Silver Creek Part Three: Fish Breath

Set to TODAY! :D Yay! Set in the Silver Creek forum just to get Silver Creek wolves -- she's technically still in King Elk forest, but she can likely be seen/scented from the borders. 

The days keep zooming on by for the tall-legged yearling, who each day became a little more integrated with the pack and less anxious by the thought of them. She'd met a couple of wolves since Casmir brought her here, and though she'd begun to really want into those borders, it still wasn't enough for her to call for company. Today, her paws didn't keep her around the area she'd claimed as her temporary den spot -- tree-root den and an herbal cache -- but instead pulled her along the border. She limped on a good couple of yards from it at all times, but stopped when a stream presented itself from: how Grace hadn't ever seen this one before in her travels outside the border, she'll never know, but as her belly rumbled, she deigned to go for an easy meal today. 

Stepping up to the side of the shimmering water, her chest constricted -- she was reminded of the day she, Kunik, and Stark went fishing for Marauders Keep during the famine. 

Kunik had died weeks later, and she'd filled the bellies of the Marauders to ensure their survival. Grace had fought with it a while, even refused the meal for a few hours -- it was only Nova's insisting that drove her to choke it down, sobbing, but in the end saving the lives of everyone. Shuddering, she darted a clumsy paw into the icy waters, missing by a long shot and whimpering as she felt a rock strike her toes. Pulling back, the russet girl grumbled before setting her hazy vision back to the silvery waters.

tagging @Rowan Mayfair for visibility; gonna say Casmir is w Cortland since he is a trusted pack member

mona was the more shy of the two -- no matter how much cortland begged, demanded, and coaxed, she preferred to stay close to their mother and not stray. cortland, on the other hand, ran rowan into the ground with his constant flights away to find interesting things, and today was no different. there was a new wolf around -- new to cortland, anyway -- and his name was rather difficult to pronounce, even for a boy who was swiftly outgrowing toddler babble.

today cas had taken him out, and the hobbit was not going to question why. he frisked alongside the long legs of the beta male, sniffing here and there, and describing everything he saw in his piping voice. the glittering stream snared the boy's interest, and beside it, another strange wolf. beside him, cas called to the woman and cortland hung back to stare at her.

Soft, scaly flesh met the yearlings paw on the next strike, and Grace hooked her nails around the fish in order to yank it out of the stream -- the fish went flying and, in the surprise of hearing her name, launched far further than she'd wanted it to. It flopped its way in search of water, but only served to slip closer to Casmir and the little boy who was staring her down. The russet girl hadn't heard the singsong voice of a child in months let alone having heard this one approach, and she found herself embarrassed at the lack of attention. Her ears fell, head dipping lower in defferance to the Beta male on his borders -- she didn't dare go for the flopping, suffocating fish that gasped for water either, having deemed it too close to Silver Creek to consiter edible -- Cas could share it with the pup, Cortland could chase it, or it could find it's way back into a stream -- if it didn't suffocate first -- for all she cared, but it wasn't hers now. 

                  "H-h-hello...."

She was not so skittish as to think this little boy would harm her -- even if he could, honestly -- but under the gaze of whom she assumed his father, she wouldn't dare make a wrong move towards the Mayfairs' vicinity, not until she was specifically called. There was a sharp surprise written all over her inky maw, however: Casmir had a son? With who? The young boy's mother had to be here, but not in a million years could Grace imagine who his mate could be.

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the woman dropped her fish and started acting all weird as soon as she caught sight of cortland and his tall shadow. the pup put his head to one side as the beta moved forward to exchange scents with the wolfess -- his stomach churned with hunger at the sight of the fish, but until casmir motioned him forward, he didn't move. "this is cortland, my sort-of nephew," the dark wolf murmured to the new one.
then, and only then, did the chubby hobbit tiptoe closer, small muzzle extended warily while the tiny hairs along his nape and the base of his tail prickled with unease. he noticed she smelled of spring and also the beta, and so relaxed. "how you fish?" the boy piped in his loud voice.[/tr][/td][/table]

It was Casmir who came closer first, and Grace was comfortable to reach out and bump her muzzle against his shoulder in friendliness, sniffling softly out of instinct and taking in the scents of the Creek. He explained at once that this was not, in fact, his son, but his nephew -- "sort of", whatever that meant, but Grace took it the same as she was a Rose.... Sort of! -- and that both further confused and explained enough for her to be content. 

                 "I'm Grace."

When the pup approached, Grace lowered and introduced herself; for once it was not out of her own nerves but for Cortlands, prickled as he looked. The ink-mawed girl smiled softly, giving a few wags of her tail and moving little as he, too, took in her scent. His question surprised her, but she smiled, having forgotten about the fish she'd lost.

                              "You must be very patient, in both fishing and until I can teach you how to scoop them out with a paw; you're much too little and its much to cold for you to be getting wet."

Trying to get on good standing with Silver Creek, it wouldn't do her well to give the Betas nephew a cold before she was even permitted in the borders. The russet girl explained this gently to the young boy, keeping her smile and hoping he was not the fit-pitching type.

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cortland craned his neck to look at this 'wet' grace spoke of -- it was the glittering stream beside them. the black-muzzled girl puzzled him, but also intrigued the boy; he wanted her to show him, but it seemed like she didn't want to yet. while cortland understood her articulation, he couldn't for the life of him see how he was 'too little,' and glanced to casmir for an explanation. you could fall in and get really sick, dude. your mom wouldn't like that.
of course not — his mom was beginning to really cramp his style, what with her insistence he not run outside at night or bark at foxes, or other fun things. "mama fish? gayce fish?" the boy piped. surely if rowan did it, he could; no one could tell him otherwise. "who else fish?"[/tr][/td][/table]

Cortland neither listened nor took her word, but thankfully Casmir backed her up -- the child didn't rebel, but Grace could practically feel his need to explore it. Water was lovely -- the only place she could move normally -- and even a food source or healing aide to those who knew how to use it, but unfortunatley in the Winter it brought sickness, too. A dunk in such cold water could pose a serious threat to even an adult wolf.

                 "When the Winter is over, I'll teach you how to fish and swim, 'kay?"

She smiled at him at the promise, fully intending on teaching him when or if he wanted to come Spring. By then, not only would he be older, she would be a more trusted pack member.

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he nodded happily. "what swim?" he knew what 'fish' were and what 'fishing' was; what was this third thing grace was mentioning? under the watchful eye of the two, cortland stretched out his neck and crept a little closer to the water. it smelt of clean ice and aquatic meats, and the boy was quickly finding he was quite besotted with it. "dis a cweek."[/tr][/td][/table]