The further north the small fea traveled the colder it got, but her wandering paws refused to stop moving her forward. She had been itching to get out of Valhalla, even if it was just for a day. She had gone from wandering constantly to never leaving her territory and being cooped up was beginning to get to her. On top of all that everyone back home was so tense with the upcoming war and then there was the whole Gale situation that she still didn't understand... She sighed and trudged forward. She let the familiar tug and pull of her muscles lull her into an easy calm, the tension slowly falling out of her shoulders. It was good to be on the road again, no matter how briefly. She slowed to a stop as her paws touched sand and her teal gaze looked around at the dark beaches of the Soul Sand Cove. She hadn't seen these dark sands in quite some time! She smiled gently and padded closer to the lapping sea. The hunter sat down just out of reach of the cold water, letting the mid-day sun warm her pelt. The salty smell of the ocean met her nose and the constant movement and sound of the waves calmed her even more. She could almost feel like she was a rogue again, simply wandering for the joy of wandering. It was a lonely life though, one she wasn't sure she would ever want to go back to completely. Speech Thought Others

The Snow Rogue princess was out and about early that morning. She already knew that getting up before anyone else was going to be ingrained in her mind for the rest of her life. If she didn't get up before the birds started to sing, then she would feel out of sorts and guilty for not meeting the sun. The only downside to getting up early meant that she would be asleep before other wolves. Her counter thought for that was if she did miss anything, then it must have not been so important to let her sleep. On that brisk, wintery morning, Odette was curled up on a small grassy knoll. She had found the perch a few days before after searching for small crabs to eat for breakfast. The lack of seafood from the winter season had started to show on Odette's features. Her skin stretched across her ribs whenever she exhaled, making them and her malnutrition obvious. The fur that she had inherited from Gargoyle was now matted and dull, no longer showing the lust and shininess that came from her parents' genes. Her stomach growled hungrily beneath her, but she clenched her muscles and closed her eyes to ignore its sounds. An unfamiliar scent swept across the breezes that flowed across the beach. Her nose became tickled and she opened her eyes to look up. Red and blue opts searched for the figure whose scent had reached her, and it didn't take long for her to see the female. Dying from hunger, Odette didn't want to move from her spot. Instead, she let out a wimpy howl, forlorn and tired. She wondered what the female would do, but if she turned out to be a mean wolf, Odette would run. Talk like this

The timber-hued fea's ears twitched at the sound of a small howl, her relaxed calm rushing away as she was instantly pulled back alert. The sound was so weak, she couldn't imagine what she would see when she turned toward the noise. Her teal gaze searched frantically till they finally landed on a scrap of black, gray, and tan fur. Her brows pulled together with worry and she instantly rose to her paws and trotted over to the pup. It was easy to see that the young fea had eaten little to nothing lately and seeing the state she was in made Meili's heart sink. Her teal eyes softened with kindness and worry as she sank to her haunches in front of the pup, her voice gentle as she spoke. "Hello there, I'm Meili. What's your name? Why are you out here on your own? Shouldn't you be with your parents?" She immediately started glancing around the beach, looking for some sort of food to give the pup and for any signs of the girl's family. Speech Thought Others

At six months old, Odette felt as if she wasn't a baby anymore. She had doubled in height and size compared to her body structure the past summer and fall. Her muscles and bones were beginning to resemble Gargoyle, but the full effect of how she would look as an adult hadn't kicked in yet. The mere thought of her papa made Odette want to scream, but she didn't as the female approached her. One call was all it took for the stranger to come and see what was wrong. Her bi-colored orbs looked up and met the pretty blue eyes of the multi-colored female. She began to ask questions, one after the other and at the mention of her parents, Odette's head lowered into her paws. Ears flattened against her crown, eyes closed, and she didn't move until she thought she could stop the tears that threatened to fall. She already looked weak; why make the female feel more sorry for her if she cried? She sharply inhaled and then raised her head to meet the gaze of the woman whom seemed nice. Respectfully, she answered the questions in precise order so she wouldn't confuse her counterpart. "My name is Odette. I'm out here on my own because I get up before my siblings and parents every morning and get bored within an hour or two. My parents..." She faltered, not sure if she could tell Meili without crying. Odette put her big girl shoes on and weakly cleared her throat to finish saying, "I don't know where they are, but I am so used to being by myself, I figured it wouldn't be a problem to just sit out here. I tried to get breakfast, but, there was nothing to catch." In reality, Odette only knew how to catch sand crabs, but because they were easy and weren't challenges. So, the young pup didn't know how to hunt, which was a shame because most six month old pups usually knew. Talk like this

Meili's concern for the young fea only deepened as she listened. She knew how hard it was to live on your own at a young age and she wondered where odette's parents could possibly be. That was something to worry about later though. For now, her first concern was to get some food into her. "Well, Odette, let me see if I can help you out with that, okay? I'm a hunter for my pack so maybe I'll be able to find something. I'm not too used to hunting in the north, but it can't be that much different. You just wait here, I'll be right back!" She hopped up and dashed over to the trees that lined the edge of the beach. She knew there was probably some sort of seafood around, but it would probably be scarce at best and she had no experience hunting it. Instead, she dashed off to the trees, hoping it would be some sort of familiar territory for her. She glanced around, her ears perked upright and her nose searching the air. It took her longer than she had hoped, but her quiet lurking around the forest finally earned her a mildly thin rabbit. Not a feast by any means, but this far into winter it was the best she could hope for. She moved on swift paws and dove for the rabbit easily, catching it off guard. It only took a few steps before Meili caught it by the neck and snapped its spine with a quick bite. She felt a small satisfaction, glad to see that her hunting training was going well. No time to think about that now though. She turned and ran back to Odette, setting the rabbit in front of her before setting down on her haunches a step or two away. "It's not much, but better than nothing, I hope," she commented with a soft smile. Meili eased down onto her stomach, crossing her forepaws infront of her as she waited for Odette's verdict on her gift. She hoped the pup would like it. She just wanted to make everyone happy really. Speech Thought Others

When Meili had left, Odette's stomach began to growl even more. The adult had said she was going to look for food, making her belly ache for the feeling of the food's weight settling in from her gullet. She clenched her stomach muscles with her own growl, sending small vibrations to spread to the internal organ that craved for the meat. Her eyes shut tight and her ears flattened themselves against her crown as she tried to push away the feelings. "In due time..." she whispered, curling her hind legs closer to her abdomen. In no time at all, the female returned. A rabbit hung from her mouth and it was lowered in front of Odette as the female reclined to the ground. Slowly, Odette rose from her perch and sniffed at the dead animal. It was definitely better than nothing and its scent made her mouth water. She didn't waste any time as she gripped the flesh in her teeth and tore it apart, digging into the meat that was revealed. Her stomach cried in rejoice and took in the food that Odette slowly chewed. The taste was wonderful and she savored every bite until her stomach was full. Once she was done, the pup with a bloodstained maw looked up at Meili. She was still chewing her last bite of rabbit meat, but swallowed and gave a thankful smile as she met her gaze. "Thank you," Odette gratefully said. "That was the most delicious rabbit I have had in a long time." Considering the last rabbit she enjoyed was the one Avalon had caught for her. Her tail wagged behind her as she said, "I hope that you find a rabbit that is definitely more scrumptious for yourself." Talk like this

The timber-hued fea was very happy to see Odette enjoying her catch so much. Nothing made Meili happier than helping a wolf in need, especially when its someone as sweet as Odette. She smiled easily and her tail wagged behind her as Odette thanked her for the rabbit. "You're quite welcome." Meili wondered yet again where Odette's parents were and why she was so malnourished. She couldn't remember her childhood so she didn't know when pups normally learned how to hunt, but she thought surely they should at least begin to learn for themselves by now. Did Odette not know how? "Um... If you want, Odette, I could teach you a few things about hunting. So you can catch your own rabbits, you know." She smiled, her kind, teal eyes watching her new multi-hued friend, waiting to see what Odette would say. Speech Thought Others

The opportunity to learn how to hunt made Odette's attention focus. She flicked her tail behind her, letting the offer sink into her mind. At first, she didn't know how to respond. Avalon had been the only one to show her anything, and that was when all she did was watch. Her bi-colored eyes met Meili's and she blinked only once before obliging. "Yes ma'am, Meili. That would be a wonderful experience!" She looked down at the carcass of the rabbit and softly smiled. "Maybe I'll be able to catch a rabbit like this without any help." Slowly, she raised her head and looked out at the woods that Meili had come from. "I know that when the weather gets cold, there are less animals, so I won't expect to get a lot of anything the first time around, but, I will try." Her gaze met Meili's again and she took a few steps towards her. "You lead the way, Meili, and I will follow." Talk like this

The small hunter smiled as Odette agreed to let Meili train her a bit. The proper way the young fea spoke made her grin, but she was very polite and Meili appreciated that. She stood, her tail wagging gently behind her as she turned to pad toward the tree line. "I'm sure you'll be a great hunter, Odette. I pretty much taught myself how to hunt so my style is probably a little different than others, but it works." She led Odette over to a grouping of bushes just inside the forest and came to a halt. Turning to look at her new student, Meili smiled and said, "Okay, to catch rabbits, my goal is usually to be as quiet as possible. They hear really well so if they hear you they'll run. So, crouch down to the ground, like this," she paused and bent her legs so her body was low to the ground, but was still able to move her legs and creep across the ground. "I'll usually scent out a rabbit so I have a target first and then get down like this. I usually stick my tail straight out so I have a little better balance too." Meili lifted her nose and breathed in the air around them, hoping to catch the scent of another rabbit. She wondered if there could possibly be two in the same area this far into winter, but it seemed like luck was on her side today! She caught the fresh scent of rabbit, her ears perking up to catch any sound of it. Her teal eyes searched the forest floor till she finally saw it a several yards away. She motioned toward the creature with her muzzle so Odette could see it too. She led the way, slowly creeping toward it one paw step at a time so Odette could copy her movements. Once they were close enough to go for their prey, Meili stopped, whispering softly, "Okay, get as close as you can, then move fast! Go for its neck if you can, that's the easiest way to kill it. Don't hesitate or it'll get away." With those last instructions she let her student do the rest. Speech Thought Others

Odette watched with rapt attention as Meili led the way to the specific area of the woods. She didn't go there by herself these days, especially since the colder weather was setting in and she preferred the shelter of the family den. Now, she had a good reason to venture out, not to mention the day still held warmth that she needed. Her frame was next to starving, so she knew that whatever she could learn would be needed for the future. Meili's demonstration followed with the words that flowed from her lips as she spoke of how to start looking for food. Odette's nose wavered and she listened for any sounds that could give her a pinpoint idea of where the prey could be. She made sure her steps were muffled by the fallen leaves, gingerly stepping so she couldn't disturb anything to give her position away. Pretty soon, rabbits came into view and her mouth began to water once more. This was it. She looked up at the russet-colored female before she was told to go ahead and try it herself. Odette gave a curt nod and then returned her attention onto the rabbit at hand. Lowering herself close to the ground, she stepped around the bush and approached the prey a couple of paw steps before pushing herself forward. Immediately, the rabbit began to hop off, but her newfound energy provided her with what she needed to go. The chase was short, but Odette didn't mind that. Her lips had curled back into a snarl and she revealed her teeth as she clamped them around the rabbit. The muscles in her body began to wear out from the sudden burst, but she kept her clasp on the rabbit and pressed down with both sets of teeth to flatten the windpipe. Her catch stopped shaking and its life was taken. Odette looked back at Meili, mouth full of meat, blood, and fur as she said, "I 'id it!" Talk like this