Picking Up the Field Mice [open]

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Amoux Creek in the winter was a slippery slope to a split lip. Cain trod carefully down the slick, frozen road, walking just about where the current was strongest as the river swelled in the spring. He snorted softly, the warm exhale clouding quickly in the frigid air - it hung suspended for a moment, then drifted quickly away on the next breeze. The young adult flicked a lazy right ear back, his left pelted down against his skull. The muscles weren't able to lift it regularly, but in the winter as snow and ice accumulated, his left ear was almost constantly frozen down to the rest of his fur. His deft paws were quick to pick their way across the frozen thoroughfare, head down and right ear alert to assuage an approach from the left side. 

There was a definite air of purpose to his walk, though he really had nowhere to go. If he kept up the pace and continued to look dutiful, he figured duty ought to come his way.

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OOC: LONELY CHARACTER YOU SAY!? WELL LET ME OBLIGE *throws fresh-made character at* DUCK. (omghibtw)

Winter was hard for all wolves, loners in particular, but the Amoux was usually a good place to find deer and other edible creatures who were looking for any water that wasn't frozen. Standing on a short bank and looking at the fresh layer of snow covering the frozen river, however, Murphy realised with a sigh that the hard winter was dead-set on making things difficult.

His belly gave a half-hearted grumble under his thick winter coat, and the mottled brown youth turned to find a more promising hunting opportunity when something caught his eye. Another wolf. He felt a little crestfallen that it wasn't something edible (he wasn't that hungry just yet), but the distraction was welcome. The other wolf looked a little grouchy, especially with the dogged walk and half-pinned ears, but who know, maybe the other wolf wouldn't mind teaming up to take down something that would feed them both for weeks. That would surely make him cheer up some.

Shaking out his fur to try and look vaguely presentable rather than the scruffy half-starved loner that he really was, he put on a friendly smile and greeted the fellow, "Hallo thar!" He called out, hopping down the embankment to step out onto the frozen river ahead of the other brown wolf.

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OOC: HOWDY, STRANGER. <3

Though he was on high alert, Cain had diverted so much of his internal resources into compensating for his deaf side that he nearly missed the stranger who appeared square in front of him. He braced himself suddenly in surprise, scrawny back legs buckling as his top-heavy upper half struggled to stay aloft. The adolescent's rear hit the frozen ground with a definitive thud, but he immediately set about tucking his tail around his front paws and assuming a look of supreme nonchalance. He had absolutely meant to do that.

Reassuring himself that the snow must have softened the other wolf's steps - and trying hard not to curse himself for missing the unmistakable smell of 'stranger' on the breeze - Cain set about maintaining an air of dignity. It was only a little difficult, as his tailbone ached quite a bit. "Uh, yes, hello." 

He ducked his head and got a better look at the stranger, relaxing a bit more noticeably when he realized that the other male was built much the same. Not so much in the unsightly and cumbersome rib-cage department, but certainly almost as lanky as Cain. Good. He can't possibly be a bully, and at the least, it'd be a fair fight. He flicked his right ear high to listen for a response, his left ear laying characteristically flat against his skull.

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To his surprise, the wolf simply sat, seemingly entirely casual about meeting a stranger on a frozen river. Murphy cocked his head, offering a friendly grin despite the lack of one on the new wolf's face. He supposed he couldn't complain, at least the greeting hadn't been an immediate bite-your-face-off. That was always a good sign. The wonky ears kept him a little on edge, though. The fellow either has a serious itch in his earhole or he wasn't quite sure what to make of him.

"So, funny story, right? I was walking along thinking I was hungry and looking for a bite to eat, and here I find you instead!" He plonked his own rump down on the cold ground. "Not that I mean I was thinking of eating you of course, that would be weird. And you probably don't taste that nice. No offence. Anyway," he continued quickly, "What I mean is... got any food?" The young wolf cocked his head to the other side, tongue falling to loll out of the other corner.

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Cain coughed and nodded sagely as the stranger carried on, trying still to maintain an air of aloofness. "What a funny story indeed," he agreed, laughing along. Personable - yeah, that's it. Take it easy. The cold had set Cain on edge, but there didn't seem to be any apparent threat. He slowly relaxed, eyeing the other male a bit differently.

"Would be just a bit weird. I'm a little scrawny too, y'see, the meat would probably be all tough," he added as an after-thought. His mouth began to water when Murphy asked about food. That was a word he'd been trying not to think about for all of its scarcity. He licked his lips thoughtfully, then shook his head and sighed. "Nope, no food. Scrawny," Cain reiterated, lifting a back leg to scratch idly at his rib-cage. Cain thought for a moment longer as he itched, huffing quietly when he came to a solution.

"But... you know, four eyes are better than two! And three and a half ears are certainly better than one and a half. Maybe we could help each other out a bit?" It almost took everything in his power not to wink - alas, Cain wasn't very thorough in the self-restraint department, so he failed miserably and gave Murphy a largely overplayed, conspiratorial wink. [/blockqoute]