//

Her childhood had been a lonely one.

Sure, her parents had loved and coddled her - when they were around, which had been increasingly less and less as she began to mature. Mimsy was still a young wolf, but she felt somewhat self-sufficient; in leu of the protection and support of her ever-absent parents, Mimsy had learned to take care of herself... mostly. There was much the girl did not know, knowledge about medicine and herbs and how to protect herself from danger - key information for survival that every wolf should know at least a little bit about, in her opinion.

Of course, it wasn't all bad - she had her exploring to keep her busy. Every morning, she left her den and set out to discover new and exciting places hidden away within Inaria. It was so thrilling to find a pristine pool of crystal clear water surrounded by moss and lilies, undisturbed. Such places, often left unvisited for long periods of time, had a different atmosphere about them than the rest of the pack lands, something almost mystical. It sent tingles down Mimsy's back, causing her fur to fluff up a little.

"You know," she said to no one, "pretty soon I'll explore all of Inaria.. I dunno what I'll do then." The realization of this fact brought feelings of sadness rushing in like the evening tide. Mimsy let a sigh tumble from her lips, wistful and wanting for more.

There was always the pack. Her parents had held high ranks, once - her father's rank had been seized by another in his absence, and while Mimsy thought that somewhat unfair.. the rank could not simply go on forever with an absent leader. She knew that, but even then, it left a sour taste in her mouth. The doe-eyed girl strode through Inaria on delicate and long legs, almost dancing along on top of the moss and fallen leaves. Her mother had lost her rank as beta, that thought making her frown deepen. Frowns were such ugly things.. she shook her head, a small smile replacing the previous look of disapproval. The past could not be changed for her parents - but perhaps she could uphold their legacy, revitalize it through her own hard work and dedication to the pack they both had loved so much. Yes, that was what she would do. It was time for her to truly become an Inarian, and the best one she could be, at that. The only problem was..

Mimsy had no idea where to even start.

A new day once again graced the landscape with its warm glow; allowing the frost covered foliage to soak in the dancing sunlight greedily and they were eager to cast off their icy prisons. Yet the creatures that roamed around the forest floor cared little, if not at all, for the plants plight as they were all focused on providing for themselves. Life was ever flowing onward so one had to stay in constant motion in order not to be left behind. Everyone else was on their own. No one knew this truth more than the owner of a cramping stomach.

Another wave of pain washed over the small canine as his stomach twisted and rolled in agony. The pup was stuck in a reoccurring loop of need and ability. He needed food, he knew it, but he was in too much pain to hunt. Every minute seemed to be torture as he was battered with wave after wave of gut wrenching pain. Blue eyes clenched shut as he wobbled on unsteady legs. In his drained state he tried to recall the last time he had a decent meal.

A week ago?

No good; he couldn't remember. The six month old silver dire pup knew that he wasn't in any shape to hunt. Sighing to himself he knew that he'd have to scavenge if he wanted to see another sunrise. While scavenging in the summer months were easy and met with little to no aggression. Winter was a whole 'nother beast itself. Slowly making his way between the large trunks of evergreens and oaks the pup scented the air in hopes of picking up a scent. Nothing. Reath knew he'd have to travel a mile or more before possibly finding something. That mile proved to be the most difficult travel he could possibly remember having to make in his short life. Hopefully he'd be able to avoid this scenario in the future...yeah, he would definitely be a better hunter when he grew up. The pup kept imagining himself as the most respected and well liked hunter of his pack. Loved and admired by all who gazed upon him. Everyone would want to know his secret and want to be his friend to just have the honor of watching his prowess in action. In no time at all the pups tired mind traveled along this avenue of thought as his body was set to auto pilot. Stopping every so often to scent the air before moving onward.

The small dire didn't know how much time, or distance, passed before a delightful scent wafted through his flared nostrils. Pupils dilated as the brain alerted to the promise of an easy meal. Carefully the pup approached the area in which the scent was originating. Hopefully it wouldn't be his last meal. Sticking to the foliage for cover the pup circled the area and his eager blue eyes landed on the carcass of a half eaten doe. Steam could be seen dancing in the cold winter air as it stole the warmth from the formerly living creature. He knew that whatever had killed the doe could possibly still be lingering around the pup scanned the surroundings and listened for a few moments before approaching the unguarded meal. When he was close enough he began to gnaw and tear off pieces of flesh and soon lost himself in desperation to fill his hunger. Carelessly forgetting the possible danger that lurked in the shadows.

As he continued to trek north, the weather becoming steadily harsher as the sun grew weaker, Ahote again found himself yearning for familiar sights and warmer climates.

The wind curled tight against the bony treetops, and as the forest gave way to pale grass, the currents snapped off the branches with tremendous force.
At that moment the sun blazed on the horizon, just over the faded heads of faraway mountain ranges, and what little heat the burning disk shed was stripped away the second he stepped out from the sheltering trunks.

Clouds of vaguely warm breath were blown back as a frosty mist into his eyes, and the man pulled tighter the makeshift buckskin cloak he'd been hanging onto since late autumn.
Against the roar of the wind, he couldn't even hear the muffled clatter of the small objects beneath it.
Only the rattle of the bow and instrument slung across his back, now sounding as distant as the mountains appeared to be.

He didn't linger long on the edge of the woods: north he had chosen, and so north he did head.

While the sun dipped further behind the western mountains he continued marching across the grasslands, until eventually he came across a lone grove.
By that time his ears were burning and his nose was well stuffed, and his roiling stomach growing easily louder at the pause he gave.

Ahote peered between the columns of creaking oaks and bristling pines, scanning for whispers of shadows.
He walked slowly leeward until the snarling air was better blocked by the trees, straining his ears for signs of life.

After a while of finding nothing he was unwilling to take the bitter cold any longer, and so he ducked under the shelter of the needle-strewn leaves.
He snapped off a few branches as he came in, pulling strands of dry grass from open pockets in the sparse canopy and peeling papery bark from the odd aspen or birch.
Then he tucked himself away against the hefty, windblown trunks of old conifers that had grown clustered together against the elements.

Scraping out a shallow depression with a rock he pulled from his waist, he dropped the stems and twigs and sparked them to life with a piece of flint clashed against the stone.
It took a few tries, and when at last the air flared with an orange glow, Ahote sighed at the rush of heat that washed across his skin.

He warmed himself by the fire for a few minutes before retreating back into another part of the grove, keeping his footsteps within the shadows that slowly stretched away from the setting sun.
He gathered more fuel as he moved about, aiming for enough to last him through the night, and as he stepped across the dusty soil he kept an eye out for edibles.
His rations had been falling disastrously thin ever since he'd started traveling into unfamiliar territory.