Gyrfalcon's Keep to die a second death

@Kun, AW!

The territory had become Ying's home. It was where she hunted, where she patrolled; it was where she ate and where she slept. Leaving felt like a betrayal to Aningan, and although she intended to return, the huntress could not help the guilt that she felt. 

Wandering from the flatlands, she entered the forest bordering the coast. The sun was beginning its descent, making this the perfect hour for meal. Ying held her snout close to the ground in search of a trail as she continued on her path.

further west kun travels, not lingering in one specific coastal territory. they are footpaths on the map he is creating in his mind; consisting as it does of only the sea and territories bordering it. as long as he can hear the sea in the distance or smell the salty brine upon the air ...as far as kun is concerned he cannot be lost. the sea is home; like his own private polaris star guiding him.

the squat, desolate mountain barely looms above him; the gyrfalcons screeching back and forth in their avian tongue; unpleasant sounding as it is to kun. if anything the only mind he truly pays to them is to size them up as a potential meal. there were more than enough of them to spare; luckily for them he wasn't particularly hungry. instead, he was much more focused upon finding a place to bunk down for the night ...a downfall of becoming a wayfairer.

it's during that search, as the world is cast in blazing golden hues of the setting sun that he sees her in the distance. there is something irrevocably familiar about her; but at a distant glance she could be anyone. it is that thought that keeps kun's mask and veil firmly in place. instead of calling out to her he acts like he hasn't noticed her at all, content to go about his way.

The huntress kept her snout flush to the ground. A westward breeze blew through the forest, pushing loose snowflakes up into the air. She turned her head to shield her eyes from impact, then noticing a familiar scent being carried her way. Ying was curious; she lifted her head and scanned the surrounding area, noticing another wolf in the distance.

She sounded a chuff but remained in place. Where did she know him from? He looked somewhat like...困困? she called, wondering if it really was him. If not, Ying was not opposed to the idea of hunting with this stranger.

at the sound of the chuff carried upon the snowy wind, kun's ears swivel; betraying him. he's heard her and instinctually belayed that he's aware of her presence but aquamarine gaze does not lift from his path. were it not the call of his name he would've kept going. kun kun. it forces him to yield, steps slowing as head lifts and gaze strays to her. of course now, closer, and with his name upon her tongue, does he recognize her. ying yue? family.

the sensu lifts from his face and in a heartbeat of a moment, kun's frigid demeanor melts away. a smile begins to tug at the edges of his lips of it's own accord, tail giving a slow wag.

has The Sea brought you here too? he inquires, wondering if the goddess has too drawn her cousins to these lands ...or if it was something else all together.

A broad smile overtook Ying's expression. She closed the distance still between them, trotting over to brush her cheek against his own and intermingle their scents. Did you come alone? she asked, tail beating excitedly behind her. The family was large and it hurt her to have not seen them in so long, but where there was one cousin, she figured that there had to be more. Hua and Mei are here, too.

While not religious herself, Yuèguāng did have a respect for her family's beliefs. Sure, she replied, nodding toward the coast, The Sea always guides us. Finding Hua and protecting Mei had been her main motivating factors, but she didn't doubt that the Goddess had something to do with it.

kun watches as ying draws nearer, allowing the brush of their cheeks; and it is in this closer interaction that he scents her sisters and others. wolves who scents are a myriad of unknowns. yes, kun responds. but my sisters should be coming soon. unless something pressing comes up at the lagoon that demands their continued presence there. kun doesn't think that will be the case but as he's here and not there — he can't say with full certainty.

there are unknown scents mixed with you and your sisters', kun begins. have you three found a place to settle? kun doesn't mean to be so intrusive and prying to his cousin's life here in these wilds but ...if he was to settle here himself he would very much prefer to settle with family given his behavior around wolves he doesn't know and furthermore doesn't trust.

She must have a plan... kun murmurs, glimpsing over his shoulder at where, in the distance, the sea stands at his back. this being said, however; kun doesn't presently wish to spend time trying to puzzle it out. like the ebbing of the high tide, all would be revealed to them in time.

For a moment, Ying had forgotten about her other cousins. Chun Tao and Ming Xia? she asked, making sure that she remembered correctly. Chun had always been her favorite of the group, even if the feeling wasn't mutual. With the promise of more family to follow, she wondered if going back to that island made more sense. 

She shook the thought from her head. Rusalka was big enough, and Aningan wouldn't deny them...right? Once the girls made it in, she figured that they could discuss it as a group. A pack called Rusalka. It's really close, actually. Ying did not take offense to Kun's curiousity because she had been the first to intrude. Regardless of specifics, they were family; what was the harm in a question?

that's right, kun reiterates with a sage nod of his head as ying names off his sisters. his own sibling trio was not as inseparable as they once were as his sisters were pulled from his side to study things other than what he was nudged towards; often times it created a strange sort of envy in kun: that they could titter and giggle about things that had happened during their lessons. things that left him in the dark, especially when neither cared to elaborate.

rusalka; she calls the pack. do you think they have room for one more? kun asks her next, not expecting her to have a definitive answer for him. nevertheless, he is loathe to part from family ...just about as loathe as he is to go thru the arduous process of joining a pack. still, it has snowed since his arrival in these wilds and from the snow already covering the ground this is a regular occurrence. survival on his own doesn't look promising in the thick of winter.

The huntress leapt with excitement. Keeping it contained would have been unhealthy, and she didn't think that Kun would mind. Back at home, she was sure that Hua and Mei would be elated to know that more family was arriving. She hadn't considered how they might have been healing from the recent trauma, if at all; Ying coped by forgetting. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

Of course! she exclaimed. She shot her cousin an apologetic glance, hoping that her shriek hadn't been too insulting. Aningan, he's the leader. He's really sweet. It could have been Ying's infatuation taking hold, but she truly could not see any fault in their leader. He was timid, and that wasn't ideal, but she didn't think that it would last.

The huntress took another whiff of the air. Her brow furrowed as she tried to pick out one of two indescript scent trails. We should bring him a gift. There aren't a lot of animals, but I'm sure we can find something. Ying thought that bringing a gift for the caches would make Kun into a more attractive potential member. Maybe it would even disguise his standoffish nature, though she was doubtful.

kun recoils back with an unexpected laugh bubbling from his throat as ying leaps with excitement at his question; his coal black ears fluttering back as she shrieks out 'of course' in their native tongue. good, kun draws in a reassured murmur despite that they both know how the leader is will not affect how kun approaches him. despite kun's pure intentions of wanting to join to be close to his family he already knows he will be standoffish. like predictable clockwork the sensu will fall back into place; armor and his favored way of vetting strangers.

a gift. there is as much doubt within kun as there unknowingly is within his cousin that a gift would be able to temper the worst of kun's standoffish behavior towards strangers but it probably wouldn't hurt, he is quick to agree with a sharp nod of his head. there are plenty of birds. kun points out with a gesture of his muzzle to the squat mountain ( or rocky hill? ) slimy with bird poop and moss ( or perhaps that was more bird poop ). downing a gyrfalcon given the sheer number of them couldn't be that hard, could it?

Kun's laugh provided the reassurance that Ying had been seeking. She brushed against his shoulder once more, this time circling around to walk behind him. There were plenty of birds, as he'd already mentioned. It wasn't what Ying had in mind but a hunt was a hunt, and it would have been out of character to turn him down. Looking up at the canopy, she told her cousin, I'm shit at catching birds, but I bet I'm better than you.

She turned back with a sly smirk, one eyebrow raised as she devised a plan. Let's make a game of it, she suggested, First one to catch three birds is the winner. The flock was quite large; there were more than enough targets for the two of them. Ying continued, We'll split up. I'll go this way, you go that way. She would wait for Kun to accept or decline before beginning the hunt.

did a dice roll for kun's success rate.

i bet you are, kun laughs in agreement. though hunting was apart of his lessons growing up the truth was he was mediocre at it. good enough to survive but far from skilled enough to pursue it as a trade. part of the balance he strove to maintain was accepting both his successes and failures: while The Sea and The Moon have not seen fit to bless him with sublime hunting skills they have seen him skilled in other ventures.

deal. kun agrees to her terms; a soft snort pushing from his black, leathery nostrils as she lures out his more competitive nature. having been given his direction he offers ying a nod and a good luck bump of his shoulder before he heads off.

---

three attempts later; out of breath and carrying only one gyrfalcon carcass, kun makes his way to the place he had first parted from ying. during his hunt he slipped in bird droppings on his first hunt and the second attempt was a disaster from the get-go that left him with angry, stinging and bleeding talon marks on the velveteen back of his right ear; a parting gift from the angry gyrfalcon. the third attempt ...well, kun wasn't very sure how he managed to bring it down given his fool's attempts the first two times.

carcass dropped at his paws, aquamarine gaze drifts as he scouts for his cousin; wondering if she's fared better than he.

The hunt had not been as successful as Ying had hoped, but as she approached Kun to assess their spoils, she realized that it could have gone worse. There were two limp carcasses held between tight jaws. She might have been able to catch a third, were it not for her ego; instead of choosing a reasonable target, she went for a gyrfalcon far beyond her skill level. Needless to say, it did not go in her favor.

A surface scratch lay beneath her right eye. It hadn't bled much, but what had been released was now thick and crusted over the wound. Ignoring the sting, she said to Kun, I win! There were three birds between them which she thought was a worthy accomplishment. We only need to take one back, she told him, pawing at the pile, There's one for each of us, if you want to eat first.

ying crows of her victory upon her return — two carcasses clutched betwixt her jaws. a playful scoff leaves kun accompanied by a theatrical roll of his eyes. yeah, yeah, he blows out a breath. rub it in. kun grumbles teasingly under his breath. hmm, kun drawls in thought as she mentions that they only need to bring one back. i think we should bring two, he states, peering down at their pile himself. one might not be enough. you remember how ... charming i am with strangers? that is to say, not charming at all.

you go ahead and eat one of your kills though. he encourages; while he tucks his to the side inspecting his 'sorry i'm a standoffish jerk' bribe.

The huntress smiled and nodded her head. You might be right, she said with a sigh, He already knows Hua and Mei, so I don't think he'll expect any different from you. The entire family had a vendetta against the foreigners, it seemed. Aningan had already met the sisters so he likely knew about their outlook on living inland.

We'll take all three, she told him, stuffing her two birds back into her mouth. Trying to speak would have been futile effort. Instead, Ying turned Kun and nodded for him to follow as she began the walk back to Rusalka.