Beast And Meat

The Polar Sound’s crags and high mountain tops shimmered with falling water from the passing storm. It seemed Varushka had narrowly avoided the worst of it as she sheltered in a rocky outcrop covered in thick old lichen and brambles. The storm seemed to be heading further inland, and it had stopped raining for the moment. Hopefully that meant it would remain fairly dry in the small tundra valley, and the ground would be less slippery for travel.

Peeking her muzzle out to scent the air, Varushka stepped out through the vegetation and onto a small dirt path. It lead only a few paw steps onward until the bushes gave way to the open grass and lichen valley. She glanced about her, ears twitching at the sound of the newly formed waterfalls cascading down the cliffs from the large amount of water that had befallen the area. The downpour of rain had made scenting for anything but the pungent foliage around her impossible for the time being.

Her honey yellow eyes searched the land in front of her for any signs of movement, while her ears swiveled, distracted by the subtle hush of falling water. She kept her head low as she skirted the bushes along the mountainside, studying the open fields and tree line in hopes of spotting a quick meal. Solitude had not been kind to Varushka. While she hadn’t gone out of her way to find other wolves, she hadn’t been avoiding them either. A lone wolf can only hunt so much, and she was not particularly skilled at trapping. So hunting small game was all she had been able to achieve to keep her going.

A flicker of movement up along the mountainside caught her eye. A large, mostly grey and silver figure descending from the heights made its way through the trees. Varushka watched from where she was, losing sight of it for a few moments before it emerged onto the grassy plains. She sniffed the air again, hoping to gather more information. It was a good distance away, but she was certain now that it was another wolf.