Silvertip Mountain But feathers are meant for the sky

anybody is welcome! Rolled a 2 so that means Niita's hunt is successful

After Niita's brief tour about the territory, she made sure to stay away from Zaria's den, she set out on her own in search of prey. The day was still early and she was determined to find food. 

Muzzle low to the ground, she opened her mouth to scent for prey. Catching the scent of a rabbit, rare in these times, Niita smiled as she began to track it across the territory to a bare field. The rabbit appeared to be searching for food, just the same as she. No doubt it wouldn't find any and would have moved on soon if Niita hadn't shown up.

Niita lowered herself, rubbing dirt into her snowy fur to hide it. Creeping around to hide behind a tree, Niita waited as the rabbit continued to edge closer to her hiding spot. Once it was close enough, she leapt from behind and grabbed the rabbit in her jaws. 

It squealed in fear,reaching its hind legs up and hitting her cheek with its sharp claws. Grimacing, Niita quickly snapped its neck and the rabbit fell limp. It had scratched close to her eye, a little blood staining her dirty fur. It would heal soon enough, Niita ignored it. 

Heading back to the clearing where she knew Zaria's den to be, Niita stopped several feet outside of its edge and looked around for someone to pass the food to. Steady had said to look for himself or Mason, so Niita began to do just that as she searched for a more familiar wolf to give Zaria the rabbit.

Steady had been laying at the entrance of the den, one of the few moments he took to snooze. Tmes were rough on them all, and as the days passed, he found himself eating less and less. Not knowing how long their large prey would be gone, he tried to sustain himself on less and less so the growing pups would have more.

His ear swiveled as pawsteps came nearer, and he lifted his head. Niita was at the edge of the clearing, holding a rabbit between her jaws. Steady lifted his large body off the ground walked over to her. You shouldn't be this close, he said. He almost got tempered, but really, he just didn't have the energy for it right now. He glanced at the rabbit. For the pups? he questioned. If so, he would take it to the den, and leave it for the pups.

Niita hadn't noticed Steady outside the den, had been too far away to make him out, but once he began to approach she nodded at him. Her ears flattened at his reprimand, she hadn't thought this was too close. It hadn't been like she was going to enter the clearing, she just didn't know where else to go with the food. 

"Sorry, won't happen again. Yeah, it's for them." Niita spoke after laying the rabbit before him, tone regretful. Unsure if she should go now, or if she was in for a lecture of some kind, Niita waited to see if he had anything else to say.

Tagging just so the pups know food was left for them.

She set the hare down before confirming that it was, indeed, for them. Be right back, wait here, he said before picking the rabbit up and heading to the den. He placed it at the entrance, figuring @Adeline @Stoic @Odette @Solemn would get a whiff of it and come out to eat it. 

Turning, he went back to Niita, his demeanor a little more relaxed. Feel like walking with me? he asked her. He had showed her around when she first arrive, but hadn't really talked much, except about the territory. Steady hadn't expressed any interest in a female since Mara Susi, and that hadn't ended well, at all. He still held ill feelings about that, but suppressed them. If she ever came back, he'd let them out. Until then, they were null. Niita, however, was here, and she seemed rather nice.

It was a surprising request in Niita's opinion at least, she had expected him to talk about how she should stay away from the clearing all together-even if she hadn't entered it-or maybe even yelling. But perhaps he was just waiting to do that on their walk. 

Either way, Niita agreed with a nod. Out of all the wolves in Silvertip Mountain she knew Steady the best, given her short time there so far. Turning she began to walk, falling in step with the large black male.

She nodded in agreement, and he smiled. He began walking and she stepped in line beside him. He didn't have any particular destination in mind, and so didn't really worry about where they were going. So, I was wondering, where were you before you came here? he asked. 

He felt a little weird, trying to get to know her. He liked her. He thought, anyways. He didn't know her well enough to really know if he liked her, but he liked what he knew so far. Really, he was nervous. He had like Mara Susi, too, but she had left. Twice. Would Niita leave? Inwardly, Steady shook himself. He would not compare the two. That would wrong on too many levels, and would make Steady not want to get to know any other females for fear they would leave. Not everyone left, and he had to remind himself of that.

"A pack called Asmundr. It was very far to the north, in the place of glaciers." The thick accent, the throaty tone of her homeland's name could've made Niita cringe.

She had to admit, she liked Steady. Well, maybe not liked him. Niita barely knew him but he was handsome certainly, he seemed kind. Niita could see herself liking him soon if she got close to him. The question was, did she want to get close to Steady?

There was a legend back home that the Anreis family was cursed with bad luck and looking back-Niita believed it. The pale waif was tired of letting people in only to lose them. Her parents, Finn, Lifa, Vittra, Zahira, Raimo, even Kainan and his pups in a way. All had been lost. Would Niita be willing to possibly lose someone else? 

You're thinking too far into this, you don't even know what he's like. "What about you? Where did you come from?" Niita tried to draw the attention away from herself-she didn't want to scare him off with her sob stories.

He listened as she spoke of a pack called Asmundr. I bet your coat blended in perfectly with the glaciers, he said with a smile. She was so white, he figured she'd get lost in a blanket of snow. No one would see her coming, except for those sparkling blue eyes.

Then she asked about his own pack. I started off in my father's pack. FitzDutiful, my brother, started this pack, and I came to be with him last September. Been here ever since, he explained. He had always felt at home here, since the first moment his brother had accepted him into Silvertip. Do you have any siblings? he asked. He didn't realize she didn't like the attention on herself. He just wanted to get to know her.

She smiled as he spoke, an actual genuine smile that lit up her face. He sounds like Finn. "Your brother sounds like he was nice." It went without speaking that Fitz was dead, judging by his past tense when speaking about his brother.

The smile faded from her face, replaced by a sadness. "None living." Images of Lifa, only a pup, laying broken on the ground where Niita had found her filled the white woman's head. She had failed Lifa, couldn't protect her and now she was gone. 

"Do you have any other siblings that still live?" 

He nodded in agreement. Yes, he was, he said softly, his mind traveling back to when his brother was still alive. He missed him so much, still, and he wondered if that feeling would ever soften. She admitted she had no living siblings, and he frowned. I'm sorry, he said. He didn't ask what happened, figuring those thoughts were too difficult. He hoped if she wanted to talk about it, she would broach the subject on her own. 

He smiled again when she asked about his other siblings, nodding. Yup! Charming, Benevolence, and Gracious​. They're all back in the home pack. At least, I hope Gracious is. She visited for a while before going back with my niece. Only, my niece returned here without her, saying they got separated. I'm hoping Gracious made it back okay, he explained. He would think the best unless told otherwise.

Niita nodded her thanks, grateful he didn't press her. Perhaps one day she might tell someone of her battles back at Asmundr, but not today. 

"You're family is large." Niita made note mentally to pray for his sister, she wasn't big on religion but she still prayed to the ancestors as her mother had.

 "I hope she got home safely. So, your niece lives here too then?" Niita was unaware that June had died, she had yet to meet the rest of the pack and assumed Steady's niece was lurking about the territory somewhere.

They walked side by side, still no discernible destination ahead. He was glad to have some (mostly) easy conversation. Yeah, it is. It has its ups and downs, but I really liked growing up with a lot of wolves around, he admitted. He was glad Ezekiel, Phocion, and Niita had joined. The pack had begun to have such a unexciting feel to it. Now, there were new members to get to know and show the ropes.

He frowned, shaking his head side to side when asked about June. No, he admitted. The famine proved to be too much. We buried her next to her father just last week. It had been hard to do, and he missed June dearly. The only solace he got was that her silent suffering was over.

In an effort to curb the conversation to, hopefully, something more positive, he asked, So, what do you think of Silvertip so far? It was good to know not only how a new member was faring, but if there were any improvements Steady could make on his end.

She gave him a smile of empathy, nudging him with her shoulder in silent compassion but made no move to press about his niece. Niita had questions, but they could wait until a later time. 

"I like it here. Even with the famine, it's still beautiful to me..in a treacherous type of way. Kind of abstract."  Niita glanced at him with a more hesitant smile this time. "Plus, I think I might be starting to make friends."

He was a little relieved when she didn't ask any more questions about June. His mood had just started to even out from Fitz' passing, and now June was gone, too. He was doing his best to remain even-tempered, but some days were harder than others. He smiled at the nudge she gave him, thankful for the support.

She didn't seem to have anything bad to say about the pack. In fact, she glanced at him when she said she was making friends, making him think she was talking about him. If his cheeks were bare from fur, she would have seen him blush. He smiled in return. I'm glad you're liking it here, he responded. Have you been able to hang out with any other pack mates? he questioned, trying to be casual about it. He wanted to know if she had met the other males.

"I've met Phocion. He's a bit...eccentric I think is the word I'm looking for? He stares at nothing a lot and seems to think heavily." Niita glanced at him, wondering if he understood what she was trying to say. Phocion was nice but he made her uneasy when he stared at her without speaking for long periods of time. 

"Besides you three, who else is there? I mean besides Zaria and her pups." The words were overpronounced, Zaria's name coming out with an -h on the end.

 Niita thought she had smelt a second female around the territory, one she had yet to meet but she couldn't be sure. "I thought I had smelt another female, but it's easy to get confused with so many scents crossing." 

She explained she had met Phocion, but found him a bit weird, if that was the right term to use for him. He chuckled a bit. He's a little different, but I've found him to be a great follower, and a very good addition to the pack. He's definitely a team player, he said easily. He supposed the other male might come off a little eccentric, as Niita put it, but Steady liked him. 

He noticed her accent, noting that it wasn't anything he had ever heard before, but he found he liked it. It made her stand apart from the others, in a good way. He nodded, confirming there were others, including another female. You're right, there is. Her name is Krypton, she's Gamma. There's Mason, he's co-Beta with me, a new male named Ezekiel, and you've met Phocion. It was almost weird to list all the names of the pack members, and leave out some of the ones who had been here when he first came. With the exception of Zaria, Mason, and Krypton, everyone had changed. He supposed that's just the way things went. Wolves came and go, and the pack needed to go with the flow.

Niita not Heldi btw :P

Niita nodded, she could see Phocion being well liked. Besides his odd habit of staring at her, he seemed quite nice. She could count him among those who were steadily becoming her friends.

"I remember meeting Ezekiel at the border but I have yet to meet Mason." Niita had smelt a fourth male, whom she now assumed was Mason, but hadn't met him nor seen him. "I hope Krypton and I can be friends, it would be nice to have another female to speak with." Niita mused aloud, hoping it would be true.

$h*! I'm sorry! Too many posts with too many characters, all at once! XD I corrected it!

Steady's brain went over the comments Niita made about Phocion, and felt the need to add, But, if he ever makes you feel uncomfortable, let me know. Steady would remedy that. 

He nodded, confident the two females would get along. Krypton is a very nice wolf, I'm sure you two would get along without a problem. Though, there hadn't been many female for Krypton to contend with. Their pack was expanding will less family members now, and that meant more of a chance for love to be in the air. But, Steady and Krypton were just friends, so that shouldn't be a problem. However, if his feelings for Niita grew, and @Phocion continued to gawk at her, that might create some friction. 

Tagged Phocion to let him know we're talking about him! ^_^

Niita smiled shyly. No one had been around to look out for her since Kainan, in the end he had turned on her too. "Thanks, Steady."

Having decided she liked Steady and that he could be considered a friend, Niita opened up to him a bit. Waiting until he looked away, she swatted his leg gently and turned her head. Feigning as if she hadn't done it, Niita whistled softly and scanned the treeline as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

She thanked him, and he returned her smile. Their conversation had hit a lull, and Steady racked his brain for something to say. His gaze scanned the area around them, trying to find something to comment on. But, his brain was severely letting him down right now, and he came up with nothing. 

All of a sudden, something swatted his leg, and his head jerked around to see what it was. His eyes narrowed, and he couldn't hold back a playful grin as he realized Niita was suddenly very interested in the very uninteresting tree line. 

Retaliation mandatory, Steady let out a playful growl and opened his jaws, going for her front leg in an attempt to grab it.

Seeing him aim for retaliation, Niita's blue eyes widened and she let out an excited squeak. A very uncharacteristic noise for the usually solemn girl but then she hadn't played with anyone since she was a child. 

Darting away, pulling her leg from his mouth as he grabbed it, Niita took up a playful pose. She thumped the ground softly with her forepaws and waved her tail as she let out a playful growl of her own.

She squealed, and he found the sound delightful. Could he make her do it again? He made sure he didn't grab her leg hard, and it was easy for her to get away. She got into the playful stance known to most wolves, and he mirrored it, his tail wagging happily in the air as his tongue lolled out of his smiling mouth. 

Suddenly, he leapt towards her, figuring she would run and he would chase her. Steady hadn't had this much fun in a long time. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he had played. If he thought harder about it, he would have realized the last wolf he played with was FitzDutiful. Instead, he was living in the now. And right now, he had a pretty girl in front of him who was lifting his usually dark mood.

A huge grin threatened to split her face in two as she turned and ran, her laughter ringing loudly through the trees that she weaved through. Niita hadn't laughed in a long time, it felt so good to finally be happy and to laugh.

Whipping around to hide behind one of the trunks, Niita peered out from behind the other side. "Hey, Slow Poke! Where you at?" She tried to hide, failing to realize that her still wagging tail was sticking out from behind the tree in full sight, like a white beacon.

The laugh was like music to his ears, even better than the squeal he had elicited from her earlier. She ran and Steady chased her through the bare trees, weaving in and out. He probably could have caught her easily, but the sight he got from running behind her was enough to let her win for a little while.

She sought a hiding place behind a tree, but he didn't need her teasing to tell him where she was, since her tail stuck out like it was begging to be pulled. Of course, he would oblige. He growled playfully, and attempted to grab it. He wouldn't tug, of course, as he didn't want to hurt her.

Feeling a wet object grasp her tail, Niita's ears flattened in confusion as she turned only to find Steady holding her tail in his mouth. Niita smiled, growling once again and reaching around to grab the ruff of fur around his chest. 

Careful not to pull on his fur and hurt him, she gave one last growl before letting go. Giving his chest a small lick, she beamed up at him. "Truce?"