Rising Sun Valley Eccentric orbit

@Keyni :D

He's been traveling for a while with no destination in mind, following the trail of game where he's lucky enough to come across it. Most of what he's managed to eat the past few days has been small meals barely worth the energy expenditure, and he's starting to feel the press of starvation close around him. Having always been a well-fed man, Deimos doesn't like this change, or how it changes how he thinks. He's become much more linear in his motions - everything a balancing act of risk versus reward, where before he might have loafed around or enjoyed the wilderness and the stark solidarity that comes from traveling alone. Now he's just desperate and driven by the need to fill his gut.

Drinking his fill at a stream, Deimos looks up and catches movement in the reeds across the bank. The slim neck of a goose is just barely visible, and as he hungrily stares with drool dribbling from his chin, he can hear the soft chittering of goslings over the gurgle of water. They're hidden, but he hears them. An easy meal, if he can cross the stream and ambush them.. but the mother goose is alert to his presence, and stares him down from across the water with two beady and resentful eyes.

The same as he was, she remained adrift in this wilderness. She had yet to settle down anywhere but that was because she was considering her options. Unless the matter was pressing, Keyni never did things in a hurry. Unlike the lone male roaming the same valley as her, she had been fortunate enough not to feel the constant pangs of hunger that came from living alone. Her belly was empty a little more often than she would've liked, but the tundra mix was still in reasonable body condition. 

Out in the open, under an overcast spring sky, she followed a hunting trail through the grass down to a nearby stream. Her jade eyes flicked down, searching for any telltale signs of hoof prints or scat left by other animals. And she did see something...but it was the tracks of another wolf, not prey. Curious now, she looked ahead, easily picking out his dark body lingering by the water. Staring back at him was a protective mother goose, her young tucked close to her side. Approaching softly but clearly enough to be heard, she saw the yearning, hungry look in his eyes. "You wouldn't have a hope in hell with her on watch." She sternly stared down the mother. "They got a nasty temper to boot."

There's a rustle behind him. Deimos' velvet lobes pull back and he turns around, met in the jade sights of a soft furred female wolf he had not heard up until now. He's taken by surprise that she was so close and he hadn't managed to detect her. He must have been so distracted by his hunger he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings enough.

She's seen his target, and she quips that his chances would be slim. Deimos smiles grimly, accepting the challenge with poise he doesn't necessarily feel. "Maybe I'll eat her first." He jests, but his tone is just serious enough that Keyni would know he's heavily considering it. Beggars can't be choosers, and a hungry wolf can't turn his nose up to an easy meal when the pickings are slim.

He gives Keyni a brief glance and is off. The banks are steep but the reeds conceal his presence. Traveling down stream, Deimos found a spot where the stream bends back, and crosses there. Now on the opposite bank, he creeps forward with mincing steps towards his hopeful lunch.

With her eyes still firmly latched onto the beady one's of the goose, Keyni gave a soft sigh. What was it with birds lately? First her tussle with the Golden Eagle with the aid of a white female, and now this. She wasn't particularly in the mood to go after the mother. Not after the earlier tangle she had been in. Besides, the unknown male next to her had spotted the potential prey. The claim was his. 

She chuckled softly, dipping her head in a small nod. "Best of luck." She offered in return, staying in place as he descended down the banks, in pursuit of lunch. He hadn't been kidding by what he meant. Keyni would take no active part in the hunt. The only role she would play would be as a decoy, to up his chances and keep the mother goose distracted. She paced along the bank, edging closer towards the water until it touched her toes. Every so often her eyes would lift towards him, watching his progress. But then, back to the mother they went, accompanied by soft growls in her throat. She'd see how this played out.

Deimos continues his advancement through the reeds, trying to angle himself so he's as small and undetectable as possible. The reeds rattle as he passes and he winces, freezing to glance at Keyni to see what she was up to. She's stayed at the opposite bank, maybe as a distraction. Deimos continues creeping forward, his belly scraping the damp ground as he goes. He makes it to twenty feet before the mother goose's attention shifts to him. He's got seconds to act, so he lunges into gear and bolts from cover towards the goose collection.

With a hiss the goose starts to run towards him, her wings stretched out and flapping. Her goslings panic and scatter, darting into the water with surprising agility. Deimos swerves as the goose comes into contact with him, battering him with wings that were way stronger than they appeared. He tries to snap at her as she assaults his face, but between the snatching and fluttering all he gets is a mouthful of pinion feathers before the goose is airborne and out of his reach. Landing midstream with her goslings surrounding her, the goose honks and twitches her tail in fury, circling around her band of untouchable babies with murder in those black eyes.

Deimos spits the feathers from his mouth and slinks back to the bank, knowing he has no hope of swimming after the band of geese. They're faster than him in water, and swimming was too costly an expenditure. He shakes the water from his sodden fur and crosses back the way he came, glancing at Keyni and rueing that she had witnessed his failure. "That went better than expected. No eyes or ears poked out by angry goose." It's not a meal, but a joke is better than nothing... especially when he's starting to feel his failures pile up around him.

She honestly wasn't sure what the outcome of his attempted hunt would be. While she wished him nothing but luck and success, it turned out that his efforts were futile. She stiffened when she saw the mother goose spot him, wings outstretched and beak agape with angry hissing. Shit he was in for it now. But to his credit, at least he had tried.

Jaws clenched, Keyni was ready to plunge headfirst into the water to rush to the aid of her fellow wolf. This was no eagle, but geese were still not to be taken lightly. Those wings could bruise and that beak could inflict some nasty cuts. Snarling, she snapped her jaws in warning, heat rushing to her muscles. But then in an instant it was over and the mother had retreated. He came back to the bank, seemingly no worse for wear. 

Her shoulders sagged visibly in disappointed acceptance. Then she chuckled. "Didn't exactly go according to plan...but it could've been worse, yes." A slight grin broke out over her face. "Told ya, they aren't easy." She jested back. A parting glare was sent to the family of geese, now well out of reach. "But I've had enough of birds for a while...I don't know what I was thinking driving a golden eagle off it's kill a while ago. Although...I did have help."

There's little to be done but laugh at his failure, so that's what he does as he approaches Keyni, noting the kind glint in her eyes. She had tried to help him, but the hunt gods were not in his favor today.

He's guilty of letting a grin overcome his face, partially because Keyni's smile is infectious, and because she was chuckling alongside him. It's one of those quick exchanges that immediately lightens the mood. He shakes his head, amused in his defeat. Indeed it could have been worse, as Keyni then describes by mentioning an eagle. Deimos doesn't bother to hide his admiring surprise - an eagle? Was she crazy? "How'd that work out for you?" He's assuming quite poorly. At lease geese didn't have sharp edges, but eagles had at least nine different sharp things they could gouge you with.

It was good to laugh at yourself, even when faced with failure. Other wolves she had known might have beaten themselves up over such mistakes, but Keyni was the type to learn from them. And, she was willing to bet that Deimos was too. 

She let him admire her all he liked, and for good measure, she tipped her chin up proudly. It was a mock display of pride, as her mood remained light hearted. "I'm still in one piece, aren't I?" She jabbed again, cocking her head to the side, accompanied with that same little grin. "Actually, it went better than I expected. Another lone female wanted in on a carcass. Between her and I, we managed. We took turns...distracting and harassing. Were it not for her confidence, I doubted I would have participated." 

Keyni reports she's still in one piece with a smirk to her features, her head tilting to the side. Deimos follows the motion with his eyes, his lobes tilting in response. He doesn't stop the little grin that plays in response to hers, thinking of how crazy it must have been to see two wolves fight with an eagle.

He can't say he has the same lofty ambitions. Eagles are tenacious and have far too many claws for his liking.

"That's a new way to get food." He comments, tilting his head to the side in a little gesture that says he's almost entertaining the idea of trying it himself someday. Except he's not. He likes his life raptor-free. "You said another lone wolf, though. You traveling by yourself, too?"

"It wasn't my first choice, but it worked." She said smugly. "I doubt I'll do it again anytime soon." Keyni and Liri had not killed the eagle; only injured it to the point where it had backed off, no longer competition. There was a never ending cycle of life and death in nature, which she both understood and respected. As a wolf, she would take life to sustain her own, but never needlessly. 

"She was a kind woman. Pure white, three legged but brimming with confidence." She reminisced of Liri momentarily, dearly hoping that their paths would cross again. "I am. I've been on my own for a while now." The way she said it, it didn't seem to bother her much. Though of course she grew lonely and wished for the company of others. Her ears flicked forward, a brow raising. "How long have you been alone?"

Deimos has his reservations, but Keyni seems smug. She's got a confidence to her he has to admire. It's not an everyday occurence that you manage to steal a meal from a raptor. Deimos thinks if he'd been the one to do it, an eye or two would have been lost. Both his own, naturally.

He's troubled by the mention of a wolf with three legs. How did she get around? No wonder she had tried to steal food from a bird - but, wasn't that risky? He has his doubts and is about to voice them, but the conversation's moved on. It's shifting to him, and how long he's been a lone wolf. Deimos doesn't want to say; if he admits it's been a while, he might look like he's unsuitable. The truth is he just hasn't gotten his ducks in a row yet. He's never been one to plan more than one foot in front of the other. "A few months by myself, but I had company until recently. Seems like there's no shortage of packs around, but I've been scouting to see which are the strongest." He leaves it at that, avoiding mention of his starfaring whims and how he can't hold down a single commitment. If she sticks around, she'll find that out fairly quickly.

Keyni was never one to judge a book by it's cover. For her, actions proved one's worth. Their strengths and weaknesses. Liri had moved without hinderance, managing to inflict the damage she had on the eagle while Keyni held it in place. Not every wolf could escape unscathed by those razor talons and hooked beak. So, despite her missing limb, she had all the confidence that the snowy female could look after herself just fine.

When he answered, the tundra mix accepted it without pressing any further. How much he gave away was his to offer, and his alone. Contently she sat by the edge of the water, gazing out into the distance where the goose had once been. "About the same amount of time as me then." Her smirk had faded into a more content expression. "I'm just...getting to know the area, before I make any decisions." She glanced at him once more, a realization hitting her. "My apologies, I never introduced myself. I'm Keyni."

Deimos watches as Keyni trails the riverbank, coming to a neat sit at its edge. It's a picturesque picture: her tiramisu coloring, depicted against a black-and-white blue river. He wishes he could keep that image in his memory forever. It's not just Keyni, but the picture as a whole - a sluggish, idyllic river with bright rays of sunshine coming off of it.

She mentions she's in a similar situation, and that's pretty encouraging to Deimos. He's been along long enough to know people like him aren't that common. Most wolves want to feel they belong, or have a sense of purpose. "Did you see any packs you liked?" He asks, wondering if she's had better luck than him.

She noticed that he had neglected to offer his name in return, but thought little of it. One's identity was a personal thing; it was at their discretion when they would reveal it. She was not the type of wolf to press for such information. Being as laid back as she was, Keyni could very well be content without ever knowing his name if they were to part ways. With those she was destined to forge a deeper bond and lasting relationships with, it would be nice to have a title to go with their face. 

Her jade eyes had settled back out over the water. The scene was indeed picturesque. Tranquil. It was often in moments like these when she got wrapped up in herself. Allowing herself to be lost to the world, yet one with it all the same. "No...I haven't visited any yet. Or met someone from a pack. What about you?"

Ooops. Deimos' rudeness is his author's oversight. He doesn't know this, and is aware he's just forgotten to answer one of his questions because he's been too busy offering his own. Well, shit. That's a good way to make a lasting impression, being the Rude Man In The Woods.

"It's Deimos, by the way," He blurts, but it's probably too late. He's done fucked up. "Sorry, one track mind. I haven't met any either." He grins, quick to brush the problem under the rug with a joke. "It's from the lack of food. I'm much better company when I'm well fed." And that is the fax.

Keyni wasn't the sort of wolf to hold a grudge over petty things. Nor was she the type to let little mistakes get under her skin. He seemed to realize his error and hastily offered his name, probably ashamed of himself. Deimos. She stored it in her memory for later...or for the long or short term.

With a gentle flick of the tips of her ears, she closed her eyes easily with the barest of nods. "It's quite alright. Hunger will do that to a wolf." Her jade eyes pried open again, meeting crimson. "We need to stay on top of our game to thrive." She said simply, matter of factly. In silence, she contemplated him. He was alone and packless and so was she. He was hungry and it was only a matter of time until she started craving big game. "I have a proposition for you. Why don't we travel together? Team up. Our odds will be better if we aren't alone."

Keyni is understanding, luckily for Deimos. Not many wolves have empathy riding their shoulders for their fellow wolves, particularly lone wolves. He notices she meets his gaze briefly and then looks away: what is she thinking, Deimos wonders.. but he stays quiet, listening to the seesaw cry of birds in the reeds. 

His attention snaps back to Keyni the moment she speaks. Her proposition isn’t a bad one. More mouths means more hands on deck to help hunt; sure they split the prize, but they also share the load. Deimos doesn’t think it’s a bad idea and he’s had luck with this arrangement before. That sounds like a fine proposition to me. Deimos rises, ready to travel with company once more. But I hope your game is better than what I just saw in the reeds. He’s joking, obviously - a glint appears in his eyes as he grins alongside her.