Wild Berry Meadow Cool kids never have the time

He had never left the safety of home before, but lately he had been struck with the overpowering urge to explore. So the second the sun came up, he had ventured from the borders to see what else was outside the plains. He had been careful to keep track of where he was going, he thought so anyway, and had made sure not to wander too far; he wanted to be able to get back home and wanted to be able to make a quick getaway in case there was any trouble. He had seen how much Castor's disappearance had affected mom; she seemed so sad a worried most of the time, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause more problems for her. He actually felt a little guilty now for wandering from the borders. He knew she wouldn't be happy about it if she knew, but he was being careful, and he would make it home before dark. He would make sure of that.

A thick blanket of snow covered the clearing he now made his way through. It made it hard to move very quickly. The cold didn't help either. His coat was a little thicker than his mom's was, but not much, and so it did not offer him very much protection against the icy breeze. He tried to ignore it, though, and concentrate instead on his surroundings. The snow made the meadow almost too bright in the midday sun but not so much that he wasn't able to keep an eye on things. Occasionally, he would stop and sniff an interesting place on the ground, moving on when he grew bored or found nothing out of the ordinary. He stopped and looked around, sniffing the air and going back to focusing on the ground when he was satisfied that he was alone.

The yearling drifted further inland, curious about the canine residents in the area. She knew of the pack living at the plateau and Harps considered turning back toward the coast and taking a closer look, especially after making Erzulie’s acquaintance. But Harps hesitated. She had never been part of a pack and though she craved the company of her own kind, she felt extremely skittish about the whole notion too. She would need to chew on it a while before she decided to make that sort of leap.

Luckily, Harps kept herself busy with exploring and well-fed on small game. She had just caught a lean hare along the bank of a stream bordering the woods where she’d slept the past few nights. She carried its swinging carcass in her mouth as she loped downstream, the ice cold water burbling in the places where it wasn’t frozen. There was a lake ahead, though Harps suddenly veered to her left, deciding to head toward open ground to enjoy the winter sunshine on the snowy prairie sprawling in that direction.

She slowed to a stop when she spotted another wolf sniffing along the blanketed meadow. Harps’s copper eyes took in his appearance: cream fur with darker speckles, possibly blue eyes (it was hard to judge from this distance) and a youthful build. Her tail waved slowly as she set down her kill and chuffed to get his attention.

He was focused and incredibly naive still, so he didn't even know she was there until her chuff reached his ears. He jumped a little and jerked his head up to look at her. Quickly, he tried to recover his composure, show that he hadn't just been startled and that he was completely aware of his surroundings at all times. Thankfully (hopefully), she wasn't privy to just how fast his heart was beating in his chest; it would take some time for that to slow, unfortunately. His eyes lowered to study the food, the scent of it filling his nose along with her own. When he looked back to her, he took a few steps towards her. Hi, he said first, stopping a few feet from her and taking a seat. Who are you? He asked a little suspiciously. He had no reason to be suspicious, really; she seemed friendly enough and had not offered any signs of aggression. But he was just naturally wary of anyone he didn't know.

He seemed a little apprehensive and Harps certainly didn't blame him. She remembered running into the two wolves the other day, afraid they would chase her away from their kill. One had ended up fleeing but the other had been the worst kind of wolf: totally nasty for no reason she could distinguish. The yearling didn't want the young male to feel the way she had that day, so she quickly dropped the rabbit and mirrored his sit.

"Hi, my name's Harps. What's yours?" she replied, then pointed a toe at the rabbit and asked, "Would you like to share this with me?" It was a paltry meal, especially compared to the huge buck rotting on the ridge, but Harps was here to make friends and was happy to share.

He dipped his head at her introduction, returning it with his own. I'm Acheron. He looked down at the rabbit as she pointed to it. His eyebrows lifted in surprise as she offered to share her meal with him. All adults must be like the ones in his pack then, giving him food when he was hungry. And now that he was presented with the opportunity to eat, he realized just how hungry he was. Sharing was not a foreign concept to him either, having grown up with two sisters and a brother. Saliva pooled in his mouth but he remembered his manners like mom had taught him. Um okay...thanks, Acheron finally answered. Which part do you want? he asked. She should get to choose first since she was the one who actually caught the rabbit.

Spica had been doing a little bit of exploring lately too, since being at Hoshor plains was so boring it could kill. The adults did not at all understand any of her struggles like, they just couldn't understand what it was like to be a kid. The fall had been especially boring because there'd been nothing to hunt and now Spica was behind on her hunting skills so she wasn't that great at catching things even now that there was a bit more food around to be caught. That didn't stop her from chasing, but finding any food was hard enough. The adults said it'd get better but what proof did she have? They didn't understand any of her struggles to start with, so what did they even know?!

To escape from her bore-out Spica had been following her brother's trail and was sneaking up on Acheron now. Before she could make her grand pounce however, someone else showed up. Spica's ears perked up as she watched the stranger -- how exciting! -- and then she saw it. The food. Acheron was still talking to this chick which seemed like the perfect opportunity. In lack of actual food to hunt Spica'd turned to hunting already caught food whenever she could. She'd managed this before, even though she'd never actually gotten away with it. But one day she would. She just had to keep trying.

So she took a deep breath and said, Alright, you can do this, Spic! and after this pep talk to herself Spica started to run towards the pair of them, fully intending to snatch the rabbit and make off if she could. But. Step one first. Snatching the rabbit without getting caught, which, considering they were both very close to it, was a pretty hard task, that seemed more and more impossible with every step she realised now that she was going. But she was already going now. Her paws were a landslide she couldn't stop no more. No turning back!

feel free to pp, if either of you want to catch Spica when she tries to take the food :p

"You take the head and forelegs, I'll take the hindquarters," Harps said. That would give him the brains, heart and lungs and leave the rest of the organs to her, so the nourishment would be more or less equally divided. "I'll do the honors?" she offered in the next breath, placing a paw on the carcass to pin it down as she prepared to rend it in halves.

Before she could bend over it, a third figure appeared as if out of nowhere and attempted to snatch the hare right out from Harps's grasp. If not for the weight resting on the body, the thief might've run off with it in the blink of an eye. But the yearling instinctively flexed when she felt the tug and looked up to see another youngster trying to snatch the meal.

"Hey!" Harps said loudly to get the would-be thief's attention. "There's enough of this to go around, no need for stealing." The new arrival looked hungry, just like Acheron, and Harps decided right then and there, "You can have my half but I'm going to need a name first."

The head and forelegs sounded good to him. She said that she would split the rabbit up for them, and he watched quietly, waiting patiently for his meal despite the rumbling in his stomach. He swallowed the saliva that and gathered in his mouth, his ocean gaze fixed on the meal he was about to consume. 

But then the nice lady paused and looked up, breaking his focus. His gaze followed hers, and that was when he saw his annoying sister. He huffed loudly as she slid into the woman and their meal and watched in horror as she actually tried to steal it. Spica, he chided. To his surprise, the woman didn't seem too upset about, going as far as to offer her some of their food, too. A scowl darkened his expression and he looked between Spica and Harps a few times. This is my rude sister, Spica, he answered. He felt bad for his sister's bad manners. She can have my half. I'm not that hungry, Acheron continued with a small shrug. He didn't think there was enough to share between the three of them. He wasn't going to take food from his sister, no matter how annoying she was, and he didn't think it was fair for Harps to go without, so he would just suck it up and find something else to eat later.

Spica felt her jaws clench around the meat in sweet success, but rather than taking anything she was stopped by the stuckness of her prize. Spica first wheeled around but then lost her balance and, while being forced to get go of the prize, she rolled over on her side a few times before coming to a halt. Her fur was covered in dirt and snow and she shook her fur while the other wolf kindly offered her ?? her part of the food ?? Woah! Spica totally hadn't expected that, but while she was here to hunt she wasn't going to say no to free food.

Woah, really?! she asked, unable to believe it. She stuck out her tongue to Acheron when he said that she was rude and then offered his half, too. Jokingly, Spica said, Wow, thanks! So that means I'm getting both halves? Neat! She laughed at her own joke for good measure -- cause she thought she'd been pretty funny -- and then looked at the unknown girl. I'm Spica, Acheron's awesome sister. Her brother may have already introduced her, but she wasn't going to be rude and not introduce herself. I was practising my hunting-scavenging skills because there's been so little moving-and-alive stuff to practise on. You sure I can have this..? Didn't her family need food, too? Didn't she need food, too? Spica waited a moment before digging in, because even though she knew she could be pretty rude-and-a-lot and she was pretty hungry she didn't want to, like, make anyone else not have any food or something.

Acheron introduced her as his sister, Spica, right before relinquishing his share. Before Harps could say anything to that, Spica repeated her introduction and, in spite of seeming surprised by the offer, happily indulged herself. The yearling chuckled at her while offering a totally unnecessary, "Yes, I'm sure."

Facing her brother again, she added, "Hang on. You can have my share, Acheron." She motioned toward the munching Spica and mused, "And you'd better get it now, before she eats it all." Just in case he tried to protest, the she-wolf backed off a few paces and said, "It's fine, really. You two enjoy. I'll find another one."

Though she had faith in her own hunting skills, Harps knew this meant she couldn't linger and socialize. She needed to fuel herself. "It was nice meeting you two," she said softly but earnestly, hoping they truly did enjoy their meal even as she spun on a heel. "Back to the hunt with me," she called over her shoulder.

Heartened by the encounter though it had cost her a meal, Harps quit the meadow and veered back in the direction of the plateau. The brief conversation with the young siblings had given her a bit of confidence, so she might just try her luck and get better acquainted with the pack that resided there.

Acheron looked at the stranger in disbelief that she would just hand over her food. But he quickly reasoned that probably any adult would do the same for two hungry children. She stated that she had to leave and he nodded in return. It was nice to meet you too, and thanks for the rabbit, he said, looking down at the food. His gaze moved slowly to Spica so that he could heed the woman's advice and make sure she didn't eat all of the food herself. 

When the lady was gone, Acheron narrowed his eyes at Spica. Why do you have to be so rude? he asked. He moved closer to the food. And make sure you don't eat my half; I'm hungry too and I was here first. He had a feeling his words would just go in one ear and out the other as usual. As far as little sisters went, she was probably the most annoying.

It was pretty astounding that this wolf would just give them her food. Wow! Spica honestly hadn't meant to steal it but it was all about practising her hunting instincts, y'know? Anyway, she wasn't going to turn down a free meal now that she was offered it though. Cool! Thanks! Spica quickly dug in, because she figured hunting would go a lot better on a full stomach and she really wanted to practise anyway.

Without waiting around for long, after offering her food to Acheron again the other girl took off. Spica was just mid-bite as she said that it was nice to meet them and left and Spica just kinda full-mouthedly smiled at the girl. Hoy, wfait-- she interjected when the girl took off but a combination of her swiftness and Spica's mouth still being kinda full stopped her from making herself properly hearable and it was too late; the girl was already gone. I never got her name, Spica said as she looked at Acheron after finishing her mouthful of food.

Her brother wasted little time in scolding her for being rude, and Spica rolled her eyes at that. Whatev, she huffed at Acheron. If you don't want to miss out, you should just eat faster. Obviously Spica wasn't going to let her brother go hungry by eating more than him, but she couldn't help but tease him after what he said about her. Just for good measure she tore off another piece of meat from the rabbit.

Acheron rolled his eyes at his sister's response, not at all surprised. He watched her take another bite and sighed. Her name was Harps, he offered, lowering his head to take a bit for himself. When he had chewed and swallowed, he turned back to Spica. What are you doing out here on your own anyway? he asked, raising an eyebrow. Was it really that safe for her to be wandering around on her own? Of course, he had done the same, but he was older and the brother. Sisters shouldn't go off on their own. Does mom know you left? he added. It wasn't like he had said anything to her either but again, he was the brother; it was his job to keep Syrma and Spica safe when mom couldn't, at least that's how he felt about it.

Spica was grateful that her brother repeated the name of the girl, just so she knew who to refer to this kind wolf who'd shared her food with them as if ever it was needed for the future. Not that she'd ever admit to that, of course. She continued to eat and then when Acheron paused his meal to ask her what she was doing out here anyway, she said: I was just explorin'. What business of his was this, anyway?!

When her brother asked if their mother knew about her leaving, Spica laughed. She comically mimicked what he said -- DoEs MoM kNoW yOu LeFt?! -- and then stuck out her tongue at him. I can do whatever I want, nobody's the boss of me! If mom wanted me to stay at home, then maybe mom shouldn't have moved us to Boring Plains. Of course, she wouldn't spin the story the same way when she would be explaining her whereabouts to actual mom later on.

He glared at Spica and released a heavy, exasperated sigh. Do you ever take anything seriously? he asked. Sure he literally had the opposite problem, often approaching things with way too much overthinking, but like, did she ever think about anyone else? Or even her own safety? You know I could go with you, he pointed out. She was probably the most annoying sister anyone could have, but at least then he could make sure nothing happened to her. You know, so you're not out here by yourself. What if you got hurt or something? Everyone would be pretty upset, and he would probably feel really guilty for not keeping a better eye on her. Castor is already gone.... I don't want the same thing happening to you... was what he wanted to say, but then he would have to express feelings, and he just wasn't really a fan of that.

Mr Serious asked her if she ever took anything seriously, to which Spica had the perfect comeback: Do you ever have fun? You do know what fun is, right? Acheron then went on to say that he could go with her, as if she totally needed a bodyguard. Acheron referred to their lost brother, and while Spica missed him a lot, she had been rather young when she'd last had him around and another part of her thought that maybe he'd just left because he was bored or something. His disappearance was like a natural part of life, and honestly, Spica rather had some fun instead of fussing about getting lost all the time. The strong ones survived, everyone knew that, and she and Acheron? They were part of the strong ones.

Well, I'm part of the -- Hey, what are you doing out here alone anyway? Where's your escort? Probably for the best, Spica realised halfway through the conversation that Acheron was being a total hypocrit and she needed to rub it in his face like, right then.

He rolled his eyes at her question. He knew how to have fun, he just had a very different definition of fun from most wolves. He thought it was fun to chew on his stick and think or walk around by himself and think. He didn't to go off and do dangerous things like his reckless sister. 

He shook his head and puffed out his chest a little when Spica asked why he was out here on his own. I'm the older brother, he said with a shrug. I don't need an escort. As if that really explained anything. They were technically the same age, but to Acheron, he was born first and so he was the oldest and most capable of the four of them. That was also why he worried about them; he didn't trust them to be smart about things.

Spica rolled her eyes when Acheron said that he didn't need an escort, being the 'older' brother. Yeah right, it wasn't like it made any difference. Spica didn't even know whether she or Syrma had been first (but it was probably Spica though) and she didn't whine all the time about which of them was first, did she?! Yah, by like two seconds or whatever. She snorted at his arrogance on the matter and grabbed the remainder of her carcass, which was mostly just a bunch of bones at htis point. Spica started towards home, but not before a last retort: Let's go then, 'big' brother, before I wander back home without an escort alone. She took her part of the carcass, grinned at him with it between her teeth, and headed back towards the plains.

Her remarks earned her another eye roll, but he didn't offer anything else. He was glad that she wanted to return home, so he would just leave it at that. He picked up his own half of the rabbit and followed closely behind, his gaze scanning the area nervously as they made their way back.