Steeling himself, Valentine splashed into the river. He'd spotted a wounded elk as it made its way through The Orchard. Of course he'd followed it. He had tirelessly pursued it, weakening it further whenever the opportunity presented itself. Patiently he waited, watching it tire slowly, until finally, its wounds weeping heavily, it dove into the river in a last ditch effort to escape its pursuer. It didn't make it far before it floundered. From the bank he'd watched it struggle as he debated the merits of diving in after it and possibly getting his head split open by a flailing leg. In the end he had decided to wait until it was half drowned before chancing it. Cautiously wading towards the elk, the brute eyed it as he tried to decide if it was sufficiently drowned. It lay partially on its side with its head floating on the water. Each wave that rolled towards the shore washed over its head and because of this, its breath came in bubbling fits. Undoubtedly it was aware of the wolf stalking it, but there was little it could do besides weakly thrash and it saved those brief bursts of energy for the King's more threatening movements. Its head dipped under the water once more and Valentine seized the opportunity to close the distance between them. He dove for the throat and once he'd gripped it, he held on for dear life as the elk renewed its thrashing. It drug him through the water and it took all of his strength to remain upright. Long seconds passed before the thrashing ceased and Valen felt comfortable with releasing his grip. Winded, Valentine straightened and glanced around him as he tried to catch his breath.

ooc. Ace is invading this thread For once she wasn't high as shit. Winter was making itself out to be a time where she would have no luck in her usual shenanigans. At least, in most places. She was hardly seeking out a high, she'd spent enough time doing that in the late autumn. Sighing, the girl kept up her lackadaisical pace. She'd been traipsing her way across Alacritia for a while now, mourning her losses in her own unhealthy way. Aksel was dead, and so was her mother. The rest of her family had been out of the picture since she'd been mere seasons old. It seemed to be in the lass' nature to lose her loved ones. Friends were nothing to be spoken of. Part of her thought giving up would be nice, but she was far too stubborn for that to be a concept for too long. The lanky girl found herself in the south, though she wasn't entirely aware yet. She found the area familiar, but wasn't thinking about too much at the time. The Rio Grande was a nice place, even in the bitter times of winter. It was a good place to rest, it looked like. The patchwork girl looked over the area, seeking somewhere appealing to sit for a little while. A slate hued figure near the river attracted her attention, as well as the catch at his feet. Was she hungry? After a moment of pondering, she figured out that no, she wasn't hungry right now. Besides, the stranger was far too big for her to be bothered with a con or a lure. Her usual antics weren't going to do it for her with this guy, looked like. Delicate toes skimmed over the terra as she meandered over to him, acidic pools watching him warily. He looked familiar. A frown would play at her features, puzzling out the identity of this stranger. There was no denying it. She'd met him somewhere before. In the haze of a high, perhaps? No, there were others present when she'd met him. Who? No telling. The golden tip of her banner would flick irritably, attempting to figure it out before she reached him. The closer she got, the more there was the nagging feeling that she wasn't in the mood to socialize. It was too late now. She would pause, hesitating a few paces from the male. Gods damn it, where had she met him before? "Do I know you, dude?" She enquired gruffly, scrutinizing him openly now. Alright, so she was far from the suave character that her father could have turned her into, but she wasn't exactly on her game today. Ivory audit flicked briefly as a bug buzzed too close. Narrow form swayed to and fro for a moment, pensive. He didn't look like someone to be spoken to informally, and yet she'd gone and done it anyway. "Speech"

Pink foam gathered at the corners of his mouth as he panted. The fur around his lips was similarly tinged. Absentmindedly he licked at his lips, the action refreshing the taste of copper in his mouth. "Do I know you, dude?" The voice surprised him and he very nearly startled. Valentine's glance around had been slow and he'd made the mistake of not looking over his shoulder. In doing so he missed the approach of the stranger. The brute's head turned around lazily. He took his time in regarding the skinny fae. Was she familiar? Had he met her before? He didn't think so. One eyebrow quirking up in a silent question, he rumbled, "Nope." It was possible she'd heard of him, or maybe, if she was part of a pack, she'd seen him at a gathering or something, but he was fairly certain he'd never laid eyes on her before. After a moment's thought he turned around completely so he was facing the stranger. She didn't look like much, but that wasn't an excuse for cockiness. It was in his best interest to face this unknown, whoever she might be, head on.