Silence laid heavily across the terra. The air was thick with the steady falling of fat, lazy snowflakes and because of this, visibility was poor. With the weather so intent on making the scape picturesque, hunting was becoming a challenge. Poor sight, poor smell. Bitter cold. The one redeeming quality the snow had was that it held proof of passage quite well and with it falling so quickly, even that was becoming hard to follow. Mother Nature was plotting against her. Nevertheless, Skadi pressed on. Somewhere out there an unattended child roamed. At first the massive huntress had been content to ignore her, but all too soon the nagging want to possess had her trailing the girl. Stealthily she observed from a distance, occasionally closing the space between them to get a better look before drifting back out of sight. The snow aided her in this regard. Skadi let herself become blanketed by it and, using its heavy presence in the air to her advantage, stalked the child until her mind was made up. She would have her. Gliding forward, Skadi attempted to rapidly close the distance between herself and the girl. She aimed to come at her from behind and circle to her left. From there she rolled her right shoulder forward, intent on driving it into the child's ribs and throwing her to the ground. If successful, Skadi would stand over her, her posture menacing, and dare the child to do anything other than submit. "Talk" "You" Think

Atka

Atka's steps were sure and purposeful as she jogged across the range, intent on returning to her somewhat distant home after a hunt. At nearly a year old she was quickly becoming competent at hunting for herself, stalking partridge through the snow-laden grasses that disguised her pale pelt so well. She had already fed, and another partridge dangled from her jaws, a gift to the woman she knew as her mother, who had seemed down as of late, and to her father who still recovered though no doubt Soliloquy and Othello were keeping him fed.

Unexpectedly something impacted solidly in the girl's side, throwing her into the snow. The bird dropped from her mouth, and black-marked face turned to face her attacker with intense scrutiny. For an attacker it was, a much bigger brown-coated female who stood over her aggressively. She made no attempt to rise from her prone position, nor did her posture show any aggression of her own, merely a certain passive curiosity. What had she done to this woman to be thrown? "If you want the bird you can have it," she offered... though truly the female should have simply asked for it if she was so hungry. Atka would have given it to her without a question - she could always catch another.

""

The child lay still and made no attempt to flee. Instead of fear, she regarded her assailant with curiosity - a reaction that was unexpected and intriguing. Already Skadi felt she had made a good choice. "You may keep your bird." Silent for the span of several heartbeats, the huntress studied her new protege. She was small and leggy, her markings simple. Skadi doubted the child would get much bigger, but she looked like she could fill out some. Stepping back to allow the girl room to stand, she said. "You're coming with me." She left no room for arguing. The girl would come with her. "I've been looking for someone like you for awhile now." There was much to explain, but for now that would have to wait. She needed to take her prize and go. "Talk" "You" Think

Atka

The woman told her she could keep the bird, and what was in Atka's eyes an abrupt change of mind left the girl blinking. If she didn't want the bird, why had she knocked Atka over? For a long moment, purple gaze and blue silently evaluated the other before a declaration was made. "You're coming with me." She was? "I've been looking for someone like you for awhile now." She had been?

Atka was silent and unmoving for a long moment as she weighed her options, none of which looked good. The woman wanted her to go with her... to where? For how long? For what? Looking for someone like Atka why? But she had it long ingrained to listen to adults when they told her what to do even if she didn't like what they wanted her to do. She was still considering what to do as she carefully and cautiously pulled herself back to her feet, but she really only had one option.

So, though she wanted very much to just pick up the bird and continue on the path home, she dipped her head docilely in compliance. "Yes ma'am." She picked up the partridge and, after a single measuring glance toward home and an internal sigh, stood turned her neutrally expectant gaze toward the adult. What now?

""