[PRP] Butting Heads (Calder & Sumerki)

[lostandtold]

Calder stalked between the trees, in such obvious bad temper that birds took flight before him. There was no good reason for his foul mood, and he knew it -- he'd fallen into a river while trying to cross on a fallen tree. Though he normally didn't mind water, he was in the northern part of the Wardwood, where the water was freezing. He'd shaken off most of the water, but he was still damp and cold, even more so now that a chilly breeze had kicked up.

He snarled, breath fogging in the air, and shook himself again in vain. He'd just have to wait until the last bits of moisture dried -- or, more likely, froze -- but, never a buck to stay in a sheltered spot and wait, he'd gone forging ahead anyhow. It gave him some pleasure to watch small animals scatter out of his way, but, as always, those little flickers of vindictive joy were brief. He'd never had lasting happiness in his life, a thought that just made him all the more surly.  

[Nyx Argyros]

On her own once again, Sumerki picked her way through the forest with all the grace of a lady - not that there seemed to be anyone around to impress. Of course, she hardly cared if she impressed anyone, so long as she lived up to her own expectations. Therein lie her problem. There was a herd she could call home, if only she could bring herself to conform a little more, or be that little bit more accepting. Unfortunately, she was feeling more and more that she would never feel completely at home with her mother's people. The doe was simply not willing to change for them.

So here she was again, wandering on her own as she had taken to doing much more than she used to. Even better, she was starting to wallow in her own misery again. She snorted, disgusted with such self-pity, and took in her surroundings once again.

Imagine her surprise when the previous serenity of the forest was broken by a rabbit darting across her path, clearly intent on escaping some fright. She focused her attention on the direction it had come from, senses straining for some hint of a predator. However, the wind brought not the scent of some foreign beast, but the musk of an unknown buck. Curious, she decided to wait and see who was coming her way.