What A Day

Ah jeez... his stomach was rumbling furiously! How long had it been since he'd eaten? He couldn't remember but it had been an hour at least! That was way too long to go without at least a snack of some sort. He needed something in his gut and he needed it nooooww! So, he'd set off to wandering. His nose was towards the ground like a bloodhound as he snuffled this way and that. He could smell several trails of prey but that wasn't what he wanted to go after. No. He wanted something that would provide the least amount of physical exertion. It was only a snack, after all. Snacks had to be easy and quick, not like a fleetfooted rabbit or a strong elk. Those required a pack to bring down, in any case. He was sorely lacking in one of those... and he certainly couldn't even remember if he'd had one before. HIs mind was still drawing blanks on where he'd come from. He didn't even know where he'd gotten his pretty jewelry from. 

Of course, that was neither here nor there. What mattered now was food. 

Soon, he managed to lock onto the scent of something pungent but absolutely <i>delicious</i>. His little tail waggled back and forth as he practically fell into a clump of wild onions. Score! 

Happily, he began to dig them up vigorously. Then, loudly and lacking any table manners, he began to munch on them. Breaking into the fragrant plants with gusto. 

This was the best day ever!

@
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It had become less common for Hydra to wander far from where she had begun to stake her claim, but even while she worked she had not forgotten what she felt she must find. And it was with this in mind that she took a day trip away, informing her husband of her intent to stretch her legs to see if she might see any familiar faces near. If at some point he met her, she would not have minded... but to the Rippling Heights Hydra arrived alone. 

From afar Hydra caught the unfamiliar features of Mordecai. At too much of a distance to ascertain much of anything about his person, appearance or otherwise, Hydra began her direct approach; she was slow about it, giving him the proper time to assess the situation and turn tail, should he feel the need to... though that would certainly arouse suspicion. It seemed he was eating something, though from that distance she came from she could not make that out quite yet, either. She could not smell blood, but attributed this to perhaps being downwind—she could not smell him well, either, at this point.

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Not only was he distracted by what he was eating, but the smell was fairly strong and covered up a lot of what was going on around him. So, many factors could be attributed to why he didn't notice the she-wolf until she'd come closer. The slow approach, however, afforded him enough time to realize that something was off. He frowned briefly at the onions he was munching on before he twitched his tattered ears and finally lifted his head to look around. He licked his lips, partially cleaning them as he looked this way and that until finally, he saw the slow-moving shape across the springy mountain grasses. Upon the first glance he could see the wolf was almost entirely black with a slim, athletic figure with a well-groomed coat. Almost the complete opposite to his own ruffled and onion and grass-stained coat. 

He attempted to draw in a sharp breath of air so that he might scent the wolf but all he managed to inhale was a nose-full of onion-smell which caused him to launch into a sneezing fit. 

When it finally settled, he stood with his nose dribbling and a pained look on his face as he let out a quiet groan. Oouuucchh... that hadn't felt great. Maybe he should eat mushrooms next time and lay off the onions. He forgot how painful they could be if you weren't careful.

The rotund brown wolf plopped his haunches on the ground while he stared through bleary eyes at the black wolfess. "Hullo..." He called out to her, extending the olive branch. He tried to reach up and wipe his nose clean on his foreleg, sneezed again, then sniffed and gave a lazy smile to the woman. Charming. "Do you want some onions?" Because it wouldn't be nice to not share! Even if he had sneezed all over them... and even if they were what made him sneeze and made his eyes teary in the first place...

It was the thought that counted though.   

@Hydra
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Hydra paused when his sneezing began, and sniffed at the ear herself. An acrid scent captured her attention... one she was not intimately familiar with. The scent alone, though, was enough for Hydra to determine she wanted no part of it. It was a deterrent in of itself, and she imagined it could not be good for one of their sort to eat. So... why did he? He fell onto his haunches, though she remained standing and observing. His greeting was heard, but it seemed as though he had more to say. 

And he did. 

Onions, he called the thing he had consumed. A thing to be avoided. “No,” she drawled, “they hardly smell appealing. Thank you, though,” she said in answer, ever polite. Taking only a step toward him, Hydra asked, “...have you eaten these things before?” Having been through famine, she was well aware that in those times beggars could hardly be choosers. All the same, if the cost of sating ones hunger was becoming ill, then it was a moot point and a terrible waste. Then, you lost even more energy for nothing... though additionally, the things could be poisonous. Time would tell that, if he did not know. 

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 No. Was the very decisive and quick answer. Oh boy! More for him then! Anyone else might have realized that it would be in their best interest to stop eating the offensive things altogether but not he. It was food and he couldn't just leave food uneaten! That was a travesty! Not something he'd do at all. Nope nope. So, when she declined, he wasted no time in gobbling the things down. It was harder to finish off this last bit though and he had to chew with his mouth open, while sniffing and blinking away tears. Gosh, onions were the food that liked to fight back! A challenge in and of itself! He liked it... but also, didn't. It was a complicated relationship.

 "The smell's a little rough... and the eating too... but it's worth it!" He managed to intone around his bites and loud chewing. Finally he was able to swallow. Victory! He grinned, quite happily, as his little stub began to wag because of the food he'd gotten to stuff down his gullet.

 Oh, she'd asked another question. Hmm... He lifted up a paw, poking the side of his face as he thought about that question. "Uuuhhhmm..." He mumbled while looking up into the air, dusting off the cobwebs of his memory to try to figure that out. In the end, after a few moments, he was unable to come up with an answer so just shrugged and said, "Iunno. If I haven't though, I've been missing out!" He resumed his smile, tail starting to wag again. "Onions are like, the food that fights back! It's got quite the kick!" He sniffed and started blinking again to try to clear away his eyes.

 Always the one for manners he said, "I'm Mordecai! What's your name, miss?"

@Hydra

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Worth it? “How?” she deadpanned in turn, and as he continued on about it she could find no answer to it that would ever make it worth it. Food that fought back was for hunting, not foraging; if that fought back, Hydra knew it was likely to be toxic. Lyra had taught her that, too. He had never tried it, but was willing to put his own life on the line for it... she deduced that his own likelihood of survival was minimum, at best. If he remained alone, it would surely be a death sentence. Her gaze shifted toward what he had already wolfed down... and she pondered if that much had not already been decided. 

Well, he was not dead yet... nor dying. And it did not look like it would happen then and there, not that this would bother her. She was used to swinging the sword, though his own way of going out would be... different than that, she imagined. She could stay, in case he wanted a quick death if it was coming... but, she had things to do... family to find. 

Mordecai was his name. “I do not think your onions are as good for you as you think,” she offered, “if you know of any remedies for poison... I would seek one out, just in case,” she suggested. Food that fought from within meant the food was foul. The Ostrega could only hope he had some sense of self-preservation to do as he was told; but perhaps he had not eaten enough to worry, and perhaps Hydra was wrong. She did not know for certain, after all... but the scent... it was bothersome, to the point where she turned to go. 

Not offering her own name in turn, Hydra moved to depart with a nod; she felt saying much else would be wasted breath, her own name included. Where she imagined he might be headed... well, he would have no use for it there, she did not think. But should they meet again... perhaps then.

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How? How was it worth it? For a moment, the dull wolf seemed lost for words. How was it worth it more than anything else? He couldn't think of anything extra special to say so he shrugged and went with what he knew best... "Because it's food?" He tilted his head to the side. Did she not understand? Food was the best thing ever. You didn't just let it go to waste and no matter how much it fought, it was worth it in the end. He also... didn't know of any remedies for poison. Oh no! Were these poisonous? For a moment he actually looked concerned. Maybe he should ask Crux if he'd be okay after eating all of the onions. He stared down at the remainder of the meal that he had... long enough that he'd missed the she-wolf's departure. Oh... He hadn't even gotten her name.

Hopefully he would see her again! Maybe he could get it then! She was real nice for being concerned about his health, after all. In the end, he ended up trundling off. Intending to find his besets friend to seek out advice.
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