he stayed close to the jagged peaks, but curiosity soon drove the youth into the open, where he chased all manner of birds and tried to dig rodents from their deep burrows. as always, byll was not far behind him, equally full of chastisment as she was playfulness. he wrestled with her in the wood for some time, before the twinned pair loped out onto the lake bank, and here buffalo broke away from his sister, moving along the strip of loam as he followed an interesting scent.
Her nose a few inches above the ground, Somnia kept a steady pace as she made her way around the lake. Eventually, a grey figure came into view. It almost looked like Elwood, and she would've thought so too, if not for his scent. She let out a friendly woof to get his attention. Somnia then took a few steps towards him before stopping to await his reaction. Would he want her company?
the sound stopped him in his tracks, and buffalo lifted an intrigued expression toward the she-wolf, but instinct forced him to shrink back toward byll. look!
he chortled in a stage whisper to his sister, before a long lope carried him in wary approach toward the woman.
hello,
he purled charmingly. i'm buffalo and that is byll,
and here he indicated the retiring form of his twin sister, who snarled once and retreated into the shadowed wood. she's not too friendly.
"Hi, I'm Somnia." She said, a puzzled look creeping across her face. There were a few remarks that flashed through her mind when Buffalo said that Byll wasn't friendly, but Somnia decided against saying them. She didn't want to somehow offend Buffalo. Instead, she switched to another topic. "What brings you here?"
we are in the process of joining a pack,
he lilted, tossing a glance behind him to see if byll had come out to play. but she hadn't, and so he descended on his rump to scratch behind his ear with one gangly hindleg. i like your name. it's interesting. why are you here?
the boy spoke with the bluntness of a youngster, continuing to sneak looks over his shoulder for byll. the lack of her presence made him nervous, though he would not admit this to a soul.
hunting, huh? d'you need help? i'm decent at it.
without waiting for her answer, buffalo approached the other wolf with the tact of an unsocialized pup, gangly paws flailing upon the cold ground. at the other's mention of byll, however, buffalo drew up sharply, his eyes turning to mismatched chips of ice. she's sick,
he offered in a tight tone, before the next moment brought the return of his previous friendly demeanour. what're we hunting?
okay!
the boy exulted, falling into step with somnia briefly before cutting a swathe of his own around her, muzzle to the ground as he searched for a scent. presently, the thick, oily odor of muskrat appeared to buffalo, and he thrust his bloodied ears forward before chuffing to his huntmate. in the distance, a mound of sticks and mud daubing reared, the prey's lair, and he fidgeted eagerly, though he hoped she would lead him toward it.
It wasn't long before Buffalo found something. With an approving tail wag, Somnia spotted the muskrat den too. Unknowingly fulfilling Buffalo's unspoken wishes, she led the way to it. "You have any ideas on how to flush it out or destroy it?" She questioned her hunting partner. He deserved to get input on the matter instead of her dictating the hunt.