Remember the Name

Walk | Talk | Think

The further she followed the scent of her chosen prey, the more she began to realize that it was waning thin. The slow loss of the scent was a heavy blow for the she-wolf who had intended her hunt to be very quick and precise, over with even before it began. If she needed to change targets now, she might sent herself even further from the safety and shelter of the pack's chosen den site and make the return trip even worse than it was already going to be. She could have whined aloud were it not for the fact she worried the noise might scatter any other animals in the vicinity she had yet to detect. She took a small pause in her trek, just a moment to compose herself again, before continuing on in search of a quick meal.

What she found was something more. Her dark brown eyes had been scanning low within the underbrush, seeking the telltale hint of fur or the promising darkness of a burrow. Paw steps ever light and cautious, the wary she-wolf's dark eyes alighted on a set of forepaws instead. Instantly she froze, body tense and nervous having run into someone so unexpectedly. There was no telling what sort of creature they were. Quickly her gaze panned upward to snatch a glimpse of the wolf's face, and though nothing but perhaps a mild curiosity stared back at her, Mercianne worried. She was alone. Never had she been anything reminiscent of a skilled fighter, not even in defense. She was a sitting duck out here, a prime target for one bent on mischief. And not only that, but six little lives still expected her to return home any moment. She could not afford to cross someone out in the wilds.

New instincts kicked in, the poor mother reverting back to an earlier time, an earlier day in her life. She crouched, a low submissive gesture that kept both her head and tail down, her ears quickly following suit. Her eyes, which had become so bold recently, stared at the ground, refusing to look upward at the others' face again for fear of making eye contact and somehow upsetting the stranger. She needed to be extra careful, needed to be more mindful of her actions now than she ever had. Her pups depended on it.

The larger male made no moves to come out and join her, his body partially hidden behind a berry bush. Instead he merely stared, and his voice, when he spoke, was not unkind, though Merci was far too wary to mistake a calm tone for one of expected friendship. A quiet, uncertain, "Hi," was all that she could manage in response, her gut already twisting with nerves. A little the wolf fidgeted, eyes daringly rising to sneak a glance at the others' face though never any more than that and never with direct eye contact. "I was just...uh..." Suddenly she no longer felt like answering. To divulge her intent, her reason for being out here, even just slightly, seemed like a poor idea. The less she gave away, the better off both she and her pups would be in the long run. Swallowing back the words that had been there on the tip of her tongue, Mercianne fidgeted again, falling silent with her eyes downcast and hoping that the male would not pry too much into her personal business.