Grouse Thicket Bored to death

@Cadeau

Radar was starving as she happened to approach a lake. Where there was water creatures would most likely be lurking nearby. I’m the clearing the grey female spotted a rabbit. “Got ya.” She whispered as she crept closer to it.

Although her efforts were for nothing as the bunnies ears shot up as it seemed to hear the female and bolted with Radar following soon after. Though her footing faltered once and she lept to grab it with her jaws it escaped into the security of its burrow resulting in her hitting her snout.

Radar slouched her shoulders and poured a bit. “Well that didn’t work out the way I planned.”

Cadeau was wandering about, mostly taking in the scenery as she scouted for anything of interest she needed to catalog to memory. Of course her eyes were always open for any interesting plants she could collect and bring back for further analysis. The brown halfling climbed up a ravine, pushing through the tall grass when up ahead her large ears perked as someone's voice reached her. She paused before pressing on curiously. 

Cadeau poked her head out of the lush foliage, nearby she saw a glistening grandiose lake in the distance. However her eyes were more focused on the lupine form sulking in front of a burrow, the halfling gave a sympathetic sniff after putting two and two together, "They're fast little guys, aren't they?"

She chuffed in annoyance, she couldn’t catch anything. Just then another cake into view this time it was a wolf of brown hues. “I can’t catch anything if my life depended on it and it does which sucks.”

Cadeau could understand the feeling of failure all too well, she had her fair share of floundering about since joining the wilderness lifestyle recently. She had her paws filled trying to catch up to speed on what wolves were supposed to be good at, that included hunting, something she used to be a prodigy at in her youthful puppy days.

"Well, if you survived passed winter you must be doing something right," Cadeau told the girl with an encouraging sort of smile, fully emerging from the wall of grass.

So far this had been the second wolf to say something similar and it made her smile. “I’m Radar what’s your name?” This time she made sure to ask that first. Winter had been terrible, she barely survived it. But she tried not to think about that time. She was alive and that’s all that mattered.

So, the stranger was called Radar, Cadeau nodded her head at the introduction. The yearling approached the rabbit burrow, not really sure what she was going to do beyond give it a curious examination. Cadeau sniffed around the area, curious of the scent. "I'm Cadeau," she replied to Radar, lifting her head. "You know... rabbits have back doors sometimes with their dens. Maybe we can try our luck flushing it out?" 

She got the females name and smiled at her idea. Why hadn’t she thought of that. Maybe she would get a meal after all and maybe even a new ally. “I’m down to try.” Radar spoke with pure excitement.

Cadeau was glad to see the girl in perkier spirits after she suggested that they try again to hunt the rabbit. Though she doubted Radar would be nearly as eager if she knew the halfling herself was still a novice, her paws were wet but anything beyond that was dry as a bone when it came to swimming in the lake of skillfulness. She was much better at hunting plants than she was animals these days, Cadeau mused with irony shining bright upon her.

"You stay here then, I'll go see if I can find a back entrance," Cadeau explained to Radar, her father had taught her how to flush vermin from their dens but that was when she was small enough to crawl way deep down into them. There must be another way with her size being a problem now, Cadeau trotted off with her salmon pink nose to the ground and air to try picking out more rabbit scent to track.

She was told to stay and staying put is what she planned to do. Her stomach clenched at the thought of having a little meal. It had been a while since her last and she was excited. “Alright!”

The yearling could only assume the second entry, if there were one, had to be close by for the rabbit to make proper use of it. Cadeau kept pushing onwards, wrinkling her face up as she took a long thoughtful whiff. The one thing Cadeau could say without a doubt stayed strong in her rusty skill set was her sense of smell, or so she liked to think at least. Cadeau broke into a trot through the tall lush green grass, the scent trail taking a sudden spike in how strong it became. 

There nestled between two large rocks was a earth, Cadeau stepped as quietly as she could, recalling the teachings of both her father Snowy and companion Illidan. She took a careful peek of the entry and twitching her ears listened for any movement inside. There was the sound of shuffling dirt and Cadeau guessed the rabbit had to be in there. She was too big now to crawl down there but Cadeau decided to try something else. 

She began to dig her blunt claws into the soil, barking loudly to startle the little beast towards Radar, hoping it might in its startled state rush out without really noticing Radar there waiting at the opposite earth.

She heard the females bark and the rabbit ran towards the wolf and Radar was quick to her feet as she grabbed the creature in her jaws and clenched down into it until the bunny stopped squirming and she held the lifeless thing in her jaws. Dropping it in front of her . “Take as much as you want and I’ll take what’s left.” She was used to scraps so she didn’t mind besides it was her idea.

Cadeau saw the rabbit's form in the inky darkness of the den speed off towards the other entry in a desperate attempt to run from her, still digging to broaden the burrow. She needed to make sure the rabbit knew to keep running and to have no doubts about rocketing out to get away. Once the creature was no longer hearable by its frantic pawsteps shuffling in the dirt, Cadeau backed out of the earth. She had dirt caking her nails and some sprinkled over her head and face, Cadeau could hear Radar on the other side land the killing blow.

The halfling went to go regroup with the girl, Cadeau retracing her steps to where she met Radar earlier. There she saw Radar with the now deceased rabbit, Cadeau tried not feeling bad for the little animal. Wolves needed meat to live, Cadeau reminded herself, placating the old anxiety hunting brought her. "You eat first, my partner feeds me well enough," Cadeau told her fellow loner, she wasn't worried about lacking food later on, two hunters were better than just one Radar who was probably completing alone judging by the scent in her fur.

She looked at the hare in which she set down and lucky for her this was a fat one and Radar dove in (not literally of course). The female was starving but she did her best not to make that apparent to the other. Once having her fill she cleaned her muzzle and smiled. “Thank you, I am very grateful.”

Cadeau watched Radar [quite literally] wolf down the hare in eager hungry bites, soon leaving nothing behind as it was polished clean to the very bone. She smiled at the stranger, glad that she could help out someone in need. "It was no trouble at all," she told the she-wolf, nodding her slim head. "It was good hunting practice for me too."

She smiles not quite ready to end their little conversation so fast. “So tell me about yourself.” The female was curious and perhaps she could consider this female her friend in due time

Cadeau couldn't help but reel her head back a small bit at the question, not sure how much information she wanted to share. She supposed she could give the she-wolf some scraps, nothing overly defining to her specifically. After all, the past did hurt. "I'm just a traveler passing through with a friend, nothing flashy." Cadeau rolled her shoulders in a gesture she hoped looked casual enough, eying Radar curiously. "What about you?"

So she was a traveler too, she also mentioned a friend. “I guess I’m a traveler as well must be nice to have a companion.” She longed for a place where she could feel accepted but instead of feeling down she smiled through it,

Cadeau wondered what Radar's reason was for being alone, she wasn't nosey enough to ask as Cadeau understood the annoyance and pain questions could bring if they were pressed firmly. As Radar mentioned it must be nice to have a partner, Cadeau couldn't help the fond quirking of her lips at the thought of Illidan. "It is nice," Cadeau agreed with a curt nod of her head. "Though sometimes we really push eachother's buttons, it happens when you stick around someone long enough," she added, some humor lacing her tone of voice.