Big Salmon Lake guilty 'cause i should be home, damn procrastination

Looking for pack wolves in particular, and maybe not RHC folks quite yet... but all welcome! <3

Winter had meant that the Corvidae would settle, unwilling to waste precious energy and resources during a season that made travel more difficult. Perhaps Magpie had sensed that when she made the choice to leave Redhawk Caldera, despite the healing and shelter they had provided when they had no reason to at all. She owed them her life and more— now (relatively) outside the bounds of teenage angst, Magpie understood that now. As much as she had been overjoyed to be reunited with her mother Raven, and her older sister, Treepie... Perhaps it was the guilt that convinced her to return to the Wilds, a place that felt like home as much as the Corvidae did.

She was better able to take care of herself, now; her form was sleek, her coat glossy. No longer a gangly juvenile, Magpie was a full-fledged adult. Her hunting skills had improved, though she attributed that to her speed and luck more than anything. She would hunt for a suitable gift for the wolves of the caldera soon, when the thought of facing Fox and Peregrine didn't make her feel so sick.

Procrastinating now, despite the fact she had been so determined to make things right on her journey back, the yearling moved along the edge of a half-frozen lake, searching for treasure.

our trades line up :P

The line was proficient enough that Ivev's movements had slowed to a crawl as she picked her way across the dried landscape. She would occasionally stop to watch one of the few birds that still lived in winter's grasp, such as the spur that flitted solely across the clouded sky. She pursed her lips. Those animals moved with such grace... how did it come to be that birds grew wings and wolves did not? Ivev saw their ability to fly as an advantage to those who stayed to the ground. Especially since she was confined to a new area and knew little about what grew around here. A bird's eye view would help.

The Spine's gates towered behind her as Ivev made way in early morning, her breath foggy in the quiet air. With this season the young dreamer had plenty of time to herself to mull her future over whilst caring for the injuries she sustained in late autumn. Thank the beings that she was able to reach Ouroborus with only a chunk missing from her right hind-leg. The ivory female suspected she would move with a permanent limp, but if she could prove herself useful to her new pack, then she would hope they could overlook it. And being useful meant being productive.

The lake was in plain sight as Ivev bumbled out of the pinewood, her stocky appearance blending in with the overall icy atmosphere. Stopping, she debated if there was anything of worth still growing along the water's edge, or if it wasn't worth the risk picking her way down some of the boulders strewn about. With a sweeping gaze, the female stopped short. Someone was out there... her nose confirmed it. A little leery, Ivev made no move. Perhaps it was just a passerby- the arcticborn had little idea of what packs lay around her new home.

Winter was one of the worst times to search for treasure, Magpie had come to decide. She was born on the solstice— the longest night of the year, according to the Corvidae— and this was the first winter she would be old enough to remember. Her trinkets were easier to find in the bright, luscious spring and summer, and even in the dying autumn. Everything worth adding to her caches was buried beneath snow or frozen in the earth. Worse, the cold meant it was dangerous to go after certain treasure; a dip in the cold waters of a lake, for example, could mean death.

That made her treasure hunting more exciting.

The lake's shoreline was frozen, but Magpie had learned that with some patience, she could dig beneath the ice to get at her prize, or jump on it until the ice cracked. Then, she would be able to carry the piece of ice containing whatever it was that she was after. It was odd, perhaps, for a yearling— but treasure hunting kept her curiosity alive and fostered her skills in problem solving.

So far, her search proved to be fruitless. Still, Magpie combed the shore, green eyes intent on the stones and other objects caught in the glassy ice, analyzing each for whatever requirements that would deem it worthy of her collection. Focused on her task, and upwind of the stranger that approached, the yearling didn't yet realize that she was no longer alone.

The snow felt soft and wet under her toepads, a small tinge of comfort of her past as the wolf slowly trekked out of the woodline and to the lake's edge. The day was rather humid and muggy for winter, something the white-furred creature wasn't excpecting in the middle of the season. There were still chunks of ice floating about on the water (mainly near the bank) but the water was slowly melting to meet the air temperature.

Whoever the stranger was, Ivev's ears rose in piqued interest as the ebony female down the shore seemed to focus intently on whatever was trapped under the freeze. She had an odd but striking coloring, as if the winter had lain a cape of white upon her black shoulders. Ivev halted on the pebbly shore.

Are you looking for fish? she called out with a friendly wave of her tail as a salutation. Frozen sardines, smelts, and other little swimmers were something Ivev had seen often in the north, and if a wolf could dig them out, made for a crunchy treat. But the dreamer had little clue as to what the lone female was doing, wandering the shore, and she hoped her intrusive words wouldn't be too much of an upset.

Her head lifted at the words of a stranger, her focus on the frozen shallows finally lifting. "N—" she began to say as she turned to face the other, but Magpie attempted to stifle the word before it could be recognized. It would be odd of her to explain what she was really doing— no one had ever seemed to understand it except for Summer. Her heart leapt, suddenly, as she thought of him... the boy that had been her only friend in a viper pit of enemies. Shit— enough time had passed since her strangled noise that the other would surely think she had some kind of mental disability.

"Yes," she finally said loudly, overcompensating with confidence. "I like fish." Magpie winced, then, thankful her fur hid the heat in her cheeks. I are Magpie Birdwolf, fish am good, she mocked herself silently. Idiot.

Ivev blinked at the young wolf's seemingly scattered response. The white wolf lifted her head and threw a glance at their surroundings, wondering if there was anything to cause alarm in this speckled ebony creature's disposition, but all Ivev could see was the sparsely snowy lakeside bank and the treeline up the slope. She decided to humor this stranger with her cautious words, and the healer stopped to make another light observation about the nature around them.

And how does one find fish in frozen water? Ivev questioned with a curious glaze to her eyes, motioning with her nose to the icy shallows. The arctic born was not an amazing swimmer, but wouldn't mind getting her toes wet if this onyx female knew how, all in the sake of learning some new survival skills.

Despite her jumbled reply, the white stranger seemed to accept her response. Well, then— Magpie would need to back up her words with action, and though she didn't consider herself the greatest hunter, she had learned to survive on her own. Briefly mourning the loss of her search for treasure, the yearling refocused her attention towards catching fish from frozen water. It was an entirely new experience for her— she had been too young this time last year— but that only made it more exciting. "Only the shallows are frozen," she told the other confidently, her tone and words now back to normalcy.

"If you can trick them into swimming under the thinner ice, they should be easy to trap and catch," she continued. As if tricking fish wasn't a challenge of its own. Her green eyes diverted back to the shallows, now scanning for fish instead of baubles— if she could find one, Magpie might be able to prove this theory correct.

Her eyes were riveted on Magpie's form as the female explained the secret behind finding fish in a frozen body of water. Ivev knew the ice didn't freeze all the way to the bottom of the lake, providing cold water for the fish to wallow in.

Are they slower and easier to catch since the water's cold? the white wolf queried, limping forward a bit to reach the lip of the lake. The ice floe along the edge was a light blue marbled with tiny cracks, and the wolf wondered how strong the ice was if she were to walk on it. But from what she gathered, Ivev guessed the ebony stranger didn't need to go very far from dry land to catch a meal.

She looked up from her search, resting her eyes upon the other contemplatively. Magpie hadn't thought that far— she wasn't an expert fisherman in the summer, let alone winter time— but she supposed it made sense. Perhaps fish, like bears, conserved their energy in the colder months by hibernating. "I think so," she agreed after a moment of thought.

Then, "Are you okay?" Magpie's voice and expression shifted to those of concern as the other female limped towards her. "Maybe you should be the one looking, and I can trick them when you find them— I don't think a shock of cold water would be good for a limp." Or maybe it would; she wasn't a healer, versed as she was with plant life.

She was about to comment on the clearness of icy water when the nameless ebony creature spoke again. Are you okay?

I'm fine. It's better to stretch my leg rather than sit on it and atrophy, Ivev explained. The muscles need exercise.
She didn't have much to say past that, hoping it was enough to explain her condition. Ivev had put a large amount of distance between the Bypass and herself. Although she still woke some nights wondering if Shadow had plans to end her once and for all, it wasn't likely when the dark forms she thought were wolves haunting her dreams were merely clouds.

I'm Ivev, by the way. They hadn't introduced themselves yet, and if Ivev was going to expend some energy learning, she better know who she was doing it with.
Where do you want me to stand?

I know this thread is old. We can fade or wrap up after your next post, but if you want to continue, I'm okay with that as well!

"What does atrophy mean?" Magpie questioned, ears going to attention; that was a new word, and mostly piqued her curiosity. Little did she know, the information this stranger was providing would become invaluable to the yearling in the coming months. Unaware of the other's stormy thoughts, she continued pleasantly, "I'm Magpie, but that's not hard to guess." Perhaps that was why she was so bad at introductions— most wolves guessed her name before she had a change to tell them.

"If you're sure it won't hurt you... why don't you stand over by that reed?" she nodded her head, indicating. "Don't go in the water yet, or you'll scare them," the yearling continued to command, with a confidence she really had no right to feel. This was new to her, too. "I'll get in the water and try to herd them to you, under the ice. Then, you break through to catch them." Magpie paused, waiting to see if Ivev had any questions before they began.

sure, i think it'll be good to wrap this up- i'll make this my last post!

It means to decay, basically. Your muscles will waste away if you don't exercise them enough, Ivev explained as she neared the bank. Her companion identified herself as Magpie, and it was a fitting name. The female had a matching coat as her namesake bird, a white cape with a glossy black undersheen and bright eyes. And magpies were known for their cleverness, which would explain this wolf's aptitude for catching a fish.

Magpie commanded her to stand by the thin reeds poking up over the water, and then they swung into action. The female was fairly clear at explaining how to catch a fish, and the arctic wolf was able to follow her instructions as they waited for an unsuspecting prey to swim by. As Magpie began to spook out some prospective smelt, Ivev used her forepaw to scoop through the thin ice. Although the ivory female had the grace of a beaver running on land, she managed to smack a small fish out of the water and sent it flying to flop around on land. Pleased with herself, she vowed to Magpie that she would help her with anything if she ventured close to the Spine, and then began to make her leave with the fish clasped in her jaws.

Magpie grinned, glad that her experiment had worked— and glad for the refreshing company, so easy to cooperate with. She liked Ivev, and would make a point in the future to visit the Spine; after she had finished her business in the caldera. Perhaps it would be her home one day, too.

Settling on the lakeshore, the yearling made a meal of her own fish, resting before she moved on to further delay her visit to the pack she had abandoned.