These days she had grown frail and skinny. The events of the long night had prey infected and the ones that weren't sick had been hunted by packs or more capable wolves. Vanille wasn't too bad off on her own, but it was a hard life to live. Since she had lost her mother life had been hard. But she knew enough to pick herself up and survive.

Coming across the Prairie, she had sensed the number of increasing prey as the day went on while she had camped out nearby. She had collected just a couple supplies for her feat, she knew she'd have to work with the land around her to get her meal. She made her way out to the small creek of the prairie, taking a sip before searching for the place she wanted to build her trap. Dropping a vine she had pulled from the willows a little north of here and a couple thick sticks as pegs, she looked at the land below her feet and started questioning where she wanted to dig the pit.

"Vanille"

His first birthday came and went and nothing really changed. He thought maybe once he was older he would start to feel something different, feel more capable maybe, but it just kind of felt like another day—much to his disappointment. Pan, to his credit, did try to cheer him him and would at least pester him to make sure he got out of bed and ate, but it just felt like the same routine over and over. There was a period of time where it felt like everything was turned on its head and thrown into orbit just to come crashing down and then after that there was just nothing. He followed his mother around, watched as his sister started venturing off on her own more and more which made him worry, and he struggled to even find the motivation to do the things he actually enjoyed like hunting and sparring. He had forced himself to get up and try more often now that they had moved to the gulley to be with his uncle. His mother, sister, and even Ocean and Chrystelle had seen him like this for long enough that he no longer really worried about what they thought of him, but his uncle and the wolves he kept around him were newer to him and the last thing he wanted was to have one of them come up to him asking if he was okay.

He wandered out to the near by prairie in hopes that maybe he might find something to hunt so he could at least make himself useful. Tira had gone out exploring again and his mother was spending time with Indigo so that left him the lone wolf on this little hunting trip. He wasn't sure what he'd be able to bring down on his own, but the prey hadn't exactly been very large or all that plentiful since the long night away. Maybe he'd just come up empty handed. It didn't seem like he was really alone though since he looked up from where his sapphire gaze was fixed on the ground and spotted a pale, icy colored girl with her attention focused on what looked like it would be pieces to a trap. He hesitated for a moment since interacting with someone else didn't exactly feel like a good idea in the moment, but he knew that hunting was easier in pairs so maybe it would benefit them both.

Arc walked over to her, making sure to come around so that she could see him approaching, not wanting to startle her. "Hey, um... Do you want some help with that?" he asked when he got closer, giving a nod to the hole she had just started to dig. If nothing else at least he could say he tried to help even if she denied his offer, but he couldn't imagine someone turning down an offer to help dig when it was already such a chore.

"Arcturus Fatalis"

The brute who approached her had taken care to come around at an angle so he could face her rather than jump up behind her. She didn't startle, but she did act a little shy. Vanille was mostly a social but quiet girl, but being on her own for the last little bit of her life had made her on edge around others. She was in no physical condition to fight while edging on a skinny and malnourished side. And the young brute while not large in size was quite intimidating by his mane and teeth.

"Oh uh... if you don't mind." She gave him a gentle smile in return, relaxing at the offer of his help with the hunt. "I'm just digging the pit here and I'll set up the trip wire in front of it." She backed up to give the boy his own space, turning to work on digging the pit some more.  Pulling her maw over her shoulder, she introduced, "I'm Vanille by the way."

"Vanille"

Even though he was still lightly on the fence about being around a stranger and forcing himself to meet someone new, he was still kind of glad when she agreed to accept his help. It was something for him to do and he liked feeling helpful so that certainly killed to birds with one stone. He nodded with understanding when she explained that she was planning on digging a hole here and then setting up a tripwire in front of it. It was a straightforward plan, not too unlike the trap he had set up with his mother on a hunting trip once upon a time. That trip felt like it was ages ago at this point and like a whole different life time even though in reality it was just a couple seasons ago. "Sure, sounds good," he said as he came around to stand on the other side of the hole she was digging so he could start clawing clumps of dirt out of the ground and kicking them away as well.

When she introduced herself he felt bad for not thinking to do the same and he paused his work long enough to reply, "I'm Arcturus, but just call me Arc. Nice to meet you." He might be bad at remembering his manners sometimes, but he did have them. His mother certainly taught him and his sister well in how to behave. He kept digging, widening and deepening the hole that would hopefully catch whatever prey Vanille had in mind for her trap. "What are you hoping to catch anyway?" he asked, wondering how big of a tripwire they would be setting up and how sturdy they would need to make it.

"Arcturus Fatalis"

Vanille looked softly at the young brute as he introduced himself, nodding in agreement with a gentle grin, "It's nice to meet you too." The two of them worked on the hole together until she decided it was deep enough to harbor what she had planned. Arc asked what she had her mind set on grabbing and she went to pull herself out of the pit, struggling weakly on her own but managing. Once she made solid ground, she turned back to him and stated, "I was just going classic with deer, maybe two if we are lucky."

She grabbed her pegs and vine, walking a few steps from the pit before tossing one of the peg-sticks across to the other side where Arcturus could help her with the final touch if he wanted. "I wasn't going to cover it up, I figured they would see the pit and go to jump but the trip wire would stop them before then if placed correctly."

"Vanille"

Arcturus noticed how Vanille struggled a bit to get out of the hole once it was dug and he went to reach over to help her up, but stopped himself. He didn’t know how she’d take to being touched by a stranger and didn’t want to risk offending her or making her uncomfortable. As he watched her pull herself up though it did make him notice how skinny she was. It made a little, concerned frown pull at his lips for a moment that he quickly hid before he hopped out of the hole himself and they turned to face one another again. He didn’t really know this girl or her situation, but he still internally kind of worried about her. Even with all the moving around he and his family had been doing they still always had something to eat. Did she not have anyone looking out for her?

She pulled his thoughts back to the present when she explained that she was hoping for a deer or two and he nodded in agreement. They were usually pretty easy to find around here and where easy enough to chase into a trap. He took the other end of the trip wire as it was tossed to him, helping her position and press the stake into the ground, pressing in the dirt around it to help keep it firmly in the ground. He was a little surprised when she said that she wasn’t planning on covering up the hole, but her plan for it seemed pretty logical so he gave a little shrug and a nod in response. "Seems good to me.”

"Arcturus Fatalis"

With the stakes in the ground, Vanille moved closer to Arcturus so that she could join him before they went off on their hunt. She didn't mind the silence had he not spoken, but also wasn't too shy had he wanted to talk to her.

Ahead of them, she had her head lowered close to the ground and she scouted for the scent or tracks of nearby deer. She paid more attention to their task at hand, but occasionally glanced towards Arc to make sure he was still there around her. She assumed he too was looking for the signs of the deer along with her.

When she caught the scent, she followed in suit, quiet in her steps as they drew closer. She stalked behind some shrubbery along the trees in the prairie as she laid eyes on the deer ahead of them. Her face turned towards Arc, waiting for him to get prepared for the chase. She would go around to the other side of them to start driving them towards the pit once he was ready.

"Vanille"
F2U base by AshKatu

Once the trap was fully set and Vanille came over to where he was standing he gave a little approving nod before they turned to go tracking down the deer in question so they could put the trap to use. As they went he tried to focus mostly on the hunt, looking for signs of the deer in the area and paying attention for their scents, but occasionally he'd sneak little glances toward the pretty blue and white girl beside him. He wasn't exactly the bulkiest guy around—he was actually really small and slim compared to someone like his uncle or grandfather—but he just kept wondering when the last time she had a good meal was or how infrequent those meals were. He was too awkward to say anything and worried he'd offend her if he did, but it hovered in the back of his mind. He might have lost his father and he might have lost the stability he had grown up depending on with the pack, but he had never felt like he wasn't cared for or at least given the tools to care for himself.

Before he could get up the courage to say something they found a solid trail for their hunt and he followed it along side Vanille until they came across a small herd of deer. It was just a few does, but it would certainly fill their needs for today. He glanced toward Vanille and and caught her pink hued gaze quietly before they began to circle around through the brush and tree cover to get into a better position to start chasing the deer toward their trap. He settled into one position and waited for Vanille to take the other spot. Once she was in a good position he gave her a nod and waited for her to start to move before he did so himself, leaping out from the brush with snarls and growls to startle the deer and start herding them toward the trap.

"Arcturus Fatalis"

Vanille wouldn't have noticed that Arc was watching her, concerned about her physical appearance or at least how she was lacking in nutrition. She hadn't been around many others really, so her own concern about her well being wasn't that noticeable. She couldn't deny being hungry, but she seemed to just make everything work out. She wouldn't have thought about needing any help at least.

She moved around the herd, finding position before glancing quickly over at Arcturus to see he was ready, and with that she moved forward onto the chase. The deer startled as the two wolves emerged from the brush, and they were quick to put them in line with each other towards their trap. Vanille didn't show aggression as she moved along with the deer, instead just keeping in route with their destination. Soon they would be over the trap and have their meals.

"Vanille"
F2U base by AshKatu

With the two of them working together it was easy enough to keep the herd in a clump, giving a few stragglers some nips at their ankles when they tried to break away from the others. The trap certainly wouldn't hold all of them, but he expected at least some of them to manage to jump over the trap or evade it some how so it was like a shooting fish in a barrel with a shot gun situation. With this herd of deer they were bound to get at least one trapped in the hole. When they got close he started driving the deer harder, trying to make them run faster so they'd have less chance to stop themselves or avoid the trap.

As he expected the ones toward the outer edge of the herd skidded and leapt to the side to avoid the hole in their path, bounding off across the prairie and scattering, but the ones toward the middle had less of a chance to react. The one at the very front attempted to skid to a stop, but the trip wire they set up made it tumble forward and landed head first in the hole they dug. The one behind it tried to jump over it and fell short, scrambling to try and pull itself out and failing before falling into the hole as well. Arcturus was satisfied with that so he slowed to a stop a couple feet away from their trap, breathing hard as he looked to Vanille with a grin.

"Arcturus Fatalis"

She didn't worry as a few of the deer moved around the pit and tripwire, the ones closer to the middle finding no way out sliding into the wire and tumbled into the pit. She too slowed down as Arc did, holding pants from her under used lungs to not be so abrupt about catching air.

She peered down at the two deer inside the hole, wanting to put them out of their misery while at least one of them had broken a leg. Her paws drove down the short wall of the pit, she trembled under the use of her legs from the chase and carefully pulled herself back up off the edge so she wouldn't fall in too. She didn't look up at her company to ask for help, instead just kept staring down at the crying deer, thinking that if she just waited a moment she'd be able to hop down there and get the job done.

"Vanille"
F2U base by AshKatu

Arcturus came around to the side of the hole where Vanille was beginning to reach down into the hole toward the crying deer, his grin faltering when he noticed how her legs trembled from the effort of it before she pulled herself back up and watched them from the ledge. His gray ears flicked and he pulled another smile onto his lips before he tapped her shoulder with his paw, insisting, "Here, let me." He went around to the side of the hole where there was a bit of an empty spot next to the two deer that had fallen, one with a broken leg and the other caught under the body of its companion. He hopped down, pinning them down with his weight before he sliced through the throats of each of them with his saber fangs, silencing them quickly. They struggled for just a moment as they bled out, but soon enough they were laying still and quiet.

Jumping back out of the hole, he reached down from the edge, hooking his claws into the skin on one of the deer's shoulders and pulled it over to the side of the hole close enough to him so that he could bite through the back of its neck, pulling it up out of the hole with his sabers. He was glad that he had suddenly started going through a random growth spurt lately. This would have been significantly harder to do on his own back when he was shorter. Now he was a bit taller than either of the deer so it wasn't too bad. He gave the other deer the same treatment and once he had them both laid out on the ground between him and Vanille he looked back to her again with another smile. "There we go! Nice job." He looked down at one of the does briefly before glancing up at Vanille again, adding, "Hey, I'm pretty hungry now... You want to eat now and we'll split the rest?" He wasn't all that hungry in reality, but part of him just wanted to make sure she ate something before they parted ways just to make himself feel better about it. he didn't wait for her to answer, instead turning one of the does so that its stomach faced him and he started slicing a cut along its belly with his claw.

"Arcturus Fatalis"