Ever since she met that wolf with the fishing traps, she had wanted to try it out for herself. Not for fish, but for anything. Wren recently discovered some catgut lying around - their loss! - and sat down to do something. She didn't know what to make. Maybe a snare? She'd never had 'help' with her hunting. Finding a sizable stone and a branch from a tree, she set to work.

Too absorbed in her task, she would make a hunting snare if possible. She tried to wrap the catgut around the stick first, making a knot. The stone was used for its sharp edge, smoothing out the branch to a fine point she could drive into the earth. Wren didn't notice the other wolf until his scent hit her nose. She looked up, seeing a smaller male standing there.

The young woman blinked once then tried to smile. It came out awkward and uneasy, but friendly enough.

"Speech"
1/3 ROUNDS
Crafted an item related to hunting

The male had returned to Boreas after his ventures to the far, far North. He had come across a rather lively clan of wild wolves that lived in the mountains. They were a boisterous group. Honorable warriors, master smiths of weaponry and armor, metal crafters, and all manner of things. The dwarf had spent nearly an entire year among them and had gotten the opportunity to learn many valuable lessons. Now that he was back in Boreas, he set his sights on greater things and decided he wanted to bring the culture back. But first...food. He and Knut had traveled far and wide and had ended up reaching the Stone Steppe when they decided to stop for lunch. "What do ye think is on the menu t'day Knut?" He grumbled as he climbed onto one of the fallen stones. Before the larger cat could answer, however, he spotted another wolf on the ground, and she had turned up to look at him, offering what was clearly a forced, awkward smile. "Aha! It appears we've found something other than lunch, look Knut!" The cat leapt up beside the smaller male, peering down at the she-wolf that seemed to be working on something. He sat down with a tilt of his head, tail curling neatly around his paws. "Pardon our intrusion, Miss. We didn't mean to disturb ye. I am Knut, and the wee lad ye see here is-" "Oi! Don't ye dare say it Knut!" The dwarf huffed as he glared daggers at the cat. Clearing his throat, he turned his attention back to the she-wolf. "Gimli Lionheart! I see yer makin' a trap o' some sort, eh? Mind if we join ye? We were just talkin' abou' finding us some supper as well!" "Gimli"||"Knut"

A cat and a wolf. Strange, considering she had been forced into fights with wild felines lately. Wren glanced back down at her trap, deeming the pair friendly and no threat to her. She managed to wrap the catgut around the stick after filing the wood down a bit with the stone. "Sure, I don't mind." Which was true; they were polite at least.

Looking back up at Gimli and Knut, she added more. "Wren" the woman gave her name "I was making a snare for rabbits" Because no other prey animals - save weasels- were small enough for such a thing "I'm about done this one; if you wanted to set it up near some foliage?" She would finish the final adjustments before nosing it to Gimli.

If he wanted his share, he'd work for it!

"Speech"
2/3 ROUNDS
Crafted an item related to hunting

"O' course! I would never dream of askin' fer a free meal!" He responded, tone light as he jumped off his perch and onto the ground nearby. "Tis nice to meet ye, Wren, I'll gladly help ye in yer endeavor!" She had some material, and of course, he had his. He was nothing if not prepared, and considering he wasn't exactly the long-legged sort, he had no shame in using the help of tools to hunt his meals. He pulled out some twine from the makeshift pack he had, and Knut had set to sharpening a few shorter sticks that would be part of their traps. While the cat worked on those, Gimli set to work on tying the knots so that he could attach them to the other parts of the trap whenever Knut finished with them. "What brings ye to these parts, lass? Ye live 'round here?" She didn't smell like a pack, so he assumed she was a rogue either passing through, or perhaps she chose to live in these parts. "Gimli"||"Knut"

She began to finish her own work, the materials little compared to his own. She hadn't been very prepared for trap making, but she had wanted to try with what she had found. Gimli set to his job well, making the traps and setting them. Wren sharpened the last stick and placed the remaining catgut on it. It was a messy work, but hopefully it'd hold well against a struggling rabbit.

"Nothing really big" she cautioned Gimli as he asked his question "I'm travelling around. Trying to find a good place to settle. I had one, not too long ago but... the pack dissolved. Our alpha fled with his family. I was left behind" she tried to shrug it off, despite the raw anger and hurt in her chest "I've been to lots of places, but none of them seem right. So I thought I'd try here."

"Speech"
3/3 ROUNDS
Crafted an item related to hunting

He continued to work on his part of the trap as Wren answered him. He paused for a moment as he listened. It was a shame, wasn't it? When others abandoned you like that? He knew the feeling. His parents had basically abandoned him, and the pack he had been born into..while they were around, they had largely acted as if he didn't exist. Except for Recluse. She had bullied him and picked fights with him. Even after he had left. "Aye, ah know how ye feel, lass. I was abandoned when I was a wee pup. The pack I lived in still stands, but in me head and heart, they might as well not exist. They didnae care abou' me much. Spoiled high and mighty lot they are!" He spit into the dirt when he thought about the Kleins. And he hated that he was even related to them, but oh well. He wasn't a Klein in his book. He had changed his surname, and it was all for the better. Knut finished whittling the wood he'd been working on and passed it to Gimli. With an exclamation of satisfaction, Gimli began to tie the leader line around the end of the hook piece, and then tied the snare part to the other end. "Who need 'em though, right? In the end, ye kin only count on yerself, and those closest to ye that ye can trust." He glanced at Knut, grateful that he had met the cat. "Right. I think we're abou' done with these? I know a good spot we can set them up." He stood, gathering the snare and waited to see if she wanted to follow, or if she wanted him to set hers up as well. "Gimli"||"Knut"

She glanced at him as he spoke his piece too. While she frowned inwardly, her expression betrayed no emotion. Gimli didn't seem the type to want someone to feel bad for him anyway. "Well" she paused briefly, scowling at last "that fucking sucks." It was all the capacity she had in her to be angry about something she knew little about. At least he had his companion with him. She didn't have one. Maybe she'd never bond with one.

They continued on as before. Working the traps and making them. She trusted his judgement about where to place them and gave a nod. "I'll put mine somewhere else." Wren decided to see if they had good luck on both sides. She rose to all fours, dragging the trap with her (carefully, mind you!) and finding a place at last. It took a few circles before she smelt some rabbit and saw their footsteps. Making sure the snare was probably covered, she'd find a place to watch and wait.

"Speech"
3/3 craft snare
1/3 use snare

He grunted in agreement to her words. He seldom dwelled on the past, but wouldn't pass up the opportunity to shit talk them if it presented itself. He was a wolf of honor, and the Kleins? He swore they were the opposite. Not a shred of honor among them, no doubt! But alas, he focused his attention to the task at hand, so when she said she would put her trap somewhere else, he nodded and bounded off in the opposite direction with Knut. They weaved among a few fallen stones before he found recent activity. Rabbits were around here, and he was going to catch one! Though first, he needed to find a sapling which he was sure one was around here somewhere...aha! He headed straight for it, and with Knut's help, he managed to attach the leader line to the tip of the sapling and buried part of the base into the ground. Carefully, Knut placed the hooked part of the wood to the base and set the noose. He then placed a couple of small twigs and some lives around it to better hide it for any unsuspecting prey that wandered around. With a purr of satisfaction, Knut bounded away and the pair both hid among the stones that surrounded the nearby rabbit holes and waited. "Gimli"||"Knut"

Wren would grow to hate using snares to catch food. While she preferred to hunt openly and with honour, there was simpleness in using traps. She just hated watching from afar the prey struggling and dying slowly. It was a tough watch. Anyone worth a shred of sympathy could feel the same. Nobody broken wouldn't break inside, watching it.

So when a rabbit crossed the path, nibbling and sniffing, she waited. Her gut told her to chase it, to hunt it naturally. But she'd wait for her chance to nab it with the snare. Maybe it'd work. Maybe not. The only animals she didn't mind killing were fish. Stupid, ugly fish. The rabbit hopped closer and closer, and finally succumbed to curiosity.

Its shriek was cut off as it's air was.

"Speech"
3/3 craft snare
2/3 use snare

Like Wren, Gimli waited patiently for their lunch to hop by. He didn't have long to wait, however, as a rabbit was returning from its afternoon of foraging. He bumped Knut's shoulder and motioned to the trap, waiting for the dumb little beast to get closer to its demise. The rabbit slowly moved forward, unaware of the trap that lay cleverly positioned near one of the warrens. Holding his breath, Gimli fought the urge to go down and chase it...but he was a patient man (sometimes), and remained as still as the stones that surrounded him. Within a few, short minutes, the rabbit bounded forward and almost immediately got caught up in the trap. Its hind legs were caught, and the rabbit flailed around in an effort to get free, but he knew it wouldn't be able to. He was an expert in his crafts, and what good would a snare do if it didn't work properly? Though with the way the rabbit had been caught, there was no choice but to dispatch it before it managed to slip free. And of course, Knut was already one step ahead of him. The larger feline jumped down and bounded over to it, pinning it to the ground with a look of satisfaction. "And how would you like your rabbit, sir?" He purred in a joking manner. "Gimli"||"Knut"

Fortunately for Wren, the rabbit died. She didn't want it to suffer even if it was prey. Approaching the now silent animal, she unhooked it from the snare and brought it back to Gimli and Knut. Dropping it on the ground, she settled and began to start eating. Gimli would joke with his companion while she nosed the prey idly, trying to find a good spot to eat.

The rabbit was thin. It had little meat on it's bones. Oh well. It was better than nothing. "How long did you both know each other?" she asked the pair, slightly curious. Maybe if she talked to folks with companions, she could figure out how to bond with her own. So far, she didn't know how. She didn't know what to do. Maybe that'll change.

Or maybe she was doomed to be alone.

"Speech"
3/3 craft snare
3/3 use snare

"Stewed o' course, but alas we don't have the means at the moment," He frowned, but oh well. A meal was a meal and one way or another this rabbit was on the menu. Knut wasted no further time in dispatching the rabbit, cutting off its struggles before he untangled it from the trap and tossed it over to Gimli. While the dwarf took the rabbit in his mouth and turned back to Wren, Knut would set the trap again to catch another meal later. Thoughtful, Gimli dropped the rabbit and settled down. "Goin' on four years now come Spring, I believe," Had it really been that long already? He had met him that young? "I was hardly a yearling when Knut and I met, and he was a kitten. Qui' a big one he was, jus' a wee bit smaller than I." Wow, he couldn't believe how much time had passed... "Gimli"||"Knut"

Four long years. Gimli was indeed older than her. Wren gave a conversational nod, not knowing what else to say at the moment. Everything seemed so small in comparison to Knut and Gimli's bond. She wondered if she'd ever know such a thing. It seemed impossible to her at the moment, having nothing really in Boreas or Auster.

"I hope you guys are good for the winter" Wren eventually said "I know it can be tough alone, so you gotta rely on each other. Not that I can see different!" she added with a chuckle, having already seen their bond and working together well enough. She hoped it lasted for them, really.

"Speech"

"I hope you guys are good for the winter, I know it can be tough alone, so you gotta rely on each other. Not that I can see different!" The earth-toned male shot her a grin before taking a bite of his rabbit, tail thumping on the ground. A good meal and good company for once? He hadn't had that in a long while. Well at least not with someone that wasn't Knut. "Aye, we'll be alright eh? I've not been in a pack since I left that dreadful Ashen Empire, and been livin' in the mountains and caves. We've been stockin' up fer the winter in a cave in the nearby mountains. I think we'll be alright," He went to take another bite before pushing the other half towards Knut, "And you? You're not par' of a pack so yer a loner eh? Will ye be fine fer the winter?" If she needed a hand, he would not be opposed to sharing some of his stock to see her through the season. "Gimli"||"Knut"

"I'll be fine." She always was.

Especially alone, she seemed to thrive on hard work. Gimli was a good wolf if he was worried about a vagabond like her. But... He, too, was one. It could help sometimes to band together. Sometimes, placing your trust in others worked out. But she wasn't going to do that - not yet anyway. If he was going on a ramble about banding together, she'd decline. But he wasn't.

"Thanks though" she licked the stray drops of prey from her lips and quickly groomed herself "I should find somewhere to sleep for the night. You and Knut should too" But he was an adult and could make his own choices. Wren was just giving back the concern "see ya around, yeah?" she smirked playfully, in good humour. The brunette would walk off. /end

"Speech"