Sleeping Dragon my beautiful dark twisted fantasy

@Wildfire!

 

A cardinal was in her line of sight as she had pulled herself from the den that morning. Though she did question just why there was a bird so close to the pack’s main densite, she did not linger on this thought long. Instinctively, she crouched and began to pull herself towards the bird. Though she have very little cover she hoped that she would blend in with her fur.

Just as she was almost there she stepped upon the ground too hard and quickly notified the bird of her existence. As quickly as the mistake happened, the bird had vanished in a flurry of crimson. Disappointedly, Freyja pulled herself to her full height and watched on as her breakfast made its escape.

Wildfire reluctantly extracted herself from her partner's cozy warmth to obey an insistent call of nature. After squatting and emptying her bladder nearby, she straightened up only to dip forward into a luxurious stretch. She noticed that she could see her breath, which was no surprise; the cold air seeped into her flesh and fur, causing a tingle in her spine. She missed Thuringwethil's body heat and was tempted to return to it immediately. But she felt wide awake now, so the yearling set off across the territory to get the blood flowing.

She didn't head to the rendezvous site on purpose, she just sort of wound up there. She had missed Freyja's failed attempt to chase a cardinal but sensed an air of disappointment about the young girl as she sidled up alongside her. "Morning, Frey," Wildfire said cordially, bumping her shoulder against the pup's and looking forward. "What are we looking at?" she wondered aloud.

There was a sense of disappointment about the young girl’s features as she turned and returned her mentor. “Hey,” she offered weakly, mustering a smile as she looked to the red-furred wolf. When a question was asked in regards to what she was looking at, she turned and searched longingly for her fleeting meal.

“Breakfast,” she replied, her ears flattening as she spoke. “I was too loud in my approach,” she admitted, stealing a glance at her mentor.

"Ah," the Bandrona replied, her lips twisting upward in delight. "Why the long face, though? Don't forget what I told you: most hunts don't end in success. Don't beat yourself up about it." She slid her smudged snout sideways to nudge Freyja's cheek. "What were you hunting?" she added, scenting the air. She smelled nothing and leveled a curious gaze upon the youth.

She smiled as a nudge and reassurance came and soonafter leaned over to press her head to Wildfire’s shoulder. “I know,” she replied with a sigh as a rumble sounded within the put of her stomach. “It’s just that losing prey stinks when you’re so hungry!” There was a whiny edge to her voice as she pulled herself away from her embrace.

To her next question, Freyja paused for a moment and realized she didn’t know what the bird was called. “I’m not sure. It was a red bird and pretty tiny-- but it was plump!” her tongue drew over her lips as she fantasized momentarily about eating the unknown bird.

Her brows lifted in slight surprise. "Birds are very hard to catch," Wildfire said, hoping to further soothe the girl's failure, "and they don't have much meat on them. But I understand the appeal," she continued. "Remember that blackbird I brought by when you were littler? Feathers make for great little trinkets. But I only caught that one because it was already injured. Birds have a massive advantage with flight."

While speaking, she had gazed off into the distance but she turned now, amber eyes resting on Freyja's features. "If you're hungry, I'd be happy to help you with breakfast. What is your very favorite type of prey to eat?" the Bandrona wondered, head tilted slightly.

“I’ve never caught one,” she admitted as Wildfire reminded her of the difficulty of catching birds. “It’s like they always know that you’re there,” she added, a hint of amusement lifting her tone as she made her remark. A memory followed the reminder and to this Freyja nodded, recalling that moment with fondness. “Those feathers also work great as ticklers,” she commented lightly with a smirk.

Looking up to meet her mentor's eyes she offered a wave of her tail. “I really like rabbit,” she said quickly. “But, I’m also not too picky. Just hungry.”

"Yes, they're very alert," Wildfire agreed. There was a reason she very rarely hunted birds. They required too much effort and expertise with very little yield. "I've only caught a handful in my day. And I've never taken down one that wasn't somehow injured already. I'd have no chance," the Bandrona said humbly.

Her eyes gleamed at Freyja's answer. "We can definitely nab you a rabbit. C'mon." She poked the girl gently with her nose, then pivoted on a red heel and began trotting toward the territory's outskirts. There was a small warren just past the eastern border overlooking Kildeer Rest. She had found it just recently. It reminded her of the one back at the caldera.

"Okay," she announced as they began to approach Drageda's fringes. "I'm going to keep watch since we're so close to the borders. See those little holes up ahead? Those are the entrances and exits of a large network of underground burrows. Patience is key here. You have to wait for a rabbit to surface, then choose the perfect moment to strike. Your prey will have the advantage here, with many escape routes littered all around it. You have to be very stealthy and time your hit just right."

Smiling as she was assured that she would get some breakfast, Freyja nodded and followed after her mentor eagerly. She attempted to push aside the rumbling of her belly in favor of some conversation, but she just could not suppress the hunger that she had felt.

Eventually they came upon the warren, Freyja paused briefly and her eyes roamed over it She had seen something like this further into the territory before, just closer to the meeting area. But, despite this, she never did learn of it’s innerworkings.

“That’s really cool,” she said in response to what she was taught with a smile. Despite the fact that they had the upper head, she thought it was neat that they had dug their dens underground. She lowered herself to a crouch then, her attention jumping from Wildfire to the warren. “You know, there's one of these near the meeting site,” she commented with a smile. “I found it a few days ago.”

Her lips curved into a smile when she realized that history was repeating itself, in a way: her aunt had taught her how to hunt rabbits and now she was passing the knowledge onto her very own niece. Of course, Freyja wasn't her actual niece but Wildfire saw no reason to differentiate. They had become quite close as of late. And if everything went according to the Bandrona's plan, she would be the mother of Freyja's half-siblings. They were family, one way or another.

She checked the girl's form as she lowered into a crouch, nodding her approval. Her brows then lifted in pleasant surprise at Freyja's news. "Oh, really? I might be preaching to the choir in that case," she quipped with a grin. "Did you do any hunting there? You'll have to show me sometime." Wildfire bobbed her head, then dropped her voice to add, "Like I said, I'm going to hang back and keep an eye on things. You go get 'em, Frey."

Freyja shook her head in response to Wildfire’s question. “I didn’t know how to hunt them,” she replied. She had spent a good amount of time simply observing them and attempting to figure out their innerworkings, but she had no idea how the holes worked. But, not that she did, she had a better understanding of what to do next. “Can we go in the next few days?”

Taking Wildfire’s words with a nod, Freyja lowered herself to the earth as she settled her eyes upon the holes and crouched. Though she hoped that one would hop out right away she realistically knew that that would not happen. Setting her expectations low, she waited.

"Sure," the yearling answered easily, "or we could go after we're done here." Whether or not Freyja was successful in capturing breakfast at this location, they could check out the other warren. It sounded like a better bet, if it was well within the confines of the pack territory. Wildfire wouldn't have to worry so much about trespassers there.

Speaking of which, she settled back and scanned the nearby rest as Freyja got into position. She would've preferred to really focus on the pup's form, yet she knew that Freyja's safety was more important than her success. She wasn't a tiny infant anymore but she was still young and vulnerable. Wildfire wouldn't let any semblance of danger come within a mile of her.

Waiting was one of Freyja’s least favorite things to do and it seemed that it would be what would have to be done in order for her to get some breakfast. Despite her growing crankiness, she remained on-task and pushed away her snarky thoughts for her next bout of hunger. She needed to her best, especially with Wildfire watching.
Ten or more minutes passed before the young face of a rabbit poked out from a nearby entrance to the warren. Parking at the sight, Freyja watched on silently, waiting for her moment to strike. The rabbit, on the other hand, took it’s time in pulling itself outside the safety of its home. It surveyed the area carefully and Freyja rolled her eyes at this, knowing that it would all be in vain.

Once it was out about, Freyja was upon it quickly. Before it could even notice, Freyja snapped her jaws around its neck and ended its life. Her manners were not about her and before anything else could be said, she tucked into the small morsel and started eating.

When Freyja moved, Wildfire let her attention focus on her for the duration of her short hunt. Her lips curved into a smile as she watched her quickly and easily dispatch the rabbit. She might even be better than you, she thought to herself, rising onto her paws and trotting over to stand beside the young girl.

She shook out her ruff and scanned their surroundings, making no attempt to take Freyja's spoils from her. She would catch her own breakfast later, perhaps at the other warren.

Not much passed her mind as she gobbled down her meal and quickly got her fill. It was as she got about halfway through, Freyja started to feel full. Looking up to Wildfire, and licking her chops in the process, she offered her mentor a smile. “You want some?” She said as she came to a stand and put a paw on the prey in preparation of pushing it towards Wildfire.

Her eyes flicked downward as the sounds of eating slowed and ceased altogether. There was still quite a bit of the rabbit left. Wildfire's first instinct was to decline, let the girl enjoy her kill without feeling the need to share. But if she was genuinely finished, there was no reason to let the half-finished carcass go to waste.

"You're finished? Full?" she asked just to make sure.

It did not take much food for Freyja to get full but she often finished the carcass in spite of those who lingered about her as she ate. Despite this pettiness, Wildfire was an entirely different case. Freyja felt so much respect for the red-furred wolf and would never defy her with such snide actions. “Yes, please eat,” she replied, pushing forward the carcass with her paw.

She smiled at the girl's polite reply, then struck out a petite paw to drag the remains toward herself. "Thanks, Frey," she said before dipping her smudged muzzle and quickly polishing off the food. When she finished, she licked her lips and shot Freyja an appreciative (and slightly bloody) grin.

"You're shaping up to be quite a hunter," she complimented in the next moment. "Your success rate is astounding." She might not have believed Freyja's successes if she hadn't seen many of them for herself. Wildfire could have been jealous, especially considering the age difference, but she was only impressed and grateful that Sleeping Dragon had produced such an amazing asset in her.

"Let's go check out that other warren you found," the Bandrona suggested.

Freyja watched on as Wildfire quickly finished off the hare, her smile still lingering as every last bite was consumed. When it was, Wildfire offered a compliment that only made her smile grow. “Thanks,” she said with a dip of her head. She wanted to do all that she could to be an asset to the mountain pack and she hoped that she was making them all proud. “Though, to be honest, I do think that you are a bit of a good luck charm,” there was an amused glint in her eye as she spoke and her tail wagged gently. There were many times that she had not been successful in her hunting, but Wildfire just didn’t seem to be around for such occasions.

Now that they were both fueled and ready to go, Freyja thought that this would be an ideal time to go and investigate. She had already explored briefly with Rosalyn, but perhaps Wildfire could provide more insight. “Yeah, let’s go,” she agreed as she turned in the direction of the meeting area. “It’s just weird that they settled so close to where we gather for meetings-- have you seen something like this before?” she asked with a slight frown, looking to the Bandrona with a tilt of her head. She found it quite odd.

Wildfire decided to take that as compliment (as it was surely intended). As they began traipsing back into the territory, she cast a brief glance over their backs, falling slightly behind to cover Freyja's until they were deeper into the pack land. She then moved to pad alongside the girl, bumping a shoulder against her amiably. She was very, very fond of the young woman. She loved her brother and sisters too but she had definitely formed the strongest connection with the small Feisripa.

"That is kind of odd," she concurred as they ranged toward the meeting place. "They're either ignorant or they're foolhardy. Either way, it's to our benefit. Although they may learn and move on somewhere safer. Or else we may kill off the warren entirely. We should definitely take advantage while we still can."

They were getting close to the meeting area now. Wildfire slowed slightly, letting Freyja take the lead. "Where is it?" she questioned, amber eyes scanning the ground to look for the telltale signs of rabbit housing.

Wildfire was like the older sister that Freyja never had and she could not imagine her life without her. But, Freyja looked to the leader as more. She was a role model and a positive influence and Freyja aspired to be like Wildfire one day.

She was relieved to find that Wildfire found the warren’s location odd and she smiled at that, despite her confusion. “Yeah,” she agreed quickly. She knew that an influx of rabbits would be a great addition to the pack’s cache. “And this will give us a good bulk for the beginning of Winter. I really want to get a head start so we don’t have issues once it gets cold,” though she had never experienced this season she had only heard the horrors of the colder months.

Soon enough they were close enough to the meeting place and Freyja looked beyond the mighty tree to find the warren that laid just beyond the tree. Pulling herself from Wildfire’s side to take the lead, Freyja stepped lightly towards the warren. It was settled just beyond the oak, nestled close to a bush. Though it wasn’t as big as the one Wildfire had found, its size promised a few rabbits.

Pausing by the tree, Freyja looked from Wildfire to the warren with a questioning gaze as she asked, “See it?”

Wildfire gave Freyja a speculative look when she mentioned the winter. She had never experienced one, of course, but it seemed like she was aware of the trials and tribulations they might face in the colder months. "Hopefully there won't be any shortages," the adult murmured, "though it's good thinking to stock up, just in case." She nodded in approval of the youngster's wisdom, then returned her focus to the warren as they approached it.

It spanned a smaller patch than the one east of the territory, though she could see a few holes here and there. Mostly, she could smell them. Wildfire licked her lips. She wasn't hungry but the scent always kicked her salivary glands into overdrive. She glanced around, wondering again why the rabbits would have chosen this location. It was entirely possible there was less foot traffic here than elsewhere, considering the pack really only used it during meetings.

Motioning for Freyja to fall back, Wildfire couldn't help but voice a thought prompted by the child's musings about winter. "Did you know the winter can actually be a time of plenty for wolves? There are a lot of herds migrating through the region then. And the larger prey, they have more trouble traveling through snow, whereas our paws"—she held up one of hers, toes spread—"are designed so that we can run across the top of the snow without sinking. It gives our kind a distinct advantage."

She put her foot down and looked at Freyja, considering. "You'd make a brilliant trapper. Heck, you already are. But if you're interested in specializing in larger prey, the next couple of months might present you with a ton of training opportunity. I'll help as much as I can, though of course these guys are my specialty," Wildfire added, turning to face the warren again.

Though Freyja had not lived during the famine such an event was something that she feared. She knew that food was the fuel that drove her each and every day. What would she do without food? Would she have to eat her packmates? That very thought made her skin crawl, but she wouldn’t discard that thought in such an event.

Such dark thoughts were tamed with a bought of reassurance and Freyja looked up with hope towards Wildfire. Though she was about to coo in regards of the good news there was something that held her up from such musings. “Snow?” she asked bluntly as her eyebrows rose. She had never heard this word before, but it sounded delicate. She was too wrapped up in her confusion over the word to really grasp was Wildfire was teaching, but she shook it off at the leader’s next remark.

She was thrown off guard and a gentle blush flared under her pelt. “Really?” she asked gently with a spreading smile. “I would really like that,” she admitted with a pause as she pressed her head to Wildfire’s shoulder. “Does that include tracking where animals are? I've really liked doing that,” she admitted as she pulled away.

"Oh, yes," Wildfire said, nodding sagely. "Larger prey can obviously range much farther. You could theoretically track an ungulate—a deer or elk—over dozens of miles and several days." Her brows lifted inquisitively as she regarded Freyja. Perhaps she would specialize in tracking then, rather than a specific prey type. It was sort of ironic that she hadn't pursued such a field herself, what with her penchant for roaming.

"And snow," she continued in the next breath, momentarily forgotting about the nearby warren, "is this sort of cold, white powdery stuff that falls from the sky like rain. It'll cover the wilderness, mostly just a few inches but sometimes up to a few feet. I bet you'll like it." Her lips twitched. "It'll help you camouflage a bit better. Whereas I thrive in the fall," Wildfire quipped.

Then movement in the corner of her eye caused her to whip her head sharply to the side. There wasn't a whole lot of conscious thought; she struck in one fluid motion. But the rabbit disappeared back into the hole from which it had emerged in a flash of soft cottontail. Wildfire's paws thumped on either side of the hole and she thrust her snout in for good measure, then shook her head and retreated, giving Freyja a sportive glance.

Her eyes widened at Wildfire’s fact of the migration patters, her brows raising. “Really?” she asked in response, her tone light and in awe of how far the animals could travel. “Does this mean that they don’t hang around long?” she asked after a pause as the gears in her mind shifted.

“That sounds… weird,” she admitted next, after Wildfire explained what snow was. It sounded a lot like rain-- but still different? Honestly, it was hard for the child to wrap her mind around it without a visual. Staying on her thought about rain, she voiced this question, “Is snow like rain?” Or was it like something she had never seen before? How could she blend into it if it were like rain?

All of these questions were cut off as Wildfire suddenly sprang to action. Perking in attention, Freyja watched on as the leader attempted to catch a rabbit. When the attempt failed Freyja offered a wag of her tail in response and smiled. Wildfire would catch the next one-- she was sure of it.

“You think we can lure it out somehow? Or do you think it’s too scared?”