Kildeer Rest I say this to you right now

kaori is no longer in heat but may still have remnants of scent. @Hemlocke

North she went with the wolves once gathered in the lair, and further north she went still after that; feeling safe once more and wishing to become familiar with their surroundings, she set out to inspect the neighbouring lands. Perhaps she went further than intended, encouraged to widen her range of exploration by some unspoken need to know the land. The mountains she knew, born into the lair and finding comfort in the way the ridges sat, but open lands were not so settling. But with knowledge would come ease—or so she hoped.

The land was vast and open, appearance marred only by the occasional cluster of rocks. But with the field came small prey—rabbits, mice, squirrels, and more—prey that she could easily track and hunt on her own. And track the dragoness did, following the scent markers left behind by a wandering hare.

The open. Hemlocke did not favor it by any means and yet knew it could not be avoided forever, especially so when it came to the hunt. Despite being uncomfortable in the open, he could not allow himself to limit himself on where he wanted to hunt, not if he or the sanctuary were to survive. So by the cloak of the night he moved. The darkness helped him but did not hide him as it may have easily within the shaded forest. Still, he slinked within the tall grasses thus so far unnoticed. A scent of a hare was in the air the his determined was set. Hemlocke though impressively tall was not a large wolf by any means. Thin, much too thin by mean views with his heavy chest yet sloping, small waistline. He lacked the same strength to take down large prey then much other wolves. (Then again he was not pure wolf, was he?) His trade was in smaller game, specifically rodents. He lived within a valley, after all. 

Soon, it was not just the scent of a rabbit which drew him, but a female. One specifically at the ending of her cycle. Something he was aware of and yet, knew little of in manner of experience. Hemlocke was by no means interested in that, having been a wolf of much self control. When he laid eyes upon her, he stilled, silently observing. She was dark, like he and yet still quite different from the velvet-like void of his coating. She was like silk. So black, so sleek and smooth, she reminded him of a raven, who's feathers shown a dancing of blue in the moonlight. If he had meant to say anything, he didnt, only watching like the stalker he was, awkward and shy to interaction.

Swiftly did she move, light atop thin limbs, the earth below hardly disturbed. Small like her mother before her, Kaori used this to her advantage when it came to hunting; to even partake in a hunt for larger game was a risk at times but, when it came to creatures as small as a mere hare, she excelled. As the scent grew stronger, the proximity closer, her body dipped down and motions slowed—quieted even more so, a true huntress at work.

A pause—she did not falter, body lurching forward as the chase began—and a short chase it was, the hare soon hanging limp from her maw.

In from behind blew a stray gust of wind, wintry and chilling; it smelled of cold, of coming snow, but also of wolf. Turning, the dragoness’ gaze scanned over her surroundings, searching. Only when the sky was met by fire did she still, gazing back at the male as he did her. Curious yet cautious, she allowed a muffled chuff to slip out around the rabbit in her mouth but did not move to approach him.

And she was off! Swift as ever, a light, delicate footing which could have easily outmatched his own silent approach. She did not have the distance of long-legged range as he did, long as he was, but her petite frame carried her lightly to close the distance between she and the rabbit in no time. In seconds, she was victorious, a rabbit  dying in her clench jaws after a number of feeble kicks in attempt to free itself. 

All the while, he watched. Part of him watching as the rabbit he had been sniffing out was taken by another and the majority of of him just observing the stranger curiously. 

When she scented him she scanned for him and it didnt take long before those bright sky eyes locked on his bloodied ones. She chuffs a hello through what little space there was in her mouth to greet him and the slightest waving of his curled up tail is given slowly to and fro in response. He takes a single long stride, but pauses. It would only be natural for her to not want him close. Not while she had a kill, be it for herself or for her pack should she have one. Thus, he awkwardly kept standing where he was, unsure where to go from here.

Between his posture and his tail, she was unsure what to think. Although waving, seemingly friendly, his tail was kept high and arched to an incredible degree, so much so that she wondered if it might be painful. But whilst the positioning of his tail screamed authority, the male, overall, did not seem strict. Still, she did not move from her spot but merely watched him—stride forward and then stop, standing awkwardly no closer to her than before. More curious now than moments prior, the dragoness lowered her head to place the rabbit at her feet, then straightened back up and tilted her head.

“Are you well?” she called out. “I will not harm you.” Not that she really could, even if she wanted to; Kaori was far from being a skilled warrior, after all. In fact, raised to believe that violence was nearly never an option, she was never truly taught the tactics of battle. She knew only what instincts might provide her with, skill set minimal, at best.

She examined him and he did everything in his power to show he was not a threat. He lowered his skull, to fall between long forelegs though his ears remained upright, a sign of his curious nature. He tried to lay his tail low, but the bottom portion of it naturally had a curl he couldnt shake lest he plop himself into a sit. The woman lowered her head then to settle the rabbit onto the ground, allowing her to speak up where body language failed. 

The delicate woman asked if he was well and that she would not harm him. At first he nods that he is okay. Bloodied eyes cast to her rabbit, then back up to her. I won't steal from you. He assured her, which is why he had been hesitant even further more to come near. It was a good catch.

The male kept her attention, eyes trained on him as he moved and postured changed. And when he spoke, she could not help but smile, amused. “I did not think that you would steal,” she informed him. Kaori was not the sort to see the worst in others—she gave those that she met the benefit of the doubt, believing them to be good until they gave her a reason to think otherwise. To have any other mindset was unfair, she felt.

“Thank you,” she said following his remark. “If you are hungry, we may share it.” To not offer felt rude—and the dragoness was anything but.

She smiled, lighthearted and kind in saying she didnt think he had come to steal from her anyhow. As it were, there were quite a few loners that weren't so lucky at the hunt and would take what they could when they could to survive. Hemlocke could not quite blame them if it came to choosing between dignity and honor to their survival. Be it as it were, @Holly was quite an adept hunter, at least with small game and Hemlocke did not find himself starving. He had only meant to return the favor to the slender golden woman. 

I admit, smell if the hare drew me. Which was what had pushed him out into the open, cloaked by the night in order to find himself a meal. Alas, she had gotten to it first. But not for me. For my group. He explained, coming along a bit closer with long, quiet strides. His head lifts once more to it's full height, overlooking her raven coat.