Neverwinter Forest but they won't flower like they did last spring

AW but tagging @Njal Roll to see if she is successful with her rat (success is an even number) - 1

Allure had been welcomed to the forest by her family with open arms – and despite her upset that Bazi was not with them, or her siblings, the bi-toned girl was quick to put herself to use.. and grateful that she was once more surrounded by familiar faces.. at least, mostly. The ranks were filling up quite a bit, primarily with wolves she did not know – and yet she would always have Kaskara, Kieran, her father and Eshe as a solid foundation. At least here she felt as if she could connect to others – there were no cold glares to be found, nor the jarring awareness that she did not belong.
 
She was only disappointed at herself for not being able to prove her worth better.
 
The upset she felt at her father was waning, but only in light of her desperation at finding some food for her family and to prove she was indeed useful. The black and white girl prowled down the familiar paths of the Forest, her gaze drifting to the shadier areas of her home. She trailed the faintest scent of what was a rat – and as it skittered away with a dead locust in its mouth, Allure lunged forward, hoping to close the distance and snap its back within her jaws – a measly meal for certain, but at least one that could help keep Kaskara’s milk flowing.. or aide in nourishment for Eshe.

rolling to see if njal catches the rat instead (success is an even number) - 3

This place was no different from any other. The wolves here were sullen creatures, worried perhaps for their futures. Light crept through the forest in slow beams, caught between the bare branches of the trees, and around him there was nothing. He could hear the air shifting between the branches sometimes - an eerie sound. A heavy springtime gust would pull at a cluster of branches and make them moan, creaking and crackling, only to spring back in to place. Beneath the boughs he wandered, dragging his hind leg every so often when the effort of taking steps was too much; and when he came to a halt, gulping air from a panting mouth, Njal spotted a canid figure lunging about the forest floor.

The rat careened away from the wolf whose hunched shoulders and snapping teeth he spied, and Njal shifted in to its path as well, yet the creature was nimble whereas he was tired. With an abrupt veering of its body the rat avoided him as well, and scrambled away among the debris. Njal chuffed at this, a bit annoyed but mostly, dull and bored. He glanced at the youngster who had been trying to catch the rat in the first place and boofed a gruff greeting, but did not move to intercept her.

Her jaws snapped on empty air, and with the realization she had missed her mark, her stomach gave a pang of regret, gurgling so loudly she was certain it would echo in the forest. Her eyes flashed with ire at herself, and skidding to a halt, as the rat was now out of her reach, her muzzle jerked upward, her eyes falling upon a silver wolf she did not recognize.
 
His own eyes were fixated upon the morsel, and in an attempt to catch what she could not, and missed as well. Her heart sank – how could a rodent outrun them?
 
Her ears fanned back to her skull as the male greeted her, and her own muzzle tipped downward in recognition of this. Her eyes slid over his form, uncertain who he was, and giving a gentle shake of her head, she took a tentative step closer to him. “Want to see if we can find anything else to eat?” It was a hopeless question – there was no food. But somehow, she could only hope that as an older wolf, he would have a solution for her.

He felt foolish for missing the rat, but it wasn't such a big deal to him. Nothing really was anymore. Njal had long since passed in to retirement, and with that retirement came a sort of.. Lethargy. He knew he had to help provide for the pack, for the women and the children, but his heart wasn't in it like it once was. Still, the girl approached him and made a suggestion, which he grunted at, agreeing in a brutish way.

Then, after a few seconds, he decided to use his words like a real adult.

You probably know the area better'n me. I've only been here a few days - so lead on. He would follow and help her out if need be, but his pace would be slow, and he didn't know where exactly they could hunt for anything.

The silver wolf agreed – though rather than take charge, encouraged her to lead the way. She was reminded quietly of the Alpha of the Caldera using her nose to scout out his mate one time – a situation she hadn’t decided that stemmed from him testing her, or if he was simply amused by her antics.

Nervous instantly at what felt like a certain amount of pressure applied to the girl, she gave a gentle nod, not arguing with him.

Drifting past him, Allure tipped her nose to the ground, hoping to skirt out any lingering scent of something that could be edible for two adult wolves. “You’re new here?” Her voice was soft as she tested conversation, though she did not look to him as she began to trail along the paths of the forest, seeking anything that could eat.

He nodded, and stated with a glib tongue, My old bones found their way to paradise. It was just in time for paradise to find itself stripped of all the good stuff, but everything would recover. They moseyed through the bare woodland, and Njal too dipped his head to seek the scents among the patches of dirt and sparse new grass shoots, pausing when he came upon a vibrant cluster of very tiny daffodils; they had not formed bulbs yet, so the green that sprouted looked like tiny ribbons, and they looked pitifully small. He looked at the patch briefly but saw nothing valuable, and moved on. He coughed softly, grunted, and lifted his head as if that would clear his throat, and looked at the girl. I'm a friend of Scimitar's, we lived together for a bit before.

It was hard to be distracted from the gnawing ache of hunger in ones very soul, but the greying man managed to do so – her muzzle tipped slightly at the mention that the stranger had lived with her father before, and her brows arched upward. “Where at?” Curiosity piqued, her own pace slowed a bit, though her bright gaze remained upon the focus of the forest floor as she attempted to seek out the hiding place of any other small prey that might have still lingered within their home.

She was inquisitive of her father, which wasn't so strange. Most children idolized one or the other; at this thought, Njal wondered who his children would've loved the most out of himself and Tuwawi — the father that was an infrequent fixture in their life, or the mother who was filled with rage and the pain of loss. He fell quiet then, lost in his thoughts, until being reminded of the ongoing conversation when the silence became unbearable.

Oh, uh, he slurred briefly, there was a place across the mountains to the east. The river there, the Swiftcurrent, once housed a small family that we defended together. That had been a lifetime ago, at the very least. Before the chaos of the glacier, before the storm and the caldera, and even before Scimitar had known this girl's mother. Who is your mother? the old man abruptly queried, watching the girl for a moment, and not realizing how delicate the situation may be between the members of the family here.

She nodded in realization the moment he mentioned Swiftcurrent -- she understood this was the pack her parents had initially met, and at one point, loved one another. She could barely recall those days, and she had wondered often times what would have happened if they had simply stayed at the Creek, rather than sought the Peak as their new home, if things would have been different.

"Bazi," she responded, surprise flitting across her features that he did not know this -- but perhaps Njal had not been with them during the time of their mateship. "Did you know her, too?"

It should not have surprised him to hear the name, but it did. And her question made him nod after a moment of reflection, picturing the plush white coat and hearing the bright and bubbling laughter of an old friend. I did. Such a long time ago... I had no idea of their involvement together. But.. She is not here now. I assume things.. Changed? He didn't know how to have such an adult conversation with someone so young, and while he hadn't meant to pry, the words came forth from him as if by another's will. Before Allure could say anything in response, Njal grumbled, then again, things often do.

There was something that intrigued her about her parents past – it was hard to consider a time when the two had ever been happy together, but surely there must have been a time when they had loved one another. Her childhood had moments of their happiness still within it – but thinking back upon it now, she could have seen it all crumble when the bears had attacked Jade Fern Grove, and Swift had lost his eyesight.

They had been lucky not to lose all of their lives, instead.

“Yes,” she returned, feeling a hint of sadness creep in to her voice. She had younger siblings somewhere – and what her father had done had been unfair to them above all else. Then again.. her parents never should have had a second litter. “Mom now lives in a place called Everwinter Ridge, south of here.”

With a hesitant nudge to the man, Allure stole forward, her nose twitching as the scent of a squirrel spurned her forward. Conversation was only put aside for now, though both wolves would end up empty handed. Still, the bi-toned female felt soothed by the older man's presence, and thanked him before both gave up expending further energy on a fruitless hunt.