Gyrfalcon's Keep im at an all time low

@Chusi - sorry this took so long to get up!

The day so far had been unpleasant and overall a huge disappointment. He had lost his meal to a pesky coyote, got burrs stuck to his fur and had some disgusting bird take a shit on him. The poor guy looked like some monster out of a child's nightmare. He didn't bother cleaning himself though, wholeheartedly believing that this day was cursed and that more unfortunate things would surely happen to him. 

So instead he accepted the day's fate and took off, sour mood and all. He silently prayed for a stroke of good luck but just as his unspoken request came to an end, a gyrfalcon came falling from the sky and landed on his head with a painful thud. Yup, definitely cursed.

With Zephyr now around, the girl wandered away every now and then to be alone. First it had been the coast she would retreat to, but since a few days she had find a better spot. Even with the large, white birds in the sky, it was a peaceful place. She had hid her bone at home, leaving it for this trip outside of Ravensblood. She swaggered slightly over the border, making sure to leave her scent on it and was off.

Only this time- there was someone there. A male was spotted almost instantly by the girl, and she stood there frozen for a while. Hello? She called out to him, suspicious as to why he was so close to their borders. While their claim wasn't official yet, it was almost impossible to not notice their borders and strong presence. 

Although he now suffered from a mild headache, Hadraniel wasn't one to complain about free food randomly falling from the sky. So he plucked the dead bird from the ground and casually continued on his way. It wasn't until he heard the soft call of a child's voice did the man realize he wasn't alone.

"Hey kid" he awkwardly shouted back, dropping the gyr from his mouth. The male wasn't exactly an expect on children so he had no idea if this girl was supposed to be with someone or not. Did kids her age still need adult supervision? He didn't know, didn't really care either but he was curious nonetheless. "The fuck you doing out here all alone" he asked, not at all concerned about swearing in front of young ears.

His eyes grew only wider when she noticed what he was carrying with him- one of the birds that flew so ominously above this place. Had he... killed it? Could he teach her? Would Arturo do it if this strange, unlucky man would not? She blinked a few times, confused but the other's language. Fuhck? She asked, her head bobbed a little to the right. Only Arturo had ever said that around her- when he had been super mad at Zephyr. What it meant was a mystery, to perhaps The Killer Of Birds would tell.

I'm trainin'. She explained shortly, her muzzle sticking proudly into the air. Why he called her "kid" was a mystery too. She definitely didn't look so small anymore, and her voice had somewhat matured as well. I'm Chusi, Päiväperhonen of the coast. Who are ya?

Huh...she didn't seem to know what the cuss word meant which caused the man to lift his brow. "Heh, ask your parents about the word" he called out before taking a few steps forward. "Whatcha trainin for?" he wondered aloud, curious to see hear what she enjoyed to do in her spare time. She didn't exactly look to be the warrior type so he assumed she settled for the more heartfelt trades, but anything was possible. 

She took the liberty of introducing herself and boy did that girl have a mouthful to say. "I'm Hadraniel...ugh guardian of the forest". He assumed his false title sounded good enough up against her formal Päiväperhonen rank.

What parents? Chusi asked innocently. Did he mean Arturo? Or Lotte? But they were both not her parents. Sen, for all she knew, could be dead and her father she had never met. Handed down from wolf to wolf, only Arturo had truly taken her in. So many homes she had had, but for once she felt like she was in the right place. At Arturo's side she'd be to the end, and he would never abandon her like others had done. Imma be a warrior whe' I'm biggah! She chipped happily.

Ooho, which forest? She asked, muzzle pointed at him with excitement clear in her eyes. Ravensblood was Arturo's, and she had seen no forests beside that one. Or did he mean this place?

"Don't ya got any?" Was she seriously out here all alone? She didn't look like she was old enough to take care of herself, and probably wouldn't last very long if she was unaccompanied. Despite being interested if she was cared for or not, he let his mind slip from the topic. It wasn't any of his business if she had parents or not and she sure as hell wasn't his responsibility. 

He gave a snort when she said she wanted to be a warrior. "Your gonna have to put some meat on them bones if ya wanna be any good." She wasn't exactly the most fearsome wolf he'd encountered but Hadraniel was a sucker for believing that if you put your mind to it, anything was possible. "The forest I was born in" he answered and flashed her a smile.

Nope. She answered with a quick shake of her head. A father that had been gone way before she was born and fled from a monstrous mother left the little girl completely with blood relatives she knew of. She did have a sister, not Lotte but her littermate, though the two had been separated by a vicious coyote and Chusi had been too young when it happened to remember. All she had now were her friends and Arturo who held a special place in her heart. And she found that all good and well. They were all she needed and more.

A frown was placed on her pretty face when he snorted. Did he not believe she could be a fighter? Pfft, he should come back in a year and then he would see how amazingly good she could be. Buht I always eat everthin' 'Turo gives meh! A fattie can't fight either! She replied, just a bit insulted. Where's that? She asked, only slightly curious.

Her answer caused him to tilt his head to the side and stare at her as if she were a lost child that needed saving. "Why not?" he asked before he could even think about the words that came flowing from his lips. He found himself curious to know why she was alone. Was she abandoned? Did she runaway? Was she kidnapped? 

"You should start catching your own food, it's good practice" he suggested while looking her over. It was around her age when his interest in hunting had reached it's peak. "A fattie might not be the best fighter but they sure as hell could squish you like a bug" he said with a wicked laugh before heading right into her next question. "It's a forest called Minhiraith, far far away from here." It was a place he wished a child such as she would never visit.

Motha was a monsta. She replied, awfully chipper for someone in her circumstances. Not that it bothered Chusi anymore- Sen was all the way back to the flowery forest. Well, that's what she thought. In reality Sen had died already, but never would Chusi learn of this. Never met mah dad. She said, shrugging casually. Sow, now I live with 'Turo and mah Teaghlaigh. She explained shortly. She went in no details, for the stranger didn't needed to know them. What she had told was perhaps already too much to tell just any random stranger, but Arturo had said not to lie.

I'd like to, buht they always run away when I try t' catch 'em. She voiced, her tone a little sadder than before. She had really tried to hunt before, but it seemed she was just not fast enough. Well, she was fast enough, but she didn't believe she was. Plus, she had never gotten any training. Hell... The word stood out to her somehow. It felt heavy on her tongue, much like Death. Could it be that Hell meant something similar? 

Owh... Guess I'll nevah get to see i'. She chuckled lightly.

So her mother was a monster and her father, he assumed, had abandoned her. "Never met my dad either" he said, letting her know she wasn't the only one to not have any connection with her sire. Hadraniel had always looked at the other pups, seen them hanging with their dad and always wondered where his was. He had always created an excuse to why his father was never around, told all the other kids he was out on some epic journey saving the world. But that was a long time ago, and those were childish dreams.

"Of course they're gonna run away, they don't wanna die" he said stating the obvious with an eye roll. "You gotta sneak up on em" he added and then proceeded to walk on his tip toes towards her, demonstrating what he considered the proper way to sneak.

Oh... She let out softly, quite saddened by the fact that this male had grown up with no father just like her. But she had Arturo now, and Lotte and Szymon. This male seemed totally alone with these birds, and they didn't seem exactly friendly or approachable. She frowned. Would Arturo find it okay if she brought him along? Would the stranger even want to come with? Would ya like to be part of our family? She asked carefully, padding just a little closer to him. 

Which wasn't the best idea. The birds above probably thought she was a nice lil' snack, and as soon as she was somewhat close to Hadraniel, one of them started circling above her. She looked up to see what was going on and froze when she saw the bird. With clenched teeth and tail limp against her rear she slowly retreated, but it was too late. The bird took a dive and Chusi turned and ran as fast as she could. Run, Hadraniel! The bird's mad! Mad! She yelled.

Family. That word was like poison to him, for the family he had been born to was broken and bloodied. It had kept him from ever getting close to someone else, but in that moment when the question spilled from her lips, all of Hadraniel's walls came crashing down. His lips parted, but before he was able to give her an answer she screamed of something being mad and before he knew it she had taken off.

"What?" he yelled after her before looking up to see the bird swooping down. By the time he brought his head back down her silhouette was already fading in the distance. "Wait up!" he called out while turning to grab his dead gyr before sprinting after her.

Sprinting as fast as she could, she ignored Hadraniel. This was no time for chit-chat! His footfalls from a little further away were surprisingly comfortable. At least she was not alone. She was panting and truly panicking, all while the gyrfalcon was trying to take her off the ground or pick at her head. Then a plan came into her young mind- trees! Birds couldn't simply fly freely with trees everywhere! She took a sharp turn, sending up some dust while doing so, and ran straight for the few trees that were just outside Teaghlaigh's borders. 'Turo! Hadraniel! Cam! She yelled as she jumped gloriously to safety.

Finally there, she took some time to catch her breath, watching the gyrfalcon fly back to its nest - giving up the chase. She breathed out slowly. Phewww... And her ocher eyes started searching for Hadraniel.

He steadily gained ground until he was running just a few feet behind her, that was until she made a sharp turn and flung dust all up in his face. He closed his eyes but it was already too late. He had to have blinked at least a million times trying to get that dang dust out of his eyes but it wasn't budging. But he wasn't about to let some dirt stop him from running, so he continued sprinting on blind as a bat. 

Perhaps that wasn't the best decision though because as soon as his eye sight cleared up again he realized he was heading right at Chusi full force. He tried to stop only to end up tripping and go tumbling straight towards her. Whoops.

She had tried to be gentle - she hadn't tried to hurt Hadraniel in any way, and yet she had. It was the way he walked, almost as a blind wolf would do, and the way he trembled. The dust! Oh boy, she had messed up, now the bird was gonna get him! Wait, Hadraniel was bigger, there was no way a bird could lift him and bring him to its nest...

WATCH OUT!- She was too late - Hadraniel's body hit hers with force, but her more bendy puppy bones did not break. All she got out from it was a massive headache as his body flung her head to the ground. She swore she saw everything go black before she grunted softly - lying in a star-shape on her belly, all four limbs spread out and the side of her head on the ground.

One second there was light and the next darkness. At first he could have sworn he was knocked out for good, but then he realized that his eyes were just closed. He opened his eyes and let out a groan, his body aching  all over. "Chusi?" he let out and waited a second for a reply before adding "you ok?"

He walked over to where she was laying and used his nose to bump her gently. He hadn't meant to run into her, but then again he hadn't been the one to run off when some bird decided to swoop down. "Sorry" he muttered out, feeling bad about the fact that he just bulldozed over the girl.

Uuuugghhh.... She let out, pulling her head from off the ground. Luckily she hadn't hit a rock or something - though she definitely hurt all over. It was not fun being in pain, but she bit her lip and slowly pulled herself off the ground. Pain was part of life, she had realized as Zephyr had rejected her offer. It was the way they were, wolves, hurt and pain. But not only that, she found. I'm okay. She grunted softly.

She bit her lip again, and watched him get closer, though refused any help whatsoever. She was a big girl - she could take care of herself just fine. She had done so for a long time, and today would still be a part of that time. Are ya okay? She asked in return, accepting his apology with a sincere nod and a grateful look on her face. 

He sat down, taking a moment to let the initial dizziness from the impact subside before trying to talk again. "I'm fine I think" he answered while looking himself over to make sure there wasn't anything physically wrong with him. There were a few scratches here and there, but nothing major and for that he was thankful.

"Why'd you run?" he asked, curious what had spooked her into dashing off without a warning. He kept his ears open for any explanation she might muster up while he licked a wound on his paw. Surely she didn't run off just cause of some bird right?

Short becus I'm a mess atm XD

Chusi let out a relieved sigh. It seemed both had gotten out of this mess with only a headache. Stupid bird! She'd get them someday, she'd hunt them and live off of their flesh. Her belly rumbled. The thought of food made her even more hungry than she had been when coming here, even though she had had breakfast and all. I-It was gonna eat meh! She stuttered, turning to him quite shocked. Had he not seen the bird? 

The bird. She ran because of the bird. He let out a huff due to being a tiny bit annoyed but he couldn't stop the laugh that spilled from his lips. "You're too big for that bird to swoop you away" he said with a grin. That reminded him, where the hell did his dead gyrfalcon go? He had it when running but by the time he recovered after colliding with Chusi, it had disappeared.

He began to look around hoping that he could find his meal before some critter decided to snatch it away. After all that bird falling on his head was about the best thing that happened today. "Besides, even if that bird could get you, I wouldn't have let it just take you away" he said while looking behind a tree, hoping that his snack would just magically appear again.

She pulled a fake-angry face at him. It's not funny! She giggled, realizing now that perhaps she had overreacted. Still, the bird had looked so malicious, and it felt really uncomfortable with her being so small. Chusi saw the male looking around and instantly asked herself; what had he lost? She knew her mother would not have been like this when she had been stolen by Zephyr... 

The first a little cold man truly warmed her heart by saying that he wouldn't even have let the bird swoop her away. See, kindness could get you somewhere too! She smiled, but rose to her feet to investigate what he was looking for. What did ya lose? She asked, looking around for anything that was out of place.

She joined in the laughter and Hadraniel continued to giggle like a child would at her overdramatize reaction. "It kinda is" he said to her protest about her running off not being funny. He had not laughed like that in a while and it was refreshing to hear his own laugh again, even more so since he now knew he still could laugh. 

"My dead bird" he responded a bit disappointed to her question on what he had lost. He was looking to forward eating that free meal, though by the looks of it he wasn't going to be eating anything tonight.

Just a lil'! She replied, still giggling. Yes, maybe she had overreacted, but the bird really had scared her. Apparently she was bigger than she felt, and that satisfied her. It meant she was growing without her noticing, and that made her beyond happy. She grinned, despite the wounds and bumps she was now carrying and how her coat was full of dirt. Perhaps she had to go wash before returning home, otherwise Arturo would get suspicious. 

Her eyes scanned the floor - the marks in the dirt they had made together while fleeing for the mad bird. Retrace yar steps! She said as she stumbled a bit ungracefully back the way they had come. It was there that she smelled something - the point where they had made such a sharp turn that it left darker and deeper marks than the rest. She squinted. A little further lay something, but she dared not approach. 's that it? She called back to Hadraniel, pointing at the thing in the distance with a nod of her muzzle.

She shouted out about retracing her steps and Hadraniel's ears perked up at her suggestion. "Good idea" he let out and began to walk back towards the way they came, swinging his head from side to side in hope of coming across his meal. He eventually made it to Chusi's side and as she stared down the path, eyes focus on something laying on the ground, he too joined in and began to focus the mystery item that lay in their way.

"Don't know" was the answer to her question as he slowly made his way towards the object, it eventually becoming clear that a fox rest in there way. The sandy male quickly pushed his stomach to the ground and prayed that the pesky creature wouldn't see him or Chusi. "It's a fox, must have heard all that commotion and thought we got a kill or something." The varmint was probably hoping to find something to scavenge on, unfortunately for the fox there wasn't much here to find. 

rolled to see what they'd find...turns out it's a fox ¯\_(ツ)_/¯