17 Chapter 17

For the next week, they were just moving through the forest, sometimes playing, with a few lessons from his mother to him. The vixens were slowly learning the meanings of some of the words, they couldn't hold up a conversation, but they could listen and give general ideas.

He was also collecting the prey species that he could manage to, first picking up another rabbit friend for the one that he had already stored away. Most of the prey species were of a size that allowed him to grab a pair instead of just a single. The closest thing that he had to predators was birds that would wind up pecking at the ground, searching for bugs and some tasty little berries.

And the more that were stored away, the more energy seems to build in his system, his first bone's marrow had been cleansed, it turned out that it was his back left paw, unlike most cultivation moves that have a sudden spurt of black sweat, or other means of evacuation, it seemed to be dragged into the core of the world, making it burn, pumping out more heat, making the surface shift, spreading out, like a piece of glass being blown, careful to keep it completely spherical.

It starts to slowly rotate, moving to make sure no side enjoys the sun that is beating down on the surface to much. A sense that the next batch of impurities might go to that orb with the next purification.

Other then giving more warmth into the world, in his own body, it starts up a different sort of energy cycle, something that seems to feed him, letting him ignore the usual hunger that would be brought about. He can sense though, that his mother and the vixens were starting to slowly grow hungry, while his is still muted, just a light want to eat if possible.

They had found a possible place to find a new territory, a hill side, that slowly turns into mountains capped with evergreens, not tall enough to be permanently covered in snow, but high enough other trees wouldn't be able to survive the temperatures during winter. The landscape is dense with the large conifers, the colors of the trees seem to have a bit more steady shades of green, unlike the multitudes of colors they had previous seen.

Syren seems to take the sights more in stride, the majesty of plant life not needed to fill her stomach, or find a warm cave to keep her safe from storms. Nadia was in agreement, either a full meal or a warm place to rest was going to be needed before thinking about anything else. Azure and Lapis had apparently found their way onto her back, taking a nap while they still could avoid walking.

His mother seems to notice something, guiding their pack along, leading them towards a small cliff side, high enough that a jump could break a leg, but not enough that it could be fatal to her. There is a small path up and down, worn from other animas that had decided to climb up. "We should be able to find something here. Why don't we separate and search for now?"

There hadn't been any danger for their travel, and nothing to indicate there was any predators that had claimed the territory. Both him and Nadia agree, The vixen deciding to approach the cliff and head to the left, his mother, faster, and stronger than them, heads up the path, leaving him to check to the right.

It wasn't long before he lost sight of both of them, neither seemed worried, but it was the first time he had been alone. He could feel the connection, having worked a little to strengthen the bonds, he could tell that the little cubs were still enjoying their rest, much to their mother's annoyance. Syren wasn't having any troubles advancing up the path, only signs of larger prey animals were seen.

His own path had some particularly dense patches of trees, almost looking like they had started from one source, and were just branches, barely separated from the large trunk. He almost missed it,the sounds of the forests had stopped for a few seconds, almost as if holding their breathes collectively, a loud yowling breaking the silence.

It causes some birds to fly up from close by, signaling the sound was close, The young cub takes his time to approach, letting his mother know about the potential opponent to their claim. Her response a quick affirmation, letting him know that she would join him.

Nadia was still wandering, not worried, having heard the wolfess would help him. The desire to find a new home deep in her heart. Plan set, he moves slowly, ears up, listening for more cries from the predator. Which it seems to oblige him, letting out the distinct cries, giving him an idea as to what he might be happening upon.

With how slow he approached, it had taken him five minutes to approach, a break in the dense trees, it wasn't really a clearing, just enough space that the sun could filter in unblocked from the reaching branches. The area had been taken over by smaller plants that could find no other possible places to rest, with this clearing taken over by a type of bush. From where he stood, there was nothing wrong with them, the suddenly silent area being the only idea something had gone wrong here.

There is torn up grass near one of the bushes, making him stand there, not wanting to approach the probable villain of this short instance. Their is only a faint smell of another predator, it is wrapped around a couple of the farther trees, the idea something had tried to cut through before meeting an untimely end the likely scenario.

His mother soon joins his side, her own eyes sweeping over, agreeing with her son's. It doesn't feel dangerous where they are, but that makes the pair all the more wary. For the next half hour, they sat there, watching and waiting, no minds were near, so they couldn't figure out what had happened. Nothing moved, except for branches in a breeze they didn't seem to notice.

After not satisfying their curiosity, they circle the bushes, backtracking the feline scent, figuring there is a new home hidden away that had just lost it's old occupant. They let Nadia know of the possibilty, her hopefulness at a quick resolution almost infectious. They could almost feel the thumps of two little vixens being kicked off their mom, made to walk and join their pack back up.

Syren and her son followed the scents, they were still strong on each of the trees, as if the victim had just claimed their new home. As it turned out, was quite possible, A large hole in the cliff face with sheer sides that couldn't be climbed, naturally at least, close by. He had seen a possible path while he had been wandering earlier. The pair decide to meet up with the hungry vixens, deciding a hunt would be a perfect way to celebrate their new home.