Walk | Talk | Think

Green grasses were in abundance here, slick and swaying in the winds that blew the rains around and slanted their course to strike the earth at different angles, rarely ever allowing it an easy path directly toward the ground. It was these rains that had driven Ashtoreth here, to this valley, in search of food, anything and everything that she could catch to help their pack until the flood waters receded. They had swamped the Vericona Plains and driven the pack toward higher ground, covering much of the central area the pack tended to congregate and dwell in. And where they kept their food stores. It was a sore loss, particularly since she was still mostly the sole hunter for the pack, getting assistance on occasion but carrying the brunt of her labor on her shoulders alone. It was difficult work, trying and tiring at times, but someone had to do it.

Thank heavens my leg is better, the petite grey wolf wondered with a breath of relief, pausing in her efforts as she scaled a small rise in the valley to peer outward and around. It was by far not the best weather to attempt a hunt in and she knew it, but with their being so many young pups to keep happy, and so much chaos in the moving, she thought a little snack to keep them preoccupied might take their minds off of things, make the temporary transition a little easier on them. Her squinted eyes, purple around the edge and gold around the center, scanned openly the valley for a sign of anything, a hare dashing between dens, a rat scurrying for cover, even a small bird bathing in the puddles. Nothing immediately showed itself, nothing in the vicinity to go after, but she was not so easily deterred.

Sighing quietly, Ash padded further into the wet green valley, feeling the water as it began seeping into her coat and chilling her back. And with that chill came a sudden, undeniable doubt. Maybe she should start back for the rest of the pack and give up her endeavor. Maybe that would be the smart thing to do. As her path brought her within listening distance of a river, made rougher by the current sour weather, she was starting to wish she would. This was all too familiar, and not in a good way. A storm - albeit a much calmer one - a river, a useless attempt at a hunt. All were the same circumstances during which she had acquired her injury that had put her out of commission for such a long time. And honestly the last thing she wanted was another run in with a small, mentally unstable wolf to further ruin a potentially decent day. Cautiously, as if fearing someone could be out there already watching, calculating her every move, the lean she-wolf altered her course, curving her path in a large, wide arc as she rounded around and made to return back to her pack lands empty handed and simply see what she could scrounge up closer to home.

(ooc: just an FYI, Meili is in a joining thread at the moment, just waiting on another reply or two from Seren :3 ) The small, timber hued fea was still learning her way around the territory and came to a halt when he looked up and saw a wide field of green grass instead of where she thought Valhalla's home was. She sighed, her ears pinned back against her head. She shouldn't have left Gael's side till she learned her way around. Now she was stuck in the rain, soaked down to the bone. Even though she wasn't officially a member of the pack yet she had been hoping to maybe help out a little, maybe win over a few of its members, so she had gone in search of some food. Hunting was one of the few things she felt she was kind of good at so she wanted to use that to her advantage. She had been working so hard trying to make a good impression and she couldn't tell if it was working or not. Peering out into the rain, her teal eyes searched for any sign of life or maybe a land mark of some kind to point her back toward her new home. Instead she spotted a shape moving through the grass, clearly another wolf. The rain made it impossible to catch her scent, but Meili hoped she was a friend since she was the only other wolf she saw out here. It seemed like maybe the fea was searching for something, maybe hunting? Perhaps they could work together. Mili walked toward her, her path meeting up with the arc the wolf was making through the field. It wasn't till she got close that she was able to catch a slight drift of the pack's scent on the fea and she relaxed. Dipping her head respectfully she said, "I don't think we've met. I'm Meili. Are you hunting? I can help if you'd like!" Forever her friendly self, there was no strangers to Meili, only wolves she hadn't met yet. She smiled and looked hopefully to the fea, trying to ignore the rain that continued to pour down on them. "Speech."

Walk | Talk | Think

At the moment that her two-toned eyes located the figure moving resolutely in her direction, Ashtoreth paused, stopping completely in her tracks. Who was this? What she could see of them was not familiar of any of those she knew to be residing within her pack and sheltering in this western region. Possibly no larger than herself, the wolf didn't seem to pose very much of a threat in her apparent demeanor and appearance, but neither had the last one to try and attack her. Smaller, and with anger on his side, he had been quite a considerable adversary for what he was worth, and Ash still considered herself lucky to have come away from their fight with only the single set of scars that she possessed. But figuring herself to be a sitting duck if she remained standing around as she was, she hurriedly resumed her pace, lowering her head slightly as if focused entirely on the task at hand.

This did not, however, stop the other from still approaching her. The other wolf's pace was light despite the weather, her slim frame just as drenched as Ashtoreth's grey pelt. She looked relatively similar in size to the Valhallan hunter, she noted, and sported a look that was all too friendly and fun. Very slightly did her worry begin to ebb, but not so much that she allowed an immediate smile to grace her lips as she would have prior to her last encounter. There was no hesitation to the other female as she spoke up when close enough to do so, following Ash's curving path determinedly. Sensing that even if she attempted to pointedly avoid the other that she would follow, the grey she-wolf slowed her pace to a halt yet again and let the other catch up.

Her voice was as friendly as her aparent demeanor, kind and helpful as she introduced herself and offered assistance if she should need it. Hearing the innocence, the trusting quality of her voice, Ashtoreth realized almost instantly that there was no threat here. There was no harm, no ill will. Just a kindly stranger - Meili - lending an extra set of claws and teeth should they be needed. Allowing a little smile set upon her face, gold and purple eyes blinking a little as rain water trickled close, she answered, "Thanks for the offer, but I decided against a hunt." Furrowing her brow gently, she caught a gentle scent off of the she-wolf and angled her head to the side curiously. "Are you new to Valhalla?" she asked, hoping the confirmation might help alleviate the remainder of her worries.

Meili was slightly disappointed that there was no hunt today, but she completely understood the reason with it pouring down rain on the pair. She was soaked to the bone and all she could smell was rain and mud. No chance of smelling out prey in this weather. She didn't let the storm bring her mood down, however. The day was young and there was still plenty for her to do. The teal gaze of the timer-hued fea met the new encounter's interesting gold and purple one and she nodded in response. "I only just arrived a day or two ago. I'm still learning my way around. I was trying to go back to the pack and ended up here." She shrugged and gave the fea a smile. "I'll figure it out eventually. No worries. She tipped her head to the side, taking in the fea's unusual eyes and grey fur, the description of the pack's main hunter coming to mind. "You wouldn't happen to be Ashtoreth would you? Chrysanthe told me to talk to you about being a hunter for the pack. I've never really been trained to hunt, or not that I can remember at least, but I'm very fast. But maybe we should have this talk where it's a little more... dry?" Meili chuckled and motioned back toward the trees on the edge of the emerald green clearing. There were no strangers for Meili, only wolves she hadn't met yet, and she had no problem talking the ears off of new friends. "Speech."

Walk | Talk | Think

So a new recruit to the pack. Compared to many of the others who called Valhalla home, Ashtoreth could not say that Meili posed the most impressive of figures. Slim and rather dainty, she was no apparent warrior, though the hunter knew personally appearances were only half of the equation. She herself had worked her way up through the ranks to Lead Hunter and she looked no better or worse than this young she-wolf did. If anything, she reminded Ash very much of herself when she had first arrived, naive and optimistic, friendly and outgoing. It was a bittersweet revelation, somewhat wishing that she could still be the same. "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually," she answered, smiling for the first time in a genuine, somewhat amused manner.

A short pause accompanied by a curious stare preceded the wolf asking of her whether she might be the Lead Hunter, and the slim grey wolf's ears perked with surprise. "I am," she quickly answered in the short gap between Meili's words, the smile about her face unconsciously growing. A hunter! Had she not just been thinking about how difficult her task was having the brunt of her job fall upon her shoulders alone? Some help was just what she needed. And not only that, she had been telling herself that Meili did remind her of her at a younger, earlier date, which only brought even more promise. If Ash could have risen up and proven herself to be fit for the rank she currently held, who was to say that this other petite would could not do the same?

Her tail wagged openly now, encouraging and grateful. "Of course," she answered the wolf's suggestion, chuckling gently as she led the way toward the treeline the other had gestured towards. It was nice to finally be out of the direct downpour, and Ashtoreth wasted no time in stopping just inside the protective area of the overhead branches to shake herself free of as much rain water as she could, still smiling over the happy news she had just received. Feeling better, if not still entirely damp, she seated herself there within the dryer area at the base of the trees and eyed the other with more open curiosity. "I'm really happy you've shown an interest in hunting," she stated, her tone entirely approving with delight. "We really could use a lot more hunters. I get others to help every now and again, but we lack a strong team to pull from. Any help you can give would be much appreciated." It felt strange, speaking from such a mentor-like standpoint, but at the same time it was a relief. Someone wanted to be a hunter! Her prayers were being answered.

Meili's own tail wagged excitedly when she saw how happy the news of her wanting to be a hunter made Ashtoreth. If she could even help one wolf in the pack then she felt so much better about her decision to join Valhalla. The small fea turned and followed the lead hunter toward the tree line, wasting no time to shake as much water as she could from her fur. Her thick fur stuck up in spikes along her back, making the little woman look rather comical. Joining her fellow pack mate by the tree trunk, Meili sat back on her haunches and smiled back at Ash. The happiness on the hunter's features was so infectious. Meili was glad she had thought to mention wanting to be a hunter to the fea. Seeing the relief on the other wolf was plenty of reward. Meili's tail wagged behind her as she replied, "I'm more than happy to help. I was kind of relieved when Chrysanthe mentioned hunting, honestly. I was really afraid when I joined that I wouldn't have anything to offer the pack as far as being helpful. I've never been in a pack before so I wasn't sure what to expect." Meili paused as thunder crashed over head, making her ears flick at the noise. "It's kind of surprising that there are so few hunters. You really have to do it yourself most of the time?" she asked, her teal gaze curious. That was a lot of work and stress for one wolf to bear. "Speech."

Walk | Talk | Think

Ashtoreth's smile was knowing as Meili admitted to feeling inadequate about being an asset to the pack. The same sort of thought had crossed her mind all that time ago - was it two years now? - when she had first joined. She had known right from the beginning that she was going to be well suited for the pack, but just as this young wolf she had doubted she could truly prove herself to be anyone worthwhile. But she had been lucky to be introduced to hunting and to learn amongst those better knowledgeable on the skill, and it definitely showed. Not only was she a far better hunter than she once had been, but she had even been promoted as far as she could go in her field. Lead Hunter. Ash was sure if she could reach such a prestigious position, then Meili would do just fine.

What surprised her was the other's admission of never having been within a pack before. Of all the things she might have heard, she had not been expecting that. The life of a loner had only been hers for a little while in comparison to the time that she had been within a pack, and she knew without a doubt that she was very reluctant to go back to it. She liked the social atmosphere of the pack, of having things to do and others who depended on her. It kept her out of trouble and happy. But Meili had grown up knowing a different life, a quiet one no doubt, possibly even a lonely one too. Perhaps she would find adjusting to such a busy lifestyle a challenge or maybe a blessing.

The noise of the unexpected thunder caused even Ashtoreth to flinch, and despite Meili doing very much the same she collected herself quickly enough to pose a question. "Well, usually I can con a few others into helping me out," she admitted with a sheepish sort of smile, unable to lie about her duties and how she went about them. True, most of the time she was off catching small game, storing them for those who might need a quick bite, but big game fed more and she often had to go pulling at straws and hoping that others might be generous enough to lend her their time and strength. As much as she prided her own skills there was still nothing compared to brute strength when it came to big game. There was, in her opinion, no easier way to bring it down. "But the small stuff I can take care of."

"But I think you'll do fine," the grey wolf added encouragingly, another wag of her tail accompanying the smile upon her face, "You remind me a lot of me when I first joined the pack. And look where I ended up." Even she couldn't believe it sometimes.

Meili returned the lead hunter's smile and wagged happily as well when she heard that Ashtoreth thought Meili reminded her of herself. The small fea took that as a compliment. Meili could only hope that one day she could be like the gray fea in front of her. To have such an important job and be strong enough to take it on mostly on her own was beyond impressive. Meili could already see herself looking up to Ashtoreth as a mentor and just hoped that maybe the wolfess would take her under her wing or at least show her a few things about hunting. Despite the fact that Meili thought they were about the same age, Meili always felt younger than she really was due to losing a year and a half of her memories so she really wanted to have that mentor figure in her life if Ash offered. The timber-hued fea gave a slight shiver when a gust of wind came through, chilling her drenched form even more. "Maybe we should head back?" she suggested, glancing out at the dark sky. "It doesn't look like the rain is going to let up anytime soon. Maybe we can come back tomorrow, when we're not getting drenched, huh?" She chuckled, her teal gaze returning to the gold and violet gaze of the hunter, a smile on her muzzle. It was always good to make a new friend, especially when the friend happened to open new, exciting opportunities for her. She got to her ivory paws and waited to let Ash lead the way back home, her tail wagging despite the rain. She was so optimistic about her future here in the pack now, excited to see what tomorrow would bring. -exit meili?- ooc: Couldn't think of anything else to do in the rain x3 Maybe we can start a new thread and do some hunting training or something along those lines? "Speech."