[ liquid-timed to right after the sharita reunion ]

B A D G E R The soft pitter-patter  of rain echo throughout the cold, dark, cave  walls and brought the  refugee to a state of wakefulness.  Heavy eyelids blink the exhaustion from her eyes and her nostrils flared taking in a deep breath before exhaling it out her nose.  She lifted her head slightly to lean forward and greedily lap at the water that drifted into her shelter before soon laying outside.  She licked at her charcoal lips before wincing and rolling back over onto her side. Truly Badger was a pitiful sight to behold , nothing more then  a husk of her once former glory.   Her beautiful steel-gray fur was coated with mud and blood along with missing patches of fur where her wounds had started to heal and scar over.  She felt angry and betrayed: having been left alone to die for her pack for a war that she never belonged in. Abandoned. The echo of snarling could be heard from within the depths of her cave as the thought dangerously swirled about her lonely mind.  Anger gnawed at her  very core at the very thought of those whom left her survival to her own. The bloody, battered woman had taken a fall down the ravine and shattered her ribs living in piss-poor conditions in the middle of nowhere.   She did not belong to that pack any longer and held no intention of ever returning. She would be on her own from here on out.

The night was a sleepless one for Kappa, his title of Nightwalker a literal one as he roamed the taiga bathed in the moon's glow. He had had some trouble sleeping ever since Maesa had left; she had taken a part of him with her. He didn't feel whole without her by his side. To say that Kappa missed his mate was an understatement. Could he even call Maesa his mate anymore? A wave of sorrow fell over him like a heavy wet blanket, and he sighed a heavy, mournful sigh. Saboro's changes had been easy for Kappa to acclimate to; the loss of the love of his life was much more difficult to take. More than that, it drove the spear deeper to know that it had been a conscious choice for Maesa to leave Saboro behind, and Kappa with it. He did not hate her for leaving, he couldn't; not if that was what she had truly wanted. It hurt him terribly, but Kappa tried not to think about it.

Wheat-golden eyes studied the mountains, their jagged formations creating a clear line against the starry night sky. Snowy peaks glowed against the low light, a beautiful sight that they had not been privy to in the jungle. There were many things he would miss about the jungle, but the heat was not one of them. Kappa rather enjoyed the cold, thick fur well-suited for it. Snow crunched under his paws as he left the cover of the forest and began to travel through the open fields near the central lake. Yellow stalks of dried grass were bent over and covered in a layer of ice and snow, crackling as the Nightwalker's considerable bulk plowed a pathway down. Clumps of snow began to gather on his underside and legs, but Kappa paid the small nuisances no mind.

In a small gap between the clumps of frozen grasses, Kappa curled his haunches and sat. Breath plumed up in misty clouds as he sat, butterscotch gaze taking in the beautiful scene before him. The sky was cloudless, the moon nearly full and beaming brightly with a chorus of glittering stars. The wind was pleasantly absent, the world silent and peaceful. The jungle had always been so noisy, a crowded place overflowing with life and action; Kappa was a man who could appreciate silence.

Far in the distance on the other side of the lake, Kappa could barely make out the forms of a few elk come to drink. He hunkered down low, not to ready himself for the hunt but to simply make himself comfortable. They mingled around, ears and eyes flickering this way and that; such nervous creatures, and with good reason the man supposed. Who didn't enjoy a good elk flank? It was interesting to simply watch them, though. The cows truly did seem to care for their little ones, and the bulls were so prideful and boastful once they had won their one of many battles. There were few calves roaming, but many cows with bulging bellies. There would be the birth of a new generation soon to greet the spring that was soon to come.

He was quite interested in seeing that.

Winter had taken a temporary turn for the warmer. The untimely thaw brought both perks and downfalls. The warmer weather brought more prey poking around on the surface, a welcome treat for the thinning predators. But, as the scene played out, there was danger.

The river near the tree root den started to thaw. Jagged shards of ice started to race across the surface. The pileups worked like a beaver stacking logs and soon the snowy woodland found itself in freezing flood. Tallow's temporary home, thankfully, was far enough away not to be affected by the jams. With time the water had receded, leaving ice covered pools that the wolf now tread carefully across. She scented the deer first and the more she traveled the clearer it's distress calls became. She would not turn down an easy meal.

The wolf spotted the target soon enough. The deer, it seemed, fell on some bad luck trying to cross the river. Wide eyed, the only part of the deer visible was her head and flailing front legs. It was trapped in the ice jam. Tallow considered the scene. It wouldn't take long for the hapless creature to pass. That would certainly be easier than dragging it out in a panic. Wolves, as a rule, cared little for the feelings of their food. But perhaps some mercy, along with wanting to eat soon, spurred on the decision to help the deer along. Avoiding the flailing hooves the dire grabbed it's neck and forced its head underwater. It became difficult to hold on for a while, but soon the deer stilled.

The drowning was the easy part. With heaving growls Tallow worked to pull the carcass from the ice. With a lot of work she succeeded. Panting she looked over her prize. This would feed her for a few days at the very least. It wasn't until then that she caught scent of another. It was Tallow's turn to freeze this time. Could this be an interloper here to take her spoils?

"I'm willing to share with you," Her voice was quiet, and perhaps the gravely tone made her sound inadvertently aggressive. Tallow was alert, but ready to compromise. She started to turn to face whoever was behind her, "If you're willing to be civil."

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