Winter had come, and just as Bass had promised all the trees except for the evergreens had been stripped bare and now silently clawed at the pale sky. He had grown quite a bit since his lesson with the Primo and could now walk comfortably without tripping over his paws. There was still room to grow but the growth spurt hadn’t gone unnoticed to the little lightning bolt. He wandered through the plains, lost in thought as fluffy white snowflakes fell around him. He felt that the plains had become eerily quiet, he was too used to the hissing of snakes that had in the months before slowly tapered off into silence. His slate fur stuck out like a sore thumb against the cold, all except for the tips of his ears which at a glance seemed to be missing.

The quails he had seen in the Thicket were dead, he could feel it. Nature was harsh and unforgiving, but then quails weren’t like wolves, they weren’t as strong or as big, and didn’t have thick plush coats like the one he had now. To him it seemed that all other animals were weaker than wolves except for bears, which were simply stupider. Wolves were the perfect combination of strength and intelligence, even birds with their ability to fly snapped like twigs in their jaws and could barely fight back. It made the young wolf think about the thing he had seen at the meeting, which at the time had seemed innocous, and had even made him curious but now that he as older and had an idea for the natural eaknesses and shortcomings of other species, it filled him ith disgust to know that it as being treated as an equal and he wondered what Bass was thinking when he decided to let it stay in Abaven.

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There is hope within despair

Caked in snow Brandr headed back into Abaven territory panting.  He shook his coat out roughly dislodging some of the clinging moisture and sighed heavily.  Keeping such a large pack fed in the bleakness of winter was proving a challenge and it was keeping the youth working non-stop.  Some hunts were successful, others, like this one, not so much.  He made note to try later after he rested a bit.  Perhaps if he were lucky he could rally enough of the Abaven wolves to go hunting for bison.

As he peered out over the plains he spied one of the Abaven pups out for a walk.  Brandr watched the youth for a moment, hesitant to say anything.  He still hated starting conversations and had a tendency to keep to himself but he knew that if he was ever going to truly be a part of this pack then he needed to get to know those he shared it with.  "Hello!  Out for a walk?"

Tyranis His golden eyes shot up to look at the approaching wolf, his ears folded back as if he had just been caught doing something wrong. “Y-yes.” He replied shyly, taking a cautious step toward the man who he didn’t recognize. He approached the man warily only to pick up his pace after he was close enough to recognize the scent of Abaven on him. He laughed and circled the young man’s paws, his small body easily slipping under his much larger frame. “I’m Tyranis!” He exclaimed happily, his ink tipped tail waving back and fourth as he looked up at him. Ty had learned that whenever he approached someone older they were usually more than happy to play with him or shower him with attention. He’d never met the fawn wolf before but still approached him the way he would any other wolf in Abaven. Whoever he was he noticeably lacked the confidence he had seen in Pyrrhus and Bass, and the pretty woman he had met in the Fall. Perhaps he was new. The little lightning bolt at least couldn’t remember him from the meeting Bass had held over a season ago, but a lot had changed since then. text Speech

There is hope within despair

Caked in snow Brandr headed back into Abaven territory panting.  He shook his coat out roughly Brandr watched with amusement as the boy turned toward him, ears folding back in caution. Well, it was good that he reacted that way. After all, Brandr was a stranger for the moment. The boy scented the air and as soon as he realized Brandr was of Abaven he bounded forward. Brandr grinned. One of the things he was enjoying most about Abaven was the spunk of the pups that lived here. The adults seemed to keep to themselves but the pups were always willing to greet him and talk to him. "Hello Tyranis. I'm Brandr, one of Abaven's hunters. I was out scouting for signs of prey, would you like to join me?" He had no idea what Tyranis was studying to be but he hoped his company wouldn't be to boring and if the boy was only out for a walk perhaps he wouldn't mind tagging along.

“Sure!” he said happily, his tail flitting from side to side. Tyranis had no intention of becoming a hunter but if he was going to lead Abaven one day he would need to know all  the roles each pack member had. That and it was yet another opportunity for him to learn. He bounded through the snow ahead of the other male, and at times simply just dug his way forward forming a undirected serpentine trench. Tyranis hadn’t seen any sign of any animals since the snow had started to fall, and the promise of Brandr somehow finding them fascinated him. He knew what hunters did, of course, and he knew his sister wanted to be one- which only made him feel that all hunters were stupid. Then again Brandr didn’t seem stupid, he seemed strong, and was already bigger than either Bass or his mother, his thoughts of course adjusted to Corentine simply being the worst hunter, and deciding that she always would be.

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There is hope within despair

Brandr grinned at the boy as he said he'd join the older male in look for signs of prey. Nostrils flaring, Brandr set about examining the scents of the plains but finding nothing of interest he continued walking along. His tall frame made it easy for him to stride along the plains and he'd forgotten how difficult it might be for a smaller wolf. He resisted the urge to chuckle as Tyranis maneuvered along after him. "So, Tyranis, do you have family here in Abaven?" The pup was young enough he ought to but Brandr was aware of the cruelties of the world and knew that it was something he just couldn't assume.

Brandr paused near a patch of grass, bent and brown and he sniffed around it. "Hmm… prairie chicken?" Maybe he was on the trail of something after all. He'd been planning mostly a scouting mission but he wouldn't pass the opportunity for a good hunt if it presented itself. "Are you training to be anything in the pack yet?" He figured it wouldn't hurt to make conversation. If there were any chickens nearby they'd hide until the wolves were close enough to flush them out and the scent was several hours old anyway.

“Yeah!” He said, already breathless from trying to keep up with the older male. “My mom’s name is Storm, and she’s the best healer in the world!” He said his heart swelling with pride and a wide grin on his face. He didn’t want to mention his sisters, most of them weren’t even around anyway. Derecho had most likely wandered off like an idiot and been eaten by a hawk while Aella had- or at least he hoped she had- drowned in the rapids and been carried out to sea. These were of course only his morbid fantasies, lord only knew what really happened to them or where they went, but unlike himself their loss had taken a toll on their other and of course…on Bass. No one said anything about it but the alpha seemed to be becoming more and more isolated, he of course knew Bass would be alright in the end Bass was the strongest wolf to ever live in his mind, but he worried every now and then why both his mother and Bass seemed to grow so quiet suddenly when they spoke. There was still Cloud though, and Cloud was the best, unlike Derecho who was just the worst. The older male muttered something that completely flew over his head and then asked what had become his favorite question. What he was training to be. He somehow managed to grin wider, showing off every single one of his tiny needle-like teeth and exclaimed “Yeah! I’m gonna be the Primo some day!” He knew that no matter what it was what Bass wanted, he had wanted it ever since he had met Bass and it had been his dream for years, the royal succession of Abaven- which would have put Lark next in line had been inconsequential to him. He would be Primo when he was older, one ay or another. text speaking

There is hope within despair

Brandr's nostrils flared as he continued trying to pin down the source of the scent. The boy talked as he tracked. He was surprised to learn that this boy was one of Storm's, but then he probably should have seen the similarities. It seemed likely that he was a littermate to Corentine then. Brandr grinned as the boy mentioned that he was planning on becoming Primo someday. Brandr did not know how the lines of succession worked in Abaven. If it was anything like the pack he belonged to the heir was almost always of direct descent of the alpha but perhaps the rules were different here and he certainly didn't want to squash the pups dream. "That's going to take quite a lot of work, have you been training hard?" He was about to say more when the wind shifted in his favor and he focused in on the source of the scent.

Not far off a prairie chicken was nestled in the snow, so deep it was barely visible among the frosted skeletons of grasses. Brandr crouched down and eyed the bird, the creature seemed to have realized it'd been spotted but as it took off Brandr sprang forward, snagging hold of the flailing, feathery mass. He slammed the creature into the ground stunning it long enough for him to readjust his grip and snag the chicken around the neck. A few more minutes and it was over. Brandr trotted back over to Tyrannis with a grin on his face before setting the bird down. "What do you say we take this back to the densite? I bet your mother might enjoy a snack."

“Yeah!” He responded, his tail wagging. His expression changed as the older male’s focus shifted. The male sprang forward and grabbed the bird that he bird, as Ty watched in amazement, his jaw hanging open with amazement. “That was so cool!” He said, his tail fanning from left to right rapidly. The male mentioned bringing the bird back to his mother and he giggled in response, already charging through the snowdrifts back to his den. Corentine just had to be the worst hunter now, he had never seen her do what Brandr had, although even if he had he would have concluded that her form was somehow off. “Can you teach me how to hunt?” He asked, he wasn’t sure if alphas were supposed to hunt or not but he knew that it wouldn’t hurt to learn. He could never imagine a world where Abaven didn’t exist, where he would need to fend for himself and live on his own skills, but the prospect of outdoing his sister in yet another way was far too great for him to pass up speaking

There is hope within despair

Brandr grinned at the pups praise. He was pleased that he made an impression on the pup and he felt the heat rise a bit to his cheeks as he was told that his slaying of the chicken had been 'cool'. Tyrannis asked if Brandr could teach him to hunt and for a moment Brandr hesitated. He didn't really know if he was the best teaching but then he had helped instruct Corentine on tracking during the last hunt so maybe it was worth a shot? "Sure, when spring time rolls around we can hold a training session if you like. Just remind me. I hope to hold a pack hunt then and you'd be more than welcome to come help with the tracking. Now let's get this back to your mother while it's still fresh."

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