|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 5:37 pm
The burning sun above was slowly cascading southward, creating spindles of light that poor in thin pools onto the forest floor, illuminating what dull foliage lay strewn about. The air was still, the scent snuffed absent with the lack of a wind to brush it along. It would have been peaceful had the eeriness of the lack of activity did not linger about. That was...until a flash of rust sprinted through the wood, weaving through the thick trucks of the trees with the precision of a sparrow and the swiftness of an animal much faster. His eyes were narrowed, his tongue hanging from his large jaws, and the fur of his neck on end clearly distressed while his facial expression gave nothing more than mild annoyance.
His pursuers? A clan of hounds had followed the large wolf with the call of their master. Their snarls were far behind now and their heads low to the ground intent on following his trail. Aguta, who would have rather avoided the conflict, was sure that extreme measures would be forced into play if they followed him further into his pack lands. A life was not something to be so easily spent unless the right leverage was offered...that was how Aguta operated. But with a group of dogs he had nothing to gain from them except to have their annoying banter at rest. All the same, if they had given up the chance there was no doubt he would be relieved; though he had faith in his ability knowing full well he could eradicate every last canine, he preferred not to soak his coat in blood for so little a gain.
When his padding came to a stop, his head lowered to the ground, sniffing here and there sure making sure an invader had not crossed into his territory while he had been out. Finding nothing he trotted on, knowing for sure that wasn't enough to ensure the protection of his lands, but for now his tired body was more willing to rest then deal with the trifles of others. The stone den was not but a half a mile away of the many caves he could slip into along the way, but this is where he would rest and watch.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 4:21 pm
The resounding, yet thankfully fading hounds howling made Stryder jerk his head. The sound was a little far off and fading, it did not sound like the hounds were after him... those two leggers wouldn't be coming back for him would they? Not after his vengeance? Not taking any chances, he decided to head for some type of shelter.
Stryder padded softly through the tree trunks and noticed some caves, those would nicely do, when he noticed a change in scent. Another pack's territory? Stryder sniffed the air, but he couldn't recognize it all. He wouldn't be here for long, and hopefully before any of this territory's pack, or alpha, came along.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 3:54 pm
Stryder would not get his wish of a safe, conflict free passing and when the large wolf came upon him with narrowed eyes and raised fur the great wolf balanced himself atop a large boulder and stared directly at the stranger allowing his bold pale blue eyes to stare into the others of almost the same color. Aguta had come across the lone wolf completely by coincidence considering his home den was just ahead. For a long moment he was silent. The large male hardly wished to bare his fangs in a snarl, nor whimper and back up at the sight of a stranger. Instead he stood with an eminent presence looming above enough of a threat that it did the talking for him, knowing full well Stryder would be able to read his mingled emotions.
Usually their meeting would have been somewhat slower and drawn out in a sauntering pace. Instead Aguta was tired, and clearly still flustered from the dogs he wasn't entirely sure he had yet escaped. Knowing it wasn't likely that they were still close enough for an attack, it didn't seem likely that he would so bluntly take in the wolf when the threat seemed so mild. Even if the dogs were chasing him then and there he probably would have made it so the mongrels chased after the stranger, throwing them off his trail instead. But now? Now he wasn't sure what to do. Instead of talking he looked back over his shoulder staring in the direction he came before looking forward, springing from his rock to stand full height beside Stryder, and padded so that he had passed him.
"Follow me," came the deep words, strange and foreign to that rusty maw. Why would he ask anyone he didn't know to follow him? Perhaps it was because he wanted to understand the stranger more, interrogate them perhaps, but he wanted to do so in the comfort of his cool cave where he could capture a drink and rest his tired paws.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 10:15 pm
Stryder tried not to twitch or show any fear as this alpha wolf looked down on him. The alpha was one very large male. He could easily get taken down if the alpha did not like him... but maybe the alpha wouldn't. He read the emotions, ones that he hopefully had read right.
Stryder narrowed his eyes and bowed his head just a little to the alpha, picking his head and straightening his ears up at the command to follow. He didn't know if this was a death trap, a lure made by the alpha to kill a trespasser but... maybe it was something else. Something that Stryder had been searching for all this time.
Stryder, hesitant as he didn't want to annoy the alpha too quickly, opened his mouth as he his muzzle allowed and paused. He tried to gather the words that wouldn't make him a larger target than he was and settled futilely "What... is your name, alpha?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:45 pm
This stranger seemed intriguing enough. He bowed, spoke respectfully, and still held and air of caution about him. Smart wolf. It would have been foolish to turn a snarl toward the large male or blindly walked along with him when he told the stranger to follow. Of course, Aguta was not planning a trap or anything of the sort for the wolf, he simply wanted to find a new place with which they could comfortably converse, but Stryder did not know this and the cave embodied male understood this. Those eyes blinked, watching Stryder with a calm scrutiny.
And he recognized Aguta's rank; this was something he both appreciated and loathed. Not yet was Aguta an alpha: an alpha was someone who ruled over a pack with fairness, strength and dignity while watching for the welfare of every member. Aguta was lacking the members. Perhaps this stranger could a first? He didn't dare jump to far into the future and instead focused on the here and now starting with Stryder's question.
"I'm known by many names. Wraith if you'd wish, or Catacomb," he told him, not willing to give his true name. The nature of his profession dictated the concealing of his true name, because if it were discovered his own head could very well be on the market. A name is an assassin's biggest weakness.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 5:23 pm
Stryder almost replied with his real name but paused, thankful that the muzzle masks the usual indication that he was going to speak. He realized that the alpha was not speaking the total truth but not with any type of malicious deceit... he hoped.
The male carried himself like an alpha. Like one who commanded others and demanded some respect, but also one who could give others respect. Stryder was sure the male was an alpha but there were no signs of other wolves as Stryder followed this "Wraith." There were no other "wolf" scents other than the males'.
Stryder shook himself, the stone about his neck swinging just a little and the cloak catching some breeze. Should he tell his name? Maybe a name like his own... but was there one?
Stryder gave him a title long, something he hoped would be able to help define him, included with his own name. "I'm known as Jaeger Stryder Ranger. Just Jaeger if you wish."
Stryder didn't want to completely lie. Maybe it could come to be his own name. He did at least include his name.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 7:01 pm
The hesitation, the sudden thoughtful name alerted Aguta to the fact that it was false, but even so he felt it was completely fair for Stryder to give him something other than he true name, after all, he had just done it to him. It was a caution, a way or preserving one’s self. Just what part of the name though he wasn't exactly sure was his true name or what was the fake. Jaeger would have to do. Those blue eyes of his traveled down to the stone that swayed with the movement of the male. This gave reason to question from Aguta who wondered how he came to possess such an thing while the ties around his legs and muzzle and even the cloak about his shoulders were unique enough. He had contact with humans.
This was enough to spark further interest in the cave depicted male. Humans were the ones who drew all over the caves he visited, and by fire they lived, which fascinated the wolf all the more. Man was the strangest, yet most amazing of all animals...they were above animals, something unique all on their own.
His attention ripped away from his thoughts and lingered once more on the male. "Hmm...then I ask you to follow me once more, Jaeger. I wish to speak with you more in shelter," he murmured before turning on his heal once more to lead the way, this time having given the reason for wanting to leave the open area. It wasn't likely that the dogs would find them here, but in the off chance, he didn't want to be caught out in the open and responsible for further damage.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 8:25 pm
Stryder saw it. The male knew that Stryder did not point out his real name. This could be changed, once things were more open... if they ever did. Stryder noticed the gaze on his leggings, the stone, and the cloak. Did this alpha suspect him of anything? Was he going to be attacked for having gotten these items from the two-leggers, those who had helped him?
Stryder bowed at the command and nodded, he would follow. He was hopeful this would lead to a good outcome. "Then please, lead the way Wraith."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 10:02 pm
The comment was enough and as "Wraith" turned he fluidly sauntered forward, keeping his head low and body streamlined. Muscle rippled behind rustic fur, creating waves that still held solid in his large form, looking much like the name he had given the stranger going by the name of Jaeger. Black paws stretched over open soil, feeling its warmth beneath each pad. His eyes searched the area head, while the rest of his senses kept him alert as to what was all 360 degrees surrounding him, focusing more so on Stryder who was following as promised.
Their travel lasted only a few minutes, ten at most, and soon Aguta was lifting his head, sniffing his home making sure that intruders had not set traps before his own den, and finding nothing amiss he continued forward until the mouth of a cave opened up vast in size and deep within, fading into a pitch black void toward the back. Moving down the small slope, Aguta drifted into the shelter, allowing the shade to cover his body in order to feel the cool air radiating off the walls and floor. It was comfortable here, which prompted the large male to invite Stryder in.
Sitting back on his haunches, he stared at the other wolf, still studying him. "Tell me something of yourself, Jaeger? Anything will suffice," he murmured suddenly, speaking the first words after some time of silence. The male was eager to learn as much as he could about the stranger who wore human's clothing and was garnered in their trappings.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 6:11 pm
Stryder watched, carefully as the male led him to where he wanted Stryder to go. Not only was there care needed to be taken with this male, but his mind had not yet forgotten that there were hounds who knew how far away they were exactly. If need be, Stryder was resolved to fight, to kill, anything that wanted to harm him.
Stryder met the den the male brought him to, pondering whether or not the male would take offense to his coming in. Stryder decided that since Wraith told him to follow, he wouldn't get attacked outright.
Sitting lower than Wraith, Stryder answered, "I was once in the captivity of the white two-leggers, those who use animals to their cruel intents. I... was young, just a small pup when they took me. They put this contraption around my muzzle, one that seems to never be able to come off. Only recently did I gain my ability to speak again. After I escaped the settlers, I was given this cloth around me, the wrappings about my paws, and the rock around my neck when I met some dark, very dark two-leggers."
Stryder paused in his ramblings. How would this wolf take his former captivity to the two-leggers? Should he tell of how the dark ones treated him? Or what exactly he did with the white ones? Or what of the handicap he had... with this thing about his jaws?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:35 pm
The patient wolf watched the male as he explained his strange garnishes along with the explicit history he experienced in the hands of the humans. Aguta was no doubt intrigued. Anything to do with the two-legged animals was always a point of interest to the large male who often traveled along their campsites, both the ghostly pale breed as well as the darker tan. Both seemed to have a base involvement in the family, that he noted was true, but their methods of living her vastly contrasting. Like packs, they lived as a unit, but each sector had their own beliefs and ways of going about things, just as the Tomkin territory, this territory, and those around it were considerably different.
The wolf listened, rather surprised that the wolf was able to survive the harsh treatment the light skinned settlers and manage an escape. It was commendable...something he thought valuable in the stranger invited into his den. The cool stone beneath their paws felt nice while the air about them was still. His mind drifted still on the subject of the humans, observing the muzzle with distaste mingled with fascination.
"It's intriguing that you survived with such a contraption on your muzzle. How were you able to make a kill? Or did you rely on others to do so for you?" he asked, not questioning exactly what position in the pack Stryder would suit if he was accepted in. If not a hunter, or a fellow assassin, then a scout maybe? There were many other possibilities as well, all of which would be brought forward with further interrogation. He would ask further questions of his stay with the humans another time, feeling it was too personal to dive into just yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:11 pm
Stryder at first didn't know if Wraith was meaning to look down on him because he had the thing around his muzzle, but realized that it was more like figuring out Stryder's strengths.
Stryder answered, "Through what the white ones did to me, my claws and the strength in my paws has helped me. I made sure that I could jump higher than others, run faster, and make things hurt all the more when I slammed my paws down. My muscles are strong and lean and they work well for me, helping me take down others to survive. I survived on my own will with the white ones, and only worked with other wolves when we were forced to survive against things like monstrous bears.
"Now... now after running and taking my freedom I have had to make do with taking down the small prey and fleeing from the bears. As a lone with no pack to help me, I am unable to take down the monstrous bears, only the young... or the weak and slow."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 2:22 pm
Aguta listened to the words the other wolf offered and watched him as he spoke between the occasional glance out into the open world beyond the mouth of the cave. His tail flicked lightly, while his ears turned forward. The words Stryder offered were interesting. His claws? Well, that was certainly a unique trait that could be used efficiently if effort was put into it. By the sound of the wolf's explanation, he had put them to good use. But like he said, he was unable to take on larger prey, however, that wouldn't be much of a handicap considering most wolves couldn't take on larger prey alone. Usually two wolves were needed to bring down a doe and even more wolves for larger, stronger targets.
"I wouldn't expect any wolf to be able to take on a bear alone," he gave a small smile that flashed away as soon as it has appeared, "But to use your claws as fangs, that is quite an interesting weapon."
A pause ensued before he finally spoke again, seeking more information from the wolf. "How well do you use stealth? As a loner I assume you're relatively good at concealing yourself?" he pondered, wondering if Stryder would suit instead as a spy or scout. It wasn't clear just yet where the wolf would be placed if he was meant for a singular position at all. There were so many different functions he could perform for the pack.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:25 pm
Stryder noticed that Wraith glanced outside, no wonder... he must know about the hounds as well. Stryder felt chided, being reminded that of course no single wolf could take on a bear alone. He felt some pride at the comment given to him by Wraith.
Stryder straightened a bit, nodding and said, "Yes. My muscles, my paws, and my claws are my most useful and dearest assets.
"Stealth? I've used it so long as a loner... it's as if it's my first, second, and third nature. No other way from getting past and through other packs' territories who may have taken an inconvenience at my passing through their pack lands... of course I've gotten a few scrapes when I have been caught... I had accidentally wandered into the Goblin Monarch's, Chernabog's, lands with a fellow lone evading a monstrous bear and got into a bit of a confrontation. No fight there, luckily."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:50 pm
At the mention of the fellow alpha Aguta's ears perked forward in mild interest. He had heard of the wolf before, heard of his savage antics as well as the preaching of his pack upon others so it was a curious wonder that Stryder had managed to escape them with only a few minor injuries. And he was with a fellow wolf. That would have slowed anyone down, but it showed the cave marked canine that Stryder was not only capable of saving himself but others as well and thought hard on protecting them. These were all attributes suited for a pack member in any society.
"You have skill...or a lot of luck on your side if you've managed to evade the Goblin King," he murmured, watching him still unsure what the other wolf's emotions were at that point in time. All of these things he considered. "But I do appreciate hearing you've been able to keep a steady paw when traveling through other territories. This is a beneficial attribute."
A pause followed. There was more to be asked, but Wraith wasn't sure how to continue just yet or what tangent to leap upon first. Finally he settled on an idea. "Tell me of your relations: previous packs, family lineage, mates, offspring, anything you'd like to disclose."
((Sorry it has taken me so long to reply. I was out of town))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
