I have toured the endless starlight…

Stars twinkled above her as Aerndis continued her journey southward. The evening storms had passed leaving the air humid but far cooler than the heat of the day, making it an excellent time to travel. She was still aimless, still uncertain of what to do with herself and the solitude was starting to eat at her nerves. Before, she was proud of her independent and solitary lifestyle but now she could only look upon it with disdain. She needed some company but had no idea where to find any and so she continued to wander.

When Aerndis came upon the shelter of the weeping woods she quickly slipped beneath the willow branches. They really did appear to be weeping as the water from the earlier rain, ran down their leaves. It was pretty here and quiet. Perhaps there was a decent supply of prey as well? Her stomach gurgled at the thought. Maybe some fish? Approaching the edge of a stream she peered into the inky black water, debating if she wished to try her paw at fishing or just go to sleep and try in the morning when the visibility might be better.

speech & thoughts

Summer had left him being more of a nightowl then he had planned. It was a hot summer and with his dark fur it wasn't easy on him. It left him staying under shade or near bodies of water. He was trying to do more around here to make this a better place for when he would be able to get some followers for his pack. Making improvement to the three storage dens, making improvements to the grave site where the mother of one of his friends laid. It kept him busy and when he was busy he didn't feel the ache of loneliness. Ever since Serene had left on her second round of travel and never returned he had been left without anyone to talk to. It hadn't been her fault, no not at all. For some reason he just hadn't crossed anyone that had stayed as a more constant company.

He quietly padded out of one of the storage dens into the humid air. It was unpleasant, but at least it had been much better then it had been earlier. He moved over to the stream nearby were he cleaned off his dirty paws and face. He had been digging in the dirt and it had made him a little bit messy. Once finished he shook himself before trotting down the stream. He was considering catching a fresh meal instead of using up what he had. This place had plenty of prey and it seems that there had been a lot of babies he had seen since spring.

His large dark form moved at a decent pace as he moved through the wet willow trees. Ice blue eyes looking up at the water trickling down the branches. It was a rather pretty sight, another reason why he was happy to have picked this territory to live in. He held no claim to it, not yet at least. Turning his gaze back in front of him he made a sudden stop. A look of awe and disbelief came to his face at the creature not far from him, even in the dark he could tell that there was something entirely different about her coat, but he couldn't see the full extent of it's beauty from the distance he was at. He let out a low, yet harmless bark just to let her know of his presence before he continued his approach.

Art by Nanarc

I have toured the endless starlight…

Aerndis watched the water, entranced. Every so often she'd see a ripple in the water from where a fish mouth had hungrily gobbled up an insect that rested upon the water. Carefully she eased her paws into the water. It was cool, chillier than she'd like but certainly not unbearable. Maybe if she leaned over and got her face close to the water? Carefully, she inched closer, keeping an eye on the insects, hoping that the moonlight might enable her just enough time to see a fish and respond.

A low, soft bark caught her attention and Aerndis jerked her head away from the water to gaze at a large man. He didn't seem threatening and nothing in his posture or body language spoke of aggression. She lifted her head to stare at him a moment longer. "Hello there, are you here to fish as well?"

Her question made him think a moment. Fishing or hunting, either way he needed a meal. With the water being cooler the fish should be more dormant and easier to catch, but it all depended. She must be hungry as well if she was fishing, which sounded like it by her words. "Well honestly I had considered simply hunting, but I wouldn't mind fishing if you don't mind the company," he replied. Would she mind it? Right now he was more interested in gawking at her gorgeous coat, but he couldn't be rude. He had never seen colors like that before on a fellow wolf and it just drew him in like a bug to a big light. "I'm Branch Wreckage," he introduced himself with a friendly wag of his tail. "Branch Talk", & 'Branch Think'

I have toured the endless starlight…

The man was fine with either fishing or hunting and she grinned. "Are you a hunter to then? I've been trying to learn but there's only so much I can catch by myself. Maybe we can catch some fish as an appetizer then look for something bigger? I'm not really sure what all lives here." She'd only done a brief bit of scouting and knew she probably needed to devote more time to getting familiar with the terrains of the south but it was hard when she needed to make sure her basic needs were met.

The man introduced himself as Branch Wreckage. "I'm Aerndis Aeris-Imperialis. Nice to meet you!" With that she peered once more into the dark waters before carefully, and slowly wading in. The disturbance of the water scared the fish and she shivered lightly before falling still, soon the water stilled as well. Her jaws opened, her mouth just hovering above the surface as the fish began to swim towards her, taking her furry limbs for some moss covered branches. Taking aim Aerndis dove her head down into the water, jaws seizing hold of a fish. She exhaled out her nose as she whipped her head back up, her eyes squeezed shut as the fish flopped and flailed in her mouth.

He nodded to her question. "Yes I am a hunter, learned from my father. If you would like I can certainly teach you a few things and help you get bigger prey, there seems to be a good supply of different prey around here," he offered with a smile. She then introduced herself and he dipped his head letting her know that he had heard her. It shouldn't be hard at all for him to remember her. Both her name and her looks were unique enough that he would not be able to forget. "Nice to meet you too," Branch watched her carefully wade out into the water and watched as she caught a fish. He himself waded out into the water. Instead of putting his jaws within the water he hovered just above the surface. There he waited, his blue eyes watching until a big fish slowly swam into his attack range. In one swift movement his jaws opened and he shoved his face into the water, clamping his jaws over the large fish and pulling it from the water. "Branch Talk", & 'Branch Think'

I have toured the endless starlight…

Aerndis struggled with the fish, carefully shifting her jaws and she stumbled back farther inland. Should she lose her grip on the fish she'd much rather drop it on land where she could retrieve then let it slip right back into the water. Lowering her head she dropped the fish and quickly maneuvered her paws over it as she began to tear into it. She wasn't sure how to cleanly kill it like a deer or another land animal and with the taste of its fresh flesh in her mouth she suddenly realized how hungry she was. She just dug in and soon the fish stilled. She worked quickly and carefully, not bothering much with conversation. She figured Branch was probably eating his fill as well. When she'd finished with the carcass she licked her lips and glanced at the sky.

"Well, I had best be going. I need to get back to my den site tonight. It was a pleasure to meet you Branch. I hope I run into you again." With a polite nod she slipped through the woods, content and full.

-exit-

The fish began to thrash with it's tail, whipping it's body wickedly within his mouth. He bit down harder, hoping to get a deep grip on the sigh that no matter how hard it would thrash it wouldn't wriggle out of his mouth. He grunted as it continued to thrash, turning around within the water and holding onto the fish as he headed to the shore. It was a decent size fish, fit for a small meal for him. Once away from the water and onto the shore enough he dropped down into a sternal position and placed the fishes tail between his front paws. He then quickly began to rip and tear, eating at the same time that Aerndis was. For a little while there was only the sound of the two of them eating, the rest of the night seemed quieter then themselves. Then before he knew it both of them were finished, and his gaze turned to her as she stated she better get going. It was a shame their meeting was so short, but at least he got to meet another today. "It was a pleasure to meet you to take care and I hope to run into you again as well," he replied with a smile. He watched her leave before getting up and shaking the water from his fur. He then turned and headed back to his own den. -exit Branch- "Branch Talk", & 'Branch Think'