Meadowlark Prairie I hope it's already too late

@Ingrid

A bit of snow had fallen overnight, leaving an even layer of white that spanned the meadows, already dotted with footprints left behind by the early risers that had travelled to the safety of the woodlands by sunrise. Bronco crossed the meadow, having already scanned it to see nothing of note. The snow wasn't too thick, so he was able to skim through the snow without too much issue. 

He investigated the tracks left behind, discerning which were fresh and which kinds of animals had passed through overnight. Nothing unexpected- deer, rabbits, a coyote, a fox. Staler scents revealed that other wolves had been in the area, but as far as he could tell, he was the first to pass through since the night had passed. 

Hoping he might be able to find a fresh trail, he zig-zagged his way across the meadows, nose hovering just above the snow's surface, keen on finding something he might be able to catch up with and eat. 

He'd stopped to ponder if he'd have any luck trailing a set of fresh rabbit tracks when it happened. He didn't hear the predator swoop down, nor had he seen its shadow. But the juvenile bald eagle dropped from the sky, talons outstretched. He caught sight of it only a moment before it hit the ground, slamming into the snow with an audible thunk, and the air resonated with what he thought was a sickening smack. He heard the high squeal of a rabbit, and the scuffling of paws, wings and claws. Attention perked, he bounded toward the scene fully expecting to see the eagle take off into the sky with the rabbit in tow but it didn't. 

While its aim had been fair, it had not judged just how thin the snow had been. The rabbit was paralyzed, but still alive and the eagle reeled in shock, hooked beak open as it cried out in ullulating cackles. One of its legs had been broken when it hit the ground. Bronco couldn't be sure exactly how badly injured it was, as it shifted and had its wings partially opened. With eyes wild and dark it eyed him and fell silent, its mouth still agape. It didn't look like it was going to take off anytime soon, if it even could, but it didn't look keen to give up its meal, either. The two predators eyed one another in an uneasy standoff, while Bronco tried to decide if it was worth trying to snag the rabbit at the risk of being bitten- or if the eagle, too, could be eaten, or if he should show it mercy.

early one morning she ventured northeast from her makeshift hovel in the woodlands.  past the rock and sand lie a meadow that managed to retain parts of its color in these barren winter conditions.  ingrid's lope was even and steady as she crossed the gentle hills of the prairie.

she caught the eagle's descent, but paid it little mind until its writhing silhouette drew her forward.  it had caught a rabbit, if one could call it that -- "caught" was a charitable word for what she observed.  the rabbit's mouth was twisted open but no sound came out.  its body lay sliced and bleeding on the ground, but the eagle could not take it.  when it stopped flailing, it favored one leg.

on the other side of this commotion was another wolf.  ingrid attempted to lock eyes with the young man, gestured with her muzzle at the creatures.  she lowered her massive body to a crouch and began a silent approach from behind.  she knew no mercy.  a free meal in the winter was a gift from the earth, and if the wolves were either talented or lucky, both of them would be blessed.

While he was a predator and felt little pain when he made his kills, it did feel odd to look another meat-eater in the eye and not feel compelled to feel some empathy. It looked angry, not scared. Its adult plumage hadn't even come in- it'd be another year before it sported the white hood of its kind, and that was only if it survived this poor judgement call. Bronco had just begun to convince himself he'd be just as well off if he let the eagle be when he noticed a dark shape approaching from beyond the eagle. 

He didn't recognize her, but her gaze was intense, questioning- and he knew the look. An invitation to cooperate and perhaps feed the both of them- and the call of his own kind pulled him roughly against his own empathy. She wanted to kill the eagle- she'd gestured toward it with a motion of her jutting jaw- and she wanted him to help. 

It wouldn't survive, he told himself. It wouldn't be able to perch. Shock, infection- it'd have a slow death. Still be felt sorry, but he lifted himself from his crouch and began to approach the bristling bird, keeping its attention on him while danger crept up closer from behind.

can edit this if i ended the hunt too quickly, but i didn't think the bird would be able to get very far

he picks up on her intention quickly, which pleases her.  ingrid makes silent work of crossing the distance to the eagle.  the last night's snow was powder instead of a solid sheet, and even a woman of her stature would find an advantage here.

the brown-cloaked stranger drew the attention of the eagle.  the predator, which would have been more fearsome in the sky, seemed to forget about its kill as it began to hop with nervous energy. 

a crest of taller grasses further cloaked her approach.  the frost-tipped woman launched herself at the bird, teeth gnashing down upon one of its wings near the shoulder.  an astonishing honk of pain tore from the bird; it began to turn itself in an attempt to score her scar riddled muzzle.

It was a pitiful sight to see the majestic bird grounded, but this convinced him that it wouldn't have thrived. Withe the might that it could muster it flailed, but made an awful sound as the dark wolf set upon it. Seeing it reel and aim to bite her spurred Bronco into action, and he closed the last few feet between them and joined the fray. 

The snow had melted from the rabbit's blood. Its eyes stared past the eagle's flailing wings, and was blocked from view when Bronco closed in. He heard the eagle's beak click as it tried to snap at the female's face. He heard it click near his own ear as he bit down first at its other shoulder before he shifted his grasp to its neck. Hollow bones crackled, brittle, in his jaws. He stepped back, willingly surrendering some space to the wolf whose stature alone made him feel the need to defer to her, so she wouldn't feel as though he'd challenge her for the meal.

her temporary companion moves swiftly as the eagle comes for her, tearing at its body from the other side before taking its life with a snap of his jaws.

if she had been hungrier, or perhaps if he had not deferred to her, it was a true possibility that the giant woman would have made a dominance play for the meal.  here, she felt no need.  there was enough for the both of them.  she dropped the eagle.

first choice belongs to you. her voice is accented, rumbling. she circles around to the other side of both bodies of prey.  rabbit or bird?

It was only when the female spoke that he noted a certain kindness about her that wasn't necessarily something he'd picked up at first glance. So swiftly she'd honed in on the eagle he assumed she was bold and fearless- and he saw now that she might also be at least partially blind when he noticed the filmy blue colour of her right eye. Blindness was a trait attributed to one of the fiercest wolves he knew, so he knew better than to see it as a point of weakness. Her face was scarred, and she had a jut to her lower jaw that reminded him of a grizzly.

With deft familiarity she offered him first choice of a meal, which surprised him. His instinct was to want the rabbit, as it was easier to eat. The eagle would need its feathers plucked and even then, how much meat did eagles really have on them? He intended to take whichever was less desirable out of politeness, but as he'd never eaten eagle before...He wasn't sure what choice to make. 

"Oh, uh," He fumbled. "I dunno. Which one do you want?" He asked. Maybe she had a preference. He eyed the eagle's talons. For some reason, he wondered if Fennec would want one, for whatever reason. They looked pretty cool- but how practical would it be to gift her with a talon when they were busy travelling? 

Decisions decisions.

she notices that he does not recoil when his eyes trace the broken side of her face.  good.  many young boys did.  most young girls. maybe it was the scars of his own.  she rolls her tongue over a small trickle of blood from a shallow scratch the eagle had landed.  she hadn't noticed it.  it did not seem to bother her.

he leaves the decision up to her.  she makes it swift.  had she known the moral crisis he'd had over whether or not to kill the predator, she would not have offered him the eagle.  without this foresight, she watched him eyeball the bird and swept up the rabbit with a broad stroke of her forelimb.

ingrid's fangs tore the lapine's fine, limp appendages like an adult might rip apart a child's toy.  she swallowed them quicker than some might have expected.

she would wait for him to pause before saying,  thank you for the help.

Of course, he'd only realize his true preference once the burly woman swept forward to snatch the rabbit and begin eating it with gusto. He was a bit surprised- but had to admire how decisive she was. He grabbed the eagle by one of its wings and dragged it back toward himself. It seemed smaller, now that it was dead and its feathers fell flat against it. And surprisingly light- but if nothing else, it'd make for an interesting story when he brought it back to Fennec to eat. 

He considered de-feathering it for a moment and decided against it. He wanted Fennec to get to feel the smoothe feathers, and see it through touch. There was a chance, of course, that she wouldn't be impressed at all and would just want to eat it but that would be fine by him as well. He nosed at the eagle's talons; they were massive, curved and sharp. Impressive. When he looked up, most of the rabbit had already been eaten. 

She took a second to thank him. He blinked. "Oh. Well, thank you," He countered. After all, they had both benefited from their teamwork. "I've never had eagle before. Don't really ever get the chance to hunt them like partridge or pheasant. S'kind of cool," He said. He realized then she probably thought him a bit odd to be spending his time admiring the eagle rather than eating it. "I'm gonna take it back to my mate to eat. But uhm. I'm Bronco, by the way..Do you live around here?"

he inspected the meat rather than eat it, she did not make habit of concerning herself with things that were no longer hers.  he goes on to explain that he would take it back to his mate, which made more sense.  she wondered about his nuclear family, if he would become a father this year.  if he already was.

he says he has never had eagle.  i do not like them, she admits, though she wouldn't have turned it down if it was all they had.  i have preference for land-game.  she licks her chops.

i am ingrid, she says.  i live nowhere.  another wolf might have said this like the loneliness pained them; to the older woman, it did not seem to matter.  and you?  bronco?

He got the feeling that she was the sort of wolf who was quite used to taking care of herself. While Bronco's instincts made him want to give her the choice of meal, she'd been content to take what it was that she wanted. It wasn't selfish, it was practical. And it was clear that she wasn't just surviving, she was thriving. A few grey hairs speckling her pelt might have been the only real physical indication that she had a couple years on him. The fact that she obviously felt comfortable taking what she wanted was a mark of her experience living shrewdly on her own. 

He didn't want to admit that he too preferred land game in case it made her feel as though perhaps she should have left him the rabbit, so he simply smiled softly and nodded. Eagle wouldn't be so bad...But he did still somewhat regret not taking the rabbit. He hoped Fennec wouldn't mind. 

"Well, nowhere, right now." He admitted. "Fennec and I are travelling right now, looking for a place to make our home." He felt it worth omitting that their previous pack had disbanded. For some reason, he wanted Ingrid's approval. He was a people-pleaser, after all. "You been on your own for a while or are you travelling with folks too?" He asked casually.

love this!

his name is bronco and hers is fennec.  she makes an effort to commit this to memory, which was not as good these days as it once was.  he tells her they also live nowhere.  but they were two.  they would find their way.  good ambition, she states.  normal too, for wolves in his age group.

the boy could scarcely tell the difference in age between them.  but she could see it in the eye where there was nothing to see at all.  she could feel it when rainfall or night time cold brought aches and shivers in her joints.  she had lived through years that were left to his future.  she hoped they treated him well.  his mate, too.

ingrid lives alone.  perhaps not for much longer.  she would keep the options open.  you will do well.  she says this with certainty.  he seemed like a fine enough fellow.

Me too! You are a wonderful writer- and I already totally want Bronco to steal Ingram hahaha :D

Praise from Ingrid felt like something that had to be earned. And it made him want to be all the more ambitious, and spout all the ideas that he and Fennec were coming up with. For whatever reason, Bronco had always found it so easy to talk to, and open up to the mature women in his life. He'd had the advantage of being raised by, and trained by a whole slew of them- Towhee, Wraen, Finley, Hydra, Kukutux had all had a hand in teaching him to look up to them for their wisdom. Ingrid felt like a natural addition. 

She briefly addressed her own solitary life before encouraging him once more. "I appreciate the vote of confidence," He said. She treated him as though she too felt comfortable looking past scars, and not jumping to conclusions. He wanted to keep her around. 

But therein lay the problem. He and Fennec had no claim- and only a few days into their travels, he wasn't sure Fennec would want to start dragging their future pack members around with them. Maybe Fennec wanted more time with just the two of them...He couldn't be sure. But he had a feeling Ingrid could be an asset to them. He wasn't really willing to say goodbye, and then simply hope they could bump into one another later on. The world was too vast and unpredictable to be left to those kind of chances. 

"Well, Fenn and I...We want to start a pack. And we still have some travelling to do, to find just the right place but...when we do, I'd...Like to extend you an invitation. If you're at all interested in maybe some day...Not living so alone?" He asked. She didn't seem perturbed whatsoever by being alone, and he figured that if she preferred solitude, she wouldn't mince words with him. Still- he felt she was worth the invite.

i think he has! i have another thread for mereo i have to wrap up first. thank you very much! *misty eyes emoji*

she had not planned on settling down. 

but what other option did she have?  she was getting older now, and though she could still fend for herself it was only a matter of time before she wouldn't be able to.  two years.  two and a half.  she'd have to start slowing down at some point, and it was better to do it before the need arose.  before she was some useless beggar arriving at someone's doorstep.

it is perhaps a moment too long before she replies, i will think on this.  he reminds her of one of her oldest sons.  it would not be too bad to see how he and his mate lived.  come find me when you have settled.  she was sure to be around.


she grabs the rabbit and tosses it at his feet.  take this home.  there are two of you.  i had mealtime yesterday.

"I will, Bronco said. Hey, maybe founding a pack wasn't going to be so hard after all. He'd already found one wolf he'd trust as a packmate, who had already proved to him that they could hunt and that they were willing to work as a team. Graciously, she offered for him to take back both the eagle and the leftovers of her rabbit. He shook his head and opened his mouth to insist that it was hers- but there was something about her tone that told him he wasn't going to change her mind. 

"You are very kind, Ingrid, very kind," He said softly. For a time, he'd refused to believe that kind wolves existed in the lands past the borders of the Caldera. She was beginning to renew his hope. "Thank you," He said, with heartfelt earnesty.

impassively, ingrid watched as the boy's feelings crossed over his face.  it looked for a moment as if he might say something other than what he landed on.

it is nothing to me, she says, her tone pointing towards a gentler intent than her words could carry.  her brow wrinkled as she thought of something to ask him before he left.  bronco, you have heard of a wolf named nyra?  someone i know of looks for her.

She really was a tough one. Tough, but considerate. He looked to wolves like her for guidance often, because they were earthy wolves who made decisions without bringing too nuch sentiment and emotions into play. If something needed to be done, they got it done. 

If he, Figment and Fennec found a place to live- he would definitely have to call out for Ingrid.

What he didn't expect was to hear a name that made him recoil, instantly. "Nyra," He said, with a growl. "Yeah. I know of her, but haven't heard about her or her pack in a long time. Kind of assumed they moved or something. Ingrid-" He psaid, his tone shifting from dark to pleading, suddenly. "I dunno who it is that you know that's looking for Nyra...Or why, just...Nyra's bad news. She's attacked vulnerable youth, trespassed, spied for her pack, an...I think she might've kidnapped someone from a neighbouring pack of mine. I don't think they ever found her again. I don't remember all of it just...Be careful, OK? And if whoever it is that's looking for her doesn't know what she's capable of, please tell them."

the reaction from the boy alone was enough to confirm germanicus' story in ingrid's mind.  the tale of violence was enough to cause her hackles to raise.  the entirety of her body language made it clear what she thought of wolves who kidnapped and trespassed: ingrid had no room for this kind of behavior.  she would not stand for it.

i think he knows.  i will be careful, too. she was more concerned about his worry than for her safety. 

it was time to go.  i will be hearing from you soon.  a question, a statement, an expectation, ingrid's words could be taken in many ways.  thank you again.

When she stiffened, he wondered if she disliked what she heard because perhaps someone else had told her something different. Every story had two sides, after all- if not more than that. He was relieved to see that she seemed to take his word of warning seriously. He too would have to reckon with the fact that Nyra was still around- and making a name for herself. 

But he had food to deliver back to Fennec, and Ingrid seemed keen to get back on the move again. He bobbed his head dutifully. "Safe travels, friend," He wished her well, before he carefully picked the eagle carcass up and headed away.