The encounter with the strange wolf had left her invigorated, though perhaps not in the usual way. Rather than become a social butterfly full of vigor and life, she had enjoyed a more solitary lifestyle for the last season; at the outskirts, she had enjoyed hunting small prey several times a day, scratching away for roots and nibbling berries from the nearby forests. She had slept in the open, sprawled out on rocks beneath both the sun and moon; she had grown wild with a thick coat and owl-like, eager eyes. Yes, it had been invigorating but it had stirred within her a deep instinct, a wildness that she had supressed since having arrived in Moladion. Though her voice had gone unused besides from the ocassional howl to her pack and strangers, she felt as if she had said and heard more than she had for many, many moons. Eventually though, winter had come for her once more. She had felt it early in the season and began to stockpile prey beneath the roots and dirt of outer territory, safe from prying eyes and hungry noses. But then, she had resigned to having to depart the more dangerous outskirts and she had once more taken up residence towards the inner sanctum of Asteraia. It lacked the twisted paths and deep shade of the outskirts but nonetheless, she had been quick to find her place once more. Of course, it meant she had to take up the mantle of a pack wolf once more. At first, she had obliged by hunting for leftover prey - small rabbits and voles in the fields - that she had buried in the pack's cache. But soon, the winter had driven that away and she had been left idle and longing for something more engaging. Perhaps it had been out of need that she had let out a bellow of a howl for the pack, young and old alike. It called for them with a unique challenge - come and find her! A game of sorts! Yes, she had supposed it would keep them all on their toes and sharp of mind. With her dappled fur and thick, powdery fur, she had a startling ability to blend almost seamlessly into the bleak winter landscape. Her snowshoe paws gave her silence, disguising her tracks somewhat as she crept through the rolling hills of snow. She had found herself a cozy place nestled between two small boulders, a covering of snow balanced between them thanks to old, tangled reeds. Beneath it, she nestled in, guarded from all but her front and left as she tucked into a neat ball and waited to see just who might take up her challenge. And if nobody came? Well, she had found herself a convenient napping station all the same. |