Deepwood Weald I'd hide, but

Rodyn found himself leaving the pack lands again. Rolayne and Panuk were nestled safely with Sialuk and Elentari and he knew they'd be leaving soon. He found himself dipping into the dark shadows of the deep weald. A painful stirring in his chest for those he had lost to death and time. His dear friend was, had been here and even he was gone now. Dispersed before he even had a chance to share with him he had finished his bride price journey. And now Samani.

Heart wrenching and painful. But he pushed onward. Russet paws against loamy grounds. The fall leaves falling and curling around his pelt, blending him into the back drop perfectly. Autumn was the perfect time for a hunter such as he. Yellow eyes gleaming and white teeth bright, he stepped forward. Felt the earth under paw, shifted it and moved. Quiet as he could be. There were weasels here, ermine, squirrels, but if he was very lucky as early as it was. He may find a mother deer sleeping, or her fawn. There were many throughout the wilds now. He felt not as cruel taking the life of the late spring deer.

Russet ears twitching. He bent to sniff and gave a small nod and continued onward. He'd have a meal today for them all.

Towhee moved hastily once she left the copse. She just wanted to go fetch her skin from The Heartwood, maybe drop by Moonspear and leave a message with her granddaughters on the way back. But she didn’t want to be gone long, not with that creep possibly lurking in the glade.

Perhaps it was the thought of him that made her hackles lift when she stumbled across another wolf in the weald. Towhee halted and watched him a moment, assessing from a distance. There was something very dimly familiar about his scent, though she couldn’t place it. She was pretty sure she’d never met the guy.

There was no getting past him without alerting him to her presence, not unless Towhee wanted to double back and go around. That would be a huge waste of time and she was in a hurry. Instead, she drew in a breath and then woofed to announce herself.

i don't think they have ever one on one threaded....im surprised lmao

Yhere was the stirrings of other animals other paws. Including the paw pronts of wolves, but they were aged and etched in dirt. Past their date.


The whuff alerted him to another and he turned yellow eyes towards her. He drew a bit closer and dipped hia head. Making sure to keep a respectable distance.

Hello I'm Rodyn.

Her scent stirred memories of bride journey, but he didn't know why. She also smelled faintly of so many places he'd been

Yellow eyes raised and fixed on her. His features were youthful, though there was something slightly haggard about his face, even aside from the scars. Towhee’s gaze quickly moved from those to his lips as they moved in the familiar pattern of a greeting. The “hello” wasn’t the only familiar word.

Rodyn, she repeated, wondering why she recognized it. I’m Towhee.

She’d originally planned to exchange a few pleasantries, then be on her way. But she paused to dig through her memories to place him. She definitely hadn’t seen his face before but she swore she knew his scent. But it was the name that niggled at her.

You, she began, only for clarity to hit her upside the head, oh. You lost Samani, Towhee acknowledged, her own expression shifting into an empathetic frown.

Right? They unfortunately have a lot in common too. :(

They really do

Rodyn knew that he had aged in the moons time since his precious peachy queen was gone. And his sons were all he had left. And they hadn't bonded with him as much as he would have liked, but he understood. They were young and needed mom before dad right now. Which is what Sialuk and Elentari had filled.

She gazed at his lips as he spoke and for a moment he was dumbfounded. Then it hit him like a thunderclap and he vowed to speak slower. He didn't want any miscommunications.

Well Met Towhee.

Her next words and he winced quickly and sharply and had to look away. A deep breath and another and he met her gaze again. He gave a sad nod.

I did. I was hunting in hopes to find some solace.

He didn’t need the reminder, though Towhee couldn’t take it back. Her ears pinned backward in momentary apology, wondering if she should offer her condolences or just drop it. She hadn’t meant to dredge up painful memories.

You have my empathy, she decided to say. I’ve lost a mate too. But she didn’t want to dwell either. Could you use a helping hand? Towhee offered, deciding she could make the time.

A knowing look at her ears and the way she looked at him. He didn't take offense to her words. He knew she hadn't meant to let them slip from her maw. She had merely being putting together how she knew him. Though he wasn't sure quite why he knew her. Was she someone's mother? Or more than one someone's mother? Gosh he couldn't quite recall. For some reason though he also thought of Epoch, a place he had been granted entry. But he didn't remember her there? Though her scent, but it hadn't been strong.

I'm sorry you have felt that pain too.

He gave a nod. I will always accept help and of course i'll help you take half of what we catch to where you would like it.

She wanted to decline his offer. Towhee didn’t have anywhere to cache meat. And Rodyn had motherless pups to feed. But she held her tongue. If they did manage to capture something, she should probably take a little bit back to the copse.

Deal. You looked like you were tracking. Found any good scents or are we still working on that bit? Towhee asked.

She moved a little closer, maneuvering herself so they could walk parallel, a yard apart. They could cover a little more ground that way, in case they still needed to find a proper game trail.

By the way, you don’t have to if it’s too painful but if you want to talk about it, I’m… well, I can’t say I’m all ears, since I’m deaf. But, you know, the sentiment and all.

Rodyn would not have accepted her decline. The simple fact was he was hunter yes, had been star Hunter, had been hunter and trader during bride price. Therefore he had learned to always share. For what else could he give, but help to fill empty stomachs.

He made sure to face her when he was speaking. It made moving through the forest difficult, but he would not go without at least trying to converse.

Weasels, Stoats, Squirrel. I was hoping perhaps a late fawn, but we will probably not see one.

His ear twitched and he tilted his head. No one had offered to let him talk about it. They had offered to sit with him, to share condolences and yes to talk about it, but her sentiment was different. She didn't know him from adam and yet she was willing to listen.

It was horrific. I begged and pleaded, but the gods would not give her back. And our children were crying. And now her family does not allow us to speak her name. Moonwoman told me I could, but it feels as if i would be spitting in the very face I adored if i did so and sometimes Lady Towhee. I just want to scream her name to the heavens.

Rodyn named a few options. None but the fawn seemed worth their while, even with just the two of them. Towhee frowned and sniffed the air, wondering if they might be able to track down a wild pig or something a bit more substantial.

In the meantime, he actually opened up to her. Towhee realized she hadn’t actually expected him to do that. Her eyes remained riveted on him as he poured out his pain. Until this very moment, she hadn’t realized her own faux pas, saying Samani’s name in front of Kukutux some days past.

You couldn’t have picked a more apt audience if you want to let it out, Rodyn, Towhee pointed out. I won’t tell anyone. It’ll be cathartic. My only suggestion is to do it after we find something and kill it.

Rodyn knew that Pigs would sometimes come down through here, but honestly he wasn't sure if there would still be some here, or if they'd have moved on. But he did know that they needed something bigger. So with a few sniffs and a quivering ear, he shifted his step and headed deeper in the weald. Deer would often bed down deep in the darkness there.

A surprised laugh left his mouth. And he felt his face twist up into a smile. Actually I think that's all I wanted to say.

And it was. He hadn't realized how painful it was that he couldn't say her name. He understood why and he respected it and would keep his quiet, but it was hard to admit he would need to. That was the whole thing.

He bent his head and froze body quivering as a scent wafted their way. Perhaps they were in luck today.

He laughed, smiled. Towhee wondered if this meant he wouldn’t be wailing at the skies after they made a kill. She really wouldn’t mind either way. It wasn’t like she would hear it. She supposed it might still be hard to watch, though.

Okay, well, the offer stands: if you want to scream your late wife’s name over our bloody kill, that would be a whole vibe. In any case, we should hunt in her honor. For Samani, yeah? Towhee pitched, catching Rodyn’s eye.

She made a mental note to say the name a few more times before they parted ways, though right now, Towhee focused on the task at hand. He led her deeper into the weald, the shadows dancing over their coats as the remaining leaves shivered on the boughs overhead.

Rodyn froze and Towhee did too, wondering if perhaps he’d heard something. But then she saw his nose quivering and she sniffed too, keen to discover what was on the menu today.

I rolled for pig

Rodyn didn't hide his emotions. He was shattered inside, but laughter was stil la proce to be paid to the living. A smile an entry fee. He could do these things and still grieve.

A misty look in his gaze. And he nodded. Appreciative if what she was doing.

He studied and went lower as the creature moved. A pig a little over a suckling. He must have gotten lost from his group. Rodyn looked around being certain there were no more.

She smelled pork. Her tongue swirled around her mouth as Towhee wondered whether the two of them could take on a wild pig. They could be rather large and incredibly vicious. They also tended to live in groups.

But when they tracked the smell to its source and discovered a youngster all by its lonesome, she could only blink. She exchanged a look with Rodyn, then nodded.

“I think Samani sent us this pig on a silver platter,” she mouthed to him.

Pigs were notoriously fast and notoriously mean. And were it a fully grown one, Rodyn would have turned tail and ran, honor be damned. You did not hunt the boars and sows without a group of more than three, unless you longed for crazy.

He smiled at the mention of his late wife's name and he nodded his head. She probably had. She would have done something like that.

He motioned the way he would go and mouthed she should go the other. With this little piggy perhaps the pincer method was best so he couldn't go wee wee all the way home.

Towhee was, at best, a mediocre hunter. She did well enough to get by. When Rodyn picked a strategy and gave her instructions, she happily deferred. She caught his eye and nodded, then swung wide—wider than necessary, perhaps, but she couldn’t know how much noise she might be making—and then closed in again on the far side of the young pig.

When the small animal was within her sights again, she settled into a crouch and tried to pinpoint Rodyn’s location. He was concealed well, though she found him and kept her eyes trained on him, waiting for the signal. A few times, her eyes strayed to their target, wondering why its mother wasn’t here to protect it. Towhee shook her head, knowing its poor luck was their good fortune.

What Towhee lacked if she lacked, Rodyn was certain he could make up. One more glance around and a sniff. Making absolutely certain mother was not around. Then he went into his own position. Noting Towhees wide arc and adjusting to make up for it.

He gave her the signal and he would rush from the underbrush hopefully in tune with her. He made sure to stay visible given her small handicap and he would do his best to see it all done enough that both ate well.

She did wonder if its mother might wander onto the scene sooner or later, the thought causing her to gradually tense like a wound piano wire. Fortunately for Towhee, Rodyn soon gave the signal and the tension snapped as she rushed out of her blind just a few seconds later than him.

When the suckling pig tried to dart out of Rodyn’s reach, she anticipated its maneuver and managed to swipe at its hind legs. It went tumbling to the forest floor, noisily scattering leaves. Towhee didn’t hear this, nor the shrieking, squealing noises it made as the wolves closed in to pin it to the ground. Towhee pressed a forepaw on its squirming haunch and allowed Rodyn to do the honors. For Samani, her eyes said.

When the pig went still, its blood oozing into the earth, Towhee backed off the kill to catch her breath. She motioned for Rodyn to do whatever he wanted with it, up to and including screaming over it like originally planned.

For Samani, she said aloud. It’s all yours, she added in the next breath, reasoning, I’m on the move right now and I don’t need anything slowing me down.

Rodyn felt the familiar burn of hia muscles for the hunt. A sharp toothed smile. This is what he lived for. The hint. That apprehension then that last snap of tension as you raced forward.

A small smile. Thank you Towhee. Please at least eat before you leave so you have a fully belly. I wish to see your face again!
.

He smiled and lressed the piglet forward for her to eat at least a little. He would not have her go hungry.

He insisted she partake, of course. Towhee looked down at the slain pig, then back up at Rodyn. She nodded, then stooped down to chew off one of the beast’s hocks. She didn’t eat it or pick it up, just let it settle in a pool of rapidly cooling blood as she regarded her hunting partner again.

This is all I need, a little snack for the road. You guys live near the coast, right? I’ll swing by someday, check on you and your kiddos. Until then, take care of yourself, Rodyn.

Towhee held his eyes for a moment, then cut her gaze away and bent to pluck up her ham hock. Swiveling on a paw, she resumed her earlier trot. She would save the treat for when she reached The Heartwood and picked up her skin, though that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy gnawing on it in the meantime.