The more she thought about it, the more certain Amaranth became that the preternatural hush of the forest had less to do with the blanket of snow and more to do with the fact that it was just naturally creepy. It was almost impressive. She was hardly a chickenshit so it wasn't like she was scared or anything, it was just kinda freaky how the gnarled tree trunks were absolutely watching her. She was almost sure of it. Mara hoped they enjoyed the show, because there was no way in hell she was leaving this grove until it warmed up by at least a few degrees. Creepy or not, the dense woodland was cover enough to keep the worst of winter at bay, at least for now. It was old growth, chock full of sweeping vines and the brittle remains of last year's shrubs and bushes. Enough to block the wind, enough to keep the drifts from piling up, and enough opportunities for shelter in a pinch. Every now and then, in-between the monotonous crunch of snow beneath her paws, she would lift her tail and wag her ass towards no particular tree or rock or shadowy depth in particular, just to make sure they remembered where they stood in the grand order of things. Far be it from her to put on a bit of a show. A branch snapped behind her, loud and deliberate, and no she did not scream, but if she whirled around that was just basic survival instinct. You had to face your opponent to properly fuck 'em up, right? That was all. Hackles raised, teeth bared, she readied herself for mortal peril... And was met with howling laughter. She bristled, indignation and chagrin warming her more than a crackling fire. "Ed! What the hell?!" The bobcat before her fell sideways into the snow, paws wheeling in the air above him as he cackled. "You should've seen your face!" He was too busy wheezing to see her stalk forward, but shot up quick enough spluttering once Mara kicked a plume of snow directly at his stupid face. "Idiot! Did you find anything to eat or not?" With her ears pinned and tail held ramrod straight behind her, Mara turned on her heels and stalked back the way she had been heading before. Stupid cat. She'd get him back for that. His wide fluffy paws barely made a sound as he trotted to catch up. "Yeah there's a warren nearby. Smells like hare, but there are a bunch of entrances I think. Dunno if we can flush 'em without them bolting." Mara hummed. Not the best odds, but at least it was something. "Might as well try, right?" Edvard took the lead and began arcing them away from the game trail she'd been following so far. They'd just have to count their lucky stars and hope for the best. "TALK" "YOU" THINK

Siren was spending the day with Dalila and so Chimera had free time to do... whatever. The young dire decided to spend his day hunting. The rest of the world was colder than the isles where Ashen resided and it was a welcome change to get out and explore a frozen landscape. The forest where his nose led him was less snowy than the land he's passed through, but the land was still white. The black and white brute was intrigued by the mist that undulated through the various pathways and hollows. Should there be mist when it was this cold? A low growl drew Chimera's attention away from the mist. Both giant mastiffs were staring off down one pathway in particular. The boy's mismatched gaze followed. He'd heard it too. Sounds of a commotion. Perhaps something had made a kill and he could steal it. Minimal effort would be smarter than wasting his energy bringing something down himself. With a pull of his shoulder, he motioned for the huge black dogs to follow. Black toed paws moved swiftly over the leaf and snow strewn ground, his strides long and quick. The trio cut through the swirling mist like ghosts. He was reminded of his earlier days where he'd convinced his sister that there were ghosts everywhere and they were trying to eat her. Chimera had been very nasty to his little sister then. How times had changed. Siren was the only thing that mattered these days. Taking a curve in the path, Chimera was more than a little surprised to see a woman and a cat rather than an animal and its prey. Instantly his brow furrowed and his nose wrinkled. How unfortunate. It looked like he would have to expel energy after all. Both dogs stepped up on either side of the two-toned wolf as he stared at the girl and her cat. If it was up to him, he would simply go around her and be on his way. Girls liked to talk though, so he waited for just a moment. "Speech"

If Ed's little stunt had given Mara's due explanation to her surveiled feeling, said explanation didn't last long. She couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't alone in these woods. She could probably just chalk it up to dark+misty+quiet=creepy. It added up. So why couldn't she stop looking over her shoulder? If Edvard noticed he paid no mind, probably still mentally congratulating himself for managing to sneak up on her, asshole that he was. Still, it was so disconcerting that it was almost a relief when she turned to the side and saw that they had in fact been joined by three new figures. Almost. A massive, hulking male emerged from the gloom bracketed on either side by two equally massive fluffy canines. Her eyes were at first drawn to their height, and next to the male's stark coloration. Clearly a face that was hard to forget. Mara blinked. On the one hand, hey, maybe they were hungy and wanted to help. On the other, these brutes looked like they could eat five hare each and still have room for seconds. That didn't bode well. Still, on the off chance this worked in their favor... Mentally, she shrugged. "You, uhh... You gents hungry?" Ed whipped his gaze around to face her, amber eyes wide. She flicked another puff of snow into his face. "What? You said it'd be hard to flush the warren with just us two." Turning back to the male she tacked on, "Ed here says it's just a ways up ahead. Interested?" "TALK" "YOU" THINK

The sisters both scoffed at the wolf girls words and turned their attention to the man that was their master. Gents indeed. The mastiffs were on board for anything, so they waited to see what Chimera chose. For a long moment the tall, leggy brute stood there, staring at the spotted girl. He weighed the pros and cons. They would have food if there was a warren up ahead. With five of them, the hares couldn't all escape. If the girl was too annoying, he could just take her food as well and be off with it. Let her starve as penance. If she was tolerable though, they would both make it out with bellies full. In the end, Chimera answered with a simple, "Yes." The two-toned young wolf didn't wait for the girl to lead the way. The cat had said the warren was up ahead, so up ahead he went. With a silent nod to his girls, the pair split off and circled around to the other side, their snowshoes keeping their steps quiet. Tilting his head slightly, Chimera cast a glance at the girl. "They're going to the far side. You two stick to the left. I'll take the right. We'll all flush them out." All they had to do was dig at their respective holes and wait for the long eared morsels to panic. Chi lifted one brow, silently asking the girl if she had any questions. "Speech"

Whether he was a man a few words or just a dick, Mara was content to let the male push ahead without a word. Mostly because she wasn't an idiot. She liked to run her mouth as a hobby of sorts, sure, but this brute's vibes were an immaculate mix of 'Don't fuck with me' and 'No, seriously, don't fuck with me.' If he wanted to take the lead more power to him. If things went sideways at least it would be his fault instead of hers. The dogs flanked right and Mara nodded, needing no clarification, before heading left as instructed. Once away from the trio she saw Ed roll his eyes from the corner of her own and bit back a smirk. Same, but she could put up with some self-important nonsense if it meant dinner would be waiting at the end of it. Between the cold and the snow the scents were faint, but there were a number of tracks laid out before them that helped point her in the right direction. Edvard crept up ahead of her, wide paws keeping him aloft on top of the snow while she fought for footing wherever it was shallow enough not to plunge through. If she had any worldly possessions to bet with, she'd wager the hares were already well aware of their presence, but that didn't mean she wanted to give up the game and flush them before everyone was ready. Trails of tracks converged in three places on their side of the warren, two burrows amidst a tangle of roots and one beneath a tussock of withered grass. She pointed to the far burrow for Ed and took the two nearest for herself. Now at the burrow's entrance the scent of hare was strong, buoyed by the warmth of multiple bodies within. Mara looked up, trying to check that the three strangers were in place before they began to rout the tasty lil' fluffballs. No need to jump the gun with this crowd. "TALK" "YOU" THINK

It seemed that the girl was smarter than she looked. Her mouth stayed shut and she moved off to do as he instructed. Maybe she'd eat today after all. Hopefully they would all eat today. As he neared the warren, Chimera could smell the rich scent of prey pushing forth from the underground tunnels. They were in there alright. Were they trembling in their furry little pajamas? He hoped so. From across the way, Chimera gave a nod to the two dogs. They began digging at their respective holes and growled into the tunnels to further incite panic in the long eared snacks. Chimera watched two holes about a body length apart. He should have no trouble guarding them both. As the girls continued their tunnel massacre, Chimera eyed the girl and her cat with his single working eye. She didn't seem to have any Silent Ones around her which was good. They could be such a distraction at times. Especially when they discovered that he could see them. A hare came rocketing from one of the holes and Chimera almost missed it. He dove forward and after a short scramble, he had its neck between his jaws. Biting down hard, the spine snapped and its struggles ceased. One down... hopefully at least four more to go. "Speech"

When the dogs began to dig Amaranth took that as her cue. She leaned down to the entrance of the nearest burrow and let out a long, rumbling growl as she began to scrabble at the frozen earth, but kept her focus trained towards the borrow entrance between herself and Ed. The bobcat stood poised and still by his entrance, waiting for one of the dumb rodents to mistake it as safe passage. She was distantly aware of a flurry of motion across the way from them, and hoped it meant one of their 'companions' had made a kill. She didn't have time to verify, because a white-pelted blur darted out into the light on her left. Mara sprang sideways, feet slipping beneath her as she scrambled after. Her teeth just barely snapped onto a hind limb, but the instant she felt purchase she flung her head upwards, sending the hare cartwheeling into the air above her. With a leap she caught it on the downfall and dispatched it with a quick shake. "Mara!" She looked up to see Ed with his claws embedded in a hare of his own, but the exclamation wasn't to congratulate himself. His eyes were trained over her shoulder and she spun, giving chase to a hare that fled from the initial harried entrance once she'd left it. She cursed under her breath and surged forward, nimble paws carrying her over a fallen log and vaulting a snow-covered rock before descending on the hare a heartbeat before it was able to dive into a tangle of dead vegetation. Another shake, and it was done. Panting, she carried the hare back to deposit it with the other two and looked up to see how the other half of their impromptu hunting party had fared. "TALK" "YOU" THINK

Since the dogs were causing most of the commotion with their big, booming barks and guttural growls, the hares, complete with winter clothing, tried all of the other exits for a way to safety. As it was, there was no safe exit. The girl and her cat took down a few hares, he could tell. Chimera couldn't spare his attention though. Hares were erupting from the earth. How many of the damn things could live in one set of holes? The black and white giant had another hare between his jaws and a third under his paw, though it kicked furiously. Once the one his his mouth was dead, he ended the life of the kicker. Two more made their escape into the snowy brush, but there was nothing that could be done about that. They had used the deaths of their brethren wisely. A final hare pushed from the burrow and it was a fat thing. It began to zigzag, trying to dodge the man. Zipping backwards over the ground, it met its fate at the jaws of one of the sisters. And then everything was still. Corpses littered the ground and blood marred the pristine white snow, but their job of finding a meal was complete. If there were more hares within the ground, they were staying still, most likely frozen in fear. They could very well stay there. With another silent nod, the dogs returned to their master. Each dog carried a rabbit and Chimera carried two, grasping them by their long ears so that they swung as he walked. Without sparing another glance to the girl or her cat, the trio began making their way back towards Ashen. Their cooperation paid off, but the job was done. There was no need to stay around and speak. "Speech"

From the look of things, the other part of their troupe had been successful as well. Mara watched as the dogs brought their quarry and the wolf hefted his own. All in all it had been a good show, enough hare caught for each of them to at least put something in their stomachs. Better odds for them of course, seeing as Ed didn't need to eat nearly the same quantity as herself to feel full, but that wasn't her problem. The bobcat held his hare by the scruff while she picked up the remaining two by their ears, wondering what she was supposed to do now. Mission success, check, but now... did she.. go congratulate them? Thank them for their help? It was only polite, seeing as without their help Mara seriously doubted they would have landed even the three they had given how extensive the warren was, but... Luckily the decision seemed to, once again, be made for her. Amaranth watched with one brow cocked as the male turned tail and disappeared back into the forest without another word. Ed huffed around the hare in his mouth before dropping it, only to grouse, "What do you think crawled up his ass, anyway?" Mara just shrugged, turning in the opposite direction. If she never crossed his path again it would still be too soon. Bet he's a blast at parties. There was still enough time in the day to eat their catch and find a den away from the scent of blood. There were too many hungry things in the woods this time of year to risk it. Turning her thoughts towards warmth and fullness, she let the rude brute and his lackeys slip out of her mind. -END- "TALK" "YOU" THINK