Coli could resist no longer; her stomach was rumbling with anticipation, and she had not eaten since yesterday's slow moving lemming. Smiling at Eclipse's response, she quickly excused herself and moved along the length of the table. Her nose sampled the air, leading her from each neatly butchered portion, tempting her with various herbs and spices. She noticed that their wonderfully talented chef was thoughtful as well, leaving some cuts of the roast unseasoned, and in one pile, the meat was still red raw. Perhaps the Aeska puppies would like that, since there were marrow-filled bones to chew as well, but Coli was drawn to the acquired taste of the herbs. She claimed a shank of venison, its aroma rich with woodsmoke and the perfume of rubbed sage along the crispy outside. Carrying the warm slab gingerly in her hands, she edged back from the gathering near the bonfire, choosing to stand off to one side while she ate.
Colibri was a reserved and shy female, but etiquette had no place in devouring prey. She dug in ravenously, voracious hunger causing her fangs to tear off chunks of cooked meat and swallow them whole. The buzz of conversation faded out as she worked her way through the large piece of venison, licking her greasy fingers clean as she finished. It was delicious, the best meal she could remember ever partaking in. Like most wolves, her prey was consumed as soon as it was caught, raw and furry. These days she rarely caught anything larger than a rabbit, so this was really special. She hoped there would be leftovers, so that she could come back tomorrow and get her fill again. It was only once her stomach was heavy with food that she let her surroundings filter back to her senses.
Bran, Niernan, and Temeraire were roughhousing around in the grass, booming laughter and playful growls attracting a lot of attention. Coli's ears flicked, and she thought she heard another little voice further from the clearing, but it was too faint to make out the words. It reminded her of the youngest addition to their pack, Sura, whom she met several days ago when she wrecked the herb garden. Surely the energetic pup would enjoy a meet and greet like this. Coli peered out into the pine trees, but did not see any black and white fur peeking back. The table had been festooned with gifts of another sort, hand crafted jewelry and leather trinkets to name a few. Perhaps she would pick of some of the shiny ones as a gift for the puppy; they usually liked pretty things to wear around. She could also look around for Ciaran, Niernan's faithful cat, and see if he would take meat from her hand. It seemed like his wolf partner was a bit preoccupied at the moment, and when they were first introduced, the young cat had taken a nap and had not really interacted with her. Feeling a bit more sluggish now that her hunger was sated, Coli moved back to the table to take a closer look at the offerings from Cercatori to Vinátta.