Nyx

White paws trudged through soft golden sand. Summer was slowly beginning, the days getting hotter. It had been many moons since Nyx last saw Hawk. The silver wolf hardly left her mind in all that time. She was rather disappointed she hadn't ran into him again, but the chances of that were slim. She was a lone wolf after all. The white and black wolf dipped her paws into the salty sea water. The salty scent of the sea clogged up her nostrils. She stayed near the dry sand, the swaying waters engulfing her paws each time it came and went.

Hawk

With the heat of summer beating down on his gray and black-speckled hide, Hawk was eager for relief. His tongue was lolling from the side of his parted jaws as he loped down the rocky shoreline, neatly avoiding the human road and its dangerous thunderbugs that ran parallel to the beach. Golden eyes swept the coast, looking for a choice spot where the waves were a little calmer, and the sand more plentiful than the rugged rocks that dotted so much of the landscape.

A splash of white caught his eye. Hawk blinked and focused. Could that be...?

"Nyx?" The soft yip was somewhere between happily surprised and questioning, for he didn't expect to run across the lone fae again. But there was no mistaking that striking pelage of hers, and his tail began to sway behind him.

Nyx

Nyx's ears perked up at the sound of a familar voice. She turned her head, her tail began wagging as her eyes settled in an all too familiar face. "Hawk!" She beamed, turning to face him. The waters gently lapping at her paws. It had been many moons since she last saw the gray-silver wolf.

Hawk

Getting a cheerful response from Nyx gave Hawk the signal to approach closer, his head low and his tail slashing the salty air behind him, "It's great to see you again! It's been... gosh, months, hasn't it?" He stopped short in front of Nyx, not close enough to catch the waves himself, but near enough to the water that he could feel the dampened sand beneath his pads. "How have things been?" Like last time, he made a discreet attempt to gauge her condition, always worried that the lone fae might struggle in the wild by herself. Had she been eating enough? Did she carry any new scars?

Nyx

"Many months! At least six, I think." The she-wolf responded. It had been a long while since she had last seen him. A long long while. "Things have been hard. Winter was harsh." While Nyx did not carry any scars, she was leaning more toward the thin side. Her ribs were a little on show, but not to the extent that she looked anorexic. Her fur still had a healthy shine to it, thankfully. The struggle of the hunt was much harder during winter to catch any game as prey was scarce and hard to come by, expecially without a pack and trying to hunt by herself. Hawk on the other hand looked as healthy as can be, but he was part of a pack. So, it was expected he didn't look malnourished like she currently was.

Hawk

"The winter was a little rough." Hawk agreed, reflecting back on the frigid months and the deep snowfalls they'd endured. He was happy that she'd survived, and even more thankful to see no obvious scarring on the fae to suggest she'd encountered any of those retched cats that infected the Prairie and the foothills south of his packlands.

With refreshed memories of his past two encounters with Nyx, the young male wisely deferred from inviting her to his pack again - at least not within the first five minutes of their conversation. He wasn't sure if he could handle a triple failure, so instead he went for a softer approach, "If you're hungry, my pack made a kill outside of our boundaries. Over by the marsh; I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you helped yourself to some." His uncle Starcream might care, but Hawk wasn't worried about the geriatric ex-alpha. Eyes shining with renewed determination, and his tail still swaying merrily behind him, Hawk continued, "I can lead you there, if you'd like?"

Nyx

The lone she-wolf was wary about eating from the carcass of a kill that a pack killed. Expecially considering she isn't even part of Hawk's pack. However, the she-wolf couldn't turn down a free and easy meal, expecially when she lost quite a bit of weight during the winter. If Hawk asked Nyx to join his pack this time. She is more likely to say yes to that. The winter just proved how much she desperately needed a pack.

"If they really wouldn't mind if I eat from thier kill. I wouldn't want to intrude." And possibly die by eating from it.

Hawk

Her hesitancy was picked up by Hawk, and he was quick to address it, "My cousin really is a kind leader, he wouldn't harm you for sharing in the meal. Especially if I had invited you." He explained, his voice assuring and optimistic, and spoken with confidence. "My other cousin and I rescued a wounded fae a few moons back in fact, and Stormrunner was more than happy to let her share in our food and home."

'Ask her!' The internal voice prodded, but was hastily rebuked by memories of his prior rejections. "The others wouldn't mind either. In fact, most of the squabbling has died down in the pack, now that my younger cousin has regained his status as beta... er, well, sort of." And as if to emphasize his pack's general hospitality, Hawk's plumed swayed more energetically, "If you ever wanted to, I could introduce you to them?"

Nyx

They reduced a loner a few moons back? That seemed to sway her hesitancy a little. Her ears perked up as she listened to him. "If you're really sure they won't mind, I'd like to meet them." She was slightly nervous, but she really did need a pack. She's been on her own for too long and she needed food. At the very least, she trusts Hawk, he's been kind to her since they first met.

Hawk & Faidanen

"I'm sure of it." Hawk responded with confidence He was so close to bringing this enigmatic wolfess back to meet his family, his heart thrummed with the excitement of it! Hawk didn't stop to think that his cousin Megs might try to swoop in on her, or how Iopa might react to a few female in the pack, but those were things he could deal with later. Right now, with a smile shining in his eyes and a sway to his tail, all he cared about was his conversation with Nyx, "You'll..."

The wolf's words died on his tongue. A scent had hit him, followed by a sight that turned his blood cold. Less than fifty yards from them was the slowly approaching form of a big cat!

Faidanen had been crouched low, and mostly hidden amongst the larger rocks that lay scattered across the beach. The wind had shifted though, and the liger's scent drifted straight for the wolves. Cursing her luck, the 245 pound cat suddenly sprang up and rushed at the pair, hoping to catch one off guard. She had four cubs to feed, after all.

Nyx

Nyx's tail wagged in excitement, she wa almost wanting to jump around like a pup. She was nervous and excited about meeting Hawks pack and eating from their kill, but he assured her they'd be fine with it. She licked her chops at the thought of food.

As Hawks trailed off, she smelled ascent, a big cat. Fear dwelled up in her gut and she turned tail and ran just as the big cat pounced towards them. Her ears pinned back as she fled, her paws thudding in the sand. She didn't look back to see if Hawks was alright either, she felt guilty that she hadn't checked on him.

It wasn't until she was so far from the beach and that she was sure that the big cat wasn't following her that she slowed to a stop to look around. She cought her breath, and grumbled under her breath.

"Stupid cat."

She just hoped that Hawks was okay.

Hawk & Faidanen

Hawk nearly tripped over his own paws in his haste to scramble away from the predator. Adrenaline surged through his veins and all thoughts vacated his mind, save for one thing - Run for your life! And that he did, turning tail and fleeing in the opposite direction of Nyx as the cat sprang between them. He vaulted over rocks and sent plumes of sand in the air as he raced away from the beach, heading up over the nearby road, and out into the shrubby landscape beyond.

By the time he'd stopped running and had the courage to peer behind him, he saw the lone form of Faidanen crossing into the grasses in his general direction. He belatedly thought of Nyx, and immediately cursed himself for not doing anything to help her, but there was little to be done now. And, by the looks of it, the big cat had no blood on their maw, so maybe his friend was okay? Holding back a whine of distress, Hawk melted into the underbrush, eager to put as much distance between himself and the cat as he could.