Bitterroot Valley if not me

message me to change the location!
quality challenge, hehe. attn: @Polaris

alsek wasn't feeling too good. his stomach growled and ached, likely ready to be filled. he looked at polaris with wide eyes to ask, food time? normally, he would gorge himself on berries or blossoms, but on this evening, he craved something more.

45

location works fine!<3 (wc;97)

food? well shit, she hadn't considered the fact that he'd need to eat; especially considering the tightness of her own stomach the past few days. what on earth had he been consuming beforehand? could pups that young even hunt? she hadn't a clue and brows furrowed as she scanned the plethora of colour glaring back. if only west was here now, she really ought to get him to teach her a few things about hunting considering her mortifying lack of skill in the area. in the end she'd simply mutter lamely, "what do you um, usually eat?"

normally, well: food. his hunting knowledge was similarly minimal; alsek didn't know much about the game, other than that it often ended with a meal. he'd assumed all adults knew more, including polaris, and so didn't have much more to add. where's food, pola? he asked, his impatience slowly beginning to show.

56

"as helpful as always alsek" she quips wryly, glancing about haphazardly for any evidence of said 'food'. a brow arches at the slight edge to his voice at the follow up question and lips curl with amusement, half tempted to wait it out to see if the softly spoken boy was capable of losing his temper. but the more she thinks about it the more concerned about it she feels, how long has it been since he ate? too long. "we'll find something" she promises "follow me" and would snake smoothly towards a thicker clump of vegetation.

wc;97

the blackbird's interest in the natural world did not cease to grow. each new scene brought him to awe, childlike mind unable to comprehend how such a magical place could exist. he held close to polaris's shadow, not wanting to get caught in brambles as he had with chubu. 

49

wc;96

she too seemed to hold some of alsek's childlike wonder within her own unique gaze, the flames that had been diminished over the loss she'd suffered slowly rekindled by the boy's own continuous wonder. stepping lightly, she'd pull up short and sniff desperately at the air. rabbit? she could handle a rabbit! glancing worriedly at alsek, she hissed "crouch down like me and don't make any noise okay? stay right there too, see how well you can stay still until i shout food" and pleading he'd listen for once, she'd slink slowly towards the telltale rustle.

polaris must have really trusted her brother to give him such serious instructions. she wanted him to stay still, right? that obviously wouldn't be happening, given alsek's history of breaking rules (which were often to his benefit, anyway). 

in his defense, he did stay where she'd put him long enough for polaris to slink out of sight. then, he trotted after her, determined to keep an eye on his latest caretaker.

71

wc;100 /yikes

why had she even believed for a heartbeat that he'd follow an instruction that required stillness or silence. she was so close, the pale furred bottom in her sights when the earth shuddered with the onslaught of carelessly placed puppy paws. of course her target tore off at such disastrous rustling and polaris hissed her frustration, throwing a pained "al!" to the air as she shot speedily from her cover to launch herself after the retreating rabbit. her last resort was to leap ungracefully and by some slip of luck she managed to collide with it as they crashed forth.

soft-petaled jasmine stopped in his tracks and sat slowly onto haunched hindquarters. polaris ran off after the rabbit, leaving him alone to impatiently await her expected return. meanwhile, alsek would keep himself busy by counting each visible blade of grass.. until he got bored of that, anyway. 

47

wc;94

she earned a right kick to the nose as she rolled with the small furred creature, only coming to hasty stop when jaws met the right mark on its fragile neck; dead. just like that. she struggled not to blanch, especially as a hidden hunger suddenly roared to life at the aroma wafting up her nostrils. grumbling, she stood and shook off the debris clinging to her disarranged fur before making her way back to alsek. now he waits huh. with a little huff she dropped the rabbit proudly "ta dah, food is served"

alsek looked up at polaris, then back down to the rabbit. what was he supposed to do here? the only meat he'd ever eaten had been regurgitated, if he was lucky, or partially rotten. but this.. this one was fresh! help? he begged of his sister, then settled onto his belly for another lesson. 

55

wc;100

eyes widened, he didn't know how to eat? was this a common pup issue? had she been....taught how to eat? crouching down, she frowned hard at the rabbit as if the answer would just present itself yet unsurprisingly the dead creature offered no ideas. exhaling lowly, she'd lean forward and tear a smaller piece free and drop it at the boy's paws. "does that help?" she'd ask a little helplessly, not really sure what he was expecting. "you have to um, chew it until it's nice and soft and then swallow, like this" and she'd proceed to do exactly that.

chewing wasn't difficult. he'd done that before, if nothing else. alsek listened to polaris's instructions, then picked up the cut to begin tearing it down. it tasted pretty good, so that was a plus.

he spent a few minutes just chewing, then spit it down onto the ground. yum! alsek exclaimed, hands in the air. he corralled himself quickly and began lapping up his regurgitated lunch.

67

wc;93

it is polaris' turn to blink with quizzical curiosity at alsek's frankly gross display. after all, he is the first child for her to interact with as a 'non-pup' herself. "is that what your food would usually look like?" she asked, looking to the mushed meat and reminded vaguely of peering at a bird's nest settled on the branches of a low shrub and witnessing the mother bringing up food for demanding kids. yet another fact it seemed to support the truth that they were not all too different from those they hunted.

wrapping this <3

alsek nodded his head. food, properly chewed, looked.. strangely appetizing to the young boy, and so he held no hesitance in diving for dinner.