Mortis had known that the gruff but loving older woman would help him if he asked it of her. Today was the morning of the hunt she agreed to. He had gotten from his den, bright eyed and bushy tail, and almost beaten her to the border. But there she was, waiting for him. With a grin, and a kiss to her cheek, the younger wolf would follow her instructions to the letter. He didn’t want to make her think twice about this.

They made their way out of the pack, and towards the Northern territories. He bounded along behind her with endless energy, his companions at his feet, or in the case of the kea, on his shoulder.

“What are we going to hunt Grandma, are we there yet?” he had managed to keep his questions quiet for most of the journey, but in his excitement, they began to burst out.

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When Mortis had asked for a hunt in the snow, Resin couldn't help but grin. She'd taken quite a shine to the young Fatalis boy; a boy who affectionately called her grandma. She agreed to take him north for a hunt the following day. Before the sun rose, Resin waited at the border. Mort soon met her and they were on their way. When questioned some time later, Resin snorted, tendrils of steam drifting from her dusty blue nose. "No, we aren't there yet." Days passed as they trekked through many different typed of terrain. Snow was around them, but it wasn't the deep snows of the far north. If the boy wanted a snow hunt, she'd give him one. Before them a great forest rose up. Trees as tall as the sky grew all around them. This would be an experience in itself, but the hunt the following day would be what she brought the boy here for. Divvying out some dried meat between them, she bid Mort to sleep so that he would be rested for what tomorrow would bring. ---- As usual, Resin was awake before the sun. She scouted the area a bit, nose working to sift through the various scents of the wood. Ah, there it was. The wind brought her the musty scent of caribou. There was a herd somewhere on the outskirts of the forest. That would be their target. Waiting for Mort to rise, the big woman sat in the snow, her thick winter coat puffed up, making her look even larger than she actually was. WC-263 Total-419

He wiggled a little, but didn’t comment as she told him they were not there yet. He hadn’t been North before, so he didn’t really know where ‘there’ was, but he was happy to follow in her paw-steps and trust her. She was a large wolf, one of the few that still managed to tower over him, if only just.

The journey was a long one, and his company was quieter than he was used to. He occasionally peppered her with questions, observations, or simply noises. Sometimes he was quiet, as his grandmother seemed to prefer.

For the final night before their hunt, he curled up tight in her side, one wing raised to cover his nose, which pressed against the warm fur of her belly. His own belly still full from the tasty meat she had given him before bed. He fell asleep like that, cozy beside his grandma.

When he woke, she had already separated from him, and some of the snow had drifted in around him. He raised his head, puffing up out of the snow, and shook it free of him and his bedding as he leaped free of it, and found his puffed-up grandma. He giggled softly at the sight of her, stretching like a cat, and kissing underneath her chin in greeting and respect. “Is today the day, Grandma Ressy?”

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Eventually the boy rose. He stretched and kissed her chin in his all too cute manner. The name though... She didn't mind being called Grandma, but Ressy? Did she look like a Ressy? Placing a paw on Morts shoulder, she playfully pushed, aiming to gently toss him into the snow. "Yes, today is the day," she answered gruffly. "Prepare yourself. This won't be easy." Mortis had said he wanted to learn to hunt in the snow. Well... she was going to do one better. Resin was going to teach him to hunt on blowing tundra. Caribou frequented the blowing expanse of land. Their coats were thick and soft and their meat was rich. It would be the perfect kill to take home. She'd taken him to these particular woods because the trees themselves would protect them from the harsh, blowing winds. Just outside of the forest, was a wall of white. The rough, winter winds blew sheets of drifting snow across the land, limiting visibility severely. It would be a good test for the boy. If he could make a kill in such extremes, he could make a kill anywhere. Rising from her place, the big woman gave her coat a shake, ridding it of clinging snow. Moving easily into a distance eating lope, she made her way from where they had rested to the edge of the forest. Stopping at the edge, she motioned for the boy to look out over the blowing, white landscape. Thankfully a winter storm was marring the bright light of the sun, so they wouldn't become snow-blind. Perfect conditions for a blizzard hunt. Standing beside Mort, she gave him some quick pointers. "You won't be able to see much of anything so you'll have to rely on your other senses. Smell the caribou. Listen for them. When they run, you'll be able to feel their hooves pounding the earth." The edge of the breeze ruffled the woman's thick coat. She cast a sidelong glance at the winged boy. "Keep your wings tightly against you. They serve no purpose here and will only end up getting you hurt if they're taken by the wind." Which they would be. The winds on the tundra were harsh and unforgiving. "Do you have any questions?" She would have him follow her lead. The caribou that they saw first would be their target. WC-394 Total-885

She pushed him into the snow - he could only guess in retaliation for the nickname. The young boy laughed easily, rolling with the shove, and landing lightly onto the snow. He rolled flat for a moment, wings spread out on either side of him, like a dead bird as his paws scrabbled at the air. When she spoke of being ready, he decided perhaps it wasn’t the best time to mess around. He rolled back over, getting easily to four paws, wings at the ready, lightly open on either side. His eyes were for his Grandmother as he listened and watched carefully. When her eyes moved beyond the tree line to the white expanse, he followed it, eyes dancing across the snow as he wondered what exactly was in store for them. When he heard the shake of Resin’s coat, he looked back to the older wolf. She was getting ready to roll out. The boy rolled his meager supplies back into the thin, oiled coat, and tied it to his back leg out of the way. He raced after her, wings catching in the air as they expanded lightly either side of him. For the most part, he simply enjoyed the run, the difficulties of racing through snow. It worked his thigh muscles something crazy, and soon he was panting. He was an active young warrior, but he just didn’t have the years that built Resin’s stamina. He was thankful for the respite when she stopped them, and her young pupil obediently leaned forward, looking past the forest, wondering what precisely she wanted from him. She wasn’t much for words, Resin. Her teaching invited him to think for himself, to see everything, and figure out what she wanted. Was it the conditions? The start of a blizzard, the drifting snow that bloated out the sun. he sneezed at the chill in his nose, and rubbed it with a paw. She gave instructions then, and he listened carefully. Scent, sound, and what to look out for. She also told him to tuck in his wings, and he did so now. Folding them tightly against his body, wings tilted so no strand of wind might tear them from their place. “No Grammy” he responded to her question. He was ready, and itching to take on their foe, for which they had travelled so far to find. He breathed softly in the cool air. This time, there would be no shelter beneath his wings. This must be a wing stronger then he was accustomed to. He would have to be careful. Words: 431 total = 1,316 "Speech"

Mort kept pace like a trooper. She knew that it would be a bit more difficult for him, but the big woman refused to baby the boy. The harder he pushed, the stronger he would become. Most of his strength would be spent fighting the wind once they were upon the tundra. Caribou were rather small and it would be easy to bring one down.

At the edge of the tundra, the woman's lone eye stared out over the blowing expanse of land. From here, you couldn't see any caribou at all. That was the point. She brought Mortis here to push him. To make him stronger than he was before. To make him smarter than he was before. If the boy came away with some new knowledge, then her task was complete.

"If you're ready, follow me. We'll go straight ahead into the blizzard. If you get lost or if you need help, howl for me and I'll find you." She didn't want to treat Mortis like a child, so she wouldn't. He could follow her into this dangerous situation, but if he was in trouble, she would save him. It was the same that she would do for any wolf that followed her into a hunt.

Tucking black ears against her skull to keep out most of the wind, the big woman hunkered down to conserve body heat and moved away from the woods and onto the tundra. The wind was blowing hard so there were no tracks from the herd, but they left scat behind and tufts of fur clinging to bent reeds. When the wind spun, it brought the musty, warm smell of bodies right towards them. She knew they were going in the right direction.

A break in the wind brought the sight of the herd to the woman. She knew exactly where they were and how far away the end of the herd was. Casting her golden glance to Mort, she motioned for him to follow her. Body still held low, Resin crept towards the herd. She could feel the power of the wind pushing against her, but it wasn't enough to make her lose her footing. Luckily for them, the reindeer at the back of the herd was a plump male. They were all facing away from the wind which was to be expected.

Looking towards Mort once more, the woman nodded, then was off. Heavy paws carried her over the wind blow terrain. The blowing wind and snow muffled her approach and so she was neither seen nor heard until she was upon the back of her prey. Resin's heavy weight forced the ungulate off of its hooves, crashing hard to its side. She was atop it, teeth sinking into its shoulder as she held the kicking, bellowing beast down. Now it was all up to Mort.

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“Yes Grammy” he said obediently, following after her. Trepidation and excitement warring in his breast. He was excited for the challenge, and a little intimidated by everything that was going on around him. As she had warned, his sense of sight was useless. His sense of smell wasn’t much better off. The way the wind tore through everything, tossing in circles, he struggled to know where anything came from. Resin seemed to know where she was going, and what she was doing, however. He followed closely to her, almost walking into her rump more than once, and using her as a wind-breaker when his eyes and nose were chilled and whipped by the wind. He offered no complaints, despite how his nose and pads hurt. He knew he had to prove himself, and he was willing to give it his best. His grandmother looked to him, and then the herd she had brought them close to, and then she was running. He ran after her, a few paces behind. The older wolf took down the plump deer, and he knew his part. As she held the struggling, screaming, thrashing creature, he ran to its head. Avoiding the flailing hoofs, the young boy struck like a snake, aiming for its neck. His elongated fangs ripped across its throat, andit thrashed for a few moments longer. Not realising yet that it was dead, and then it fell still. "Speech"

Mort had stuck with her and, when she knocked the caribou from its feet, he knew his part. Careful to avoid the flailing hooves that could break a wolfs leg, Mort dove in and bit into the ungulate's throat. A few more feeble flails and the deed was done. Their prey was dead. The rest of the herd, oblivious to their brother's demise, continued to run away to the far edge of the tundra. They would have no trouble carting their meal back to the shelter of the trees.

Grabbing one hind leg between her jaws, Resin began pulling the caribou back towards the trees. They hadn't even had to come very far to make the kill. In all actuality, it had been much easier than she'd intended. Perhaps next time they'd bring a third body and try to bring down a musk ox.

Depositing the corpse once they were out of the blowing wind, the ashen dame settled down to give her body a break. She motioned towards the kill for Mort to eat. "You earned it. You eat first."