Dawnlark Plains There's no seduction, only destruction

@Dante !

Every step she took left a mark within the light dusting of snow that covered the plains, even with the sun beaming down on her back. She'd invited her little mouse on a trip, as it was high time she learned more about hunting and the lands surrounding their forest, but she left Loinnir back home. He was tasked with filling empty caches with mice and, of course, was allowed to eat his fair share of it for dinner. Without her little owl friend, the fae felt light - almost as if she could step on the individual snowflakes and leave no trace of her passing this place.

The lands were barren, a murky light-greenish color and trees sprinkled here and there. She spotted the burrows of rabbits and the tracks of some kind of bird - it was proof enough that, despite its appearance, the plains were generously lived in.

Do you suppose we could find something akin to a meal around here, Dante? She asked, just to be sure. She looked over her shoulder, not minding if he wanted to go further into the unknown - they were almost close enough to visit her friend at Whitebark Stream - she'd travel to the ends of the realm if that's what it took to take home a fair bounty of flesh for the hungry faeries.

Dante had visited the plains once before, had stumbled upon a woman cloaked in dusty greys crooning sweet music that had carried to his ears where the wolf had been exploring. He wondered idly if she had achieved her mission, had finally gotten some closure perhaps. Now, Dante was exploring the plains once again with another silver songbird astride him, but he had a bit of a mission of his own this time. 

He trotted lightly to catch up to the woman as she adressed him, pulling his nose away from where it had been pressed to the ground inspecting the snow. He'd had a bit of trouble concentrating on the task at hand, distracted by the little white flakes' presence where they layed, sparse upon the grass. Snow wasn't something Dante had seen much of back home. Along the shores, they'd have snow once or twice every winter season, and Dante always managed to find time to celebrate it. However he carried more responsibilities now, what with a pack of faeries to feed and all, so he'd find a way to ignore the snow (distracting as it may have been). 

I suppose we could, yeah? There's gotta be something around here somewhere, with that, he plotted along, nose against the terrain as he sought out a trace of something. The boy managed to get a fair few steps in before something sharp and gamey caught his attention, his head quickly shifting left as he inspected it more closely. The boy's head lifted as he turned to face his companion, eyes bright with excitement. Think 'v got something... he inhaled deeply once more, his brow furrowing with his focus. S'gotta be like a...duck? It's a bird, I'm sure. Just not sure what kinda birds they've around here, he turned back to the woman once again, cocking his head a bit as he awaited her input.

The plains reminded her of her brother - this had been one of the last places they'd been together, or at least, somewhere around here. He'd left without saying goodbye, the last fragment of her family Lumiya wanted to keep a hold of, gone with the wind. She secretly wished the best for him, wherever he might be - that he may find someone like Dante to keep him company, to confide in. His sister wouldn't be around now to take care of his emotional needs, or tease him about his uneventful love life. She kind of missed him, but not enough to make her wilt.

She watched the mousy boy as he sought, joining him in the opposite direction. There were many scents, but none strong enough to stand out. Without a very fresh trail, the small fae was useless with tracking - she was useless for most physical activities. She had speed and agility, sure, but when it mattered most the girl became rather clumsy and thoughtless. She'd proven so much trying to save the little boy from the cave-dwelling witch. Her ear twitched 'pon hearing her other half - at least she didn't have to pretend to know what she was doing anymore. She padded over to him, sniffing where he stood. Sure, there was a scent trail there, but details were vague to her.

I do scent a trail... I'm not sure what it is either, but we might as well see where it leads. She concluded gently. The only scent she knew very well was that of rabbit, as she didn't hunt much else in their forest. She hoped to get some tracking and hunting lessons from Aoibh or Memory as soon as their court was established, for a leader who could not provide was no leader at all.

Though he was no hunting savant, the young man had picked up a thing here or there back at innisfree, having had lessons with some of the elder hunters when he had begun to come of age. Had he stayed, he would've been expected to start an apprenticeship with one of them, but such things were nonesensical to spend too much time pondering over now- the boy was happy where he was. Nonetheless, the few lessons he had managed to participate him aided Dante now. He had been a sorely lousy fisherman, much to the amusement of his family and peers, but seafoul, yeah. Dante could do birds. He'd found himself envigorated by the thrill of leaping after them, though the inevitable feathers that caught on his lips and in his mouth had never been a great joy. He was surely rusty now, not having had been on a real, proper hunt in a while, but he could recall the excitement clearly.

It was that same thrill that propelled Dante forward at the word of his partner, creeping carefully but quickly forwards as he tried to keep track of the trail. Annoyance gripped at him as the trail began to fade and get a bit muddled the further he went on, and the young man thought perhaps it was the fault of the snow. Damn...it's been a while. Figure it's gotta continue on but it's just...it's a bit faded, he snuffled a bit more, frustration tugging at him. The boy huffed a loud sigh, his thoughts getting more entangled as he grew more agitated, displeasure fizzling in him and clouding his mind until he could no longer focus enough to get a clear idea of where it led. Damn it, he hissed, irritation coloring his quiet voice as he stopped altogether, closing his eyes and stilling. Gods, if he could just be useful now for one second. Seelie had done so much for him already, surely the boy should be able to focus enough to just get some bloody food for them.

As soon as her family learned of her habits as a child - picking flowers, aiding strangers, being kind in ways they couldn't understand - the girl had been written off as defective. There was no time wasted on her training or skills, be it sparring or hunting. All she knew, she'd learned on her own and with the help of Revan who was not a great teacher because he'd also just been a child. She survived on her own by being low-maintenance, her small body needn't many nutrients, and eating scraps others had left behind. Rabbits were kind of dumb, and she'd had success hunting them, but for larger prey she'd always needed a group to aid her or an already wounded prey animal.

She stuck her nose to the ground and trailed after him, noticing too that the trail that had seemed rather strong was fading the further they went on. Time built up and annoyances accumulated for Dante - she could sense and clearly see this was frustrating him. She gave up on the trail and stood beside him, giving a soft nuzzle through the fur on his neck to calm him. Hey - it's alright. We've got all afternoon. She tried to reassure, looking then back the way they came. Perhaps we went the opposite way the bird did? If it's stronger over there, and weaker over here - perhaps we should try going the other way? It was a theory crafted out of logic, not much else - she didn't know whether it worked like this or not - but the girl was awfully smart when it came to problem-solving and logical thinking.

The frustration with himself that had been humming through Dante's mind as he had begun to lose track of the lead was sliced through by the touch of counterpart, his heart lurching slightly as he was brought back to full self-awareness. He grounded himself in the fleeting comfort, leaning into the touch with a sigh and whispering a soft apology under his breath. He was getting himself worked up for no reason, and it had a lot more to do with fears of his own shortcomings than it did the exact task at hand. 

His eyes met Lumiya's as she spoke, bobbing his head in agreement with her proposal. You're probably right, let's try it, he replied easily, taking another breath before refocusing his energy and plodding in the opposite direction. Surely enough, the girl had been right in her suspicions, and he gave a dazzling grin back at her as the trail began to grow stronger. He tracked it intently, slowing his steps as the scent intensified and pulling his head up to glance around once it was strong enough that he became sure the quarry was near. The grasses proved to be a peoper nuisance now that the young man had to rely on his eyesight to locate their prey, enough so to worry the boy that he'd be unable to anything. It was just as he went to flick his head over his shoulder to consult in Lumiya that he spied them. Two...no, three, three round, soft-looking bodies nestled in the tall grasses, several paces away from where the pair stood. The young wolf dropped his shoulders and torso lower then, casting hisgaze back at Lumiya to see if she, too, had spotted the birds.

He was willing to listen to her - which, let's be honest, was enough to win her heart already. She was someone who's voice had never been heard until she rejoined this realm and crowned herself, seeking support from subjects she knew shared her beliefs. She loved Dante for more things than she could express, but him listening to her and taking into consideration her thoughts and ideas... He probably had no idea how much it meant to her.

She trailed after him, nose pressed to the ground till he turned to look at her with that darn handsome smile of his. She blushed and offered him a bashful one in return. They padded onward then as the scent intensified... Whoever was hiding around here, they smelled delicious. As silently as she could, she joined Dante shoulder-to-shoulder to examine the treasure they yet had to catch. She spied them, though it was probably just two of the birds being stripped of their life - one would survive, unless they somehow had time to chase all three. She turned to the mouse, and nodded, confirming whatever doubts he might have of her seeing what they were after. She was ready to follow his lead.

With confirmation from his partner, Dante moved forward on quiet paws, his steps drawn out and tentative. He stopped his creeping only when the birds- which were huddled with two within a pawstep of each other on the right and one a pace or two left- were just barely withing leaping distance, stopping for a moment only to make sure Lumiya was beside him. Then, taking in one short, quiet breath, the young man visibly braced himself and went for it. Rushing forwards as quickly as he could, he threw himself at the birds on the right, his maw open wide. Within seconds all was a flurry, the two feathered creatures exploding into chatter as Dante's teeth clicked loudly, closing on nothing. As though on autopilot, the limber wolf sprung into the air where the second bird had only just taken to its wings, managing to catch it messily before landing with a slight stumble. As his jaws found their way to flesh and blood, the bird's incessant cries grew louder until they came to a complete, abrupt stop. Dante's heart pounded quickly, his head tossing to the side to observe Lumiya's luck with the fowl as he came down from his adrenaline rush. His muscles were still tensed, body poised should he need to aid Lumiya in her endeavors, though he likely wouldn't be able to help much.

It was her first time trying to catch a bird, though she was willing to go all out to impress Dante and take home a nice meal for her faeries. In a cat-like manner, she scooted her body up as she prepared her pounce, moving only milliseconds after her hunting partner and landing almost on top of the poor creature. The sounds of Dante's struggles were drowned out by her own as she smacked the bird on its head with a paw as it attempted to escape, dizzying it enough for her to grab him by its little chicken neck and biting till it broke. This was harder than she had anticipated and it took her a few seconds of the bird scratching at her chest and trying to peck at her eyes - but after, the sounds ceased and she was left with a dead bird in her maw.

She panted visibly, turning to Dante with a bewildered yet proud expression, plopping the body on the ground. We did it - we actually did it!

Dante was unsurprised but proud nonetheless to see the bird trapped in his partner's teeth, a little noise of encouragement bursting from his throat as he watched her. The look on Lumiya's face when she turned to him made the feathers in his teeth worth it a thousand times over. He wasn't sure he'd ever get over it, that face she made- the one where her smile grows so bright Dante swears sometimes he's been blessed with a second sun, the one where her eyes sparkle like she's got galaxies swimming behind her gaze. It blinded him then as it does each and every time. He never wants to not be blinded by that expression. 

The mouse padded forward on light feet then, chuckling around the catch in his mouth as he knocked his shoulder against the wisp's. We're a real team, we are, he mumbled happily, the quail making his words jumbled in a way that reminded him of when he'd tried to charm Lumiya with flowers when they were first getting to know each other. He jerked head in the direction of home, eyes still crinkled with a smile as he observed the giddiness in her movements, his paws dancing slightly with similar excitement.

In an act of pride, she stuck her bird-stuffed maw into the air and closed her eyes in a cocky manner. The act did not last long, quickly breaking the character she had created for just a moment, to flutter happily in a circle before Dante came padding towards her. She giggled around the feathers in her mouth at his words, at his bump, at his everything.

Wannagohome? She asked, not as used to speaking with her mouth full the way Dante was, as she saw him motioning towards where their forest was. Sure, two quails did not make a meal for a whole pack, but perhaps they could gather just whoever was around instead of releasing a summon for the whole pack.

Dante nodded blithely in response to the question posed, figuring that the two birds would be enough for them to carry on their walk home for now. Though they wouldn't fill the cache, they would still make for a nice meal. Plus, they could always venture out again in search for larger prey should there be more hungry mouths than the quails could sate. With a final glance around the land, Dante began to trot back towards the court, his eyes focused on the surrounding terrain should any easy prey pop up on their trek home. A smile lit on his maw as they walked along, content to have been able to provide for the court. Finally, he was beginning to become a real contributor to their family.