She returned to the lake after some brief hesitation. The south, Auster, was fine and all, but she liked the heat less and less the more time she spent there. Wren walked around the southern part of the water before venturing upward. Her olive nose twitched a bit, following an unknown scent. When a rabbit darted in front of her, spooked by her movements -

Wren gave it not a second thought. Food was scarce. She would eat tonight.

The rabbit was more or less blended in with the snow. She shot after it, focusing on the small prey before she almost collided with another wolf. Skidding to a halt, she indirectly sprayed the lad with snow. The rabbit escaped. Damn it. "Sorry!" she barked out instead, trying not to let her disappointment show "I didn't see you there." Which was true.

He was almost blended too.

"Speech"

Cold settled in across Boreas that didn't really seem to bother him. Who it bothered most were the three albino Caimans that loyally traveled behind him. Their tails made a soft slithering noise through the tail grass as Ghoul wandered around the lake's edge. Not that he really had any reason to be here other than he wanted a breath of fresh air. A change of scenery, if you will. He loved his home, his mother, his siblings, and all that good jazz, but as he grew older, a tingling sensation wouldn't leave his belly. It felt as if his insides were slowly chewing away at him, hungry and yearning for something he hadn't quite discovered yet.

While his mind drifted on the possibilities and he let the trio of reptiles slide into the frosty lake, he didn't notice the girl. She was a tad older, one could see it in comparison to his lanky and not quite filled-out body. Another thing that didn't bother him. Ghoul didn't fear a lot, he would face any danger that came his way. And what could a girl do to him anyway? Just as the sweet tinge of her scent made his liver nose twitch, he heard the scurry of both rabbit paws and canine paws slapping against wet dirt.

Folding back his ears as his forehead drew tight lines over his brow, he stood as still as possible. Half of his body lingered in the brush around the lake as the tawny girl came careening toward him. Unfortunately, the rabbit dove between his legs to take cover and she came tumbling with. Bracing his chest as he let his head tilt gently to the side, Ghoul watched as the girl backed up, sputtering apologies. Huffing out a breath of air that plumed around his nostril, he simply let his shoulders shrug. "If you are hungry, I can get you something," his deepening baritones that just began to turn gravelly spoke slowly as he kept his stance firm.

G H O U L

Did she look like a delicate flower that needed to be rescued from her blunder? Wren huffed quietly as he stood over her, locking eyes with his crimson ones. "I can catch my own food, but thanks" she tells him, but not unkindly "if you want to hunt with me, that's fine." He looked no more than a yearling. Where they spouting out of; nowhere? Ha! She knew where they came from but still. It was a funny thought indeed. Her mind's eye played it out and she couldn't help the second huff. Amused.

"So?" if he was quiet, she prompted him "you gonna come hunting?" Or would he lose his chance to show off? Wren tilted her head at him briefly before turning, walking a short distance away. She tried to pick up another scent, something stronger. Tougher. A bit more challenging. She glanced around the snow-littered location, feeling uncertain. The rabbit could have scared the other prey around here. She hoped not.

"Speech"
1/3 hunt prey

Her reaction glazed over him without a second thought. Was she being defensive for a reason? Was his offer to grab her something not right? Tilting his head gently back the other way, Ghoul nearly chuckled. She could hunt her own food but offered him to join... What was it that she really wanted? Amused in his own lack of emotion sort of way, he lifted his ruby gaze from her piercing sapphires to glance around the blanketed lake. Not cold enough yet to freeze the water over, and just warm enough that animals would still linger nearby.

"I shall join you," he responded without a second look her way. By the way her body repositioned, he could tell she was already seeking out prey for them to follow. Did she know the area better than him? Curious if he should let her take the lead or not, he waited still for her next move. In the distance, he could hear soft rustling from something larger than a rabbit. Tilting his nose slightly to catch the wind, he waited for it to turn in a better direction toward them. In the meantime, his lips pursed softly to let out a low whistle, calling for his caimans. "No need to pay them any mind, they are simply backup," his lowered tones are a mere whisper toward her as he finally turned his ruby gaze back to her.

G H O U L

Taking hand-outs never went well. She learned that many folks wanted something in return. Best not to give them the chance. She followed after a stronger scent trail, sniffing the ground as she went. But when she noticed the prey, she stopped and ducked behind a snowbank. Deer. She hadn't given the companions a blink, having seen wolves bond with all sorts of animals. Caimans were just abnormal to her, though. She was used to birds.

"Why don't you try to sneak up on that deer?" she said in a whisper to the young man. Enough said; his coat was easier to blend into his surroundings. Her brunette would be a clear indication of a hunt. Wren peeked around the bank, eyeing the grazing deer "if you chase it to me, I'll finish it off." She vowed she would, so she would try to do it. Nothing was certain though, but she could at least try.

"Speech"
2/3 hunt medium prey

He followed her with silent steps that made slight impressions in the blanket of snow around them. Keeping a pace or two behind the brunette, his own ruby gaze was quick to sight the herd of deer not far off. His movements were languid as he ducked behind the bank with her as she requested he be the one to spook the deer. Shooting her bland but curious look, his burly shoulders gave a shrug before he motioned to his caimans to stay near the girl. In case she needed help taking the deer down.

Moving once more with careful steps out from around the bank, Ghoul found this easy. He had spent plenty of time hunting and creeping up on animals. It was second nature to him. Sticking to the taller grasses near the lake, the youngster made a wide circle around the small herd. His ruby stare never left them as he approached. There was one in particular that appeared to be the golden ticket. Smaller than the rest and not as plump, it was older with grey fur around its muzzle. Crouching down farther in the grasses as he made a quick approach, it wasn't until he was a mere ten feet away before one noticed.

The deer's heads flicked up with beady eyes staring in his direction. This would be his chance. Propelling himself forward with muscles rippling beneath thickened skin, Ghoul darted for the older deer to cut it off. Lips peeling back to reveal teeth, he snapped at its ankles to drive it back toward the bank where the girl was hiding. Making quick work, Ghoul began to pant slightly as he pushed the deer exactly where he wanted it to be. Hoping the girl was as good as she promised, he kept on its heels until the deer looked about ready to jump the whole bank itself.

G H O U L

He moved without fuss. At least the lad could take direction. She hoped he knew it was because of his fur colour, not because she was lazy. Wren could try to get the deer but she'd fail. Be spotted by the herd. She would end up chasing the deer away and they'd both be hungry. Watching for her chance, she heard the steps the lad took and then the snarl. It was time.

She lunged over the bank of snow, seeing the deer come toward her. There was a split second of the prey trying to turn away, trying to get away from her jaws. She closed the distance easily with her jump, crashing into the deer. Her jaws wrapped around its neck and crunched. The deer let out a pained bellow and fell silent. Dead. The body crumpled after one final twitch.

Wren glanced up at the lad, giving a nod. Since he was the one to chase the deer, she'd give him the first pick. She stepped back, an encouraging grin on her features. "You first" she added verbally, giving her consent.

"Speech"
3/3 hunt medium prey

His momentum slowed down as he watched the brunette fae leap out from behind the bank. The agility she showed was slightly impressive as he watched her latch onto the deer with minimal effort. Listening to the crack of the deer's spinal cord and seeing the light flicker from its beady eyes, Ghoul let his paws come to a skidding halt just beside their kill and the now bloodied girl. Steadying his breath and letting out a few pants until his body regulated back to comfortable, he glanced over at her when she offered him the first bite.

"Appreciated," Ghoul rumbled as he carefully took off a medium-sized chunk from the deer's thigh. Instead of eating it, he tossed it over to where his caimans patiently waited. He knew they weren't very keen on being out in this cold weather, so the least he could do was feed them. Turning his attention back to the girl, his lips pursed into a thin line. "Make sure you save the rest if you do not have a pack to go back to," he added on as he looked her over once more. Her scent didn't scream of being a part of a pack so food was probably not easy to come by.

G H O U L

"Wren, by the way."

She had glanced away as he ripped a chunk of meat and tossed it to his companions. Before he dove in himself, she gave her name to him. It was the polite thing to do, she thought. Considering they had hunted together and brought down prey successfully. Her blue eyes returned to his red ones. He was good at direction, speed and had skills. So there was no fuss to be made.

"I don't have a pack" but he probably guessed that already by her smell "just hunting to feed myself. Take more if you need it for your own, I don't feel like lugging meat everywhere with me" she smirked at him "I don't eat a lot, so don't feel bad about it." She didn't think he'd second guess her words though. He seemed to be reasonable for his age.

"Speech"

The boy regarded her for another moment as she introduced herself. "Ghoul," he replied as he turned to watch his caimans devour the snack he'd tossed their way. Hunting with her had been easy and effortless so he probably wouldn't mind doing it again in the future. Turning his gaze back to their kill and Wren, he felt his brows shift in a curious fashion. "Not having a pack makes it more important for you to keep food stashed," his words were curt, but not harsh. "Winter will last long enough for you to stash this or if you insist, I will take whatever you don't want back," Ghoul's shoulders shrugged nonchalantly as he wondered why she thought he'd feel bad about it. Meat was meat and if she wasn't going to take it, he would care less what she thought. Wasting even a hair on the deer's body would be stupid and he knew a few back in his pack who would enjoy using the skin alone for different things.

G H O U L

He had a point. Wren nodded, agreeing with him. She may have to stash some food for later, all things considered. Her makeshift den wasn't official so she felt a bit hesitant with storing it there. Predators could be attracted to it easily, making the whole thing a bloody mess. She'd try to find a good place away from her den's site.

"I'll just take a bit of the haunch and some spare meat then" she said to Ghoul before moving to divvy up the meat for both of them "you live around here? It'll be a hassle to bring everything back alone. I could help you move what you need?" He had his companions with him but maybe it'd be too much alone?

"Speech"

His ruby eyes watched her move to carefully divvy up the meat that she planned on taking. If he was going to wait while she worked, he figured he would at least rest for now. Plunking his butt down on the packed dirt, he gave her another curious look as she began talking again. Patiently behind him, his three caimans had finished their snack and were now curled up in a small pile to nap until he was ready for them to leave.

"Just south and across the river," Ghoul replied, it was all that he needed to say. Finding Habari's borders would not be difficult. "If you so wish, I will not deny help, but otherwise, I do not require it either," his shoulders shrugged once more as if he really found no big deal in carrying the carcass. "You have work to do to store this before something else finds it," he reminds her carefully as he lifts a paw to pick out some dirt beneath his claws.

G H O U L

In the end, they would depart.

His words were agreeable, she supposed. Ghoul could find his own way, and Wren was not going close to a pack's border right now. She would leave him be with the remaining meat and body. Her own stash would be taken and hidden near her den. If she was lucky, she'd eat it within a few days and move on.

Wren gave a final flick of her tail to Ghoul as she plucked everything from the earth and moved on. She didn't feel so tired to rest, but Ghoul needed energy to move the body. With some parting words, she let him be. Time to move on and search for something real. Something that always seemed beyond her grasp.

/end

"Speech"