Dymeh found himself awake again, taking up his usual guard route in the middle of the night. As snow began to fall in the quiet forest, scents became harder to track, and paws became very cold. There was no doubt the hardest times the pack would ever face were in full swing around him, and as he checked the perimeter he and the others had set around their territory, he realized things were getting worse. The faint scent of another pack could be detected, proof that the Ravine Pack's longest-lasting rivals had begun to slowly surround them.
Suddenly, but familiarly, Dymeh felt the dull pain of hunger set in. It had been nights since his last meal, and every creature that could provide the smallest amount of food was hiding from the freeze. With a slight sigh, Dymeh realized he should be hiding, too. His luck had run out, now it was time for him to suffer.
Marking one final tree, he began padding back to his den, located in a ravine that gave his pack its name. Careful not to wake the others, he slipped back into his small crevice under a rock and gave himself up to exhaustion.

Aleera woke up the next morning to see the ground covered in snow. She got to her feet and padded to the forest's edge. She knew she should try to hunt, but because the snow has set in, there wouldn't be much. She began heading deeper into the forest. Aleera had been smelling the scent of other wolves for weeks now, but today, it was much stronger; she realized it was only a matter of time until they made their move. Pushing off the thought, she began her search for food.

Dymeh woke up panting from a horrible nightmare. The rival pack had hunted him as if he were a deer, chasing him and finally bringing him down to slowly devour him. Calming down, he decided to check on his pack and make sure everything was okay. Stepping out from under his rock, he sniffed the air. Only one scent was awake: a female, Aleera. He followed the scent and eventually caught up with the hunting she-wolf.

Aleera ignores the wolf, Dymeh, as she lifts her nose to the air. Finally she smelled prey. Keeping alert, she slowly headed towards the game. Out of all the odds, it was an old, sickened deer. Aleera moves so she is out of its line of vision and incapable of sensing her presence. She eyed Dymeh quickly to see if he was going to join in or just bystand.

He gave a slight nod, signalling that he was going to join her. He scented the air, the got ready to attack.

She flicked her ear and then attacked. Grappling it to the ground, she tried to get to its neck, but couldn't reach it. Quickly, she signaled the other wolf to attack.

He instantly leaped at their prey's neck, snapping it in a second. Exhausted, he backed off. Somehow, just this simple action had exhausted him.

Aleera lets go as well, panting. She glances over at Dymeh to see him too, exhausted.

"Sorry that... took me a minute," Dymeh barked, "I guess I was kind of out of it." He didn't want to admit that he was succumbing to fatigue.

"I noticed," I bark lowly. "It's okay... We caught it."

"Let's get this back to camp. The pack will be happy to eat again." He grabbed one of the thing's legs between his teeth and started pulling.

She picks up another one of its legs and starts pulling it back towards the camp. Slowly, they make their way back with the game in tow. (Sorry for that little point of view change in my last message... I get mixed up sometimes. xD)

((It's fine.)) Ears perk up and noses lift as the scent of food fills the camp. Dug into a ravine, the pack living here has learned to deal with the rough terrain just outside their dens. Wolves come over to examine the kill, seeing and smelling that it is weak. "That will hardly feed any of us!" One wolf remarked.
"Yes, but at least we can eat something again." Dymeh retorted through a mouthful of leg.
The pack's Alpha, Dracov, stepped out into the pale sunlight. He licked his lips, and, without saying a word, tore off a leg and returned back to his den. Soon, other wolves began tearing off pieces, until only a few scraps were left.
"How courteous of them to leave us some," Dymeh said sarcastically. He grabbed a bit of the neck.

"I'm used to it." She growls, then eats a little bit of the scraps. "Thanks for helping with the kill," she says before leaving for her den. Aleera's den wasn't much; it was on the outer edge of camp and quite small. She didn't spend much time in it, anyways.

"Don't mention it," he called over his shoulder, walking towards the Alpha den. He needed to speak with Dracov. But when he sniffed the area near the den, only the Alpha female's scent was fresh. "May I enter?" Dymeh called, and was answered with a terse "Yes, come in." Bowing as he entered, Dymeh stood up at the signal of Tera, and began to question, "Where is Dracov? I've news to report."

(Tera) She watched as the younger male, Dymeh, entered. Being the alpha female, she kept her ears and tail held high. "Dracov is not here, and will not return until the next moon. Is your news urgent?"

"Yes, rather urgent. The Mountain pack is coming closer; I found some marks crossing our borders." He was going to say that they should send out more patrols, but didn't want to sound too bossy.

"I am aware. Aleera has alerted me of this on several different occasions. It's our best option as of now to just wait and see." Impatiently, she waited for Dymeh to leave.

"Oh... well, thank you for listening." He nodded, then left. He was upset that he was not the first to report this news. It would have won him some respect from the Alpha female, instead of her impatience. Exhausted, he dragged himself back to his den and lay his head down. ((Care for your own story arc?))

((I can't think of anything right now... Haha.)) (Aleera) Restless, Aleera clambered out of her den and trotted to the woods. She lifted her muzzle to the familiar smell of the wolf who has been crossing in the Ravine territory. She braced herself.