Walk | Talk | Think
Anais was well and truly pregnant now. There was no way to hide the swell to her stomach, the new waddling motion her walk had developed. Even her temperament had been altered, adding a new sensitivity to the way she saw the world and causing her to be more patient with others. Not that her pack had ever really tried her patience before - if anything, they had intimidated her because of their close relationship as siblings to her mate, but even in that regard she no longer worried as much.
One worry that did linger, however, was the pack feeding itself. Before, she had taken on the brunt of the hunting for the pack, seeking out small meals that she could catch on her own rather than inconveniencing anyone by gathering them all together for a proper pack hunt. That had changed recently when she had finally done just that, gathered her brothers and sisters through marriage to hunt and break the news that their family would soon be growing again. They had managed before to take care of themselves without her to do their hunting, but still she wanted to help provide for them.
Likely she should have been resting - Glacier was sure to tell her something about it if he found her - but restlessness had driven the active young mother-to-be out of her den beside the shoreline and back to her territory of choice: the Algoma Prairie. She had no intentions of conducting the typical strenuous hunts that she used to, not in her current condition, but winter was a harsh season and took its toll on all. Maybe she would get lucky in finding something easily caught and captured.
She padded quietly through the snow, only half hiding the crunch each step made it as it sank through the first layer. Her head was low, her nose scenting, and her yellow-gold eyes alert. Ears perked atop her head, the golden brown hunter searched and sought any sign of potential prey out and about, stopping only when she saw a dark shape amid the snow. It had a fuzzy form to it, differentiating it from the rocks in the area, and it looked a bit scrawny. Was this a new type of fox perhaps? Anais crept closer, at last taking on the silent step of the hunter, watching and scenting and closely listening until recognition dawned on her.
A pup... The scrawny shape she had identified was not that of a dark fox, but a young wolf, still a child and all alone and lying unconscious near their home. Lifting her head, standing at her full height, Anais tried to peer around quickly, seeking any sign that the child had others near. No one. Not a sign, not a scent, not anything. She looked at it again, still a short distance away, and worried suddenly whether it was sleeping...or worse. With her own mothering instincts already kicking in, she hastily lowered her head, her tail, and began to close the distance in a few cautious steps, offering a gentle, coaxing whine in the hopes of letting it know she was there before she reached it.
OOC: Jumping in ahead of Sea because mama Ani said she needed to.
|
