Stone Circle holy sh*t, what is this

@Chaska, is it okay if I PP them walking together?

 

The past few days had been...strange. Yes, for lack of a better word, Belle's interactions with her new love interest Chaska had been quite strange. Mirabelle was never a woman of emotion, always preferring to remain en gaurde, should she ever need a shield between her mind and her actions. And what had started off as a "purely business", "only temporary" solution to her social climb was quickly evolving into something that the young femme wasn't sure she was ready for. 

The pair walked side by side with no real destination, but quite a few things at hand to discuss. The more analytical of the pair, Belle wanted to delve into the realm of technicalities, like who would be responsible for caring for the den? Who would be in charge of gaurding the den? And God forbid Chaska wanted children, who would be taking care of them. Oh how Belle hoped Chaska was smart enough to not wish for children, at least no time soon. But, rather than spending their time together dropping bombs left and right, she decided to start off with casual small talk.

So, she began with an awkward laugh under her breath, tell me about yourself. Who was Chaska before Easthollow?

Sure

Chaska had many thoughts on his mind. He had no real idea on how to act around Mirabelle in such a way of how they should. He barely knew her, and yet he fell for her. All he had done is protect her once, just once. And yet, he still fell. At some points, he thought it was because of her eyes. He got lost in them on occasion. Or perhaps her confession to him. He wasn't so sure.

He glanced over at her when she broke the silence. "Well...I was rather quiet about myself. Slowly opened about things and..." He almost said that he was a mess before Easthollow. But he didn't say that. That he would save for another time. "A storyteller...And a bit accident-prone. Like this one time, I fell off a mountain. Not a good day" he said, chuckling a bit. "But what about you? Want to tell me about yourself before Easthollow?"

Belle listened to him, though her mind was drifting to other things. She caught the tail end, Chaska asking her about herself, and quickly snapped back to it. There wasn't much of a Belle to speak of before Easthollow, she admitted. I haven't been a pack wolf since before I was a yearling. Belle became a nomad early in life, learning to survive by almost dying on more than one occasion. But, the life of a traveller quickly got old and she was beginning to think that maybe it was time to truly settle down. 

How'd you become a storyteller? You're the first one I've met.

Chaska raised a curious brow at Belle at her answer. He thought that perhaps maybe even she had things to hide herself. Not that he would judge, since he was hiding the fact that he had done some terrible things himself. "And how long would that be?" he asked, curious to how long she had been on her own. For himself, he had been on his own for at least a full year, before he came to Silvertip.

"My mother. SHe told me stories as a pup..." It ached to talk about her. Out of everyone, it was his mother he was closest to. And the pain could easily be seen on his face, the scars over his eye rippling at the change of emotion on his face.

Sighing, Belle thought back to when she first left her birth pack, taking the alliance she held between her mother and her father's respective domains with her. A little over a year or two ago. Another deep breath and she went silent for a moment, hearing Chaska speak of his mother; an obviously touchy subject. She didn't necessarily want to intrude on his personal life and the secrets it held, but what would be the fun in just playing it cool? Tell me more about her; about the stories she used to tell.

I was meant to be a diplomat, Belle admitted, My mother and father ruled over enemy packs, then they had me as a sort of political pawn. I was trained in interpack affairs from the time I said my first word, but once I left, it didn't hold the same importance to me. I picked up hunting along the way and somehow, caregiving came with it. Belle laughed at the very notion that she would ever be capable to caring for anyone but herself, but then it clicked that it was exactly what she'd been doing everyday since joining Easthollow. Now more than ever.

Chaska also sighed himself, a rather sad one at that. "She used to tell me every star had a story. And that if you read the stars, one would come to you. It's silly when you think about it, but to me it's all I do to remember her." It was his way of keeping close, even though she was far out of reach. In a place he would not reach till his end. "She was the closer to me than anyone else."

He stopped talling to listen to Mirabelle. She had a much different past. By how she said it, he thought that she was just used for diplomacy. It didn't sound like much fun to him. "That sounds interesting" he said. Despite it not sounding fun, he mostly talked his way out of things. So if she knew things like that, he was eager to learn. "How good of a hunter are you?" he added, putting on a bit of a hinting smile as an idea popped up.

Belle flashed an affectionate smile to Chaska, her eyes scanning his agouti pelt. Well I did manage to survive through two winters on my own, so I'd say I'm alright. She gave a nudge to his shoulder, gently pushing him a bit. Why do you ask? It was an innocent question, she was sure, but she wanted to know, without question, what she might be getting herself into. Competition wasn't something she normally volunteered herself for, especially not with those she liked, as another side of Belle came out when the stakes were high.

Chaska eyed her with a sly look. One with a hint of fun. "We could go hunting. Look for a little snack. What do you say, you in?" His tail swayed slowly as he awaited an answer. If she said she was a good hunter, he wanted to see her in action. Plus, he could probably learn some tips by observing while doing it himself. "You might teach me a thing or two." Plus, he sometimes enjoyed a bit of competition.

Belle bit back on her tongue and thought for a moment about what could come of this "competition" Chaska proposed. On one hand, it could end up just being a good ol' time with two love birds dashing through the snow. On the other hand however, Belle could end up leaving the game with a rabbit and a piece of Chaska's ear in her maw. Still, the risk seemed to be one that she was willing to take, as she almost immediately responded with, Alright then, tough guy. Let's see what you've got. Don't let me run over you. She winked and sped up to a trot, her eyes catching onto a slight movement in the distance.

There, you see that? Belle was whispering and creeping low to the ground. Her tail was raised and whisked playfully in the air — a bit of motivation for Chaska to follow close —, her ears arched forward for any sounds ahead or behind her. It looked like a fawn, or perhaps a small doe, but either way, Belle was sure she they could manage.

I'll roll for who catches in the slack. Odd for Chaska, even for Evelyn

Chaska had no idea what he had gotten himself into, and smiled at her acceptance at the challenge. "You run over me? We'll see" he said back, all out of good fun. His tail wagged behind him. He had a feeling this would be fun. He followed, letting her take to the lead to spot. She said she was a hunter, so he would let her pick one out while he would agree on it. And that she did.

A small doe, or a fawn. Whichever it was, it was small enough to take down. Something he could agree on taking down. He felt a grin coming on. "On three. One, two...three." And off he went, eyes on the prize.

Three. As soon as the word was uttered and brought into the air, Belle was off. Her paws raced against the snow, kicking the white dust up behind her. Her ears were laid back against her head and her tail laid straight, giving her maximum speed. Once they drew nearer, the creature caught height of their presence and ran in a startled fit, but Belle was just as fast as her prey and pounced just before it could get away. She had forgotten Chaska and the game they were playing, for now all she wanted was the deer's life. Her jaws clenched tightlty around it's throat as she wrapped her forelegs around its neck and her hindlegs around its shoulders.

Chaska had eyes on the prey. Until his partner in this short hunt overpassed him. He slowed for a short couple of seconds, seeing her move faster than him. Already he knew when he would be at a loss, but that didn't stop him from still running to the prey. He snapped at it's back legs, trying to help her take it down. But in his mind, he knew ahe had it handled already.

Belle released a sigh of satisfaction as the deer gave way beneath her, falling to the ground. It's warm blood stained the ground in stark contrast, and yet Belle used all of her might to refrain from tearing into its flesh. Good...good hunt. Her voice was airy and thin as she struggled to catch her breath and calm her nerves. As her hackles began to fall, Belle turned her eyes to Chaska with a thick smile falling across her maw. I'd say I won. We should probably get this to the caches, yeah? She bumped her shoulder into his in an impish way, the minx twisting her tail as if to tell him that she would be glad to continue their games somewhere less...open. 

Wrap it up?

Chaska stepped back as the deer fell. His tail swayed back and forth behind him slowly. He smiled lightly back to her, laughing a bit as well after the rush he had. "You sure did. Good catch." he wasn't as tired, as all he had done was run a bit. he hadn't pounced and done a rodeo on a deer to take it down. That honor belonged to her, since she had done most, if not all the work.

"You lead. I'll carry from behind" he replied to her idea. Then he grabbed the rear end of the deer to begin carrying to one of the hidden caches the pack had. He even let off a smaller smile at the indication in her tail. He would be very glad to continue this little game of theirs.