World So Cold

Sif Asgaut

Her long shift was finally over as she took in a deep breath of the cold surrounding air now that she was free from the calamity of the city and cell walls, taking some time solely for herself to just relax before heading home for the day to rest. She’d walk along the red foliage, her ears flicking as she came to find peace under a tree, watching the embers flicker above, always a marvel how they kept their color even during the coldest of winter days. It wasn’t the only thing dressed in red, however, her muzzle and neck painted in the spackles of blood she didn’t even notice was still lingering on her from work when an inmate had gotten ahold of her and tried to escape their punishment. Most of it dried down, hidden against the coal hues but it was vibrant against her fluffy white chest.

Her mind was far from the present as she could only think about far more dire things going on in her life and that looming shadow that didn’t desire to go away. A breath would be drawn in as his face played within her head, never wanting to leave since she saw him last. She couldn’t say why he plagued her thoughts no matter how crass her other thoughts were.

Those thoughts would break, however, when something disturbed the peace. A huge shadow that almost looked not of this world bathed her form, causing her head to raise from her paws to look up. What she was hardly expecting was such large prey to abruptly leap over her, it took a second to process it was a deer that was frantically dashing for its life. On impulse, she had reached upward to snag it by the ankle, causing it to trip and faceplant roughly into the ground, though it seemed too healthy to butcher so easily as it quickly got back up to escape once again causing a chuckle to escape the small woman watching its struggles to get back to its feet for a few moments. She wouldn't chase after it, however, her stomach hardly hungry for such large prey and she was too small to drag it anywhere even if she could take it down by herself.

The question was, what had spooked it? Ears migrating to the sound of more footsteps headed in her general direction.

@Black

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While her sales were steady, they weren’t skyrocketing. That said, she still needed to fill her wares wagon, keep up with orders, and keep her mind leveled. She took to a few days of hunting, a trip like this would only boast a few trophies but she needed to try and reconnect with her brother sooner rather than later. Emotions - Black wasn’t good at those. Hunting was easier, much easier.

It had only been a few hours of tracking before she had caught scent of a buck, a white tail, she wagered. Silently and meticulously, she had tracked it up until she found it. He was gorgeous, chiseled and toned, with a nice point rack atop his head. The antlers alone would make a fine trophy, but the entire body of it would work just fine. She could sell the pelt, the hooves, the head, the meat - all of it. A fine specimen. Black took her time in stalking it, crouching low, bright eyes locking on with intent and an unwavering focus. He grazed lazily, seemingly unaware of her presence, but the wind shifted abruptly, and she tried to smooth herself into the ground. His head shot up, his eyes darted in her direction, and the chase was on.

He took off, and so did she. Endurance was her game, she could run him down eventually. And even if he did get away this time, in a few hours - or days - time, he would meet his end. The chase was hard, swift, her eyes never leaving from her target but suddenly, as he leapt over something he was caught. A loud thud had been heard but Black couldn’t see exactly what had transpired, too many bushes and trees in her way. As she busted through the brush, she noticed him scrambling to his hooves and bounding off. But what stopped the woman was the sight of another. Her ears perked forward and her eyes released that gloss of determination, but it burned somewhere deep inside. She’d have him, he had been seared in her brain. He would never be safe again, so she wasn’t upset with the company. She looked to the woman, dipped her head in a greeting, as she breathed heavily. Being a muscled tank of a woman, Black was a lot to run about, but she had worked on her cardio so much that she could almost effortlessly keep up with hares.
"Pardon me,"
She heaved, walking toward the scuffle in the ground where he had fallen. She sniffed at the marks, then looked back to the woman.
"Afternoon. Hope we hadn’t startled you."

Sif Asgaut

It wasn’t long after the large creature had departed that an answer to what or rather who spooked it came to light, the thumping of paws quickly taken over by the heaving of a worn breath of someone that had been running for some time. Her head would follow the sound of the near panting, seeing a dark figure strolling up toward her she didn’t move right away, taking in their form. There wasn't’ a single splash of color on the other’s pelt, which was strangely a rarity in this land as it wasn’t common to come across many of a single color without any shade variations besides maybe an albino but their translucent hairs allowed bits of pink here and there to peak past and add a little vibrancy. The only other wolf she could think of with an abyss pelt such as this was her own mother which was a thought she rather not fall into at this moment, for it was seafoam and not diamonds and ice that glittered within the other’s skull. She was never a fan of striking greens but even she had to admit theirs were a rather pretty shade before they just as quickly pulled away to investigate the surrounding area with a surprising strum of manners to boot between breaths.

She would offer the other a small head dip of her own in that silent greeting, preferring it over the awkward fumbling of words, small talk never the most comfortable but usually expected. Watching the other walk past, taking in the wave of muscles that rippled their pelt with each movement, built strong and well trained. If it wasn’t for the lack of seeing her before and no scent of the barracks, she might have thought this stranger trained by the army rather than, well she wasn’t sure what their profession was if they had one at all.

Tirely she’d raise to all fours right before seafoam came to rest on her again, though she was quick to dust off the apology as it reached her ears. “It was unexpected but no harm done.”

A brow would arch shortly after at the use of we, uncertain if they were talking about themselves and the deer or-? “Are you tracking that buck on your own or should I be expecting to see others needing to catch their breath here shortly?” asked after a pause, glancing over to where the other had come from though she didn’t notice a muddling of scents that might belong to anyone else as she took in a breath of air. It was mostly brine that burned her nostrils, though not a fan of water, she couldn't pick out exactly which body of water it was. “Not that I’m saying you aren't capable but should it retaliate... Well, I hope you have quick reflexes and if not, you can endure a lot of pain,” she cautioned calmly before moving a bit closer, turning her attention fully back onto the stranger. One square kick to the head and that would be a swift life lost. Delicate scrawny legs didn’t mean they were weak, hooves only strengthened the blow. Not to mention the antlers were possibly even more dangerous.

@Black

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