Dragoncrest Cliffs rumble slow

She hadn't though of Artemis in some time, though the small piece of broken antler reminded her of the goddess of the hunt and her glorious rack of antlers. Haunt stashed her souvenir in the cave where she slept, giving it no further thought as she stretched out on the floor and closed her eyes.

She woke to a partly sunny morning and decided to go for a walk on the beach. Maybe she could find something to hunt. Failing that, Haunt would scavenge. One way or another, she decided she would check on the caching situation today.

She wouldn't know it, but the same instinct that drove Haunt to go to the beach would possess Chacal as well. She knew the seashore to be full of surprises- both beautiful and edible, and with each tide the sea brought forth new treasures to be found. She could wander the shoreline for hours at slackwater, mudlarking for treasures and searching tide pools for anything edible that might have been stranded when the tide went out. There was always something to be found, dwon by the shore. 

She meandered along for a bit before she caught sight of the pale adolescent she'd spotted the other day, who had nearly interrupted her grouse hunt. Given the fact she hadn't tried to force herself into Chacal's plans, she was inclined to give Haunt a bit of credit. Maybe she wasn't the sort to push her way into everything, thought the moody teenager. So...Maybe she might actually be alright. Chacal missed having sisters, and the only other wolf her age in the pack that she knew was Valravn- the only who remained alongside her out of all three litters. 

She wasn't sure how well she'd be received, given how impolite she'd been the last time she'd crossed paths with Haunt...but it was worth a shot regardless. So in her habitual fashion, she began to demurely walk along the seashore, trailing along quietly like a little shadow, hoping that Haunt might accept her company despite being fended off so abruptly the last time they'd met.

She paused over a dead bird of some kind, the corpse so bedraggled that it was barely recognizable. Had it died, fallen into the sea and washed ashore? Haunt bent to sniff at it, her nose wrinkling at the odor of decay. From what little she knew about avian prey, there was hardly any meat on their bones. That was how they could get airborne, she assumed. It meant they were hardly worth the effort of hunting, much less scavenging.

Haunt moved on along the beach, glancing over her shoulder when she sensed someone behind her. She was a little surprised to see the same young she-wolf who had refused her presence just yesterday. There were no hard feelings on Haunt's part, though. She was often a solitary creature, especially while hunting, so she understood.

But she couldn't help but wonder, "What were you hunting? Yesterday?"

Chacal tried hard to make it look as though she was simply minding her own business, but she was curious what Haunt was up to, and perhaps a bit curious as to what her nature was like. She gave the pale female a slight side-eye at first, when she noticed that she'd been spotted, not wanting to approach her directly...But it seemed as though her companion was a lot more chill than Chacal originally thought she might be. She asked a question, and with it, she made no accusations or comments. She'd expected perhaps a bit of passive-aggressiveness in response to being thrown such shade the other day but this...Was actually kind of refreshing. 

But then came the trouble of communicating. But in the past few days, Chacal had been working, more often than not on her own, one experimenting with using melody to help her form her words properly. So, for a second or two she thought about what tune might be simple, not too noticeable, and one that was low enough in her range that she could hum quietly. Once she'd found one, she hummed a few notes- before somewhat abruptly singing one word. "Grouse." Her voice quavered with light vibrato, and she waited a moment, with baited breath, to see how her means of expression might be received.

Yellow eyes blinked. What was a grouse? And why had she sung like that? There were several wolves here with accents, perhaps this was simply another. Haunt shrugged inwardly. Anyway, she was much more interested in this unfamiliar prey.

"Grouse," Haunt repeated, turning to face her pack mate more squarely and walking a bit closer. "Is that a rodent of some kind? Like a... gross mouse or something?"

She nodded, though she hadn't expected for Haunt to not know what a grouse was. Chacal had mostly concentrated on stalking, studying and hunting small prey- and was learning as much about them as she could as she found them easy to hunt. Given the fact that she couldn't simply shout warnings or directions to others clearly, hunting deer seemed like a daunting task to her- so she had more or less avoided them, and spent her time only bothering with things she could hunt down on her own. Why the word was unfamiliar to Haunt was beyond her- but perhaps she'd grown up in a place that didn't have the trees that they liked- so maybe they didn't live there. 

Regardless- she hadn't reacted in an adverse manner to Chacal's soft humming and lilting singing. So that was a positive. 

She nearly giggled when Haunt toyed with wordplay- as to combine 'gross' and 'mouse' would likely have made a word that sounded like 'grouse.' In spite of herself, she grinned lightly. She toyed with the same melody as before, leading into the phrase "No, it is not," Her voice trailed off for a moment. The thought of explaining about birds made her think of the few songs she knew that were about oiseaux, so she switched to a different melody, only humming a few notes before she began to sing again. "It is a bird, soft and brown. They eat pine needles, off the ground."

Her admittedly barmy guess seemed to amuse her fellow hunter. She described a grouse in that same singsong voice, even rhyming. Haunt was equal parts impressed and perplexed by this manner of speaking. She wanted to ask about it but hesitated. Would that be rude?

Deciding to feel out the situation a bit more before she pried, Haunt replied, "Ah." After a brief pause, she asked, "Did you succeed?" And then, since it seemed proprietary, she tossed in an introduction too. "I'm Haunt, by the way. Also a hunter by trade, though I've never taken special interest in birds."

Her yellow eyes drifted away for all of a split second, lighting upon the dead bird she'd discarded just moments ago, before tripping back to her comrade's face. She sought her gaze, pale tail flicking slowly side to side.

The questions asked made Chacal ruffle slightly- not because she felt that Haunt might judge her for her answer, but because Chacal judged herself for failing in her efforts. Unless she'd had the power to become invisible, there was no way she would have been able to sneak any closer to the flock of grouse and snatch one of them before they could take off. Before she could think of a melody to use in order for her words to flow, Haunt introduced herself. And Chacal had to admit...She actually seemed pretty chill. And she also liked hunting- but apparently, wasn't going to make herself into competition for Chacal's chosen area of expertise. 

She hummed again- only a couple notes, though, before she repeated back to the beginning of the melody so she could sing through the phrase. "My name is Chacal, and I must confess- my grouse hunt....was not a success," She felt kind of odd, trying to force rhyme into what she was saying. It had perhaps a bit too much flair- and she felt she was already drawing more than enough attention to her words simply by speaking in such a singsong voice. It felt childish, communicating with rhyme. Her ears turned back, then, and she frowned. Maybe this wasn't the best way to try and communicate.

The singalong continued and Haunt wondered if it had something to do with hunting birds. That didn't make much sense but, then again, neither did rhapsodizing one's every word. Maybe she ate one too many songbirds? Haunt mused, the corner of her mouth twitching ever so slightly, though she carefully controlled her expression otherwise.

"Ah, well, I was going to make the rounds and check on the caches, see which ones need to be topped off. Want to come with," she invited, "Chacal?"

As awkward as she'd felt with that last line she'd spoken, she'd still at least said something that wasn't jibberish. She and Haunt had had a conversation...Which definitely meant making progress in pulling herself out of her moody rut, and in figuring out exactly how she might be able to contribute using the convenient means of verbal communication rather than just wishing that others could read her mind and relying on physical cues and expressions. She'd lowered her gaze, which meant she didn't catch the slight twitch of Haunt's lips, which was likely for the best. She was still very sensitive about how her method of communication might be perceived, and might have interpreted it poorly. 

The invitation to tag along with Haunt made her lift her gaze. Normally, she would follow Valravn around, like his little shadow- and she was still most comfortable in his presence but...She also felt as though the invitation was a symbol of being accepted. Something she'd been pining for, over the past few months. Wordlessly, she nodded, and her tail began to swing calmly from side to side at her hocks, an expression of her gratitude.

"Cool," was Haunt's only reply to Chacal's nonverbal assent. She gestured with a foreleg, then continued striding along the beach, headed away from the waterline and back toward the cliffs. She found one of the craggy footpaths that wended and wound upward toward the forests atop the escarpment.

She knew of at least a few small stockpiles tucked in various places in these woods. Haunt glanced at Chacal to make sure she was still close behind and then roved toward the first, a shallow dugout between some tree roots. There was only single carcass in it, a freshly slain fox. Its red fur reminded her of @Merlin.

Haunted backed away with a low, "Hmmm." She spared Chacal another glance, then moved onto the next cache, this one buried beneath a particularly scraggly bush. She had to press her way underneath it and dig a little to reveal its contents. It was pretty full, probably because it was one of the harder ones to access. She got a scrape to her shoulder for her trouble.

Withdrawing, Haunt shook dirt from her pale coat and said to Chacal, "Want to pick the next one?"

She wouldn't take her place right at Haunt's flank- but would follow along a few paces away from her, clearly allowing for her to lead. And as they walked, the silence between them was comfortable. More often than not, she trailed along with Valravn like this, and she found that whenever they were silent, it wasn't awkward. Whenever Valravn chose not to ask her questions or ramble on himself, she felt he was simply slipping into her sort of speech pattern which was to not speak at all. And it made her feel included. Whether or not she knew it, Haunt was gaining more and more respect from Chacal as the minutes passed, simply by including her without putting any pressure on her to speak. 

She followed along, just a moment behind Haunt on the trail and she too moved forward to sniff at the fox carcass. Fox...Wasn't her favourite. She wasn't sure why they ate foxes- but it was winter, so they could not be too picky. Foxes were beautiful creatures- and while they were pests, she didn't find them enough of a nuisance to want to kill them and save their body to eat later. It was a sign that whoever had been hunting, and had caught the fox, was obviously being very practical. They might not have caught anything else that day- but at least they'd caught something. 

She watched as Haunt investigated another cache, one that looked a bit harder to get to with it being buried at the base of a bush, which was how Chacal liked to hide her catches. She often put them at the base of a landmark of some type, half-nudged beneath whatever it was, if she could get it in there, entangled in tree roots or under a bush like this one. She moved forward to crawl in a sniff it- just so that she too could keep a log of their caches, before she snuck back out. One of the branches caught the fur along her spine, and as she backed out, it left a solid line of fur standing straight up. She shook herself to get the fur to lay flat again; it probably looked silly. 

At Haunt's suggestion, Chacal whipped in a tight circle twice- as though she was trying to catch her tail- before she began to trot off, head down and tail curled lightly. She thought she knew exactly where to go to find a few caches.

There was a sense of camaraderie and teamwork springing up between the two of them as they busied themselves in silence. It was the companionable sort, which Haunt saw no particular reason to break. But as she trailed Chacal after the darker girl took point, she found herself wondering again about that curious habit of hers.

"Chacal," she asked casually as they plodded along, "how come you sing everything you say?"

She made soft, snuffling sounds as she ambled along at a slow trot, head down so she could find her way by scent through the area which she knew fairly well. It hadn't been too long ago that she'd last visited the caches in this area, though it was important to keep checking them and refilling them so that there were accessible meals ready for anyone in need. She picked up on a stale scent marking she'd left behind some time ago, and knew she was heading in the right direction. 

One of her ears flicked toward Haunt when she heard her name called, but her pace slowed suddenly, to a graceful, but almost cautious jog when she posed a question that drew attention directly to one of her most keen pressure points. Both ears flicked back, and the skin of her face pulled tight in an expression that might've resembled poorly cloaked anxiety. While singing successfully made her able to communicate, it also drew attention to her. She'd wanted to be able to communicate, so she might not be seen as being different- but it became painfully obvious now, that whether she liked it or not...And despite the fact that she could communicate verbally...It didn't make her any less different. 

She clammed up, but kept moving forward. A shrug of one shoulder was all she would give Haunt as an answer.

It seemed her earlier instinct had been correct. Haunt didn't react to Chacal's uncomfortable shrug beyond a brief, puzzled look. She felt awkward for a few minutes after that, though the feeling quickly dissipated as her focus returned to their task. What did she care if her pack mate made a melody out of everything? It was no skin off her back.

She would've been content to remain silent for the rest of their time together, though a question niggled at her and Haunt eventually voiced it. "Do you enjoy hunting big game?" If her early inquiry had made Chacal uneasy or even self-conscious, at least it was a "yes" or "no" question; it needn't even require a verbal reply.

She expected some sort of reaction for her shrug, and sudden silence- but none came. Chacal stole a quick glance at Haunt, only to notice that she continued to track along. At least she was considerate enough to have picked up on Chacal's sudden tension, and didn't push the issue. She chuffed softly, as she approached a cluster of alders, and began to circle them scouting to see if her cache there had been disturbed- and it had. Clawmarks in the earth signaled that someone else had come along and had taken advantage of the easy meal she'd stowed. 

Another question came, one that could have been easy to answer- if only she'd had an answer that didn't also merit some sort of explanation. She lifted her head and considered for a moment- though she wasn't sure she felt comfortable enough to sing again. So she twisted her lips slightly, and in a sort of sheepish way, she flicked her ears back and shrugged. She didn't know if she liked hunting large prey or not- she hadn't really tried.

A shrug by itself would've hit Haunt as noncommittal and quite likely discouraged any further attempts to converse. But Chacal didn't just roll a shoulder, she frowned sheepishly and flicked her ears. It was kind of fascinating, relying on such small, nonverbal cues, and Haunt was pleased to discover she might actually be decently fluent in body language and expressions.

Of course, she needed to test that theory. "Not much experience, then? Me either," Haunt admitted, looking off to the side as Chacal inventoried the latest cache. "But I've been tracking a herd of deer lately. I don't try anything, I just observe. You could join me sometime, if you wanted." Now her yellow eyes danced back to Chacal, wondering if she'd guessed correctly and whether her cohort would respond to the invitation.

While her motion and energy had been somewhat shielded and defensive, her ears flicked forward when Haunt managed to parse the meaning from her body language. Valravn read her exceptionally well, and she hadn't really expected for someone else to adapt to her means of expression as fluidly as Haunt had. Oddly enough, she didn't begrudge Haunt for it, and it actually teased a bit more confidence out of Chacal when she felt understood. While she was still flinchy and sensitive, she felt that Haunt was perhaps capable of navigating her boundaries. That would mean pushing her gently to come out of her shell, but all the while being capable of stepping back to give Chacal the freedom to be silent, and communicate using body language. Yes or no questions were a success; and Chacal was relieved to hear that the ambitious young woman was interested in hunting- but was humble enough to admit that she didn't have much experience actually taking part in hunting large prey. 

Tracking it, however, seemed to interest her. That told Chacal a bit about her, and lead her to assume that Haunt was a practical being, not one who was haughty enough to assume that whenever she did spot deer that she should rush in and try to bring one down herself. She seemed intelligent enough to know she should spend some time learning from them by simply observing them...Something Chacal had begun to experiment with as well. A kindred spirit? Perhaps. 

Her tail waved from side to side when she was invited to join Haunt in observing deer. It made her giddy to feel as though she'd been chosen to do something. She wasn't being told to sit on the sidelines- she was being asked to participate, which meant that Haunt felt she was capable. She took this validation with some trepidation- as there was always a chance that Haunt might change her mind and choose perhaps Valravn, or maybe Njord as her preferred hunting companion- but at least for now, she'd made the offer to Chacal...And it didn't seem as though it was a bid to give her pity. "Yes, pleeease, I would like," She crooned softly, spurred to use her voice. She did not rhyme, nor did she need to lead herself in with part of a melody. The words were spoken in a sing-song voice, but simply a small excerpt of a melody she had never sung before- a composition that surprised even her.

*formally invites Chacal to this* :D

"Cool," Haunt repeated her earlier slang, smiling a little broader as she murmured a second, "Cool," mostly to herself. So she had read Chacal's face right. Maybe she should dabble a bit more in this newly discovered skill. She was sure she would get to exercise it again when they tracked the herd together.

"Onto the next one?" she said in the next beat, motioning for Chacal to continue leading the way to the next cache in line.

For a moment, Chacal thought that Haunt might try singing, when she repeated the one word twice. There was something just rhythmic enough about it that she thought perhaps Haunt was either trying to do something similar, or perhaps she'd subconsciously picked up the art of reiteration from her repetitive melodies and it had wormed its way into her vernacular. Either way- it was somewhat encouraging to think that perhaps there was a chance someone else could, and would, speak to her- even when she had to sing her words out. 

So she didn't hesitate in replying with her birdsong voice, which had become more and more comfortable with every note. "Yes, yes, on to the next one," She said, before she trotted off, continuing their journey through that area of the Cliffs, alternating leader and follower and checking in on the caches they found.