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In Plain Sight [M] [DragonSong]

Started by Juno, January 19, 2016, 04:25:14 PM

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Juno

"Yes. That's how it works." He could get into specifics another time, he doubted she would need a demonstration with capable wolves at her side to do the bulk of the legwork of a hunt. Or so he assumed that was what happened if she truly lived among so many.

The shifter watched her pull ahead, though, and fell silent as he observed the trio. He moved slowly once he was beckoned, nodding and remaining quiet as he settled to crouch down. He had no need to take any of the elk for himself immediately, he could always track the herd once his newfound companions had gone away with what they wanted. He was curious to observe how she might accomplish hunting with her unusual family and unconventional methods, though. In his experience humans were very noisy and clumsy hunters on foot.

He gave a nod towards the herd, watching from their distance as the beasts snorted and huffed their way through the layers of snow and ice to reach what grazing was left. He wondered if they would be bold enough to aim for the decidedly larger bull or if they would go for a smaller female among the ones that lingered. Surely the smallest and youngest would not satisfy a pack of wolves, he thought, so he took his guess and settled in watch and see what their next move would be.



DragonSong

This particular hunt wasn't meant to fully feed the whole pack, just get their strength up for a proper hunt later, so Snowfur singled out  a middling sized female near the back of the herd and suddenly sprang forward, silent as a ghost.

Graywind took off toward the front of the herd, letting out an eerie howl that was meant to panic and scattered the animals.  It worked, the elk distracted by what they perceived to be the real threat in front of them, unaware of the streak of white skimming toward them across the snow.

Brenna waited a bit, until her foster mother and brother had separated their chosen prey from the rest of the herd, then leaped from her crouch and took off, running at a diagonal to intercept the cow, knife raised to eye level.

The elk balked and tried to turn, but she was caught on both sides by the wolves. Snowfur harried her, nipping at her heels to take her down, and Graywind went for her throat. The two massive animals rolled through the snow, white staining to red beneath them. Brenna saw her opening and struck, leaping into the fray and slashing the creature's throat as quickly and deeply as she could, making the kill as painless as possible.

She and the wolves stepped back from the elk's death throws and, as she always did, Brenna lowered her head and thought a simple prayer, thanking the elk for her sacrifice. She wasn't sure who she was praying to- in fact she'd been so young when the pack took her in she didn't even fully understand that "praying" was what she was doing- but for some reason every time she performed the little ritual an image of a carved wolf her human mother had kept on their mantelpiece flashed into her mind.

Stepping back, she turned to moved toward the drift where they'd left Christopher, Snowfur and Graywind hefting their kill between them. Again unlike their other cousins, dire wolves tended to bring prey back to their den rather than trek the pack out to where the kill had been made.

Juno

Christopher was fixed upon his post as he watched the display. The sounds of their hunt and kill had his leopard surging just beneath the surface, his eyes dilating as the familiar prickling coursed through his body when the cat called but was not allowed out. He itched to be among them and participating, his focus trained upon the retreating herd instead of her prayer.

As the others lumbered toward him with their spoils he cleared his throat and forced himself to look to Brenna again to nod in his acknowledgement of what he'd witnessed. "You hunt well," he praised distractedly, his voice a bit distant as his attention was briefly drawn to the last flickering movements of the elk in the distance.  Despite that he was a solitary hunter by nature he could recognize the potential of a team and he thought he was seeing how she fit.

"Do you always make the kill?" he asked once she was nearer again, gesturing at the elk as he rose to stand tall again. Her knife seemed rather crude in his eyes but the cut looked clean enough upon closer inspection.


DragonSong

Bending to clean her blade in the snow, Brenna nodded. "Yes. Mostly. It's easier- harder for game to kick me, too small and fast." She threw a quick smile in his direction.

Then she paused, giving him a closer look. The hunter in her sensed something odd about him, something that seemed more four-legger than two. She tilted her head, trying to place the odd sensation, but she couldn't remember ever feeling anything like it before.

Then again, she hadn't had much contact with humans other than her parents, even before she lived with the pack. She shrugged the feeling off. "Go back to den," she said, gesturing to herself, Snowfur, and Graywind. She cast a quick, questioning look at her foster mother. When the wolf nodded, she looked back to Christopher.

"Do you...want to come?"

Juno

The idea of meeting even more wolves was a little disconcerting even though he was certain he could protect himself. He knew very little of how packs worked aside from operating as a unit as he'd just witnessed. It was understood that they were still predators, though, and potential threats if they had a mind to try and challenge his claim on the land they apparently shared.

Still, it would be good to know where they lived and rested and where to find the girl again. It was only a matter of time until someone living in such a harsh and remote area would need assistance, in his opinion. "I will follow you," Christopher answered simply, moving to fall into step with her.

He was a bit tense as he followed along, though, struggling to soothe his cat. He had gone out to hunt, after all, and the inner animal remained quite miffed that he was denying it. Distraction was definitely necessary and his unlikely "guests" as he saw them would at least be a temporary one.

DragonSong

Graywind didn't seem to much like the idea, but Snowfur wasn't just his mother- she was an alpha. He huffed and swallowed any argument he may have made, hefting his side of the elk and trotting off slightly behind the female wolf.

Brenna fell back a bit, using the tracks they made in the snow to move more easily. She kept looking at Christopher curiously as they walked, wanting to ask questions but unsure if she should. And, honestly, not quite sure how to ask them.

The communication barrier, though not severe, was frustrating. Well, that seemed like a good starting point. "Can you-" she began, then frowned, biting her lip. A little slower, she tried again. "This...talking." She gestured between them, then put a hand to her chest. "I am...slow. Hard to remember. You can...help?"

Did that make sense? She hoped so.

Juno

Her voice got his attention, snapping him out of his daze of staring at the peculiar behavior of the wolves in front of them. He thought he understood what she was trying to say, though he did not quite grasp that her speech was rusty from such long-term disuse. "I can help, I think. I can try to, at least. What are you...trying to remember?"

DragonSong

"Words," she said on an exhale, brow furrowed in frustration. "Hard to remember...words." She gestured around vaguely. "Snow, sky, me-" and here she put her hand to her chest. "Easy to remember. But..." She bit her lip. Okay, take it slow. "The...others. Bigger." No, that wasn't quite right. "Deeper?"

She gave a low growl of irritation, narrowing her eyes in thought. "Feeling," she decided eventually. "Words...how they feel. It's hard to remember."

Juno

"Feeling?" he repeated, confused by her frustrated growl. Was she trying to tell him that she wasn't sure how to describe how she was feeling? Or was it more an issue of not knowing the words at all?

"How words feel... That's- Do you need help to...know words for that?" he tried, though he wasn't sure if she would even understand that. "Words for...emotion maybe?"

DragonSong

She nodded eagerly, trying for a small smile. The expression was usually very human, so she wasn't used to it. "Words...any words. Help me remember?"

Tilting her head, she looked up at him with puppy eyes, an instinctive mimicry of the expression she's seen her foster siblings use on their parents when they were younger.

Juno

His focus was gradually returning as they fell into the rhythm of their disjointed conversation, at least it was doing wonders to distract him from his instincts. He was uncertain how to really describe words to her, it wasn't really something he'd thought on too often for himself and he'd learned the language long ago when he was young.

"Well, then. Words. Right, um." Christopher stared at her, her curious, puppy-like expression his chosen base of his explanation. "That," he declared, lifting his hand to point at her face. "You look curious. You face is...open? No, inviting." That wasn't quite right either, his brow furrowing in frustration of his struggles.

"Patient," he decided.

DragonSong

Her brow was still furrowed a bit as she absorbed the new information, a small smile spread across her face. "It's hard for you too," she realized cheerfully. "Words...there's different ways, say the same thing with different words. It's hard to choose?" she guessed.

A sharp bark from up ahead drew her attention and she paused, holding out a hand to him to indicate that he should do the same. "Den is ahead," she said softly, pointing. It took a bit of thought, but eventually she translated, "Snowfur and Graywind take prey home, tell the others you're here. I'll wait, show them you- not harm. Friend?"

Juno

"Sometimes," he agreed, uncertain if his description was sufficient for her. It was difficult to choose, but at least she seemed to understand his struggle with it all.

Christopher was not so quick to stop, his steps slowing before he understood her gesture for what it was and stumbled to an abrupt halt. He at least grasped that she wanted him to wait, though he was still a little apprehensive about meeting the rest of the pack. "Should I do anything?" he asked, curious if the wolves expected any particular behavior from a newcomer.

At least his weapons might not be seen as a threat. Most of the animals he encountered simply did not know to fear his bow as a weapon, though he wondered if they would recognize his own knife as similar to the girl's. "Or just...wait?"

DragonSong

"Stand still," Brenna advised as they heard the happy barking of her little hunting party returning to the den. The excited noises faded to questioning, then incredulous.

Turning to Christopher, she murmured, "Don't back down, but don't- don't challenge."

The words were barely out of her mouth when Longclaw, the massive alpha male, came bounding out of their den, teeth bared and hackles raised. He stalked toward them, a line of layered brown and gray fur rising along his spine.

Brenna planted herself next to the shifter and dipped her head to her foster father, giving a low whine and looking up at him, but not making eye contact.

Longclaw growled, approaching warily. His ears lifted slightly from his skull, though, and he sniffed at Christopher with more curiosity than aggression.

"This is boss male," Brenna explained quietly. "He's...not so bad, being- protecting."

Juno

Her warning was heard but the new wolf that approached them had his cat bristling dangerously close to the surface once again. The animal roared and hissed his defiance within him as he was faced with the growling and bared teeth of the alpha male who dared show such behavior.

Christopher remained tense but did not back down, difficult as it was to not make a move to challenge the animal. He might teach him his place eventually, but he did not wish to upset the girl or lose his chance at observing the pack together over silly squabbling.

He allowed the other male to sniff him but stood motionless in the snow, refusing to make any sort of offer as they were approached. Light eyes flickered to observe her submissive behavior toward the wolf, curious about why she would do such a thing as he still did not quite understand that she saw herself as one of them.

"Hello 'boss male,'" the shifter greeted evenly, wondering if he might be accepted or if the wolf was mere seconds from taking a bite out of his hand.

DragonSong

Longclaw snorted by slowly relaxed, shaking his head. He swung his head to Brenna and barked. He would humor Little One's whims, but the stranger was her responsibility. Any sign of danger toward the pack, and he wouldn't hesitate to rip out his throat.

Brenna whined again, lowering her head in acknowledgement. The alpha huffed and briskly nuzzled the back of her neck in a rare show of affection, then turned to go back to the den.

Seeing his consent, the other wolves moved forward. Chaser and Icefang, Graywind's siblings, seemed the most curious and bounded forward, growling playfully and waving their plumed tails slowly.

Brenna laughed. "They say hello," she translated their behavior for Christopher with a small smile. The expression turned slightly sheepish and she added, "Longclaw...he has to protect pack. Don't...be angry with him."

Juno

Unaware of what was going on he relied upon Brenna to speak for them all, nodding to the other wolves and breathing a few short breaths to try and relax the tension from his limbs over the alpha. 

"Hello wolves," Christopher spoke gently, offering a hand to the younger ones as he didn't feel nearly as threatened by their approach. Looking to her for her apology, though, he smiled briefly in acceptance. If anything he could understand the need to protect what was yours.

"Not angry. I want to protect my territory, too. We both want to protect," he explained, hoping she could see how two males in such a situation could clash.

"Do you eat with them?" he asked, gesturing to the den. "...I will wait outside," he added, not wishing to interrupt whatever rituals they had.

DragonSong

She cocked her head and repeated, "Eat?" confused not by the word but by the question. Then she realized and shook her head, smiling. "Oh, the kill not for us," she gestured to herself, Shade, and Broketooth. The two omega wolves were as curious as the youngsters- who were sniffing at Christopher and licking his hand experimentally- but a bit more wary. "Others will eat, get strong, and go hunt. Bring back bigger prey," she explained.

Bright-Eye seemed to have overcome whatever caution she'd had and had joined the rest of the pack- sans alphas- sniffing curiously at the newcomer. She gave a soft bark and looked him over with the bright golden gaze that had earned her her name.

"She wants to know what you are, where you come from," Brenna translated, smiling and rubbing the wolf behind her ears the way she liked. The beta's tail wagged a bit and her tongue lulled out in a wolfy grin.

Juno

He nodded, the hierarchy still a bit strange to him and leaving him wondering how it was determined who would go and who would not. "I'm from here. Tundra? The snow," Christopher decided, nodding for her bark and giving a few gentle scratches to Bright-Eye's chin and the fluff of her coat at her neck and chest.

"You can tell them I am a leopard. If they understand what that is," he added, cautiously crouching to be more at their level as he offered his other hand to the wolves in invitation. "Do they like me any better than the...Longclaw one?"

DragonSong

Brenna relayed the information, laughing a bit as her pack mates looked to their guest with renewed curiosity. "They...like you," she said to Christopher, chuckling. "Longclaw doesn't...not like you- just wary."

As if on cue, the alpha male barked, calling the pack to him. As a unit, the hunters moved off, brushing against Brenna affectionately as they did until she, the omegas, and Christopher were left alone.

"Cold?" she asked, looking at the shifter. She nodded toward the den. "Go in. Get warm," she offered.