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 Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 5:46 pm
 How long had she been running? Her paws ached and her lungs burned from the effort of so much movement, but still the brightly colored female pushed onward. She was running from dangerous enemies, ones that sought her death. She didn't know if they had stopped pursuing her, or if perhaps they had devised another way to get her into their clutches. All she knew was that she had to keep moving.
As she ranged further into unknown territory, and as the day slowly drew to a close, Eris found that she hadn't the strength to run anymore. She feared for her life, but all she could feel was pure exhaustion from her long escape. She couldn't remember how many days she had traveled or how far she had come. The only certainty ringing through her mind was that she was lost. Yet this area didn't smell too heavily of foreign wolves, which meant to her that this wasn't a pack's lands. More likely than not, it was just some freelands that travelers used.
Black, beady eyes scanned every bush and every tree as she slowly treaded through the forest. She knew she would have to find some place to rest for the night, but she wasn't so exhausted that she forgot about her survival instincts. She had to check the area, make sure it was safe, before she would even stop walking. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to wander too far to find a safe area. Her legs shook with each step, and the orange wolfess knew that her strength could give out at any moment. And then she'd be vulnerable, lying on the ground, unable to move and even less capable of defending herself.
Silently, she cursed her own stupidity. She shouldn't have run so long and so far without any sort of rest. She put herself dangerously at risk. Sniffing, she supposed that it couldn't be helped now. All that mattered at the moment was finding some place to rest.
But where?
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 6:39 pm
Long, short, fast, slow whatever it was Vaughn tried his hardest to accomplish it but oh no his family didn’t want that his family wanted even further perfection then what was able to happen in reality. He pumped the hardest; he risked everything he could to make sure his family saw that he was ready for anything the only thing he couldn’t get past was his fear of the females in his past. In his pack that meant becoming an outcast, if you were strong and near perfection but couldn’t breed you were useless to his family.
Huffing and puffing Vaughn let out a loud snort, “You just aren’t cut out to be part of this pack.” Mimicking his father’s low key words Vaughn spit on the ground the very taste from the mimicking almost over flowing all his sense. For a while Vaughn had wished to be allowed back but finally his own reality set in and he just kept walking every day, sleeping every night for a few hours and then more walking. It was almost like he was a lone wolf and if he didn’t eat he would make the facts of lone wolves not living long be true.
His yellow eyes shot through the forest, something in the distance he could hear it something was out there. Growling Vaughn could feel the need for company for anything really, he wasn’t a loner he was meant to be in a pack as was all wolves! Starting slow his paws hit the ground fast and hard, he didn’t have a choice but to follow through with his need for others. Letting out a howl Vaughn signaled to the other wolf as best he could that he wasn’t a threat but after arguing with himself Vaughn’s tone probably wasn’t the friendliest.
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 6:50 pm
Eris had been sniffing a suspicious looking bush when the howl resonated through the trees, vibrating off the wood and amplifying to sound something that might have come from a monster. Instantly she was on high alert, her ears standing at their tallest as her black eyes searched in the dimming light. She cursed herself once more for being so foolish, so careless. How could she let this happen? That howl was probably a signal to the others that were following her, saying that they had indeed found their intended prey.
In an instant, she was running again. She didn't know that she still had strength left, but apparently a threat to her life could get her moving quickly enough.
"Curse you!" she called, both to 'them' and to heself, knowing well that her retreating footfalls couldn't remain undetected in the quiet and stillness of the forest, and so there was no point to keeping her mouth shut. She was far too tired to bother treading lightly, and every now and then she stumbled over a protruding root or a fallen branch. It was as if the woods itself was trying to thwart her attempt to save her own life. She growled low, a sound that originated from deep in her chest. She trid to recall all that her 'grandfather' had taught her of self-defense, knowing that if there were many pursuers, she wouldn't have much of a chance of outrunning them. Her only hope could very well be a fight to the death.
Her breaths came out ragged and sharp, her lungs working past their capacity. Her legs, also, were reaching their end, and she knew that she had wasted her last energy. She now had to turn and fight, or die like a fear-stricken doe by the claws and jaws of her predators. She would be damned if she went down like prey, so she suddenly stopped. She nearly collapsed, but managed to remain standing for a few seconds longer.
"Have at it!" she yelled, almost howling out in defiance. "You won't bring me down!"
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 7:11 pm
Vaughn couldn’t tell of the gender just yet, the rage he heard in the bark was too thick for his sense from his distance but to Vaughn this was a game he hadn’t been able to have a real challenge in awhile. Gulping back his need for water Vaughn took off at top speed, he would do his best to beat whomever was trying to outrun him it was just in his blood to be the winner. His legs stretched the long distance from the ground up, again and again he pushed from the ground forcing his body to the limits and then some pain was easy to ignore if you know where it’s coming from and how it was created.
His smirk grew into a smile, this was so much fun! Oh how he missed the open run, the feel of his muscles stretching again and again almost addicting to the lone wolf. ‘No, not alone anymore.’ Letting out a howl Vaughn signaled to the other he was closing in.
Suddenly he sensed his competitor stop, what was going on? Why was the wolf stopping his fun? Growling he pumped his legs further, oh no he wouldn’t stop he wasn’t giving up for any sort of distraction. Hitting the small tree line head on Vaughn burst through the thick patch of woods coming face to face with the female wolf he was running against. ‘Crap!’ Growling to him Vaughn could feel his legs lock as he continued running which ended him face first into the ground. Quickly Vaughn stood back up hastily looking up towards the bright wolf, ‘Geez she’s as bright as the sun…’ Blinking a few times Vaughn had to get use to the bright color before his body froze up on him. ‘Stupid fear of females… Stupid females.’
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 7:28 pm
Eris stood, legs shaking, as she waited for her pursuer to catch up. She couldn't be sure of how many there were, exactly, but she was sure that he wouldn't send them in alone. Even if he thought her a worthless female, he would still send all that he felt necessary in order to eliminate her. He wouldn't take any chances with her life, or leave any sort of window for her to escape through. This would be thorough and not at all quick, she thought with a wince. This would hurt. Most certainly.
But she was ready.
When the other wolf burst through the foliage, she couldn't help but be a little startled. This wolf was a strange color, not at all the type of wolf that would normally be sent after to assassinate her. But then again, what if this was just a trap? She knew what to look for, and so, cunningly, he had sent someone completely different, just to throw her off guard. Whatever his intentions, she had to remain on guard. She had to watch out for any sly tricks that this wolf might be hiding. She forced herself to focus, despite the weariness that resounded through every fiber in her being. If this was some sort of set up, she had to be one step ahead.
"How many of you are there?" she growled, although her exhaustion caused her voice to shake a little. "I know that he sent you. So just spit it out already!" Her black eyes narrowed in on him, her nose working busily as she tried to discern how many other scents mingled with his. But, surprisingly, she couldn't detect the presence of any other smells on his fur. Just him and the forest.
Eris shook her head slightly, knowing that this was most certainly a trick. But what was going to happen next?
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 7:45 pm
Vaughn could feel his fur stand on end, ‘Balls, s**t… crap…’ Gulping back a large dose of fear Vaughn shook out his fur trying to seem calm and collected, like his mother use to tell him to do when meeting a female for the first time. This female seemed really scared and angry though, what if she attacked him? What if she touched him! Quite noticeably was his shaking now, his legs week and wobbly as his legs worked the area around him to feel for a solid ground, he had to make sure he could run away.
“I… Um… Please…?” Crap, what did his mother tell him to do when meeting a female!? Gulping again Vaughn did his best to push his fear aside and think straight.
Shaking his head harshly Vaughn was able to at least working through what the bright wolf was trying to ask him, “Alone… I’m…” Another gulp, “Alone.” This was a lot harder then what his mother had told him was going to happen. Trying to keep focus on the wolf before him Vaughn had the strongest urge to run away, it was right there he could make it she was obliviously tired and he could easily out run her with all the pent up energy he had. Panting he could feel his tempture go up as the seconds ticked on, this wasn’t good if he become over heated and fainted, which was likely going to happen, this female would most definitely kill him!
‘Focus, she’s talking about something weird…’ His panting lessened a little but as he tried to figure out what the female before him was saying he still couldn’t figure out how to stop his shaking.
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 7:55 pm
Now Eris was really confused. Not only was this male the completely wrong color, without any sort of foreign scent on him, but to make things even stranger he was alone! This was not the usual way of things. He usually sent a big group when they went out on a hunt. No matter the prey, there was always a hunting group. Not a solo hunter. This was all wrong. She growled in frustration, her tired mind working over-time trying to figure out this riddle.
"How can you be alone?" she asked, her voice not quite a growl this time. She could see that he was shaking now, although whether it was from fear or the thrill of the hunt, she couldn't really tell. Maybe this wolf was a newcomer, itching to prove himself to his tyrant leader. Perhaps that was why he was the wrong color, and all alone. He was new and completely strange. That was why he had to work harder to prove himself. Yes. All of the pieces were coming together, and she was sure that she had this one all figured out. Little did she know, she was just being paranoid.
"What were his orders?" she questioned further, her black eyes penetrating into his. Although she was tired and suspicious of a trick about to pop out of the woodworks, she felt herself growing more and more confident with every passing second. The fear that rolled off of him in waves was all too apparent now and could be picked up by the bright female's quivering nose.
"What did he threaten to do to you if you didn't get the job done?" Maybe she didn't want to know, or maybe she did. No matter; the question had been asked and there was no taking it back now.
"ANSWER ME!" she growled, at her wit's end with this wolf. Why did everything feel all wrong?
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 8:14 pm
His shaking increased as his paws continued to need the ground, this wasn’t getting any better! His panting became heavy again as he glanced around, he could make a run for it all he had to do was unfreeze his legs from their current fear frozen stance and then run off through the thick bushes… to the… ‘Oh great my father was right… I am a coward, pathetic…’ Gulping he could feel his shaking lessen as his temperature increased.
“My pack…!” Finally a bark! Something male like came from him while he was around a female, this is good! Unfortunately his back legs gave out and his butt hit the ground with a hard thud. This wasn’t the perfect position to be in around such an angry female but maybe it would calm her if she saw him in a more innocent and welcoming stance? His tail tucked tightly against his body as his eyes locked with that of the black ones of the orange wolf before him, this would be interesting if she wasn’t so threatened.
Panting Vaughn did his best to focus on her words, “I’m… alone… from my pack…” More panting and gulping, he sounded like one of his lungs was flattened by a racing wolf.
“It’s just me… I don’t… Didn’t mean…. To hurt you?” Alright this wasn’t getting anywhere, he wasn’t even making any sense now he needed to figure out what was going on and try to fix the situation, which of course wasn’t going to happen because he was so pathetic. ‘Urge! I can’t let my father beat me up after I’ve been kicked out… This has got to stop.’
“I’m not going to… hurt you…”
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 8:26 pm
Eris continued to eye the other, her nerves beginning to become a little shaken with his behavior. This was not the usual type of hunter that he employed. In fact, this male seemed like the sort of wolf that wouldn't last a day in her old pack. He was a strange color, with a strange sort of personality to go with it. He was so frightened! Like a little pup after being told all the terrifying stories of the nighttime woods. How did he ever manage to make it this far? Perhaps she had been wrong, and he wasn't here to hunt her as she had originally suspected.
Yet any doubt that she had about her earlier conclusions quickly disappeared as he talked about his pack. So he was with them after all! She had begun to relax, yet with his words she instantly tensed and her teeth pulled back to show glistening white teeth. She hadn't ever had to defend herself physically before, but she was sure that she'd do just fine when the situation called for it. She didn't make it this far just to be brought down by this... hunter.
When he spoke of not meaning to hurt her, she actually laughed. It was a dry, disturbing sound, but it was a laugh all the same. "Don't think I can't see past your little mask," she spat, fur bristling. "I know why you're here, and who sent you. You may try to fool me but I already know the truth!" She took a slight step back, ready to flee when the wolf realized that he was uncovered and that he would have to take her out quickly. She knew it had been stupid to stay with him for so long. He would know what she looked like, what she smelled like. He would only have had a description before, but now he had physical evidence to bring forth in his memories for reference at a later time. She was stupid! So stupid!
"Where are the others?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 8:39 pm
“What… What others?” His breathing relaxed as Vaughn glanced around him making sure he was alone, maybe she had a strong sense of smell then he did? His mother always told him that women had a fraction stronger of everything then males, which just terrified him even more. He was making matters worse somehow; his frightened self was already screwing everything up how was this possible? Usually he could just run away and be okay with being afraid of females but oh no the one time he wanted to really deal with this problem he had to pick a crazy female!
“Look I’m alone… My pack” Gesturing back towards his pack he could feel a slight shiver run down his back as he remembered the day his father looked at him as if he was a dyeing doe not even worthy to be killed and eaten by his own blood. “They kic-… They left me out here.” He realized it probably wasn’t the best of ideas to allow the female to know that he was kicked out of his pack, he’d seem more pathetic then he already is.
“This would work better if you were calm, then I would be able to be calm… and then we could calmly speak to one another…” Surprisingly enough Vaughn was able to stand back up, alright this was nice and easy all he had to do was think of it like it was running just keep pushing yourself to your limits and maybe you’ll break down and lose but oh no not him. “Or bark, or howl… Just calm down…” If she didn’t calm down soon he’d probably run away or pee himself, or faint, and just make a big fool of himself in front of the only female he’d been able to fully talk to for a few minutes at least. ‘Hey! That’s right!’ Automatically Vaughn’s tail started to wag; he just needed to keep himself distracted…
That is until his eyes landed back onto the bright wolf before him, then his butt hit the ground again and he was panting all over again.
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 8:53 pm
"The others!" she growled, losing all of her patience with this male. He was taking this too far. He was playing stupid still, even after she had told him that she knew all about his intentions. What was wrong with him?
When he explained that he had been left out here by his pack, she took a moment to consider. He sounded sincere enough, although he had been about to say something else before he said what they'd done. It almost sounded like he was going to say they'd kicked him out, which might not fit either. But, if he had been kicked out, then he had all the more to prove. He had to bring her back, perhaps alive or perhaps dead, but he had to find her before any of the others to prove that he shouldn't have been kicked out. Following this train of thought, she found that her suspicions had returned, and she didn't believe a word that left his lips.
"Calm?" she repeated, incredulous. Her eyes blazed, the darkest of obsidian in stark contrast to the bright fur surrounding her eyes. "You think I'm just going to be CALM when you and all your friends plan to take my life? I'm not stupid!"
She should have left long ago. He was drawing this out, probably waiting for his back up. But if he had been kicked out, then he wouldn't have any back up, right? Or, what if that had all been a trick? What if he only said he had been kicked out, hoping that she would come to the conclusion that he was truly alone, only to catch her off guard in an ambush. Her thoughts raced, running in circles around every possibility. Her head ached from the flurry of it all, and she found that she was losing focus. She was far too tired for this. She was risking more than she had ever wanted to.
"I won't calm down," she spoke, although her tone was more even than before. Her eyes lost their anger, and her legs shook visibly. Her will was crumbling, left with nothing physical to back it up with. He would take her now, or not at all.
"Not while my life hangs in the balance," she murmured, using the last of her strength to keep a wary eye on him. "I told you before," she breathed, attempting to keep her grip on reality. "Have at it. Go ahead, do your best."
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 9:29 pm
Sighing Vaughn could sense the wolf before him finally relax into complete exhaustion, his own senses and fears were finally relaxing as her strength and need to fight back seemingly lessened. This was all a good thing, she would see that he wasn’t going to hurt her and that he would do his best to take care of her while she was unprotected in the woods. OR he could just leave her here and never turn back and deal with his fear another day.
“Just go to sleep it’s alright…I won’t hurt you.” That was true at least, the next wolf to come along might though. Slowly he stood looking over the female she looked like she was going to die, alright then that was it he had to stay with her while she slept and he had to take care of her even if he did faint around her a bunch of times. “Nothing is going to happen to you because… Because I am here to take care of you alright?”
It was total bullshit that not even he believed but as time went on his fear lessened, that was good right? It wasn’t like the minute she passed out he would pass out? Oh crap, there goes his heavy breathing again; he probably would pass out alright that means he had to be quick about finding her food and water before he passed out. ‘It’s going to be fair the effert of taking care of her… You will help yourself with your fear and you will be able to maybe… go back to your pack.’ That last part came out of nowhere, is that what he really wanted to do? Go back? To them? Huffing Vaughn shook out his fur he wasn’t going to go back, he was going to become the alpha of his own pack… SO he might be afraid of females doesn’t mean he wasn’t built and trained by his father his whole life.
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 9:45 pm
Eris growled in protest at the wolf as he seemed to want to come closer. All of her effort was going into fending him off now, even though he wasn't even physically attacking her. In her mind, though, his concern for her wellbeing was just a mask for his darker intentions. Once she was asleep, or fainted, she was sure that he would either kill her or somehow take her prisoner, back to the ones who wanted her dead. And she simply couldn't have that.
"You, stay away from me!" she mumbled, taking a few steps back. She hadn't gone down yet, and she would be damned if something as little as exhaustion brought her to her knees. But her legs shook with the effort of keeping her on her paws, and she knew that, within the next five minutes, she would be down on the ground. She would be vulnerable then, and he would be able to get away with anything. Thinking of this, she was strangely unafraid. She knew that there were wolves out there, searching for her, wanting her dead. But she couldn't bring herself to fear death. Her mentor and adopted grandfather had taught her courage and strength. Those were traits she refused to lose, even in her last moments of life.
"Take care of me," she scoffed, obviously not buying his words. "That's one way to put it." He would 'take care' of her, indeed. She glared at him, and he swirled briefly in her vision. "Stay still!" she snapped, unaware that her obscured vision was due to exhaustion and not any movement on his part. "I'm on to you," she continued, obviously out of it now.
She was about to say more, but in that instant her eyes rolled back in her head, and her legs gave out without any warning. Not soon after, her eyes shut and she had completely fainted, the exhaustion finally wearing down on her will. She lay on the ground, motionless and at the total mercy of the strange male.
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 9:59 pm
It was sad watching this, watching as this beautiful female before him just fell. It was all watching a baby bird fall for the first time only into the mud and having no way to get out, it was horrible see this female helpless before him seemingly crawling away from the nightmares that surrounded her during the day and during her woken hours. His fear glided off him and his panting lessened to a slow breathing that could barely be heard, he wasn’t going to wake her if his life depended on it.
Slowly as he got closer to the female he could hear his mother’s lessons about fate and destiny about both the goddess tapping you on the shoulder and only the wisest would hear them. Frowning Vaughn nodded as he came to the orange female, fate was tapping him alright she was almost pushing him. ‘Females are sensitive.’ This one didn’t seem sensitive in that sense, but she seemed like she was sensitive to anything else that seemed slightly threatening, ‘They like show offs but not blunt ones.’ Alright all he had to do was make sure she had food when she woke up and to make sure she didn’t die before she woke up.
Turns out females are easier to deal with when they’re asleep, at least for Vaughn they are. Glancing around Vaughn took a deep breath making sure there wasn’t any sort of threat around them before he sprinted off to get a squirrel or some small quick thing. The chase and catch were easy enough; it was trying to figure out how to get water to the sleeping female would be the difficult thing. After dropping the dead squirrel besides the orange female Vaughn quickly backed away, his nerves were still shaky if he got to close, and rightly so she could probably wake up then flip out at him again only this time she’d be fully rested.
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 10:12 pm
The orange wolfess didn't know what to expect the moment that unconsciousness took hold of her mind. Perhaps she expected nightmares, or just total darkness. What she got was neither of those, but something that wasn't completely disheartening either. What she got was random inklings of sound; she heard the rustling of bushes every now and then. Sometimes she would get a smell. There was a moment where she thought she smelled something dead beside her, with the tempting scent of a meal wafting through her mind. But that couldn't be. Or was this heaven?
It would be three hours before Eris finally came around. At first nothing changed. She heard the same rustlings, smelled the same smell of food, although now it was beginning to grow stale. But in an instant everything became clearer, sharper. Her eyes shot open, to see nothing but darkness. She blinked a few times, hard, and her eyes slowly came into focus. Everything around her took on solid shapes and scents, and she was able to recognize where she was. Well, to an extent at least. She remembered something of these bushes, and of this forest. But it wasn't anywhere she was totally familiar with. Something tugged at her memory, but her mind hurt too much for her to be able to discern what it was.
Finally her gaze settled on the squirrel, dead on the ground next to her splayed paws. Drawing her legs underneath her delicately, she glanced around, wondering where on earth this creature had come from. It certainly couldn't have dropped dead from above. Blinking, she glanced upwards, just to check. But the movement made her dizzy, and she immediately regretted it.
Groaning, she rested her head back upon the ground. And that was when it all clicked into place. Lingering on the ground was the scent of the strange male, the one that she had stood her ground against before she had collapsed from exhaustion. Her eyes narrowed instantly, suspicious as always. He hadn't harmed her, as he had said. He hadn't moved her, either.
What the hell was going on?
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