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 Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 10:20 pm
 It was time to make his way back to the meeting place. Kai knew it was, because the heat of summer was descending upon him, the sun warm against his pelt, the mosquitoes rising up from the river to pester him in his sleep.
He felt that perhaps he was running late. He'd spent too much time dallying on the trip, taunting bears and saying farewells to certain unnamed wolves who did not appreciate the gesture. And then, of course, there had been the injury...and that had disabled him for a few days, and still pained him now from time to time.
Mon had done well with his wounds, he had to give her credit for that. She was a useful companion, and one he had been grateful to have these past few nights; without her, he wasn't sure where he would have ended up after that red devil had lit into him.
Still, despite her doting care -- well, as much as the even-headed wolf was capable of doting -- Kai was growing restless. For one, there was a certain tenderness in her eyes when she looked upon him now that concerned him, as it spoke to a depth of emotion that he knew he would be unable to return. For another, he knew it was well past time to start heading to the meeting place, and he was afraid with each passing day that Verdauga may decide against taking him in at all.
His thoughts heavy with these concerns, the blue-pelted wolf limped through the trees, walking aimlessly -- although not as oblivious as he once had been. Living his new life had hardened him somewhat, and now he was somewhat less likely to be taken by surprise by the appearance of another wolf.
Half-musing over his current state of affairs, half-minding where he was headed, the wolf picked his way gingerly amongst the undergrowth, careful not to scrape his still-healing wounds against the brush.
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Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 10:30 pm
 "Heehee, hahaaaaw, going to be having it now!"
A strange wolf practically crowed at the riverside, her maw turned upwards in a rather triumphant manner, as a magpie circled around her head. Despite how it may have looked, he was not her target and he knew that well. His raucous cries joined hers as his black and white body danced around her thin, water-soaked frame. She was half deep in the swift currents, water flowing across her drenched frame.
With a swift dip of her maw and flick of her head, a plump trout careened towards the banks.. She was in hot pursuit, beating and badgering the unfortunate creature further away from the waters. Wether or not she was oblivious to any other presences near the water remained to be seen, as she was quite content with her current task and seemed too enthralled to notice.
"Grab-flop-flop, tossing it ashore! Killing it, now, eating it soon!" She sang softly to herself as she pinned the flailing creature to the moist earth with one paw. The magpie circled and landed to one side of her, cackling.
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Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 11:30 pm
Kailani jumped, as her voice broke into the silence of his thoughts, and he shifted his course to come near her. He stopped, as she came into his line of vision, and blinked, not quite sure what to make of this very odd sight.
He hadn't seen many other wolves fishing out here, aside from him, but her method was so different from his that he wasn't even entirely sure he could refer to it as fishing. He looked from her, to the bird, then down to the water, feeling extremely confused but intrigued.
Wolves out here were, after all, kind of nutty.
"Er...excuse me?" He called, intensely curious about this very odd wolf. "Sorry to interrupt, but, ah, I can't help but notice your...very unique method of fishing."
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:19 am
The scrawny, malnourished creature stiffened as Kai's voice broke what was her own version of "silence," as the magpie was almost never quiet. As far as nutty went, she certainly seemed to be a prime example. Her eyes and ears were pinned on the other and, after a brief hesitance, she dispatched the flopping trout of it's life and left it on the banks, not worrying as Feather settled himself on the dead, slimy thing. The magpie wouldn't eat much while she was greeting the stranger.
"Unique you are saying? Yesss! Unique! Being a good thing, unique! You are being unique, yes?" She tilted her head sideways and wagged her tail slightly. He did not seem threatening, thus she did not feel a need to be particularly careful, not that she ever was.
"This one is liking to be fishing! Fish Eater likes eating fish!" She cackled and sat back on her haunches, her beads rattling slightly.
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:21 am
His brows raised, and -- though he hardly realized it at the time -- he took a slow step backward. "Ah...yes," he said, and wasn't quite sure what he was agreeing to. "I like fish, as well," he added, in a valiant attempt at conversation. He glanced from her, to the trout, to the bird, and added, helpfully, "A bird is eating your fish, ma'am."
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:31 am
"Ah! Liking fish! Very good, very good! Fish Eater is liking fish!"
Regardless if he knew what he was doing or not, Kai was growing on her rather quickly. He liked fish, therefore he must be good to her. Rather simple minded thinking, but how could one disagree with another who liked fish like she did? He was good until proven bad, in her book.
"Good creatures are liking fish, good and strong creatures." She chuckled and glanced back towards her kill, where Feather picked and plucked at the deceased creature's eye, then moved down towards the neck, where it had been bitten to death.
"Feather? Feather is being bird, but not being bird. Feather is being more than bird! Feather is family, can be eating fish. Good creatures be eating fish. Good, honest creatures. Making for smart." She stood, tail wagging and motioned for Kai to follow her with a swift bob of her head, then plodded towards the magpie and the dead fish.
"Krrraaaak, good taste fish, yes." The bird agreed, though wether Kai could understand or not, he didn't care. Some wolves were better at listening than others.
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:37 am
His brow furrowed at her very odd manner of speaking -- and, then, at the bird's speech as well. He remained silent throughout all of this, a bit taken aback and not entirely sure how to react to this situation at all.
Still, the odd female looked quite thin, and he wondered if perhaps it was because her fishing method was a bit...inefficient. "Do you have trouble hunting, too?" He asked, conversationally, taking a tentative step forward, although staying far enough back that he could bolt back into the underbrush if she became a threat -- although he was doubting it. "I had a difficult time with game, when I first came to these lands, but I've gotten a bit better at it. I could catch you something, if you'd like? A rabbit or," he was about to offer a bird, but decided against it, given the presence of the magpie "...or I could catch us a few more fish? Have enough to go around?"
Honestly, he wasn't sure why he was bothering, except that, without the help of a few other wolves, he too could have been starving and ineffectual in the woods all alone.
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:46 am
"Never having trouble! Never! Fish Eater likes to be fishing and to be eating fish." She chuckled as she plopped back down on her haunches and shooed the bird away. He fluffed his feathers indignantly and settled to the right of her, watching the stranger warily. What she was saying was an obvious lie, given her state. She could fish alright, but preferred fish and would often refuse other game all together, which often led to malnutrition.
"Only fish, only fish~ Catching more fish? More fish for feasting! Big feasting!" She cackled and bit down on the dead thing, devouring a chunk before grinning up at her new friend, for she had already deemed him as such.
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:59 am
"Right then," he said, and smiled back at her a little uncertainly. "Fish for all."
It was amusing, he mused, that in his time in this world, he had met a wolf that would eat no fish...and a wolf that would eat nothing but. It was a strange world out here, in the outside.
He turned back to the river, moving a bit gingerly from his wounded flanks, but looking healthier at least than the other wolf. Pausing for a bit at the bank, he gazed down into the water and, with a deft movement, swiped his forepaw down into the water the way a bear might, diving forward to catch the ensuing trapped fish in his jaws, breaking its neck with a shake of the head, and tossing it onto the bank. He was rather proud of himself: if there was one thing he was capable of, it was killing fish. He'd even been uncommonly skilled at it back home, perhaps because he was never allowed to do much else with his free time.
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 1:13 am
She watched on in wonder and awe, obviously entranced by the skill and prowess of the water that he possessed. She loved fish dearly, but had not been taught how to catch them. It was something she had struggled to learn on her own, while growing up lost and alone. Perhaps it was something she should try, though she enjoyed pouncing them.
"Cheering and jubilation!" She called, tail dusting the earth beneath her, as she watched the fish lose it's life in his jaws and then fly towards her. Quite good skill!
She was on her paws, snatching the dead thing from the reach of the magpie, who was already on it like seagulls on bread.
"Not being for Feather, Feather! Being for big feasting for this one and this one's new friend." She chided and turned her pale, blue eyes towards the water.
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 1:21 am
"So," he said, after a moment, thought his eyes were still scanning the river for more game, "...Are you alone, out here? Just you and, ah, Feather?" He glanced over his shoulder, interested and a little pitying of her situation. So much sadness he had discovered out here! From the uncertain blind male he had befriended...to Mon, and her nightmares...and now this poor, half-starved creature. And all of them, alone.
He had certainly begun to question his romanticized ideas of the lone wanderer lifestyle. It was a good thing, he thought, that he'd had the good fortune of meeting Verdauaga, of having a place to fit and, hopefully, a pack of brothers to care for him as well. And, of course, good that he had rescued Monaeka from the darkness of her own thoughts.
Considering this, he went back to his work, fishing out two more fish before moving onto the bank.
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 1:37 am
"Being just this one and the feathered one!" She called out to the blue male, blue as water, blue as the river he was in. She briefly wondered if his thoughts were blue, like the rest of him, but the thought didn't linger long. Perhaps she should offer a story, especially seeing as he was helping to feed her. It seemed some sort of compensation ought to be in order.
She flopped into the cool, half solid, half muddied bank, enjoying the breeze and shade the dense forestry of the area offered and watched, her own kill resting between her paws. She waited patiently for Kai to finish before she would eat another bite.
"Always just being this one, this Fish Eater. Always being, until the feathered one was coming, keeping company, eating and finding things~ Shinythings~"
""K-aaaw, shiny!" He chimed in as he landed on his mistress's back, preening a wayward feather here and there. The two had quite a hoard of "treasure" gathered, though neither would breath a word. It was their special things, and it belonged to no one else... Now, anyways.
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 10:25 am
It was as he had thought, then -- the odd wolf had been all alone, with only the bird for companionship. Perhaps the bird had raised the wolf from puphood, he thought, with a twinge of sympathy. No wonder she was so strange!
"Do you like shiny things?" He asked, gently, an idea forming in his head. He wasn't sure how well Verdauga would take to him bringing home such an...odd...creature, but he was finding it difficult to even consider just walking away and leaving her to potentially starve or suffer.
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 2:21 pm
Her ears pricked at his question and he suddenly had her undivided attention, the bird at her side completely ignored. She stood, tilting her head to one side as she observed the brightly hued creature, with his golden markings and interesting fishing skills.
"Loving shiny things~"
She took a paw step nearer to him and grinned, her tail wagging. There was something interesting he had on his mind, she could tell, and she needed to know.
"You are having shinythings? Many shinythings? This one can be trading, trading for shinies, giving you what you are wanting~ Stories? Foods? She can be trading!"
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Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 1:12 am
He smiled, although he was a little taken aback by her enthusiasm. Then again, he should know better than to be surprised. "I don't have any shiny things, right now," he said, choosing his words carefully, not quite sure how this budding plan of his would pan out. He hoped it would end well, and that Verdauga would be pleased with him. At least then, he would manage to have done something right.
"I was...hoping, perhaps, you might be interested in helping me get some shiny things, actually. You can steal them, yes?" He gave her an appraising look. "That's how you get your shinies? By taking them?"
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