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 Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 1:37 pm
 The storm had left much of the land in shambles, but all was not lost. Destruction sometimes gave birth to new life, and one never knew what treasures might be found in the wake of disaster. The dark chieftan prowled amongst the debris, senses ever on the alert for either danger or anything else that might catch his interest.
The smell of death touched his nostrils and he was hit by a wave of exhilaration, followed by sober wariness. Death...it was near...the coppery scent of blood on the air, one's pulse racing as if their own blood hastened to answer the call of the first. Mikhail abruptly altered his path, tracking the scent of death and decay to see what cause lay at the source of the smell. There were no heat signatures, nothing to indicate that anything living, or even recently-living, remained. Yet, the dark chieftan continued on, pausing only to inhale deeply from the scent before continuing in an almost heady manner.
The first visible signs of the carnage soon came to view. Bodies, young and old, Krokotas and wolf. It seemed there had been a clash of clans over territory perhaps? Hmm...but with few, if any, survivors on either side, from the look of things. Still, didn't hurt to take a sniff around just in case. He was already here afterall.
Besides, if none remained, maybe he could claim these lands as his own as well.
Mikhail moved slowly about, surveying the land and prowling with all the natural grace of an efficient predator. It seemed that the two packs had expanded their own territories until the borders had touched, their members founding family dens within sight of the enemy. Mikhail snorted derisively...as if he would have tolerated trash anywhere near his own borders. Served the weak fools right.
Corpses littered some of the outlying dens, and Mikhail only gave them a cursory sweep before writing them off as uninteresting. Then, he crossed a more recent scent...Krokotas...male, but didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the dead pack members lying about. Still, it had been some time, so unlikely the male was still about; though it gave Mikhail some pause to consider the fact before moving on.
Another of the outlying dens close to the unmarked border caught the dark chief's attention, and he chose to investigate this one more closely, wondering what it was about this one that seemed to alert his senses. Still, no heat signatures, but there was something else. Upon nearing the den's opening, he noticed that while the stench of death hung heavily upon the area, not quite everything was coated with it. There was a faint wisp of something else...something still living. Around the entrance to the den, he picked up the scent again, and paused to glance over the ground. It seemed that something had been dragged away from here...or had dragged itself away perhaps.
Either way, the drag marks were neither deep nor wide, so it wasn't likely to be anything threatening in the slightest. Curious enough to pursue this lead, Mikhail kept his head low to the ground, following the weak scent with the tense posture of a hunter on the prowl.
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 9:01 am
Far away from the main 'battlefield', Mikhail found the site of a separate scuffle. More bodies lay strewn about and he prowled around the edges of the scene, putting it all together in his mind. The wolves had dragged something away, a pup maybe, as it seemed to be something light. They'd probably thought to have come away with a prize from the battle, but they'd been tailed by some other Krokotas. Family perhaps? Or just other pack members, who might as well be family? Either way, the two forces had collided here, leaving a bloody mess and scored, muddy earth. And yet...
Mikhail lowered his head, sniffing at the earth. More drag marks, these leading away from the battle. They were light, shallow, but there and he could track them. Curious more than anything else at this point, he followed the trail, leading to...he couldn't call it a den, as it was nothing more than a hole in the ground. A small one at that. No way he could fit himself inside, that was for sure...but a pup? Perhaps.
He stuck his muzzle into the entrance, inhaling deeply. The scent of blood was strong, nearly overpowering in the small space, and yet...whatever was in there was still living. It smelled like a pup, beneath the coppery, blood scent, that is. Mikhail straightened up, glaring at the hole as if the occupant could feel his gaze from outside. "You. Come out," he ordered in a sharp, but not overly loud voice.
When there was no reaction, he snarled softly, and jammed his bear-claw adorned paw into the hole with a fishing motion. "I said, come out, now!"
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 12:24 pm
 It had been quiet outside for some time now, however, that had done little to calm the panicked Krokotas pup. There had been so much noise, violence, blood everywhere...he himself was coated in it, though he honestly wasn't even sure if any of it might be his own. If it was, he likely would have passed out from his injuries by now though...unless it was only a minor wound.
As it was, the adrenaline pumping relentlessly through his system wouldn't allow him to relax, let alone feel much of anything right now. His breathing was rapid and shallow, his muscles twitching at every slight sound.
Mom and Dad were gone. Just...gone. Just like that. He knew that much, but what about his brother? Had he escaped somehow? He hadn't seen, but if he himself had managed to make it out of that chaos, maybe his sibling had as well. He knew he should be upset, but he would mourn for his parents later when shock had faded from his system. He'd have to survive first.
He'd thought he was done for when those wolves had grabbed him, attempting to sneak away from the battle in the dens. They'd rejoiced in their small victory, claiming one of the enemy spawn to drag back to their territory, mere yards away from the fighting. It was only his luck that some of his pack members had come to his rescue, to save him. As the wolves were startled into dropping him at the surprise attack, Pahana had instinctively scrambled away from the fighting as soon as he hit the ground. He'd holed himself up in this tiny den, and refused to emerge, even after the battlefield outside had fallen silent.
A snuffling sound outside caused him to freeze, eyes wide with fear. There was someone out there! Something was coming to get him! Muscles trembling, he tried to pull himself as far back into the tiny hole as possible, barely biting back a panicked whimper as something large shoved its muzzle into the entrance. No, no, no, no, no...why couldn't they leave him alone? He didn't want to die! He just wanted to be left alone!
Panic and adrenaline were pumping through his system again, leaving logical and coherent thought far behind. They had no voice now; only his instincts for survival. They told him to do whatever it took to get out of this hole alive. So when the large, multi-clawed paw was shoved down into the hole, he reacted without thought. Instinct told him to ignore the large, white, top claws, instead focusing on the black paw beneath, the real one, not the decoy. He sank his tiny teeth into the paw with a squeaky snarl, making sure he had a good grip, then shaking his head back and forth while scratching wildly with his tiny paws.
No one would be able to say he hadn't tried.
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 1:21 pm
Letting out something between a snarl and a roar, Mikhail pulled his paw from the hole, dragging the pup bodily with it. "The hell?!? Let go of me, whelp!" He snarled again, whipping his paw with such force that the pup was dislodged and flung through the air, rolling across the earth to an eventual stop.
The pup was rightly shaken, but mostly unharmed, due to his roll. Luckily he hadn't hit anything, as fast as he'd been moving. He lay on his side, panting, but only for a moment before fear gripped him again, forcing him to scramble awkwardly to his feet. He faced the large, fearsome male Krokotas, trembling, but holding his ground anyway.
Mikhail cast his gaze over his paw first, sneering and noting with a mixture of disgust and interest that blood was welling from a number of shallow punctures. The brat had managed to break skin.
Then he turned his sharp gaze back to the pup. He noted that the pup was terrified, shaking, as he ought to be. And yet...he didn't run. There was something else...a sort of aura, a determination in his eyes that Mikhail sensed moreso than saw. Scared as he may be, the pup showed promise, even managing a squeaky growl in the dark chieftain's direction. Ha.
"Stop that," Mikhail snapped, quietly, but with unmistakable authority. The pup silenced. "That's better. It seems you do have some manners afterall. Or at least can follow orders."
The pup had silenced, but his eyes darted around warily. Did he have an escape route? Was there anyone else about but the large male? Certainly, some of his pack still remained. He could go to them for help, protection...
"There's no one left but us, pup," Mikhail commented coldly, almost as if reading the other's thoughts. "No one to attack you, no one to rescue you. No one, but me," he finished with a smirk.
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