Snowforest Taiga Shigoto

By the time he had ventured into the taiga, Haru was ready to pledge himself to anyone to get a good meal. His legs were worn and tired. His pads had been cracked by the cold in the air coupled with his constant travel. The few wolves he had happened across had been simple enough, except for the man who had wanted Haru to stick his nose in a dead deer. The remnants of the prey animal and its innards still made the thief scowl.

Sawamura prowled through the wilds with his head held low to the ground. He had collected the scent of multiple wolves traveling and wondered if he’d happened across a migratory pack. It was not uncommon for claims to shift when the seasons changed. It allowed hunters access to more prey, more opportunity to keep their numbers fed.

The coyote’s riverstone gaze shifted toward the distance. He breathed a tired sigh before slinking toward a shaded tree and plopping to his rear. A small rest couldn’t hurt, he told himself. Just a few moments.

This is for @Aquene ^^

Her interaction with the feminine man had been… interesting. She still wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it, but she had kept the rather awkward encounter in the back of her mind for further analysis later. Her luck had turned slightly after that encounter the previous day, having managed to not only find but secure herself two rabbits, dripping with blood down her maw as she secured them firmly in her jaws, carrying them around as she looked for a nice and quiet place to settle down and strip them for all they were worth. The more she could get off the bone, the better. In the summer, she might not have cared to fully ingest every ingestible part of the rabbit, but winter was settling in for the long haul, and she knew she had to conserve every bit of energy for the coming months.
 
The scent of any creature other than rabbit was masked from her nose, the blood and kill scent overpowering everything else and so she simply kept wandering about her way, looking for perhaps a cove or a thick gap between roots of a tree that she might be able to settle into to feast. She counted all of the stars in the sky for her luck. It felt as though her luck had been nonexistent lately, and she wasn’t quite sure how to pay the universe back for her recent fortune.

Blood scent was carried on the wind to where Haru sat. His whiskers twitched eagerly at the scent of it, filling his head with memories of warm meat and sweet sinew. The thief lifted his torso and peered sharply into the thick of trees ahead of him. He could not see where the fragrance originated, not from where he had paused in his journey. Still, the winds told him it was out there, and this was enough to stir the man from his resting place and search for it.

Haru prowled quietly until his gaze settled on a dark figure. Her coat was a mixture of shadows and chocolates. A wolf draped in a dark cloak, one that would hide her appearance if she remained in the shade. As he watched her search for something, he wondered if she belonged to any of the packs in that area. His dark eyes followed her movements, then shifted to the rabbits she held. Two of them, he saw with saliva pooling at his lips. The thief smacked his chops and slunk forward.

Oh, what good fortune, he said to her, stepping through the brush to reveal himself. I don’t suppose yer in the business of sharing with a poor starving soul like me… Sawamura put on his best pleading face.

Aquene had been startled by the seemingly sudden appearance of the other canine, her eyes widening as she tried to offer a greeting through the mass of rabbits collected in her maw. It did not go as planned, and she found herself setting the creatures at the base of her feet. “Hello.” She greeted more formally, believing it to be only good manners that she should express until otherwise presented with evidence to the contrary. He asked for a share of her kill and she hesitated for a moment, looking down at the rabbits with a pang of confliction on her features. She was so hungry, but… sharing surely could not hurt? Perhaps this was why the universe had blessed her with two kills?
 
It costs nothing to be kind. Her mother’s words rang almost mournfully in her ears. It felt like it certainly did cost something, but she had already made up her mind when she saw the pleading look on his features, and in that moment sympathy panged in her heart. How was she supposed to turn down giving away a rabbit to a face like that? Clearly he has having a hard time finding food and she had been so fortunate. “I… I suppose I could part with one.” She offered back as she nudged one of them forward with her nose for the man to collect. “What is your name?” She asked, figuring the man might indulge her in a polite conversation in exchange for the rabbit… at least, she hoped.

The woman’s voice was sweet sounding, despite the uncertainty that lingered on the edges of her words. Sawamura did nothing to try to startle her. In fact, he did everything he could to appear thinner and more desperate. The thief flattened his ears to his head and gazed at her with glistening dark eyes. The end of his tail wavered softly as he drew his paw up to hang limp.

She caved without much pressure. The woman stated that she believed she could part with one of her rabbits. A wild smile erupted on the coyote’s features as his black-tipped ears stood to a point. The sweeping of his tail grew as he saw her nudge one of the bodies toward him. Haru stepped toward it gingerly before pressing a paw into the rabbit and tearing a piece away with his teeth. It was still warm and the knowledge of that filled him with satisfaction.

The woman wanted to know his name. The thief turned to regard her with a heavy-lidded stare.

Sawamura Haru, at yer service.

The coyote flashed a cheeky grin.

The way the coyote’s body appeared thin concerned her. She always fretted about others, though she did know where to draw boundaries… well, most of the time. If she could help, then of course she would. It was a tenant that had been driven home in her birth pack. Her parents had enforced it, particularly her mother. It made her heart pang for a moment but she pushed it aside. It had been the paw being brought up to hang limp that had pushed her decision over the edge. She could part with half her bounty if it meant helping another.
 
One of these days, she might grow a spine and become more selfish… but the thief was fortunate that today was not that day. Sawamura Haru. It was an interesting name, and one she had never heard, offering a shy but friendly smile back to him as she started to tear into her own rabbit since she was not the only one working through prey. “It’s nice to meet you Sawamura Haru.” She greeted more cheerfully and less shy this time. Something about having a name to a face put her at ease. “My name is Aquene.” It was only fair that she offer a name back in return.

The happy fluctuation of her voice was pleasing. She seemed less nervous now that she had his name, which wasn’t a lot to offer. Of course, if he had been in his homeland, the sound of the Sawamura name would have stricken fear in any heart. It was nice to have no expectations, he thought. It was even nicer that he’d happened upon this kind lady who had not been hard to persuade. The coyote wondered just how long she would mind the company and if she had anything else to offer.

The woman’s name was interesting. Aquene, Haru repeated with a swift bob of his snout. That’s a lovely name, miss. A real good one.

Sawamura nodded his head some more and drew his tongue across his chops. The rabbit she had given him had been torn to ribbons in a short time. The hunger he’d felt was only slightly satiated. He probably could have eaten another.

Where ya from?

The man seemed nice enough, and in a similar predicament of being hit harder by the winter months. Life as a loner had always been hard, but it seemed like the more she travelled from her homelands, the harder it got. Perhaps it was because her name meant less and less, less wolves were likely to do her any kind of favors not knowing who her parents were. He repeated her name and she smiled shyly back with a nod. “Thank you, sir.” She repeated back politely. “My momma would be quite pleased to hear you say that.” There was just a light hint of a tease to her tone. A pang struck her heart. It wasn’t often her mother was far from her mind.
 
She swiftly finished her rabbit, having it completely devoured not long after he had finished his and in that moment, she wished she had selfishly kept the second one instead of giving it away. No. You were being nice. She scolded herself for letting the thought cross her mind. The question that followed was a complicated one and she looked at her paws for a second as she tried to decide how much of her own story to divulge to the stranger. “I’m from the north… feels like a long ways from here.” She admitted, figuring the gritty details wouldn’t help anyone. “I decided it was time for me to find my own path, instead of the path my father set for me.” He had wanted so many things for her, but after her mother’s death she couldn’t live up to the expectations.

Aw shucks, she’d called him sir! Haru chortled sheepishly, turning his narrow snout from the woman. She was a polite thing, that much was clear. The coyote had been soft and withered-looking, but he’d been trying to con her out of a piece of game. The woman Aquene had not given him a reason to be conniving in the worst sense. The thief was surprised at the number of kindly folks in the area.

Aquene went on to talk of her history, providing bits of information that did not leave him needing more. She had struck out on her own. She was forging her own path and making her way in the world. Sawamura might have felt some kinship in this, but he did not know the path that she desired. Still, he nodded his head in an understanding gesture.

Yeah parents can be rough, ya know? I kinda get where yer comin from. My pa wanted me to be something totally different. Haru chuckled lazily and shook his head. His father had wanted him to follow in his footsteps and lead a band of thieves. It all sounded like far too much work. Haru could be a thief, but it was mostly for himself.

Aquene had no reason to suspect anything other than a friendly conversation. She had given him food, a man clearly hungry and starving just as most loners were this winter. Even now, that pang of regret hit her belly like the hard lump of hunger that would sit in it for some time before her next meal, but she pushed such thoughts aside. First, do no harm. It was a staple Tennant of hers, and it extended to all things, including not helping a starving man. She smiled softly at the words and shook her head.
 
“Nothing he wanted for me was bad… just something happened, and I felt suffocated by the responsibility I had once craved.” She explained, without detailing what the tragedy was. There was no reason to bring down the conversation like that. “I would have done it… but I felt a different calling after that, and I needed to get out on my own.” Being in the pack lands reminded her of loss where she had once felt joy, and that weight had brought her down. Everyone had seen it, and so no one was surprised when she set out on her own… at least, that was what she told herself. Surely they had all seen her taking off under the cover of darkness coming, right?

Haru was certain that he couldn’t relate to being hungry for responsibility. It sounded like a real drag and a great deal of work. He wondered if she’d gotten tired of it. It just went to show that duty and obligation wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. When he’d been a young boy, Haru had thought similarly of the work his father had assigned to him. It didn’t take long for that admiration to wear down. The thief was much better at shirking his duties than he ever was at performing them.

Yer happier now, then ya? Got some freedom under yer paws’n such, the rogue inquired with a slight tilting of his head. She seemed well-rounded enough for first impression’s sake. Aquene had showed him a surprising amount of kindness. Many would look on such actions and consider them heroic. Sawamura didn’t know her circumstances, but she seemed like she’d come out of it alright.

She liked responsibility. It made her feel like an adult, like she had a purpose in the world… just the responsibility her father had for her was not one she felt she could live up to. It was her job to take her mother’s role, as lead healer. She was to be married off to a strong warrior of the pack and together they would take over for her mother and father… but then her mother died, and not only did she not feel worthy of the responsibility because she felt responsible for her mother’s death in not being able to treat her, but she also did not feel like she could ever truly love the man that had been picked for her.
 
She hummed softly at the question, nodding for a moment as she reflected on the question. “I am… in a different way than I expected.” She answered, hints of sadness in her voice, though the freedom had been truly liberating. “I mean, I miss him dearly, and my siblings as well… but it was the right call. I don’t know if ‘happier’ is the right word… but I feel more like myself.” She posed more thoughtfully, explaining herself further. She always did have a habit of oversharing, perhaps because she was so used to talking to patients as she tended to them to help put them at ease. It helped gain trust.

Aquene was kind in the way that she took his questions seriously. It was clear that she thought about them before she offered any kind of response. The words she used were careful, honest. She seemed like a kind woman. It was the exact type of person that Haru usually thrived around. The thief found himself overjoyed, tickled to have been so fortunate.

Y’seem pretty nice to me, so yer doin’ something right, he offered to her as a way of saying that he didn’t think she’d made a poor choice. Family was great and all, but they could also be a heartache and a pain. Sawamura knew firsthand how delicate those situations could be. If the woman had gotten out and found some sense of herself, nothing else mattered.

We got more in common than I thought, y’know. The thief offered a crinkled sort of smile.

Aquene’s goal was always to be as honest as possible. She never wanted to misrepresent her own thoughts and feelings, and it was a strength in and of itself. She smiled softly at his words, the touching nature of his words reaching her eyes as she hummed in response. “You aren’t too bad yourself, you know… it’s nice to have a friendly conversation for once. Sometimes other wolves can be… well, not so friendly.” She’d had a handful of interactions since leaving home and she regretted to know that most had been negative.
 
She saw the smile and it only made hers grow more. “We do… I admit I didn’t know how this was going to go… but I wouldn’t trade this conversation for anything in the world.” She valued connections like this, an easy conversation and a rabbit for each of their bellies. It was a good day when she could find someone who might one day very much be a friend… “I hope we meet again soon, but for now, I must continue on my journey.” She needed to find some place where she belonged, and as pleasant the conversation was… she knew the life of a loner was not the place for her, and thus continuing to converse would not get her any closer.

Fade with your next post?

Yeah, Haru knew all about the unfriendly kind of folk. They were a special kind of character, he’d found. Most of the time, it was better to slink out of those scenarios before they escalated beyond saving. The young thief understood he’d have other chances, even with nothing more than skin and bones on his frame. There’d be no chance at all for a fool who found himself clasped in the jaws of someone who sought harm.

Aquene was sweet, though. She was a regular honeysuckle, a real sugarcube. If she hadn’t mentioned that she needed to continue her path, Haru might have offered to tag alongside her for a while. All their talk of responsibility and chasing after oneself had really made him tired, though, and he didn’t want to have to keep to another wolf’s schedule.

Hey, ya be safe out there a’ight? the coyote yipped to her in farewell. Haru then turned and slunk away to a dark place where he could nap off his meal.