The timberwolf crept quietly through the quiet forest. The chirrup of birds and unsettling hum of insects had fallen somewhat quiet; presumably, the hosts of those noises had ventured Southward not all too long ago. Rendel shook out her fur a bit more, suddenly a bit thankful for her thick coat to ward off the chill of late autumn. The Northern fall-time held the most chill in it, she was sure, grateful to be meandering through the maze of tree trunks rather than navigating snow-encrusted boulders even farther north. 

This trip to the forest wasn't for leisure, though; nor was it a quick slip into the underbrush for herbal remedies. The shewolf wanted more out of this--a meal. An actual meal. The herbs weren't going to grow a feast for Ren forever, as the chill against her fur had reminded her, and those cove fish are slim pickings at best and piles of bone at worst. The occasional catch of a mouse was a boon, but as anyone would guess, mice are clearly not enough. No, she wanted something bigger.

'What dwells around here to begin with?'  thought the wolf to herself, 'Pheasant? Rabbit? ...Squirrel?'  She chastised herself for her lack of information on the subject. Today, though, surely, she'd learn--provided she could catch something suitable.

The willowy wolf's stomach growled as she examined the canopy.

OOC: This post was made before the land was claimed, but that could definitely play into plot some! Just assume she doesn't know, I guess.

It hadn't been very long since they moved to the North lands, which Cloud had to admit was pretty different than his former eastern homeland. Everything here was covered in snow for the most part, and it wasn't...humid, which he was grateful for. It meant he didn't feel uncomfortable at all in his thick coat, and he was glad for that. He decided that today he'd venture from the territory and explore the neighboring lands, if only to find out what kinds of prey he could find in the surrounding areas. His first stop was the woods next door. He figured he could find all sorts of tree dwelling creatures, and he was sure they'd be easier to hunt since it looked like he could actually climb these trees! Bi-colored gaze looked up in wonder at the twisting branches, and he wondered how it was possible for the trees to do such a thing. He didn't think about it too hard, however, because a large moving shape in the branches above caught his attention. He paused, glancing up and watching the large thing with wonder. At first, he didn't know what it was until he got a better look. He noticed feathers, and then a naked head....turkey? He had heard about something like that, but wasn't quite sure...ears flicked as he waited to see if it would make a sound, and sure enough, the bird let out a low call as it settled above his head. Hmm...he debated going after it, until something else caught his attention. Not too far away, he spotted a female wolf, someone unknown to him and certainly someone who hadn't been at the claim meeting. Was this a loner passing through? Or was she looking for his pack? Either way, he remained where he was as he practically held his breath, waiting to see if she'd move on or notice him. Walk, "Talk" Think

A guttural, low cry had erupted skyward--perhaps not belonging to a bird of prey, which was good. The loner looked upwards, noticing a snatch of brindled feathers. 'A...turkey?'  It had been a good long while since she had eaten one of those--probably way back in her days of pack life as a pup. Rendel had never seen one alive up so close. Catching unfamiliar prey could be difficult, but seeing as it was nestled somewhere up high, it would have nowhere to run should she pursue it. Flight was no easy thing for such portly fowl, and while Ren didn't have a particular knack for hunting, she knew that if she played her cards right she could have a chance.

The timberwolf began to tactfully scale one of the broader trunks, confident in her ability to catch her prey. Her mind wandered a bit as she climbed; clambering up mountainsides so many times meant she needed little focus to climb such conveniently placed trees. 'A new scent's seemed to form in this forest,'  she thought to herself. 'Not the smell of some rare herb or petrichor, but something unfamiliar and sharp, something that didn't align with any of the snippets of scent I've caught from those packs down South.'

As soon as the thought had left her, her peripheral vision fell on something snow-white and unwavering. Rendel froze, her haunches still raised in preparation of another jump branch-wards. Is that...another wolf? Her emerald eyes flitted up towards that unsuspecting bird, then back to the figure obscured by greenery. 'Are they...able to see me?'  She asked herself. If either one of them were to make a noise, that turkey would get the better of her, no doubt about it. A stalemate.

Bi-colored gaze watched her. She had caught sight of the same bird that he had seen first. His ears laid back, the youth taking a step forward but no more than that. Was she planning on trying to hunt down his bird? Not that age would know it was his of course. But in his head, he did see it first and had mentally claimed it as his own, but she seemed to have the same idea. He looked up again to see the bird hop to another branch, seemingly unaware of the potential danger it might be in. Judging by the distance between him and the bird, and him and the she-wolf, he decided he could speak just loud enough to not really bother the bird. "That's my bird!" He eyed her, wondering if she cared or not. He also wondered if she knew what she was doing up there. One wrong step and she could come tumbling down at any moment. Would he try to catch her if she did? He wasn't sure. He wasn't exactly in the mood to act as a landing pad today.. "SPEAK"

"That's my bird!" 

A small ruffle of feathers rustled above, but certainly not enough to have really moved. Rendel froze, her haunches still partly raised in preparation for a jump. A heterochromatic gaze met her own as she looked down, and the she-wolf furrowed her claws into the broad branch she was on. 'His bird?'  Why, certainly not. 'What is he, some entitled young rogue? A pack runaway?'  thought Rendel to herself, glaring down at him. He wasn't nearly as close to the turkey as she was, and by the gods, she was already so close! From the looks of the black-and-white figure, he didn't appear to need this bird as much as she did--not only did that mean she was more entitled to it, but...it also meant she could have a harder time fending him off. 

 "Is it?" she hissed, her tone even and calm, straining to keep her voice lower as to not be heard by the turkey, but loud enough to carry to the figure below. "I don't see you hunting it. I'm sure the forest holds more than the turkey of a simple, humble loner such as myself," she mused, attempting to remain considerably unoffensive. She's neglected herb-hunting in favor of catching prey lately; as of now she hasn't got anything useful for deep wounds. She shifted her paws--this better not last long; who knows how long the bough would sustain her weight.  

His eyes narrowed, ears half laying back against his crown when she spoke. He had spotted the bird first, he was sure. He had come out here to hunt, and he didn't particularly feel like fighting for his targeted prey. He gazed up at her, trying to keep himself from purposefully making the turkey flee. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he did that, he might end up scaring off any other nearby prey as well. And that would work against his favor... He thought for a moment, gaze shifting from her to the branch she was on, to the turkey's position. It was a few yards away at most, though it was sort of hard for him to tell from his position, but he knew that if she tried to go for it, she'd have to jump to the next branch and the turkey would surely notice her then. Taking a deep breath, he decided to try and bargain with her. "Are you sure you can catch it yourself? If you try to jump towards it, it may notice you. Turkey's also have the tendency to be pretty bold and rude, are you willing to risk it fighting back up there? If it does, you fall. And I doubt you'll get away uninjured. That branch you're on looks sturdy, but I've heard them break and fall from my den. I'm not saying it will break, but you never know." He let that sink in for a moment, bi-colored gaze focused on her. "What you can do, is decide whether or not you want to work with me. I've hunted many things, and if you let me help you hunt that, then we can share it. You're a loner I take it, so I'm sure you're hungry." His gaze turned back to the turkey before he side eyed her, "Am I wrong?" speech