Strange Trails

One

It starts like any normal morning in No Man's Land. Maisie awakes with her small head buried in her brother's stomach. His fur is warm, much warmer than hers and it keeps out the biting wind that's blowing in through the small cave they've claimed as their own.

Maisie raises her gaze to look out the entrance as Sean continues to snore beside her. A deep blue sky stretches out, calm and clear; she can taste the nip in the air on her tongue. Snow is on its way.

She huffs, they would need a fire going when that happens. Even their furry bodies and the sleeping bags they have on hand wouldn't be enough to keep them warm if the snow came in the middle of the night

Sean snorts, wiggling in his sleep to turn over onto his back, belly up and legs kicking out at thin air like a puppy. It warms her chest, and Maisie swallows a laugh, allowing the sight to wash away her worries about the weather. It would be okay, they survived on No Man's Land for this long, they could manage through a bit of snow.

Maisie settles her head on Sean's stomach, waiting patiently for him to rouse. She's eager to start the day, but she can't leave the cave without Sean.

Her mind drifts to the blackberries she found the other day, and her stomach grumbles. They'd go down a treat with the nearby Pack - after she's eaten her full. She's sure she also sniffed some wild garlic down by the lake. It is a little out of season, but not surprising given how many tourists passed by this way in the summer, bringing little seedlings from the city on their clothes and belongings. If she was normal, running to those spots on her own wouldn't be an issue. As it is, she's far more likely to be picked on by larger predators - or even other shifters - by herself.

A small part of Maisie thinks it's unfair that Sean got all the good genes from their bloodline and left her with all the shite ones.

Sean jolts as if he heard her thoughts, and snuffles loudly. He blinks slowly awake, turning his bright gaze to hers.

"Morning," his maw splits open in a wolfish grin and her annoyance melts away. It's not Sean's fault. Her being a runt is just a quirk of genes. Something out of both of their control.

Besides, there are benefits to being a runt that others could never learn to appreciate.

She smiles back, "Mornin'. There's early snow incoming. We'll need to be quick today."

He nods as he rolls to his feet, shaking out his fur with a wide yawn.

"You remember where those mushrooms were?"

"Aye," she nods, stretching out her own legs. She's itching for a run and has to smother the desire to nip her brother and lead him on a merry chase through the woods.

"Righto," he moves to the entrance of the cave, and moving low to the ground, cautiously sticks his head to sniff the air. Maisie waits anxiously by his knee. She hates this bit, the two or three seconds where Sean risks giving away their hiding spot, how she is forced to cower and wait with bated breath for his okay.

After a moment, he turns to her with a toothy grin, "Safe. Let's go."

She darts between his legs and straight out into the woods with a mental whoop. She can hear his scoff at her puppish behaviour, and just grins even harder. Excitement thrums through her as the woods open up, the tall trees that remind her so much of her home casting long shadows and shedding dying leaves in every shade of sunset. Maisie dives in and out of leaf piles, sniffing the air as she does. Sean trots patiently behind her, retrieving the large bag they hid near their cave for foraging.

Her brother may be bigger but his nose isn't as good as hers, so he follows her as she presses her nuzzle to the ground and narrows down the scents of the woods around them.