Dawnlark Plains Nothing, no nothing
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#1
All Welcome 
@Keen

Hunger gnawed at him. He was hunting, crouched with belly to the snow. A quail he'd spotted with craft pecked at some remaining long-grass peering through the top laying of snow. His ears were slick to his head, legs ready to spring him forwards towards the bird. He knew what the bird would do; fly. That's when he'd launch upwards and grasp it, unless he got lucky on his first attack. 
He'd rolled in the snow, clumps of it clinging to his dark form and smoothing the soft throbbing in his face. It felt good to be again doing his own thing.

The guilt of abandoning Grezig, despite his promise, hadn't sunk in yet.
He moved, making a massive leap at the bird, its strangled cry ripping the air before the beating of wings. He was ready. Launching after it's tail, the bird was clamped in his jaws and brought down with the gravity. He expertly held it down with both paws, knowing how strong the wings and the ferocious beak could be, and dove his teeth into the killing spot.
Silence, save for wind and his light panting.

Then he started his feast, savoring the bird like it would be his last meal; every meal counted in winter. His tail softly swiped the air as he ate, pleased with his efforts. He didn't realise until the presence was known to him that there was another by him.

246 words
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#2
so sorry for the wait!
The girl is still incredibly lost, despite her best efforts to catch some sort of trail that might lead her back home. Unbeknownst to her, she's managed to wander even further from Easthollow's borders than she'd been before; with each passing hour, she becomes more thoroughly lost. She isn't quite as far from the pack as she thinks, but for all she recognizes, she may as well be in a foreign land entirely. She feels like she is, at least.
A strangled cry suddenly cuts through her thoughts, not wolflike but chilling nonetheless. She halts, ears pinning to her skull as she glances around in search of the source. Nothing she can see... but surely there's someone nearby? She presses forward in the direction of the sound, struggling to keep herself from trembling too much as she considers the possibility. Maybe it's a friendly stranger; those exist, right? Right. Hopefully. Predictably, she finds herself freezing the moment the other wolf comes into view, belatedly realizing the stranger is eating something and that maybe she's picked a bad time to interrupt. She sucks in a breath, staring at him with a deer-in-the-headlights expression and struggling to come up with something to say — but nothing comes. All she can do is stare.
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#3

The man's head lifted upon finishing his meal, feeling something prickly and spike at his fur. He was greeted with a dark form of cocoa, standing somewhat stunned before him. Wide eyes, fear radiating from her. Was it fear? He hasn't seen it in so long that he no longer knew. 
He blinked at the stunned wolf, licking his lips and letting his tail waver lightly in greeting. He had to try and be nice sometimes right?
Besides, the girl looked too young and thin to be a threat.

"Hello there," he started but no more words came. They hung in the air as his mind searched for something to say. His head tilted in interest now, wondering if the girl was accompanied, but if so why was she so thin? He let out a slow breath, assessing before again formulating words, "Do you need help?" What harm could come from helping a young wolf anyway?

158 words​
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#4
Her heart leaps into her throat when the other wolf seems to notice her, and she finds herself suddenly struggling to breathe when he greets her. There is nothing threatening in his tone or posture as he speaks; he's even offering help. But she can't shake the fear that he will see the terror in her eyes and know that she is weak and — do something. Judge her, maybe, or decide she isn't worth his time; it seems such a silly thing to be so afraid of, put that way, but the fear gripping her is so painfully real she can't even find it in herself to rationalize it. She blinks once after several moments and sinks slowly to her haunches. Um, She says quietly, ears laying back against her skull. I — um. No matter how hard she tries, nothing else will come.
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#5

The man assessed the other. The stuttering, the anxiety.
Had they been hurt?
"Are you hurt?"
Even a nod or the shake of the head would calm the rising pressure, if this girl was hurt he had to get her home. Wherever that was. He blinked slowly, taking a soft step forward before lowering his body.
It'd make him less threatening, less of an opponent. If he put himself lower it'd make him seem weaker, encourage the other to be stronger.

"I won't hurt you, miss." He smiled softly, hoping to look not like the monster of his past, or appear as the sad grunt that moped about from time to time, but a new friend. Someone for this girl to talk to. Someone that can help.

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#6
Her breath quickens further when he speaks again, even as she tries in vain to force herself to form some kind of response. She flinches a little when he takes a step forward, immediately dropping to a crouch against the ground, though she does not flee his approach. She barely hears his reassurance over the pounding of her heart in her ears and the sound of her own too-fast breathing, but she tries desperately to take it to heart. Her gaze flits briefly between his smile and his eyes before dropping to the ground in guilt. It hits her all at once that this man is being kind and that she is being very rude and that there is nothing at all that she can do about it — and of course, that's when her eyes well with tears. She blinks, sniffing a little as her face heats and the first tears start to fall. Her shame is so great that she can't even look at him now. All she can do is stare at the ground, crying and thinking about how awful she is for thinking terrible things about this nice man and treating him so horribly.
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#7

The man watched with concern as the girl started to tear up; he waved his tail in a vague attempt to console her without words. Perhaps his voice was the problem but he tried to look closer; see a deeper meaning.

His brows furrowed, his tongue snaking out to lick his lips. "It's ok,"  he murmured, watching a tear drop from the girls lowered face, "I won't hurt you. You're safe." He inched forward, laying his head on the snow. He sleeked his ears back and gave the girl a soft smile to comfort her. "You don't need to cry, miss." 
Words. They say actions are more powerful but, combined? Surely it'd work. He didn't stare at the girl directly, that would be rude, but he looked her over for injury. The timid girl looked malnourished. Had she run from her pack and got herself lost?

"Do you need food?" He offered. He perhaps wouldn't be able to help the girl home, not knowing the layout of the land, but he could help her survive. Besides, from her age, she couldn't be far from home. They'd find her, or she'd find them.

202 words​
 
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#8
Her eyes snap back to him and her terror spikes when he continues forward, peaking for the barest fraction of a second, and in that half-beat she's certain she will die from her fear alone. But then, something seems to click within her; something in his tone, perhaps, or in his kind expression as he inches closer — or maybe she's simply exhausted herself out of her panic. Her breathing starts to calm first, gaze locking to his features. Part of her protests the proximity, screaming too close! too close! even as the man's reassurance slowly sets her pulse to a more steady rhythm. She swallows hard, pausing over his question before offering a slightly reluctant nod. It isn't food she wants, though she knows she needs it; above all else, she wants Merrit and Arlette and mother and the safety of home. She doesn't want to be alone anymore. Finding herself still temporarily mute, she extends one tentative paw, pausing a beat before she can force her other limbs into motion and start a tentative crawl toward the other wolf. She stops near his face if she's allowed so close, half-expecting to be warned away but unable to fully squash the faint spark of hope in her chest. Perhaps she won't have to be alone, even if she hasn't found her family yet.
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#9

Derg watched the girl crawl closer, tilting his ears in case of a surprise attack from behind or something stupid. He wouldn't take kindly to having this girl being a decoy, especially as her fear seems so real.

He kept still as she came closer, his eyes rising to look about them. To stare could induce fear again, anyway, but he was aware of her every movement. He allowed her as close as she wanted, only letting a soft sound that was almost a whine run through him. From what he knew, it was a sign of friendliness or affection. He tilted his gaze down to the girl, now getting a closer look.

He was still a head above her but he only saw it offer more comfort from his protection. After she settled into his presence, and him to hers, at least. 
for now, however, he'd comfort the girl until he felt inclined to continue his wanderings.

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#10
She takes a deep breath when the man whines softly, focusing on his calming presence. The proximity, as nerve-wracking as it is, helps to soothe her irrational fears the longer it passes without incident. It takes a few moments for her to convince her mind to fully accept the male as not scary, though she has no true explanation for why she'd been afraid in the first place. Perhaps she's broken, somehow, in her head. She swallows hard past the lump in her throat, overcome again with shame, and suddenly her voice returns to her. I um, I-I'm sorry, s-sir — I-I'm not very um, good at — at t-talking to um, strangers, The words come unbidden, and she resists the urge to grimace at her own rambling, slightly breathless apology. I sound so stupid, she thinks miserably, like a dumb kid. But she is a dumb kid, isn't she? A dumb kid who'd gotten lost, and now can't even speak properly to ask for help. She swallows again and adds: I um, I'm... lost. I-I can't find my — my home or my f-family.
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#11

Derg tilted his gaze down, eyes filled with softness. He was assured they were safe here, for now, but didn't want to linger too long. It didn't do too well to stay near where he made a kill for so long; he didn't know what manner of creature may haunt this place.

"Do you know which way home is?" He blinked slowly, hoping a simple question could be answered easily. She was starting to settle after all. His tail stirred softly, hoping to coax courage from the girl.
He'd felt the air tighten at her stuttering so encouragement seemed to be the best. He supposed it was well he traveled in silence.

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#12
His question is reasonable, certainly, but it strikes a chord within her nonetheless. N-no, She mumbles, eyes heating with the returned threat of tears. She's so useless; perhaps if she hadn't spent so much time panicking and being stupid, she'd know a little bit about where she is. But she doesn't know which direction home is, or how far it is, or anything even remotely useful. She swallows again, struggling against her emotions. She manages to keep the tears at bay, if barely, and it makes her feel a little better about the situation. If nothing else, she can at least control herself a little.
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#13

His brows furrowed in concern, studying the sylph before tilting his head in inclination for her to stand with him. "Come,"  he murmured before slowly pushing himself to rise, careful not to move too quickly should it startle her,  "travel with me. I'll try to help you find your family but you can stay with me. I'll look after you." He smiled softly with his offer, finally reaching his standing position and looking around again.
Always the observer.

"If it helps I'll teach you about hunting and you can talk to me about anything," he reached his nose down to the girl, breathing softly to try and show he was going keep to his promise of protection. He turned Northward, unwittingly to the pair away from the girl's family, "My name is Derg." He settled on, letting the girl contemplate what she wanted to do. 

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#14
Her eyes widen slightly when he speaks again, and it takes her a moment to get past her initial disbelief. She can't imagine why the man would be so kind to her, after their awkward introduction, but she's certainly not about to turn down his help. Something about the way he says it sparks a strange tension in her chest, a disconcerting mixture of anxiety and hope and dread that she can't quite explain, though she knows she feels it most strongly when he says "I'll look after you." She doesn't linger on it for long, however, instead rising eagerly to follow him with a grateful nod.
Her expression lights with surprise and a hint of excitement at his mention of hunting, and her electric blue eyes are sparkling when she speaks. I-I like hunting! She tells him with a bright smile, forgetting her misery for a moment. She seems to catch herself, though, and her next words are softer and tinged with shyness. I um — th-thank you sir — um, Derg. She pauses a moment, swallowing hard, and adds: My name is Keen.
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He gave the girl a rare, genuine smile. The kind that reached his eyes and his heart. The enthusiasm shown in that brief moment was enough to tell him that teaching the girl to hunt would we worthwhile.
She seemed she would be easy to teach, she could listen to his guidance, small, agile, quiet. The perfect, learning hunter.
Whilst at the same time as teaching, it would strengthen their bond, she would learn to trust him. Social skills were vital for a wolf. As was hunting.

He nodded, starting off in a vague north-east direction, letting the girl follow him. He didn't know what he expected to find but he hoped that he'd keep to his promise to the girl. How hard could it be after all?

131 words
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