Walk | Talk | Think

Green eyes bright and alert, Bera walked purposefully through the Serpent Plains on stubby pup legs with her tail raised and waving behind her. It was weird living here, but in all the best ways. For once she was not being belittled for being a girl! For once she was expected to carry her weight just as much as the boys, though most of the boys that she had been introduced to were all older than her and capable of doing much more than she could with her lack of proper training. But even that was changing. She and her sisters were being instructed on how to take care of themselves, and Bera ate it all up willingly. For once she felt useful, felt respected, and she was adjusting quickly.

Her large paws carried her along the path that Thor had already defined for them, the boundary that he had chosen for their new home. Not a pack, nothing like what she had come from, but she assumed it still worked the same. Or at least as much as she was able to remember, being restricted to only a certain part of it before. The brown, ear-less girl doubted anything exciting would happen - with the elder males checking this place even as she did she was sure they would have scared anyone and everyone off first - but it still felt good to walk in their steps, to carry herself proudly and mightily, as if she too could scare off the invisible foes who threatened them. Her jaw set, Bera marched on at a trot, ever watchful and hoping she could return to her home with good news of a successful solo patrol.

Thor was trying his hardest to provide the girls with a structured environment. He didn't know the first thing about child-rearing, but that had to be important, right? In any case, he enjoyed the routine and it appeared to be working for the girls. Soon enough he'd begin teaching them self-defense but until now it had been mostly about hunting, killing prey and basic protective measures, like running the border he'd marked out around their territory. Returning from a successful hunt, Thor crossed the border with a white rabbit swinging from his jaws. The brute had taken to hunting beyond their borders in the hopes that there would be plenty of prey within for the girls to chose from, if they so desired to take up solo hunting. His fear was that they wouldn't find anything, become discouraged and give up. To improve their odds, he was considering catching and releasing small game win the heart of their territory, but even he recognized that doing so would be a bit extreme. Howling to alert the others of his catch, Thor then flopped down and promptly rolled over onto his back. The cold felt good on his back so the brute shimmied around a bit to work the flakes in. He stopped once he noticed a small brown form approaching. Turning his head so he wasn't looking at her upside down, he rumbled a greeting. "Bearcub." Whether or not Thor liked it, little Aksel had a point. With those lopped off ears Bera did look like a bear cub. From there the nickname had stuck and although it was still very new, Thor liked the feel of it. Bera appeared to be walking the border and as soon as that registered with him, Thor felt a flutter of pride in his chest. It was proof that his lessons were indeed sticking and not only that, but she was willing to do it without him asking. Maybe he wasn't so terrible at this "raising" thing after all. "See anything interesting out there?" He said, wanting to acknowledge her actions but unwilling to highlight them too much for fear she would outright reject an obvious nod of approval. Speaking - - Thinking

Walk | Talk | Think

Her large puppy paws froze mid-step, head angling as she listened to the howl that rang across the wintry plains. Thor! The elder wolf, her older brother in fact, had been proving himself true to his word since he had become the guardian of Bera and her two sisters. At times he seemed somewhat at a loss but for the most part he spoke to them confidently, assuredly, so that he at least sounded as if he knew what he was doing. Often she could see that control slip when Arnporr decided to "speak her opinion" as she called it, but even Bera could not have kept her cool with some of the things her sister said. But all in all Bera liked him, liked what he was trying to do for her and her sisters, even if they did not exactly feel the same, and smiled where she stood.

Abandoning her patrol - she could come back to it later - the dark brown girl bounded excitedly off the path and toward the wolf, finding him lying upon his back and wriggling about in the snow. It was quite comical to see; she was so used to him being this big, stern figure who watched over them and instructed them in what they were to do. Bera's tail wagged as she approached, and taking up the proud, strong step she had used during her patrol she heard him speak her name, or rather her nickname. Bearcub. Silly Aksel might have labeled her first, and it might have gotten under her skin to begin with, but it was growing on her. Maybe it really did suit her. Bears were strong, after all, and that was what she wanted to be.

He asked about her patrol, and the girl answered with a little lift of her chin, "Nothing to report," in her best serious voice. But, still young, she could not entirely mask her disappointment and added somewhat under her breath, almost conspiratorially, "Kind of boring, actually." Nose quivering, she caught the strong scent of prey, and angling her nose up slightly her green eyes peered at him and then around him in the snow quizzically. "You got something?"

Thor began to list to the side slowly. His roll was slow, but his momentum was enough to carry him all the way to his side. Once there he curled his legs under him and sat up properly, bits of snow clinging to his mussed up coat. The fur on his crown stood up in odd, sideways spikes; the little wet points dotted here and there with snow flakes. He was a sight for sure, although the brute didn't realize it. Nodding his approval at her report, Thor missed the whispered comment entirely. Oblivious, he remarked, "Good, good." And it was good; Thor was immeasurably proud of Bera for taking his lessons seriously. Out of all the girls, he was most pleased with her progress. Arnporr worried him and he wasn't quite sure how to handle Eostre's timidness, but Bera? He could understand her willingness to better herself. He'd been the same way when he was a pup. Thor nudged the white rabbit towards his little sister. "A rabbit," he rumbled, "Which you are more than welcome to." The brute's eyes roved over the plains, searching out the forms of the others. For reasons he couldn't quite place, Baldur was beginning to worry him, which only served to lengthen Thor's list of worries. He was afraid things were going to fall apart, that he was going to lose someone. And he couldn't figure out why. Speaking - - Thinking

Walk | Talk | Think

The inquiry about the catch had really been unnecessary. The scent of the dead prey was clearly noticeable, causing the girl's mouth to water as she continued to sniff and follow it on the air. Already she licked her lips, tail beginning to wag behind her, and her green eyes watched Thor closely as he moved to reach around himself where he sat up to nudge the bundle of meat and pale fur at his side. Yes! Her appetite, after deserting her during those early days as she adjusted to her new living conditions, had returned with gusto, and of her siblings she often thought she tended to eat the most. And she was being given first dibs on a whole rabbit!

Given the okay, the dark brown pup stepped around her brother and mentor quickly, tail still wagging as she came around and stopped to look at the rabbit. Wow! Before long, even she would be able to catch rabbits like this, and Eostre and Arnporr too. But for right now, this one was all hers, and she practically leaped on the pale creature. Her small jaws wrapped around fur and skin and tugged, growling softly as she shook her head as if to kill it a second time. As soon as she tore through and tasted meat her play was over, and quieting her growls she set about tearing through and taking off bites of rabbit to sate her sudden hunger. Yep, that was just what she needed.

There was still meat left but Bera paused after she had quieted the majority of her hunger, licking at her muzzle to clean it though it was far too messy for a couple licks to take care of it. Her brother was no longer watching her but staring away, the look on his face very thoughtful. The young girl's green eyes traveled to the rabbit for a second before she looked at the burly male again and piped up curiously, "Where'd you find this?" By this, of course, she meant the rabbit, but it did not occur to her that it needed clarification. "I didn't see any when I was patrolling." Not that she was really looking for any sneaky rabbits when she had been walking the border of their home. She had been more on the lookout for other wolves, ready to stop anyone who threatened to intrude into their home and encroach on her family.

Thor let his mind empty around the sounds of Bera eating until there was nothing else. He wasn't particularly fond of the sound of chewing, but it was a constant noise, and easy to get lost in. He'd been rather contemplative lately, far too thoughtful that he was used to being, although it appeared to be becoming a new normal for him. This new "normal" was perhaps not that new; the brute had begun to feel different shortly after leaving the pack. Perhaps this was how he should have been all along and he'd just been held from it. Sure, the addition of the girls brought new challenges to his "new" self, but maybe that was a good thing. At least he could evolve. That couldn't be said for some of his relatives. Bera's voice brought him out of his introspective thinking, and the brute's gaze returned to her face; his brow spots lifting in curious acknowledgement of her question. Finding rabbits was such a mundane task that he had to think about exactly how he'd found it for the span of a few heartbeats. "Um..." Rabbit. Found. How? Use words, big guy. "It was in a thicket. I kicked around a bit, made a bunch of noise, and when I got too close it decided to give up its hiding spot and run." Simple words didn't do the task justice. Hunting was something you had to see and try on your own to understand. Words only went so far. "Maybe, if you're up for it, I can show you sometime." Speech

Walk | Talk | Think

Oops. Maybe she had interrupted a pretty deep thought. Thor did not appear to have a very ready answer to the question she had asked, and she could only assume it was because he had been too far within his own mind to hear it. Hopefully whatever had been so important up there had not been lost because of her inquiry. It took the brown male a moment to answer, but eventually he did and Bera looked at him attentively as she made a small mental note of his answer for herself. A thicket. Was the thicket close? Would she have trouble getting to it? Could she possibly find it on her own? Were there even anymore rabbits that she could try spooking out herself? She was full of questions but considering the first had nearly stumped him she decided to take it easy. One thing at a time.

And then the real surprise came, an offer to teach her at a later point. If she had had the rest of her ears they would have perked straight up, but as it was her tail wagged to show her understanding and excitement at the thought. A rabbit hunt in a thicket! "Really?" she asked, almost unable to believe that she might be so lucky. Sure, she wanted to be trained in lots of things - fighting, self-defense, strengthening herself - but hunting seemed a good step in the right direction. And she was growing so much these days; surely she was large enough to catch a rabbit! "When can we?" she asked, but before she could make a suggestion for having the lesson now, or even soon, she asked hopefully, "Can Arnporr and Eostre come too?" They were not adjusting as well as she was to all of this, but she really wanted to share with them too.