How wicked these, How wicked these hours Now this was truly a mystical land. Pyralis slipped through the dark spruce, gazing into the rain-filled basin and admiring the budding signs of life here. Finally she was discovering the treasures in the northern lands and she marked this as another potential hunting spot. Of course the trick with the north was that while the hunting might seem good now in the summer it was bound to take on a hellish mask in the winter when snow and ice would attempt to strangle the life right out of the creatures who were audacious enough to call the place their home. On one paw it would breed tough and sturdy creatures but on the other why bother? There were other ways to toughen up her brothers children without resorting to suffering for suffering's sake.

Do you remember when rain used to fall from these skies?

Valdís found herself returning north for a short vacation. She was interested in giving it another once over before fall moved in and travel became more dangerous. As she walked absently around the basin of rainwater she thought of ways that she might advance within the pack she'd just recently joined. She wasn't going to be, as Chaos said, a runt forever and in fact the title rather irritated her but she supposed it provided enough of a push to get her to go out and do something. There were a number of ways she could earn the packs respect. For one she could try starting up a fight in the Battlefield and hopefully it would end better than her last one. She'd one the fight but it had hardly gotten started before her opponent submitted. Perhaps she'd been too aggressive? Valdís scowled. She wasn't trained to pull her punches.

How wicked these, How wicked these hours Drinking deeply of the cool spring water Pyralis felt more content than she had in awhile. Finally some fruit for her efforts. The wind would shift, bringing with it the scent of a stranger and Pyralis looked up to see a younger woman walking absently towards her. "Well, well, what is a young thing like you doing off by yourself. Shouldn't you be with family?" Pyralis scented no other wolves nearby though she did catch the traces of pack scent. Fascinating… "I wasn't aware there were any packs in the north. I do hope I'm not intruding." Ha! Yea right, like she'd ever be concerned with mortals and their boundaries.

Do you remember when rain used to fall from these skies?

Valdís looked up see a massive woman sitting near the water.  She immediately stopped to size up the other woman.  She carried herself in a way that suggested experience and her size and musculature gave clear indications that this was not a femme Valdís would want to tangle with in a fight.  She kept her distance, fairly certain she could outrun the other.  "There aren't.  I'm from a large pack in the east."  A necessary lie.  She did not know this stranger or the other woman's intentions and she felt there was some security in making it seem that she was from a larger pack than she was, one that might be interested in seeking revenge if something were to happen to her.

How wicked these, How wicked these hours Pyralis took in the girls words carefully and she grinned as the girl confirmed her suspicious stating that there were no packs in the north. How very facinating… of course that still didn't mean she wanted to live here. If she were going to start a family she wanted to do it somewhere where food was bountiful all year long or else somewhere with more sturdy protection from the elements. Pyralis shook her head. Starting a family? What was she thinking? She sighed and knew the why. Her heat season was just around the corner and she'd be plagued by that dam burning again. It would be her 4th year, that was getting quite old she supposed and she knew that sooner or later her siblings would be wondering whether she was going to keep up with Amon in spreading their family line. A coyote howled and Pyralis jerked her head to the call with a grin on her face before eyeing the girl. "Do you have any experience with coyotes, love?"

Do you remember when rain used to fall from these skies?

The woman seemed deep in thought and Valdís took it upon herself to hold perfectly still. She didn't know if the woman was about to call her bluff and attack or accept her words and leave her be. Honestly she just wanted to get back to her exploration in peace when the call of a coyote went out. A michevious grin marked the other woman's face as she asked about experience with coyotes. Val's brow knit together as her eyes narrowed. "Why would I want experience with coyotes? They are awful, nasty things and competition for similar food sources and my name is Valdís Thyre, not 'love'."

How wicked these, How wicked these hours The call rang out again and Pyralis carefully picked out the familiar yet strange message hidden in the tone. A mother calling to her pups. Oh now this was going to be fun! She barked out a laugh at the girls answer. "Well said! But you're looking at this all wrong. There's much fun to be had at their expense you see." She moved closer to the girl, aiming to get within a foot of the other. "I see I have a duty here to teach you a thing or two about fun. You seem awfully uptight for a yearling. Just follow ol' Pyralis and take notes." She turned on her heels and started to walk away, pausing to turn and glance at the girl.

Do you remember when rain used to fall from these skies?

Valdís continued to eye the stranger and as she strode confidently into the girls space Valdís took a few steps back, her ears flitting back as she gazed up at the massive woman.  What was her deal?   Valdís scowled.  "I know how to have fun!  I just don't see what coyotes have to do with it."  And what on earth did she mean at their expense?  The woman, Pyralis, beckoned Valdís to follow her and while the girl was indeed suspicious she supposed she didn't really have anything else to do and she could help but be curious about what the woman was referring to.  What good were coyotes to her?

How wicked these, How wicked these hours Pyralis scented the air, carefully pinpointing the source of the howl. She crouched down and began to move quietly through the spruce, beckoning the girl to do the same. Not far ahead was a coyote mother with a group of pups swarming around her. She bent her head and regurgitated part of a digested kill into the mouths of her young. Oh joy… motherhood. This was what she had to look forward to. Although she supposed… glancing back at the girl who was staring expectantly at her Pyralis continued to grin. There was something appealing about the idea of passing on her own ideas and skills without anyone telling her otherwise. Having progeny that belonged to her, and to her along. Pyralis gestured for the girl to come closer.

Do you remember when rain used to fall from these skies?

Valdís felt as though Pyralis was testing her patience. She crouched down and maneuvered carefully through the spruce trees as she realized that they were hunting coyotes. Dear lord… this woman wasn't thinking of eating any of them was she? That was just disgusting and Valdís really had no plans to partake in it. If anything she'd stay long enough for the larger woman to get distracted by the mangy hairballs and then she'd take her leave. Or at least that was the plan. Pyralis gestured for her to come closer and slowly she crept forward to stare at a coyote mother and the pups.

How wicked these, How wicked these hours Pyralis resisted the urge to giggle at the girls sour expression. Goodness, wasn't she a joy? Gingerly the girl would creep closer but Pyre didn't dare speak. The mother coyote was alert and any sound could give them away. She didn't want to loose the whole group by having them scramble back into the den. Her legs coiled beneath her and then in a sudden motion she sprang forward just as the mother coyote turned and dived for the den. Her jaws snapped around the creatures legs in a powerful blow that snapped the limb. Yowling and screeching the coyote twisted around, jaws aiming right for Pyralis' face.

Do you remember when rain used to fall from these skies?

Valdís was still lost as to why they were doing this when all of a sudden Pyralis sprang and caught hold of the mother coyote. As the creature twisted around Valdís sprang forward and grabbed the coyotes face before it could cut into Pyralis. Not that she cared for the larger woman but she had little love for competing predators. She was still wondering what this was all about but she supposed bringing back a coyote pelt could be useful but she wasn't going to eat the thing, she wasn't that desperate for food and from what she could tell the other woman wasn't either. So what were they going to do with this thing?

How wicked these, How wicked these hours Pyralis grinned, mentally cheering as the girl caught the coyote's face. Seems the little scrap of a girl had some battle experience after all. The Abraxas wraith released the broken leg and shifted her grip to the coyotes throat. She pulled the coyote from Valdís jaws and then lay part way on top of it, using her forelegs and chest to pin the yowling creature down. The pups were back in the den but without a mother to protect them they'd be easy pickings and could be dealt with later. She turned back to Valdís. "Now then, see what we have here at our mercy? We could just do about anything to her or those pups. The pups, if we get them to crying can easily be used as bait for something bigger."

Do you remember when rain used to fall from these skies?

They shifted their grips, Pyralis pinning the writhing creature down. She felt a sting of pity for it but swiftly ignored it even berating herself for it. How many coyotes had her parents killed to keep them cowed and respectful of her pack? They'd lost pups to coyotes before. They didn't deserve pity. However, Valdís couldn't see what using them as bait for something larger would accomplish and if they were bait that would mean they were bait for other predators. "Why on earth would you want to do that? You'd probably end up calling a bear or something over to your location. It's madness!"

How wicked these, How wicked these hours Pyralis laughed at the girl. "To watch of course! Granted it works better in areas like canyons and gorges and caves where you can leave a maimed creature unprotected. It's all very scientific of course." She winked at the girl. "Sometimes I like to drop things from heights to see what happens. It's best to learn these things at another's expense rather than your own. Oh! Oh! I know what we can do! We should play coyote ball. Just one second…" Pyralis seized hold of the coyotes scruff and with a might twist and shake brained the creature on the hard earth, stunning it. She tossed the coyote at the girls feet. "Watch this for me." Turning to the den with the pups Pyralis began furious digging, her snow white toes quickly staining in the earth as she widened the den opening.

Do you remember when rain used to fall from these skies?

Valdis wrinkled her nose in disgust. That was awful. She hated coyotes but that seemed just unnecessary though part of her was intrigued by the scientific part of it. She was trying to remember if the Crew had any healers. Perhaps coyotes would make for excellent practice dummies. The could injury and wound the coyotes in any way they saw fit and the healers could work on them without simply hoping that their packmates would get injured in certain ways. "I don't know that I simply care to just watch but… I do see some value in this. Scientifically speaking of course. Do you… have plans for all these coyotes or may I take one with me?"

How wicked these, How wicked these hours Pyralis continued her digging as the girl spoke and she paused just long enough to turn with a grin on her face. "Ahhh… at last my little tot is seeing the light. You may have one of the pups if you like but leave the mother for me. I'm saving her for later." She continued her digging and soon the shrieking squeal of a pup cut through the air. Pyralis emerged with the pup in her jaws and quickly dropped it to her feet, pinning it down. "Ok, coyote ball. There are a number of ways to play but to keep it simple for your first time it's just a game of catch. We toss the pup back and forth until someone drops it. If you drop it the other player gets a point. You lose points if you get bitten and end up bleeding. First person to 5 points wins. Got it?"

Do you remember when rain used to fall from these skies?

Valdís listened with interest to the woman though she still thought the other was crazy. Playing catch with a coyote pup? What else did she try to do? Tickle porcupines? Well, at least she was letting Val take one back to Fenrir's Maw but she was slightly disheartened that she couldn't take the adult. Practicing on an adult coyote would be more effective than the pups but she supposed healers would need to know how to take care of wolf pups as well. It was strange though to think of anyone in Crew having pups as they were all so young and there were no couples. Well, one day it would be something requiring consideration. Pyralis asked if she was ready and she shrugged before nodding. Oh why the hell not?

How wicked these, How wicked these hours Pyralis grinned, her tail wagging delightedly back and forth as she hurled the pup at the Valdís. The girl caught it and the game continued as it continued to shriek and cry. Soon they were laughing and enjoying themselves as the tosses got crazier and wilder. Pyralis had the advantage being much larger and stronger and she sent the pup soaring right over the girls head. As it crashed to the ground she let out a whoop of joy. "Aha! Five points! I win, I win!" She strutted about like a peacock before spitting out a clump of pup fur. They were going to need a new ball soon if they kept going on at this rate.

Do you remember when rain used to fall from these skies?

Valdís twisted back sharply, trying to catch the pup in her teeth as it soared over her head but she missed. The girl scowled. Darnit. She ignored the pup that had been stunned into silence and turned to Pyralis. "Ok, come on, best two out of three!" She moved toward the den to grab another pup when she noticed how silent it suddenly seemed. It wasn't just the coyotes but the birds as well and she felt the fur stand up on the back of her neck. "Um… Pyralis, maybe we ought to go?" She had a very bad feeling and for a moment wondered if they were about to bit in the butt for their own acts of cruelty.