Avril & Esprit

The two lone sisters made their way to the edge of the lake, examining the waters. "I'm not hungry. Hurry up and catch something," spoke one, the elder, Esprit. Her light dusty gray fur, still thick from the winter although beginning to disperse in clumps, had bits of drying dirt on top. Her long spindly legs were nearly caked in mud-- the obvious source of her clear frustration. It hadn't been her idea to come here.

After having trekked through the mud, the sisters finally came to a stop next to the water. Avril, the white female, searched it carefully with her brown eyes. Suddenly there it was, a glimmer beneath the ripples. She dropped her face into the chilly liquid and snapped her jaws shut. Success! She lifted a large fish out of the water and tossed it up on the shore, where she quickly tore into it. "Still not hungry?" she asked with hefty breaths between swallows of flesh. Esprit could only roll her eyes and plop onto the ground below. It had been a long winter, especially putting up with her younger sister. She rested her head on her forelegs and slowly began to doze off.

Crow & In'Alak

Unbeknownst to the females, at least not immediately perhaps, was the watchful gaze of two males from the cover of the surrounding forest. A pair of golden eyes and a pair of green were observing the duo with guarded interest, quietly trying to identify the females and determine what they were up to. Under normal circumstances, Crow and his companion would have approached with neutral tails and friendly intentions, but they could not afford to be so trusting when war was looming on the horizon for their pack. And especially when In'Alak was still recovering from wounds that had kept him down for almost two days.

Four days following the attack by Cavan, Alak was up and moving again, though slowly and not without plenty of rest. Against his mostly white pelt, the puncture wounds to his shoulders and back were hard to hide, but were concealed a little better on his black-peppered face. Crow had fared even better, with his only major injuries being to his right forelimb and a tear across his muzzle that would leave behind a permanent scar. All considering, both males had been lucky, and with their pack being sustained by a sizeable kill a few days ago, they were out today mostly to get a breath of fresh air and escape the anxiety that plagued the pack back home.

"...should we announce ourselves?" Crow questioned in a whisper. In'Alak lifted his head and swiveled it slightly to better see as Avril caught and hoisted a fish from the water. "...I see no harm in it. I can't get their scent from here, but I doubt they are Haunters." Crow shifted his paws restlessly and contemplated their situation. He glanced back over his shoulder once, casted a wary gaze along the rest of the shoreline in front of them, then moved forward a few steps, letting his paws fall heavily enough for Esprit and Avril to hear. Moving a little slower, In'Alak followed his friend.