Phoenix Maplewood conjure the wind and ease my mind

Ukko is going for the following trades:  Caretaker, Healer, and Naturalist.  I'd like to go for one of those, particularly caretaker (eying @Desna and @Nanook) but anyone is welcome to join!  The more the merrier for Ukko to meet.

The wind has a little chill to it today and the sun was hidden away from view most of the time but Ukko watches as the clouds pass him by with curiosity. Every once in a while there is a long break in the clouds that the sun breaks through, warming up his black fur, but it never lasts long and he feels the chill again when it disappears.  Ukko shakes out his thick fur as he takes long strides through the forest, eventually paying attention to the ground when his neck starts to ache from looking up too long.

There’s a patch of flowers ahead that gives the pack its signature look.  He noses through the orange and red blooms, clinging on to the last of fall before winter sets in for good for the next few months.  He takes long sniffs of them, enjoying their fragrance before he continues on, exploring the inside of the territory.  He thinks back to Sesi and talking to her and Reek about the habits of prey.  Information that was good for everyone and he enjoyed talking about it, wondering if he should dust off his skills and follow into those footsteps for the pack’s benefit.

Desna was normally very outgoing and excitable. She was the perfect example of a happy go lucky pup that wanted to try everything, but she usually did that to cheer up her mother. She was so sad lately. She could feel it, and her sisters were closing off from their family. Sesi has been hiding ever since they got here and Nanook... well that was a different story. Desna liked to think that she was fitting in trying to work on her gamekeeper trade. She liked to do tracking so she tried focusing on that.

The dark chocately colored girl was low to the ground, blending in perfectly with the darkness of the soil. Only the orange leaves made her stand out a bit but she stayed very still. But then another wolf scared the rabbit she was trying to catch. It rushed away in the undergrowth and Desna let out a cry in frustration. She fell back on her butt and scowled. She had been working so hard! Man getting food was so tedious. Why did she have to love it so much?! Her hazel colored eyes battered up to the dark male with a bit of a scowl.

Ukko isn't paying much attention until a rabbit crosses his path. He hadn't been searching for prey or another wolf and, frankly, had his guard down a little too much. He's gotten quite comfortable in the first few days in the pack and while he was getting used to the territory, he knew he'd made the right decision. However, with the rabbit crossing his path unexpectedly, Ukko tenses up and looks around until he sees a rather disgruntled looking wolf--younger, by the looks of it--scowling directly at him. 

He sheepishly smiles, letting his ears apologetically fall back against his head. 

"I guess I should pay more attention," he calls but knows it won't be enough to keep the pup fed for the evening. Perhaps he could help her out but he instead tries to test to the water to see how upset she might be with him. "But, on the bright side, you've gotten great camouflage skills." Ukko barely saw her and if she hadn't plopped down in frustration and saw the foliage around her rustle, he might not have seen her at all. Her coat blends in well. "How about I help you find another rabbit if you teach me that trick?"

Desna was close to becoming five months old, but she looked older. She was really tarting to grow into her adult body. The dark male that scared her rabbit away wasn't one of her favorites right now. But then, the male was smart enough to give her a few compliments. Desna was always a sucker for compliments. Her face softened a bit. "You should," she let out a soft huff in return. Her hazel eyes did lose their glare in it.

She nodded softly, normally she wasn't that good at hunting just yet but she tried to keep her focus more and see the importance of hunting. It would be her food later. She needed to be great at it if she wanted to live and grow older. She understood that now. Desna battered her eyes at him. "Okay, but you will have to do as I say," she let out on a bit of a bossy tone. "I'm Desna. Who are you?," she asked.

Ukko’s smile widens when his flattering worked, watching her soften enough to worm his way in.  Talking to Sesi the other day made him realize he’d rather enjoyed it, even if it meant showing up his Alpha in where to look for deer.  He can only hope it leaves more of a good impression with the leader, that he is worth his weight in salt, instead of negatively.  

“You’re the boss,” he confirms with a flick of his tail, shifting his weight and taking a few steps closer so he could listen to everything she had to say.  “I’m Ukko.”

He doesn’t know much about Sesi, though, and Desna looks to be about the same page.  She is a little bigger, but it doesn’t mean much.  He didn’t recall Reek and Saena having children.  

“Do you know Sesi?”

Desna was very pleased when she heard that she was boss. Her tail went up and she held herself proudly. She nodded at his name. The girl was about to go and find a new prey to stalk and catch when the male mentioned her sister. Desna looked up. "She is my sister," she spoke. "Why? You have seen her?," she asked with a bit of surprise in her tone. Sesi wasn't the one to be all social with strangers. Though they were here a while now so she guessed that it was time for her to start socializing.

Ukko turns to follow her, not expecting the conversation to prevent her from moving.  He looks back as she answers his question.  She seems surprised by him asking and so he tilts his head a little to the left.  Is it because he is new and he didn’t know too many wolves.  Sesi had been very shy and quiet even in her questioning.  He nods his head, moving in hopes she would walk to where she wants to take him.

“The other day.  We were talking about prey for the pack.”

He was also making a fool of himself to Reek but he hoped for the best, that his knowledge overpowered showing up the Alpha. Ukko shakes the thought from his mind.

“What’s the first lesson?” he questions in an attempt to get back on track from his minor distraction.

Desna watched the male moving but not in the direction she wanted to go. "This way," she let out and trotted in another direction. Her tail was up, very proud of herself that she was taking the lead. She wanted to catch some food, or at least find a rabbit to try and hunt again. That would be fun to do and maybe Ukko could help her. "Oh, okay. She isn't that fond of strangers but good she did talk to you," Desna explained. Compared to Sesi Desna was super extroverted and happy-go-lucky.

"We need to find rabbits,' she stated and put her nose to the ground. She trotted further, trying to find some rabbit droppings and maybe even some tracks. She glanced at Ukko to see if he was helping or not. Desna was very strict, he scared her rabbit off and he would have to help to find one in return. Even though Desna was being a bit of a hypocrite about it, since the rabbit would probably escaped her jaws anyways.

She corrects his direction and Ukko pulls his frame to follow, keeping a foot or so from being even.  Hanging slightly back gave her the advantage of what she wanted to teach him.  In the mean time, she explains Sesi and the large male nods his head.  It does explain a lot.  Reek hadn’t seemed to notice but he had other things on his mind.  

Ukko puts his nose to the ground when she explains what they need to do.  Easy enough.  He takes a few deep breaths, dirt clouding around his snout and sticking to his wet nose.  The path of his nose veers off to the side and away from Desna, covering a little more ground.  Gaining her forgiveness for losing her dinner might be tricky, stepping into rabbit droppings.  He stirs them a little with his nose and watches a path of them narrowing off to the right.

“Maybe this way?” he offers, glancing back to see what she wants to do.

Desna looked at the path the other suggested and then shook her head. She wasn't good at catching the prey but the girl was good with her nose. She was bossy too so she just turned around the other way. "No. This way," she stated and trotted in the opposite direction after the scent of a hare. Hopefully it would turn fresher as she tracked it. She didn't want it to end up being useless. The girl trotted on. "Come Ukko!," she called out.

Desna followed the trail eventually ending up by a rabbit den. So she might have tracked a different one than she intended but she came by a rabbit den for sure. But there weren't any around. Desna frowned and looked at the entrance. Would they be under ground?

Desna corrects his direction and Ukko quickly spins on his heals and heads where she points.  He trots up behind her quietly, shifting to her side to better see where she’s going.  The smell of rabbit fills his nose and he smiles, beaming with some form of pride he almost wants to label paternal.  Ukko stuffs it away, slowing down when the young female comes to a stop.

“What are you thinking?” he asks, looking curiously to the pup.  He doesn’t know how her skills are, not wanting to assume she knows or doesn’t know something in particular.  The timeline of his own skills are blurry, unable to remember how old he’d been when he learned what he knows now.  Whether or not he knew, he still provides his pack mate with the chance to shine.

Desna looked at her bigger minion since she was bossing him around. Her hazel eyes turned from the den to the black wolf. "They gone," she stated and then looked around with a scowl on her face because she disliked that they would hide from her. She was still rather young so maybe she could fit in the den. She tried to stick her nose into it but she didn't came far. She got back, fur all ruffled.

"How do you get them out?," she asked with a visible pouty face. She wanted to catch a rabbit. She worked so hard for it.

There’s disappointment in the younger wolf’s tone and Ukko quietly hums to himself, giving himself a moment to think of a solution.  She questions it once she realizes she can’t go into the rabbit den.  “They won’t come out if they know we’re here,” he tells her, raising one dark eyebrow.  “You should use your camouflage skills to hide yourself.  They won’t be able to tell you’re here.”  It is, after all, his side of the bargain:  learning how she hides herself in exchange for his labor.

Desna let out a long sigh. "But I already did so much waiting," she protested. "And then you scared my meal way!," she huffed, now back to being mad again. Though she wasn't really angry, she was just frustrated with this hunting thing and that it wasn't working for her. She felt like throwing her towel in the ring and just return home.

Her hazel eyes glanced over the male, deciding that he wasn't really a great help yet. "Don't wanna wait," she let out stubbornly. She wasn't being very cooperative.

Congrats by the way.  We're the best hunting pair of the year according to Saena. 8)

Ukko sighs when Desna becomes frustrated with the situation.  He’d unintentionally scared her rabbit away after she’d been waiting for however long and she’d have to start over.  She is young and doesn’t quite understand but Ukko finds himself more patient than he’d ever expected:  “And I am very sorry I did that.”  He doubts it’s much to sate her and it’s definitely not enough to keep her from being hungry.  Running out and catching her something to eat would likely make her happy but it wouldn’t teach her a thing other than getting her way.  

One of those, you’ll understand when you’re older he’d been told as a puppy he was sure he wouldn’t understand.

Ugh. Adulthood.

“It’s part of hunting,” he tells her, and takes a few steps back.  “You found the rabbit hole with your tracking abilities and now we do what we can to make sure they don’t know we’re here.  So either they come back to their home or they come out of it.  How did you disguise yourself before?” he asks, taking attention away from her growling belly.

I saw! Hilarious! sorry Desna is a bit of a butt. x)

Desna was let out a scowl to the whole world around it. All her frustration came out of her. All those failed hunts came out in one ball of frustration. She didn't want to wait anymore. The young female was super discouraged. The dark furred girl got to her feet. "I don't want to," she stubbornly decided. "You ruined it. I'm going to tell mommy," she stated. Sometimes she could be still rather childlike in her behaviors. She was quite attached to her mother.

This day wasn't a good day and Desna was done with hunting. Maybe she would return tomorrow with new found motivation but now the girl had enough of this dark male and of focussing. "I'm going," she stated. Now her motivation had ran out the stubborn girl decided that it was enough. Desna wasn't really mad at the wolf, she just let all her frustration out on him. Without another word or thank you Desna trotted off towards her mother's home.