we light the way

This content is not visible to non-members.

the staff team luvs u

He was out and about.

Temperate a relatively new place to the man, he crossed the waters from the Plains and wandered further in. He would be a very piss poor hunter if he didn't manage to bring something down - the woodland was lush with prey scent. While too far to drag back to Greenwood, Bran decided to hunt anyway. He could use the practice.

However, he picked up the stronger smell of another predator. A wolf. Choosing to investigate, he spots a yearling of brown hue crossing into the woodland. Seeing as she was a stranger, and not aware of him - he decided to greet her. What sort of conversation they could have was not known... He did not have Lady Kore's charisma. Nor anyone else's.

But he felt it rude to ignore the girl. She could easily pick up his scent, come closer and see him there anyway. "Greetings," he began, a respectable distance from her. Bran turned his neck slowly to look through his half-lids. He licked his lips thoughtfully, quietly, before adding the words "you would not be interested in hunting together, would you?" It was... time. Time to socialize a bit. Sometimes, even he felt a bit lonely.

the staff team luvs u

This content is not visible to non-members.

the staff team luvs u

He would be lying if he hadn't already spotted a few choice specimens. "I saw a bighorn sheep herd back the way I had come" He informed the girl, angling his body to the east and giving a nod "mostly young females with children, though a few were old." He didn't have to tell her what that meant. The older members of a herd were prime targets for predators. However, he let her decide as he had been the one to ask.

"But if you found something else, I am not averse to hunting it." With wild sheep, Bran had to remember they could climb fairly easily. If these were the mountains, their prey would easily be lost but this was a flatter surface. With plenty of foliage to hinder both them and their prey. Though they were more agile than the sheep, who crashed and went wild at the first sign of trouble. He had no way of knowing of the brunette's aversion to hunting deer though.

But he hadn't spotted any that were easier to take down. Mostly with young, and he left them alone.

the staff team luvs u

This content is not visible to non-members.

the staff team luvs u

"Not far."

Bran turned on the spot, flicking a tail for the other to follow. They were near the upper part of the Lake, last he saw, because they stopped to observe and drink. The girl had questions, but he didn't mind. They were straight to the point, and they didn't involve asking anything about him in particular.

So, they more or less walked and talked. "One did" he replied quietly "seem injured. I saw her with a limp, an elder." His ears piqued when they closed in on the herd, but Bran kept to the shadows and foliage as they watched. Sure enough, a small herd of sheep. The elders were off to the side.

He pinpointed the injured one. She had a gash above her leg. Perhaps a failure of climbing. Well, if she could not climb they were in luck. If she tried and fumbled, she'd make easier work for them. Bran deferred to the girl's judgment now. He turned to look at her, waiting for orders. He did not mind them.

the staff team luvs u

This content is not visible to non-members.

the staff team luvs u

"Very well."

He agreed swiftly to the plan, finding no fault with it. After a glance at the vantage they had with the sheep, he slipped quietly away toward them. His steps were soft and silent, making sure to circle to the edge of the herd and not fully behind it. He wanted some to believe they could make it out alive, thin the herd, and focus on any stragglers.

Pinning himself to the earth, he shuffled closer. Once acceptable, he let out a low woof. The sheep looked up, alert. He focused on the grazing elder still, who was content to allow the rest of the sheep to alert her to any trouble. A few seconds passed before he lunged. The prey seemed to be too lazy - watchful, but lazy. They didn't even drift away from the lake.

But all it took was the emergence of a predator to startle them. He made no effort to conceal himself as he bit the haunches of the herd, shepherding them to the hill that the girl spoke of. Some did flee, mostly mothers and children. It was too much for a single wolf to control, but Bran did his best. The elder struggled to keep up, however.

He focused on her and her alone. The rest were there to let her believe safety was in numbers. Aiming a snap at the hind of one sheep, they veered and crashed into the elder. She tripped and bellowed, falling before the hill as the others jumped and climbed. Bran growled, signaling the girl as he leapt onto the elder sheep's back end. Dragging her to the earth.

the staff team luvs u

This content is not visible to non-members.

the staff team luvs u

The hunt was over, even if it hadn't taken seconds. By the time he grabbed the sheep and wrangled it to the earth, he knew the elder one was done for. There was no time or reason to doubt the girl's abilities. Despite her age, she showed she could be relied on when things became messy. He had a moment to recall his mother teaching him to hunt, and failing. She was a small woman, and he had been a tall yearling. It had been just an adjustment of skill and height. Her advice had been sound.

The girl thanked a deity for this success, causing him to look up and release the rump of the sheep. Now it was still; there was no need to grip it. Though curious about this, Bran hadn't seen much religious belief in Canis outside of a few sparse moments, he focused on her compliment. "As were you" he rumbled, having not the capacity to take thanks or comments very well. He oft directed it back, especially with cooperating in tasks "I am Godbrand - Bran is fine." He added, realizing they hadn't been introduced.

"Pardon my ignorance; who is the High Elk?" and "do you require a tithe to gift your deity?" Sacrifice, blessing, offering. It was all the same in the end. The important thing is, he did not touch the body until he was certain she didn't need to offer anything. It was just polite in the presence of the devout.

the staff team luvs u

This content is not visible to non-members.

the staff team luvs u

[align=justify][small][narrow]"Princess."

He repeats the word, not because it is lacking but because he corrects himself. Wolves could call themselves what they wanted, and he really did not care in the end. Arguing over status and blood was exhausting. Bran's head tipped somewhat though. Edith was not his princess, but she was a princess. At least he could be respectful.

"Your world" he repeats again "your original world or, this one?" He couldn't know Edith had been born here, only assume really [b]"
the staff team luvs u

"Princess."

He repeats the word, not because it is lacking but because he corrects himself. Wolves could call themselves what they wanted, and he really did not care in the end. Arguing over status and blood was exhausting. Bran's head tipped somewhat though. Edith was not his princess, but she was a princess. At least he could be respectful.

"Your world" he repeats again "your original world or, this one?" He couldn't know Edith had been born here, only to assume really "if it is this one, why does the High Elk allow the heathens to call it Canis?" Bran was a bit confused by this, though it really did not matter in the grand scheme of things "would it not be better to call it something else?"

Canis meant dog, to his knowledge.

That seemed quite insulting to an elk. "I am from Greenwood. We reside in the Plains" he moved on, allowing the exchange of information "hmm" Edith would casually mention thanking Bran again. He dipped his head, probably knowing it was useless to argue with her "I, ah... Thank the High Elk as well. And my hunting partner."

the staff team luvs u

This content is not visible to non-members.

the staff team luvs u

He gave a nod. So it was as he thought; she had been born here. "I have heard few people call it that" Bran admitted quietly "what do you and yours proclaim it to be?" It was fine to not tell him, but she had off-handily mentioned it was dubbed something else. Called something else. Now he was a bit curious but would accept her not saying it.

"Yes," he also added when Edith spoke of her sister "I have met her" Strange that a wolf didn't live with their birth pack before reaching maturity, especially in the same litter - but he supposed Vermillion had her reasons. It was not for him to say "she is doing well." But Bran could not give anything else to Edith; he didn't know the girl personally. It felt rude to give more.

Edith said no more, content to rip off a leg. He let her do the first pickings before grabbing another. Tearing the leg off after a few yanks, he settled down nearer to the corpse. Just in case any scavengers came knocking prematurely.

the staff team luvs u

This content is not visible to non-members.

the staff team luvs u

Hmm. "Perhaps the High Elk will gift you and your people with the true name of this world, then." Just a thought. He held no bias or discrimination against them, especially against this High Elk. True, he was a bit curious about the religions in Canis. Or whatever you called it. In the end, it was just another world he'd been privy to allow knowing it existed. But he had to know something fully to either embrace or reject it. Right now, he was being polite.

He would finish his part of the food slower than her. Edith ate with passion or stubbornness - or both. In the end, there was barely anything left for the birds or coyotes. She bid him farewell, and he grunted - because a meaty piece of flesh in his jaws required civil behavior. He wasn't going to spit a goodbye back, throw food everywhere. Disgusting. He added one singular flop of his tail to her walking off though. Bran stuck around for about another hour, eating and cleaning himself.

Then? Back to the Plains, he went.

the staff team luvs u