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Month 3 (Spring), Year 1


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Official Opening + Caribou Migration

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    Convection
    #1
    <img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/652323992631246851/807337020665888768/language.png">

    Another day, another dandelion top ruthlessly snipped by a sideswipe of canine chompers rather than a proper herbivore. Snapdragon had learned that one from her mother; surprisingly sweet with a little bit of a sugar boost. She was preparing for a quick hunt to satiate herself a little longer than the weeds would provide. Even without sneaking and sniffing it out, she could see the shifts in the tall grasses and the occasional rodent rump bump above the grass in the distance. This land was a little weird but it wasn't that different from home. 

    The canine neared an area a small herd of caribou was grazing through and strolled through with the audacity of a member. Or at least on the surface she did. She side-eyed the grazing beasts as she passed them to ensure her presence wouldn't upset them. It seemed a single small mutt wasn't enough to register as a threat.

    Or...

    They were actively avoiding eye contact in hopes that she wouldn't engage them out of fear. Yeah, she kinda liked that thought more. She needed to pass them regardless of their reaction to her for her plan to work. 

    The caribou had mowed out a decently large portion of the valley, which she traveled all the way to the edge to. Once Snapdragon reached the end of it, she casually nestled herself in the tall grasses and continued grinding the dandelion up with her molars. 

    She was well aware that idiot dumb rabbits would probably leave the safety of cover to graze on the exposed roots the caribou had left because it was readily available and it allowed them to scan their environment. But she was faster than the ugly little things, so it didn't matter. 

    It didn't take long for a rabbit to do just as she predicted. She slowly rose to her feet and watched it carefully, nose flaring to pick up where her eyes couldn't quite register due to her concealment in the grass. The scent told her it was about three strides away if she full booked it, which was playing a risky game. If it was facing her direction and noticed even a hint of the parting grass it probably would have enough time to react. Otherwise, this was a piece of cake. With a roll of her shoulders and her head down and ready, Snapdragon took off.

    Rolling 20: 1

    1+2=3

    And spectacularly failed! The rabbit didn't hesitate to bolt away the moment her front legs left the tall grass, keeping itself a solid two strides ahead. Fast as she may be, she wasn't quick enough to match the rodent's erratic hopping. Wide turns left put it 8 strides ahead - a sharp right another twelve- and before she had even reached the spot it had initially been, it was already on the other side of the tall grass and out of reach.

    Well shit. 

    She had always been scolded for her lazy hunting habits that she picked up in spring. The juxtaposition of the dystopian winters and the plentiful spring put her a bit too much at ease. She needed to take things more seriously. 
    Right now she was more frustrated about not making the catch purely out of ego than the possibility of going hungry a little longer.  

    Completely contradicting her serious introspection she had just had in a moment of remorse, Snapdragon decided it was just a very bad stroke of luck.

    And if she was going to have an unlucky day, she was going to make sure no one else was going to be doing any better.

    "AW FUCK!" Snapdragon roared out in dramatic (insincere) frustration to the skies, echoing all throughout the valley. She could see one, two, - four flock of birds rise from the tall grasses into the air and the grass rustle all around her. Even some of the caribou looked up and gave her a curious look, but all the terrier gave in return was a smug smile.
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    #2
    <img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/652323992631246851/807337020665888768/language.png">


    In spite of the rich green sprouting up from the ground with the nourishment of constant rain and warm sunlight, the grass here was already trampled down and bronze from the grazing path of the caribou. Dario still wasn't sure if he was foolhardy or hungry enough to try his luck with their horns and vigor, but those calves were still looking a little weak in the knees...

    <i>Hmm...</i> Nah. Definitely not hungry enough.

    The hound still eyed them almost wistfully as he dipped his head in a puddle for a quick drink, fancying the idea of being able to hunt one like the cougars could. A kill like that could feed him for weeks, but there just weren't enough dogs in the valley for a hunt of that scale, it seemed like his kind were doomed to spend their days picking off of whatever they could.

    The frail peace was shattered by the thundersome boom of a voice -- <b><i>FUCK</i></b> they shouted, and right after, the grass shifted and rustled as a rabbit shot by. Dario's pupils dilated, and his muscles locked for a moment before he reflexively made chase, the startled hare still being so concentrated on bolting off from another threat that it gave Dario an advantage. He swept in like a hawk, thundering out of the tall grass to snatch the thing off the ground -- understandably, he got a few painful kicks to his jaw as the thing squealed and fought, but he was quick to growl and shake his head until the struggle ceased.

    For a moment he was in disbelief at his luck, this was no bounty by any means but it was a five star meal for a dog so hungry. Drunk on his fortune, Dario forgot that this hare had been sought after by another, and ducked his head low as to not be seen, carefully scanning the area for signs of another hunter. That voice was <i>far</i> too close for him to just be able to walk away.
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    #3
    <img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/652323992631246851/807337020665888768/language.png">

    Satisfied and certain that she had righted all the injustices that fell upon her would not go unaddressed, Snapdragon was ready to continue on through the valley. But then she heard the cry of a pesky little creature meeting its end and just...

    Hmm. That is not how that is supposed to go. 

    She squinted into the distance, pulling up her lip to give just a hint of teeth out of annoyance. A rather dramatic roll of the eyes accompanied a shift in her direction as she began to tread towards and into the grasses back to where the rabbit had ran off. This was supposed to be her tug of war with life and death, and no one else was going to capitalize off of her misfortune or...

    Or...

    What exactly was what she was going to do about it? Steal the kill? That wasn't really her style. Maybe just take it so they cant have it either. Throwing it among the caribou could be a good "Fuck you" to both of them at the same time. But then again it was pretty early to be making such powerful enemies. She would save that for when she had her own pack and legions of dogs following her, as she should. 

     She didn't have too much time to scheme however; her gleaming eyes meeting his cautious look. The plan is simple; just be herself and that will be enough of a punishment in itself. 

    "You are welcome." Snapdragon states almost melodically as she prances through the grass, head held high as if she hadn't just taken the fattest L ever. Actually, she hadn't. Since this guy literally took the bait, it was his 
    L now. "I'll even let you have that one for free; no favors necessary." 
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    #4
    Sure enough, someone crested the hill blocking the line of vision between the two and it didn't take long for her to spot him, it made him almost indignant, how quickly she targeted him as though he hadn't been hidden at all. Still, he tightened his grip on the rabbit and hunkered his shoulders, getting ready for what was looking to him like an altercation.

    Naturally she looked annoyed. From the way she worded it it sounded like this was something she'd had her eye on, confirming his earlier suspicion that the hare had been bolting from another hunter. Her approval was no reassurance to him, though, because it was way too heavy with sarcasm to be anything convincing. Still, his jaw was starting to get sore from clamping down on the thing so tight, so he let it plop to his feet limply. If she thought to dive in for it he'd be sure to wring her neck.

    "<b>Maybe next time someone else won't have to kill it for ya.</b>" He bit back snidely. Considering how few of his kind there were in the valley, it didn't seem like the wisest idea to pick a fight, though he wasn't going to dull his tongue to spare any feelings.
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    #5
    Snapdragon, naturally being too full of herself to take into consideration the other she was talking to, was a little surprised at the sardonic tone that was returned to her and the lack of thanks she was getting for her perfect assist. Her gait slowed somewhat, but she continued to walk closer and for once, try to project herself beyond the perspective of her own and consider the circumstances from the other side.

    She eyed his somewhat squared off state of his body. So damn serious. Tacked on with the nerve to be condescending, Snapdragon was sure she hit a gold mine.

    "Mhm.For your sake, let's hope that doesn't happen or your smell would starve you." She retorts with the same cadence and inflection as if she were replying 'I am fine, and yourself?'.

    As far as dogs that she was familiar with goes, this guy was big and honestly? She didn't really want any smoke either. But it had been a long time since she could get into a good bicker and she was well overdue for some drama.

    Once she got to the base of the hill,  Snapdragon switched her paced to something more staid and conventional, giving him a fairly wide berth in case he got more defensive as she strode to the left of him, wanting to see if he would continue to track her movement.

    "I don't need anyone to land my catches. I wanted to test my inner cougar. You can have that kind of confidence to practice new tactics when you aren't smelly and can catch things that aren't tossed to you." Snapdragon teases.
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    #6
    The conversation wasn't exactly nonchalant or neighborly in nature, so of course Dario was keeping his flanks locked in case their sharp words became more meaningful. He tracked her movement like cornered prey, ready to defend what he rightfully caught and killed, regardless of whether <i>she</i> initiated the hunt first. Dario very much so subscribed to the "finders keepers" mentality, childish as it may be.

    Speaking of childish...

    Calling out his <i>smell</i> as an insult? What was she, 4 months old? He was mostly annoyed by the gall she had to be so audaciously haughty, as if she gave some big blood sacrifice for him to be able to catch his own meal. He would be angrier, but the food at his feet kept him placated, and instead he just watched her through the slits of his narrowed eyes, carefully scrutinizing her from where she was at the bottom of the hill.

    She didn't look like much of a threat. All bark, no bite, probably trying to goad him into getting angry. On any other day it would've worked, but fortune smiled upon him, so as irritating as she was he had no incentive to lash out at her.

    "<b>... Right. Good luck with that. Maybe you'll actually catch your own food next time.</b>" He addressed flatly, before reaching down to pick up the limp hare and carry it off somewhere with less yapping females to eat, an attempt at closing off the conversation.
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    #7
    As she had guessed, he kept his eyes locked on her the whole time, to which Snapdragon rewarded him with a smug smirk, an equally fixed stare, and tall expeditiously wagging tail with all the chaotic energy that had barely been contained in her tone seeping through. She liked the idea of perpetuating this narrative of being more insidious than she really is, especially if it would keep the other on his toes. It reminded her of all the troublemaking she would cause in her puppy days, and while a reputation for good was honorable, a reputation for bad has some interesting results.

    But that was all there was to that really. His responses were pretty dry, boring, and predictable, so there wasn't really anything to work with besides outright berating him, which isn't easy to do with a stranger. Sure, it was most likely because he wanted to keep a firm grip on his meal, but that was more sad and relatable than something worth teasing someone over. It wasn't too long ago that she barely broke through a rough and lonely winter and while the dog that came through on the other side was better than ever, some parts of her still wished that things didn't have to be that way...

    So in one more grand gesture of mercy and benevolence, Snapdragon would let him carry his meal away with a roll of her eyes and a sigh, shifting back into the tall grasses below the hills. There has to be someone else here that was closer to the living than the dead.
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    #8
    The male took what he believed the high road out of this confusing interaction, all too pleased with the outcome and not giving more than a passing thought to the female he met along the way. He still chanced a look at her, questioning why she wouldn't follow him since she proclaimed herself the honest hunter in this scenario -- didn't she want her "spoils"? Instead of some vitriolic look, she wagged her tail at him, almost impishly, only further muddling his attempt at making sense of their interaction.

    She definitely picked on him, but Dario assumed it came from a place of frustration. He was bigger than her, and was more than happy to put up a fight to keep his meal, but that didn't mean she had to dull her tongue, he figured she gave him a hard time to release her irritation. No, it almost seemed like she was <i>teasing</i> him just for kicks.

    What a weird creature. Dario followed her movements as she made herself scarce, almost... Uncertain. Was that <i>really</i> it? The silence permeating the air seemed to be his answer. Hmph, well, he wasn't going to look a gift hound in the mouth, as he readjusted his grip on the limp carcass dangling from his jaws and carried it off somewhere he wouldn't be bothered.

    <i><sub>(/exit, unless followed or called out to!)</sub></i>
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