~A Small Feast~

Cruiser stood panting over the form of a recently felled moose calf. He'd lucked upon the four-month old, a sickly twin that had been recently abandoned by its mother to focus on the stronger calf. By the time Cruiser had found it, it only weight half of what it should by this late in the season, but the young wolf wasn't going to be choosy when he himself was several pounds underweight and struggling to find enough food to eat.

He tilted a red-stained maw back, and sent a howl forth that would let his family know of his catch. With that done, and with mud still caking the pearly white fur of his underside and limbs, Cruiser began to tear into the soft belly of his prey and fill his ravenous stomach.

A sturdy, melodic howl answered back to Cruiser's invitation. It was the voice of his mother, and a familiar vocal beacon in these marshy lands, as the queen took the job of guarding their lands very seriously. And despite her own hunger pains and dwindling reserves, Ta'kali's song was just as strong as ever, defiantly broadcasting her location while amplifying Cruiser's message in the hopes of reaching Megatron and the rest of the children.

Fifteen minutes later, the alabaster queen of the Manahcob Downs, with her signature gray saddle mark and deep, orange-brown eyes, came loping into view across the grassy field. Her tongue lolled from the side of her mouth, fluttering with the deep panting the mother was doing to keep herself cool under the heat of the midday sun. As soon as she reached Cruiser though, that look of exhaustion was swept away, and she greeted him with the sharp wag of her tail and a fond lick against his cheek, "I'm happy to see you." The white wolfess pulled back, holding off on her meal for the sake of catching up with her child, "Good catch; this one wouldn't have made it through fall."

Cruiser's stomach was nearly filled by the time his mother arrived. He stepped aside from the carcass to greet her, and returned a nuzzle to the side of her neck. "Good to see you too, mom." Light, chestnut-brown eyes lifted away from her and swept the marshy land beyond, hoping to catch sight of his father or any one of his brothers following after. Seeing nothing but the golden-green foliage swaying in the breeze, a small, quieted sigh carried out the wolf's frustration. He turned back to Ta'kali, his mind on things other than the sickly calf he'd brought down, "Have you seen dad recently? Or the others?"

She'd caught the way Cruiser had looked beyond her, searching for family that wasn't there. The she-wolf herself had been growing more doubtful over the passing weeks and months, as time stretched on without any signs of her mate and most of their grown children. The smile that had brightened her eyes now faded a little, "No." Ta'kali did briefly look over her shoulder, following her son's stare, even if she knew there would be no one there to meet her gaze.

After a moment, the white wolfess looked back to her son, bringing a note of hope into her words, "I had considered reaching out to the Aspen Grove. It's been three years, but.. maybe they know something."

The frustration at hearing even his mother hadn't seen the others recently was soon replaced with the anger of a disquieted growl. He turned sharply to her, baring a fang at the very suggestion of seeking out the Aspen Grove, "No." The look in his narrowed eyes was a dangerous one, born of a festering hate and distrust of a family he didn't personally know, but had heard plenty about from his own parents. "They're the reason dad was exiled in the first place, forced away from his family with no support!" Cruiser's growl didn't subside as he went on, "If anything, I wouldn't be surprised if they're responsible for him and my brothers missing; they've got that cougar with them, after all."

She'd half expected the anger of his response. The boys had grown up without the support of their uncle's pack, and hadn't heard so much as a peep from the ruler of the Aspen Grove in the two and a half years since they'd been born. Not a single family member from that branch had offered a visit or a friendly howl, so why should Cruiser and his siblings expect any help from them now? Ta'kali understood the resentment; it festered in her, too.

On the other side of the paw though... she had no idea where her mate was, nor four of her five children. It was entirely possible that some of them had simply spread out over the territory or beyond to scrounge what food they could during the famine. Maybe they had gotten lost, or became too weak to make their way back home. Maybe they'd run into trouble. And despite the rift that ran between her family and Stormrunner's, they were still blood. Storm had a larger pack, and more resources. If there was a chance he'd heard or seen something, or could help...

"Dishonorable as your uncle is, it's still worth looking into." Ta'kali ignored the bared fang of her son, as well as his far larger size and strength. With the kind of mental fortitude and defiance that had made her such an apt partner for Megatron, the alphess didn't shy back from Cruiser's anger, "I'll rest this evening, and travel to the grove at dusk. You're welcome to come with."

~A Small Feast~ (Manahcob Downs)

~A Small Feast~

~Sorrow~

~Growl~

~Growl~