Unexpected Refuge

Quote:Each step taken hesitantly to test her body's new limits after her reckless run the day before, Ashtoreth followed Leon at a sedate pace, her mind concentrated on feeling and sensing how she responded to each movement that she put herself through. Stiffness reigned mostly, which after a few strides began to work itself out. A muted, dull ache remained under her feet, but overall she felt good. She smiled faintly to herself as she followed, hurrying her pace just slightly when the creek came into view in her eagerness for a morning drink.

Padding around Leon, she took a step into the waters, her paws soothed by the chill of the water, and drank quickly. It was just as cool and refreshing as it had been the day before, perhaps more so after she had slept so long. She drank until her thirst had been sated and then continued to stand amid the waters, letting the shallow liquid run around her paws and ankles. Closing her purple and gold eyes, she relished in the fact that she could still feel, could still move, that she had survived the ordeal that her pack had gone through. And for the time being she tried not to think of how many more Valhallans they would find, but simply finding them at all.

An ear twitched as her company spoke up, bringing her attention to what shared the valley with them. Puzzled at first, the small grey wolf lazily opened her eyes and followed Leon's line of sight until she saw them, the small herd of deer grazing peacefully and oblivious to the predators that shared their location. Immediately she felt a longing for one, the hunger that had been held at bay by her ordeal now surfacing with a vengeance. She said nothing, merely nodded her head, and watched as he moved swiftly and stealthily away from her and through the grass.

Marking his progress, at first, had been simple enough, but the farther he got away the more difficult it was to make out the shifting of the grasses as he traveled through them. Ashtoreth hesitated there within the creek, wishing she could help but knowing her skills would of little to know use in this situation. His best bet would be to sneak up on it and catch it before it ran; her specialty was in getting it to run. But, on the off chance that something went wrong, she supposed to should move into position to help. So lowering herself into a crouch, she followed along, occasionally lifting her head enough to peer over the grasses and ensure she traveled in the correct direction.

It happened rather quickly after that. She had not even made it to the location she had wished to be in when she heard the frantic cries of the herd and the grunting efforts of both Leon and the sickly doe. Desperate for a view of it to see if her assistance was needed, or what little of it she could provide, she lifted her head over the grasses and saw the struggle, saw the stillness, and new that the fight had been won. Wholly impressed, the little grey wolf eased out of her crouch and jogged forward, a pleasantly surprised look about her face as her gold and purple eyes took in the sight of the downed deer. "Wow. You made that look easy," she spoke up once she was close, her nose quivering as she inhaled the scent of his kill. But she made no move toward it and instead set her eyes upon Leon, her smile complimenting as her statement had been.

-- ashtoreth

OOC: Nah, it's good. Let Ash feel a little guilty for not helping. x3 It'll give her an excuse to try and make it up to him later.