Homesick & Lonely

Iris seemed to have found a sanctuary on the sandy shore of this lake. After having found no trace of wolfscent near the lake--which surprised the little orange-furred wolf, considering that wolves needed water and prey and both needed water to survive, but she wouldn't question her good fortune--she had decided to stick around a while. Better to stay in a safe place, she thought, than to wander into the unknown and dangerous. Besides, it wasn't like she was heading anyplace in particular. She just wanted to keep away from her father, whom she didn't know to be alive or dead. But she had left him behind a long distance and a long time ago and she probably didn't have anything to worry from him anymore. Still, she was always careful.

The fine sand that made the beach of the lake was nearly white, but still warm to the touch thanks to the many hours of sunlight that beat down upon it each day. Iris lay on the sand, lulled nearly to sleep by the rustling of the tree branches and the warmth seeping into her body from below, but suddenly she was wide awake. A sound had reached her ears from the forest and she looked around, heart pounding. She sniffed the air, but there was no wind and no scent to catch. The sound of moving scrub came again and Iris refined the direction of her gaze--and saw a silvery wolf enter the open space a ways away. The color told her that the wolf was not her father, but the small wolf stood and slunk away anyway. Better to be safe than sorry. The cluster of tall ferns, in the middle of which Iris had made her nest, made a good spot for her to hide while observing the stranger. She knew it was just a matter of time before the wolf picked up her scent--surely it was all over the place by now--and came in search of her. So she thought. Perhaps this wolf was not curious and would leave her alone. She would wait and see.

Iris watched intently as the silvery wolf made her way to the shore, perhaps to get a drink. But she surprised the smaller wolf by jumping into the water and snapping at something. Iris had never known how to catch a fish and now she wondered why this wolf would go to so much trouble. Were they edible? Iris's stomach growled at the thought. If fish were edible, a whole new food source had just been exposed to her, like lifting a log to find a nest of mice, and fishing looked just as easy. Her mouth began to water.

Iris made no response to the stranger's first statement directed to her but the pounding of her heart. She was torn between her fear of this wolf and her need for food, which was greater than her ability to meet it. Then the stranger called out to her again, making it clear that the fish were indeed edible. With a deep breath Iris crept into the open, keeping an eye on the silver wolf in case she attacked. She came slowly closer until she was just a few yards, away, then took another deep breath. "Thank you," she said quietly, then darted forward, snatched a fish, then retreated a ways. Manners kept her from running further, but did did not take her eyes off the other wolf as she tore the awful-tasting scales off the fish's skin.

Iris wished desperately to allow herself to become engrossed in her consumption of the fish. She even drew comfort from stripping the scales from its skin. At least her mouth had something to do. She was a little put off by the taste so far, but she could tell from the scent of the catch that its meat was far sweeter. But Iris could not relax and concentrate on her meal while a stranger sat so near. Unlike the fish, the smaller wolf could not tell Shira's true nature by her scent. So far she seemed nice enough. She'd shared her food and not acted hostile. Iris was far from trusting Shira, but she could at least tell her her name. "Iris," she replied, her voice still quiet. "Good to meet you." She had a feeling Shira wouldn't quite believe that, but it didn't matter to Iris.

In a few minutes most of the fish was gone. Only the spine and fins remained. She would not waste any food. She looked up at the silver wolf, surprised at her offer to teach her to catch her own. "I would like that very much," she said, standing up and padding a few steps closer, but she stopped and sat down abruptly at her next words, offended. "It's not like I don't have a reason to be how I am," she said indignantly in her loudest voice yet. It was still rather soft. "Besides, how should I know anything about you other than what you tell me? And how am I supposed to know you're telling the truth if I don't know you?"

Iris chuffed with irritation when Shira snapped at her. She'd had very few encounters with other wolves in her life, and those whom she had met had been cruel to her, so Iris was naturally on the defensive with this wolf. She would never admit it to herself but all her problems stemmed from her lack of practice in social situations, and the only way she was going to get better at interacting with others would be to...interact with others. No, Iris would never allow herself to think about that.

When Shira turned her back Iris considered slipping away, but her stomach pulled her toward the lake. She couldn't resist the promise of food. Perhaps she could have figured out how to fish on her own, but she'd already seen Shira catch two of the slippery creatures; she obviously knew what she was doing. It would be faster this way. She sat down a few yards behind Shira and watched as she first missed and then landed a fish. Most of her movements had been too quick to all take in but as far as Iris could see, it was a lot like catching a hare. She stood and stepped into the lake, wading out into slightly deeper water. Probably there would be more fish here. She stood perpendicular to Shira so that she could see the other wolf in her peripheral vision while she watched the water for movement. There was nothing for several minutes. Apparently the other fish had been scared by Shira's splashing. Then she saw a dark shadow begin to creep near her. Iris held her breath and kept as still as she could while the fish came closer. Then, she pounced. She missed by a mile. "Argh!" she sputtered, both with frustration and amusement at her own failure. Now sopping wet she shook her fur out thoroughly before resuming her stock-still stand as she waited for the fish to return.