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 Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 8:36 am
Off to her right somewhere Bryna heard a vole moving through the leaves as well, but that was too small to make even a good snack for her. For a female she was sizable with a fairly thick coat from her life in more northern areas, and her back leg was still giving her some trouble after the wound that crazed buck inflicted on her. She couldn't blame him for protecting his herd, but it still struck her as annoying every time her leg muscles stiffened up. As if the thought called up the familiar pulling pressure, Bryna adjusted her position so she could keep her eyes on the raccoon and stretch the muscles out in preparation for the kill.
It paused, looking up at something not in her direction and Bryna took the opportunity to creep around to the left of it, inching closer without making a sound. Not the best hunter by far, Bryna was still a passing hand and necessity had made her better at it, even recovering from an injury. The ghost color of her pelt-- not too bright to be blatant at night the way white would be, but not dark enough to blend in the shadows-- drifted beyond the small underbrush before she hunkered down again, eyes for her prey and her prey alone as it went back to pulling the nuts it had found from under the leaves.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 8:49 am
 Oh ruddy hell...the blue male froze as the raccoon turned its head to look straight at him with it's beady little eyes. For a moment Triton thought for sure it had seen him - but then it went back to its scavenging and Triton thanked his dark hide which blended well with the moon's filtered light and the shadows of the woods.
Best not to wait too much longer though he thought to himself as the raccoon crunched away - moon knows it would only be a matter of time before the beast spotted him - or he did something foolish like step on a twig. This hunting thing was really quite a bit more challenging when you were on your own - he'd always thought he'd been rather good at it, but was learning differently now that he was away from the ease of pack life. Nah your still good Triton he cheered himself on mentally - just need to learn new tactic is all!
There! as the coon turned to look at something off to its side Triton burst from the bush in a flurry of leaves and broken sticks, a dark blue ball of fury as he lunged at the raccoon which gave an irritated startled shriek and flung itself sideways to its left in a mad dash for hopeful freedom.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:08 am
With her legs already tensed for the spring, Bryna inadvertantly and automatically shot out when Triton did, startled into her spring not away from the sudden onslaught, unfortunately, but towards. She yelped unbecomingly as she nearly rammed into her mystery interrupter, tripping over the raccoon in the process. She ignored the other wolf for the moment, whirling back to her hopeful meal-turned-escapee and dashed towards it with a snarl before it could scramble away from where it sat, as dazed over what happened as Bryna was surprised.
Her jaws slammed shut as she felt fur on her tongue and she heard the raccoon squeal as she snapped its neck, the claws that had been trying to reach her face in time falling limply as she shook it roughly once to make sure it was good and dead. The moment she felt the blood stop pumping from its veins she dropped her prize and turned quickly back to the male. Her body stayed as tense as it had been in the hunt, and she panted slightly from the sudden exertion she hadn't been expecting to make. When the male didn't immediately move to attack her, she took the chance to lick the blood from her teeth, light blue eyes appraising him.
Did he plan that, or am I really unobservant enough to not scent another wolf in the area? Bryna wondered, chagrined with herself. Wind wasn't blowing towards me and he's dark, it's possible I missed him.
Her tongue lazily lapped at the blood running along her lips again, cleaning it all off as she debated what to do. A quick sniff and a glance around made her fairly sure he was alone as well, but that didn't mean much.
"I am going to assume that you didn't realize you had competition for this either," she said abruptly, deciding to cut to the chase.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:24 am
Triton backpedaled with gaping jaw as a sleek grey form launched itself from the bush beside the coon at nearly the same moment he'd made his own leap. Oh gods! it's a specter! the thought dashed across his mind before he could stop it - recalling his own families superstitions regarding the spirits of dead wolves. Don't be foolish his own mind jabbered back at him as he gave a frightened yell and fell back on his haunches - you can smell her - specters don't smell. And we don't believe in them anyways!
Right. Don't believe in specter's, foolish idea. Calmed somewhat Triton sheepishly gained his feet the bulky blue male glancing over at the silver grey female and the dead coon at her feet.
"Ever so sorry Miss...don't know how I missed smelling you. wind shifted or some such tricky thing..."
He apologized quickly, ducking his head slightly at her more commanding presence.
"...thats not to say of course that you smell..well you do, everyone does after all but it's a good smell..."
He continued giving her a slightly impish look, she was female - even if she was mad about the butchery he'd made of her hunt well..he could possibly charm himself out of it.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:49 pm
With her breathing calming again, Bryna eyed him speculatively as he apologized and tripped over his own tongue in a boyish fashion. This wolf was no puppy, however, and she wasn't exactly buying his cute, sheepish words. Flattery dished out without complete honesty behind it tended to be the forte of wiley omegas and charlatans, in her experience. Well, he wasn't an omega, but that didn't speak very well for him in this case.
"I missed your scent as well, I believe, or we could have avoided this mess." She turned her eyes to the raccoon, but her ears stayed turned towards the male. No sense in letting her guard down just yet. "I didn't notice you until we were coming at each other out of the dark."
Her eyes skimmed the trees quickly and briefly again while she kept her head turned towards the raccoon so he wouldn't realize what she was doing. "I'm sure that I smell like any female does. Though I have to inquire where your pack is, if you have one. If I continue to hunt here, will I be expecting more leaps from the brush?" She looked back to him and a smile passed over her face so that she wouldn't come across as completely unapproachable. After all, even if he were a charlatan, letting him know she was on to him wouldn't do her very much good, as he would change his tune so that he wouldn't box himself in. "And then, what are we to do about who gets this meal?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 1:14 pm
Doesn't seem to be interested old chap his conscious spoke to him as the female brushed off his well - it had been a rather bad compliment now that he thought it over. Ah well, can't win them all he reminded himself - though in all honesty if he was being truthful with himself Triton would have to admit to himself that he'd never actually won..well..any of them.
"well at least we had the sense not to snap at one another and the coon seems to have gotten the worst of it all"
He tried to joke as the female regarded the kill at her feet, she seemed rather interested in that coon - perhaps she was quite hungry he told himself and if that was the case well - he was glad she'd caught the little beasties. He was starting to think her rather harsh seeming - businesslike ike came to mind really - somewhat like his father loyal helper back in the home pack when she turned back and smiled at him. She had a pretty smile and he found himself grinning back - well until she brought up the next question.
"hmm pack? oh..no, I'm traveling alone - seeing the world and such things"
He seemed rather affronted when she asked about the fate of the meal - well! what kind of beastly creatures was she used to gallivanting about with if she even wondered such a thing.
"Now miss, you caught the little creature fair and square you did and I snacked on a rabbit back beside the river yonder"
He nodded his head off in a vague direction to his right
"I expect that will keep me satisfied for some time yet"
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 6:56 pm
Rabbits hold no full grown wolf for long, least of all someone of his size, she thought, looking him over now with a great deal of scrutiny. Whether he was trying to pull the fur over her eyes, so to speak, or not, he would need a meal eventually. It would be rude of her to take the kill he'd been going for as well-- even if she had seen it first and made the actual kill-- and do nothing to help make it up to him. It wasn't fair.
"Since I am keeping this kill, perhaps I could help you hunt for a meal of your own," she offered, thinking of how difficult it was to catch anything worthwhile on her own. It was certainly harder than she had expected, since even when she and her last two packmates had been travelling they had managed to take down a fair bit of game fairly easily. "It's difficult to be a single traveller sometimes. Everything is easier with pack." She smiled fleetingly again, her eyes glancing up as the trees moved in the wind. He wasn't going to attack her any time soon, unless her impression of him was very wrong. And she sincerely doubted that was the case.
Her leg tensed and she moved slightly so that it was out of his view, trying to ignore it until she could find a way to stretch it without him noticing her discomfort. In a pack, that wouldn't be as much of a problem either. "In a way, you helped me catch the raccoon after all. It is only right that I return the favor by helping you. If you let me eat first, so the hunt doesn't go to waste, I'll assist you."
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 8:46 am
Triton sat back on his haunches as the female - and he realized now he didn't even know her name, rude of him to forget introductions he chastised himself - continued to speak.
"kind of lonely too.."
He remarked with a bit of pining in his voice, though he quickly tried to cover this up with a hearty smile. Can't have her thinking your some sort of despondent fellow he told himself.
'That would be right kind of you miss...I'm sorry I don't think I've introduced myself properly, I'm Triton"
He offered in hope that she would in turn give out her own name.
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 2:20 pm
Well there. That was a bit more straightforward of him. Bryna wasn't about to go handing her name out to every male who came along, but since he had begun...
"I am Bryna," she offered, and sat as well so that he wouldn't feel completely uncomfortable. The politeness was doing wonders for his point-status in her mind. "I can make quick work of this, then we can hunt for something for you as well." She turned her nose to the wind as it blew past a body of water somewhere to the north. "I can smell ducks from here, if birds take your fancy, or if you're looking for larger prey I'm sure we can find a small fawn--" Her leg twitched slightly, but she paid it no mind, "-- to break away from its mother."
It was lonely to wander the night, with no one to howl with. Lonely and sad, so much so that Bryna had stopped offering her voice to the sky in general. One voice instead of many... it was too strange to contemplate.
((Sorry for the short post, I'm running out. wink I'll try to check in tomorrow morning!))
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 3:47 pm
Triton pondered for a few moments, ducks..he'd never actually had duck before, it might be an intresting expireince on the other hand - deer was of course his all time favorite and te prospect of a fawn was enough to make his mouth water.
Of course - deer hunting took a fair bit of time and Triton was loathe to take up to much of Bryna's time. Bryna..it was an intresting name - the way it rolled off ones tongue Bryyynnna.
"Ducks..ducks will be fine" he finally responded "Don't want to keep you too long - I'm sure you had someplace you were heading"
He finished somewhat sheepishly, alright so he was fishing for some more details about her - she really wasn't the forthcoming type it seemed, he'd met wolves who rattled off thier entire life stories in the first few moments of meeting and hwile that wasa little odd - well it was nice to hear about others in any case.
Stretching himself foreward he laid down and busied himself with inspecting his pawpads so that she could eat without being stared at - it would be rude after all to sit there and stare at her while she ate, he didn't want her to feel badly about eating the kill - he truly did feel it was fairly hers.
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 12:25 pm
That was a trap Bryna almost walked into, but she shook her head as she settled into a laying position as well. "I have some time before I need to be anywhere specific. Ducks, however, are fine by me as well. Sometimes they can be tricky prey, but if they are sleeping it will be easier to get close before they notice us."
She turned her attention to her supper and tore past the raccoon's fur easily, having the good manners not to feast on it like a half-starved Omega. The raccoon would be enough to hold her for a day before she needed to eat again, but a duck would be a nice completion to her night's meal before she began walking again. The company, for as long as she could keep it, wouldn't be so bad either.
"I don't suppose you're familiar with these lands?" She asked finally, after she'd made deep inroads into her kill and was taking a break to lick some of the warm blood from her muzzle. "I'm from further north of here," much further north, "And I'm not familiar with many of the packs I've come across." Almost none, but we won't get into that with him.
Her teeth sank in and tore out one of the few large bites left, and as he answered she spent several minutes cleaning the carcass of what she could reach. She had learned early that you didn't waste food when you were relying only on yourself for a kill. Again her eyes assessed him, silently judging what kind of a wolf he was.
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 12:40 pm
Triton was not overly disappointed when Bryna did not disclose whatever plans she had had at the drop of a hat - it had been an inquiry born more of curiosity then anything else and he paused long enough to give her a small smile as she rebuked the attempt easily. Stretching his forepaws out in front of him with a slight yawn the blue male made an agreeable sound as she laid out what he assumed would be the baseline for their future hunt - catch them while sleeping - gotcha.
The sat in silence for a few moments as she ate and he busied himself with alternatively watching the woods around them with half lidded eyes or fiddling with his fur. When she spoke again - having gotten through a goodly deal of her prey Triton turned his muzzle towards her with pricked ears.
"Afraid not Miss Bryna" he stated with a slight shake of his burly blue head "I'm fairly new to the area as well, traveled from my home pack to see what sort of destiny I could forge for myself, not many opportunities back home.." he finished with a slight furrowing of his brow. Casting his mind about for something to say he finally gripped upon the only 'pack info' he'd heard of since his arrival. "I have heard of some pack called Acropolis of some such - though from what I was told the Alpha's a tad surly about roamers near his lands - think we're a way off from them though"
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 6:40 pm
"Please, Bryna is fine." She finished cleaning her muzzle and picked a few more pieces clear with careful tugging before she left the corpse for smaller scavengers who could better take care of the scraps she had left behind. For some reason, the way he refered to her as "miss" made him sound very young and her sound very old. When had she started worrying so much about being old? She was in the prime of her life! Ridiculous.
"I had yet to hear of Acropolis Pack, though I have heard others menetioned as well from the packs I have passed through." She slowly stood and stretched out her front legs thoroughly before standing straight and focusing on Triton. In the dark, even with the moon, it was hard to discern what color he was exactly-- black, dark brown... blue. He looked blue now, more than the black she had assumed him to be. Bryna managed to avoid squinting at him and decided that-- if it became pertinent at all-- her curiousity over his appearance could wait until a later, brighter time. She was always sleepy after eating, but she shook it off by walking towards him.
"I'm ready to hunt when you are." She lifted her nose to the wind again, looking off to her right. "And it doesn't seem as if our prey has moved at all."
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:27 am
"Bryna then" Triton agreed with a slight nod of his head. He had yet to find a wolf who liked being called 'miss' or 'mr' anything, he really ought to just ditch the habit. But even as he thought this he knew he wouldn't be able too..his mother had drilled such things into his mind at a very young age and she had been quite persistent his mother, such habits were probably here to stay. He supposed there were worse habits one could have - who ever heard of someone getting into trouble for being polite after all?
"Seems you've been around the block a bit more then I have" he remarked without really thinking about it - and then after the words had left his mouth and it was far t late to take them back he realized how that might have sounded. "I mean..you know with meeting others and such..and knowing about the packs.." He hastily added - hoping she wouldn't take his first comment the wrong way, he really hadn't meant anything bad about it at all, he'd just spoken without thinking first.There's a bad habit for you he thought to himself with a slight sigh.
Probably best to just move on he figured, and how she didn't take offense over things he hadn't meant quite how they sounded, Standing he gace a brief shake to dislodge any debris stuck in his coat from laying on the ground and looked in the direction she had indicated.
"Nesting for the night if we're lucky" he stated with a slight grin and happy voice - it was rather pleasant to have company again even if he was making somewhat of a blunder of it. "since you've hunted duck before...probably best you take point on this one"
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:48 am
Good, he knew how to delegate to those with more experience. That showed he wasn't arrogant, at least. Bryna nodded and took point without a word and brushed past Triton as she headed towards the scent, the wind ruffling her fur and at least showing she wasn't the ghostly figure she appeared to be.
Words weren't needed on a hunt. With prey close and body language the only thing needed to give direction, words were forsaken in exchange for the thrill and tension of a group hunt. Bryna's eyes darted about for the source of water or even just the ducks themselves and she paused with a back foot raised as she caught sight of the bright glint of the moon bouncing off of surface of a small pool. She pricked her ears forward to catch the sound of the brook feeding the pool and slowly set her foot down. That seemed the most likely place for their nesting ducks.
She led the way slowly and quietly, picking her way over a fallen branch without a sound. A fantastic hunter she might not be, but Bryna knew how to keep herself a silent passer-by-- usually. The earlier near-collision being one of the exceptions to that.
Bryna crept closer to the pool, keeping in mind that she suddenly felt thirsty. She'd have to get a drink later, while Triton was eating his meal. There weren't really reeds there were in some of the ponds she'd come across, but several spots around the pool hosted rocks or ferns, or other low-ground cover. Bryna's eyes fixed on a patch of ferns across the way as she lowered her nose to check the ground. No trace of duck on this side, from what she could smell, but she was sure she had seen movement in the ferns. For the first time she looked back to Triton and motioned with her muzzle across the pool.
"Can you move fast enough to catch a bird taking flight?" She wanted to ask it before they got close enough that the sound would wake their prey, and in order to make it a successful hunt they would have to each play their parts almost flawlessly. Birds were small and fast, and while you could chase a rabbit on the ground, a wolf couldn't take flight if they missed their chance at a bird.
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