Serpent Lake what a strange girl you are, flung out of space

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It was a haunting cry that pushed her paws forward. The urgency behind the howl had been enough to urge her forward and she ran until she couldn't see their faces every time she looked over her shoulder. The shadows of wolves past disappeared when she pressed on. Her heartbeat was a thunderous roar in her ears and panic coursed her veins without remorse. She'd been able to convince him to leave but how long were her words good for? What would happen if they'd caught him before he slipped away?

I’ll catch up. I promise.

“July?” she mumbled but it was for naught. His pale silhouette was nowhere she could see and she realized the voice was only an echo in the back of her mind. He’ll show.

The thought was no more comforting than if someone else were to say it but there were no one on her side. She’d seen what those wolves are capable of and the hesitancy in her companion assured her she’d made the best decision for the both of them. Every so often she’d turn around and retrace her steps to try to find him. The words were on repeat in her mind, again and again, that forced her to turn around : run, Bird, run! Birdsworth would take off once more, further and further away, clinging to the hope she'll see @July soon.

She came to a stop once she spotted the lake over the curve of snow. There stood no other wolves nearby. Her frame shifted and muscles tightened with her approach. For the first time she realized how dry her mouth had been. She dunked her nose into the water and inhaled until her stomach could take no more.

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Finley had ranged further than she had intended. She'd realized it a while ago, but the re-discovery of the game trail she'd been following had swept the thought right back out of her head. By no means what it a fresh trail. It was a few days old at best, but still. Herds did not usually move with great swiftness this time of year, so her hopes were high that she might manage to locate it if she remained diligent.

In the end, it wasn't prey that she found but a wolf. Finley didn't recognize her at all, but she sauntered over regardless. She had a thirst of her own to slake as she leaned down to lap up some of the lake's waters a few yards downwind of her. After a moment, the Alpha stood and peered over at the stranger, curiosity getting the better of her. "Hey, you seen any deer around here?" she asked with a woof.

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With her thirst quenched, and stomach feeling distended, Birdsworth lifted her head and licked at her lips. She’d taken in too much water but she managed a few deep breaths to try and soothe the upset. She began to focus on something else in order to distract herself. Her paws throbbed from running and though the water had satiated some of her hunger, she knew she really needed to find something with sustenance to eat. The worry she might not find her friend took too much of her attention to consider doing anything else.

Another approached and took their fill of water while Birdsworth had barely moved from her spot on the bank of the lake. Eyes narrowed and her fur bristled along her spine but the other kept a safe distance away until she decided to engage with a stranger.

She had wanted a distraction after all, right?

“Uh, no, no I have not,” she finally confessed after a moment of awkward silence. Her ears drooped against her head in apology. The need to explain filled the back of her mouth but she kept her tongue quiet but she could feel her heart beating against her breast, anxiety threatening the distance she’d managed to put between herself and what she’d been running from. “I don’t know this area well,” she explained for good measure should any other questions come her way.

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Finley frowned at the girl's reply. It was by no means a response that would illicit a game over for this particular hunt, but it certainly hadn't sped things along like she'd hoped it might. She shrugged the disappointment off within seconds and leaned down to lap up a couple more mouthfuls of water as the stranger added to her previous statement.

It didn't surprise the Blackthorn that the girl was new to the area. It felt like that was often enough the case. She nodded to show that she'd heard the comment, but was tempted not to engage and instead just continue on her way. She had food to track, after all. But in the end, two noses were better than one, even if the other nose had never before sniffed this ground. "Well, if you want, you can follow me and get to know it," Fin offered, "I've been tracking a herd of deer that appear to have made their way through this area in the past few days. I'm hoping to catch up before they wander into some other pack's hunting grounds."

Fin turned as though to continue on, but paused to fix the stranger with an interested quirk of her brow. "You do eat meat, yes?" she asked, not anticipating a no. She had no problem sharing a meal with a stranger if they pulled their weight bringing it in, as unlikely as it was that they'd manage it considering that they were still a good couple of days behind their prey.

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Birdsworth blinked a few times when the offer had been made. It felt odd to follow around a stranger without any promise of reward other than simply getting to know the area. The worry she might miss her friend hung the most prominent. If she got too far away from where was recognizable to the both of them, she didn’t know if she’d be able to find him again soon. She couldn’t wait for him forever and she couldn’t go back any closer to search for him, learning her immediate area seemed to be like the best idea.

“Sure.” Her voice is quick to hide any uncertainty. If she was avoiding losing the herd to another pack, it might hers was close—and another was nearby as well. Birdsworth tucked the information away for when she reunited with July later (the worry he might not resurface was temporarily shelved).

A question interrupted her thoughts.

“Yes?” she said more than asked. Her brows buried between her eyes in confusion and she opened her mouth to speak with no words to flow. She snapped her muzzle shut and brushed it off, taking a hesitant step forward to follow along. “I’m Birdsworth, by the way.”

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mild pp to get them moving slap me if not okay :D

"Good."

With that, Finley turned to lead the way, following the path that she'd been on before stopping to pick up the stray. She had only gone a few steps when the other wolf introduced herself. Not stopping, Fin called back over her shoulder to the stranger, "Finley Blackthorn." It was all she offered for the moment as her senses began to work overtime, trying to pick back up the faint trail wherever it had washed across the terrain.

"Sorry for the rush," Finley explained after a little while of ranging in silence when she felt comfortable enough that she'd gotten herself back on the trail. "My pack is a little in need these days and I want to catch up to these critters as quick as I can." Fin had slowed her pace down somewhat so that she was walking more alongside of the stranger rather than darting ahead. It was better for conversation, which the alpha was more open to now that she knew where she was going.