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It was the twins' first winter, and the changes it brought awed them. The shift in colors in the forest from the fall particularly had once grabbed Teddy's attention, which had caused them to wander further into the Ravenbranch than Thea liked. Creatures had stacked up for food previously, they both remembered. Theodore had wanted to watch the little squirrels and chipmunks stuff their cheeks while scurrying about, maybe come across a hidden hole. The trees had lit their own fires and lost their leaves in brilliant breezes that dazzled him. Fall had brought wonder.

Winter? Winter just nipped at his coat and made him shiver and shake and long for a proper den again, but he tried not to give Thea any additional ammunition to snap at him. Neither of them were incredibly successful hunters, and it was starting to show. Their lanky, adolescent forms were growing thinner by the day which, what with the temperature dropping and food becoming even more scarce, made even his great patience grow threadbare quicker.

He was starting to think leaving had been a bad idea, but he didn't dare say it in case Thea's fangs came back out.

Normally together at the hip, their trip often found the pair splitting when they decided to rest or look for food. Teddy felt particularly unsure about himself today, though, and so he didn't move too far from his sister. His nose went towards a nearly bare tree, and he pawed at it slightly.

"Is this the one with edible bark?" he wondered aloud, trying to lift the cold silence. He was tempted to stick his tongue out and try.

Troldja had been hunting that morning and had caught and stashed a couple of rabbits and a squirrel. When she'd decided enough was enough, she'd gathered together her caches of food and had lain down to eat it. However just as she decided to dig into a rather fat (for the season) rabbit, she heard movement, hastily she buried them under some leaves, though a keen scavenger could easily find them, and stepped out, a growl low in her throat.

She paused when she spotted not one but two young wolves, she raised a paw and wiped at her eyes, she was seeing double? no... strange, Troldja had never seen pure twins like them before. She didn't immediately threaten them to leave however, she was curious, so, before she was seen, she backed up, slightly uncovering her cache of kills and moving out of sight, making just enough noise to attract the youngsters over. Perfect targets of some harmless fun. She watched wand waited, hiding, to see what they would do when they saw the food.

((Troldja = 176 words))

Each time the day became night and night became day Kleitos found herself a little more healed. Though the wound wasn't visible she had felt her heart break time and time again as she visualized the massacre of her mate. Though time had been partly to thank for this healing she couldn't turn a blind eye from the companionship, though brief, that had been found in wolves here and there. Wolves that would have listened to her blab away about her situation and the loss she was attempting to embrace and overcome. Eventually one after the other would part ways, usually on pleasant enough terms and Kleitos was left to her own device. Now her paws carried her through lands that were unfamiliar, ones that she had yet travelled and so she grew nervous.

The weather wasn't helping her nerves. Kleitos raised her dark snout to the skies and sniffed the winds lightly in hopes of catching the scents that might fill them. Lowering her head, after having little luck with finding new smells, her olive eyes checked the horizon for movement. Her eyes didn't betray her quite as her nose had. Was that movement? The thought flickered through her mind and her heart began to race. Truthfully the thought had asked the obvious, but her heart was eager to believe that it was false.

Silently she approached, from a visible place to peer at the commotion. From her distance she spied two small forms and a larger one - were those, pups? Narrowing her eyes to attempt at a better view of the scene she couldn't put her paw on the answer. "Surely they can't be?" Kleitos found herself whispering the question. There's had been a plump fall into a hearty winter, so those that were able bodied and well trained would be able to survive it easily. Raising her nose once more to the winds she was able to identify a difference in gender, but she couldn't get much else - not without getting closer. Deciding that wasn't in her best interest she paused and chose to lay down, it was a decent view for the time being at least.

[ wc ; 361 ]

Finally, a day without supervision out in the wild to explore or simply roll in those delectable leaves. Whatever the case Fane ventured outward into the wilderness away from his pack. Playfully, he slid his paws in the leaves hearing them joyfully crunch tossing amongst one another. He jeered quite happily snapping his maw a few inches from those scattered creations. Wagging his tail with a lolled tongue he chuckled silently in amusement play-attacking another pile of leaves beneath a tree.

Then he paused, his nose catching the scent of other wolves nearby. Spitting out a few leaves he snatched up his tail wagged again as ears swiveled thinking to himself, "Who are they?" he queried a brimming smile always painting his maw no matter what his thoughts. Coming back to his puppy years, as they were called, he remembered the rest of the pack was vocal whilst he was silent. No matter how much he wanted to try no sound could escape his throat. which he couldn't comprehend. Disheartening as it seemed he didn't let such a hardship bother him, rather in his eyes he became stronger. In the pack everyone loved Fane so why not these new strangers he would encounter soon.

Wagging his tail once more he peered through a few bushes to observe the gathering wolves in the area.


wc: 224

Thea stiffened the moment she picked up their scents. Immediately she turned to face the--not intruders, this was not their land, this was no-one's land, no pack's she could make out--or maybe there was a small one they had missed, perhaps the snow had muddled their marks, made her nose itch and burn with the cold--well there was one adult asking about them, and gods help them but Teddy, Teddy was going to talk to him! She almost placed her paw down to go over and intervene, but her brother wasn't shying away this time. It was...not odd per say, he had a talkative personality if you got past his bookishness, but it was certainly different. Maybe he wanted to stand on his own four legs for once.

Or, more likely, he was opening his mouth and blabbering out of panic. Social anxiety or something. Neither of them knew how to act around multiple creatures.

Thea eyed the strangers for a moment before turning away. If two were here, maybe there were more...Mouth pursed, she pulled away opposite from Teddy's group and began to snoop. If they were getting surrounded, they needed to leave, now.

"I know you're there!" she barked into the trees, tail flagged in challenge. Of course, she didn't really know, but maybe someone would oblige. Maybe they were nice bandits or pup eaters. Wouldn't that be something. "You might as well come out. Or leave."

Pups. Váskas curled his lips, about to break into a snarl. Where were their parents and why were they left out here? He noticed that the male pup took the initiative to talk, but the female one was more feisty.

He heard when the pup called out for him to show himself or to leave. Well, he was not going to challenge a youngster, but he was not going to backtrack his steps.

"You have a pretty great nose right there," he started, leaving the safety of some bushes. "Look. There's more wolves out there, and I am pretty sure that he," in regards to the twin brother, "is giving off a friendlier and better approach to this whole interaction thing than you are. Not like you are, or you are not."

[ 132 ]

Faelan rose a brow, perplexed. This pup was so formal for someone so young. Just where was his mother? It was a surprise that she let them out when one was so well mannered. The female reluctantly smiled at the young wolf. "Faelan is fine." There was no need for formalities. She couldn't think of another time when she had been called ma'am. It was weird.

She didn't expect there to be another wolf nearby. Curse her lack of good smell!

Her shoulder's stiffened and she looked towards where the male pup had nodded towards. "I'm not lost," she gave the pup an easy going smile, although her attention was focused on the other wolf, attempting to gauge what their intentions were. It was best not to scare the little one though. Well. Little ones. And as much as she wanted to up and leave, she couldn't do that with others around. Faelan shuddered. She really wasn't one to socialize in a group...

She took a protective step closer to the pup as the silent male grinned and wagged his tail. Friendly, but couldn't be trusted. Who knew what crazy thoughts were in that ones head. Her gaze narrowed as he ran around. "What are you up to?" The girl had a right to be wary. She didn't trust the black and white male near her either.

Her attention was so focused on Fane that Faelan didn't notice the other female in the bushes. She jumped and whipped around at the exclamation, growling. It was a prank. She subsided her growl and straightened her legs but gave the other female a look that could kill. "Very funny."

WC: 277

Revel1984

Rein_Carnation

medigel