Lake Rodney Otters for a bride

Rodyn had only been gone a day or two, and he was already irritated with his progress. Though he was fighting his own internal clock. He wanted to succeed, but he needed to remind himself of patience and to learn from this task. He was to grow as well as hunt, not just hunt. NO there was more to be had if he was open to this. So he took a deep breath, taking in the smells of other's, wolves like @Heph and other such creatures.

He took a deep breath and slowly began to work his way around the lake. His intent was to find the roots in the shallows and use them to make it to the island, perhaps there were otters on the island. He could hope right. Then it would be on to the stags. Which he was fairly certain he and Astraios could easiliy get three or more stag, he would trade whatever his friend wanted for the furs.

Heph breathed in the water. Lingering just a few days travel at most from the heartwood kept her chest from aching so much from absence. Her trek around the area had revealed that there was indeed an island within the lake itself, rather curious although she supposed the lake looked large enough for it. She wondered if she would have to swim to see it, but as she continued to trot along the edges she saw in the distance another wolf also seeming to follow the edges of the water and looking for something in particular. Closing the distance between them she kept a slow enough pace not to take him by surprise and when she drew to a stop she left some distance between them. "Looking for something?" Her voice dragged but was not mocking as she tilted her head, letting her gaze flick to where he was looking. Closer to the other wolf she could make out a handsome but graceful frame mirrored in his movements, but there was the hint of some other wolves in his scent that indicated he might not be as alone as he appeared that prevented her from mentioning it more outright.

Rodyn lifted his head and studied the wolf that had called out to him. The roots, to get to the island.I am a hunt for otters and thought perhaps they may make their home there.

He stepped back and stood near the waters edge, having found the roots. He studied them and then looked back up with a smile. Hello by the way. I'm Rodyn Ardeth of Pack Moonglow. Who greets me today?

Rodyn admired the she wolf for teh hunter she seemed to be. She was strong of limb and body. Looked hail and hearty. She would have made a find addition to Moonglow, and yet there was something that clung to her and of what he wasn't certain. Perhaps she was merely uncertain of her place and what she wanted as of yet. He had known that feeling well until he had arrived in the wilds of the teekon.

Heph was glad to see a smile on the wolf's face as he introduced himself. While wolves were certainly capable of deception, acting friendly to draw unsuspecting passerby in, she was inclined to take the expression at face value and returned it with a flash of a grin on her own lips. She held no pleasure in facing unfriendly faces nor needing to defend herself and it seemed that even if their little meeting did not continue there was no need for hostility. "My name is Heph, good to meet you Rodyn. I'm a bit of a traveler, my birth pack is rather far." She peered over to better see the roots he had spoken of, they twisted around the water but she could see that not all of the paths were created equally to a traveler. While otters were not overly abundant where she had been from she had hunted a few of them and his words and logic seemed sound.

Looking back towards Rodyn she added, curiosity clear in the rise and fall of her voice. "Huh a bit of a challenge there." Her words shifted and a slight glimmer appeared in her eyes as she joked "I might have to give it a try as well if you don't mind." She glanced back over checking for a reaction. He certainly seemed athletic enough to pull it off, and although Heph herself had a fair amount of bulk her natural inclination to explore everywhere from mountains to meadows meant she had a certain confidence in her own footing and ability.

Rodyn was a peaceful wolf by nature. Did not share his teeth and claws to wolf flesh unless he must. Though he was not shy in that regard that he could and would to protect himself, and those he cared for.

She returned his smile, and it put him further at ease. Traveler Heph. It is a pleasure to meet you. He bowed his head a little muzzle to the side. A kind smile still upon his face. A gentleman's face, he felt.

Rodyn chuckled. Yes it seems to be one yes. And I find enjoyment in the challenges of a hunt. I'm always willing to have another hunt with me. It makes it easier, and then twice the meat as it were for both.

He looked about him, and then with one swift movement, he was upon one of the roots, dark claws digging deep into the bark as he held tightly, swaying his tail to keep his balance.

The brown wolf's demeanor was polite and Heph flickered her ears, blinking in return. She had never been one for manners despite what her parents and natal pack had tried to teach her, only a few had managed to stay in her memory and when she had left they had gone through a period of disuse. But she grinned easily and tipped her head briefly at his response. Heph had learned how to hunt in groups and teams and a part of it would always feel natural to her, wolves were pack animals after all, no matter how long she roamed alone. "I'll try not to slow you down." She joked, laughter imbedded in the edges of her words and she topped them off with a wink. The she-wolf was confident that she would be able to hold her own and contribute to the hunt but she did not mind the light mood despite the earnestness of the effort.

She watched him and lined up her shoulders and haunches as she spotted the root that she wished to aim for. After judging the distance and bunching up her muscles she sprung forward, back paws splashing at the shallow water and claws searching for purchase. Her tail spun out behind her as her weight shifted to find balance before she settled atop the root and walked atop the length of it that was over water.  While it was narrow it was broad enough for her to walk on top of it and the texture of the roots balanced the curvature of the surface which meant she had enough purchase to walk. "I wonder if the ocean will also have trees half underwater." Her voice floated over the water, idle musing as she balanced. While she was still careful of her own steps once she had taken the first few she found herself less focused on the precision of her movements able to find the feel for it.

Rodyn needn't wait long before the other wolf was already onto a root as he was and speaking. He studied the roots.

I've not been to the ocean. But from what I hear there is very little growth near it, not the right soil and it is not very shallow. Fathoms deep.

He gave a tiny shudder and contonued to the island. As his feet hit moist soil he could hear the chatter, he smiled.

I am a trader and i need 4 otter skins. I hope we can catch a few. I will share spoils and fur if you'd be kind enough to help me?

He offered her a genuine smile and hoped she'd help.

Heph's tail wagged a bit at his description. Atka had described the ocean as dangerous but beautiful, Rodyn seemed to also find it dangerous although perhaps less alluring. To Heph it sounded like a challenge and one she would be glad to have the chance to see. She navigated the rest of the roots with quick paws, if at one time she almost stumbled but caught herself before it turned into a full slip. The squish of the soil was different than the rough but waterlogged texture of the bark but she gave a smile to the other wolf as she stated his intentions for whatever spoils they might be able to find. "If we can share the meat you can keep the furs, I move about so much they would be more of a burden to me than a help." In the past, Heph had brought back furs for new litters to play with, sometimes they nestled with them in the dens, but she was not sure of their other uses and at any rate she did not have a good place to keep them and carrying them would prove more difficult than it was worth when she got by without them just as well.

Moving slightly further inland so that the squelch of water did not touch all the way up her hackles she teased lightly "Four furs is quite a lot to trade, are you after someone's heart for such a price?" Perhaps he had pups of his own and simply wished something nice for them to play with, or maybe he simply liked collecting odd things. But she returned his smile and found herself tentatively starting conversation before they spotted their quarry and the hunt began.

Rodyn returned the tail wag, though he also kept his attention on the ground and the scent of otters. Yellow eyes dipping low to watch and learn.

There was something about the ocean that held an allure for the russet boy, however, it was also a frightening thing. Too many ways to hurt himself or others. To be lost at sea sounded awful to him.

I will gladly share the meat with you. Perhaps we can meet again for another type of hunt if this one proves fruitful. I wouldn't mind stag or weasel hunting, perhaps? I may even see you at the sea. I am bound for there next.


He missed a step at her question, she was at teh heart of the thing. Perhaps it was normal for this type of thing. He hadn't thought so, but perhaps.

You could say that. I am securing my future in my current pack, both as a trader, hunter and a man.

He could not bring himself to speak of his intentions towards Samani. Not because he didn't wish to howl it to the world, but rather, because Moonwoman had told him not too, and he did not wish to befoul his journey by disobeying.

Heph smiled at the offer, it would be nice to have the potential for a hunting partner when the two shared an area. And the other wolf certainly seemed skilled enough to make teaming up make sense for the both of them. She tilted her head in surprise as he mentioned his intended destination as it was one she intended to reach as well. "I'd welcome that. I'm also headed north to the sea soon." She revealed her tentative plans without a thought, they were unlikely to change though she might linger longer closer to Atka for awhile until she decided to make the full journey northward.

The grey wolf was too intent on the pathways ahead of her to notice the dip in step of the other wolf and she replied more to his words than anything else. It made sense, many packs had their members prove their worth in some way. While Heph had never chased such things she was vaguely familiar with the practice. "Ahh, no wonder it's such a princely boon then." There was a light teasing in her voice towards the end, but she was aware of the weight. After all a wolf's worth was one thing to them, but to have something outside of them to need to try and reflect all that was inside was something rather difficult to do. It was hard to put a price on such things and arguably harder still to put too high a price on it if one valued their abilities and self-worth enough.

Her ears flickered around to catch some slip of the water that seemed out of rhythm with the rest. Angling her head and motioning with a sharp flick of her head, neck, and ears she alerted Rodyn to the area of interest. Her voice softened at the prospect of play although if they were in the water then she doubted they could hear her quite as well. "I think I can hear something over there." It could have been something else but her gaze still attempted to reach over there to detect the small shape of an otter.

Rodyn tried to return the smile, but he was also intent upon moving and not falling into the lake. Not that he wouldn't be able to swim, but it was pretty deep, it wasn't a concept he was entirely comfortable with.

I need to go there and gather a sea shell. I would also like to speak with some of our allies and friends, just to meet them. And I've never seen the ocean before. I hear it is larger than any lake, and five times as treacherous.

Rodyn chuckled. Yes I suppose so, but Moonwoman would not ask it of me, if she didn't believe I could do it. She is adept at finding the worth of another, even if they don't know it themselves yet.

And he fully believed that. Kukutux was a good leader, she deserved the respect she was given in every aspect. She had led MoonGlow for many moons.

Rodyn dipped down and lowered his head. Immediately going into hunt mode. Eyes focused on the quarry he nodded. He could see one, two, maybe three.

We'll have to move fast and can't let them slip into the water completely or we'll lose them. On three?

One, Two, Three. He leapt forward, muscles bunched in the back of his legs. The otter was quick, but just once he was quicker. HE snapped it and the sinewy creature twisted in his jaws. Landing a slice along his chest, but he quickly managed to did his teeth in harder, severing it's spine and he shook it hard.

Rolled a success.

Heph nodded and murmured assent to his words. While she did not know of Moonglow's allies and thus could not speak to meeting them it made sense to her that this wolf had more to see and do and collect before returning to his pack and meeting with allies made sense to her. She offered a smile at his description of what she assumed to be his leader, but she could not fully discern what exactly a Moonwoman was. Perhaps a leader of a different sort? But her attention turned to hunting before she could ask more though she was curious and she dropped down lower to match him and also ready. Nodding her head once more she agreed to his plan, listening to his count and tensing her own muscles to spring forward.

Leaping forward on his count she shot towards the otter, but something in her leap or perhaps her timing had been off and the creature skittered away from her before she could do more than snap at the empty air. She swore she tasted a glimmer of fur but the smaller agile creature had already slithered into the water, far quicker than she in such things and all she could do was smile ruefully before turning her head to see how Rodyn had fared. A small furred object poked out from his jaws and her grin turned congratulatory "Nice!" Her tone stayed subdued, not wishing to disrupt more of the surrounding area. Scanning the rest of the waterways she added "Hopefully I can do better next time." There was a light teasing in her voice, it would have been nice if she succeeded but few wolves caught all of their prey and she was not above joking about herself when no other ready material was around.

rolled a failure

If Rodyn was being honest, even he wasn't fully certain what a moonwoman was, unless it simply meant a woman of Moonglow. Of that he wasn't certain. he knew though that moonwoman had different rituals and prayers, and they were motherly and kind. Samani would possibly be the next moon woman. She would do well at it.

Rodyn wagged his tail. I'm always happy to hunt with a new friend. Anytime you want another round. If i'm around i'll gladly hunt with you.

Rodyn wasn't too fussed. Sometimes it happened this way. You were able to get your quarry and other times you weren't. He bowed to the ground and moved away from the waterway. He began to separate the meat from the fur, and once he had finished with the grim work and his muzzle was slightly stained. He held the otter out to Heph, but he kept the fur at his feet.

As promised, meat for help. I thank you greatly Traveler Heph. He wagged his tail again.

I'm telling you the chance gods are not in favor this week for some things. I was trying to roll for fishing with Amalia. It took three rounds of rolls before she caught one fish.

Heph nodded her head "Me as well, if our paths cross again I'd gladly hunt with you." There was a friendly smile and she added a genuine "Thank you" before taking the meat and being on her way. She supposed that he would have to bring it back to his pack and she had no reason to make herself present for that. But she would have to remember his name and his scent for when she traveled to the sea, he was a good hunting partner and friendly face and she would pass up neither on her travels. With a wag of her tail she was off.

thought this would be a good place to wrap it up, but I can edit if you'd like to continue! we should thread with them again, maybe at the coast or maybe again for otters. XD dang that is some serious luck!