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 Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 1:58 am
Autumn had landed heavy upon Coheed's narrow shoulders, bringing with it newfound maturity and a certain uneasy sense of responsibility. For what, he wasn't sure--perhaps just himself, as he found his paws wandering further and further from familiar haunts, toward the edge of the packless land...and out of it. Not that this was a bad thing--it had grown altogether too crowded there, orphan wolves of all ages and descents shoved shoulder to shoulder, crying and carrying on and hunting all the game.
Now that he'd figured out his oversized paws and gangly legs, Coheed had become an able hunter, though he'd been limited to small game. Insects, sometimes, too, despite how he hated the way they crunched between his teeth and the bitter taste of their tiny bodies--but he took what he could get. Here--far from the scent of other wolves, in the trackless edges of the packlands--there was much better eating, and despite all he'd heard tonelessly repeated about lone wolves being dead wolves...there was something wild and thrilling and wonderful about the freedom.
Wading through autumn leaves that contrasted with his teal fur provided a rare joy of scent and sound--the musty smell of decay and the swooshing crunch of his paws were a treat for Coheed. A spring pup, this was his first autumn, and he was enjoying every minute of it. Such was his distraction with the muted colors of the leaves that he didn't notice the river until he'd nearly stumbled into it. He drew up short at the water's edge, blinking, before scanning the woods around him. Bears and other nasty things liked to lurk near clearings, and they didn't often take well to wolves impinging on their territory. On the other hand, bears sometimes meant unattended bear cubs, and carrion...but, to his mixed relief and disappointment, Coheed smelled nor heard no bears, and saw no sign of their spoor.
The river here was shallow, shallow enough that the water occasionally parted in a bow wave around the back of a wriggling fish. Coheed had never tried fish before, but these looked apetizing after a long day of walking. A moment's internal battle passed, before he wrinkled up his nose--and dove paws-first into the water, bouncing stiff-legged and trying to snatch a fish up in his jaws.
He got water up his nose. Snorting and sneezing, he stumbled back out of the river. As he pawed at his stinging nose, the fish flooded back out into the middle of the river, seeming to taunt him with their glimmering flanks and fluttering fins. "Oh, I'll fix you," he mumbled to himself, before sneezing again.
This time his approach was more cautious. He waded into the river, watching the fish scatter every which direction--and stopped, hock-deep in the flowing water. It felt good on his travel-worn paws, and he was inclined to just stay there. Forgetful, the fish soon swarmed back around his legs, brushing so close that he could feel their scales sliding across his fur. Coheed eased his weight over to one side, raising a paw--and striking!
In a flash of silver, a gape-mouthed fish found itself beached and gasping on the side of the river. Laughing, Coheed bounced out of the water. "See, see!" he called. "Told you so!" He nosed the slippery creature, before putting a paw on it and grinding it into the dirt. It kept flopping right up until he took a great big bite out of its side, tearing skin and muscle with great gusto.
Except for the tiny bones that stuck in his mouth, he thought, he could get to like the taste of fish.
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 10:26 am
(( *lurks* I'm tempted to join, but I'm in so many RP's at the moment. ninja I'd be a super slow poster... ))
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 10:35 am
((Quite all right! XD I'd just love to get some RP around here.))
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 11:34 am
Nearby, Suzaku was continuing in her thoughts over her missing packmates. First Talia and Tsume, then Fute, then Kouji, now Whisper. Of course, Talia, Tsume, and Kouji all left her informed about their departure, but Whisper...
~Kouji, why didn't you tell Whisper you were leaving, and where on Earth is Fute...?~
Thankfully the others all stayed put. If there was one downside to a pack full of friends, it was that one would worry themselves silly when things like this happened.
A hearty growl from her stomach informed the she-wolf that it was near time for a meal. The sounds of flowing water caught her ears... Hmmm... maybe she'd dine on something of the aquatic persuasion today.
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 12:16 pm
(( Alright, but you two feel free to carry on if I'm too slow ^_^ *is roleplaying Nessa as a teen now as of now as it's past her growth date* ))
On the familiar banks of the river, upwind from Coheed, a cobalt form lounged in the autumn sun. Nessa was reclining on her side, her long back legs folded up close to her and her slender forelimbs out in from of her. Glancing down at her blackened toes, she smiled lightly to herself. First her ears and paws had been too big for her body. Now her legs were catching up at an exaggerated pace. Her pelt was still dusted with puppy fuzz, but was beginning to grow out into a winter coat for the coming months. The naturally feathery fur on her hips and haunches inherited from her father had flushed out even more, and appeared soft and dull in the sun as opposed to the rest of her coat's shine.
Nessa was not five yards away from Coheed when he ventured to the bank, but she held her silence, she didn't think he'd seen her, and the breeze blew her scent away. The young female pursed her lips at his first attempt, tilting her ears forward with interest as he cursed the fish and tried again, succeeding. Hopefully the male wouldn't mind a bit of fun. "Nice catch." She said suddenly from behind him, her tone playful. If he turned around he'd see she wore an easy smile, and her tail wagged a couple lazy, friendly beats.
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 1:16 pm
"Glrmph," Coheed said around a mouthful of fish. He jerked his head back and forth, ripping a shred of skin free, before swallowing it as best he could. A moment later, he made a horrible face, and coughed mightily before spitting out the mangled remains of a fin. "Uh," he continued, before looking up at the cobalt wolf. He hadn't...smelled her sneaking up on him. "...sorry. Thanks."
A pause, as he glanced over at the river, then back at the other wolf. She looked about his age, and there were plenty of fish in the river... On the other hand, this was his first meal in a while. He looked back down at his mangled prize, before taking its head in his jaws and biting it off. Crunching vigorously, he nudged the remains of the fish toward Nessa. "Mmmmf mf?" he inquired, tail wagging--then swallowed and coughed again. "--Want some?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 2:28 pm
Ahead she could hear two youngsters speaking. She was only a young adult herself, but these two sounded as though they had just recently begun sprouting into adolescence. She had no intention of disturbing the two so she made her way a bit further down river before emerging from the bushes to the river bank. The fish had already made their way a little further downstream after Coheed scared them witless, and the she-wolf looked in the direction of her kind curiously. Was Coheed finished fishing, or was he going to wish to try his luck again for his lady-friend?
Her firey pelt seemed fit to match the rest of the forest, as the leaves were well on their way to turning a firey shade of autumn by now.
Tentatively she inched closer to the water's edge and waited for the oprotune moment, listening absently to the two up-stream.
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 3:23 pm
Nessa noticed the dark teal male's hesitation before his chivalric gesture, and offered a warm smile in thanks to him. "That's alright." She said with a soft laugh. "I've grown up on fish. I can let you have this one." Privately, she was actually getting a little tired of their taste. The silver ones were sweet, and still passable, but after too long, anything grows bland.
Nessa leaned forward a bit, still feeling a little to lazy to pull herself to her feet. "What's your name? I haven't seen you around here before." She said pleasantly.
A cobalt ear pricked momentarily. Had she just caught the scent of another wolf?
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 8:00 pm
"Oh, really?" Wow. She was nice-looking, and she let him have the rest of his fish. Nessa had already gained several points in Coheed's mind, even as he picked up the remainder of his meal and wolfed it down. This time he managed to avoid coughing or choking or some other impoliteness, and was in seconds grinning at the cobalt wolf once more. His tail beat a one-two wag behind him, one that--fortunately--no longer shook his whole body. "Thanks. I'm Coheed--who're you? Do you live around here?"
It would make sense, if she'd been raised on fish. The teal wolf was about to see more as he picked up on the same scent Nessa did, both ears pricking straight up. "...do you smell someone else, too?" he asked, lowly.
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2005 9:44 am
One advantage that Suzaku had to being hidden down river, she heard when the voices downstream raised or lowered. She could keep a decent enough tab on where the younger two were if she so needed.
At the moment, though, her attention was on her prey, and not the wolves upstream.
She dove, canines flashing, and deftly snatched a fish by the tail. She wasn't the best fisher to exist, but she had long patience and good timing after months of practice.
Pulling her prize to shore she quickly put it out of it's misery and settled down to begin tearing at it's exposed side. Her ears swiveled to have a listen for threats, but otherwise she seemed completely at ease, and in no hurry.
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Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2005 11:52 am
"My name's Nessa." She said matter-of-factly, she was used to meeting other wolves around here by now. To his next question she gave a nod. "Yep. I live a little further upstream." She gave the scenery a quick glance over, and smiled, reminded again of the natural beauty she so often took for granted.
Her expressive ears swiveled back slightly as she tilted her head to better let the scent fill her. She wasn't particularly good at reading smells yet, as she didn't immediately live in an area where wolves left scent-trails every day, but she could tell that the newcomer was a female, and that she was older than herself.
She nodded slowly to Coheed. "I think so..." Her olive green eyes swept the opposite bank, looking for the source. Suddenly, the female heard a splash down stream, and immediately zeroed in on a fiery colored shewolf. She smiled to herself as soon as she noted that the other didn't look particularly threatening. There were a lot of wolves fishing today...
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 5:46 pm
"Nice to meet you, Nessa," Coheed remarked aloud, now that the issue of another wolf being in the area had been resolved. He offered her one paw in greeting, the mannerism having clung since puppyhood--but quickly set it down again, shaking his head rapidly. Silly, to do that.
"Upstream?" Coheed's ears perked, the wagging of his tail slowing slightly--then stopping altogether. "There's--is this pack territory? I didn't smell any markers..." Intruding on another pack's territory was a great way to get in a fight or driven off by other wolves--
That thought was interrupted by the sound of a splash. Coheed looked back over his shoulder, ears pricked forward once more, and watched the russet she-wolf fishing. "...oh wow," he said. "She makes it look really easy." He looked back at Nessa, expression somewhat sheepish. "Uh, I mean. I haven't fished much before."
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 6:10 pm
Suzaku picked carefully around the bones, lifting her head as she took in a large portion to chew over. She watched the two quietly while she ate, then finally, finally spoke up aloud.
"Don't let me bother you, I've no intention of interrupting."
The tone was soft and strong, almost like a mother's, or a grandmother's, perhaps. She regarded the younger two, Coheed's bold markings standing out with striking beauty and contrast to the rest of the woods around and it's firey foilage. Nessa's pelt was dark as well, a gorgeous compliment of midnights and sand, and she carried herself without insecurity. Suzaku admired that in others, as many she had come across in her time did not have the same level of inner confidence. It only managed to add to the beauty of Nessarose's youth. She'd probably come to know both young wolves well, even if only by name. She just had a feeling about them.
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 3:23 pm
Nessa let her olive eyes wander from the fiery wolf to Coheed, and she shared a quiet smile with him at the autumn colored wolve's antics. The female was certainly going to finish her meal before she spoke up. Nessa wondered how long it had been since the other had dined.
"You get used to it." She assured the teal colored male. "I couldn't catch a minnow when I first tried. Now I can usually land one of the big silver ones if I concentrate." Secretly, she was proud of her own fishing skills. She'd inherited the patience to develop the skill from her mother, the best fisher that she was aware of.
"Not at all," The cobalt female piped up amiably as the phoenix wolf spoke, feeling some responsibility to welcome the stranger as they were on the borders of her father's lands. "My name's Nessa, and this is Coheed." She flipped her tail to the side, stealing the other's introduction. She gave the male a friendly smirk as she glanced to see if he minded. "What's your name, ma'am?"
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