Although she had been told to keep away from the borders - and she was usually an obedient girl - she'd tracked and chased a hare right up until the territory's very edge. In fact, she'd had to perform a radical sliding stop to avoid going straight over the edge and mindlessly pursuing her quarry. Luckily, the particular stink of Abaven's border roused her back to her senses. Griping to herself that she'd lost the prey, Fable turned tail and was about to head back across the river to find another scent trail. When she put her nose to the ground to absorb the surrounding bouquet of smell, one particular smell caught her attention. A stranger? She hadn't heard anyone call out for Theory - most guests seemed to do so right away, sometimes before they even reached the border. Furrowing her brow, Fable decided to follow the different stink. Just in case the scent led her into the face of a not-friendly visitor, she crept towards the undergrowth and slipped into the shadows. Fable shimmied along low to the ground, careful to stay downwind as she went.

Tracking 1/3

tracking 1/3

Though the landscape was very much different from that of the south, the smell of the ocean was a familiar note on the breeze. Kuroki breathed deep, trying to focus on the closer scents which surrounded him, only for one in particular to pique his interest. He knew Abaven was right there on the other side of the river, it came as no surprise that he'd caught a whiff of them-and a strong one at that- but unless his nose was playing tricks on him someone was nearby. Real close, though not yet enough to see. He moved along, footsteps light despite his growing bulk and was quick to come across a set of paw prints in the mud alongside the river bank. Pausing to examine them he noted they were likely about the same height as him, though their build was probably a bit chonkier than his own. Or at least it felt safe to assume, judging from the squishy depths of the tracks. Glancing up, he looked at the surrounding foliage clustered a little further inland. Had they headed in that direction? Only one way to find out. "Speech"

Fable wriggled deeper into the undergrowth, her nose to the ground. She wasn't explicitly not allowed to leave the territory, especially if she stuck nearby, but she wasn't in the mood for a tongue lashing. The guilt would eat her up inside. The scent she tracked was completely foreign - nothing like the neighboring packs. There was a familiar salty brine that marked the male - oh! Yes! It was a male! - she tracked as also living near a coast. But it wasn't her coast. She grumbled, her tail swishing in frustration. It caught on a nearby branch and rustled the leaves. Fable bit her lip. Hopefully it wouldn't draw any additional attention to her. Trampled leaves showed the way ahead, paving a path towards where the stranger was concealed. Theory would be glad she snuffled him out! Anyone who didn't announce themselves at their border was highly suspicious, after all.

Tracking 2/3

tracking 2/3

Kuroki tipped his head to the side, wondering where on earth these trcks were going. As far as he could see there was no rhyme or reason to them, no sense of direction, just sort of...plodding along, like they had all the time in the world to waste. It was hard to say and maybe he was reading a little too much into it, trying to add his own twist to the narrative to spice things up. He raised his head, gaze roving on the undergrowth once more. He was closer now, it wouldn't be long now till he found them. Or rather her, if his nose was to be believed. Picking up the pace, he relied on his senses of sight and hearing from now on. Did she know she was being followed? The idea of jumping out and giving her a fright brought a fiendish smile to Kuroki's face. Now this was getting interesting. "Speech"

Tracking 3/3

Finally, she was getting somewhere! Except, as she slowly and dismally raised her head to look around, Fable realized that somewhere was a circle. Messy tracks looped around and around, their pawprints layered side by side and on top of each other in places. She paused and waited for a few long breaths. All she could hear at first was the familiar hum of the rapids. Beneath the rushing water Fable picked out the noise of someone behind her sneaking through the undergrowth. The trees were thin striplings here, still recovering from the volcano her aunt had told her about in hushed tones. Any second now the intruder would reveal himself!

She whipped around as the crunch of twigs and leaves grew closer, dropping into a defensive crouch. Kuroki appeared between the trees, still half-hidden. "Oh! Jeez, your face!" Fable breathed. Very few wolves in Abaven had any kind of mutations. She'd never seen horns before. But he wasn't bleeding... and he didn't seem distressed. "What's up with that? The pointy bits?" she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. Nevertheless, she stayed crouched low. Better to be on the safe side.

tracking 3/3

Turning a corner, Kuroki couldn't help but get the sense he'd been wandering in circles and chasing the tail of a wolf who had yet to reveal herself. Anticipation mounted as he came across the freshest tracks he'd seen so far, as though she up right ahead waiting to be found. He scented the air again and sure enough the smell was so strong it filled his nose, notes of Abaven's border coming into play as it mingled with the girl's own unique flavour. Herbs and spices, things Kuroki assumed you'd find growing in the warmer seasons when the days weren't so dark and grey. Stepping into a smallish clearing, Kuroki mindlessly stepped on a twig and-oh, there they were. He wasn't even given time to come up with something witty before they tossed a jab his way. Acting as though his face was so ugly it pained her to look upon it. Rude much! "Oi oi oi." Kuroki protested, scowling slightly as he stared down at her.  "Same could be said about you. Got wriggly maggots 'round your eyes or somethin'? Ain't nice to be rude about stuff I can't help. Was just born this way."

Even though she was surrounded by taller relatives, it felt worse to have a stranger look down on her. It wasn't fair that she was completely surrounded by giants! Disgruntled, Fable rose up to her full height and still found herself coming up a bit short. But, of course, his words stole the breath out of her puffed-up chest. He wasn't dying of some horrible parasite or affliction. He just looked like that. "Omigosh... I'm so sorry," she said, suitably chided. Fable didn't make a habit of being rude but it often seemed to happen by accident. "I was going to ask if you needed a healer or something. I thought it was like, growing... in your face. Like a tick. Or something." Embarrassed, she stared at the ground just before his front paws. "Can you feel it if someone touches them? Or is it like a tree branch being up there?" she added shortly after, though she didn't raise her eyes to meet him. Despite her shame, she was unable to resist peppering him with questions. The girl was inquisitive to a fault. "The rest of you is very nice!" Fable added lamely, digging her grave deeper paw by paw.

hunting 1/3

Kuroki wasn't the mean sort but he couldn't say he liked being poked fun of either. His expression crinkled, nose twitching, only to loosen up a little once she began her apologetic rush. He couldn't find it within himself to come down hard on her when clearly she didn't mean it, that or she was chickening out last moment. Either way Kuroki decided he didn't care enough to chew on it like an old stick, time to move on. "Ew no." He was pretty sure they were meant to be there...since his sire had them too. She was clearly putting too much thought into it though, so Kuroki reached out to give her claws a flick. Hoping she'd raise her gaze and stop being all apologetic, it was getting old fast." You feel that? They're made of the same stuff, apparently. I don't notice them unless I look up." He'd been about to get all smug about her last little comment before the breeze rolled in, delivering a new scent on a silver platter right to the pale of his nose. A deer of some kind? Kuroki shot the girl a curious look. "You smell that? You can make it up to me by helping me bring it down. Then split it half and half?" Kuroki was fair, mostly. But more than that he didn't feel like hauling a whole deer back home, even with the help of his companions who were...somewhere. "Think it's this way..." Kuroki turned on his heel and pushed himself into the brush, knowing it was probably feeding somewhere around here.

Fable tried not to flinch as he leaned forward to touch her claws with his fearsome, pointy-things. She wasn't used to anyone other than family members touching her. "Oh well, that makes sense," she conceded, shifting from paw to paw as she suddenly became aware of the claws. Her ears flicked as she took in the same smell that had his nostrils flaring. The young hunter's tail wagged a few times quickly in succession, excited to embark on a new adventure. "Yeah, yeah! I smell it," she added, giving him a toothy grin. His offer made her feel a bit better - maybe she could make it up to him if she cooked up something tasty with the result of their hunt. "Okay, halfsies, yes," Fable murmured, slipping into a hunter's crouch and putting her nose to the ground as he led the way towards the source of the smell.

Luckily they were still skirting the edges of Abaven territory. Theory would be disappointed if she led someone into the territory without asking first and Fable couldn't handle her aunt being upset with her. She'd just keep an eye on him, make sure he didn't place a paw on the other side of the border. As they trudged through the woods bordering the rapids, a branch cracked up ahead. Resisting the urge to gasp in delight, she crept up so that she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Kuroki. They came upon a small clearing about a hundred yards away from the river. "If you creep around to the other side, I'll funnel it right to you," Fable plotted. The doe was young, just barely out of her white spots, but still a good size. Winter was still new. No one had had time to go hungry - yet.

hunting 2/3

Kuroki didn't mind being foisted into the role of laying in weight. He was larger and pointier than she was, it made sense that he'd do a lot of the heavy lifting till she could rush in to help. Humming in the back of his throat, Kuroki offered a glance over his shoulder before he skirted his way around to get into position. Surprisingly-and no doubt thanks to his shinobi training- he was light and silent on his paws, able to cover ground quickly without fuss or mess. Crouching down in position he waited, figuring the Abaven girl was capable enough of playing her part.

2/3 hunting

Fable liked that he listened to her directions. It made her trust him a little bit more. Maybe she wouldn't have to report his near-trespassing after all. Was that a betrayal, if she didn't mention it? Fable didn't like keeping secrets, but none of this felt wrong... just fun. Really fun. Once he was in position across the clearing, she grinned across the empty clearing at him - fiendish and toothy. When a long silence had dropped across the clearing and the doe was lulled again into a sense of safety after their rustling had finally stilled, she struck. Fable surged forward to drive the doe towards Kuroki's waiting teeth. And horns. And all of his other spiky bits.

hunting 3/3

Kuroki barely caught the flash of Fable's smile and had to bite back the urge to wag his tail, lest the rustling movement give him away. He watched from where he crouched, belly low and dark eyes focused on the doe. She was blissfully unaware, nibbling away at the grass till Fable rushed out and spooked her into flight. Kuroki's muscles tensed and coiled and he sprung up, talons extended as grabbed the doe's neck and hauled down with all his might. The pair tumbled to the ground, limbs kicking and splaying as Kuroki scrambled to make a grab for her neck. He heard footfalls swiftly approaching and figured Fable was coming in to help, an offer he wouldn't turn down.