She waited. Waited and waited. It felt like eons since she had seen her mother, but Maren admitted defeat on that part. Mother had died. She found the body at the entrance of the massive ship, bloody and broken. Killed defending the pup against a polar bear. Mother was gone. While it was difficult to put into words, she felt sad about the situation and also not. There were more pressing things to do. The girl knew survival would be difficult. Her stomach groaned and hurt after the second day alone. While she tried not to curl up to her mother's body outside, remaining sheltered in the ship, she also felt lonely. She had also tried to chase rats, to no success. They scampered away from her grasp, too short of the leg to really hunt at her age. Maren refused to cry. She refused to groan and whine. She was just a child but she knew the reality of her situation. She was going to die if she didn't find something to eat. The girl stumbled around, leaving the safety of the makeshift den she had created. Seeking food. She sniffed, trying to capture a scent. Maybe one of the rats died naturally, and she could eat it? The thought of eating one of those squeaking vermin made her shudder. Beggars can't be choosers... She did not want to die. explore ss antiox (1/3)

She was returning from a hunting trip near the waters, a nice plump baby seal in her jaws. It had been an interesting hunt to say the least, but once Medusa had gotten her chance, she had snatched the seal pup away and ran before mom could surface. She had never eaten seal before, but from what she had been told, they had plenty of fat and blubber to keep them warm. Surely it would fill an empty stomach, no? She practically drooled as she headed back to her the ship where she could take part in her delightful little morself. Besides that, Umbra had thrown together a warm bed of sorts for the girl. She discovered that she didn't like the cold very much, and when she wasn't running around for a hunt, she shivered. And she didn't like that, either. As she approached the ship and headed up to her temporary quarters, she smelled an unfamiliar scent. Then again, most of the wolves here were all strangers to her save for Wren of course. But this one...didn't smell like Menagerie. It smelled different. And mixed with that scent was the smell of fear and desperation. Perhaps even blood, and it didn't belong to the now dead seal pup she had in her mouth. Curious, Medusa followed the scent, drawing closer to her quarters. She heard the pitter patter of rats as they scampered back into hiding, and as she rounded a corner, she nearly ran into a little tan and russet pup. A very young one at that. Probably not even two months of age. She looked thin. Searching for...something. Who was she? Why was she here? Was she lost? She didn't have a pack scent on her, either. Interesting. Medusa dropped the seal pup onto the ground and blinked at the pup, nostrils flaring as she leaned a little closer to get a better whiff. "Is little pup lost?" She asked curiously. "Medusa"

The ship was thick to protect from the wind outside, but it creaked still. Maren tried not to jump when a particularly brutal sort of wind fiercely blew against the hull, making it seem like the Antiox shook. When an eerie sort of 'reeeeeee!' happened to hit her ears, the girl jumped and fled further. She almost crashed into the tall legs of a stranger. Maren shook out her short fur, trying to make herself instinctively bigger. The woman's words were soft but not gentle. Inquisitive. "No." Maren furrowed her brow, knowing exactly where she was. To be lost, you had to know you were somewhere unfamiliar. This was a ship in the north so she technically knew, logically knew, where she was! Peering unashamed and unafraid of the tall woman, she stepped back and away from her legs. Seemingly anyway. She was squirming inside, never good at conversation. Even with Mother. And Mother... was gone. "I live here" she guessed anyway now "Mother brought me here, but Mother is dead" The girl said it with such finality that she was either in shock or refusing to associate with it deeply "she took me here, told me to run when a big white bear came. I ran, but she didn't come back. I looked for her, and she's not moving." explore ss antiox (2/3)

"No." Her head cocked to the side, wide eyes staring at the pup with intense curiosity. It wasn't often she got to be around pups. They were all over the damn place in Habari, but she never really went near them because they belonged to Recluse and she was sure Recluse would've tried to claim she was hurting them or something. Wasn't worth the risk, which was an absolute shame because Medusa loved kids! But then as the pup stepped back and told her that she lived here and that her mother was dead...Medusa wasn't sure what to make of it at first. The big white bear sounded like a polar bear...Medusa had seen them here and there roaming the North during her random ventures along with even just her short time in Menagerie. Her ears flattened as the pup finished. Hm...this was...a bad thing, wasn't it? She herself had grown up without her parents. Her mother abandoned her at probably around this kid's age and her father died before she got the chance to meet him. Hm...what to do...she glanced away briefly, looking up at the sky as if an answer would present itself. Her father had started coming to her in her dreams during the Long Nights...so...maybe this kid's mother would, too. Peering back at the pup from the corner of her eye, she reached out a forepaw and lightly patted her on the head. "There there! Pup can stay with Medusa!" She grinned before her paw slid down across the girl's back to pull her in closer as if she were hugging her. "Medusa can take care of you! She took care of herself when her mama left and her daddy died, hm? What's pups name?" Okay, so she definitely wasn't the best at comforting, but hey, at least it was maybe distracting enough! "Medusa"