Aleu and Niju

Autumn to Winter Transition

The fine dusting of snow signaled the end of the brief autumn season. There were few deciduous trees in the territory, but enough to dot the landscape with red and yellow. However, much of the landscape was composed of evergreens and they remained a stable constant during this time of transition.

As the grasses and shrubs prepared for winter, the plains were a blaze of crimson. With the dying of the grass the caribou herds were forced to move with increased frequency to acquire the nutrients essential to survive the brutal winter. The herd was still new to the lands and had not completely established an exact migratory pattern. They'd had their babies on the plains, but there was a chance the might leave the territory completely for the winter. Aleu found herself carefully watching for their next move, not that she was too worried. They'd return again and winter was always a time of plenty for the wolves.

The days were growing shorter now, and Aleu found herself grateful for it. Niju had noted with the coming of winter came the weakening of prey and the ease of ambushing in heavy snowfall. Not that she really minded how things were going now that the clan could come together and hunt as a group. Little had changed since the beginning of fall, the elders remained distant and usually ate in silence before retreating back into their den. Aleu had not reclaimed her official title, but organizing hunts as she was gained her respect and cordiality from most clan members.

Niju began to take up duties right along with hers, however his style of doing things varied quite a bit from her own. Aleu was surprised to find clan members didn't seem to mind Niju's militaristic outlook and the brutish attitude that she butted heads with from time to time. Then again, they were all probably used to it- seeing how Niju had been part of the clan for much longer than her.

Being in such a large pack and with prey beginning to be worn down by the lack of nutrients and the biting cold, clan members were able to spread out quite a bit across the territory. Hunting was easy and could be done in much smaller groups now, if need be they would howl to meet up or hunt together in large groups. Friends would often patrol the borders together or take up shelter during a blizzard together, just as the clan had always done during the winter time.

Years in the past Nava would usually check up on everyone every so often but as his age and wisdom increased he seemed to just "know" how things in the clan were going. Winter was a time of bonding whether it be with family or friends. Besides the typical winter hazards, the living was usually easy. However, last winter Aleu had little time for observing such things in her frantic efforts to preserve the clan and herself from chaos and ruin. This winter was shaping up to be quite different. This season the clan was really coming into their own, as were Aleu and Niju in terms of their involvement within the clan.

Aleu padded her way through the sprinkle of white and as she looked up she saw that the clouds carried the heavy potential for more. Earlier in the day there were a few flurries as she tracked the caribou herds with Quisp and Sarnai.

Weeks had passed since Aleu or Niju mentioned anything about Aleu's future departure from the clan. But Aleu saw no real problem with the life she was living now. She was just taking things as they came and dealing with things one day at a time.

She'd been absentmindedly tracking a small hare through the evergreens when she'd nearly bumped into Tuk. Tuk was a rather nervous fellow but was agreeable and well liked nonetheless. He jumped at her sudden appearance and garbled some words together as an apology. Aleu gave him a smile and began sniffing for the hare's trail once again.

"The hare went that way, by the way." The suave voice of Tuk's philandering companion Qillaq could be heard on the other side of the pine in front of her. He was flirty beyond the point of toleration most of the time, and Aleu always found herself hearing about things she never needed to hear whenever he was around.

"Oh yes? Thank you Qillaq." Aleu was polite as usual.

"Baby, how many times I gotta tell ya… Call me Qilla." He suddenly manifested from the other side, disregarding her personal space.

"Ehehe, right. I'll try to remember that." She took a step back and rolled her eyes, only to step right on Tuk with a yelp. "Tuk! I'm sorry, are you alright?"

"Oh yeah I- I'm fine! You just stepped on my maw- er paw! I'm fine." Tuk had an odd habit of switching words when he was flustered. Qillaq was always trying to teach his suave ways to Tuk, who was a miserable student at best.

"Say it sure is getting cold out here, and you know what that means, eh?" Qillaq offered her a lecherous grin as Tuk hobbled back next to the Casanova's side.

Aleu supposed the hare would just have to wait. She felt some responsibility to be cordial and kind to all of her fellow clan members, even when there were things she'd rather be doing. It was part of taking responsibility, however she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer to this one. "No, how's that?" She grinned and bore it.

He sidled up to her. "Well let's say you and me talk a little overwintering eh? 'Cause I'd love to have a chance to overwinter with you, if you catch my drift."

Aleu was puzzled by this. Tuk took the opportunity to make a terrible pun. "Aha! Like a snow drift?" The awkward air was filled with Tuk's nervous laughter, which was quickly snuffed by Qillaq's glare.

The Cassanova wolf got in Tuk's face. "You'll never get the ladies if you keep up with those terrible jokes, moron."

While Qillaq schooled Tuk, Aleu tried to think of what he could mean by that. Was he worried that she wouldn't be around this winter or something…?

"Well of course I'll over winter with you!" Qillaq and Tuk stood in stunned silence. "I mean we're all over wintering together as a clan aren't we? Seeing as you're part of the clan, we all have to overwinter with each other, right?" She cocked her head and tried to figure out why they stared at her so.

Qillaq gave her a strange smirk. "Heh, I wish."

Tuk blushed wildly and quickly changed the subject. " Actually, we were just looking for you! We wanted to tell you what we saw just a few days-I mean hours- I mean minutes. Minutes ago."

Before Aleu could inquire further Qillaq had to cut in again. "Yeah did you hear the rumbling?!"

Aleu shook her head.

"Oh man! You shoulda seen it! Those caribou were on the move again! But this time, they were headed towards the mountians. Me n' Tuk here almost got ourselves trampled!" Qillaq gave Tuk a nudge for confirmation.

Tuk nodded swiftly. "Mhhmm. They were so scared they didn't even see us there! I wonder what's going on in their heads… They've been acting strange for a while now." He trailed off.

"But anyways, you being so observant and keen eyed- we were wondering if you'd noticed anything as well?" Qillaq tried another flash of that smile.

Aleu was much too deep in thought to notice his attempts to be charming. "You know, actually I have been seeing some strange things lately. The herd has been moving closer and closer the the mountain trails, a little more each day. If they were going to overwinter somewhere else, why go that way? They also do seem a bit more skittish than usual after the rut…" She was really just thinking aloud at this point.

"I know right? That's exactly what we were thinking! Right Tuk?" Qillaq grinned down at Tuk- only to find him preoccupied with following the rabbit trail. "Tuk! Hey! Are you just gonna leave me hangin-"

"…I'll go see what he has to say."Aleu finished muttering to herself and turned to head off in a separate direction. "Thanks for the observations guys!"

She heard Qillaq call after her. "No problem baby!" Which she chose not to respond to.

The sprinkling of snow began once more as Aleu started to look for Niju.

As the snowfall became thicker and thicker Aleu had to slow in her search. She knew Niju had been patrolling the borders with Nuk earlier, but after her nap she doubted they were still out as a group. She just saw Yak and Sumac fighting over scraps on her way through the gorge, so that ruled them out. She guessed that meant Niju was probably alone, which wasn't unusual. Even as he became reacquainted with the clan, Niju still seemed a fairly solitary wolf. Aleu actually rather preferred him to be alone for this. These were not things the entire clan needed to hear just yet. She called out to him in a throaty howl and had her suspicions confirmed when a deep resounding howl sounded in the distance.

The wind blasted a thick bout of flakes into her face until she had to duck to the side to maintain some line of sight. As she headed towards the freshly frozen creek the tree-line grew thicker and her face was given some measure of relief from the relentless bombardment of snow. His scent was strong in this area but she just couldn't see him yet.

She tracked him right into the place where the boulders were large enough for a wolf to squeeze between them and take solace. This was where Niju was probably waiting for the snowfall lighten up so he could resume his border patrolling.

When she entered the narrow crevasse between the boulders he almost startled her…Almost.

"You called?" Aleu could hear his slight sneer.

She wondered just how long he'd watched her before she noticed him there.

"Yeah, I did. What're you doing over here?" Aleu found herself wanting to know what his day was like now that hunts were going so well for her and the rest of the clan.

"Well, I was patrolling the boarders with Nuk, but he kept wanting to stop for food so I elected to move on without him after the creek." Niju didn't quite sound finished but Aleu decided to cut in for the fun of it.

"-So basically you left him?" She grinned and shook herself off before stretching out on the bare rock floor next to him.

He hadn't the energy to deny it. "I suppose you could say that." He gave her a sidelong glance.

"It began to snow so heavily that I couldn't see well enough to be productive. This looked like a good spot to wait."

"Yeah, I think it's a nice spot to hunker down for a while. Anyways, I noticed something strange going on with the caribou." Aleu unconsciously shifted closer to him as she spoke. The herd's odd behavior was unnerving her and her voice showed it. This was not the face she wanted the rest of the clan to see, she needed to be strong and sure of herself.

"They're continuing towards the mountains aren't they?" Niju had noticed it as well. It wasn't too odd for the herd to be on the move, however, it was exceptionally odd for them to be moving towards the mountains of all places at this time of year.

"You've seen it too then. I can't figure out why, but something seems to be driving them towards the mountains. I don't know what could possibly be causing them to behave in such a way. They're unusually skittish and almost constantly moving- you don't think they'll actually go into the mountain territory now, do you?" She spoke in hushed tones.

"I don't know, but that's why I was patrolling the borders today. I believe something has them badly spooked and whatever it is must be some distance away. I haven't been able to pick up on anything yet, nor have I seen anything out of the ordinary lately." He leaned in closer to her. He didn't want to cause panic within the clan either, thus conversation was best not to leave these rocks. Niju was well aware that certain clan members had a propensity towards hysterics.

The caribou's behavior, odd that it was, didn't really trouble him terribly. Caribou were prey animals and he prided himself as a predator, he'd just as soon blame it on a difference of perspective and move on. He hadn't seen or smelled anything that he would consider dangerous these last few days, but as a predator his definition of what was considered "dangerous" was categorically different. With the end of the rut approaching he knew the exhausted caribou weren't thinking too clearly either.

"Any ideas on what it could be?" She scratched her ears and picked some snow that had turned into ice clear from her paws. "I mean I was thinking bears…or maybe another pack."

Niju immediately shook his head. He knew better. "No, it can't possibly be that. Caribou wouldn't be on the move like this for any sort of bear. Even ones that are preparing for hibernation aren't aggressive enough to scare them in such a manner. And if there was another pack in the vicinity we'd have certainly known by now. I've patrolled the parts of our territory they usually grazed in and saw nothing."

"Well I have no idea then, but I'll be keeping an eye on them." Aleu insisted.

Niju didn't seem to share her immediate concern. "Well with food as it is during winter… We've got plenty!" He shrugged off the unease. "There's much more to eat besides caribou. If they want to try their luck in the mountains, then that's not really my concern. "

"Well that's just it Niju. Perhaps we should be concerned."

"The thoughts of lovesick caribou after the rut could very well be beyond reason. They move as a herd, when one of them panics they all follow. It's not the most logical process, Aleu." Niju seemed ever so content to leave it there- almost too content. Aleu was getting to know him so much better now, she could detect the slightest uncertainty in his voice. He'd never admit to it but he was just a twinge uneasy.

"You know as well as I do that they could have smelled or heard something a few days ago that we missed." Aleu preyed upon that uncertainty, she wanted him to crack open and share his true concerns with her.

He hardly budged. "Our senses are much more acute. I highly doubt one encounter could be enough to drive them to this sort of behavior, that's preposterous. They are clearly attempting to escape something." Well now she was getting somewhere. His face told her he'd probably meant to keep that hunch to himself. "Whether that thing is real or imagined, I've seen no trace of anything out of the ordinary around here." He grumbled and rested his massive jaw on his paws with a heavy sigh of petulance.

Perhaps that was just it. "Hmm… 'See'." Something was dawning in her sparkling azure gems.

"As I said, I've detected nothing out of the ordinary." He settled back into self content.

"But wait Niju, what's something the caribou can do better than us?" She implored.

"Well I suppose their eyesight is a bit keener."

"Exactly."

"You think they saw something we didn't?" Niju took her insistent stare as a yes. "And what all-consuming terror could they have possibly come across that's scarier than us? We kill them regularly and yet they've stayed in a territory we can easily hunt them in, even before we made the journey to these new lands…That's complete nonsense!" His tone grew disdainful and bitter as he glared at her.

"Is it nonsense Niju? They fear something that is unknown to us." Aleu had learned to temper herself, even when Niju forgot to be mindful of his. She could tell he was frightened or at least slightly unnerved, thus acting defensively.

"Yes, I've never heard of such a thing. It makes utterly no sense." He still didn't sound completely sure of his own comments, and she knew it.

"There is no shame in thinking like the caribou for a moment. We are all connected Niju, I want to know why they run to the mountains. What is it they fear? I can admit I fear the unknown." She drew him in with her large oceanic eyes.

"I know. I've been fearing it more and more each day." It was his voice, but he wasn't truly speaking. Aleu found Niju's own deep blue stare and for a moment she saw the raw emotions that tumbled within.

Aleu nodded with the slightest movement of her head. "And tell me, what does Niju fear?" She gave him a small nudge.

"I am afraid that when you leave, the clan will never recover."

"That's something else I was thinking about. I don't really know what the grand design wants me to do, but right here right now I feel at peace. I feel like I might be in the right place for whatever happens next."

His brows knitted together. "How do you mean that?"

She faltered and chewed her tongue for a moment as she tried to think of a way to phrase her words. "I can't really say, it's just a sort of… A feeling… Say Niju, what can you tell me about dreams?"

His eyes narrowed and leaned into himself, regarding her carefully. "Isn't that more of a question for the elders?"

"Yeah I guess so. I'm not sure, maybe I've been eating too many roots or something. I can't really remember my dreams, but bits and pieces of the same dream keep coming back to me randomly. It's been happening for a few days now."

He shrugged and gave a heavy sigh. He'd dealt with enough talk of "visions" for a lifetime. Niju wasn't overly fond of dream visions, and his reasons for such distain were pretty clear. "Well as you know, I don't put much stock in dream-visions. But I must say, for a wolf you consume enough plant matter to rival someone from the bear-clan."

She rolled her eyes in response to his light teasing. "It's just as well, I can't even remember enough of it to convey it clearly."

"Then how do you know it's been the same dream?"

Aleu herself didn't really understand the strange game her mind was playing here. "I don't know how I know, but I just…Do."

Niju had nothing to say to that.

Aleu decided to spend the rest of her day with Niju, since she'd spent so much time seeking him out in the first place. As the snow momentarily let up they departed from their rocky refuge and continue patrolling together.

With the days getting darker, it wasn't long before twilight was upon them. For the first time that day, the sun bled its dying light through the clouds in an enticing crimson shade. Aleu and Niju witnessed the spectacle from the small lake that fed into the streams. They could also see the caribou herd huddled together in the distance, they appeared to have slowed down their movements in preparation for the impending night. They never traveled much during the night, but they were getting closer to the mountain range that appeared to be their destination. Aleu stopped to drink and as she did- she noticed that the lake was beginning to freeze in places, a sign to all that winter was here.

As the snow began again and the sun faded they made the trek to the plains, back to the den the had shared since the summer. Aleu had taken to sleeping wherever it was convenient lately, so returning to this den was almost like a homecoming. In truth she missed Niju's company, especially with the unsettling enigmatic dreams of late.

The day's long patrol having worn him out, Niju settled immediately. Aleu on the other hand, was a bit more restless. She fidgeted alongside him well after the sun had dipped below the horizon.

"Niju?"

He didn't move from his prone position. "Mmm?" A lazy drawl.

"What do wolves usually do in the winter?" Aleu inquired from an odd position on her back.

She felt him suddenly go rigid. Had she said something wrong?

"Aleu it's late…What do you mean by that? The clan will do as it always has. We become stronger together." Niju sounded avoidant once again. And it was confusing the hell out of her.

"Oh you mean like bonding? I was just wondering if we did anything special." Aleu muttered as she turned over onto her belly.

Niju didn't answer her question as she'd hoped he might, seeing as the silence prevailed.

"It was just something Qillaq said today that made me wonder." She probed him.

He sat up suddenly. "And what did that sleazebal- what did Qillaq say?" It seemed even Niju was aware of Qillaq's seedy reputation.

"He said he wanted to over-winter with me."

Niju seemed a bit astounded, but quickly attempted to mask it. "Oh? What did you say to him after that?"

"Well the way he asked was kinda odd. You know how he can be like… really flirty. But I said of course he could!"

The look she received from Niju was an expression she'd never seen before or wanted to see him make again. Perhaps she hadn't quite elaborated enough. "I said 'we're all over-wintering as a clan together, aren't we? So of course I'd over winter with you.' It was a really silly thing for him to say, I mean we're all bonding here- why did he even need to say that to me?"

She really had no goddamn clue what she was talking about. "You mutt…" Niju heaved a breathy sigh as his expression changed to an odd mix of major annoyance and mild amusement.

"What do you think overwintering means?"

"Well like...Bonding. I mean, duh. What else could he possibly mean by that?" She gave him a puzzled glance.

Given the nature of her upbringing he really shouldn't be surprised. But he found himself unprepared just the same.

"Aleu… Over-wintering is something mated pairs do. Qillaq was basically telling you he wanted to mate with you."

She looked aghast. "What?! Oh curse the spirits, no wonder Tuk wanted to change the subject so quickly… Ugh gross. I'll get Qillaq for that tomorrow, that slimeball!" She punched her paw into the ground.

"So I take it the feeling isn't mutual?" Niju gave a smug grin.

Aleu's face bordered on comically revolted. "Eww no! You wouldn't believe the stories I've overheard about him during grooming sessions."

"Actually I might, seeing as I was there when a few of them happened." He had a rare amused glint in his expression.

"That must have been an unfortunate situation."

"To say the least. Nava was always too soft with him; he should have been banished for his deeds long ago."

"Couldn't someone make the same argument about you?" She slightly regretting saying that for the glare she received.

Despite this, he seemed to take it in stride. "At least I learned something from my mistakes, it seems the lady- qilla is as corrupt as ever."

"Lady-qilla?" Aleu wrinkled her nose at the terrible nickname.

"He referred to himself exclusively as that for a time, I'm glad he's since moved on." Niju replied with a yawn as he stretched out further.

"Gross. I'm glad I missed those days." Aleu finally began to feel drowsiness come onto her.

Aleu found herself awakened yet again by the familiar racing of her heart and clawing for quickened breath. Her sleep addled vision was hazy, but the vision of Niju concernedly standing over her quickly came into focus and gave her a start.

"Oh! Niju what're you doing?" Aleu found herself still gasping and digging her paws into the ground as if she were hanging onto reality for her life.

"You were whining loud enough to wake the entire clan, then you kicked me." He spoke impassively.

"Yeah well I was having that-" She felt herself still trembling slightly.

"-Dream again, yes I know. While it's still fresh in your mind try to remember what happened. What did you see?" He spoke hurriedly, lest Aleu forget what she'd just witnessed.

Aleu stifled a yawn and couldn't help feel the slightest bit overwhelmed by her counterpart. She'd just woken up after all. "Erm, well- let's see… Uh," She scrunched her eyes closed in an effort to replay the vision again. It was all a mess of landscapes and emotions.

"It wasn't so much what I saw but what I felt. I felt something growing tight around my neck. It was like the more I ran the tighter it became. Uh…" She squeezed her eyes up tighter.

Niju's voice gave her a foothold in the chaos. "Have you ever felt anything like that before?"

"No…Wait, yes! Those things Rosie put on me once. All my brother and sisters wore them too. They had colors. That was back before we had names, they used them to tell us apart I think. I always hated them and took them off, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I think they're called collars or something like that." Aleu seemed more sure of herself now.

"So you were wearing it?"

"Yes but it was too tight, and I was running through the snow to try and get it off. I think I was on a mountain of some sort-the only thing that seemed to loosen it was climbing higher up the mountain. If I tried to go lower, it got tighter." She cocked her head. "What do you suppose that means?"

Niju shook his mighty head. "I'm not sure, but is that all you can remember?"

"Mmhm. I think that's about it. That's the most I've been able to recall at once." Aleu turned over on her side as sleep settled over her once again. "Say Niju, what'd you dream about?"

"Nothing important." Aleu figured there was more to that, but she didn't think he'd budge if she tried.

They were just beginning to relax back into sleep when an unearthly noise in the distance suddenly pierced the silent flutter of snowfall.