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 Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 12:48 pm
Iosef wasn't certain why he had chosen to wander beyond the borders of the territory today, but each passing step made him feel more and more uneasy. He wasn't certain that he would be punished for straying so far, but it would certainly be within the rights of his mistresses to do so, and he feared their anger -- not because of the harm they might cause him, but because of the shame that would engulf his heart if they looked upon him with disappointment.
Iosef was a good slave. He was obedient, and loyal, and affectionate when he needed to be. He never hankered for freedom. He only wished to do his job well and have pride in his work, the same as any wolf.
And perhaps that was the trait that had led him so far astray. After all, his mistress had asked him to bring her a gift, and if he needed to travel far and wide to find her something, well...that's what he would do. He wasn't sure how far he had wandered from the border, but he could tell from sight and smell that he had stepped across into neutral ground.
The wolf could, from a distance, be easily mistaken for a female. His calico-colored pelt was silky, long, unmatted and shining beneath the sun; his eyes were a soft violet and his frame was thin, almost dainty. Even his scent, side effect of spending so much time alongside females in the Antianeira pack, was feminine.
He was not a hunter of large game, that much was obvious, but the grace in his movements and the speed of his gait hinted that he would be skilled at smaller game, and that is what he sought today. Crouching low to the earth, ears folded back and nose twitching, Iosef crept forward toward a bush; he could smell the quail within it, and perhaps, if he were lucky, he could come close enough to snatch it before it took flight....
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Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 9:43 pm
Yet his death hung just out of his reach, close enough for his dry tongue to taste but never drink its sweet nectar. It would be too easy. Friday was doing penance on an act he couldn't control, but a sin none-the-less.
Every time he had swayed with hunger till spots filled his vision and his mind went fuzzy he had welcomed death with open paws. But it was a sly silver fish to slip from his grasp, he would find himself with meal. No matter what it consisted of. That was what the vagabond found himself doing now, despite the worm-bellied cowardice he tried to convey on his face stuck with a perpetual grin.
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Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:32 pm
Iosef paused, brow furrowed; he could swear he smelt something on the air, an odor that struck his nose in its peculiarity. It was wolf-like, but permeated so thickly with....something else. Despair? Suffering? Death? The odor was totally alien to him and yet, in a strange way, familiar, and it dredged up memories that he wasn't even sure were real.
But then it was gone, and the wolf shrugged, pushing it away. A hallucination, he thought, brought on by his anxiety at being out of bounds. That was all. Now, the sooner he got the bird, the sooner he could return to his lady and the faster he could resume normal life.
He again focused his attention on the bush and leapt forward, rustling the leaves as he pressed inside the cover. His jaws closed around the snoozing quail before it could take flight, and he withdrew, a few brambles clinging to the thick fur of his face and shoulders but otherwise victorious.
Feeling quite pleased with himself, the wolf withdrew from the push and turned, moving at a swift pace back home, focused now entirely on his return...although, with each step, he could swear that the strange odor was growing stronger....
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Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 10:50 pm
Against his tightly folded ears the noise was faint, like paper being crumpled across a large room the sound was muted. But he heard it all the same.
He swung his head heavily in the direction of it as the disturbed leaves rustled and small branches snapped. He nostrils twitched as the forbidden tang of blood wafted his way. The pit of his stomach was a monster against his mind, as black and empty as the place behind his eyes. It seized something terrible, and without thought his lead-weighted paws dragged him towards the scent.
Soon the scent was tantalizing, and saliva dripped down his fur-matted front, his heart pounding like a frightened bird against his visible rib-cage. The gaunt male pulled himself through the trees and came face-to-face with another wolf, of calico-pelt and confusing gender carrying his meal. He eyed the bird with envy, and desperate both for dangerous conflict and the fowl he bared his teeth in challenge.
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Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 11:27 pm
Iosef stumbled backwards, caught offguard by the sudden presence of the other. He fell heavily to his haunches, his heart thudding heavily in his chest. The bird dropped from his jaws to his forepaws, and his violet eyes scanned over the gaunt stranger. His appearance was frightening, to be sure, but there was something pitiable about him as well, and Iosef did not yet turn tail to flee.
Instead, the calico wolf nudged the bird carcass forward, offering it silently to the stranger; he could find his mistress another gift, if it meant avoiding a confrontation with this significantly larger, intimidating male.
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