The Winter Den

Kanae stood and slowly looked around the den with her good eye. Most members were still milling around, talking to one another. Suddenly, despite her fears, Kanae wished to be speaking to one of her companions. Soran was no where to be seen, Sprite appeared busy with Silver that left Elysia.

Kanae's dark chocolate orbs sought out the familiar pelt of her friend. Soon enough, she spotted Elysia but she appeared to be conversing with Rune. Suddenly self-conscious, the white she-wolf licked at her chest fur. Her feelings for Ninja were undeniable but she still found herself nervous around the Alpha male. He was still as handsome as ever but he didn't hold quite the same effect over her anymore.

She settled down a little ways away so the two could speak in private and she kept her eyes off of them, rather she looked at the other pack members. As long as they stayed further away from her, she would be fine. Dark chocolate pools were alight with excitement from seeing all the others yet fear was also visible in their depths.

"Relax, Kans. You'll be fine. Just hold your cool if someone comes over and speak as calmly as you can." The white she-wolf resorted to speaking to herself in order to calm the emotions within her small, compact body.

(I have WiFi here! That means I'll be on as often as I can ^^)

Treesong walked back into the den's area, a large hare hanging from her jaws. A frown graced her features as best it could with the animal in her grasp. There seemed to be a lot more wolves around the den than there were previously just a little while ago.

A little more irritated than usual, Treesong settled herself on the cold ground. She dug into her prey, feeding her rumbling stomach. As she did this, she analyzed the wolves around her, studying their every move with critical eyes. But eventually she shut her own eyes indifferently with a sigh as she continued to eat. The scar down her face almost made it look as if she was crying if a wolf could do such a thing.

Soran rose slowly to a sitting position from his place under a dark pine laden with snow, his eyes scanning the stretch of territory before him. In the distance, he spotted to white forms near the den, barely visible against the snow. A closer look revealed the dark paws and ears of Spirit, as well as the slightly grayer form of Silver. His ears flickered as he heard bits of conversation drifting on their own around the territory, but he hesitated before approaching any group. To his left was the dark form of Elysia and Rune, with Kanae lingering not too far away.

Soran’s tail flicked as he stood to shake out the excess snow from his fur, a slow thirst beginning to dry his throat. A quiet bubbling of rapids sounded as he padded into the cover of the pine trees, seeking the cold liquid of the nearby creek. The male stopped at the edge of the gurgling water, dipping his head forward until his muzzle touched the creek before gulping down large amounts until his thirst had been slacked. Pulling his dripping muzzle out from the water, Soran moved to leap across the rocks towards a large flat one situated at the center of the creek. Small beams of winter sun struggled through the nettles, warming his chocolate brown fur as he settled onto the surface of the rock.

Akera watched for any tell-tale sign that Insomnia didn't want to be here, but she found none. " Well I've only hunted elk once. But the deer, even though smaller in size, are much faster. They are easier to take down; if you can catch them." She thought back to all the hunting lessons with her brother. A pang of homesickness twinged in her heart, but she pushed it away. Looking up at the larger wolf, she said, "Not much of a problem for me, though. Not to sound conceited, but I do happen to run rather fast." She broke out one of her genuine smiles. She sure hoped that one of the hunters here loved to run. It would be nice to challenge them to a race.

Soske stood back up shaking off the excesses snow and bowed her head to the two wolves because she had no interest in hunting because she was no good at it. Her dad tried to teach her once and what took him 2 minutes to catch it took her almost a half an hour. Walking into the clearing she had no clue on who to talk to so she just sat down right in the middle. She also sat down because her leg was still hurt a little. Soske sitting down looking at everyone though it was an odd place for Soske being new and all. She had no real friends yet which she hoped would changed but unsure. She was close to her dad in her old pack and in this pack she didn't have a fatherly figure. Thinking of her past made her a bit sad but did not want it to show. If anyone asked it would just be because her leg hurt.

Spirit felt sadness wash over her as Silver told her of a member passing from the disease. Had that been the wolf who had passed before the pack made it's journey to the winter den? Grief rose within Spirit for the lost wolf, even though she didn't know them very well. It was another harsh reminder of nature's way of messing with things. Hardships were hard to past - Spirit had been through many griefs herself - they seemed to be a way of life; something one would always end up experiencing sometime in their life.

Pushing her thoughts away Spirit looked up at Silver as she offered to tell her of her history. Perhaps that would break the ice a bit, though her willingness to share it surprised her. Silver shared a similar appearance with her, perhaps the similarities ran a bit deeper - though Spirit couldn't make a guess on that. The white she-wolf nodded her head in agreement. "If you want to tell me your tale I'd be delighted to listen." A smile alighted itself on her muzzle. "Though I feel as though I should tell you mine then, in return; if you don't mind."

Movement from under a tree not too far off caught Spirit's eye. Beneath the extended branches of pine lay Soran, his brown fur shifting as he began to stir. She felt his eyes on her briefly as he scanned around the clearing before trotting off into the trees. A part of her wished to follow after him - perhaps plan a surprise attack - but she remained rooted to her spot, her attention on Silver's tale. Perhaps the large male would want some alone time as it was. Buzz from previous events was beginning to die down and the pack seemed to be a peace; something that always seemed hard to come by during the cold months. Turning her head back to Silver, Spirit wrapped her ashen tail around her paws to keep the warm; waiting for Silver to begin her tale.

Treesong blinked down at her meal. She had hardly finished all of it, but she had overheard many of the conversations going on around her. Specifically the one about sickness in the pack. Her eyes fell on the white wolf who had just regained her health.

She looked back down to her prey and then once again at the white wolf. Memories of another beautiful white wolf entered her mind. And then memories of blood spilling from that wolf made her flinch backwards, her eyes filled with remorse before quickly clearing.

Treesong then lifted herself from off the ground. Leaning her head down, she retrieved her prey between her jaws. She looked over to the white wolf and began to walk over.

Once she reached the snowy female she spoke, "I overheard your conversation...and it seems that you have just recently outran the sickness."

Treesong glanced away bashfully but quickly set down the hare she had just caught not too long ago.

"Here." She offered the meal to Silver.

Treesong continued to look anywhere but the white wolf, but her heart swelled with pride at her act of kindness. Would her mother be proud of this? Or would she be uncaring after what Treesong had done?

Akera watched Insomnia nod. Confused for a moment, she looked to her side, seeing Soske walking away, and she put her head down in a hurried bow. She didn't want to offend anyone, seeing as she was rather new. Turning back to the male, she said, "Elk were more of a challenge for our pack. I only went on the pack hunt once, because I was too young to do much. It was a very interesting experience that I would love to do again." Akera zoned out for a moment as she thought back to happier times in her birth pack. Shaking her head a bit, she listened carefully to the light brute. "That's what most of the hunters in my old pack were like. Me and my brother were the only ones who loved to run. We'd race all the time..." Akera stopped herself, not wanting to go spilling her whole story to the male.

This was a problem of hers: she trusted people too easily. She was already comfortable talking to Insomnia, yet she knew nothing about him. Akera was intrigued on how reserved the male seemed. It peaked her interest. Whenever a wolf seemed shy, she always wanted to get to know them. Another thing that could work to her disadvantage. Meeting wolves so quickly could end up dangerous. But Akera pushed the thoughts away.

Soran shook out his fur gradually as large piles of snow began to gather from the trees to settle lightly on his pelt. What little sun was able to emerge from the clouds warmed by a few degrees, despite the heat sucking air around him. Glancing behind him, the male wanted nothing more than the comfort and security of Spirit beside him. Even with the past day’s events fading into nothing more than a small skirmish, he still felt wary of those who stood by Mahina, even as Dakota attacked with her own reason.

Soran curled his tail around his paws as he shifted around his place atop the rock. Fish willing to bear the cold of the creek had begun to flash their scales in the midmorning sun, though many still hastened to sleep until Spring. The male’s ears flicked as the creaking of many branches threatened to spill their load of snow. Even in the Winter, everything seemed alive and alert.

(lame…)

Soran’s muzzle tweaked into a smile as Spirit skirted around the rocks to join him at his position on the rock, immediately appreciating the extra warmth and comfort she provided against the bitter winter air. Recognizing her fear of water, he scooted himself closer towards the edge of the flat surface, keeping his light brown pelt brushing her bright white one. The shallow currents of the water wouldn’t be much of a problem if one of them slipped to fall in. “Company would be wonderful.” He replied, despite that she had already placed herself next to him.

The male waited a few minutes before asking the question that seemed most important after the recent events. “Have you talked to Silver, Mahina; Any of the others?” He asked, touching his cold nose to hers. He had seen her speaking to Silver earlier, though he didn’t feel it necessary to ask the subject of the conversation, only if some of the hurt had been repaired. Seeing her talk with the Scholar reminded him that he still needed to speak with Kira, or Mahina if she would let him.

Treesong's ear flicked in acknowledgement before she turned and began to walk away. She started making her way to the edge of the clearing, intent on exiting. She had decided to go for a walk to clear her mind of memories. She heaved a sigh and shook her head with downcast eyes.

(what a short and cruddy post loool)

"His name was Eron. He was the one who taught me everything I know." She looked down for a moment. Akera missed her brother very much. He had tutored her in everything, making her a great hunter. She wouldn't be where she was now if it wasn't for him. 'Thank you, Eron. I miss you, buddy.' She wished him well in her thoughts.

Soran listened carefully as Spirit answered his question; it would be a lie to say that similar thoughts had not crossed his own mind. If he came down to confronting Mahina and Kira, would he apologize, despite that he had done nothing wrong? The discussion he had had with Spirit earlier resurfaced, time would heal the two, though not without leaving a scar to remind them. If he could speak to someone for only a few minutes, it could be enough to repair some of what had been done. Shaking his head to clear his buzzing thoughts, the male watched as fish continued to flash their iridescent scales back and forth through the clear water. “Nothing will be the same for Mahina and I. I can be sure of that.” He replied softly, realizing that he had hurt the female in more ways than one. “Whatever is left to fix now, can be done at its own pace. I don’t think there’s any need to solve it all in one day.” He finished, sliding down to place his head on his paws for comfort.

Soran grinned as Spirit grasped his ear firmly in her jaws and began to tug, immediately lightening the atmosphere around them. He felt a twinge of guilt for dragging the light conversation down to something serious, but shook of the feeling quickly. Now was not the time for dwelling and self-pity. Almost instantly, the chilling winter wind swept through the trees, breaking his thoughts and scattering brown nettles and snow to settle in the waters of the creek as well as his own chocolate brown fur. Shaking out the debris on his pelt, the male let out a light laugh as he tried to pull his ear away. “You know, if you keep chewing on my ears like this, I won’t have any left.” He joked, reaching over to paw at her good ear as best he could.

(eh...)

Akera looked up when the male nudged her. She hid the sorrow in her eyes and gave a small smile. "Sorry bout that. Thanks."She nudged for a moment, then smiled again at her newfound friend. She was glad to make one. Pushing away the last threads of thought about her brother, Akera looked on the bright side. 'At least I have a pack now. I've made friends and eventually maybe I'll make a life here. These wolves will soon be my family.' She wagged her tail a bit at the thought.