Frosty Springtime [Open]

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Mystery pricked her ears as she quickly scanned the clear water of the pool. Some patches of it were covered with a thin layer of ice, but some of the edges were ice-free. She saw some sort of large fish darting down deeper in the lake than she could reach. She huffed, her breath becoming a cloud of steam that floated towards the sky. The wind ruffled her fur as she looked around, then bent down to get a drink from the pool.

The water from the pool was cool and refreshing. As she looked more closely at the water, she saw that some fish were coming closer to the edge by her side. One even brushed past her nose. Bad news for you, fish. The she-wolf thought. It's the end of the line. She then stuck her head in the water just a little deeper, and she grabbed the fish and lifted it out of the cold water. It writhed and wriggled, and it squirmed its way almost out of Mystery's grasp. She opened her mouth and snapped it shut, the fish now lying still in her jaws. She smiled, satisfied at her catch for the day.

Mystery then wondered if eating it herself was the best idea. It would certainly be greedy. But then again what if a trespassing loner snatched it? She gave a little shrug and lay down, resting her head on her paws. The chill in the air and the cold water of the pool had left her shivering. Man, winters can be brutal up here. She thought to herself. But hey, at least I'm not in Airila, they're up to their torsos in snow. She gave a little chuckle at her own thoughts. She then gave in and took a bite out of the fish. It didn't taste half bad, especially for fish. Mystery was not fond of fish.

Flashback!

It all started when she was a teen. She was still traveling with Twig and Majesty in her old home, North America. They had stopped one day for something to eat. They had found themselves at a lake, and they thought the hunting opportunity was perfect. They each managed to catch themselves some small fish from the shallow waters. Little did they know, the water had traces of an unknown poison in it. They each gobbled up their catch. For the next two days, they had to slowly walk to a new place to rest, the poisoned fish really getting to them.

Flashback over.

Mystery shuddered at the thought. She was glad that the water from this pool was completely fresh. She didn't want to have to relive that experience. No way. Well, food is food. She thought to herself, reluctantly taking another bite of the fish. She licked her chops afterwards, telling herself that that would be all she'd eat. This pack was still in winter-mode, and prey was only just coming out again. She didn't want to ruin it to another wolf.

She didn't want to relive her teenhood again.

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A soft flow of wind continued to ruffle the male's fur upon the Kinath, so he had sought shelter within the forest. Chaika had hunted for a chunk of his time spent in the forest, and was now jogging in the direction of the beautiful pool for a short break and some fluids. The brute weaved through the towering foliage carrying two rabbits and a stoat and was forced to duck under the occasional low hanging branch. His pace slowed as he caught a tiny glimpse of the clearing that held Nyspoli's Pool until his paws moved at a peaceful walking speed. The sweet scent of another canine intruded his nostrils, and he was fairly certain the odor belonged to the wolf he had met in Tiayr, Mystery. Before entering the small clearing, he regained control of his breathing. He did not want to approach the older femme all out of breath, for maybe the two would be able to have a proper conversation.

The first time they had met, Kiddo had appeared before the pair of Amar wolves were able to get to know each other well enough to test the Timber male's hunting skill. Pain shot through his spine at the thought of his former Alpha. He had been an Amar member for barely two months, and then it had all vanished when his Alpha had disappeared. The hunter wasn't exactly sure what would happen to his existing pack mates, but he had refused to part ways from Amar territory until he received some formal instruction. The brute had a strange feeling selling up within his body that the entire pack would end up separating from one another, but he in no way wanted something of that nature to occur.

Pure joy swept over the canine, he was extremely relieved that he was not the only member of Amar who had remained within the Oriens after the apparent breakup. He approached the femme hesitantly, not wanting to startle her. When he was approximately ten feet behind the other canine, he carefully placed his kills on the sand before taking another step forward. Even though he was no longer a hunter of a pack, he had still decided to continue his duties in order for him to feed any friend - or complete stranger - that he may come across. His voice was soft and friendly when he said, "Hello, Miss Mystery." He lowered his head to show respect when she turned around to face him. Hopefully the two would still be considered acquaintances even after the disbanding of their pack.

His brown orbs then stumbled upon the half eaten fish that was lying lifelessly at the Timber femme's paws. The male had never eaten fish in his life, so he decided that could be a starting point for their hopefully pleasant conversation. "I've never eaten a fish before, are they any good?" His voice was stuffed with the curiosity that had suddenly flooded his brain. He smiled at the she wolf, wondering what she thought of Kiddo's disappearance. Chaika himself was not taking it lightly to say the least, but he was able to conceal his feeling with his usual chipper aura. He considered bringing up the topic, but he decided it probably wasn't the smartest idea. Maybe Mystery would bring it up on her own, but he didn't want to start off their encounter with such a touchy subject.

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[atrb=background,http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t26/corpes3/mysterymid.png] Mystery soon became aware of another wolf behind her. She quickly sniffed and caught the scent of Amar. Or what was Amar. She couldn't quite get the exact scent of who it was, but she was glad to know that it was one of her former packmates. She quietly sighed as she thought back to the Aplha and all the friends she had made in her three months of being in a pack. She looked down at her partially eaten fish, then stood up and turned around. To her relief, it was Chaika. She smiled as he greeted her. "Hello, Chaika." She said kindly. She gazed at him and saw the rabbits he had hunted. After a moment of silence, the she-wolf thought back to when the two of them first met. She had been walking along in Tiayr when he ran into her and made the mistake of thinking she was a trespasser. They had settled the little problem, and she smiled at the thought that she wasn't the only one left. The male then asked about the fish she had somewhat eaten. He asked if they tasted good. "They taste fine," She said with a shrug. "Food is food, I guess." She looked back at the rabbits that Chaika had hunted. "Looks like you've been doing some hunting yourself." She then thought with a pang of sadness that neither of them were hunters anymore. They could still hunt, but for what purpose? To stay alive? After all that she had done to become a hunter, it was all worthless now. She gave another sigh. "Do you happen to know what happened to Kiddo?" She asked curiously. "I haven't quite been filled in on everything that has happened." She added. It was the truth. She had spent so much time up here at the pool, she barely knew anything of what was going on. She knew the Alpha had disappeared and the pack had disbanded. That was all she knew. She just hoped that Chaika wouldn't get depressed about the subject. He was always so happy, it was odd seeing him the way he was right now. Then again, no one was quite happy about the Amar drama at the time. Count | 372 words Muse | I'm getting it back bit by bit! Tags | Chaika :3 Notes | Well, she ended up bringing it up.

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The brute was extremely excited to cross paths with the former Amar femme, but sadness still loomed within his body. Even if he had only been a member for a small period of time, and a hunter even shorter than that, the Timber male had loved his pack to no extent. In some ways, this event was worse than the fire in which he lost his birth mother and lover. At least he had some kind of control in the other situation, he could have saved every wolf in the clearing. He winced at the thought of his apparent failure. He had not come across any canine from his old pack, so he believed that they all must be deceased at this point. But now, with Kiddo's disappearance and no further information from pack mates, the male felt completely and utterly helpless. What could he do about his pack migrating away from one another? Nothing.

The male nodded in response to Mystery's kind greeting, his tail wiggling in reaction to her seemingly positive attitude. At least he would not have to deal with a completely depressed canine. Maybe this Timber female was depressed, and maybe she was hiding her sadness behind a thin layer of happiness. That was, in fact, exactly what he was doing. Though, he didn't think of himself to be exactly depressed. He was more devastated than anything else, but he still managed to conceal his true feelings with his charming smile and another tail wag. He needed this opportunity to escape the sadness that was overcoming, he needed this femme to help him cope with his loss.

Chaika nearly laughed in reaction to his former pack mate's indifferent answer to his question about the quality of taste that a fish held. He refrained from laughing, and instead nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose you are correct in the sense that all food fills one's stomach, but have you ever thought about the taste of one type of prey versus another?" The whole concept of taste and flavor had always baffled the canine. He simply could not seem to wrap his brain around the source of flavor and why it even existed. Sure, it allowed him to choose which meal he would enjoy better - deer was his absolute favorite - but otherwise, what purpose did flavor hold?

Chocolate brown orbs observed the other wolf as she noticed the two rabbits and one stout that lay lifelessly on the sand. Then she had proceeded to comment on them. "Yes, I've been hunting more than I can eat," he replied before giving a halfhearted chuckle. "Oh! Where are my manners?" he exclaimed before grasping one of the rabbits in his jaw and carrying it over to the femme. "If you don't eat it now, at least save it for some other time," he said, almost in a pleading tone. He thought back to his encounter with a subordinate named Nashira. She had not been willing to eat his kill in the beginning, but she had eventually accepted his gift. Chaika hoped that this canine would just take the prey without any nonsense.

After a moment, Mystery had done what the Timber male had expected. She changed the subject to Amar and its current status. "I'm afraid I haven't heard from him since my hunting evaluation. I haven't even been able to pick up his scent anywhere." Every drop of life had drained itself from his voice, leaving behind an emotionless tone that sounded strange even to himself. He sighed before continuing with, "The truth is, you are the first Amar wolf I have come across ever since the... Disbandment." This time his words were slightly less desolate, but they held a heavy undertone of sadness. It hurt to admit out loud that his pack had officially broken up. Quickly, the brute recovered from his tiny loss of cheerfulness and regained a kind smile and a happy flick of the tail. He wanted to know what Mystery thought about everything that was going on with the pack. Chaika wanted to know that he wasn't the only member who was attached to the pack of wolves.

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[atrb=background,http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t26/corpes3/mysterymid.png] Mystery was brimming with happiness about the fact that she wasn't the only wolf left in The Oriens after Amar was disbanded. She had to try hard to keep from going crazy with glee. She didn't want to scare Chaika, because when she got happy, she got happy. She just wagged her tail a little as the male talked. He was asking about whether she liked the taste of one prey over another. What's the difference? She thought to herself. "No, I don't often think about that." She said. "But that's something that I can think about in the future." She said with a smile. He had given her something to keep her mind on so she wasn't worrying about the disbandment of Amar all the time. Then the Timber picked up one of his caught rabbits and placed it by her. She smiled again as he said to just keep it. "Thank you, Chaika." She said kindly. She was happy that the wolf didn't seem to mind her mentioning the Alpha, as well. He explained, to the she-wolf's surprise, that he hadn't seen Kiddo since his hunting test. "That's strange." She said curiously. "I wonder what's happened to him." Mystery was also surprised when Chaika said that she was the first wolf he had seen since the pack fell apart. "Well, I bet everyone else is okay." She said calmly. "What's the worst that could happen?" Then she thought about what really could happen. They could run into a bear. Or starve. Or drown. "Don't answer that question." She said almost immediately afterwards. Mystery gave another sigh as she thought about the three short months she had spent as an Amar wolf. She had a very clumsy entry, where she also angered Kiddo. Then she had he hunting test almost immediately after that, where she successfully caught a deer out of luck. Then she met Chaika, and that was when she had become a Huntress. Three short months. It had gone by so fast. Count | Nyaaaaa not keeping count >.> Muse | Pretty good! Tags | Chaika Notes | Hmmmmm.... it's sad once you think about it.....

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It was amazing to finally be able to interact with a friend after the week or so with absolutely no contact with another canine. Chaika was a naturally social being, as most wolves tend to be, but he also had an additional form of friendliness that meant that he needed to have consistent doses of conversation on a regular basis. The solitary lifestyle of a loner simply did not suit the brute's personality, and this occasion in which he had run into the Timber femme named Mystery was all he truly needed right now. Unfortunately, he was aware that after a short block of blissful time with the female's company, he would be forced to part ways with this she wolf and return to the lonely life as a homeless wanderer. However, the male knew that he needed to savor these few moments he could share with his former pack mate as if it was the only food he would have for weeks. He needed to enjoy the delicacy while it was available and not gloom upon the alone time that lay ahead of him. With another burst of furious tail wagging, the brute focused himself on the femme standing in front of him.

At first, Chaika felt a bit odd that he would have even brought up the topic of taste. The entire concept didn't make sense to him, so why would he even bother to mention it to another canine? Then, when the femme with a variety of brown shades throughout her pelt added that she would keep the thought in mind in the future. Her smile and tone sounded genuine enough, he didn't believe she would just toss the thought away. Maybe she would actually think about it when she devoured her next meal. The Timber male nodded pleasantly, glad that he could influence this wolf in a positive way even though it had to be something as petty as quality of taste. Relief swarmed through his somewhat slim body when Mystery accepted his offering with a simple thank you. He hadn't been looking for a giant scene of gracefulness nor a rejection of the meal. What the female had done was perfect. "You are quite welcome, darling," he replied with a charming smile. Darling, love, miss; these were all terms the male used while speaking with any female. He didn't even need to think twice, it was sort of second nature in a way. Sometimes females would take it the wrong way and become offended or feel that he was flirting with them in some way, but this was certainly not the case. All he wanted was to be polite and kind to all of those that he met.

Reminiscing about Amar and it's mighty Alpha caused the Bruce's heart to give a small twinge, nothing more. Kiddo had been strong, determined to allow his pack to thrive, and had a fairness to him that had caused him to fall in love with the ways of Amar. But, that was nothing now. It had all diminished into an invisible memory at this point, but Chaika still cared about his leader despite the fact that he had recently abandoned the entire group of canids that should have meant the world to him. "I just hope he is doing alright," he replied in a hushed voice. Her mentioning of the other former pack members caused a new feeling of worry to surface within his brain. Though he had not had a one on one conversation with each of the wolves, he still wondered what each one was doing at this very moment. "Are they all... Alive?" The male couldn't help that final thought to appear within his crania, but he quickly shooed it away with a few blinks of his brown orbs.

The silence that followed carried an eerie sort of tension to form in the surrounding air. Not between Mystery and himself, but more so between the Timber brute and his own thoughts. He searched frantically for words he could grasp within his brain and then blurt out in hopes of the silence to disappear. Disappear almost similarly to Kiddo. With a small smile, the male said, "How have you been fairing on your own these days? Found enough to eat I suppose?" The canine assumed that she had been perfectly fine on her own, she was a skilled huntress after all. But, he had the urge to check in on this friend of his, to be sure that she was doing well. If there was any opportunity for him to assist her in any way, shape, or form he would not hesitate to do so. His stunning chocolate brown eyes gazed at the other Timber, as if pleading her to tell him the truth. He would feel absolutely horrible if there was something he could do for her, but she decided to conceal her needs from him.

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[atrb=background,http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t26/corpes3/mysterymid.png] Mystery was just playing all this by ear. She wasn't too good in conversations. She just let Chaika speak, then responded as well as she could. She didn't dislike chatting with the Timber male, she just didn't quite know what to say at what time. She kept a small smile on her face throughout the conversation, which she hoped was enough. After a while she had begun to relax, realizing that she was talking not only with a peer, bu with a friend. Or at least she assumed they were friends. Why wouldn't they be? Just hush and smile. She thought to herself. There's nooooothing to worry about. She stood still, and eyed the rabbit again as the male replied to her thank-you. She was happy that she'd have a bit more food, and she was pleased that Chaika had the manners and the generosity to give her some of his hard-earned catch. "I hope he's alright, too." She said as the wolf said that he hoped that their former Alpha was doing alright. "This is almost worst case scenario, but do you ever consider trying to join a new pack? Not right away, but if nothing was to happen?" She asked curiously. A few days ago, she wouldn't have even considered the thought of joining a new pack. Now, she was keeping the thought in the corner of her mind. To give her something to think about. Of course, if Chaika wasn't to join a new pack, maybe she'd become a loner again. She wasn't quite sure what she'd do. "Or do you think, just maybe, someone that used to be in Amar may try to reform the pack?" Was that too far? She as thinking too far into the future. umping to conclusions. Maybe she wouldn't do anything at all. She wanted to go back in time and take that all back. She didn't want to make her friend worry about such a ridiculous topic. It would be her fault. But if something like that did happen...... What was she thinking? Count | Ugh idk DX Muse | Meh. Tags | Chaika Notes | My muse is dying again D: