Meadowlark Prairie Plants are comfort

Awareness Month!

She crept closer through the high grass. The girl was on her belly and staying as close to the ground as she could. She was trying to be silent, completely invisible. Not that because she was hunting but just to practice her own stalking, stalking that would be needed for other things than hunting.

The girl felt comfortable in the high grass sheltered by plants. The grasses were the first to return quickly, they did not sport the flowers which made them grow rapidly in those last few weeks. The girl kept her pale eyes and dark colored ears on alert waiting for anyone, or anything to pass. The tip of her tail dyed a lavender purple of the first grown lavender plants. She swished it proudly.

Picking her way silently through the trees, Nab found herself staring at the rump of a dark-furred wolf. She had a bad habit of running into them these days, but rarely so suddenly, or with such a good opportunity to startle one of them.

Hoping that the dark wolf was alone, she took a quiet breath and called in a loud voice - "Get your tail out of the air - it's like a flag that says, 'look at me! I'm hungry!'"

Readying herself to run, Nab waited for her reception.

She had been closing her eyes listening to her surroundings as she was covered by the high grass or so she thought. Because clearly she was called out for it. The girl however was not startled. She just opened her eyes. It sounded pretty high up and big for a wolf. Slowly she turned. Her pale eyes falling on the immense deer, a kind she had never seen.

Her pale eyes stayed rather disinterested as er eyes traveled up the deer's body. It almost looked like the young one was not impressed by what she was seeing. She was not a hunter, often just eating out of the cache or running a bit more in the back of the pack hunt. The girl disliked running after an animal, even though it provided her life. She flickered her purple tipped tail, she recently dyed it and was quite proud of it. Her flicker of her tail should not be confused with a wag because it was far from that. Though the massive giant deer noticed. "I am not hungry. Not all of our lives revolve around you," she stated coolly, close to deadpanning it.

Well, it seemed that she had not inscensed the wolf, but Jenabbi felt her presence was clearly not well-recieved. Probably her own fault for having her fun at another's expense. A stab of guilt went through her at the blank look in the girl's eyes - a look that, when upon the face of youth, was easy to mistake for sorrow. At least, it was easy for Jenabbi.

"Pardon me," she said to the dark wolf. "I'm sure it doesn't revolve around us. No more than mine revolves around grass. It just looked like you were trying to be sneaky, and any sort of sharp movement isn't ideal for that." Nab studied the tail in question, only just noticing the strange color of the tip. How interesting. "But I'm sure you knew that - you're the wolf, after all," she allowed, dipping her head to the stranger.

Abruptly, it occured to her that such a lesson might give this wolf the tools it needed to kill her, one day. Her ears flickered for a moment in discomfort before the feeling subsided. Such is life. If grass didn't want to be eaten, Jenabbi would certainly still eat it.

She watched the mega deer as it apologized. The girl had not spoken those words because she wanted an apology. Because pardoning or saying sorry didn't mean much to her. Those were just words. The peculiar girl kept her pale eyes on the other, they kept traveling over the deer's body. She had to admit that she was a bit surprised that a prey thing like her was talking to her.

"I might have," she returned to the other. She stayed quiet for a moment, like she was thinking about something. Because, well the girl was. She had been hunting for other wolves, wanting to make them hurt as much as she had been hurt. But would she tell her plan to this other? Could be interesting to get her perspective. "Do you like pain?," she randomly asked. Her voice still quite mono tone.

These prey animals were always running, but if they did they would only inflict more pain on themselves. She was curious. So curious. The girl had always been, thirsty for knowledge.

Oh. Well, she was certainly an odd little thing. Nab quirked an ear, unsure if she'd heard the girl correctly. "Do I like pain?" she verified, peering down at the yearling wolf. After a moment, she was certain she'd heard her right. What would make a youngster ask that sort of question. "No, and I don't suppose that very many of us do," she said to the shewolf, listening carefully to be sure that no other wolves were sneaking up behind her. They appeared to be alone, though. Good - Jenabbi wasn't too worried about fending off one young wolf, but she'd rather not meet the rest of their pack in a hungry mood.

But it might be time to take her leave soon, all the same. Something about this kid was clearly a little off. "Why do you ask? Do you like pain?" the older woman asked, unable to leave without seeing if this poor child needed help. Meateater or not, a child was a child! And if someone was hurting a child, the job always seemed to fall to Jenabbi to hurt them back.

She kept her eye contact with the deer, the mega out grown beast that stood before her and talked to her. She was not sure if this was normal but at least she could appreciate the different perspective. Alas, her perspective on pain didn't seem so different than from wolves. You would think a prey animal would like pain with how they were sometimes hunted.

She gotten her question bounced back, if she liked pain. "I like to give others pain, because I feel pain," she returned. She had hurt a starving loner before, though not with the said consequences. She had still that bite wound on her shoulder. Still she liked to see them in pain and struggling for their last breath. Suffer the same pain she had. It made her feel better about the fact that she was still alive. Her stoic face kept eyed contact with the other. "Though mostly wolves, because I identify more with those than your kind," she added.

Her mind started to rattle. Would this deer-thing attract a lot of wolves? What if she was able to hurt them? Maybe she could make a lure out of this thing and use it for herself. That would be something interesting.

Inwardly, the moose recoiled. She knew that many wolves were violent creatures, but she was sure that they were not all cruel. Killing was a part of the world - Jenabbi herself had killed many times in the trials of motherhood. To defend herself, her calves, and other creatures in need. But she had never caused pain simply to cause it, and she detested bullies above all else.

"I do not identify with cruel intentions," she said to the girl, her voice stern but not accusing while she thought. Do I kill this creature? It doesn't seem right, but the forest does not need such monsters lurking in her depths. "Do you want to die?" Nab asked, looking down at the young wolf. If the answer was yes, then she needn't wait another moment. If not... well, then she would go on her way. Nab doubted there was anything she could do for this fallen youth.

The girl looked at the deer that now labeled her intentions as cruel. It could be cruel in someone else his eyes. But in her eyes it was how she coped with her pain. Though the other question of the deer made her think. Did she want to die? Eventually perhaps. She had been close to wanting to be death. After all when her twin brother died she wanted to follow him. But something stopped her. Curiosity. Yes. So many curious things on this earth she wanted to know about.

"Not yet," she replied to her question. There were certain things she wanted to do, wanted to be taught to her. Her pale eyes roamed over the other. "Can I hurt the wolves that try a hunt you?," she then asked. She meant the loners that had ill wishes. She was not capable to attack a whole pack, that was true.

Disgust warred with pity as she regarded the young wolf, wondering what could have gone so wrong; what could have harmed her so badly that the need to harm others consumed her so? She wished that she'd been there at the beginning of it, to properly soothe whatever wound had grown into this ugly scar of a creature. Gladly, she'd've hunted for the pup, and given her all the care she could.

But now, what could she do? Was the girl past saving?

Maybe, she decided, but who can know? "I cannot stop you, but it is my wish that you let them alone," she said, more gently this time. "If you wished to travel with me, I would not stop you from hunting to eat - but hunting to hurt is a perversion of nature, and I do not condone it anymore than would the Cat and Calf."

She doubted the young wolf would be enticed away with her, but mentally, she prepared herself. The girl would bear careful watching, and it would be a hard and tiring journey until she either learned to trust the wolf, or she simply departed.

It seemed that her plan was not appreciated by the stupid prey animal. She offered it protection, but in return it seemed that this animal had the morals she lacked. The girl looked at her with a blank stare, suddenly this animal was not much of interest to her anymore.

The dark furred girl flickered her tail in annoyance. "I will find my own wolves then," she commented to the creature and then brushed passed the creature. It was a waste of her time clearly, and she knew that she couldn't take on this creature alone, a wolf was already a bit deal.

I think we might end it there! This was super interesting tho! :D

That sounds good - thanks for the thread!

Nab did not offer any words in parting. She simply turned and beat a hasty retreat, one ear quirked in the young wolf's direction. She'd never even learned the girl's name, but already, the old moose felt a deep fear of her. There was something very wrong with that child, and if she never saw the girl agian - it would still be too soon.