”I don’t want to”, Erlig complained, when Umbra asked him to stay put.
     “I won’t be long. Wait here.” Umbra watched Erlig with unmoving eyes. The pup – no longer young enough to actually be called a pup – grumbled, but complied. He curled up in the shadow of a large golden oak. Flecks of light danced across his face and the reddened grass, filtering through the branches above. Erlig looked up at Umbra with glassy eyes.
     The sickness had struck only shortly after they’d arrived in the forest. It wasn’t anything serious, or so Erlig insisted, but the fever did leave the kid exhausted and unable to keep travelling. Erlig had probably picked whatever it was up when they’d crossed the big swamp on their way here. After a couple of unsuccessful hunts together, Umbra had decided that Erlig had to sit this one out. They didn’t need any more accidents or misses caused by a tired, sickly pup who still hadn’t grown into his own paws properly.
     “You’ll be back, right?” The words were spoken in a small voice. Erlig seemed to fight to hide the worry on his face, but didn’t quite succeed.
     “Have I failed to return before?”
Erlig averted his eyes, but his voice was steadier as he answered. “No.”
     Umbra gave a short hum in reply, before nodding and turning around. He continued further into the forest, leaving Erlig to wait for him to return. It didn’t take too long before he caught the scent of a hare. He stopped only for a moment to figure out what way the creature went, before setting off after it.

Day was beautiful, sun was shining through golden leaves, birds were chirping... Those little balls of feathers that taunted him with their presence. They were right there and yet there was no way he could reach them.
     Weles chuffed, irritated. Normally he wouldn't waste time to even give a glance at birds. They were too small, feathers were going between teeth and most importantly birds had that irritating tendency to fly away on mere movement. His stomach on the other side decided to remind him of its existence and was very persistent too, telling him a little snack would be a good idea.
     Trying to ignore the singing, he perked his ears, flicking them from side to side. Something rustled in the grass, just few trees away and it seemed that whatever it was it still didn't detect his presence. That could be a good opportunity to catch something!
     Weles lowered himself closer to the ground and followed the sounds, trying to catch a scent. A hare? Oh, he would kill for a hare right now. The killing being implied ON said hare. If it was another blasted bird... Licking his nose he begun to stalk, counting on his fur to blend with the spots of light. Slow steps... carefully now...

When Umbra finally caught sight of the hare he’d crossed paths with the scent of another wolf. A younger male, somewhere in front of him. Umbra didn’t mind strangers – he didn’t mind many things – but it wasn’t hard to guess where this stranger was heading. Not when Umbra was, in a way, following his tracks.
     He didn’t wait for more than few breaths after first spotting the hare before setting off after it in a fast sprint. The hare startled at the sound of running and birds taking off from the trees. It spotted Umbra and tore off as quickly as its legs could carry it.

Weles heard the sudden shuffle and saw the hare suddenly springing out into his view, running away so fast it was leaving a trail of flying leaves and grass. Swearing under his breath he rushed too, springing forward to not loose it from sight. Where he made a mistake? Did it sensed him? Heard him?
     Or maybe, just maybe, it was because of the other wolf who appeared in his sigh, obviously chasing the very same hare. Oh. No, no, no, NO. It was HIS pray for goodness sake! He was not going to allow a stranger to steal his future dinner!
     "Ey! What do you think you are doing!" He picked up the speed, trying to catch up with the other pursuer, narrowing his already squinting eyes. The hare kept appearing and vanishing between shrubs, zipping between them. Quite frankly he couldn't focus on it when he was having a dark butt right before his face. He gasped for air, lungs starting to burn. "I saw it first!"
     He was so focused on the other male he almost run into a tree, just barely missing it. Roots on the other hand were harder to notice. In the process of trying to avoid colliding with wood, Weles jumped away, tripping on the sticking out roots. With a harsh "Umph!" he tumbled right under stranger's feet.

The stranger leapt out from hiding and chased after Umbra and the hare. Umbra heard him shouting, but didn’t register the words. The noise was enough to distract him though, and the hare zipped out from beneath him as he tried to catch it. He turned quickly, dashing around a tree-
     Only to find himself colliding with a flash of yellow. He stumbled over the other stepper. His face hit the ground with a hard thud. The momentum kept him going, tumbling before hitting a tree. The impact forced the air out of his lungs. Drawing in a harsh breath, Umbra stared with watering eyes after the stranger. Head spinning, he staggered to his feet. For a split second, the glare that nailed itself to the younger wolf filled with sharp, searing heat. It was gone just as quickly.
     “Watch your paws, pup.” The words left him in a hard monotone. Umbra shook himself, straightening. He threw a glance after the hare, but it was long gone.

The world spun and Weles with it. His muzzle connected with ground, ploughing through leaves and dirt. His back arched in the air and neck bent painfully as he flipped on his side, paws flailing aimlessly. Gravity finally shown some mercy, slowing him down and his back kissed the ground with small thud. At first he had no idea what just happened, disoriented, lifting himself up and spitting out some grass and mud that stuck to his aching face.
     He shook his head, finally gathering his bearings. Hare was gone, he made a nice, long trail as if a wild boar just decided to find a snack by running its tusks into ground, he was still hungry and now additionally hurting all over.. and then there was the other stepper.
     Now he could see he was an adult, definitely bigger than him and not happy either. He glared at him for a moment. Ha! Now they are going to be BOTH hungry. Wait, why was he happy about it? Anyway, he looked stronger and more experienced and if there was something Weles didn't want to do it was fighting. So his gaze softened but he was still staring at him.
     "Oh, I am sorry." He licked his hurting paw in a matter-of-fact way. "It wouldn't happen if you didn't chace my pray."

Umbra met the youngsters’ eyes with a look as flat as his tone. He shrugged.
     “S’not yours until you’ve caught it.” Umbras eyes stayed on the other stepper, but it was clear he wasn’t really seeing the stranger any more. He felt inside his own chest for that something that had disappeared again. The heat. The sharp stab of ice. He wanted to reach for it. Wanted it back. Wanted something. More than the dull ache in his limbs and face. One of his eyes was still watering.
     “Your mother must have told you that.” He focused back on the stepper. A light coloured fellow with dirt in his face. Slanted eyes and an accusing gaze. He couldn’t be all that much older than Erlig. The kid was going to worry about him when he got back. There was so much worry in that grey body of his. It was something. He was waiting. Umbras lips thinned in thought for a moment. He shook himself again, listened for a moment, and then moved past the stranger in a new direction. He had to find a new prey. The hare was a lost cause.
     “Or perhaps she hasn’t gotten to that lesson yet”, Umbra said in that same monotone as he passed the stranger. He wasn’t sure why he kept talking. He had no reason to. He had no reason not to for that matter either. Perhaps that was why.

Weles scrunched his muzzle a bit, ears going flat. Well, technically it was true, but he wouldn't admit it.
     He was about to answer when he noticed stranger was a bit out of it. Head tilted comically, as he looked over his shoulder, stretching his neck. Was he staring at him? Was there something behind his back? Was he seeing something? He glanced back and forth at the stepper and general location of his gaze. One eyebrow rose perplexed. Maybe he was still dazed after the crash... "Ey, are you with me?" Not that he cared. He was still disappointed about his meal being lost, but he didn't want to actually hurt the guy. Not to the point of cracking his skull.
     "My mother has nothing to do with it." Weles huffed annoyed. Off course she told him! It was just one of those life lessons he wasn't really kin to listen to. It doesn't hurt to try putting his paws on what he wanted after all. He licked his muddy lips. "And I had that fluff almost in my teeth..." He sighed a bit dramatically, finally getting up on all fours, shaking off the the bits of grass and dirt. The stranger was already leaving... did he just ignored him? How rude! This won't do!
     "Oi, where are you going? I'm not finished!" He trotted after him, catching up, staying few steps behind - just in case the stepper changed his attitude - which was acting like a vampire just sucked his soul out - and decided to do more than a nibble.

Umbra didn’t look back at first, but turned his ears to listen to the youngster at his heels. After a short silence he glanced over his shoulder, giving the stranger a one-sided smile. He raised his eyebrows.
     “The rabbit’s gone, you know. You’ve got no luck staying here if you’re gonna catch anything else.” They’d made enough ruckus to scare most critters away. Umbra would be more likely finding other prey elsewhere. “You’re welcome to accompany me if you like, but I’m finished here.” He turned his eyes forward again, sniffing the air and lengthening his strides to a trot.

"Oh, look at you, you can smile!" Somewhat. At least he was showing something. He gave him his own lil smirk, still following him right behind.
     It wasn't exactly what he had on mind but he wasn't going to complain. It seemed the stranger was more friendly than he was showing, or at least he wasn't going to bite his head off. He can as well drop the act of hurt puppy. "I know." His ears perked up. "This is why I am going somewhere else, which happens to be in the same direction you are going. Sooo... I guess I can take the invitation and make sure we will catch something." Nailed it. Maybe with the older guy he will have a meal today. He wasn't starving but running around on empty stomach wasn't fun. Maybe bigger male will leave him some scraps.
     "So... since we are going to spend some time together we can introduce each other. My name is Weles!" He puffed his chest proudly. Chest covered in mud... There goes his presentation. "And you are?..."

The youngster kept chattering. Umbra wasn’t fully listening. Weles. A simple enough name to remember.
     “Umbra”, he answered when prompted. He slowed down for a moment when they came across a small stream, before turning to follow it. It was a narrow thing, no more than a leap across and likely no deeper than to his chest at most. The water shimmered golden below the surrounding trees. There were plenty of scents in the air, but no new ones of interest. Apart from the one behind him, who kept talking as if needing to fill the silence.
     “I don’t know how you usually go about hunting, but I find it a lot easier to find anything if it doesn’t know I’m close by before I can even smell it”, Umbra said after a while, stopping as they reached a clearing. The stream opened up into a pond, surrounded by mossy rocks and occasional reeds. A pair of ducks swam on top of the water, and on the opposite shore a single swan rested in the grass.

"Umbra. Suits you well, dark fur and all." Speaking of fur, seeing the stream Weles took an opportunity to walk through it, washing off some of the dirt sticking to his fur. It wasn't perfect but at least it made him feel bit more comfortable. Being done with it, he went back to track after Umbra, shaking off the droplets. Some unceremoniously landed on his new companion.
     "Usually I see the prey before I can smell it." He had to admit, hunting in forest is a bit different from steppes. Where the open space had less places to hide it was easier to see the pray from afar and then stalk it as close as possible before giving a chase. In the forest the game changed into hide and seek. Miraculously his fur allowed him to be less visible but at the same time tall trees and shrubs obscured his vision. More obstacles also meant slower speed. "On open plain at least."
     The idea that maybe he should be quieter flew over his head. Weles fell silent though when he noticed a swan and pressed himself closer to ground. Ducks were too far away but the swan was still ashore... if he could just get closer. "And I spot a dinner."

Umbra eyed the other stepper as Weles crouched low to the ground. He followed Weles gaze, to the swan and back. It was a big bird. Graceful, with feathers as white as snow and a soft blue bill. Resting it looked harmless enough, apart from its sheer size. Still, Umbra had a healthy respect for large birds. He made a low, noncommittal sound.
     “You ever fought a swan before?”

Weles licked his nose and made first few steps, moving away from Umbra. "No, but I am about to try." It was just a big bird, in worse case scenario it would probably try to fly away or swim across the lake.
     He jumped between reeds for better cover, taking careful steps to not make a sound. The hare was fiasco but this time the ambush will be perfect.

Umbra considered following Weles around the pond, but instead decided to sit down and watch. He hadn’t personally fought a swan before, but he’d heard enough stories from relatives back when the family was still together. And these were bluebilled swans. Umbra had never been a very religious wolf, but he wasn’t that eager to take any chances. Not with Erlig waiting. He should probably get going. Instead he watched Weles stalk through the reeds, inching his way forward. Slowly, carefully closing in on the unsuspecting bird.
    There was a sudden rustle, accompanied by a hoarse hissing sound. The swan in the grass lifted its head and bobbed to its feet, looking up as its partner rose from behind the grass next to it. Next to Weles. Umbra didn’t move, but in the grass below him the shadows stirred.

Oh, the swan was his! Just a little bit closer, just another step, he could almost feel the feathers tickling his nose... figuratively speaking. It was closer than the unfortunate rabbit anyway!
     The hiss made him jump, sending a shiver down his spine. Fur on his neck stood up like a tail of a frightened cat. Oh that didn't sound good. Weles turned his head slowly towards the, oh so close by noise, facing a very big swan. Considering the hiss it was not in good mood.
      He glanced quickly towards the bird he stalked just a second ago. Ah, it was altered too. And bigger looking when it actually stood up. Uh oh.
      His ears pressed against his head. He might miscalculated his chances. He could probably consider that swans live in pairs like almost every single bird in the world. Maybe, just maybe he could notice the bird was roosting which makes all feathery animals look a bit smaller than they are.
     Maybe it was time to retreat.

Umbra watched as the two swans slowly waddled toward Weles. One of the birds opened its large wings in a threatening display. It stretched its neck high and puffed its chest out. Hissing loudly it took a quick step toward Weles, flapping its wings hard in one powerful hit.
     A long shadow ran across the ground, rippling over grass and between weeds. It slipped over the water’s edge, rushed across the bottom of the pond and up on the other side without a sound. In a moment the tendril had wrapped itself flat around one of Weles legs and pulled. It hauled Weles to the side by the leg, away from the birds. The shadow dissolved as quickly as it had grabbed hold.

"Good geese, nice birds... I just... HAH!" Too close! Definietly too close! Weles swallowed up growing lump in his throat, voice shaking. He took slow steps back, glancing between two swans nervously. "I was just... wandering 'round, no need to be so... AH! So angry!" He kicked the ground, making mud flying from underneath his paws, having difficulty with finding a steady step.
     Suddenly he sensed something around his back leg, which he used so desperately to move away from attacking swan and he felt a powerful yank against it with such power he was sure his leg just get ripped clean off of it's socket. And then world spinned. For a mere second there was no more mud under his feet, he saw a blur of blue and gold and he found himself being dragged gods knows where.
    And as soon it starter it ended too making him slide with his face across the reeds and mud. Confused and disorientated, Weles lifted himself up, spitting out muck that get between his teeth and stumbled like a very drunk squirrel that had a feast on fermented pumpkins. He blinked, trying to gather his bearings. What just happened?...

Umbra watched Weles slide and tumble as his momentum continued after the shadow let go. Umbra hadn’t pulled him far, just far enough to be out of immediate danger. The first swan had stopped its approach, content with the perceived threat backing up. The second swan, however, didn’t seem convinced and continued its slow approach. The younger stepper groggily stumbled to his feet trying to reorient himself. Umbra sighed, but made no move to get up from where he was seated on the opposite side of the pond.
     “Run, pup!” Umbra called, the words loud and clear but the tone devoid of any actual urgency. He didn’t worry. Erlig was the one worrying. He should probably get back to the kid, instead of staying here. Still, Umbra remained seated, eyes on Weles and the swans.

Weles opened his eyes wide, neck turning so quickly it almost let out an audible crack. He eyed where his companion rested iddly. Umbra, this male was a statue of peace as if nothing was happening. Or maybe he was simply uninpressed, he couldn't tell. What he could tell was that he was a bit too far away for his comfort, while disgruntled, blue mass of feathers was approaching with a hiss. This was enough to make him sprung to his feet, flopping over the mud and running in straight line towards his companion.

     And body of water. In daze he completely forgot about the body of waterbefore him and noticed it at last second. In quick decision he jumped forward - he could just run across it's shore! Unless your name is Weles and you just badly estimated the depth - apparently in this particular spot water was much deeper than it looked like.

     With a grace of a dying dear he plummeted into the body of water, smashing into it with a belly flop and dissapearing underneath it.

     Under water Weles turned his body to resurface but stopped, feeling his skin tingling in fear. He saw them, legs of the bird paddeling towards his general direction. If he goes up the bird will surely catch up with him and turn him into million shredded pieces. That was enough for him to react in instinct - if he wasn't under water his fur on neck would stand up to the very ends.

     Suddenly a lot of tiny bubbles resurfaced in place where Weles vanished, looking like water boiled for a very short time, before they dissapeared again. Whatever happened it had an effect on the angry bird. It shuddered, ruffling it's feather and then flopped it wings to sides, looking slightly dazed, if not shocked.

     A moment later few tiny and two bigger fishes, water dwelling insects and even an unlucky frog joined the bubbles. Fishes flopped belly up or on their sides, looking definietly dead. Frog twitched lightly with one leg, making up side down circles. And in the middle of all of it resurfaced gasping Weles, with wide eyes and ears pressed tightly to his skull, looking around to find his bearings.

Weles ran, made an incredibly clumsy leap, and disappeared into the pond with a loud splash. The swan continued its pursuit in a far more elegant manner, smoothly gliding out on top of the water. It paddled around for a bit, before suddenly spreading its wings and ruffling all of its feathers.
     Upon seeing the fishes and frog floating to the surface, Umbra got up from where he’d been seated. Weles broke up through the water as well, gasping and looking around wildly. The swan had decided it wasn’t worth continuing the chase, and slowly wobbled back up on the opposite shore.
     “You make a better fisher than a bird-catcher.” Umbra waded into the water, reached out and grabbed one of the fishes. He carried it back to shore, where he put it down and turned back toward Weles. “Everyone knows not to mess with swans.”

What? Huh? Where was the bird? Was it gone? Umbra decided to join him to water and picked up... a dead fish?

     "Oh yes! I-I meant to do it! Yeah! I mean, I am great at many things! One of them..." He snagged clumsily leftover fishes and after thinking he pushed with his nose the unfortunate frog too towards the shore. "... is using my zapping to hunt down fishes. I've done it many times before. The bird, THe bird just surpriced me, that is all. You are welcome by the way!" He puffed his chest, gloating. Truth to be told he had no idea he could zap fishes under water. He panicked, he reacted and there they were, with a slightly cooked dinner. Well, steppes were not known from their abundance of water after all. He didn't really had a chance to use zappy powers beyond absconding away from potential danger. 

     After getting out of water he shook his head and the whole body followed, spraying water everywhere, including Umbra. Electrised fur puffed and then laid back down. He squinted his eyes even more, making him look like he closed his eyes. he spat out his catch, eyeing Umbras backside. "I don't know 'everyone'. Or swans. It was the first time I ever saw those blue murder birds."

“They’re usually white with yellow or red bills.” Umbra picked up the fish in front of him again. He walked over to Weles, putting the fish back down on top of another one. He looked around for a second, orienting himself. “Swans”, he clarified. “Just so you know. Wouldn’t recommend messing with those either.” Without waiting for a reply, he bent back down and picked up both fishes in his mouth. He turned without pause and started trotting away.

"Ah, good to know they have colour variants. Not only murderous but also fancy." Weles rolled his eyes and licked his paw from mud. "Dully noted."

     He watched Umbra picking the fishes and then just... leaving!? He was stealing HIS food AGAIN! And the biggest fishes non the less! Weles springed on his feet, forgetting about the mud. "Ey, ey, ey! What do you think you are doing!" He stopped himself in tracks, remembering there are still smaller fry and he picked it up, almos choking himself with it. Oh yes, the frog was going to, it's legs spread sideways to wolf's mouth. Reminder for himself - find a better way to carry multiple things around because this was NOT helpful. He finally run after older male who left only rustling grass and branches behind.

    "Wheh ah uo ghng?" He found him, almost bumping into dark backside. He trotted to his side quickly, ears flopped back in displease. "Hih mhy fhih!"

It didn’t take long before Weles were back at his heels, voice muffled by the food he carried, but nonetheless clearly displeased. A steady stream of unintelligible complaints filled the air. Umbra gave him a quick look from the corner of his eye. He lengthened his strides and continued back along more or less the same path they’d followed before.
     Umbra wasn’t sure that Weles actually realized how far they walked. The younger stepper kept up with Umbras pace the entire way, making sure the whole world knew of his woes with loud wailing noises that were likely supposed to be words. Umbra humored him with the occasional affirmative hum, to indicate that he was listening, but otherwise kept quiet. As they trotted forward, a light mist covered the ground, stirring up around their paws. Umbra caught the now-familiar scent of Erlig not long after, and soon the large golden oak where he’d left the kid came into view. Erlig was still curled up at its roots, eyes and ear already focused in Umbras direction. He’d likely heard Weles a mile away.
     “You’re back!” the youngster croaked from his spot once he spotted Umbra. He stumbled to his paws, his gate a little wobbly from lying down for so long and from his tail wagging wildly, though low. He came up to lick at Umbras face, before half-hiding behind the older wolf as he turned wary eyes on Weles. Erlig spoke up again as Umbra put the fish on the ground.
     “Who are you?”