Snow snow snow snow! The snow had fallen heavily the day before apparently and now Misery was leaping through the snow, enjoying how his feet left their impressions beneath it.  It was cold but Misery accepted that as the cost of play and a need to take it all in.  Moving around seemed to help warm him up to a degree that kept the cold from getting too bad.  On one leap Misery found he sunk into the snow till even his belly was well hidden.  Oh, now that was cold!  Two leaps later he was back on the ground where the snow didn’t cover more than above his feet.  Really, it only seemed like a big difference due to someone as small as Izzy was at the moment. Misery turned about to look at where the snow showed where he had caved in curiously. Looking from that to the tree’s around curiously as he just knew there was potential with this setup.  Falling in snow would be more fun if it was someone else who it happened to.  Misery started gathering up a bunch of sticks and threw them towards the deeper snow spot.  He spent a few minutes getting a good pile of sticks then tossing several where he had fallen through.  Moving slowly forward the black and silver boy found where he started sinking in deeper and started to dig.  After a few minutes, he acknowledged this was taking some work and time.  Next time he wanted to do something like this it would work better to get someone else to do the digging.  Right, next time he was going to use Wendigo for digging. Flurries fluttered down gently seeming to sparkle whenever they ended up in the moon's bright light.  Eventually, the snow was fully above the pup on all sides and the boy was digging up dirt instead of snow.  After another two inches of dirt, he quit digging and scurried out of the hole and looking pleased.  Reluctantly he realized the sticks he’d dragged over weren’t long enough.  The boy was getting tired and almost decided to forget it but he’d come too far.  The sticks were dragged farther off and slowly he dragged larger limbs over that would stretch from one end of his hole to another.  The sticks weren’t very thick but there were enough of them to cover up the hole so he could cover them with snow.  Regarding his work proudly he imagined how fun it would be to set off.  Letting out a yawn he wondered who he wanted for his target.   Howling he called out for attention, “come see what I found!” a generic message he expected would most likely get one of his siblings but really anyone would do.  If it was a brother or sister they’d fall all the way in while the most he’d get from an adult was probably to stumble, but maybe they’d still fall even if not in a hole?  Misery looked at the snow where his trap was thoughtfully.  Would they figure it out?  What flaws had he made?  It sure looked good to him!   Speech:"Life is but a game "

Eraithus stretched his limbs while a yawn forced his jaws open. The blue wolfs tongue rolled over the top of his mouth bwfore he decided to rise. Shaking snow from his pelt his tail flicked looking into the white distance. Eraithus felt almost shameful that he hadnt been active in the pack. Perhaps his mind was still whirling with thoughts of his siblings. They had gone missing aince they arrived here. It had been almost a year since then if his memory served right. Now the lady he had sights on was already flourishing, recluse his alpha had already had a litter of pups. How he longed for that but he trusted it was because of his absence. He was not the jealous type, but as he wandered through the snow he heard the voice of a rambunctious pup. A grin spread on his face, Eraithus loved pups with so much ahead of them.

The blue wolf recognized the scent of recluse on the pup. He cursed that he hadn't learned their names yet. Trotting forward he wanted to humor the pup, but he didnt pay attention. He slipped in the trap that the pup had made. Paws scrambled as he let out a soft yelp falling forward pain shot through his ankle. His right paw was definitely sprained as his jaw collided in the snow in front of him. Eraithus let out a hearty laugh through the pain. "Good job there. If you had dug a little deeper i wouldve been stuck. " he praised the pup with a wag of his tail. He still winced at the pain in his paw, adjusting himself out of the hole he gave his ankle a few quick licks. Nothing some rest would fix of course.

Misery tried to hide his eagerness as he watched the blue wolf approach.  He had the same pack scent mom had though the black and silver pup had no name to attach to the wolf yet.  He’d gone almost all his life without knowing his name though so it didn’t seem a big deal to the little pup.  Misery leaped up with a ‘Hah!’ as the blue wolf fell into his trap.  All the hard work had been worth it!  Though in the future he should get someone else to do the hard part also. Misery was quite happy with himself and all the more so when the blue fellow praised his work.  It had looked funny watching his head hit the soft snow.  The notion of getting hurt when the snow was so soft really hadn’t occurred to him. “Right, I didn’t want to have to dig you out so I thought that was far enough.” Misery offered by explanation.  Really he had just been tired of digging but he saw no harm in lying to make himself sound better. “I have a name!” Misery decided to proudly announce.  Haven’t just gotten it made it extra special. “I’m Misery.  Do you have a name?”  The pup had a desire for knowledge.  The more he could learn the more games he could play and the better odds of winning his games.  It wasn’t important if others weren’t aware there were games going on or the rules in the game as it would probably make it easier for the pup to win. Speech:"It's all about me. "

I JUST WANT A TASTE

Eraithus continued to give his fur licks around his ankle. The pain was beginning to ebb away one thing he was sure he wouldn't be admitting is that a pup had injured him. It didn't seem too bad, his attention trained back on the pup. Dig him out? Was that really what the pup had intended. He could stop a laugh gurgling in his throat at him. "Well it was a well build trap none the less little one. Call me impressed." pride welled up in him for some reason. Seeing a pup this young applying themselves was a good feeling. The blue wolf's gaze steadied on the pup.

It was funny to him that Misery looked almost nothing like Recluse. Eraithus wasn't sure why this popped into his head now, but only as the pup was bouncing around did it. He certainly had some white on him - now his mind was wrapping around Recluse's appearance. Shaking his thoughts free he listened to the pup introduce himself, flicking his ears towards the young one with a grin growing on his face. The wolf set his injured paw down wincing at the slight pain. The pain would receed quickly he figured, after all it didn't seem like he sprained it too bad. "My name is Eraithus! It's a pleasure to meet you Misery, was it your intentions to dig traps all day or did you have something else planned?" he asked with a tilt of his head. "Or maybe you want to learn how to build a trap to catch prey?" he didn't know if Misery would be interested but his goal at the moment was to entertain the young pup. Playing was an important part of a young wolf's life. The interactions they made with their pack and family defined who they were. Warmth rippled underneath his fur when he thought about it. Like how he was raised and how Misery may be raised as well. Though... things had sure changed a lot for the blood addicted wolf.

MADE BY MINNIE of BTN

Misery noticed the adult wolf licking around his leg with some curiosity.  Had he actually hurt it?  Misery his own bit of pride at the idea of having injured an adult.  Probably not supposed to injure a packmate but hey it’s a good thing to be able to do, right?  Clearly, no harm was done since he got praise for his trap instead of accusation.   “Eraithus,” Misery repeated slowly.  The boy had only recently learned his own name and that of his siblings, so this was one more to memorize.  “Oh, no I don’t want to make traps all day.  The digging gets boring pretty fast.”  What was he going to do now?  Apparently, this wolf was offering to play with him but it was time to pause in traps so what else might he learn from the blue fellow.  “Hm, so Eraithus, want to tell me about yourself?  What do you like to do to entertain yourself?  How do you have fun?”  Misery watched the blue wolf with the bright eyes of innocent and curious youth. Speech:"Want to play? "

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I JUST WANT A TASTE

Well he was right, young pups probably didn't find any fun in all that digging. Besides, Eraithus' ear twitched, there was more fun things to do than hunt. The male himself was more of a fighter than anything, but that was because of the euphoria that it gave him. The pumping of adrenaline, the blood, the feeling of teeth and claw clashing together. Something about it was powerful and it was the life that he thrived for. He shifted on his paws as the young pup asked questions. Inquisitive! At least the pup was interested in learning Eraithus felt his heart warm. Happiness bellowed beneath his pelt rippling against his fur. What did he... like to do for fun?

He grinned at the pup, "Well I came from a land far away from Boreas where we live." he didn't think the pup would be too interested in knowing his life. Not the boring parts anyway. "I came with my brother and sister here, they went missing and I met your mother, Recluse." an image of the ghostly wolf came into his head. Misery her son was like the polar opposite, Eraithus was curious who his father was but he felt it was intruding to ask. "As for entertainment and fun. I suppose my favorite thing to do is fight and tussle." he smiled. "Other than that I enjoy getting to know others, like you." Eraithus playfully lifted a paw, aiming to softly press it against Misery's nose for a moment. Nothing but a soft nudge, a boop if he would.

MADE BY MINNIE of BTN

Misery appeared a keen listener, sitting quietly and listening with his gaze fully focused on the blue wolf.  He didn’t try to speak up until Eraithus was clearly done for the moment with the boop at his nose.  Misery just lifted up his muzzle quickly to whack right back at the paw, tail wagging merrily. “So what did the land you came from look like?  Was it more like the volcano or where all the trees are? Did you ever find your brother and sister?” He could have asked more, and while the notion came to chime into agreeing how he enjoyed fighting those words kept quiet at the moment.  Just a few questions at a time seemed best if Misery wanted complete answers versus some quick summary. Misery had to practice chatting with other wolves, he needed them to like him and trust him.  He needed to learn how to get others to like and trust him so he could be a good spy.  Would mom let him go spying soon? He could be a good spy now, right?  Though if he went now he wouldn’t be able to play with Wendigo and brown-ear for a while.  Were their other pups fun like they were? Speech:"Want to play? "

I JUST WANT A TASTE

Were all pups curious like this? Or was it just part of Misery's personality. Not that being inquisitive was a bad think, he did mildly remember being curious in his puphood but it had soon faded after that faithful night where he was convinced he was in his own head. Then again, if one sought out information it indeed was power. Misery would make a fine spy if he could say so himself. "Well it was a valley, a little piece of land surrounded by mountains and cliffs. It was a lush place with bushes and tree's, lakes and rivers. Wonderful flowers too. The pack was never bothered by outsiders much. And my fathers and mothers sent me away to extend our bloodline." Would Misery know what it meant to share blood with someone. Or even for that fact - a conncetion. He would in due time Eraithus was sure.

It was when Misery mentioned his siblings that he was hit by a wave of grief. "No. I never did find them." he looked away across the land - almost as if he sought out the very wolves he talked about. "But, now I have Habari and all the wolves in it are my family." in a sense at least. Of course he didn't know many of the members yet, but he was determined to make his rounds.

MADE BY MINNIE of BTN

For an excitable pup at times Misery seemed very good at focusing on Eraithus and soaking in his words.  He spoke in a way that had Misery imagining he liked the area he had grown up.  The word ‘wonderful’ with flowers and it was mentioned how they hadn’t been ‘bothered’ by outsiders.  So he had liked keeping it close-knit?  He hadn’t left because he wanted Misery watched how he turned his head when he spoke of not finding them.  Why?  Why was a question Misery asked to a lot of things, there was so much to learn about the world and other wolves.  “So, you consider me family also then?” Misery raised the pitch in his voice with hope, tail wagging merrily. “I’m sorry if I hurt your paw.” Not really, but it was good to apologize.  He probably should have felt sorry but he was quite happy that his trap had worked.  “So, what are you anyway? You know, rank wise.” Speech:"Want to play? "