[PRP] Rage and Other Red Things (Flame & Wildland)

[Minsuil]

Flame of the West often hunted along the eastern borders of Westfen's land. Partly because he liked the quiet, and partly because he had found many trespassers recently. Today was a comparatively sad day. There was no shame in coming back empty-handed save for the fact that Flame had never come back empty-handed from a hunt. He'd come across nothing but the occasional track and blood. Someone else was hunting, that was for sure. And they were making quite the mess of it. Such a mess, in fact, that he was sure they'd managed to scare off every living thing between here and the Blackwater.

The tracks and signs the hunter left suggested a heart-rending speed. It was almost as if they had ran their prey down before snapping them up. Flame of the West frowned. The deep grooves in the soil showed where the hunter had suddenly changed directions. Even without the help of Strider, who was at home with a sprained paw, he could track this hunter without any trouble.

By the time the tracks he was following were fresh, he'd passed three carcasses and passed just beyond the borders of Westfen. Flame heard the sick snap of bone and knew he had found the hunter. He stepped forward from between the trees and was face to face with a doe.

"If you are any louder, you will scare away anything that west of the Ghost Thistle mound."

He was scowling, but his tone was even, almost monotonous.

Aric Val

im rly excited for this huff huff o(-<

 

[Aric Val]

It wasn't very unusual for Wildland to be outside her own territory, digging her heavy hooves on new ground, chasing and taking prey and leaving graves in her wake. And this morning wasn't very different, though she had wandered further on to a territory she had never step foot in -- not that she even had presence of mind of it, to her if there was prey, she would chase, she would fight, she would make it hers.

It was exciting, the feeling she had of catching an animal in her strong jaws would make even her parents proud. She wasn't, however, the neatest hunter and that was obvious in the way the blood was spread across her muzzle, the loud crack of bones breaking in this hunters mouth.

Even before the other spoke, Beast, her (only) trusted companion was already scouring the area from above and let out a warning for Wildland, though the doe was far too focused with her kill that she was surprised by this stranger.

"....." She growled, the remnants falling off her mouth that was far from lady-like, lowering her head at him and evaluating this buck. She immediately knew from his stance and body that he was strong, she could tell. Beast flew lower, eyes with the same hungry look at the newcomer.

"Let them run, then. I would chase them down anyway." she said confidently, her voice laden with the excitement of her hunting spree. She eyed him up and down, taking a step forward.

Minsuil

*O* aaaa me too!!! Hope this is ok!! /breathes heavily on them

 

[Minsuil]

The doe's tone put him on edge. She was confident. And though the Flame wouldn't use the word 'skilled' he could tell very clearly that she was strong. The limp body fell from her mouth with a thud and Flame felt a strong wave of distaste rise in him. Here was a doe who clearly didn't think much, she seemed driven solely by instincts.

The eagle is loyal though, he thought as he watched it stare at him. When she stepped forward, he stood still and unflinching. The look in his blue eyes was icy.

"Fine, but do it elsewhere. These are Westfen lands and we have no need for hunters who don't respect the swamp."

Aric Val

its more than okay!! huffs!! sorry flame is so ******** antisocial qq

 

[Aric Val]

She wasn't one to give her respect too easily as well, just like her parents, Wildland regarded actions louder than words -- words were mostly useless, really. But she could see the way he carried himself, yet he seemed contained in the way he moved and spoke to her. The dark doe pushed the remains of her kill away with a bloody hoof, now mostly caked in brown and red, she looked at him closer with a challenging look.

"I respect the swamp -- and it respects me -- !" She wasn't about to be intimidated! Who did he think he was? "Who is this Westfen? Are they with you?!" Already it was clear her emotions easily took over her in a snap, golden eyes eyeing the buck and circling him now as Beast was as well. She had no intention to attack -- not yet, at least.

Minsuil

Nooo he's good!!! Wildland is just .. /o dumb babies

 

[Minsuil]

She pushed the carcass away into the mud, seemingly forgotten. What as waste, Flame thought. He was doing well keeping his thoughts to himself until her declaration about the swamp.

Flame of the West snorted. He looked down at the doe, partly because he could, but partly because he had the feeling it would annoy her to no end. "Yes, because someone who respected the swamp would waste food and life like that." He looked around at the clearing before dropping his gaze back to her. "As for the swamp's respect...its hard to respect someone that doesn't respect you."

Who is this Westfen? The question echoed in his head. He didn't really feel like answering - if this doe had no idea then it would take too long to explain. It was a shame, Westfen could bring the best out in someone who had so many raw skills. But Flame wasn't about to drag a hostile back to his family.

Aric Val

 

[Aric Val]

And he was right, the way he literally was looking down on the doe made her uneasy, standing on her hooves as much as she could to try and get some leverage. It was at this moment Beast hand landed on the ground, picking at the remains of the corpse, but not without her eyes still watching the buck. The eagle was fiercely loyal to Wildland.

His words made sense, too much sense, it aggravated her, "And what do you do that gains the utmost respect of everything?" The doe paused, circling slowly. "I kill the weak, the strong survive, that is how it must be so the swamp has more strength."

Admittedly, Wildland wasn't exactly mindful of other kin in the swamp, much less tribes or these groups her sister had gone on and on about while she wasn't really listening. But the absence of a response to her question bothered her.

"Westfen... Why is that so familiar?" She mumbled to herself.

Minsuil

 

[Minsuil]

He felt the eagle's gaze on him heavily. If only Strider were here to keep it occupied...

"And when you were young, and blind, and helpless, who nurtured you? There is more to life than simply strength." Flame of the West paused, sure that he'd said more than enough. But there was something about this doe, her questioning, that reminded him of the young apprentices. They are young and foolish, but they can be taught. Maybe she is no different.

"Look," he said as he nodded towards her eagle, "Do you think she follows you only because you are strong?"

Aric Val

Flame doesn't brag but she might have heard rumors about them floating around? Good or bad. Westfen also had a big story gathering/hunting competition. And they also had a good showing at the battle of the tribes!

 

[Aric Val]

She paused at his words, "Nurture isn't really the word I'd use, more of -- the one who birthed me trained me well." Wildland looked at the buck as if he had another head. "...You remind me of my sister.." Her expression was a mix of slight disdain and quiet understanding, the doe still for now. "She says --things like that."

The next words did catch her off guard though, sharp eyes looking back at the eagle with the bloody beak, satisfied with the remnants of the catch, looking back at her, attentive. "Beast and I grew up together -- she knows I am strong and I know she is too, she ----" The kimeti caught what she was saying, growling a little. Perhaps she was turning too soft recently. . "I am strong, I hunt and protect my territory. What else is there?!"

"Westfen." she growled in a low hum, to change the subject as well as to sate her curiousity. But the more she thought about it, the more she had a distant memory of it."...I remember. You are... hunters. Tell me more about it." She said bluntly, eyeing him with a heavy gaze.

Minsuil

Right, right! I wasn't around so that slipped my mind T-T But she has probably heard about them from her family once or twice I am sure since they're hunters. So she knows bits and pieces but isn't quite sure until he kind of confirms it.
She's just.. bad at talking /o lol

 

[Minsuil]

She'd been raised less as a child and more as a hunter. Trained, it was how Longclaw described his youth. But even Longclaw had a caring mother, one who taught him how to stand. It was not a word Flame would use to describe his parents. He was beginning to understand where this doe's personality came from.

"If your eagle respected only strength, she would have left you long ago. Surely you must have met stronger kin when you were young. Did she desert you then? He wanted to say that she was standing in front of a stronger kin right now, and the eagle still stuck by her side, but it seemed like the sort of thing that would only anger her. And Flame had the feeling this was the kind of doe that was liable to lash out at the closest thing - him - when angered. Instead, he answered her questions about Westfen, hoping she could understand what he was trying to explain.

"They are my family." He said simply. "We have hunter, yes, but not everyone is a hunter. Not everyone is suited for it."

Aric Val

nooo she's so cuuute /pinches her cheeks

 

[Aric Val]

"I..." He got her there. She growled in response, "No. She stuck by me, she was little like me --back then." She was quick to add, not liking how those words somehow made her seem more vulnerable. The eagle watched these two very quietly, still defensive of her companion but knew to step back -- for now. "You're so strange!!!" Was her exasperated response to the annoying buck.

Wildland didn't really have a concept of family, to her it was merely sharing blood. She didn't look at all like her mother, and try as she might she couldn't remember exactly how her father had looked, only hearing her mother mentioned that she looked like "him". Yet she wasn't longing for him, she didn't really feel that empty hole in her heart, or cried at night about it -- just perhaps a nagging feeling that there is much more that she ..doesn't know about. Hunting soothed her and made her forget about all these silly emotions.

So it was admittedly confusing to her when Flame had mentioned the word family to her. "Family?" she said abruptly, then wrinkled her nose. "What's the point if one cannot hunt?! Family is merely blood, and that can weigh one down." But the buck said those words so sure of himself, proud, he ...did intrigue her amid her annoyance.

"How do you hunt?" She said accusingly, and pretty much challenging him.

Minsuil

/o cue wildland growling a lot

 

[Minsuil]

Her exasperation caught him off guard, and Flame chuckled at the outburst. It reminded him of a child in an oddly endearing way. The more he talked to her, the more he was glad for Westfen. They'd raised him, but they'd also left him enough room to grow and explore on his own. Flame of the West knew exactly what he wanted, where he stood, and what he was good and bad at. He knew who he was.

"I imagine even when you were sick, or when your eagle was sick, you stuck by each other too. Family is like that. Family is...based on bonds, not blood. Just like a kimeti's bond to the swamp, these bonds make me stronger."

Maybe it was because he looked at her like a child that Flame of the West didn't take any offense with her tone or thoughts. He answered her question with a patience one might not have guessed existed.

"Methodically. I track my prey and follow it until I can catch it. The tracking takes skill, and the final act of catching is an act of speed and strength. I don't need to prove to myself that I am strong. I already know it."

His voice did not rise to meet her challenge. Instead he stood, stalwart, almost seeming unmovable.

Aric Val

my cute grumpy daughter-in-law /pets her

 

[Aric Val]

She was indeed frustrated, trying to wrap her mind about this bucks concepts of.. family and survival. Wildland had such a solid mindset of things that it was hard for her to take in this information, after all to her, to hunt is to live and power is everything.

But this buck was so easily challenging that.

"..." The mention of Beast and her bond with her definitely did make her think. "Yes... but..." Motherfather, why was this so hard? "She was to be my companion for life since the day I opened my eyes, she knows me. But we're not---family---" Were they? She shook her head as if shaking off that topic literally.

"You're too --too calm." the doe grumbled as if it was a bad thing, he reminded her a little of her blind brother, a quiet force. "I too track my prey, I play chase with them -- and then I overpower them easily." The brown doe paused, breathing in for a moment. "But I can respect that. --if I see it in action." She quietly pushed him, moving some of the red-stained twigs from the swamp floor.

A little awkwardly she moved a step towards him, still defensive but a little more relaxed, curious of what was on the other's mind. "You would kill or die for your -- 'family'?"

Minsuil

forgive my lateness and wildlands grumpy awkwardness ; ;
/holds flame to chest

 

[Minsuil]

"Yes."

The answer came from him easily, unbidden, as natural to Flame as it was to draw breath. There was no doubt in him. The possibility never even... the question itself had never really occurred to him. He tilted his head a bit to look at the doe.

"Wouldn't you?"

Aric Val

shows up 10 years later with starbucks,