Moonspear diamond is unbreakable

The short daylight hours gave way to a darkening evening, and the overcast skies shifted their intermittent drizzle into a light snow. She'd come down from the higher slopes earlier after having spent a day there alone to track, revel in the quiet and recollect herself, but dedication summoned her back in time. The northern borderlands were her destination, and despite the slick conditions, she expertly maneuvered the mountain.

In secret, she was left feeling.. introspective. More so than usual, so this made it troublesome to her personally. Blaming the longest nights of the year, she oscillated between a thirst for company and the exact opposite. She felt questionably surly at times, but at others, she thought far too much of the wolves she was close to and the other bonds she had fostered -- both past and present. She also knew somewhere along the week of the solstice marked the anniversary of her birth, so that was something else to consider. She'd persisted for another year, give or take a day or two most likely since she had no concept of that exactly, but it was always worth noting.. to herself alone, at least.

Through it all, she realized what all had changed, what she had, what she didn't, and what she ought to do with knowing this.

But to focus, she'd reached the forested stretch of mountain just as the snows seemed to pick up. It was a relatively mild snowfall compared to being this far into winter and the flakes were struggling to stick, especially here in the cover of the trees. She reasoned that maybe, as the night deepened, they may accumulate eventually if this kept up steadily. A glance skyward seemed to suggest this was quite possible, but she knew that it could change with very little warning.

She remained unphased and dutifully refreshed some borderland scents. Once she got into the groove of the patrol, her mosey began to grow more purposeful, and a musky trail marked the path behind her.

(obligatory lowkey bday thread, lol *reminds self to update profile too*)

She had spent the morning experimenting, testing whether baiting and luring worked on small woodland creatures. Scraping together the small amount of plant of knowledge she had picked up from her sister, Wildfire had plucked a few different types of grass and leaves (a difficult task this time of year) and laid them out on a bare patch of light snow near a shrub at the mountain's base. She had then stuffed herself into a cramped space inside a hollow oak nearby to watch and wait. She did observe a few rabbits and squirrels pass by, yet none of them showed the slightest interest in grazing on the food conspicuously left out in the open. She could have gone after them anyway but she didn't want to spoil the experiment.

At long last, Wildfire sighed and gave up for the day. Unable to bear another moment wedged into the tree, she slunk out of it, stretched her muscles, then went loping around the surrounding forest. Perhaps she would try again tomorrow. Maybe she just needed better bait... or probably just more patience. For now, however, she would satisfy her hunting urges the good old-fashioned way: by tracking and killing her prey on the move, seeking it out rather than waiting for it to come to her.

This method paid off much more quickly. Ten minutes after beginning her hunt, Wildfire trotted through the darkening forest with a fat rat tucked in her maw. It wasn't particularly large and she found their flesh peculiarly flavored, yet meat was meat. The young hunter intended to drop it in the closest cache, yet before she could sniff out a stockpile, she found herself crossing paths with the pack's Alpha female. Unaware that she was about to unwittingly surprise Ame with a birthday gift, Wildfire altered her course just slightly to catch up to her leader.

"Hi, Ame," she greeted after letting the dead rat slump from her mouth to her paws. "You hungry?" Wildfire asked, keeping her head low and tilting it toward the limp rodent. If Ame was patrolling, it might make a nice snack to give her a temporary burst of energy for the task.

She hit her stride and took to the routine, finding little of note as she went. It was only thanks to a generous bladder that she was going out of her way to re-establish certain markings that weren't even very dulled yet. She had a diligent set of wolves on patrol other than herself, so really, it was rare for her to need to exert herself much on this topic. So, at times, she almost felt casual about this.

The dark female covered the lengths of borderland steadily before she realized with a flick of an ear that she was no longer alone here. She focused on the vivid hues of the young hunter soon afterward, and Ame took in sight of her approvingly. As she slowed up, the scent of the fresh kill was prominent. "Wildfire," she greeted with a amicable chuff and slow nod. "Ah, perhaps a bit," she smirked after a considering hum. Now that she mentioned it...

"So the hunt is going well for you then..?" she asked, thoughtfully licking her lips as she sought to garner a general report from the redheaded huntress.

When the Alpha admitted to feeling a bit peckish, Wildfire grinned and nudged the rat toward the black she-wolf. "It's all yours," she said in a chipper voice. It brought her great pleasure to deliver fresh food to her pack mates, especially a leader. "I don't know if you've eaten many of these. They're not my favorite and the tail looks really weird," being hairless and all. "But that's actually the best part," Wildfire declared with a decisive nod.

While Ame presumably tucked into the small meal, the young huntress dropped to her haunches and answered her Alpha's question. "More or less, yeah. I haven't had too many chances to hunt larger prey but I'm getting pretty good at the small stuff. It's kinda funny... I don't know if you know this but my dad's a hunter—a master, even. But the whole time I lived at home, I never once showed interest. I'm not sure what happened, what changed." She felt like she was in her element now, though, hitting her stride, and she could only hope the leadership agreed.

"How have you been?" she asked in the next beat, head canting ever so slightly. Ame was sort of a quiet enigma to Wildfire and the young adult would love an opportunity to get to know her a bit better.

She looked to the rat, accepting the offer with a rumble of gratitude before she pulled the small meal closer. "It is appreciated," she said, nodding, then lent the girl an ear as she worked her way into the flesh. She didn't usually eat rats (mainly because she didn't like to hunt them), and was indifferent towards the taste of the tail herself, but smirked knowingly through the tearing of the kill's skin. She'd be unwise to turn down a free meal in wintertime anyway.

But it was all good to hear. Ame knew she'd been contributing well as a huntress and it did seem to work out for her. She nodded slowly and didn't question the sudden change in interest. It worked, and who was she to question a reliable wolf helping keep their wolves fed. And on top of all this, Ame knew, a valuable companion to Floki who had seemingly flourished as well since Wildfire's addition to their ranks. "Whatever changed, it seems to be working for you.." she commented, for maybe it was just in her genes. Perhaps she had only need the mountainside to give her enough inspiration to explore that part of herself.

It would probably not be until springtime that she would have many chances on large prey though -- unless the pack stayed as large as it was, where gathering comrades to help bring something large down should not be difficult. This occurred to her fleetingly and left her wondering on her opinion on group hunts, then on how a large pack's appetite will warrant more of them..

When she questioned her in such a general way, Ame had to stall a moment by licking her lips. "Ah, well, good.. I have been busy, but sometimes I always feel that way. A fault of the season, I believe," she sighed. Winter always had her feeling perpetually tense. But this new pack, all bustling compared to quiet Sunspire, did inspire a new vigor that she was not always sure what to do with.

Ame appeared to hesitate, licking the rat's blood from her lips contemplatively before answering. She said she'd been busy, especially due to the season. Wildfire could only imagine what the burden of leadership must be like. It wasn't something she wanted for herself. Both her parents and godparents were goofballs—particularly that Finley—but she'd seen their serious sides often enough to know that heading a pack was no joke most of the time.

But despite her lack of ambition, Wildfire found herself asking (almost as generically as her initial question), "What's it like, being a leader?" She paused thoughtfully, then added, "And how long have you been one? Was it something you aspired to be when you were young, like a trade...?" It suddenly made her think back on that time when she had eavesdropped on Peregrine and Fox's conversations about heirs. Nothing had ever come of that and, as far as she knew anyway, there was no trade specifically dedicated to rising in the ranks.

This answer was bound to be a little meandering. She knew and accepted that already. "Difficult to put into words," she chewed thoughtfully. It was a multifaceted relationship and one that was subtly always changing too. "But, is basically second-nature to me. It keeps me occupied and seems demanding at times but I reap benefits in return." She had good health, respectable status, a handful of various relationships (which a hermit-type like herself would not have otherwise), and her strength to consider. She could do as she pleased, generally speaking, but had the well-being of all these wolves to look out for too. Ame did wonder if perhaps one day her interest in leading may wane, but for now, she knew she was suited for the role.

"I had been Alpha of the Sunspire for a little more than a year when we moved," she explained and began to wonder a bit about why she asked these questions. "And since then here, of course." Ame nodded, but Wildfire knew that. While not officially a part of them from the immediate start, it was easy to count her in on it anyway.

"I was always more interested in being a warrior when I was younger." Although the hints had been there and always had been -- such as how she'd consistently ranked highest of her siblings, and with relative ease. Then, it had only seemed right. "Leader came afterward, although never fully realized until after I left the homeland. My parents were both noteworthy Alphas each of their own merit, so it never occurred to me to compare to them or see myself in their role until a while after I had dispersed." Ame answered and suspected more questions could follow. Wildfire's curiosity may not be sated so easily.

It sounded a bit like Ame was naturally cut out for the role, which made sense. Some wolves were leaders, many more were followers. Wildfire fell easily into the latter camp. The demands of leadership simply didn't appeal to her, at least on the surface. But then there was the breeding rights to take into consideration; if she ever hoped to be a mother, then rank would definitely matter. That thought caused Wildfire to chew thoughtfully on the inside of her cheek.

She wondered at the Alpha female's age—still unaware that today was actually her birthday—yet didn't ask. It didn't really matter, did it? She already knew from experience that leaders came in all shapes, sizes and ages. Two of the four Alphas she had followed in her lifetime—her own mother, as well as Charon—had been leaders by her age. Both were still going strong too. Wildfire mused about this for a moment, in combination with Ame's feedback.

When her companion explained that she had only come into her own after leaving home, Wildfire nodded, understanding that part perfectly. "Kinda like how I only picked up hunting once I left the caldera," she mused with a switch of her tail. "Maybe we don't recognize our own potential until after we're out of our parents' shadows." Food for thought.

She felt like they had exhausted that subject, so next the young adult randomly observed, "Hey, have you noticed the disproportionate number of guys and girls in the pack? It's only you, me and Thistle, I think. I love the boys," she prattled, thinking specifically of Floki and Charon, "although I was very close to my sister back home, so I kind of miss feminine company." Her amber eyes were warm as they rested briefly on Ame's face before dropping. Maybe, hopefully, they could become friends so that Wildfire still had some quality lady friends in her life.

"I do think that is the case," she agreed. "Had I stayed, I certainly would not have come to lead as soon as I did. Or maybe not at all," she shrugged, imagining perhaps that a steady beta position was her most lofty aspiration for there -- until her parents died, or otherwise relinquished their roles, which wasn't a possibility she'd ever entertained years back. She'd been content as their attack dog and they'd always readily favored her anyway, so even without high ranking, she had once had her share of privileges..

She was certainly keen to have the subject shift, and let it do so naturally. "I have, but I think I am used to it being that way. It seems to usually be the case for me," she mused thoughtfully. Only briefly under Ferdie's time as alpha had there been a lot of females around her and she'd grown almost uncomfortable in it all then -- which had thankfully been short-lived. "We are in short supply -- but you know, quality over quantity," she smirked. Not that the boys were lacking in any quality, but as the saying went. Amekaze then caught herself pondering of the girl's relationship with Thistle -- if she had one at all. Ame had only just begun to build her own.

Ame had noticed their lopsided ranks, of course. Apparently she was used to being outnumbered. Wildfire wondered whether the number of males and females was entirely random and arbitrary or if there was something that drew one sex over the other to a particular pack. But statistics wasn't her strong point, so she didn't pursue that thought very far, choosing instead to focus on the fact that this gave her an opportunity to foster a closer relationship with the Alpha female, a sisterhood even.

"Maybe the three of us could get together and have girl talks or something every once in a while," Wildfire thought out loud, hoping Ame wouldn't find the idea too ridiculous. "Speaking of which..." she thought aloud in the next beat. "Are you and Charon involved? Romantically, I mean? I know it's none of my business," she added in case the black Alpha didn't feel like divulging.

She quirked a brow. "Perhaps," she smirked, certainly not opposed to the idea but hoping it was clear that while he was not the most talkative on her own, she could still support something like that. "I do not imagine Thistle would be against it," she reasoned. Amekaze had known she had been a bit withdrawn early in the Moonspear's era, considering the circumstance of the pack's creation, but seemed to have come around fairly well.

When Wildfire spoke on, there was a suspenseful pause after her speaking of which... that had Ame's head tilted accordingly. It was, frankly, a subject that none had breached with her yet, not even Charon despite her being well-aware of the obvious implications of them sharing a rank. It was probably only natural to wonder, her being so secretive and all, so Ame didn't ask what would inspire Wildfire to ask that. "Ah, no." Amekaze answered readily and shook her head. Charon was several things to her, many of which were quite valuable, but she was not romantically involved with him. Or anyone else. Not that this was the absolute. It could always change, and something about the time of the year did have her a bit more inspired to push this notion. She just hadn't felt the right moment or opportunity to make anything happen anywhere with anyone.

"Romance eludes me, but I do not chase it often, you know." Here, she would have shrugged. "However... you and Floki..?" she asked, an insidious smirk going with it to imply the entire question. She did scent them together now and then and she'd moved here citing the brothers as one of her causes. Ame was certain that Charon and her weren't all too cozy, not in that way, so that left the younger brother.

Ame denied it immediately, though without any haste that would indicate she wasn't being truthful. Wildfire took her response at face value (not that she would have done otherwise; she was a blithely trusting sort). It didn't surprise her. Most Alphas and even Betas were pairs, in her limited experience, but she knew it wasn't a requirement. And though she knew Charon far better than she knew Ame, Wildfire wouldn't have pegged either of them as the romantic sort in the first place.

The Alpha female said as much. Before Wildfire could ask the requisite, "Why?" the black woman deflected the inquiries onto her. Her mouth opened and closed, then opened again. She laughed. "Yeah, we're sort of involved," she admitted, feeling a little heat in her cheeks. She wasn't embarrassed about it normally, the question had just caught her off guard. Their chemistry was mutually acknowledged between themselves, yet she hadn't realized how apparent it might be to others.

While it would be weird to gush about Floki to Thistle, Wildfire suddenly realized Ame might be the perfect target (speaking of girl talk...). But they didn't know one another very well yet and she had no idea if Ame was even really interested in talking about their love lives. She really didn't seem the type. So while the urge definitely rose within the young girl's breast, she bit her lower lip and kept the flood at bay. Abruptly, she missed Raven horribly.

After a beat, she did say a little dumbly, "It's nothing official... but..." She trailed off for a moment, thinking on her very recent conversation with him. She began to smile a bit foolishly. "We want the same things." Commitment. A family. Eventually. "We're still pretty young. We're not in any rush."

The bright Redhawk affirmed it and Ame took it with an easy nod. Sensing the girl's embarrassment, she wouldn't pick at the topic. Not that it was one she was very good at anyway. It would still be useful information to keep around -- it may become more relevant in the future. "I smell you two together a bit, so I was just curious," she explained with half a shrug, knowing that if that were the case for her, the assumption would be a hit or miss. She was mostly with Charon and Jace, although neither were ever of the romantic company sort or really for any particular expanse of time. She was just.. closest to them, of all wolves.

"But that is good. A smart way to approach it, I would say," she offered. "On all accounts." Not that this was her experience speaking. Nothing she'd ever done had progressed far enough to even begin to approach these considerations. There were a good share of past maybes, but frankly, many of them may her feel uneasy when she looked back on them. Past Ame had been looking out for her future, evidently, and following her instinct had worked out so far.

Ame commended Wildfire, referring to her approach as smart. The young adult's lips twitched into a crooked, sort of bashful smile. She wasn't the type to make decisions hastily—as was evidenced by how long she had taken to make up her mind about Moonspear—and sometimes she debated with herself as to whether it was a good or bad quality. Well, Ame seemed to look upon it positively, which meant something.

There was a short beat of awkward silence before Wildfire said, "So, I was trying a new tactic with my small game hunting earlier." She didn't necessarily mean to change the subject, it just seemed like it had reached its natural conclusion. "It involves baiting. I could show you, if you're interested?" But on that note, it was probably a good thing Ame had just eaten, for Wildfire made absolutely no promises for success.

Thought we could fade here? :)

yaas, sounds good!

When Wildfire suggested a whole new change of pace, it didn't take her long to find she agreed. Ame nodded. "Sure," she breathed, stretching just a bit before she would inevitably get into motion. Baiting was not a tactic she employed often, so she was interested in maybe some new techniques involving it if Wildfire had mustered up some. She would gladly observe and expand her knowledge, hopefully.

Letting Wildfire take the lead, she'd let her steer a path towards the place best suited to her baiting.