Big Salmon Lake Tonight's Main Dish is You

Hope you don't mind the minor bit of pp. I can edit it if you'd like. @Lacinia

The travel out of the territory and to the other forest hadn't been overly long, but it wasn't a walk in the park either. Kove had considered taking the hungry female to the river or the lake, but hadn't been overly sure on the chances of finding a decent meal along either of them. So, he'd chosen to go to a place he knew held a source of food, for he'd hunted with another wolf there before. They'd gone after some deer there, and he hoped to be able to find some more. Even if it was just one, it would do fine for the dark woman who moved along with him.

Once the two had reached Big Salmon Lake, the ghost's nose was up in the air and scenting the wind to see what all it carried. At first, there was nothing worth chasing, so he lead the unnamed female around a bit more before he'd caught wind of something. Deer. The discovery was a good one, and after he found which direction it was coming from, he turned his gaze back to his temporary companion. “Are you ready for this?” he inquired. “Or do you need to moment to regain any energy lost during the journey here?”

Why so much walking? It felt like they've been traveling for ages with the sky deciding to be slow. How many days actually passed? Kove just wanted to see how long she had left before her body gave up. The moon still hasn't shown itself after all this time, normally after a long time it should right? Lacinia was getting frustrated the more they walked. 'He's just messing with me!' she thought. The moment she was going to start yelling at him was stopped as he seemed to have found something.

He asked if she was ready. Lacinia was more tired then ever. She was about to use all she had left to yell at him. The only problem about stopping to rest was that she would fall asleep right after laying down. She had to show that she could pull through.
"I'm fine... lets do this quickly." she said softly. Ok maybe he didn't try to make her walk her last breath. The real question was, was she really ready for this? She stood there tiredly, not even looking around or trying to catch the scent.

“Alright,” the male responded. He wasn't too sure that she was completely up to par, but if she said she was fine, then who was he to say something different? The chances of the woman knowing more about herself than Kove did was great, even if she did have amnesia. “Follow my lead, then.” The man's body lowered into a crouch as he spoke, head turning away from the darker creature in order to look ahead. He sniffed at the air a bit more to be sure he was about to go in the right direction, and once satisfied by the scents that came to him, he started at a slow trot towards the Northeast.

The process of finding the deer had taken longer than what was wanted, but Kove didn't complain. He wasn't the one starving, after all, and he didn't stop to consider the toll all the moving around might be taking on the woman. Even if he had, all those thoughts would have vanished the second he saw the deer, using their hooves to dig at the thin layer of snow to reach whatever might linger below. Lowing himself closer to the ground, he threw a look to the raven coated lupine, then nodded towards a doe farther off to the side. It was a smaller one, probably not yet fully grown, but it had an unhealed wound on one of it's hind legs. The perfect target for a quick hunt. “If we can herd that one away from the rest of the herd, it shouldn't be much longer until you're able to fill your stomach,” he said, voice hardly above a whisper.

Lacinia followed him silently, up until the point kove spotted the target. At first she was slow at noticing it but once she did, something triggered. The tired feeling she had disappeared. She focused her sights on the doe and lower herself, almost proned. She started taking steps forward going ahead of Kove and directly towards the deer. In a way she had forgotten him. Lacinia's mind was switched off, everything from this point on was now her instinct that was in control.

Her movement were very silent. It would appear she knew exactly where to place her steps, not only are they placed in silence but also regularly which would make the movement sound like the wind blowing on grass. Quickly she moved, wanting to give the creature less time to react once she was spotted. But the colors of her fur gave a slight disadvantage. If the deer happens to look in her direction it would likely spot her before she could get close enough to attack it. Lacinia didn't care about the others. If she could just get close enough she could strike a critical blow but she still had to get closer and quickly.

Kove had been watching the doe and looking to the space around it, his mind putting together a way to move it away on it's own. What he hadn't expected to see, however, was the shadow that moved passed him and towards the doe. The way she moved, how it seemed as if she knew just what to do, almost made the white wolf think she was lying about her amnesia, but his mind stopped him from allowing the thoughts to progress any further. It was an instinct that wolves had that allowed them to hunt as well as most did, it was their internal need to survive that made their bodies move in to kill the prey of their choice. While the female might not remember how to hunt consciously, it appeared as if her subconscious mind still did. That was something Kove could work with.

Slowly, the man made his way closer to the female, finally noticing just how much her coat stuck out. As soon as he'd gotten close to her dark pelt, though, he seemed to quickly disappear. He had not gone passed the woman, but had moved to the outer edges of the surrounding area, which gave him enough of distance from the deer to loop around to the area behind it. The layer of snow that littered the ground may have been thin, but it provided enough of whiteness to help hide the lupine. Looking between the doe, the other deer, and his companion, Kove was able to come up with a bit of a plan. It wasn't the greatest selection from his long list of past plans, but it would have to do.

The alabaster wolf used his head to nod to the dark woman and the doe she was staring down, then swung it around to motion towards the rest of the deer. It was his way of attempting to tell the unnamed wolf to go after the doe, and that he would try to chase the others away to lower the risk of her being trampled whilst trying to kill a member of the herd. Whether his point had been gotten across, or if his opposite had even seen him, was yet to be known. Still, he sent a flick of his ear in the direction of his acquaintance, informing her that she was to make the call that sent them into action. Not only would it allow Kove to see if she'd seen him or not, but it would also give him a chance to see just how much her subconscious knew.

She got close enough to where she could strike her blow at the doe. Lacinia waiting for what would seem the right tiem to strike. She barely noticed her ally in all this, She did see the males signs but she didn't understand what they meant. She ignored him and completely focused on the deer. The plan most would take would be to cripple the doe so chasing it wouldn't be difficult. But Lacinia had something else in mind.

What she was going to do required alot of precision and if she failed the deer would likely get away. Timing was everything, the moment the doe stared down she moved. Her steps where still silent but she was no longer low, it was time to strike her own way. The creature noticed her the right as Lacinia got in jumping range. The doe turned in attempt to run away but Lacinia was faster. She lunged at the deer's throat directly. Instead of getting a grip on it's neck she simply pierced the trachea with her fangs.

Of course the deer was still active, She let go of it. With four holes in it's trachea the deer will begin to choke on it's own blood and being in a panic would only make it worse for it. It may not seem like Lacinia did any kinds of injuries and the deer was running off alone away from everything looking like it was escaping. But it's life was soon going to end. Lacinia didn't bother chasing it, she just followed it's trail slowly. She did keep her ears open in case the others from the herd came close. This was Lacinia own way of hunting prey but she wasn't even conscious of what she is actually doing.

As the scene unfolded before him, it became clear that the other must not have realized what he'd been trying to say—or if she had, simply ignored it to proceed in her own way. He didn't mind the change in the course of action, as his way was sloppily thought out and would have involved a chase, which he hadn't been so sure the female could complete. That was what he'd thought moments before, anyways. Now, however, as he watched her spring forward and bite into the deer, then follow after it as the cervine went off in a panic, he was not so sure she was completely drained of energy. The woman's actions reminded him of a distant memory of his cousin, seeing that the way the both moved appeared to be flawless and precise. He found it to be interesting, over anything else, how the lupine had managed to pull off such a thing without any memories of doing so before, but it was soon chalked off to pure instincts. Still, he was rather impressed, and even slightly amazed. Not that he'd admit to either of those things.

Kove gradually raised his head up in order to get a better look at those of the herd who remained. Many seemed to just continue going about their business, but others looked curious and alarmed towards the actions of their companion. None appeared to be getting curious, however, so the white wolf slunk away, following the injured doe and wolf's trail as he did so. Once he was out of the herd's line of sight, the man returned to an upright position, following the not-so-distant trail of the two at an even pace. The ghost was not overly eager to catch up, as he suspected the woman could handle the task of following her prey just fine until it collapsed. In the meantime, he would take his time, and then let his companion rest until they were ready to head back to Blackfeather—that is, if she still wished to meet the Queen after this.

It didn't take long for the creature to lose it's strength. A couple minutes later and it was down but not dead. As Lacinia approached it she saw an image of a black wolf replacing the deer. Before she could get any other details she blinked and the image returned as a deer. She felt a bit confused, actually she wasn't quite sure what happend there as well as before. The whole hunt was a blurr to her as she came back to her normal senses but atleast now, she could eat!

Without waiting on Kove she began to dig in to the doe. She took small clean bites, she didn't really have the energy to go all out on it. She was still very tired but her hunger was coming to an end. She remained curious about her hunting partner, at the moment the hunt was only in pieces that were slowly gathering in her mind. She felt like she didn't do much to get her meal. Kove did deserve something, after all he did help her right? Once he approaches she plans on apologizing. "Sorry, I should have waited for you. You did help so it's only fair if you eat too." She would say calmly with her head looking down at the doe.

Once the trail had come to an end and both the wolf and the dead doe where in his line of sight, Kove's paced further slowed and then came to a stop once he was only a length from the dark figure. He could see she'd already started to eat away at her kill, and then listened as she apologized and offered him some. To both parts of her words, he simply shook his head. “Don't apologize, you're the one we came out here for,” the man responded, sitting himself down where he stood. The journey over had worked up his apatite a bit, but he would wait until the other was finished to eat what he wanted. The whole point of traveling so far to hunt was for the nameless wolf, so she could eat and regain some of her strength. There was a hope that it would also work to jog some of her memories, as well, but whether that had happened or not he didn't know.

“I'll wait until you are done to eat,” the ghost told her, copper gaze watching her movements closely. It would seem she'd returned to her regular self, no longer being driven by pure instincts alone. “Besides, I didn't really do anything to deserve some. Everything was done by you, if you can believe that.” Kove was curious to know if she remembered what she did, or if the memory had been lost to her just as all her others.

Lacinia continued to eat up until she had enough. As she ate she tried thinking of the image she saw. She felt like she knew that wolf. Thinking as hard as she could she manage to remember a little something. There was a wolf named Nexi, similar color as Lacinia. Nexi was one of her closest friends, a few memories appeared to prove that but there was nothing else. On one side she was glad to remember she had a friend but based on that image it felt as if that friend had passed away. That's how Lacinia understood it.

Kove claimed that Lacinia earned the kill all on her own. But she didnt believe it, how did she manage to do all the work without knowing how to really hunt. It just wasn't possible but she couldn't remember seeing Kove do something besides watching out. She kept silent about it as she didn't really know for sure."I remember something.. I remember a wolf named Nexi, she was a good friend of mine but if I remember correctly she isn't alive today.." She said as she walked towards Kove. Her head was starting to hurt a bit "That's all though, I wish I could remember more.." she said tiredly. She wasn't walking in a straight line either. She was feeling dizzy and didn't know how long she would be able to stay awake now after she had eaten.

When she finished up, she spoke of another wolf, of a friend of hers. He was glad she could recall something, even if it was just that. The hunt had then served it's purpose of feeding her, as well as bringing forth a memory. “It's good you've started to remember things,” Kove commented. “Even if it's just one thing right now, I'm sure more and more will slowly start to come back now.” It was bound to be a long, drawn out process for her to recollect every single memory she lost. There was no telling just how many she held before whatever happened had taken them away, but he was certain there were a lot.

As the woman started to walk, the ghost noticed her inability to walk straight. While he was slightly hesitant at first, he quickly overcame it and moved towards her side. “You need to sit, or lay down,” he told her, ready to use himself for her to lean on if she couldn't set herself down quick enough. “If you don't, I think you might pass out or something, and I am not carrying you to a sheltered space or anything.” The last part had a bit of humor to it to try and help her relax a bit, but he was also pretty serious. There was no way he would carry her around if she passed out. He might stick around to watch over her and keep threats away until she awoke, but even that was a 'might'.

She just had to stay awake a little longer but she had already pushed way beyond her limits. Her body needed a rest after all she has gone through. There was just one more condition before her body would surrender to sleep. As she struggled to remain awake she continued towards Kove and tried to reassure him and that she was fine. "It.. has just been.. awhile.. since I ate. I'll be.. fine if I can just find some place.. warm." She said calmly.

She manage to get close to him. The moment she felt his warmth she couldn't hold back anymore. "You're.. warm." were the words she whispered before she lean towards the warmth. Without notice she fell asleep, her head aiming his shoulder. She didn't have the time to get comfortable nor did she think about that. She did want to stay awake however it wasn't her choice. There seem to be some trust towards Kove otherwise she would have still been awake.

Last post from me. c: Thanks for the thread! Lacinia is adorable without her memories.

“You're... warm.”

Before he could say anything, or really react, it seemed the female had fallen asleep. He had not planned to stay out with the woman for very long, just enough to get her fed, but his plans seemed to have been in need of a change. Carefully, his tried to position himself for her form to lay down, not wanting to awake or disturb her too much. Kove could not even imagine how exhausted she must be to have fallen asleep so easily, and while he would poke fun while she was awake, he was considerate if her need to rest while unconscious. Leaving her alone and asleep on the cold land was out of the question, so he worked to get himself comfortable enough to stay in place. Her form, plus his thick winter coat, made things a bit warmer than he'd like, but the ghost wasn't about to complain and risk waking her. Besides not wanting her to continue on exhausted, he also didn't want to risk her wrath if he did wake her.

“Rest well,” he murmured, voice hardly above a whisper. He was unsure just how long she would sleep for, but at this point it didn't matter. He'd gotten comfortable in his spot, and was alert and listening for any signs of something that might disturb her.