a second time.