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 Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 10:59 pm
Nirym moved quickly through the woods, moving away from the human settlements. He had been hanging around the areas where the Settlers stayed tonight, though it wasn't a place he comonly visited. the dogs in the camp- and some wolfdogs, he had noticed- always went into a barking frnezy when he drew near. The wolfdogs were easier to understand, but to Nirym, their language came off as remidial at best- probably an effect of having dog blood in them. The pack hounds though...so loud they were! Always incessant in their vocalizations too. It was bothersome.
But yet Nirym had ventured there tonight. It was mostly exploratory anyways- he liked to keep tabs on the two-legs. He didn't trust the hairless beings, for they came with traps and long pipes that made such a loud sound and could kill a wolf in a second...or at least hurt them badly.
He found no food or nothing of interest there, so he left quickly, perhaps a few moments after the dogs started barking. He always had to remind himself to be careful where he stepped around that settlement too- the two-legs had a habit of laying out several traps to catch game or the unknowing wolf. Tonight, like nights before, he returned from the camp unscathed.
He rather perferred the other two-legs, the Telk. They too had the odd wolf tethered about their camps, but as long as he didn't instigate something, they didn't bother him. They did give him strange looks, and so he tended to stay away from that settlement too. He hated the feel of their eyes on him, the way they quietly pointed and mumbled about him.
He didn't like the looks most wolves gave him.
That's why he remained alone.
He had put some distance between the settlement and himself now, and he stopped at a small stream for a few sips of water. He wondered for a moment where the little brown pup he had encountered a few days back had gone to. The little scarred one. There was something deeply wrong with that pup, he could tell. He shook the thoughts away and took another sip. What did he care anyways? The whelp'd find someone soon enough.
He sat down on his haunches, resting for the first time in a what seemed like too long, underneath the stars that shoe like diamonds. His muscles burned, but it wasn't entirely unpleasent. He took a deep breath and then let it out through his nose, just enjoying the solitude the night brought him.
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Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 11:08 am
 Noyama trailed lightly behind the large cat, wondering just where they were off to. She couldn't see the hatred other wolves felt for the cougars, this one appeared to be extremely nice to her. She had heard they were assasins and you could pay them to kill things for a price. She didn't doubt it, the cougar had snuck up on her several times and spooked her, but it was all just for fun. Besides, it kept her more alert to her surroundings. She felt safer out alone (despite the fact she never hadn't felt safe to begin with).
Her blue eyes set to investigating, mostly for sticks which she had a liking for. At present the felines flicking tail was a bit more exciting, though. She growled at it when it smacked her across the nose and the furs tickled her nostrils. The cougar did no more than flick back an ear at her. He wasn't very exciting to be around. All business and no play.
She turned to look behind her and then forwards again, suddenly he was no where to be seen. Her little ears pinned on the back of her head. She couldn't undestand much cougar, but enough to realize what his name was. He seemed to have a darn good dialect when it came to wolf, interpreting what she said with ease. To bad he couldn't respond back in the same language, but apparently cougars didn't bark. The closest they said anything was a growl, but it was far scarier and unnerving than anything she could ever make.
Come to think of it, nothing had been frightening in the least until the cougar showed up. Once he did, everything seemed menacing and she didn't like to be out of his company. "Not funny Yisoka!" she called desperately, letting loose one of her pathetic growls. "Come back here this instant! You can't abandon me!" She continued her rants for some time, walking along briskly, every second getting more tired and worried with her situation.
Finally stubborness got ahold of her, washing over her fear. "I don't need you anyway!" she stammered, stamping her feet angrily and continuing on her way. It was in this moment she spotted something very dark straight ahead and it wasn't the sky. Near him water trickled slowly down the earth, on some perious journey to no where. It would be awful to be river, forever moving and never being able to change course. Inatimate objects don't have feelings, she reminded herself, and so decided it best to talk to the thing that sat perched before it.
"Heya there!" she called, trotting up to the other without a care in the world. "You look sad." To her, everyone looked sad, for they weren't ever wagging their tails or grinning. Everyone's eyes looked sad, even the strange pink wolf that always stared back at her looked sad, but she didn't know who it was.
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Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 11:51 pm
Nirym's ears twitched as he heard something approaching him. He lifted and turned his head, but he didn't move from his spot where he rested. A pup was coming towards him, a young little thing. He wasn't bothered by the approach, even though as a rule, he wasn't the most social wolf in the woods. But the night was too lovely for him to be properly bohered with anything.
He turned his face back upwards, eyeing the night sky. There was something beautiful about the little glimmers that peppered the darkness that Nirym couldn't put a paw on. There was a lot of beauty in nature, he wagered.
He took another deep breath and turned his face back down, glancing at the puppy. Always with the puppies! Always with young wolves off on their own! Who was letting these little things wander around the woods alone? Didn't they have a pack and parents to be with? He knew the little brown wolf he had seen earlier- the one with the odd scent- had no pack or kin. He wondered about the little pink one too. She had an odd smell...cougar-scent, he decided. It hung off her coat like a fine dust- it wasn't strong, but it was there. He wondered why she had a smell like that, but then figured it could have been acquired by doing something as simple as walking through a cougar den. Perhaps. He didn't dwell on it, though.
After a bit more thought and observation of the pup, he made a vow right then to never have pups of his own- first of all, it seemed unecessary. Stray pups were always finding him, so at the rate things were going, he wouldn't need pups of his own. Secondly- it always seemed that the pups he found had no parents, or that the parents had died. It seemed having a puppy was bad for one's health and well-being.
Nirym arched a brow and tilted his head to one side as the pup spoke, pulled from his thoughts. Sad? Did he seem sad?
"Not sad." he said in his ever-quiet voice. "Introspective."
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Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 1:27 am
For the very first time in her life Noyama encountered someone who used words she did not know of. It made her feel stupid, and she did not like it when others muddled her brain for the fun of it, which the other must have been doing. Why else would he use such syllables in a sentence. It wasn't even a full complete grammatical structure, either, just a teaser word, so she could feel down. She decided that she could not let this strange, and ungainly, little creature take her down in such a manner.
"That's not cordial you know," she snapped at him, her ears flicking against her skull, tail tucked low beneath her belly. She looked at him over, so dark, except for his eyes. If he moved she might not be able to see him. What if he was dangerous? For a moment she considered recoiling and apologizing, but quickly deemed the movement unnecessary. He would right his wrongs some way or another, he would be a decent wolf.
What was with adult and their strange ways? They either talked to much, or said too little. You could never get a decent word out of them. Not only that, but they were always avoiding telling you things, and Noy knew she was not only important enough, but certainly old enough to hear exactly what they were saying. What harm could a few words do anyway?
Then she caught the strange scent, her nose wrinkled into her face and her eyes grew wide. There was something familiar about that smell, a distinct tone that she couldn't quite hold on to. It reminded her of fresh deer, but it had a sort of tinge to it that told it was certainly much more than this. It made her very hungry of a sudden, and she realized she hadn't eaten in some time.
As if to help prove her point her bowels gave a deep and heavy rumble, far to loud for a pup of her age, she thought. She curled around the protesting organ and whimpered at it to stop. She didn't want to look like a complete idiot in front of this other wolf.
Wait.
Why did she care what this other thing thought of her? He wasn't pink, he didn't even touch on green. The only thing he had going for him was that he wasn't blue. That meant he wasn't destined for death, at least not immediately. Surely one without such distinguishing colors was not worthy and therefore whatever sounds he made, whether optional or not, were much better and fitting than any bark or yip he could muster with his own soul.
"Well, senior introspective," she started up again. "Why are you such?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 3:23 am
Again, Nirym's brow twitched upward. He surveyed the little wolf for a while, like he was thinking about how to react to her outburst. Then all of a sudden, at the rumble of her stomach, the larger wolf burst out laughing. What started as staccato chuckles in his throat bubbled up to louder laughter. He wasn't laughing at the little wolf to be mean, though. No, far from it. He was just...amused. Amused and rather tired.
"Hungry much?" he asked, tilting his head to one side, chuckling a bit more before he got a hold of himself.
He kept his gaze on the colorful young wolf and layed down on his side, rolling his shoulder slightly in a shrug at her question.
"Why am I such? Why does anyone think?" he asked offhandedly. "Without a dedicated task at hand, my mind tends to wander." he finally decided.
It had been a good question, and a seemingly easy one- why was he so introspective tonight? But even so, it was one that, for a few moments, escaped him. He didn't like delving too deep into question why he did things- it had the tendancy to give him a headache, and it was all one big bother. It was something he just didn't do.
"But then again," he added, "I don't bother myself thinking about such things. 'S pointless."
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Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 8:59 am
Noyama hadn't expected such a strange response. Of course she was hungry! She hadn't eaten in ages. She'd have to go track down that cougar and make him feed her, because she was starving! Not only that, but the adult, like all adults, didn't give her a straight answer. In fact if he had answered anything, he quickly left it to question by responding to his own response. How weird was that?
"I'm under the impression lots of people don't think." It had to be true. There were all those stupid wolves doing idiotic things without a care in the world. Not to mention the little thoughts that ran in their head. Most of the perpetrators were adults, though she hadn't met enough pups to really put the matter into jurasdiction.
She decided that it would be a long stay with this wolf and so presently settled onto her haunches, nipping lightly at a firefly that ventured too close to her waiting jaws.
"My mind doesn't wander, it stays exactly where I want it too. In my head," she said matter-of-factly. This wolf was getting more odd by the moment. Felines were more normal than he was.
"What makes you so strange?" came her blunt question, as all pups are so very crude with words.
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Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 7:40 pm
This pup, Nirym decided, was certainly more articulate than most pups he had met. He wasn't sure if she was smarter, per se. It was hard to gauge intelligence in puppies anyways. He thumped his tail against the ground at her comment and chuckled again. She had some wit about her, even if she didn't realize it. It was a rather good poitn she had made too, ironically seeming like something Nirym would say in passing. While the black wolf was normally rather stalwart, when he did speak, he tended to be rather smart-mouthed and witty. Maybe that was why he hadn't found a pack he fit into. That, and his general disrespect for authority.
"A good place for a mind to stay." he remaked to her second comment. She was an odd bug this one was. But not at all unpleasent.
Nirym tipped his head to the sky at her next question though, giving another small shurg.
"Strange is in the eye of the beholder, my dear. Sort of like beauty." he said nonchalantly. "Some would call me strange because I have no pack of my own. Wolves get suspicious when they see a lone. They start thinking and formulating reasons as to why that wolf would be alone. Misconceptions and rumors arise. Some would call me strange because I don't like the company of others-- they drag me down, you see. Or maybe it's because I don't like being told what to do." Again he shurgged. He seemed to be on a roll by now.
"Some people look at me strange because of how my fur looks. Because of how I can seemingly materialize out of the shadows one moment, and merge with them again the next. It makes them uneasy, not being ble to see. Wolves rely too much on their sight, even when they have other keen senses such as smell and hearing that would work just as well, if not better in some cases. And then some people say I'm unbalanced. I don't feel I am, though. he finished dismissively.
He turned to the thick growth of trees to his left, titled his head, and then turned back to Noyama. "If you are hungry, I believe there may be some small game in the vicinity. If you would like, I might be able to retrieve some for you."
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Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 11:40 pm
Noy thought she was beginning to like this wolf. What he said made lots of sense. Things that made sense were good, so she thought. Perhaps just because he was so bland didn’t make him so bad afterall. The reason he had come off so rude to begin with probably was because he had several issues, and she couldn’t blame him for that. She gave him a small puppy wag to let him know it was okay, though it probably wouldn’t do much good at this point. Adults thought they had everything figured out. Everyone needed to lighten up! The world wasn’t going to end tomorrow. Shucks!
She understood what he meant. “People drag me down, too. Other wolves, I mean. Yisoka doesn’t, he’s always four steps ahead of me.” Her little head drifted off to some other world, fantasizing about various things. “You aren’t unbalanced,” she decided, and she knew he needed to hear it from her. Everything made so much more sense when it came out of her mouth, though none of the adults ever bother to listen.
She gazed at him for some time, placating what to do. She could accept his offer and get a full belly, or wait for Yisoka to bring her something. That was stupid, the cat never did anything for her, except for not eat her for lunch, or so he said. She figured that was all just a bunch of humor.
Having made up her mind she responded with a simple, “Sure.”
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 12:23 am
Nirym pulled himself up on all fours, streching himself out. The burn and ache in his muscle had faded and was replaced by a slight stiffness, the likes of which would probably fade after a little walking. He opened his mouth in a wide yawn and shook his head sharply. He glanced to the pup and responded to her wag with one of his own.
"Sometimes in the end, the only one that a wolf can trust is themself. It's much less complicated without being tethered to a pack too, I've found. You're free to do as you want, and life is overall less complicated." he said assuredly.
He let out another laugh as the young wolf voice how she though he wasn't unbalanced. He was about to say something cynical along the lines of 'you're too young' but instead, he changed his mind. This little one wasn't like other pups. She seemed to have a deeper understanding of things than most young'uns. So he rethought his respoinse before speaking again as he moved towards the underbrush towards a scent.
"Are you sure? You've only known me for a few minutes. I may surprise you." he said, looking over his shoulder with a devilish grin, moonlight glinting off his eyes. He turned back and pressed his snout to the ground. rabbit, was it? That would do for a small snack. "You may come along if you don't make too much noise." he said to the colorful pup, nose still working to follow the lagomorph's scent trail.
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 12:57 pm
Noyama liked being able to do whatever she wanted, however she didn't think she wished to be alone. Not forever, someday she would find someone and a pack, perhaps travel the world with them. She wasn't a stay at home kind of gal. Those were all dreams for the future, however, for now she could do simply as she pleased. All that mattered was food, water, and sleep.
"You say you aren't unbalanced. Who knows you better than yourself?" she answered as she crept silenty along behind him. Her body was low to the ground, her feet placed in the most perfect of positions so as not to make a sound. She needed to know these lessons if she was to survive alone. She hadn't learned all of the sacred art of hunting before she left home. Mostly she had scavenged.
He laughed a lot, this one, for being sad - for he always would be to her. She wondered if laughter was something wolves did to cope with something in their lives. Perhaps she'd ask him about that after their hunt, for now she was content to watch his master skill at hunting.
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 7:09 pm
Nirym shrugged as he trailed the rabbit, lowering his voice- not that he had been loud to begin with.
"One tends to have a biased opinion towards themself. Either they tend to think they're great, orthey think they're terribly flawed." As he said the last part, he thought of the little scarred wolf he met a few days earlier. The little wolf who had obliterated self-esteem. He had to admit, he felt bad for that pup. Such a shame to be destroyed so young!
Nirym was by no means a master hunter. he had gotten good at chasing down small prey for himself- but larger meals like deer and the likes were a little harder to ambush alone. The easiest meal would be around the human settlements. To sneak in and steal a little food wasn't too hard for him. Slip in during the night while they slept, while he could be hidden, take some food and then leave. If the human got up, it was hard for them to trail him over such terrain in the dark. Even their dogs had a rough time if he made it to a river where he could hide his scent.
And the Native Telks...if he wanted, they'd usually share their meal with him. There was no need to steal from them.
But he didn't like that sort of 'hunting'. There was no fun, no chase, no point, really.
He stopped in his tracks and lifted his head, listening for a moment. Then he owered his body, started taking quick,er lighter steps. Oh, he had found something. That rabbit was nearby. He did find it strange that a rabbit would be out so late- normally they limited their activity to dusk and dawn. But Nirym wasn't going to look a gift horse...er, rabbit, in the mouth.
The chase ensuing was...interesting. Around trees, over rocks, weaving back and forth...boy, could rabbits ever move fast. They could turn on a dime too, Nirym found out. He was in hunter mode now, but in the back of his mind, he had been aware that the pup had come with him...he hoped she could either keep up...or stay in once place so he could find her. The chase didn't take him far though, ending when he puncedthe rabbitm siezing the squealing lagomorph in his jaws. A quick bite was all it took to end the creatures life, and with his prize dangling from his mouth, he turned around to head back to the pup.
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 7:55 pm
Noyama was about to answer, but the lone was off and running before she could get a word out. For a brief moment her body froze, then she lunged forwards, tearing after the other with hightened exuberance. She attempted to follow for several moments before a rock jumped in front of her. "Crap!" she yelled as the thing leapt at her feet. She tried to move, but it kept coming, and so the rock met her downfall.
Smack!
It was never fun to have one's nose connect with the earth in such a brutal fashion. Fighting back a whimper she quickly pawed at it, knowing that it should help. Instead the pain got worse, and she rolled over onto her side sneezing and grumbling at her mistfortune inside her head.
A few minutes later she was over her predicament and sat like nothing had happened. Her weak ears were trained to the sound of movement. Every minute felt like hours as she waited for the other, and her stomach began its rumblings again. She told it to be quiet, but no sooner had she scolded it, then dark figure emerged from the shadows.
Her face lit up as she saw him bring the prize her way. Her stomach gave another loud jolt to tell her she should snatch it up immediately, but she didn't want to be rude. "Thank you," she told him, her mouth salivating with the thought of such a succulent meal. "About before," she said, still gazing at he meal. "What people think of someone is often wrong, and what people think of themselves is always wrong, because they never answer from the heart. You did." She crept a little closer to him, eyes never moving from the thing she wished was already in her belly.
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 8:13 pm
Nirym trotted up to where the pup had been waiting for him, shaking the rabbit he held ever so slight, if only to indicate it's prescene and state of being. He had already eaten recently, so he wasn't particularly hungry. He dropped the rabbit at the pup's feet and sat back. Still, the taste in his mouth had been very good, even if he was only transporting it. But it was bad form to eat when you weren't hungry, and the pup actually needed the little morsel.
Just because something tasted good didn't mean you had to go out and eat it, after all.
"It was no problem." he responded with a shrug. "Haha, I did, you say? Yes, perhaps I did." he mused. he just spoke the way he felt, though it was hard for him to guage whether what he said was from his heart at times.
He listened to the pup's stomach rumble again in protest at obvious hunger, and his ear twitched a bit. He nudged the food a little closer to her with his snout and then lifted his head back up.
"Here. You should eat now. You seem very hungry. When WAS the last time you ate, pup?" he inquired curiously.
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 8:21 pm
She didn't even bother answering him, she simply lunged at the object. Her small white needle teeth tearing through fur with ease. Using her paws and body weight she was able to work chunks of meat from the tough bone, her tongue sliding over her maw as she collected escaping blood. She couldn't let a single bit of this meal go to waste. Tearing a chunk free she snapped her head back and let it slide down her throat, savoring the rich iron flavor dancing over her taste buds.
"Mmph," she mumbled through bites. "Good." She continued eating at this ravenous pace until nearly half the rabit was gone - a sizeable meal for such a young pup - then she decided to answer his question. "Er. . . I'm not sure." It was true, she didn't really keep track of days, or when she ate.
"Thanks." Noyama opened her mouth to say more when a loud screeching scream - sounding like that of a dying woman - echoed through the forest. Noyama winced and drew back from the meal. "I'm sorry," she said, leaving the rest of the food. "I have to go." With that she turned and fled into the woods.
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 8:45 pm
Nirym watched with amusment as the little wolf devoured her meal. He wasn't sure why he had offered to go feed her- normally, he didn't like children. He didn't like other wolves for that matter, normally regardless of age, and didn't bother helping them out. It wasn't his job, being a lone and all. But this once...he didn't see the harm. Maybe he had a soft spot for lone pups that he wouldn't admit. Maybe.
"I'm glad you approve." he said with a laugh. He nodded at her repsonse, figuring one didn't normally keep track of eating times anyways. he didn't know the exact amounbt of days since he had eaten, but he wagered it had only been one or two. He gauged how often he needed to eat by how full or empty his stomach felt, not by days anyways.
At the sudden shrill scream he jumped up on all fours, his body stiffening and readying itself for anything. It as far off, but he still jumped to 'alert' mode. He swiveled his ears and sniffed at the air, just barely catching the pup's retreat out of the corner of his eye. He swung his head around and called after her, "Oy, wait!" But she was already gone.
"Dammit." he cursed.
Where had that pup run off to? He crashed after her, rabbit forgetten, heading in the general direction she had run, trying to pick up her scent. Perhaps his long-legged strides would help him catch up with her. This was the second time a pup had run off on him- though admitedly the circumstances were different- and he was starting to think he was bad with pups.
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