Having finished the interview with the beta, the grey male wolf subsequently went to explore the territory, accustoming himself to his new pack. He was quite happy when everything went well during the discussion of his experience. He was still amazed that he got accepted into this pack - it was like a miracle for him since he had no experience with the pack, but he would gain a lot by doing activities with other wolves. Thinking deeply about the interview, Ace still kept Juno's important words, knowing that his obligation was to protect the three young wolves against intruders and predator. The thought of that made him a bit worried since he doesn't know the exact location to find the pups and their parents. He would need the direction to know to their den and memorized their places - it was important for him to learn it by heart so he could know exactly their location and protect them at any time. The danger could happen at any moment, right? The pack should usually be secure all the time while the other wolves patrolled on the border. Even Ace had to look over his pack by patrolling around the area and making sure that everything would be fine.

The carnivore came to an abrupt halt, his dark green eyes skimming through the vegetation, exhaling softly with a warm air that released from his white maw. A new den would be important for him before the night appeared, but he was not in a rush to find one. He doesn't mind spending the rest of the night outside, but he would find and built one soon enough. Creating a small cave was not an easy job to do it; he had to search a perfect place to create one, especially near a large rock or underneath a tree. Crinkling his ebony nose, Ace caught the scent of some animal. He felt that his supper was waiting out there and he was intrigued to find them. Since he had so much enthusiasm to go on a hunt, he would hold his new plan in abeyance, keeping his plan of creating the den after the hunt. The hunting would be a good exercise for him. If he doesn't take regular exercise, he would surely become unfit for a warrior. As he lowered his shoulder, his multicolored tail lashed rapidly from side to side, his white paw skidding in a fluid motion as he trekked his way towards the musky scent.

Advancing silently beneath the large branches, Ace came nearer to the shrub, perfectly camouflaged. His movements were so graceful they seemed effortless. Creating a noise was easy to make; he had to try to avoid that or else the hunt would be a failure again. Lifting his head in the empty air, he eyed carefully at the small herd, his ears dancing on top of his skull as he heard the noise of their hooves. He noticed that they were all in the middle of the open space and far away from his hiding spot. Masking his presence in the bushes was useless now; he had to run to them with full his stamina and slaughter one. It wouldn't be an easy hunt. The deer would scatter away as soon as the male wolf would start running. Without planning a strategy, he moved onward, swerving to the side to avoid the tree and bolting across the wide open space. Gaining his speed, his face exuded self-confidence. He was not interested in killing them and feed himself. He would mostly do it for his pack, especially for the younger wolves.

A young fae wandered through the plains, amiably hoping something interesting would happen. She studied the trees, now bare with the sudden approach of winter. A light snow dusted the branches and ground, crunching softly beneath her paws.

Her stomach growled and she realised she hadn't eaten in some time. She had already met a few wolves and become fast friends with them, but had failed to find herself a den. Her stomach rumbled once more. A den could wait. What use is a place of living if there is no one alive to live in it?

Crouching, she rolled out her shoulders in preparation to hunt. She scented the air. Rabbits. A whole host of them, just in the bushes nearby. She crawled to an adjacent cluster and hid within their winter foliage. Her lowered tail twitched in anticipation, the thrill of the hunt had always excited her. She scented once more, assuring that the wind was just right. It blew the sweet aroma of young rabbits straight up her nostrils. Her hind legs shifted slightly, preparing for the first leap. A rustle nearby startled her, though she maintained her position. A young brute, a warrior by the looks of him, was stalking a herd of deer. She found it off that he did so alone and without the aid of even a single hunter. She watched in a trance as his fluidity astounded her. He crept with such grace, not making a sound. She was in awe of him.

He charged, scattering the herd. As he chose his target she lept from her hiding place, wanting to chase the deer back toward him and fence it in. Otherwise she would find her own target and bring down another, not wanting to be selfish and bring nothing back for the pack. But as she lept, the doe he was tailing took a turn towards her. It came near to running her down. Its hooves pounded into the snow. She held her position, crouching low, a dark blur in the snow. Just as it reached her, nearly trampling her small frame, she lept, sinking her jaws into its jugular.

The grey wolf accelerated to come closer to the deer. He quickly went to the left side to avoid the hits of their hooves. He was completely aware of the dangers that might happen to him. He narrowed his gaze as he looked steadily at its neck, getting ready to aim its weak spots. He kept a small distance from the movements its legs, not trying to get kicked by the deer. As he maintained his stamina during the process, his breath was coming in a short pant, his tongue coming out on the side of his mouth. When another wolf immediately struck at the deer, he came to a quick stop, his heart fluttering rapidly and his verdant eyes studying the female wolf who suddenly decided to join the hunt. He was quite surprised to see her quick presence.

Ace took a few steps towards the victim, examining its visage to check if it was completely dead. It seemed the hunt was over, and the female had the reward for killing the animal. Since she was the first one to kill it, Ace would not touch her prey. He wasn't sure if she would share her prey to the others. Maybe she would keep it for herself. He just had to find another deer until he would get one in his jaws. He didn't mind to hunt again; in fact, he had the whole day to get one for his pack. He took a short time to look over the other wolf. Just by inhaling her scent, he could tell that the female represented the pack of Helidos. With a bow of his head, he addressed her in a calm tone. "That was a nice kill, congrats." After his small speech, Ace made his way near the large stump. He leaped on it and he watched the horizon, taking his time to search another prey.

The fae clung to the doe as it struggled through its death throes. Blood seeped from the puncture wounds on its neck over her muzzle and down he throat. The adrenalin coursing through her veins caused its sweetness to explode on her tongue. She nearly moaned at the delicious taste. As the body gave up its life and turned limp, she heard a voice nearby. It congratulated her. She released her kill and looked around to find the male warrior walking away from her.

She watched as he found a tree stump and was once more entranced by the fluidity of his movements. He stood almost heroically upon the stump, staring into the distance. His eyes searching. With each movement of his head she became more and more convinced that she could spot a spark of emerald. But her stupor was broken by her guilt. She had stolen his kill. Though only to save herself. It was only right that she share with him.

Nnlya dipped her head, her powerful jaws grabbing the doe's body by the throat. Her forelegs positioned themselves strategically on either side of the body, her hind legs remaining where they were, together on one side. Slowly, hesitantly, she dragged the kill over to the stump. Ooo fss arrr? Her voice was muffled by the fur and muscle between her teeth. She carelessly dropped the kill and began again, shyly. Sorry, I shouldn't have stolen your kill. But... did you want to share?

She waited expectantly for his reply, before continuing. We could always grab another and take them both back to the pack. I'd hate to see anyone go hungry. At that very moment, her stomach rumbled quite loudly, rendering her point moot. She knew she needed to eat. She just hoped the brute hadn't heard it.

During the investigation, the male warrior heard a few noises behind him. He assumed that the rustling sound was coming from the same wolf. He whirled around and watched her carrying the unmoving animal toward him. The copious amount of blood was dripping behind the deer. Ace’s left ear twitched as he heard the female speaking in a murmur. He stared fixedly at her, wondering if she was talking to him. Just by looking at her facial expression, he could see that she was feeling somewhat guilty. As soon as she spoke to him, he fixed his attention to her, listening to all the words that came out from her mouth. He could know that she was apologetic for taking his prey, but it didn't bother him at all when she took it from him during the hunt.

As the female wolf continued to drag the deer with difficulty, Ace padded over to her, so she wouldn't need to transport the creature all the way to the stump. When he came near her, the growling sound reached his ears. It only took him a few moments to realize that the noise was coming from her stomach. He just took a seat near the prey and said nothing about it. Now he could understand the reason that she quickly killed the deer. She was ravenous that she needed the meat urgently to assuage her hunger. Wrapping his tail around his hind legs, the grey wolf gave her a hospitable smile. "Hey, don't be sorry. You should eat right now." He said politely with a dip of his head.

Ace shifted his vision and watched the trees that glowed with iridescent lights. He mused over the first question that the female asked him before. "I was attempting to kill the deer and bring it to my pack, but you did it before me." He took another moment to study the dead animal, realizing that it would not be sufficient to feed all the wolves of the pack. He needed to take down another deer before the nighttime. "I think we should catch another one and bring it to the food storage. I bet two elks will be enough for the pack. What do you think?" Ace saw the female's performance when she was bolting to the deer, and so far she seemed like a very good hunter. Hunting in a team would get the job done much faster. He waited patiently, giving her the time that she needed for eating her meal. It appeared that he forgot to introduce himself to her. “Pardon me for my rude manners, I am Ace, the warrior of Helidos. What’s your name?”

The brute seemed kind. Nnlya found herself quite at ease around him, something she had not felt around a brute for some time. She blinked twice, immediately trying to banish the nightmarish thoughts that plagued her without his notice. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat on her haunches, curling her tail around to her right in a similar fashion to the brute.

He had called himself Ace. A good name. Strong. It suited him well. She eyed his dark grey pelt, reminding her of her own. Though where hers was a dark charcoal grey, he was black. Where hers faded to light browns, he was a steely grey. He was slightly taller than her and much longer. To this she responded by sitting up taller and straighter, holding her head proudly.

Her cerulean eyes locked onto his verdant ones as she spoke. I am Warrior Nnlya, also of the Helidos pack. Pause. I'm only not long accepted and am yet to build a proper den. She added. Her tongue darted out over her fangs, carefully lapping up the droplets of blood that persisted on her muzzle. She nodded her head towards the kill, Did you want to? We can share it then grab another, larger one. This one isn't quite large enough to feed the whole pack. But anything left from it, we could still take back. We'll need all the food we can get this winter.

Her paws shifted, lowering the front of her body slighter in preparation to open up the kill. But she waited for his okay. She just wanted this meeting to go right. She wouldn't come across as selfish. Her tail swished through the snow in anticipation.

As the tranquility engulfed the land, the warrior gradually moved his gaze to glance at his new colleague. At that moment, the female took her time to observe his appearance. It seemed that she was also doing the same body language as him with her tail, but it changed quickly when she contently sat in a straight posture. Ace tilted his head to the left side, wondering why she did not start eating yet. She was probably waiting for him. He paid attention to her when she introduced herself to him. Her words also reminded him that he had to scour the territory and find a perfect place to create a den. He would do this task after the hunt.

Ace nodded serenely in agreement about her plans of capturing a big elk and gathering a lot of food for the wintertime. In that case, he had to hunt every day to keep the food storage full. "It's nice to meet you Nnlya. I guess we are new members of this pack. I haven't made a den as well." The grey wolf stared at the carcass. He was not in a mood to eat it, but he appreciated about her offer. He preferred to leave the remaining meat for the others. He still had some energy left to continue the day, and he would be capable to keep up for two more days without eating. "Well I'm not very hungry right now." He swiveled himself round to face the view of the plains. "Hmm okay, we have to work a lot if we want our pack to have plenty of food, but for today we going to take down another one and bring both of them to the territory. Just tell me when you are ready, and then we will go hunting."

Lying on the ground and lowering his head, the warrior set his front paws beneath his muzzle. He took a nap to restore his strength for the next hunt. Moving his tail from side to side, he pondered on the members of his new pack. He was wondering if there was another great hunting who can help killing and bringing the elks to the food stock. He just met Juno and Nnlya so far; he was glad that he had an amicable conversation with them. He still had to meet more members and befriend them. Ace's ebony nose wrinkled slightly as the musky smells of the herd reached his nostrils. The scent came from the foliage that was ahead of him. He was content that there were elks in abundance around the place.

Nnlya took his words as invitation for her to eat, her instinct pushing her forward in haste. Crouching before the kill, the fae swiftly opened the carcass and began to eat. She did not take very much, only what she needed to satiate her hunger. Her growling stomach quietened and began its work digesting her rather large meal. At a time like this, Nnlya found herself wondering why she hadn't sought out a pack sooner. Though she well knew the answer to that. No respectable pack accepts a yearling with good training and no real experience. It just meant extra work for the warriors and hunters of that pack. Another pup to train. She knew it was better to wait, to teach herself as much as possible and gain experience. At least, she thought, If she was the correct age to be a dispersal wolf, acceptance would be far easier.

Deep down, though, she knew she was lying to herself. Sure that was part of the reason, but mostly she had been warded off from pack life after her entanglement with the Elite brute some months back. A low growl slipped between her canines at the horrifying thought.

Her hears perked up at the sound, swivelling to determine the source. The realisation stumbled upon her that she had been the one to make the threatening noise and her head whipped up to see if Ace had heard. Her gaze fell upon the napping warrior, appearing sound and untroubled in his sleep. She smiled softly at the sight and pulled herself up to stand on four paws. She shook out her ever-thickening winter coat and padded a respectable distance from both the kill and her fellow pack-mate. Collapsing into the snow, Nnlya huddled into a little ball of charcoal fur, wrapping her tail over her paws and resting over her nose. Her body instantly began to warm slightly as the fur of her tail both filtered the air the breathed and kept the cold off the more sensitive parts of her body. Despite this, however, she did shiver slightly as her eyes began to droop and she fell into a light sleep.

The male warrior took a soft breath, watching his partner ripping off the skin of the prey. He felt relaxed to see her eating the meal. At that moment of peace, he was very patient with her. He wanted to ensure that she would be in shape for the next hunt. It was quite important for him to check if his pack-mate would be ready to do the hard task. He sincerely hoped that no one would be injured on the hunt. He wouldn't mind if he received some damage against a giant deer. In the old days, the accident usually occurred to him when he chased after his prey, but he got used to it. However, he was hoping more for the female wolf to be safe during the mission of hunting. At the first attempt of capturing the elk, Nnyla did great with the way she caught it, so Ace positively stated that she would be fine for the next one.

As soon as the guttural sound shatter the silence, Ace quickly lifted his head, realizing that the sound was coming from the female. His dark emerald eyes roamed the clearing to check for predator. There was nothing out there. He only had the scent of the deer in his nose. Ace's gaze flicked in the direction of the wolf that created the low growl, wondering himself why she emitted the growling sound. Peering at her visage, he could know that she was meditating on something. He stood in a straight posture and took a few steps, wanting to ask Nnyla if she was doing alright, but her smile appeased him. He walked back to his original position, lying on the ground and gathering his paws underneath his body. He listened to the sound of the wind, his ears flattening on top of his skull.

Placing his muzzle on the snow, he reflected on his new responsibility that the beta gave him. He kept in mind that he had to guard his precious home and defend every member of his pack like a family. He still did not find the exact location of Juno's den to protect her three pups. Now that he thought about the word family, he began to think about his unknown parents, always wondering how they look like in real life. Since he never saw his mother and father, he couldn't visualize the true appearance of them. He was trying to find them during the last two years. Unfortunately, he didn't have the luck to see them. When the same thought continued to occur to him, Ace suddenly looked pensive.

After the long silence, he slowly fell asleep. In his small dreams, he could feel someone grabbing his scruff, and he could also hear the sound of the river. The young warrior started to moved slightly in his sleep, turning to the other side, his cheek touching the snow. His unexpected dreams stopped as he suddenly heard a loud noise nearby. He stood immediately on his four paws, the frisson rushing through him as he growled softly and scanned around. He glared at the large number of bucks that regularly stampeded and ran through the path. They were a few meters away from the two carnivores. Ace's tail rose over his spine, his eyes peering at each movement of them. He turned his head to check if Nnlya had been fine. She was just sleeping near her meal.

Nnlya was woken by a threatening, guttural growl not far from her. She cursed softly internally. Her positioning must have been to close to the warrior, angering him when he awoke. But then, she hadn't felt and animosity from him when they were both awake. She worried that their kill had been discovered by less hospitable wolves, who were now challenging them to the rights for the meat. Her mind wandered through endless possibilities as to what the growl could mean, but none of them were correct. Her eyes flashed open, revealing pools of the brightest blue that scanned the snow for predators. The wintry sun could not be seen as her face was shaded. Standing before her in a rather protective stance, his shadow hiding her from view, was Ace.

He continued to growl forcefully to the unseen threat. The fae slowly stretched, bowing her chest into the soft snow to rid her muscles of the tension formed through sleep. She pulled herself carefully to stand beside the warrior, the tips of their fur brushing ever so gently. Despite the threat she could not see, she warrior beside her made her feel calm and safe. And she enjoyed it.

Her role as a warrior was to protect her pack as her own kin, and she would do just that. She took a wider stance, preparing to attack or react to whatever was out there, and scanned the plains. Deer frolicked not far from their resting place, some bucks in particular, daring to venture quite close. Their large eyes stared inquisitively at the young wolves. Nnlya saw one, larger than all the others, lower his prongs and scratch at the snow with his hoof. The herds leader and protector, for that is how he appeared, was challenging them, warding them off his females and young. She admired the stag for his courage and willingness to protect those around him. But she also saw him as a threat to her pack-mate. She could not allow that threat to come into corporeality. The fae growled viciously at the stag, her muscles tensing for a charge. Her eyes darted sideways to see the brute still standing beside her. She was annoyed that this could interrupt their hunting plans, but reasoned that it could also help them acquire more meat than they first intended. Her tail stuck out, parallel to the ground, and hackles bristled as she waited for the stags reply.

Reaching in a sufficient time of observation, Ace found out that most of the buck were weak and fatigue from the long distance running. There were a lot of easy targets in the group, but Nnlya wanted to catch a larger buck. There could be a risk to be injured by them. Thinking about the possibility of danger, he could envisage the moment that those strong animals are capable to take down a wolf permanently. He had to be careful when approaching to them.

Ace got himself prepare for the big action, but his head felt a bit wobbly from the short nap. He was in perplexity when he thought about his small dream. He never understood why he always had the same dream. Shaking his head, he refocused on the reality of the world. He glanced at his new friend in the corner of his eyes. Just by looking at her appearance and physique, he could see that she was ready to hunt. Taking a deep breath, the grey wolf suddenly built a confident facade on his appearance, knowing that taking down a large buck would be easy as a team.

He scrutinized the leader of the group with his malevolent smile that danced across his lips. He already had a few strategies for the hunting, but he would like to hear some opinion of his partner. Maybe he would learn something new from her ideas. He softly cleared his throat before speaking to her with his normal tone. "It seems like the hunt already began for us. Do you have a plan in your mind?" Ace continued to watch the crazy crowd; they still ran simultaneously, heading to the other plateau. Taking a quick pace toward the moving crowd, he gazed beyond the path, keeping in mind that the leader was ahead of the group. He looked at the female over his shoulder, waiting for her response.

Nnlya caught the verdant gaze of her companion and instantly dropped her hostile facade. She kew quite well the dangers of taking on such a large stag by her lonesome. But she had full confidence that the warrior would stand by her if things turned to physical confrontation stag. She listened to Ace, and considered their options. As a loner she wouldn't dare take on the stag. It was just stupidly dangerous. But paired with another accomplished wolf she felt they had a chance. Though she hadn't witnessed his skill level with her own eyes, the fact that Ace was a warrior meant something about his abilities.

The stag continued to proudly flick his head, brandishing his prongs. She began to analyse the situation.Well, if he charges, our best bet will be to split up and confuse him. He'll probably follow one of us, so the other should then circle around and attack from the side. After that it's all elementary. She paused. Another thought came to her. No matter what, he has to make the first move. It's better to react with knowledge than to act first while blind. She knew it sounded stupid but a vague memory of her father telling her just the same words popped into her mind. And for once they made sense.

The stag's head rose and he glared at them. Don't move a muscle. She whispered from the corner of her muzzle. Despite her warning to the brute, she flexed her paws, gaining greater purchase on the compacted snow.

Ace listened carefully to Nnlya's words to understand her plan. He was quite amazed that she was speaking with strength and confidence. Her plans seemed good at the same time, but he was not sure about a thing. Since he had a lot of hunting experience, he doubted that those animals would attack the wolves. He never got chased by those creatures. It would be very bizarre if a buck ran after a wolf, but there could be a chance that this situation would happen to them. Now staring at the male buck, he could see that the animal was giving him a belligerent glance. He felt that the chance was becoming much closer to being harmed by them. Maybe the buck was capable of chasing them, which the hunt would be probably more dangerous. Ace wasn't worry about it; he knew that he was a strong enough to protect his comrade.

As he thought about the female's soft speech, the grey wolf nodded sagely to her, standing obediently in front of the mass of bucks. "If he runs away from us, we will try to make him separate from the others. It's very dangerous to hunt when they are around us. Once he is alone, he will attack his legs and reduce his speed. It's mostly safe to take him down when he's weak." He said firmly, shifting his eyes to meet her gaze. With his words, he decided to add a plan second by explaining his plan to her. Holding his tail over his back, his demeanor remained calm and collected, waiting for the female or the buck to start their first move. He wouldn't budge until he would have a signal from his friend. "Please be careful, Nnlya. I will have your back if you are in great peril." He spoke in a softened tone to her, his ears rotating over his skull as the noise of the hooves reduced. Watching the group of buck, Ace could notice that they are less than before.

Nnlya listened to the warriors wise words and though his plan a good one. It seemed that with their combined strategies, they were prepared for just about any eventuality. Their eyes met and in his she could see a tenderness that she had never witnessed in another wolf before. The corners of her muzzle twitched in a slight smile. His soft spoken words reassured her of his willingness to stand with her. But they also hinted at the depth of how he cared for her. You be careful too Ace. Please don't be reckless on my behalf. I don't want to see you injured because of me. Her words were possibly the truest she had ever spoken and in her voice was laced her confused emotions towards the male. But she felt like she was confused for the right reasons, and in the end it made her feel good.

She waited, the stag preparing his final actions of fight or flight. The fae also noticed that the herds numbered had disintegrated to barely a pawful. This appeared to be the stags intentions. Distract the wolves by playing the threat as his kin removed themselves from danger. It was rather ingenious of him, but not the right plan to save his own life. No matter his choice right now, he would be felled. The plains turned eerily silent, the absence of the clashing of horns and crunch of hooves in snow announcing the last of her herd to have left. The stag tossed his head proudly once more, pawing deep clefts into the snow before launching forward. Large strides ate up the distance between the rivals. The stag lowered his prongs and set his course on the smaller of the two.

As he neared her pack-mate, Nnlya saw the slight adjustment of the stags head that meant he had chosen her. She rolled out her shoulders and, when they were the right distance apart, lept sideways. She bolted towards the stag, snarling loudly to ensure his attention, before suddenly veering to the right. The male of course followed suit, charging valiantly at the seemingly weaker of his two opponents. His long strong legs brought him ever closer to the fae, his horns almost brushing the very tip of her dark tail. The female warrior gasped in surprise before adding a little burst of speed, trying to create a safer distance between her assailant.

Ace regarded his colleague for a moment as he thought deeply about her words, nodding slowly towards her. With her speech, Ace could see that she was showing a lot of consideration for him. Just by looking at her visage, he could easily see that her blue eyes were turning sympathetic. Now he had to be more aware of the dangers, not being damaging by the foe. Taking a deep breath, his exhalation created some white clouds around his head. He was ready to do anything to take down the buck. Hopefully, that everything would be fine.

He pivoted on his paws and watched the buck getting ready to assail the wolves. As soon as the female wolf was heading forward, Ace gave a hard stare at the enemy who suddenly pursued his friend. It seemed that Nnlya was risking her life for making the buck distracting the other wolf. Since the giant creature disregarded the male wolf, Ace had the advantage to prepare a sneak attack. Holding his tail in a straight line, he sprang to his paws, dashing in the direction of his foe. He shuffled swiftly and silently, not trying to surprise the vicious buck from behind. The soft snow that was underneath his paws benefited him for creating less noise. Ace's multicolored fur bristled slightly when the female almost got hit by the antlers.

He focused on the vulnerable part of the big animal, his slight anger showing through the sharpness of his verdant eyes. It made him incandescent with fury when tried to hurt his friend. Reaching in a suitable proximity, he darted toward its throat with surprising celerity, his large teeth penetrating its skin and veins. The brave animal crumpled in the snow, bleeding copiously, but trying to move and regain its balance. The grey wolf still gripped its throat by using his powerful jaw. He wouldn't stop biting until the buck would be completely immobile.

After a few minutes, Ace opened his mouth, releasing the throat of the dead buck. He licked his muzzle to remove the blood. He stood calmly near the victim, his tail lowering on the snow as he regained his equanimity. Turning his head, he watched Nnlya from a small distance. She seemed fine so far, which he felt calmer, and he was glad that she hadn't been injured. He shifted his gaze again to have a visual on the other dead prey. "Nice team work, we shall bring these creatures to the pack. You can take the lightweight one, and I will take the heavy one." He looked back to her, his tail lashing slowly from side to side. He grabbed and dragged the large carcass to his territory, his legs trembling a bit from fatigue. He stopped underneath the white tree before waiting for his partner.

Nnlya was so sure that she was close to being trampled by the stag. He was far too close and her legs were tiring from such an all out sprint. But, the presence behind her vanished and her instincts calmed to an acceptable level, showing the danger had passed. Her head whipped around so she could see over her shoulder and what she saw was truly wondrous. Ace brought the stag down by his own paw and now had the beast pinned beneath him in its death throes. But she saw him for only a moment as her sudden movement sent her tumbling into the snow, rolling head over tail.

Her movement soon stopped and she pulled herself to stand just in time for Ace to see her, perfectly fine. She grinned and her tail wagged to know he was safe. Though she rolled her eyes at his insistance that she take the lighter kill and took a step forward to help him with the stag. Only her first step turned into a stumble as her weary legs struggled to hold her. Correcting the position of her twisted right paw, she strutted confidently over to the bare tree beneath which their first kill sat. She silently thanked him for having her take the lighter of the two.

The fae attempted quite successfully to minimise the visuality of her limp as the approached the male warrior as he watched her. It was merely a twisted wrist, nothing more. A little muscle strain that would heal with a good nights rest. As the distance between them closed, she increased her gait to a gentle trot, the sooner to be standing before Ace. Their muzzles close, she licked his cheek shyly in silent thanks for ensuring both his and her own safety. Then she turned away, swiping her tail lightly against the very tip of his nose, and bowed to place her jaws around the neck of the felled doe.

Ace fixed his gaze on Nnlya, feeling a bit surprised that she gave him a lick on his cheek. It was the first time that a female wolf licked him. As he spent the day hunting with her, he could see that she was a jolly, kind-hearted wolf. He never met a wolf like that in his life, and he had a fun day with her. He was quite amazed that she had the same diversion as him. She had been full of enthusiasm for the hunt just like Ace does, and they had become a great team.

With a movement of his tip tail, the male wolf offered her a slight smile before grabbing and pulling the buck with difficulty. As he walked a bit further, his fur quivered in the cold wind, causing him to close his eyes.  It was starting to be quite harder for him to proceed along the path of snow. Taking a few breaths, he dropped the gigantic buck and gradually stretched his neck. When he felt more comfortable, he grabbed the carcass and continued to travel with his friend. From time to time, he would look over to her, making sure that she was doing fine while carried the doe.

After the wind has abated, Ace became more composed and quiescent, feeling the less pressure for bringing the food to the pack. As he took a few paces forward, the scent of the other wolves went near his nose, now knowing that he almost arrived in the territory. Slowly, he looked at the female over his shoulder. "Hey Nnlya, we are almost there!" He reacted ecstatically to her before making his way to the location to where the wolves keep their sharing food. Carefully, he deposited the prey in the large hole, and then he took two steps back.

Nnlya followed slowly behind Ace with the doe, wincing every so often as her twisted paw felt the strain. But she never allowed the pain to betray her when the warrior was looking and instead kept up the facade of continued strength and energy. She too could smell it when they neared the pack clearing and shot the male a smile when he pointed it out to her. Their close proximity to the rest of the pack rejuvenated her strength and she gripped the doe tighter in her jaws, bounding through the soft snow, creating deep clefts.

Excitement emanated from her. As a social being she enjoyed the company of others. The prospect of being with so many wolves sent shivers down her spine. The fae soon reached the edge of the tree line that bordered the massive pack clearing. She dropped the doe, licking and stretching her jaw to remove the tension. Looking back, she saw the brute. He didn't appear to struggle with his magnificent kill, only to take his time. Hurry up Ace! The sooner we get these on the pile, the sooner we can help each other find a den. She called out cheerily to her friend.

Resting her haunches to the ground, she cocked her head slightly and considered her companion.

He was clearly a strong, kind-hearted wolf. And he stil appeared to be slightly more comfortable when on his own. Though she couldn't make assumptions yet, she had only seen him interact with herself and the few moments she had spied him hunting alone. But she had never met a brute quite like him. He was gentle and soft, though she felt it was only around faes he was friends with. She could see with his imposing size and impressive form that he would easily intimidate any being, wolf or otherwise, who became too hostile to anyone he cared about. She felt they had a good friendship emerging. They worked well together and appeared quite comfortable around each other.

Her eyes softened and she lept up, trotting over to her friend to help him drag the stag the final few metres.

The male warrior whirled to see the female dragging the doe. If he watched her closely, he could notice that she had some hard time to carry the carcass. He padded over to her, deciding to help her with the carrying. He took the doe’s leg and brought it to the hole. Working as a team would make the job much faster. Ace was looking forward for making a lot of activities with her, but at the same time, he wanted to meet other wolves around the territory. Holding the small smile on his visage, he knew that there was a convivial atmosphere in his new pack. As he continued to drag the dead creature with the other wolf, he tossed it to the location where the other members could see it and enjoy the meal. He was very satisfied with his first job, and he was willing to do more work for his pack. Thanks to Nnlya, he was able to finish the job before the nighttime.

As he stretched his front legs, he felt a twinge of pain in his lower body, causing him to grimace with irritation. He took a moment to think about his health, feeling weird that he got exhausted very quickly. Maybe he did not eat something earlier, and that might cause him to be tired. He could eat right now, but he was afraid that there wouldn't be enough for the rest of the wolves. He silently declined to take some meat. However, he would not have the strength to build a den for the rest of the night. Now he could only explore more places, mostly searching for Juno's place. Ace ignored the small pain and gave the other warrior a small grin. "Well I'm a bit tired right now. Maybe another day we can help each other making a den." He felt a bit sorry for saying that to her. He lifted his muzzle and watched the golden sun that peered behind the trees. The snow that lay beneath the wolves was starting to glitter in the light. The beautiful views of his home suddenly mesmerized him.

The grey wolf walked near her, his ears pinning down. "I also have to go somewhere and meet the beta." He said in a soft tone, nodding his head. "Bye Nnlya, thanks a lot for helping me with the hunt." Tenderly, he nudged her shoulder with his nose. He slowly turned around, making his way to the other area. Hopefully, that his wanderlust would allow him to accomplish his main objective.

Their task complete in record time, Nnlya began to bound playfully in the snow. Admiring the golden sunbeams streaking through the branches, she saw the male approach. He stretched carefully and appeared fatigued, before politely declining her offer to help each other find dens. Though he did offer the possibility of meeting up another time, for which she was glad. She quite enjoyed the company of her new friend and hoped they would spend more time together over the coming months. She was certain that she would seek him out if ever she felt the need for a hunt.

He explained that he had elsewhere to be, to which she replied, Be sure to eat something before you go. You look absolutely famished. You can't continue to work at your peak if your don't take care of yourself. Her counsel seemed almost motherly, but she felt that it was necessary. The brute appeared to be in the habit of constantly putting others before himself and while it was a quality she admired, she knew that he couldn't work of a warrior or higher, protecting the pack, if he did not first take care of himself.

She trotted over to a tree with a wide trunk, settling herself with her head between her paws, and watched the gentle sunlight set the tips of his fur ablaze as he sauntered away. It refracted through the little icicles dangling precariously off the tree banches and sent an array of colours dancing upon the wintry carpet. It appeared almost as a ground-bound aurora. Nnlya directed a small smile to Ace and gazed in silent awe as the whiter parts of his fur turned to unimaginably beautiful colours.