Duskfire Glacier have at it

Tagging @Tahani, but all welcome!

The sun was beginning to creep back to wherever it went at night, which meant it was prime time for hunting. During her exploration of the territory, which she had spent most of the day doing, she had come across the thick smell of rabbits. Their droppings where everywhere around here, and it was clear that it was a popular hangout spot for them. Now that the sun was beginning to sag in the sky, Cyclone returned to the spot and waited for one of the little bastards to pop his or her head up so she could have at it.

she couldn't sleep. there was too much going on, too much wrong, that the peaceful slumber she normally enjoyed eluded her. so the healer paced the glacier, enjoying the feel of cool ice against her pads, the chilly cut of winter wind through her pelt. a dark shape in the near distance caught her eye, and she wandered toward it, wondering. . .

they were all pale, she thought, save Currituck. who was this ebony stranger?

sorry to disturb you, Tahani said softly after she had given the woman a chuff, padding toward her with a gentle yet wary set to her shoulders. yours is a face i do not know. are you new to the glacier? having been so often among her family in recent days, she did not even think to use the common tongue.

Instead of seeing a rabbit, she was greeted by one of her new pack mates. The gobbledygook that came from the other wolf caused Cyclone to wonder if she was dreaming or going insane. Uh, come again? she asked. Hopefully it was just a matter of miscommunication. Then again, maybe the girl was having some kind of problem with her head, and whatever was spewing from her mouth was some kind of sign of that. Neasa certainly hoped that wasn't the case. She wasn't exactly equipped to deal with that kind of thing.

oh. yes, Tahani had been lost in her family's world, as of late. she grimaced at the other shaking her head with a rueful chuckle. sorry, sorry, she said, her accent rolling gracefully over the apologies. Inuttut. family language.

she blinked slowly, wishing very much to start over. i am Tahani, the healer said, her grimace blossoming into a smile of welcome. you are? new face, she remarked, and then fell silent, having exhausted the common tongue for now. perhaps, with time, this woman would learn the northern language, too.

Feel free to fade if you want! I know you were considering dropping Tahani. <3

The other girl apologized, though Cyclone still had a tough time understanding her with the thick accent. She squinted through each word, and her brain had to work on overdrive to decipher whatever she was saying. She caught a name and then a request to share her own. Neasa, she replied, once again using her birth name instead of the nickname given to her by her family. Just got here today, actually. Doing a bit of exploring of the glacier, and I came across this place with all the rabbit shit. Figured I'd make myself useful and rustle up some grub.

She paused for a moment, wondering if she was as hard to understand as Tahani had been for her to understand. If so, this was going to be an interesting conversation. Maybe she'd have to keep the speaking to a minimum. Wanna join? she asked. Even if they weren't great spoken communicators, Cyclone knew that any wolf worth its salt could hunt silently, using instinct alone.

It's fine! I'm going to keep her around on a limited basis, actually. :)

she struggled to catch everything, particularly some of the slang that the woman used. the most important things came through, though--Neasa, exploring, rabbit. the newcomer was exploring and hunting. Tahani nodded at her invitation, eyes glowing with the chance to stretch her muscles. she'd been withdrawn as of late, scarcely doing much outside her healing duties. a hunt would do her spirit good.

her nostrils flared at the nearby scent. she wasn't much built for small game hunting--the caribou were her preferred quarry--but with another wolf, she should be able to succeed. she crouched low, her snowy fur blending with the snow, and waited, gaze fixed on the entrances.

I rolled for this awhile back! Figured you could decide how many Tahani caught.

The other wolf seemed to silently agree, so Cyclone prepped for the hunt as well, eyeballing the most likely locations that the rabbits might be hiding out. When all was said and done, she ended up catching three of them. The first she ate immediately, scarfing it down like it was her last meal. The second and third she held onto for the time being. One she would store in the caches, and the third she planned on carrying around until she found somebody worthy to give it to.

With the two extras laying at her feet, she checked in to see how many Tahani had caught.

it was the lupine equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. with patience, they allowed the rabbits to stray from the holes, and Tahani seized the opportunity. her eyes swiveled toward Neasa, surveying the carnage.

good, she responded, swiping a tongue along her jowls and smiling. she wasn't very hungry, so she would take one to Curri and stash the other one in the caches for whoever needed it. she beamed at Neasa, glad the pack had picked up such a great hunter.

why you. . .stay here? Tahani asked, tilting her head. she was merely curious. the glacier life was not for everyone. why not. . .ah, forest, plains, sea?

Last one from me! Trying to wrap up some of these older ones. :)

Why here? Why anywhere, really? Truth be told, Cyclone had thought a smaller pack might be easier to overthrow. Not that she was going to admit that to anybody. That would ruin the element of surprise! She'd chill here for a week or two, then she'd make her move. If it worked, cool, she'd have a pack she had no idea what to do with. If not, she'd find somewhere else to wreak havoc.

You guys looked like you could use another capable wolf, she lied. It was the same lie she'd told Takiyok, in so many words. I'm gonna go bury one of these and find a stomach for the other one. Surely somebody around here could use a good dinner. Let's hunt again sometime! she offered with a sway of her tail before she carefully stuffed the two rabbits' necks in her jaws and began to carry them off.