Welcome to Gaia! ::

A black form flashes through the trees, suddenly, ahead of the twain, making straight for the little rabbit. It's difficult to see, mostly obscured by leaf and foilage, but one gets the sudden impression of thick , dark stripes on an already-dark background, with a random flash of ivory flickering teasingly in and out. Whatever it is, it's small, lithe - and clearly hungry.

Kamali stumbled a bit as he saw the shape dart out, the dark shape, heading straight for Faeo's meal! He froze though, if the other was to get it he did not want to make the long-ears run away. His stance quickly undid itself, he stopped crouching to the ground and watched, there were eother long-ears.. but this was another pup! Perhaps the pup would even share their food with Faeo if Kam asked nicely enough..

A flash of nose and fang and tongue and general good puppy humor shows through the trees, before the thing changes it's course slightly. The rabbit takes off, frantically scampering away from the dark thing chasing it - and towards the other puppies.

The scrabble of claws upon bark can be heard as the dark creature pops up over a tree-limb, and can now be easily seen - the wild-eyed and breathless look of a canine in the chase, coupled together with a puppy's not-quite-agile scrambling as it drops back down to the earth. It's a short-limbed wolf puppy, with extremely dark fur, black markings rolling down it's side like tiger stripes. The hindquarters has a flashing of one - no, two - white markings across it.

"Catch it!" The puppy bellows to the twain in front of her.

Kamali's eyes went wide as he heard the command and immedietly he dropped down into his stalking pose, careful to make sure the rabbit would not get past. Catch it, she says! How he hated blood! But if it was 'his' catch then he could let the strange pup and faeo share.. couldn't he? He suddenly lunged foward, cutting the rabbit off from its intended path. He pounced, toumbling foward, sure he made impact with the rabbit. The actual killing part he'd never been too good at.. He snapped his small jaws several times before finding the neck, now feeling queezey because of all the blood spill.

His eyes shut tightly, chest rising up and down quickly, heart pounding. Hunting was a rush.. but he never would like it, he thought. After a few moments the rabbit fell still, and he let go of his death bite, still laying atop it, trying to catch his breath.

The dark puppy slows to a languid trot, tongue lolling out of her mouth in happy exhaustion, tiny sides blowing in and out. Her ears tilt forwards good-naturedly, her brush of tail lifting up high in a wag. Closer up, she looks a bit smaller than an ordinary puppy, but her personality seems to overspill her tiny form, making her seem larger than she really is.

"Nice one!" She comments admirably to other puppy.

Kamali rolled off and pulled himself to lanky limbs, taller than the average pup but definetly skinnier. "T..thank you." He spoke softly, almost in a whisper, as he always spoke. He staired at the other pup a moment, gaze occasionally flicking to the strange markings on her hind leg.

"I'm Kamali.." he said quickly, tail waving back and forth a few times. "We did not know another was out hunting this long-ears.." his head tilted lightly. "Do you think you could share it with Faeolan?" He nodded his head to the other pup, who was staying back.

"Istas," She replies succinctly. "Means 'snow.'" Her muzzle pulls up into a wry smile, as if she were appreciating the irony of her name. Then, as if she were using manners that were rusty, she blinks, tongue withdrawn, and bobs her head once, sharply. "Kamali. Pleased t'meetchur. And Faeolan." A cursory glance is given to the other puppy.

"Of course!" She says, voice bubbling with optimism. "I mean, it'd be mean to say I was keeping it for myself. I'm starving. Do you live here?"

He staired at her curiously. "But you remind me nothing of snow.." his eyes widned as he realized what he just said and he gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry. Yeah, it's nice to meet you Istas."

he shifted, slowly sitting, head tilted to the side. "I do not live aound here. I live with a pack, across a big river.. but i decided I would like to explore... do you happen to live here?"

A titter. "My parents were weird," She says conversationally. "And they had a good sense of humor."

"A pack, huh? Big river? I en't seen a big river at all...but I dunno the area at all," She explains modestly. "I come from awhile away, to get out and see the whole wide world." She puffs up importantly, tail swishing. "It's bigger than I thought it would be." The statement gives her pause, but not for too long - she has a short attention span. Shyly: "How big's your pack, who all lives there?"

Kamali giggled quietly to himself. "Eep the river is huge.." suddenly his expression slipped into a fearful one. "It was stupid of me to try and cross it.." he muttered, then his head tilted. "I myself do not know what my own name means.. " he trailed off, shifting uncomfortably.

That is, until she mentioned his pack. A slow smiled spread over his features and his tail begand to wag. "Lets see.. There's Haku, he's alpha.. and his Mate Lera, she's also alpha, oviously.. they have three pups.. Keara, Fleance and.. Nile i think. Then there is Carmen, Gaara and Lexi.. plus Aeria, Gizmo and Jade. That's.." he thinks for a moment. "Nine wolves.. Oh! and my brother Tobias! That's ten." he beams, he was very prideful of his pack. "And this other pup is staying with our pack.. but she hasn't joined it. Do you have a pack?"

"Oh. Can you get back across?" Curiousity is scrawled upon the young child's face. If the answer is no - adventure! Charmed at the thought of being caught up with someone else's life, her ears perk at the last. "Maybe it means somethin' like 'brave' or 'wise' or something," She says, keenly. "Most do." Parents, she has decided, are not very creative when coming up with puppy names.

Her head tilts slightly to the side as he names off his pack, and she flops down onto her hindquarters, listening politely - even though she's probably not going to remember any of the names. "It's a big pack," She agrees, wolf-grinning slightly. "And no, I en't got one." However, this just seems to make the puppy more prideful. "I'm a rogue, I go where I want, when I want. Nobody owns me."

Faeolan had tried to help catch the long-ear, but saw that Kamali had things under control and decided to make sure he was out of the way, but cutting off any escape route the prey could have. His muscles relaxed, however, when the long-ear had been caught and Faeolan winced. He had hoped to make the kill to spare his new friend from the blood.

As he looked at the dead carcuss, he could feel himself salivating more and more while his tongue lapped at it to keep it from spilling out of his muzzle. Not wanting to be rude, he introduced himself. "I'm Faeolan. I don't really have a ho...er, pack." He gingerly listened to the other pup, but his eyes always strayed to the food that was right in front of him. "I guess I'm a rogue then too." The black and green pup had stammered over the word, not having heard it before.

"I think it will be a while before i try getting across it again.." he shivered. He smiled lightly at the meanings she thought it ment, then laughed. "Do most pups have names meaning those things? I never thought to ask about a name's meaning before.."

He listened to how she didnt have a pack, and smiled lightly. "Then you are a good hunter?" She must have been, if she wanted to be a rogue. His tail wagged lightly, then he laughed. "My pack does not own me.." he shook his head, watching her still.

The dark puppy's gaze switches immediately to Faeolan, ears twitching upwards in a friendly fellow-fashion. "Pleased t'meet you too, Fae," She quips, immediately condensing his name into an easily-remembered nickname. "And bein' a rogue is the best!" Her tail gives a swish. "You don't have to worry 'bout nothin'."

"Of course names should have meanings," She looks back to Kamali, gaze looking a bit scandalized. "If your name don't have a meaning, how do you know what you are?" That might not make sense to the average individual - but to Istas's way of thinking, it makes perfect sense.

"Yeah, but Kam, you're still tied to your pack. I mean, if one of 'em's hurt or worried or stuff - then you gotta take that on as a burden on yourself. If one of 'em starves, the rest usually ends up starvin', too. And if you en't an alpha, you have to listen to what the alphas say." She crinkles her nose indignantly. "I don't have to bother with that sort of thing, not when you're a rogue."

Faeolan listened to the new pup with interest, since he had no idea that a pack meant so much responsibility. He had been wanting to find one someday that might accept a loner like himself but after what she said he wasn't sure now. Surely there were good reasons to belong to a pack!

"I guess you have the hang of it better than me. The thing I've been worried about mostly is hunting my next meal..." Once again his eyes went longingly to the dead long-ear near his forepaws and licked his chops. "And I don't know what my name means either." He cast Kamali a simpathy glance since they were in the same name boat.

Kamali turned, looking to Faeolan. "Oh, would you like some long-ear meat? She said she'd share.." he nodded to Istas. He frowned slightly. "But pack members also look after you and protect you, they're a sence of comfort when you need it, like a family." He was trying to point out some good things, because lately he'd been feeling restricted by his pack.

Faeolan almost whimpered in relief, but stopped himself in time. He would not embarrass himself in front of others. Although he had stopped the whimper, the hope in his eyes shown through. "Would you really share? Because I'd help you hunt to pay you back. It's just, I'm really hungry." He looked at the meat again, but wouldn't even move towards it without a go ahead from Istas.

"You don't need to hunt very well to be a rogue," The dark puppy says, suddenly looking sly, but she doesn't go any further than that. Instead, her eyes flash greedily as Kamali mentions the long-ear again, nose working furiously.

She shrugs. "I don't need no family. I got myself, and that's good enough for me. Who needs family if you're just gonna be slowed down by them?"

And then: "Let's eat, I'm starvin'!" She's allowed to be generous at this point - particularly since it's two to one, and Kamali actually caught the thing.

Faeolan's eyes filled with relief as soon as Istas gave the 'go ahead' and he plunged his muzzle into the carcas, not caring what kind of a mess he made in the process. He could feel his razor sharp teeth tearing into bone and muscle and managed to wrestle free a leg from the long-ear and happily proceeded to strip it of its fur and flesh.

Although long-ears were a common food for him, his hunger made it taste better than it had ever been before and he looked up at Istas. "Fhank ou." he said appreciativly through a full mouth.

Istas flashes a sweet grin at Faeolan, before lowering her own head and digging into breakfast. Neither is she very neat - she's going to fill her tummy, not to look prim and proper. Fortunately, her dark coat doesn't stain too badly, and she'll be able to wash it off later. Ripping off a piece of hide, she gulps it down carelessly, savoring the meat. "Where you from, Fae?"

Faeolan closed his eyes for a moment and savored the taste of the meat and blood moved down his throat and into his stomach, finally pushing down his hunger pains a bit. He looked up at the other pup and grinned. It was nice of her to have shared.

He gulped down another piece of meat before answering akwardly. "I, er...don't really remember. I've been wandering since my earliest memory." To hide his discomfort he dug once again into the meat, chewing up a large pice and sliding it down his pallet.

Istas rolls her tongue over her teeth, blinking slightly. She at least, remembers her parents - how disappointed they were when they had another daughter instead of a son. "Well, that's probably for the best," She says philosophically. "I mean, then you got a clean slate - your whole life ahead of you, an' no ties to anything!" She snaps up a bone, worrying it to get to the marrow inside.

Mouth full of bone, she continues. "Ah mean, yah don't have 'oo worreh about nothin'." She lifts her head, licking her chops. "You headed anyplace special?"

Faeolan gnawed at the bone of the leg he had severed and thought about what she had said. It was true he was free and had no ties to anyone, and his only problem had been hunting. Surely with the more practice he got he could make himself better. Was she right then, that the life of the rogue was the best? He continued to gnaw on the bone while he contimplated this.

"Not really. I was just wandering aimlessly with no place in mind." Truthfully, he had been hoping to come across a pack that might accept him, but he wouldn't tell her that and he even didn't know whether or not he still wanted that. "I think after hunting me and Kamali were going to find some shelter to rest in. What about you?"

Still chewing diligently on the bone, she seems to muse over the question for a good long minute. "Well," She says, with a final lick to the sleek ivory polish, "...I've always wanted to invade a bear's den." Her eyes glint with mischief - and perhaps not all of it nice. "And find two-leggers and hassle them a bit. I en't never see one, they'd be fun to get riled up. I hear they don't like wolves much," She adds.

Faeolan stared wide eyed at Istas, the bone in his mouth forgotten for now. In his wanderings, he had encountered such a bear den and had nearly been killed. It was an experiance he wanted to soon forget, however he didn't want to appear scared to this new pup.

"I know what a bear is, but what kind of animal is a two legger?" In all his wanderings, he had never come across something that only had two legs. Was it a kind of deformed animal? His brain threw pictures at him and he crinkled his muzzle in distaste.

"They're monsters," She says, lowering her voice several notches and grinning craftily. "Big things. Bigger than a wolf. They stand on two feet, like a bird, except they don't have wings. They wear the skins of other animals 'cause they don't have skins themselves. They're able to call the magic of the sun to earth...they use it to attract and kill us. Two-leggers got claws that can jump out and attack you, and they can walk on water."

After this chilling explanation, the black-furred puppy leans back carelessly. "But they're also nose-dead, so it's easy to sneak up on 'em."

Faeolan let the bone drop out of his maw and continued to stare at Istas. Her description sent his stomach turning, which didn't feel good since he had just filled it with some food and blood. They wore the skins of other animals because they had none! Faeolan dropped down to lay on the ground and felt his tail tuck underneath him, unable to stop himself from showing his feelings this time.

"They sound so h-horrible! Why would they want to kill us?" His eyes widened at her further description. What kind of beast could walk on water!

Istas, clearly, is enjoying this. She licks daintily at her claws, light blue eyes sly. "Because they're monsters. And they need more skin to wear, or they get cold...and they need to clothe their little monsters." At least, that's what she's been told. Her parents always warned her that if she didn't behave, the two-leggers would come and get her. "They're very evil," She finishes cheerfully.

Faeolan finally let out a small whimper as he listened to Istas. If what she said was true, then he was supremely lucky to have not run into any during his wanderings for they surely would have killed him! "They have little monsters too?!" His insides were trembling with fear as the sudden realization came to Fae that Istas had wanted to go and find them. "Are you sure you want to mess with these monsters? They, um, sound like trouble." The green and black pup tried to make his voice sound sterdy and not shaken. "Maybe we should find somewhere to rest instead?" he casually suggested, not wanting to seem like he wasn't up to the 'adventure'. Although just a pup, Faeolan had his pride.

"Yup. Baby monsters. All over the place. They aren't as quick as their parents, but they learn pretty fast. Hairless things." Her grin stretches evilly. "And like I said, they're nose-dead, so it's easy to sneak up on them...it'd be fun to rile them up a bit and see what would happen." Her tail thumps happily against the ground, before she eyes him closely.

"You're not scared of them, are you?"

Faeolan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Rather, he could but he didn't want to. Monsters and baby monsters running around; what kind of world did he live in?!

He looked up at Istas just as she asked him if he was scared. He narrowed his brows at her and stood up, untucking his tail and holding his head up high trying to show the perfect image of bravery. "Are you kidding? I'm not scared of anything. Sure you aren't scared?" He grinned, trying to shove images of the monster babies from his head.

Her expression doesn't waver. Instead, she grins, if possible, even wider. "Excellent! Then you won't mind coming along with me tomorrow to go find 'em. Kam can come to, if he wants," She includes the sleeping puppy with a flick of her tail. "It'll be fun, just wait and see," She promises, with that not-so-nice glint in her eye.

His grin faltered for a second, but quickly recovered as he hoped she didn't notice the slip. "Of course not! We should meet right back here, so none of us can say that they didn't know where to meet, and not show up." Fae mentally kicked himself after realizing that he had just effectivly destroyed a good reason not to show up at all.

He glanced down at the still form of Kamali and sighed. Well, he had been wanting companions and if this was the price...then so be it.

"Sounds great to me! Say around dawn? No chickening out now." He grinned, baring his still-bloody teeth

The dark puppy smiles coyly at him. "Sounds good! Meet you back here tomorrow morning, then, Fae. And be sure to tell Kamali!" Poor sleeping puppy, he hasn't a clue what he's been dragged into.

With that, Istas reaches down and deftly snatches up a bone with several shreds of meet still attatched, and lightly jogs off into the brush, tail held jauntily high. It's impossible to tell where she's going - one can only assume she knows where some shelter is around here.