Slowly Aleu trudged her way back to the pack. It had been two days since she had been in the lands she had called home, though she could hardly say she hadn't enjoyed her time away. Or that she really had much of a choice about spending so long from home. Aleu had left for the neutrals just as she always did to meet Striker, not telling any of the pack where she was going, for fear they might think of her as a traitor for seeing an Erenyx wolf, or worse, think she was in love with him or something mushy like that! However, for the young fae their visit had turned out to be anything but normal. In a twist of fate the Apprentice pair had been trapped in a cave by an avalanche for a whole night, and with the massive amount of fresh snow blocking the shortest path back Aleu had spent the entire day navigating through the mountains just to make it back to Helidos. "Rose is going to kill me..." the pup muttered to herself as she looked up at the sky just in time to see the setting sun. She would be lucky to make it back to the warmth of her den by sunset. Although it really didn't matter much, the warmth of spring had started to show itself and even at night it would be no colder than it had during the daytime hours of winter.
With a slight sigh Aleu would pause for a moment to glance around her surroundings, tilting her head back to scent the air she would hope to find anything to tell her where she was. The pup knew she crossed the border quite some time ago, but now it felt like she was just skirting around the edge of the pack lands, rather than heading into it to get back to the clearing. With head back, a sudden sweet aroma would rush to the pups mind. Food! The distinct scent of a hare somewhere nearby reminded the Apprentice that she hadn't eaten since her breakfast with Striker this morning. With a smirk Aleu would turn her course towards the creature, nose to the ground now as she searched for the signs of a game trail nearby, just as her mother had taught her to do when hunting smaller game. Often the small over hunted creatures were paranoid, traveling the same routes to water day after day, never straying from that path for fear of catching the eye of a predator. Often it lead to their downfall. Her mother had always told her, if your actions become predictable, so will your death.
As she tracked the hare Aleu would perk her ears at a distant sound, pausing for a moment in an attempt to determine it's origin or intent, but through the trees it sounded like nothing more than the distant cry of an elk, which as much as Aleu would love to sink her teeth into one right now, was far too large for the lone apprentice to fell. After a few more long moments of wandering Aleu would come upon a small, hardly noticeable trail matted into the underbrush. "Bingo." the pup muttered to herself, lowering her nose to find, much to her delight, the powerful fresh scent of a delicious hare. Her stomach would rumble slightly with the scent, reminding her just how much the trek all the way around the neutrals and most of Helidos had drained her energy, and also reminding her how long the night would be if she were stuck out here without food or shelter. Knowing time was a key factor Aleu would move forward on swift paws, choosing each step before she took it to ensure a minimal number of snapping twigs or crackling leaves would disturb her prey. A grin would form on her muzzle as the scent grew closer and closer. Slowing her pace the fae would lower herself, moving forward carefully now. Just as the small Apprentice would crest a shallow hill the faint silhouette of her quarry would come into view. Licking her lips the pup could almost taste her prey now, adrenaline would course through her as each step was carefully chosen, knowing even the slightest noise would lose her next meal. However, it would appear her target was watching something else, perhaps a fox was nearby? It didn't matter to Aleu though, she was safely inside of Helidos now, and as far as she knew none of the wolves here wanted to do her harm.
The fae's breathing nearly stopped, her muscles tensed, she took another step. She was nearly upon her prey now, the hare would move forward through the brush. This was it, now or never! But before Aleu could act she would hear a loud growl from the brush, and a snarl. Her head would turn up in the direction of the sound, as she shifted the hare would hear her, darting off through the brush. "No no no no noooo!" she barked, chasing after the creature and bursting into the clearing her mentor occupied, trying to cut as hard as the hare had to evade her and sliding a few feet as she dropped to her haunches before letting out an obviously annoyed growl "No!" she sighed, dipping her head in defeat as her meal scampered away. It was only after her brief moment of defeat Aleu would realize there was another with her, turning her head quickly she would spot the familiar fae, and a wide smile would come to her muzzle "I think you owe me a meal Bear-Butt." she giggled, acting as if nothing were wrong.
Subject: Seeking {Aleu} 
July 17th 2015, 22:54