{queen of mists} open

[Nic]

Janna had caught the mare off guard when she sprang into Ally’s hiding place and the she-wolf hadn’t failed to notice the white’s of the mare’s eyes as she rolled them. This hadn’t been her intention but she said nothing of it as Ally seemed to shake it off just as quickly as it had came on. This fact was evident by the friendly gesture of the mare nuzzling the wolfess. Janna felt a feeling of kinship as Ally walked forward and touched her muzzle to the top of her head, in the sensitive spot between her ears and she whimpered slightly low in her throat.

As Ally chose a spot in the grass and lay down Janna caught the gesture that the mare tossed in the direction of the rabbit den and realized what Ally was suggesting. It was an open invitation for the huntress to pursue the rabbits that she knew to be hiding within since their scent hung heavy in the air and on the surrounding foliage. However one of the few advantages to her small size and general lack of physical activity was the fact that Janna didn’t need to consume as much meat as her lupine brethren. And even if this hadn't been the case she would never dream of killing anything around a creature whose survival didn't hinge on the consumption of red meat. Janna was fairly sure that Ally wouldn't condemn her for this need, since the mare had gone out of her way to help Janna overcome her physical handicap, but at the same time the she-wolf was more than a little certain that she would be disturbed to actually witness a hunt.

And Janna had no intentions of subjecting her to one.

Shaking her head ever so slightly the she-wolf slowly and slightly hesitantly padded over to the spot where Ally was lying. Her muscles were already beginning to show the effects of her run through the forest and in this moment rest was more important than food to Janna.

Rest and the closeness of another creature; one who didn’t judge her based on things that she could neither control nor for the most part change.

Unsure of how this would be taken Janna sank to the ground near the mare, her tail moving to the left side of her body as she held up her head and gazed around intently. She could tell by the mare’s behavior that she was alert to any possible threats and this was only smart since the position that she currently held made her more vulnerable to any possible attack.

“Thank you for your help,” Janna whined softly, her ear flicking forward as she filtered through the various sounds that rang out through the forest. Mostly just the enthusiastic songs of the various birds that made their nests in the trees and the occasional small animal rustling in the underbrush nearby. None too keen to meet up with the wolf whose scent hung heavy in the air said small creatures went out of their way not to linger in close proximity for very long.

[!DETOXi]

D0E-like brown eyes watched Janna shake her head, not showing the surprise that flickered in Ally's mind. She silently thanked Janna for not hunting, seeing as Ally would have had no intention of lingering around someone that smelled of blood. Even if it was just rabbit blood, it would remind Ally all too sharply why she disliked dogs and wolves: they killed creatures like her, sometimes just for the fun of hearing them wailing in pain. The old dog her human used to own had once killed a rabbit. The poor thing had screamed for what had felt like hours because he had been too lazy to kill it properly and quickly. Then he had wandered around her pen, stinking of death and the rabbit's fear. The reason Ally had given Janna the chance to hunt was because she trusted that Janna wouldn't draw out a kill unnecessarily. Apparently the femme's honor went above that low standard. Her respect for the down-trodden huntress went up a notch as she bobbed her head quietly.

ALLY didn't move to get up as Janna moved closer, murmuring her thanks. Ally was glad to hear that her voice sounded, if not louder, than at least more steady even through the slight out of breath quality. She flicked her tail, the long hairs whispering as they brushed leaves before again becoming still. "You are welcome, though you're no where near a stallion. It will take time, but there is no challenge you can not overcome," Ally told Janna, comfortable still even with the wolfess so close. "There will be prey that run much faster than I did and don't stop so easily." Regarding Janna, meeting the steely grey gaze, Ally inhaled subtly, memorizing again the huntress's scent. "Should we meet when the moon is high and your stomach growls for blood, be assured I will run much faster than I did today."

SHE didn't say such things to be mean or cruel to Janna, she was merely remembering that in the grand scheme of things, they were still on opposite ends of the food chain. She ate grass, Janna ate meat. Someday, should famine or disaster strike and food become scarce, there would come a time when Ally and Janna would not be able to ignore that. Or, should Janna ever seek out a pack, there was always that chance that Ally would someday be the beast they chased through the night. It was not a fantasy Ally particularly enjoyed for she disliked being hunted more than anything, but it was one that even she could not be blind to. Today, Janna's hunger was sated, but that may not always be so. Ally could wish it otherwise, but it was not an outcome they could ignore.

CALMLY, as though she had just made a comment about the weather and nothing more important, Ally began to idly nibble on nearby grass, powerful neck curved in a graceful arch. Her manner was still calm and cool, distant, in a way as though she detached from the world and Janna was just another horse that happened upon her. In her eyes, there was a misty quality, a sense that she was not all there, just as there had been when Janna had first come upon her at the stream. The fog had cleared the more they conversed, but now it was creeping back, telling Ally to not become attached because it would only get her hurt. She did not like pain.

PAIN was bad. Humans caused pain. Whips caused pain. Wolves caused pain.

HMMM...

BRUSHING her muzzle against the leaves and grass, Ally laid her head down as though to sleep. Her brown eyes remained open, ears still perked.

[Nic]

Janna was unsure of how exactly she was aware but the she-wolf could tell that Ally was relieved by her decision not to pursue the rabbits. Perhaps it was just the natural order for herbivores to loathe the eating habits of carnivores or maybe it just had something to do with the fact that in the right set of circumstances Ally could be the meal. She would likely never know the true reasoning behind it, not that it really mattered.

Janna respected Ally enough not to subject her to such a sight. The mare was a gentle soul whom she suspected had been wronged a great deal in her life. A fact that brought out a protective side to the wolfess, causing her to seek to shield the mare from any further unpleasantness.

Janna was startled from these thoughts by Ally's rather unexpected words but she didn't react.

At this point Janna was beyond being surprised by any actions from Ally and she merely blinked her gray eyes slowly as she heard these words, spoken calmly as though they were simply conversing about the weather. Instead of the death of one at the hands, or to be more precise the jaws, of the other. Her first impulse was to deny that this chain of events would ever come to pass but she almost instantaneously thought better of the idea.

It would be the height of disrespect to do so and Janna fully realized this fact. Because the hard truth of the matter was that starvation wreaked havoc on both the body and the mind and often caused animals to do things that they wouldn't dream of doing in different circumstances. Janna had learned never to say that she absolutely wouldn't do something so she instead opted for the next best reply to this statement from Ally.

“I won’t insult your intelligence by denying that this could ever happen,” Janna offered quietly, her voice once again whispery quiet but devoid of the quiver that it had earlier held. She seemed to have gained at least a small measure of self confidence thanks to their little game. “But I sincerely hope that things are never bad enough where I would be driven to such an act.”

Not that the she-wolf really thought that she would stand even the slightest chance in such a pursuit whether or not she was seriously trying to capture the mare. While daily training would likely increase her stamina Janna was doubtful that she would ever be in good enough shape to capture Ally should such a pursuit ever take place. And even if by some freak turn of events she did manage to keep pace with the mare there was still those powerful legs to contend with. Something that would make Janna’s petite stature just as much a hindrance as her frail health.

Had Janna not already grown immune to shock over Ally’s actions she would likely have questioned the logic behind training someone with whom you may end up in a predator/prey situation. As it were she simply accepted this as the way that the mare was and didn’t give it a second thought as she placed her muzzle on her front paws. The she-wolf closed her eyes but her ears remained alert, seeking out any possible threats to either her or her new found friend.

Some things simply defied explanation and the sight of a horse and wolf lying in such close proximity to one another was one of those things.