Hunting

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Flare ran through the forest, she loved the feel of the wind through her fur, it made her feel as though she were flying. She stopped and sniffed the air. "Elk" she said to herself, realizing how hungry she was. She stalked forward, catching her first glimpse of the plump, healthy elk. Her stomach rumbled. Flare immediately hid farther behind the tree, hoping the elk didn't hear. To her luck, the elk didn't so much as look around. Flare stalked left, getting behind the elk.
A little more,... She thought, she was now just five feet away, the elk still unaware. Flare stopped to think, knowing one wrong move could cost her a meal. She crept a little more. Then suddenly broke into a run. The elk was no match for the surprise move, combined with speed and strength. Flare lept, and caught the elk's neck in her mouth with ease, biting it mercilessly. The elk went down.

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Rose heard a rush through the undergrowth as she padded through the woodland, and with a snap of her ears and eyes forwards she tried to decipher where it had come from, and where it was going. Her nose told her it was a wolf, and a fellow pack member, but she did not recognise it. Making her way steadily forwards the scent of blood filled her senses and she frowned. Had one wolf just brought down an... elk? It smelt like elk. Curious, Rose adjusted her pace and picked her way finally into sight of the fellow female. She certainly didn't recognise her.

"Congratulations," Rose spoke loudly, but her tone was even and her body still. She remained this way, facing the back of the wolf, wondering if the elk had been sick or injured. It didn't even sound as if there had been any chase. She waited.

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"Thank you." Flare replied, licking the edge of her muzzle to clear it of blood. "Who are you?" Flare asked, sensing the she-wolf's curiosity. "You smell like you're part of Falling Moon. I'm Flare." She looked down at her catch. "Do you want some? I can't eat all of this myself." Flare said, suddenly noticing how big the elk really was." She bent down to lick some of the blood off it's neck, whispering a silent prayer of thanks to the wolf spirit as her mother had taught her to do after each kill. Though she quickly shifted to a normal position, aware that a pack may not have the same traditions as loners. Flare didn't exactly want to be known as a loner, for fear some in the pack may grow suspicious of her entering.

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Rose listened as the female introduced herself. She seemed awfully friendly for a Moons wolf, but she evidently had a lot of power in her to bring down a kill like that by herself. Rose considered her stomach and the offer.

"Rose," she replied, watching as the opposing female appeared to be still beside her kill. She looked deep in thought for a moment. The white wolf did not frown, although her mind did roam for reasons as to why Flare had done this. Rose's mind never quite shut down, though, it was common enough fact that it was her most powerful weapon.

She padded forwards and dipped her head ever so slightly in thanks, sinking her teeth into the kill. Blood was the only thing that Rose did not mind dirtying her pelt with. She almost liked the idea of red smattered across her face and chest as she sunk into a meal. Mud or purple smudges from crushed berries irritated her incessantly if they happened upon her pelt, but blood she enjoyed.

Rose looked up, tongue running along her long reddened teeth and black lips to catch any stray meat. She wondered if the fellow female knew anything about the pack, or who she was. Sometimes Rose found it odd to be in a land that did not know the meaning of being Duke's daughter, but she never spoke of it without it being brought up. She knew that silence was often far more powerful than words.

"You're new. Where are you from?"

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Oh great, Flare thought. That was the one question she didn't want to answer. Think, Flare! She thought, where would you be from if you weren't a loner? Flare gulped. Then, took a bite of elk, pretending not to hear Rose. Buying time, Flare thought hard. She didn't want to admit to being a loner, but she didn't want to be caught lying either. The only wolf of Falling moon who knew she was a loner, was the alpha. Flare wanted to keep it that way. Finally Flare spoke. "I'm not too comfortable talking about that. Do you mind if we skip that question?" Knowing that might sound suspicious, Flare quickly looked for a distraction to throw the conversation off track. "Hey, do you think the pack might want some? It's definitely a big elk. Why don't we take a few pieces to Keanu?" Keanu was Flare's crush. It was hard not to crush on him, for he was a charming wolf. His image flowed through Flare's brain and lingered there, causing her to shiver. Straightening up, Flare hoped she wasn't being too obvious of Keanu.

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OOC. Just making sure, Flare isn't actually a loner is she? She has joined the pack?

Rose looked over her red stained muzzle at the other wolf. She hadn't really expected much of an answer, but this wolf's politeness was far more interesting than her dislike for sharing personal information. That wasn't exactly a rarity in these lands. Eventually the rumours spread but it was a slow process. She dipped her head in answer to her first question, silently agreeing not to go on.

"I don't know," Rose thought about it, eyeing the carcass. Truthfully if anyone was looking for food they could just leave it. Even rotting meat would attract one who was feeling lazy, and Rose was not the sort to go dragging an elk through the land for the good of the pack. "I can howl if you would like, or we could just leave it for someone to find."

The opposing female's enthusiasm when mentioning Keanu intrigued Rose. Her ears swivelled forwards but her expression remained largely still. She was never one to give much away, unlike, it seemed, Flare.

"As for Keanu, you don't want to go bringing him meat. You're not his mate. And even if you were, that's rather degrading," Rose spoke evenly, testing the waters to see Flare's reaction to her opinion. Her dark eyes searched the wolf in front of her.

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Flare thought about the answer. It was true. And she certainly didn't want to degrade Keanu, she wanted to be on his good side. "okay..." she agreed. But Flare still at least wanted to give Keanu something. She thought about asking Rose what he liked, but that would probably lead to a conversation that she may not be able to answer all the questions. So she remained quiet. The silence, however was uncomfortable and awkward. So she spoke. "So, is there any way for me to get more familiar with the pack? Like, to remember their names? I don't have the best memory." Flare chuckled a little, while saying this, remembering how her mother had always said 'Us wolves are not elephants, we don't have the best memories in the world'. Flare had always wondered how her mother knew about elephants. She had never seen one before, but her mother had said they were big, gray creatures that could crush a wolf if it stepped on one.

Remembering her mother made Flare's heart ache, tears threatened to fall down her muzzle. So, Flare giggled a little, to make it look as though she was fine. But she knew her eyes still gave away her grief. Flare turned away, and said to Rose, "Want to go back to the den?"

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Rose tried to read the uncomfortable silence, not feeling awkward in the slightest, but found that Flare obviously did not want to give much away when it came to Keanu. As her mind assessed the other female's body language and words (or lack thereof) she concluded that Flare either had feelings for Keanu, or was trying to gather intel because she wanted to attack him for some reason. Either seemed plausible in a pack like this, but Flare's particular character didn't seem the type for the second.

Her question intrigued Rose. Getting to know the pack? It had always seemed simple to Rose, but then again she had grown up here. She had always been known, and had enjoyed her reputational force, and this had led to her knowing others.

"When did you join our pack?" Rose asked, straightforwardly, having considered her question. Her tone implied that she needed this information to answer the queston. Flare seemed oddly skittish about giving too much away about herself but Rose didn't see any other way to begin this thread of conversation.

Her brow furrowed ever so slightly at Flare's next question. Her tone was not spiteful or even loud, but decidedly icy. Such was Rose's approach.

"No I would not like to go to the dens, thank you. I would like to have a conversation."

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Flare thought a moment. It wouldn't hurt to answer when she had joined - would it? "Yesterday". She answered confidently, yet still a bit unsure. She liked Rose's personality. Polite, and yet strong to come out with the question. Flare hoped that they could be friends. Rose seemed a little suspicious of her, and that, made Flare feel uncomfortable. She shifted her paws a little, making herself feel like a pup. Or, as her mother had told her about - an Omega. The lowest in the pack, usually a new member and treated like a loner. But Rose seemed too nice to treat Flare like an omega.

Flare searched Rose's eyes, unable to get behind her thoughts, and read her body language. Flare's mother had taught her to read body language, to see a hint of what that wolf was thinking. Her mother explained how helpful it could be, in a fight, or an uncomfortable situation. But somehow, Rose could block out her hint of thought.

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Rose didn't smile, but she relaxed ever so slightly. She sat back and licked her bloody muzzle, tail curling ever so slightly around her as she looked at Flare again.

"So you are very new. I take it that you're not from around here," Rose began, but left it at that. Clearly the wolf did not want her to pry, and Rose had better things to do anyway. "So you've met the alpha, Duke, because he accepted you into the pack. The Beta is Justyn, I'm sure you'll see him around at some point. And clearly you've met Keanu."

She left the Delta's name hanging in the air for a second, ear flicking as a fly attempted to enter it. Rose remained contemplative but didn't remain on the subject of Keanu.

"You have met me now, too. If you would like to get to know the pack better, the best you can do is meet them yourself. Wander about. Although, I warn you, most wolves here are not terribly sociable. I wouldn't go seeking friendships straight off the bat."

With that the white wolf fell silent, as if she had spoken too much. She did not seem self-conscious, rather the opposite really, as she sat and waited for Flare's analysis. She looked slightly puppish from here, shuffling her paws, and it made Rose wonder how old she was. The question remained only on her face though.

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"Oh." Flare replied. Still confused at why Rose was so good at blocking out her thoughts. Flare's mother had taught her that some wolves have strong minds, and others,... not so much. Not saying that Rose was stupid, but she looked like the kind of wolf who was in between strong and weak of mind.
Flare stopped shifting her front paws and looked straight at Rose. An intelligent mind for sure, and maybe fifty percent of strong of mind.
Flare looked for something to keep the conversation going, as Rose wanted. "Are there any more friendly wolves? Maybe someone who would be, well, I guess, different from the wolves who you suggest not to try making friends with?" Flare asked. And for some odd reason, she couldn't help but blurt, "Like Keanu? Is he friendlier? I haven't met him, just saw him. But I heard another wolf ask him something, and said Keanu, his name." Flare didn't know why she was going on about her crush. Perhaps Rose's ability with thoughts was making Flare nervous.

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Rose almost couldn't believe the conversation she was having. Firstly, this wolf seemed to be searching her. The white wolf could tell a perceptive, judging eye when she saw one. But it didn't bother her. When she began babbling on about friendly wolves and an obvious crush on Keanu, Rose stayed perfectly still and let the cogs in her mind whistle about. Where had this pup-like female appeared from? She seemed so very out of place.

"Why did you choose this pack, Flare?"

The question was almost accusatory. As usual, Rose had not raised her voice or even snarled the words. But the intention was clear enough. Rose felt as though she could rip this wolf's throat out and she'd still be babbling on about nonsense. Making friends. What had her father seen in this one? She ignored her questions and awaited the answer.

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Oh now you've done it. Flare thought to herself. She knows you're a loner. Flare took a deep breath, and figured she should just come right out with it.
"Okay. I was born in a den as a loner. I never knew my dad since he died before I was born. It was really cold. My mother tried to keep my brother and sister alive, but she couldn't warm all of us. My siblings died. I stayed healthy after that, because my mother had enough sense not to cry over my siblings' bodies and forget she had another pup. I grew. My mother taught me everything I know. How to hunt with stealth, bring down an elk without chasing it, because it is way harder to chase an elk when you only have one other wolf to help you. She taught me about the stars and the wolf spirit, who I always must thank after I make a kill.
She was my only friend. Then, one night, we were hunting. My mother was getting old already, and we needed to hunt. I wanted to hunt myself because I knew my mom couldn't help bring down an elk. She insisted. I almost had the elk down, when she stepped in front of it to bite it's neck. It kicked her. She was so old that she couldn't survive it. I brought down the elk, and tried to feed her, but it was too late. She was gone.
As for why I picked your pack? I couldn't take being alone. When she died, I just, I couldn't be alone. I needed someone, like her. Your pack was nearest, and Dancing Stars wouldn't accept me. Because I was a loner. But Duke, he let me come." Flare took another breath, and waited for Rose's response.

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Rose was not expecting that.

She stayed perfectly still as she listened, brow furrowing as the story progressed. She took on every word but her mind was racing. Why is she telling me all of this? she wondered. Rose didn't think that she had ever divulged this much in one go to anyone, not even Justyn. So she stayed still and silent and listened. She waited.

When the other female was finally finished, Rose's ears flicked again and she considered her reply. There were two things that were most obvious to her that needed to be addressed.

"I'm sorry for your loss," was how she began. It was true, she was sorry. Rose was nowhere near about to cry about it but she herself had lost much family and she knew how much it hurt. None of this showed upon her features, however. She had become expert at hiding vulnerability.

"Now forgive me for not dwelling upon your sadness, but I am confused as to why the Dancing Stars would not take you in because you were a loner. Both of our packs take on loners, that's how we grow, including the Stars," Rose stopped a moment and thought. Honestly, they need the numbers in the state they're in anyway. "My father is not one for taking on kind or friendly wolves, and you seem that way. Perhaps I'll have to ask him. Excuse my assumptions but you just don't seem to fit in. Do you even know what the reputation of this pack is? Do you know what kind of wolves we are?"

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"Yes." Flare answered. Knowing Rose was the alpha's daughter, Flare lowered her head in submission, but stayed strong. As her mother taught her. No weakness in front of packs. 'They don't take it well' her mother had told her. Flare knew she had better toughen up and be less talkative if she wanted to stay in the pack. So she decided to keep her answers short, and to the point. That's what Rose's body language was telling her to do. Finally Flare could read the body language, and she knew what Rose was telling her.

"The Dancing Stars are planning against your pack, aren't they?" Flare asked. She said 'your' because she wasn't sure how Rose would take it if she considered herself a member yet.
Flare wondered if she might have to pass a sort of test to be fully a member. A test as in; strength and fighting, speed and stealth, for Flare certainly knew there was a hint of rivalry between Falling Moons and Dancing Stars.