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[Harley Quinzel]

Soft paws hit the soft grass, barely making a noise. A small gray wolf traveled at normal pace through the tall grass, not really in a hurry to get anywhere. This was the first area she had found where she knew wolves would be. She sighed and set her rump on the grass. She was extremely tired and needed a place to rest. She rolled around in the grass and then sat up again, barking at a few birds for no reason. Her tongue rolled out of her mouth, panting with her right ear up and her left ear flopped like always.

Loneliness crept through her as the sun rose on the mountains, lighting the grasslands with a beautiful orange tint, she watched as crickets jumped and bugs flew around, snapping at a few just for fun. It was nice to just relax for a moment, although she knew she'd have to get up again later. She howled softly, a nice bright howl to tell any wolf around that she was here and not a threat. It was her first time being in a new land, and she was only doing the things outsiders had done to her old pack.

She wondered what her pack was doing right now, mostly her family and friends. She figured the pack would be getting ready to hunt now, and her father was probably patrolling. Her father was such a good wolf, always protecting her and giving her advice. Shock Quinzel has had some tough years, after being put in the wild by humans, and then having to find a pack, luckily Diem had accepted him with open paws although he was a bit of a laughing stock for about a year or so.

Harley had been a laughing stock too, the only daughter of such pair of warriors, and especially since she was the runt of the litter, there wasn't much she could live up to. So she practiced hunting everyday, and usually came home with a squirrel or rabbit to give to a nursing mother. Just one of the many acts of Harley Quinzel.

[Terramorn]

Terramorn knew morning as much as any other wolf. She saw it differently than most, however. This was because of the nights that the young wolf lived through. Nights to Terramorn were like little trips to explore the galaxy, filled with dreams of her walking on a road of stars and clouds, seeing little scenes between wolves and being eternally connected to them. When she woke up to see that sun above the mountains in the distance, it was almost like the color had faded from the world. But she knew better. The color was still there, it had just taken different forms.

The young wolf stretched from an abandoned den and wandered out into the world. Her pelt, a silver that darkened on her ears and progressively up to the black line on her spine, glittered cleanly in the sunlight. She hadn't taken the time to groom herself, but she had taken a swim a few days ago, and that was good enough for her. With the world waking up, yellow eyes looked out at the world before her, bright, clear, and eager to start. Apparently, so was her stomach- it growled somewhat loudly.

Unable to ignore her needs, Terramorn immediately set to hunting. She had been taught by a few wolves, both in and outside of packs, but she wasn't quite perfect. And ever since that bunny picnic, she had always had a bit of a grudge against rabbits. The funny thing was, she was partially terrified of them as well. There was little surprise in this, since the rabbits had actually collectively turned and attacked her.

The morning was quiet for the most part. Terramorn stalked her way through the grasslands, the tall grass easily covering her, even though a heavy winter had not been kind to their growth. Finally, he caught the scent of prey and maneuvered downwind. Easily spotting it from her place, she waited a moment. Then she bolted, tearing after the rabbit that was before her. They both ducked and weaved, and Terramorn was fast enough to jump over a fallen log, though she didn't have the time to wonder how it got there. Finally, she was so close, her little form keeping up easily. She opened her mouth, ready to strike, and-

WHAM!

She hadn't quite seen the tree there. It was the only tree in the grasslands, it seemed, and Terramorn's head had found it. She yelped in pain and turned about for a while, whining. Finally, she managed to sit up, her eyes watering.

"Darn it."

[Harley Quinzel]

Harley stopped by a tree to go check up on a wolf who had recently hit her head. "Why did you do that?" She asked, her normal high pitched voice being one of the loudest voices in the grasslands, which didn't bother the clueless wolf. She sat beside the unknown female and cocked her head to the side. "You look like you could use some help. Y'know I was a hunter in my old pack. I can help you if you want." Her southern twang was sweet, adding youth to her already child-like voice.

The tiny wolf waited for the other wolf's response and looked around the grassland. "Wow." The young girl muttered her voice making her sound brainless. She sighed and pounced on a butterfly before returning back to the tree with a soft "Oh" as she remembered that someone was over there.

Back in her old pack she used to get called stupid and all these other mean things, but she wasn't slow or anything, just a little oblivious to her surroundings sometimes. She knew what was going on but most things didn't release any emotion from her. Once she was watching two wolves fight viciously and she just sat there, her tail wagging to and fro. Obviously she knew they were fighting, and that they were hurting each other, but it had no effect on her whatsoever.

Also, when she would get made fun of she would just sit there and pant as if the hurtful words were nothing but quiet observations. "I know how to hunt. My daddy taught me, and I used to get food for the pregnant mothers." She said, her mouth opening so she could begin panting again.

[Terramorn]

Terramorn jumped when the other wolf began speaking. It was as if she had appeared from nowhere, something that Terramorn was only accustomed to in her dreams. She stared at the other wolf for a few moments, examining her. The other wolf didn't seem too intimidating, which was good. The young wolf wasn't good around frightening wolves.

"I... I do not need help." She mumbled, partly out of embarassment and partly because if she talked too loud, her head hurt. "I just wasn't looking where I was going."

She got up on her feet, her knees shaking just a little bit. The young one would have to give it time, she knew, for them to reacquire their stability. Until then, she did her best to not show it to this other wolf. Then the other wolf suddenly pounced on a butterfly! Terramorn stared for a moment, not certain how to react. Usually she was the one who had a short attention span. Perhaps those months of feeling useless had changed her personality somewhat, and developed her ability to focus. On the other hand, this gave Terramorn an idea.

"Oh, you know how to hunt? Do you know how to wrestle?" She said with a mischievous grin before pouncing on the other wolf. Terramorn tried to wrestle her to the ground, seeing if she would fight back. After all, this other wolf seemed very playful, so perhaps she could be a playmate. They were about the same size, after all.

[Harley Quinzel]

Suddenly there was another wolf on top of her. She giggled and tugged on her ear, rolling over. "You can't catch me.!" The tiny wolf exclaimed and bounded off around the tree, hoping that the other female would follow her.

Harley didn't wrestle much, well she used to before her brothers started making fun of her. Jack, her favorite brother would wrestle with her when no one else was around, but it was sometimes hard because Jack was older than all of her other brothers, only by a year though. Jack also taught Harley how to swim, and how to climb rocks. She missed her brother very much.

To distract herself the young wolf ran away from the tree and back into the tall trees. Her grey and black fur didn't help her hide that well, but she also didn't stick out like a sore thumb either. Finding the other wolf she crept up behind her and then pounced on her, rolling over after pinning her to the ground and gigging.

"I'm Harley." She said, panting. It's been a long time since Harley wrestled or ran around like that with sommeone, so she appreciated the other wolf's company. "Do have a name.?"

[Terramorn]

Terramorn was tossed to the side, and flipped quickly onto her stomach to see her companion running off to a tree. She had to scramble to her feet to race after the other female. Somehow, however, she lost track of the wolf when she headed into the trees at the edge of the grasslands. Sadly, Terramorn stuck out like a sore thumb unless it was winter. She had to act quietly and walk carefully to try and stalk someone she did not know.

It was just when she was wondering if she was all alone that the other wolf found her and pounced on her. She was pinned for a moment, and then the weight was lifted from her small form. It was nice, to not be outweighted by another wolf.

With a bit of breath taken in, Terramorn rolled onto her stomach and looked at her new friend, Harley. Meeting others was a wonderful thing, as long as they weren't mean. And this one didn't seem mean at all, which was an extra bonus. In fact, she was very fun!

"I have a name!" She said enthusiastically. "My name is Terramorn! You can just call me Terra, if the whole thing is too long for you."

The young wolf rather liked her full name, to be honest, but others didn't at times. Whether it was out of laziness or a preference for nicknames, others sometimes preferred just Terra. Her full name, however, meant 'Dawn of the Earth'.

[Harley Quinzel]

"Wow." She exclaimed softly and panted slowly. "Terramorn." The small wolf mumbled, leaning her back into the dry grass and rolled around. "I'm hungry." A high pitched voice mumbled brainlessly, as Harley got up and looked at Terramorn. "Come with me." She invited, scratching the one ear that always flopped around.

Not paying attention or caring if Terra was following her, Harley turned around and initially went back the same way she had entered this land. It took some time to get back into the forest, but she did, and once she reached the opening to the forest she sat and waited for her new companion to sit with her.

Immediately flashbacks of hunting with her mother and her pup friends that would actually like hanging out with her. She taught many pups how to hunt and gather herbs, which became very helpful in the pack. Even if most wolves and pups made fun of her she had a very nice group of friends before.

"I shall teach you how to hunt." She whispered whenever she figured that Terramorn would've reached her by then.

[Terramorn]

(Do you think you could try and keep your posts to at least 200 words? The site minimum is 250, but I'm not too picky. I just find it difficult to take much from a short post and return with a post I think is worthy of reading. :)

Terramorn had very little choice in following her new friend. At least she seemed interested in her name. This young wolf, by contrast, wasn't sure what to think of the name 'Harley'. She wasn't sure where it came from, or what it meant. There were certain meanings to all the names in the tribe she had traveled with.

It was strange to Terramorn, this summer. Some part of her was still stuck in the winter, and so she kept expecting some snow to sneak up on her and crunch beneath her paws, or make it difficult for her short frame to move forward. Then again, perhaps it had something to do with her white fur. She wasn't quite sure what it was. regardless, she continued along with soft grass and fir tree needles under her paws.

Finally, however, the two came back to the grasslands. Not that the trees had led them too far from the grasslands in the first place. She didn't have any fond memories of hunting. Besides her short lessons with Hestia, she seemed to hunt alone. It wasn't something she was happy about. Still, it was what it was.

For a moment, she considered pouting to Harley's statement. Terramorn had, before, messed up in hunting. It was embarrassing to ask for help, but perhaps if someone was offering it, she could manage to follow along.

"Well... Alright." She said finally, giving in. "I already know the basics, though..."

[Harley Quinzel]

(Yeah sure. Sorry. :/ )

Harley was still for a few moments, listening to the sounds of the forest. When Harley was hunting she went into a certain zone that she could only get out of once she made a kill. The small wolf could hear the tree branches bumping against each other with the wind, birds tweeting softly to each other in the distance.

Squirrels chatted to each other, running up trees quickly at the sight of two wolves. There were a few bunnies hopping around, and even a few deer in the distance. Usually Harley would just go for the bunny, but she was especially hungry today after all the walking.

The deer was probably just getting into adulthood, and was alone. It was a beautiful sight, a small gray wolf crouching behind a tree, her rear in the air while her snout was pinned to the ground. She trusted her nose more than her eyes, and soon she was very close to the deer, sensing her present the deer bounded off, jumping over fallen trees and turning at almost every tree.

Next the small wolf was off, her speed and agility was not something you would expect from such a tiny wolf. She turned at a tall tree and then lept at the deer, catching her canines in it's rear. She bit down hard, while the deer tried to resist. It fell, and then Harley bit it's neck, ending it's life.

[Terramorn]

(No problem)

Terramorn was not accustomed to taking on bigger kills. She had always focused on smaller animals because she, as a smaller wolf, could not handle the big kills. Nor did she have the patience to follow them for a while in order to make sure they had died so she could pick off their bones.

However, the young wolf knew she had to pay attention to Harley. At first, Terramorn wasn't sure what was going on. She wasn't entirely certain if she should talk, though something told her not to, and the young wolf watched Harley's silence. What was her friend doing? Ears twitched, and Terramorn fought hard not to let her mind wander.

Then Harley began moving. It startled Terramorn because she had stopped expecting it, and with little else to do, she followed along, her whole body crouched low to the ground. They two stalked, the young wolf mostly following Harley. Then they stopped, and the grey wolf was able to spot what Harley was going to go after. But... That was a bigger kill than the two of them should have been able to handle. Not that she knew much about hunting, but...

Before Terramorn had the chance to voice her opinions, Harley was off, and the young wolf was forced to run as well in order to keep up. She pelted after they two, the wolf and the deer, and tried to annoy the deer by nipping at it, and moving to the other side of where the deer seemed to want to go. In the end, however, Harley was the one who made the final blow.

"How... Did you know..." She panted in the aftermath of their run. "I mean... that's a deer. A single wolf shouldn't be able to take it down!"

Not only that, but the young wolf was a little confused as to how this was a teaching lesson. Harley had literally not spoken a word, leaving poor Terramorn a little clueless. The meat smelled good, though.

[Harley Quinzel]

Harley turned to face Terra, trying not to pant loudly. "The trick is to sense where the animal is going. You have to study the forest, know the places easiest to go, think like prey. Where would you go if you were being chased. Deer always turn at trees, because their hooves make it easier for them to turn, and most wolves don't know that. Most wolves will turn much wider than the deer, and create distance between the wolf and prey. It doesn't matter about how big the animal is, but how you take it down. By attacking the rump of the deer it's rear legs become immobilized, therefor slowing it down, and then you just attack the jugular and it's dead. Questions.?"

Ripping a piece of thick skin from the deer she got into it's thigh meat and chewed hungrily. Why hadn't she ate earlier? This was probably the hungriest she's ever been. She swallowed slowly and then looked up at Terra. "That was partly a lesson and also me dying of hunger." She giggled, and lied down, ripping off another piece of meat from the doe.

For some reason hunting helped her regain normalcy, maybe it was something that brought her memories back, making her seem almost normal. Soon it would leave her though, and she would go back into obliviousness.

The small wolf stretched. This was the first time she had ever taken down a doe without her brother by her side. She had learned everything from him, although he wasn't as quick as Harley, probably being since she was smaller than him, and had very powerful back legs from exploring, jumping from rock to rock, swimming and running with her brother through the forest.

Reminiscing, something she really needed to stop doing if she wanted to be able to start anew in this land. "Who taught you how to hunt?" Harley asked, trying to distract herself from her thoughts that she could easily drown in. It was nice to have someone to talk to, even if it was about a whole bunch of nothingness.

Maybe for once Harley could be happy. Truly happy, and be able to have someone to go hunting with again, or run with. Maybe if she happened to meet someone she liked, they could talk about it. Maybe even become best friends. Maybe.

[Terramorn]

The young wolf listened intently, certain there would be a piece of gold somewhere in this speech. It was actually very helpful, though a lot of it she had heard before. Sometimes Terramorn forgot things she had been told before, and this was a nice refresher.

She didn't quite enjoy thinking like her prey. The young wolf was naturally empathic, and could feel what others felt without really trying. Though she tried to dim it down so she could retain her own emotional strength (despite not being emotionally disciplined). The idea of allowing herself to think like the prey worried her. Mightn't she get carried away by their thoughts and lose herself for a moment? Or perhaps acquire a fear of herself for a moment? Still, though she was uncomfortable, she said nothing.

Terramorn had no questions, although she didn't feel Harley had given her much time to ask. Perhaps it was better if she didn't bother with pointless questions. Instead, the white wolf took a notice in the way Harley ate her food. It was odd. Terramorn thought she was the only one who ate that way.

Also laying down, Terramorn tugged at the skin until she had stripped the fur away from the meat she wanted, and began eating. Her stomach, as a reward, stopped eating her from the inside out. For a few moments, she just sat there and enjoyed the moment. She was eating. She had made a new friend. Things were fine. It was a good day, for certain.

"Hm..." She looked up while chewing and licked her maw before speaking, her eye catching sight of a few feathers. "Do you ever wonder why birds can fly?" She asked wistfully. "I mean, why can't we fly? Wouldn't it be cool to fly?"

[Harley Quinzel]

Sitting up, Harley was quiet as she finished chewing, and then swallowed slowly. "I think we can't fly because we're so big. Birds are tiny. We're meant to hunt on the ground, and stuff." The small wolf informed her, sighing when she realized she didn't actually know what she was talking about. "Well, that's my guess anyway." She mumbled, sighing again as she took a few more bites. Softly at first there was a small howl in the distance. Harley stood quickly and perked her ears up, listening intently to the howl. Her left ear flopped back down as she howl started up again, louder this time. "Jack." Harley mumbled quietly, breathing heavily. She wasn't completely sure that the howl was Jack's, but it was so familiar, especially in a place where she knew no one except for the wolf beside her. She waited for a moment, contemplating if she should go to him or not. She told herself that she would forget about her past life, but the howl was so familiar, and so close. She had to go. "Terramorn, I'm so very sorry, but I think that howl is my brother. I must go to him." Harley told her, nudging the rest of the deer to her. "It was very nice to meet you and I hope to see you soon." Then, without hearing a goodbye Harley darted off into the forest, letting the breeze hit her, as the wolf's familiar howl echoed in her ears, pulling her in closer. I have to help Jack. She thought, ignoring everything else. I have to help my brother.

[Terramorn]

Terramorn took some time to ponder Harley's replies. It was a little lack-luster, but Terramorn's own thoughts were often beyond normal wolves. That was not to say she was a genius of any sort. She just had different thoughts.

Then she was somewhat startled, noting the way Harley acted as the wolf in the distance howled. Terramorn found interest in the difference between wolves in their howls, and so she had pricked her ears, but there was a peculiar expression on Harley's features. The small youth watched Harley suddenly become very focused- something that had only caught Terramorn's attention a couple of times during her interactions with this seemingly lucid wolf.

Once Harley was gone, Terramorn looked at the deer in front of her. She wasn't even as big as it. How in the world was she supposed to eat it all? Still, though, she wouldn't have a lot of time before something more sinister than her furry white pelt would come up and try to claim the corpse, so she dug in regardless. Terramorn could take what she needed now, at least.

Still, she wondered at the look on Harley's face. Had it been someone familiar? A part of Terramorn suddenly ached. She wished she could see someone familiar. Someone not from Torva. More than anything, Terramorn missed home.

--exit--