Outside of Avanthal. Spring 20, 511 AV. This one was empty too. Larina bent over to look at the little animal trap she had set a couple of days earlier. A heap of snow had covered the metal switch and triggered the door to slam shut. But even if it had been snowing straight for the past two days, there was no way it should have built up heavily enough to spring the trap. Larina’s golden eyes darted around the woods looking for the soul who was guilty for making her miss a meal, and she soon found it. The tree next to her was laden with a thick snow which had been formed by Taldera’s endless winter. Some of its topmost branches were suspiciously free from the white powder, and Larina guessed that they must have fallen on her trap. Her eyes flickered angrily up at the tree, and she muttered, “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?” Sighing, she chided herself for not picking up on the malicious intent of the white birch tree. They could be so hard to read sometimes. Larina reset the trap and tucked it more carefully beneath a small shrub nearby, thinking that this vegetation looked friendlier. That was the second empty cage today, which meant just one thing: it was time to work for her food. Picking up her backpack, Larina trekked a ways away from where her trap was freshly set so that her scent would not linger any longer than was necessary. In the woods, only the soft crunching of the snow beneath her feet could be heard. And although she had no real love for the cold, Larina found this sound to be quite soothing, albeit rather telltale in terms of giving away her position. She soon came across a tree which had fallen some years ago, yet was slow to decay in this frost. It was as good of a place as any. Larina knelt by the base of its stump and dug out a small hole in the snow, which she tossed her backpack into. Quickly, she yanked off her gloves, boots, pants, and cloak, shivering as she stuffed them into the bag. Giving three short breaths to prepare herself for the freeze, Larina pulled off the rest of her gear in one movement, and before the cold could sink into her skin, she transformed into a maned wolf in a dim glitter of light. Using her teeth and paws, Larina unceremoniously stuffed her clothing into her backpack and covered it up with snow, trying as best as she could to make it look natural. She inhaled a deep breath of crisp winter air and gave a quiet, but happy yelp; it had been too long since she was last in this body. With a flick of her large ears, Larina bounded off into the forest, making sure to attack any shifty looking pile of snow that dared to give her the stink eye. She sprung herself into a rather large snow bed which had built up on the side of a small hill, landing in the heap with a gentle crunch. It came up all the way to her neck, and Larina furiously began to dig her way back out of the mess. She rolled in the soft powder and snapped up mouthfuls of the cold stuff just for kicks and giggles. It felt good to be on four legs again. Right, enough of that! What would the neighbors think? she mused, scooping up one last bite of snow for the road. Besides, you’ve got work to do. She sprung from the snow bed, not bothering to shake off any flurries clinging to her fur. They would dull the bright red color of her pelt, and hopefully give her some semblance of camouflage. As unlikely as this actually was, the thought still comforted Larina somewhat as she padded her way to the top of the hill beside her. Stretching her paws out for the hunt ahead, Larina quickly surveyed the landscape around her. Avanthal to the north, a few jagged mountains to the east, the forest sprawling to the south, and the unknown out in the west. Obviously, going back to Avanthal was not an option, and the west area would be explored in good time, just not now. Twitching her nose, Larina debated between her last options and tried to pick up the smell of good game in either direction. The mountains had the promise of fast moving rivers, which would gather prey. Yet the forests were always safe and teaming with protected life. In truth either place probably had tasty eats for her, and now Larina’s calculating mind just had to make itself up. |