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 Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 1:54 am
 Chaske yawned, widely, baring his teeth in a show of ferocity aimed at...who, precisely?
He was very much alone on the plains. He knew, because he stood upon the only high ground available -- a large, flat rock jutting up at an angle from the earth -- and from that vantage point he could see all around. The grasses, turned brown and tan in late summer, colors that matched his own pelt, waved and shimmered in the afternoon breeze. Overhead, the sun was creeping toward the ground and, once it sunk below the horizon, he would be able to return to the den and rest for awhile.
Truth be told, Chaske didn't mind guard duties. It was a necessary function, after all; living out in the open as his family did, diligence was required to maintain their safety. If they didn't keep a guard posted, they ran the risk of being snuck upon by any intruder that crossed their territory -- and, small as their numbers were, they could be so easily destroyed by a small number of wolves. And so, they kept up a guard at all times. The eyes and ears of the pack, surveying the open expanse of plains and reporting back with every miniscule change of scent or sound upon the wind, a record of everything seen.
Chaske did it because it was his duty, but he enjoyed it also because it gave him some time to himself, and he was a wolf who greatly enjoyed his solitude when he got the chance. Being the son of the alpha (and the true heir, he reminded himself with a sort of conflicted fondness), most of Chaske's life was consumed by duty and honor and training. Now at least he could fulfill his responsibility to his pack and enjoy some silence at the same time.
Still...he was rather hungry. And his paws were growing sore from all this standing still upon the rock. He'd be pleased enough to step down and make his way back to dinner and conversation and perhaps a story from the pack, and a few hour's of sleep...and then he could return to his post refreshed. Yes, indeed....the more he thought about it, the more his mouth watered with the promise of dinner to be had.
Now if only that fool Chayton would hurry up and relieve him from his post, he thought. Where was his half-brother? Chasing butterflies, more than likely, he thought and smirked a little. Wouldn't that be a sight to see?
Huffing, suddenly impatient, the tan-and-brown wolf cast his gaze across the shivering plains grasses, searching for a familiar chocolate-colored form.
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 10:35 am
Such a beautiful day couldn't be wasted! At least by the chocolate colored wolf's standards. Days like this were always perfect times for reflection. But that was quickly growing boring. He'd seen everything there was to see here, since he had, lived on the plains his whole life. He knew practically every blade of grass, every bug, every bird that flitted by. He was well acquainted with his local nature and he'd begun to grow tired of it. It was the same day in and day out. Get up. Hunt for breakfast. Talk to pack members. Laze about until it was his turn for guard duty, then stare blankly at the unchanging landscape. Nothing ever changed here.
Chayton let out a heavy sigh and trotted forward, going towards the lookout rock to relieve his half brother. Such a boring job...
He paused to check on an ant hill that had been developing lately. There was a flurry of activity from the little insects and it brightened his mood. He sat down and inspected it, seeing the tiny creatures carting food into the hill before trundling out again in search of more. He thought they were very industrious, and creatures with interesting talents. They exhibited great strength, but they were all the same. This thought struck the male like a face full of rampaging buffalo. These ants, they provided a preview of his fate! He would irk out his existence here doing the same thing day in and day out without seeing the world! This was a terrible epiphany to him. He didn't want to waste his life, not when there had to be something more to do out there.
There wasn't much reason for him to stay. He knew Chaske wanted all the glory, while Chayton wanted none. he was a lover, not a fighter, while Chaske was the opposite.
While he considered these things he'd started walking again, looking vaguely troubled. He almost bumped into the lookout rock before he noticed it rearing right up in front of his face. "Oh!" He says and sits down heavily on his rump. Then he gives himself a shake and looks up at Chaske. "Hullo brother, I've come for my turn." he says quietly.
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 11:35 am
"About time," Chaske said, giving an exaggerated yawn. He shook himself, systematically stretched each limb. His joints creaked and popped from being still for so long. "I was starting to think you'd abandoned me in favor of befriending a prairie dog or somesuch."
He smiled, then, and it was a good-natured smile. Chayton often got on his nerves, but he didn't hate the other wolf. Indeed, he was close enough to the only friend he had, considering the size of the pack and his abrasive tendencies.
"Anyway. I caught the scent of wolves on the air today," he said, entirely business-like. "Another pack, I think. I haven't seen them, but they're coming. So keep sharp eyes tonight."
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 12:54 pm
Chayton nodded, looking off into the distance. It was obvious he was distracted, but he usually was like that. "Ah, that would be...interesting to attempt." He says after a moment's thought. he wondered if it was possible to befriend a prairie dog. That might be something to try when he wasn't on guard duty.
At the mention of something like this, Chayton looked more focused all of a sudden. He turned his brilliantly green eyes to his half brother and twitched his tail. "Oh? I'll keep a sharp eye out then." He says with a definite nod. This was something he'd have to investigate.
He was naive in the way he'd rarely seen stranger wolves. Sure, they had guard duty, but for some reason Chayton always missed if an intruder appeared. He'd be doing something or another when he'd get the news about it later. But for as long as he could remember his pack had never fought with any other wolves, so he figured they couldn't be all that bad.
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:40 pm
"Yes you will, and if they get close enough to make out the colors of their eyes you will come back to the pack and report immediately before you get caught up in a fight you can't win," Chaske said, eyes narrowing sternly. He was a fighter, trained in combat and quite capable against a single opponent -- but even he knew better than to mess with a whole pack, or even just a wandering family. Chayton? Knowing him, the dizzy little dreamer would probably run up to them and ask to make friends, moments before they tore him apart.
Honestly. Chaske didn't even know how some wolves survived.
And it made him a little jealous.
"Seriously, though," he said, with a bit of a sigh, realizing that perhaps his words came out sharper than he'd meant. "Father will be wanting to know." And by that he meant his father, if course, the alpha; not the uncle who sometimes shared himself with their mother. "These foreigners could just be passers-by, but they might be here to steal our prey and our land, and we'll have to be ready to defend ourselves."
Or they could be friendly. But that thought hadn't occurred to Chaske. There was no room for friendly strangers in the world of a wolf who trained for battle and stood like a statue on guard duty.
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 3:04 pm
Chayton nodded absently, 0only half listening to what Chaske said. He was very excited about the thought of new wolves and he could feel a faint tingling go down his spine. His eyes seemed brighter than usual and he took his place on the lookout rock eagerly. Usually he practically had to be dragged there.
"Yes, yes." He says to his half brother and nods a little. Something about the alpha and potentially dangerous foreigners. Blah, blah, blah is what that amounted to.
Chayton didn't understand why Chaske was so aggressive. Chayton loved almost everything, even if he was getting tired of the same things over and over. New wolves brought a chance of new experiences and stores, which the chocolate colored male was eager to obtain.
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 10:22 pm
Chaske sighed, rolling his eyes. "Or, wait, even better. If you see one, how about you just prance right on up to it and say 'hallo'?" He asked, sarcastically.
He jumped down from his position and stretched, curling his tail over his back and yawning another tremendous yawn. At least his joints weren't popping at every opportunity. It was getting too cold to be standing out here, even during the day shift. He did feel a bit bad for Chayton being stuck in the evenings, when it was colder.
But not too bad.
"And, while you're at it," he said, continuing in his sarcastic tone, "invite them back to the home den to cavort with our women and eat all of our meals, shall you?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 5:47 pm
It was obvious Chayton wasn't really listening. He'd settled down on the rock and was scanning the horizon intently. "Yeah, yeah." He says absently, his ear twitching towards Chaske. Chayton did have a bad habit of ignoring most of the things around him when he was focusing on something, but he couldn't help it. It was in his nature.
It took him a moment to realize Chaske was making fun of him. He gave himself a shake before he looked at his half brother, his green eyes far away in thought. "I won't Chaske, I promise." He says quietly before his gaze drifts back to the horizon and the flat, rolling plains.
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Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 9:58 am
"Alright," he said, his amusement fading from his voice. Making fun of Chayton wasn't nearly as fun if Chayton didn't seem to notice.
He lingered, just a moment longer, peering back toward home. "What's for dinner?" He asked, glancing back to his half-brother. He wondered if anything would be left, and debated taking a quick stop on the way back to find himself a snack -- prairie dog or something, if he had to.
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Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:28 am
Chayton was roused from his musings yet again and he looked over to his half brother. "Ah, some hares I believe." He says absently. He briefly puzzled while he was still here, then shrugged it off. Chaske could do whatever he liked, Chayton was just eager to get a glimpse of these new wolves. He might even go out and search for them when he left.
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Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:42 am
"Hares," he muttered back, nose wrinkling. Sinewy gaunt little things that tasted like fleas. He loved his pack but sometimes he wished he could just get off of these damn plains and find a place where food was plentiful and there was more to see than an endless sea of shivering grasses! "Alright, then, little brother." he called over his shoulder. "Don't screw anything up."
That said, he snuffed a bit and sauntered his way back to the main den area, still grumbling about the meager lunch options.
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