((MILD GORE WARNING! smile Welcome to the Moongate.))
Many a hungry glance turned, like a thousand glowing eyes floating in the darkness, as the elk was heaved through their lowest gates center and placed before the alpha. His hunting party had successfully felled its largest kill of the season, thus far, and they beamed with pride for having done so. They knew, as did the rest of the pack, that such a show of strength would be rewarded…
The moist slopping of tongues across jowls grew more frequent as the pack gathered round. It was bleeding out, shifting and gasping and growing fainter by the minute, but not yet dead. It sputtered up blood onto the freezing slush beneath it, bugling helplessly into the night. The hunting party looked between themselves, excitement building... what a treat they brought their alpha. What a treat they brought their home. And their moon, high above in the midnight sky, shone brightly upon the scene, casting it like center stage.
The elk had left a brilliant crimson trail in its wake, glistening like crystals beneath Her milky white light. And upon it, scenting and flavoring in jerky steps, was the creeping pale form of Blushing Oath.
She said nothing to no one and simply followed behind with her nose to the blood, and from time to time she would stop, unhinging her jaws to unveil a pink tongue and several tiny wriggling forms attached to it. Her breath was haggard, short and sharp and loud to ensure she not swallow any of her children. Precious babies.
When the elk was laid to rest, she came to an abrupt halt only steps from it…
Staring…
Waiting…
Her mouth full of leeches getting their fill before she would get hers.
Hunger likely raked at each and every belly present. When was the last time they had feasted this well? When would be the next? None could say... So many of them were ravenous, watching as their meal clung to life by a single silver thread. Only most would have their eyes set on Black Forest himself.
Awaiting permission from their king.
---------------------------------------
((OOC:
Hi guys and welcome to the packs first ORP! Please feel free to introduce your character, have them interact and engage! It is to be assumed that most of our wolves will know of one another, but if your character is new feel free to play that out however you'd like! There are some NPCs who might be triggered throughout to help provide content for conversation or just to create atmosphere!
Be kind. Be courteous. Follow the rules of the shop.
HAVE FUN GUYS! Let's create chaos.))
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 7:40 am
When he'd woken earlier in the day, he'd of not of guessed that ending up back in a pack is where he would be come dinner time. He had spent so long avoiding them -- after all, he was fairly certain few would accept one who'd killed his own kin while lost in bloodlust -- that he'd found himself wandering further into the tundra areas where less chance he would run into anyone.
In point of fact, during his journeys, he'd learned one way to bring down bigger animals when you didn't have a team. It involved separating them, drive them away from their family and keep harassing them to the point that they didn't dare sleep. It was a form of both physical torture from hundreds of small nips taken at opportune times, as it was psychological - he actually at times would talk to his prey. Ask distracting questions, sometimes pretend out a conversation, lowering or raising his voice to make it seem as if possibly more than one wolf present - or least enough to make them wonder about it. He'd found if you were patient enough, you could terrorize your prey into making very opportune mistakes that could end their life. Deer and elk seemed to be the prime targets for this. Rabbits were too small to be worth the effort when dens could simply be raided for babes, and bears...well, he'd been lucky to escape with his life after he'd tried it on one small female.
The ample evidence of a shiny coat and the ripple of muscle beneath was enough to prove the system worked -- if it was a bit too long winded for his true taste. Only so much one could do on their own if they wanted to eat more than just rabbit, right?
As for this day, he'd started it out as usual - he'd separated out an elk a day before and was in the process of driving it further away, when he'd found himself surrounded by other wolves all a sudden. Seems he'd inadvertently pushed it right into the hunting party's path. At first he was irritated, but that was quickly driven back by the thrill of the hunt - he'd forgotten what it had truly felt like to be part of a bigger whole. Instinct and training quickly took over and he began barking orders to those nearby, nipping when they didn't comply quick enough for his taste. The scent of blood was becoming thicker in the air, and by the moon's life, he was not about to let this elk go. Getting lost in the energy of the pack, and lust for blood, he remembered little else but the joy of feeling 'home' for a moment. It didn't take much convincing from one of the higher ranked wolves (he didn't remember it's name...or gender...or much of anything than that smell of blood) to convince him to come home with them to the pack.
So...here he was.
Massacre stood slightly off to the side of the main hunting party, as if waiting for someone to show him what to do. He stood tall and proud as the son of an alpha had been taught to, perhaps a little too much so for a pack he was not a true part of, but his father had never taught him to be anything less than this. He may of been a rogue for a time, but he was still relatively young and the training still strong in his blood. Warily, he alone wasn't watching the alpha, but the white wolf with the weird markings and grin as she licked at the blood. He felt a shiver go down his spine - did he just see something wiggle in her maw?! Fascination and revulsion tugged in equal parts of his soul as he watched her approach the pack.
Icy blue eyes gazed up at the moon above, before they floated down to the hunt party's kills. The Captain could not help but lick his lips, mentally devouring the beast in his mind, as the creature took its remaining breath. A feast indeed this prey would bring, but the meal would wait for now. The pack knew who would eat first, or to wait to eat until given permission from their leader, and the Beta knew well to abide by that.
Grayscale Mimicry, though known as Gray to most, waited, eyes flickering from the kill, to Blushing Oath, catching brief sight of the wriggling leaches attached to her maw. He snorted, shifting his azure gaze towards another male. He was relatively new to Moongate, if Gray remembered correctly, adopting the rank of Warrior. The Captain made note to watch him, and all other warriors that were present. They may have not been in training, in battle, or at work in general, but the male would make sure those of the rank would stay in line at such a gathering.
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 3:33 pm
From a group making their way hastily towards the feast, there came a series of (neurotic) yips, growing louder as one of the females closed the distance.
She forced her frame through to the frontlines, a right bundle of energy flashing canines to those who might confront her, and licking at muzzles that would go to snap. The more vocal of the group who were surprised by the jostle held off on corrections...
It was Cloud's girl, after all. And he liked to deal with her personally.
Joy Departed, or Joy for short, was always a nervous wreck when her children were out tending to their duties. Despite Cloud's demands, or maybe in spite of them, she doted and cooed over the wolves in her care... claiming that the moon had threatened her one too many times with their demise not to. She tended to claim a lot of... strange things. But as a result, she could never be too concerned about their leaving, nor too grateful upon their return.
And Ivory Laced expected no less from the female, although he hoped that at some point she might learn to control herself... for her own sake.
Despite hearing her, Ivory turned his back towards the crowd. Saddling up next to the fallen beast with his gaze fixed to a point just beyond their alpha, he waited. While the other hunters were brimming with excitement, contained only by their fear of reprimand; Ivory waited. Somewhere in his peripheral there was a new-comer, a commanding wolf who had some how earned his way into their favor, and that had frustrated him... but still, the boy would not give in to the intoxicating energy, left over from the thrill of their hunt. He would not relent, for control was something he prided himself on. And he would keep his, where his mother, and perhaps some of the others, could not... all for his father.
He waited. And he watched. Seeking his father's glance... hoping that this time it might fall on his blood-covered form. Hoping that, perhaps, this was a grand enough example of his strength.
But Cloud By Night let his attention fall on every other hunter except for his son... his step-son... grunting, perhaps in approval but more likely in disappointment. He even looked to the new blood...
Which Ivory most certainly caught.
The captains were near by, sentinels to guard against the warriors in some cases, and his gaze swept across them as well. Eventually, settling on Gray. Another grunt. A longer glance. This one filled with a mixture of respect and resentment before sending it off across the pack as a whole, watching as their numbers swelled to capacity.
And at first he was frozen in place like a statue, allowing only the swivel of his head. That was his role in moments like these, to watch. But when his eyes caught the sharp, jerky motion of a wolf in pursuit, he honed and began to move forward. It was... his mate. And what made matters worse was that he couldn't possibly have been the only one to notice. She was headed directly for her boy, and making quite the scene.
Before stepping heatedly past Ivory, he would shoot another glance towards Gray, almost in reassurance. I will handle this. Running right into Joy and successfully stopping her dead in her tracks.
A quick snarl would be met with a whimper, the pair exchanging hushed words before the ordeal was put to rest. Joy, left pressed against the snow, sent her tail like a rudder at her back from left to right while a trickle of blood flowed from the wound over her right eye. She looked longingly between her mate and her son, but dared not move after that.
And the warrior, breathing heavily, returned to his post. Too proud to be embarrassed.
Shia bean Vice Captain
Prophet
Offline
Moriko Omori
Crew
Offline
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 5:02 pm
An imposing, dark shadow fell upon the gathering, stretching out beneath the bright light of the full moon. Anxious whines and low grunting and growling seemed to quiet as the alpha male descended from his perch on a slight rise in the valley. The snow glittered as he passed, a satisfying crunch underneath wide paws accompanying his controlled breaths, and his piercing gaze swept briskly across the gathering of wolves before locking on to the dying elk leaking life into the tundra. With tail held high, nearly arching over his back, he kept a deliberately calm pace as he made his way towards the kill, and his mouth curled into a wide grin, tongue slipping out into the cold of the mountains.
Finally. A meal worthy of his attention. The prize of an elk during this season was a rare one, he knew.
The scent of his brethren and of the elk mingled in the air, strong and metallic and musky and vibrating. Black Forest took it all in, measured breathing turning into excited panting as he neared a collection of relatively young members. Their whines intensified as he closed on them - some lowered their bodies towards the ground, ears flattening as they cowered. Others pushed forward carefully, licking, sniffing, and pawing at whatever part of their leader they could reach, drinking in his powerful energy. Low warning growls rumbled from his chest as his hackles raised, reminding his ranks to make way.
Intense blue eyes darted across the forms of his captains as he dodged displays of affection - he knew they were at the ready, standing like sentinels over the show. His warriors and hunters, muscles shaking as they strained to hold back, each received a glance as he rounded on the carcass, and his gaze narrowed for a moment at the newcomer, Massacre. The alpha bared his teeth in a savage snarl, lips high and ears flattening. He didn’t know this male, but surmised that he was deemed worthy enough to pass through New Moon Gate by another. He would quickly learn the ways of the Moongate, and his bellowing would serve as a reminder to know your place. He turned his head and fixated on Blushing Oath as well, her skulking about having crossed his periphery. The alpha was not threatened - in fact, he was amused and confident, never once questioning his dominance.
The pooling blood warmed his paws, and he placed a soaked foot on the heaving, shaking stomach of the elk. Its gasps for breath grew more infrequent, and Black Forest could see it giving up, puffs of steam barely rising from its mouth. His claws dug into the soft, vulnerable belly, and he let loose a quiet chuckle that grew louder as he pressed harder.
“Moongate!” He barked into the night, addressing the pack, his form straightening and neck craned. His cry was met with yips and barks and short howls, a chattering of excited voices. He continued to press his weight into the prey, readying himself. “A fine gift we have received. We will fill our bellies on this night, and we will recount the tale of the elk that was swallowed by the Moon.” His smooth, elegant voice laid heavily on the gathering, and he lowered his head to sniff longingly at the beast.
At last, he lifted his full weight and pushed down with both paws into the tender stomach, shredding at the skin and shoving his black and white muzzle into warm, moist bowels. His eyes were wild and his ears pressed forward, delighting in the squelching and shifting of the organs as he commanded the carcass, his features twisted into a mask of ferocity. With powerful grace, he yanked and dug at ropes of intestines and soft fatty tissue, quickly tearing off and devouring hunks of viscera and pausing every few moments to run his tongue languidly across his bloodstained lips.
Black Forest had arrived. The rest would wait.
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 7:46 pm
The neurotic yips were enough to break Massacre's fascination with the ghostly white female, and he watched the other happenings carefully - he had a feeling it'd be life and death if he couldn't hold his own here. He wanted to ask the names of who each were, but got the distinct impression showing complete ignorance wasn't about to win him any points with the others, and doubted it was fully appropriate time to do so as it was.
The alpha moved. A single paw step was enough to engender all of Massacre's attention. As they locked eyes, he lowered his head and shoulders in respect, ears folding back, tail down. This wolf intimated him more than his father could have ever with one glance of his icy-blue glare, but unlike the others, he didn't truly cower. THIS was the wolf he would have to prove himself a warrior to, that he deserved the rank, perhaps to one day rise higher to captain or perhaps Beta if he was lucky in the long run. They could give deference and respect to those above, but cower? No true warrior every cowered. He had too much pride in his training for that.
He studied the alpha's movements as he spoke, moving where he could get a slightly better view. His voice was strong, elegant, commanding respect as much as his stance, and Massacre cocked his head as he watched him open the elk's belly and dig in, licking his lips as he began to realize just how hungry he was. A part of him was a little irritated for a small moment thinking about how he'd looked forward to digging into the belly himself, feel the warmth gush out and the taste of life ebbing at his jaws.
Shaking himself, he let that irritation go, as it would do him no good. It was a good sized kill and there was be food enough and full bellies for all. Soon, the beta's turns would come, then the delta's, then everyone else. He spoke with a higher ranking wolf who'd been involved in the hunt before making his way closer to Greyscale. Time enough to introduce himself at least before things became a feeding frenzy.
"Captain," he said as he closed the distance, head bowed, ears back but still pride in his stance even as he gave deference to the higher ranked male. "I am Massacre in the Dark. I was told by....I believe the name was...Whispering Winds...to speak to you once we arrived to report in. I apologize if now is not the opportune time, to do so."
The writhing between her jaws subsided suddenly, dozens of engorged leeches, still latched, resting all heavy and lazy and content within the confines of her scabbed-over mouth. So content. Or so she told herself.
It was noteworthy, and distracting, as Blushing Oath's attention went from the blood on the soil to the blood-thick worms in her possession, receding to that maternal space reserved only for her children. A twisted grin pulled at her lips, causing the dried out maw to crack; cuts yet to heal reopening themselves to the elements.
Moongate! My sweet babies.
We will fill our bellies on this night...
You are all growing so quickly.
The words might as well have been echos from the mountain itself, serving her in her moment of preening. She was devoid of any clear expression, so far withdrawn... Yet, her ghastly visage was pointed towards the great belly of the beast, looking without seeing, as it was torn asunder. Presence flickered in and out of clarity, her vision blurring until the squelching of organs called her mind home. It nearly took her that long to realize Black Forest himself had arrived and was already elbow deep into his victim. Fixing her bulging gaze upon him, the twisting grin intensified... Ah... yes... their alpha...
So impressive, as always.
From her jowls saliva began to pool once again, a deep red hue running off the edges in heavy globules; splattering at her feet. The scent that at last registered was a rush of gore, kin, and excrement, the bowels of the beast emptying themselves out across the snow... And it was just like that that Blushing Oath's famished state returned.
She knew the order of things. She knew the cost of overstepping. She had seen it plenty of times, and dealt with the wounded remains after all was said and done. But it still took all her strength to refrain from joining him in that moment of carnage. It wasn't as if she was often allowed to do so...
It was just that the idea tempted her.
Then, as if gifted a distraction by the Moon herself, the shewolfs attention was drawn elsewhere, onto the shifting form of an outsider. Yes, definitely an outsider. His scent gave the alarm, but his cadence was what confirmed the new blood. She hadn't seen those limbs before. How exciting.
And if she weren't so desperate to feed, she might have entertained the thought of following him. But as it were, Black Forest's bloodlust was a contagion. So all she could muster was a hollow stare. The plump leeches revealed by her slacked jaw and twitching tongue. Looking at both Massacre and Gray for an uncomfortable period of time.
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2019 3:19 pm
The pale female caught Gray's attention momentarily, his eyes narrowing at her actions. Just when he was about to take a step forward, but Cloud by Night had intervened. A silent snort of approval from the Captain, though he wouldn't address it in this forum, perhaps he would more privately, or amongst only the warriors.
An ear flicked as Black Forest arrived, heading straight for the kill. He stood proud nearby, eyes not leaving the form of his alpha. When he was here, the attention should and would be on him. Only occasionally would Gray steal a glance towards the pack members, to make sure that their alpha had their undivided attention.
Gray smirked when Massacre's head lowered towards Black Forest. The male learned quickly, traits Moongate would need as their pack grew. He watched when the alpha passed the warrior; Massacre soon turning toward Gray himself.
"Aye, I have heard of you." Even if the two weren't formally introduced, names of new beings rarely went unknown to Gray. He always needed to know. As Black Forest neared the kill, the male made a small huff, breaking his attention towards Massacre to give it to his alpha. Once finished, and began digging into the male, Gray only then turned back to the warrior. "I need to see what skills you have, but now is not the time. Tomorrow, however," his voice didn't waver as the wet sound of consumption echoed the gathering, "you will show me everything."
He left it at that, before the hair on the back of his neck stood. Blushing Oath was staring. A lip raised as his head turned. She was close enough to the two for Gray to just barely whisper.
"You can't have him yet, She-Wolf." Soon, maybe, her skills would be needed for him.
KasaiLoki
Moonlight Hunter
Offline
Ars Naberius
Dapper Seeker
Offline
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2019 1:43 pm
Not far from Grayscale Mimicry stood Hellebore, stone-still and watching. The crowd was the largest she'd ever seen it - the numbers here rivaled even the numbers before Black Forest's reign, she bet. The Moon truly supported his leadership. She looked on as he tore into the elk, making sure to look each hunter in the eye. They'd done well - she made a mental note to watch them going forward.
--
Ashfall hovered at the edge of the crowd, well aware of her rank, the fact she arrived to this gathering late due to someone not showing up to their post on time, and the fact she could pick out her mother's yips among the crowd's excited whines and murmurs. She knew they'd be here - it was their son who had helped fell the elk, after all. A soft, sad smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Even if their father wasn't proud of him, she was.
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:29 am
A slight bout of hysteria would have overcome Joy if not for Cloud's wandering eye, finding her from time to time, carrying with it the strength to check her from afar.
But Black Forest's entry had riled up the patriotic wolf, so eager to see power at play. When his paws sunk into the elk, ending its feeble life, she was a part of the few who could not contain their delight. A nervous howl, low and resonant rattled her chest, ending in a growl/yap as her eyes remained pointedly upon their alpha.
She hadn't noticed her daughters arrival, only just letting her gaze flicker in between Ivory and Cloud once again... There was far too much stimuli at the head of the table.
---
But Cloud made note of her hovering, a narrowed gaze pointed at the dark female in the distance. Good. Her hesitation to move forward annoyed him, but she was present and that, for now, was enough. And where was their third child? Their true-born? She should have been there by now...
He expected her to be there. A visible display of disappointment flashed across his brow...
And then Black Forest arrived, commandeering the full attention of his pack. All eyes fell onto him. All ears rounded or flattened with the site of him. And as he pulled his weight onto the elk, the tension could all but be cut with a fang... Joy's excitement was frowned upon, even if the masses seemed to partake in it, yet Cloud left her to it...
Taking shallow breaths to refrain from falling out of line himself.
Weaklings.
To distract, he let his eyes fall away from their leader and onto Hellbore, whose stoic expression left quite the impression upon him. If the captains were still, he would be too. Switching to the commotion between Grayscale, Massacre, and oddly enough, Blushing Oath, he grimaced.
He never liked having to deal with the blood sucker, or the 'blood keeper' as she liked to call herself... and he knew well not to enforce his might upon her. Unspoken alliances kept her safer than most... and only unspoken, because none wished to engage her.
---
Ivory Laced fell in line quickly, moving far from the kill with his brothers and sisters of the hunt... dipping his head low in greeting to their high commander. And when the others yipped, he yipped. When their anxious growls and barks rumbled, he joined in on the thunder. And as their alpha took the final blow, watching as the gore flung about, Ivory was all but besides himself with glee.
The sounds that erupted from the hunting party were akin to that of hyenas. If a wolf could laugh, they would be, rearing with excitement as Black Forest tore into the beast. All of them thrilled. All of them forgetting, for but a moment, that their own stomachs lie empty. That their hunger roared defiantly along with them.
---
To Grayscale's address, two coughs, cadenced like a response, cut through a moment within the chaos. Oath's form seized with each, ribs contracting violently as her bulging eyes darted quickly between the two... as if she couldn't decide who to settle on. Then, the edges of her lips curled upward ever so slightly, giving the slack jaw an unsettling grin, before her head swiveled down to the blood soaking her paws.
It's almost time.
Shia bean Vice Captain
Prophet
Offline
Moriko Omori
Crew
Offline
Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2019 8:11 pm
The increasing vibrations of paws tapping at the ground, quick and restrained panting, whining and strangled howls quickened the pace at which Black Forest tore at the beast before him. The white of his muzzle and chest stained with dark blood. A fearsome sight, tiny bits of flesh and sprays of warm, rich blood colored the ground and scattered near those closest. His black tail wagged and twitched as he shifted his weight around, and he reared up on his hind legs a few times to wrestle a hunk of the elk’s stomach and other precious organ matter free. Voracious gulps of meat were taken fairly quickly, and as he started to slow, he pawed at the tender bundle of half-mauled intestines, dragging them out into the cold. He picked interestedly over them, sniffing and licking at the spreading pool of blood and then to his sullied paws. Belly full and bloodthirst momentarily sated, the alpha snorted between heavy panting and shook out his fur, seemingly casting off his hunger and need in the process.
Black Forest pinned the entrails underneath a paw and yanked, easily ripping a piece of the fragile lining away. With his prize secure, he stepped over the hinds of the kill, and turned his head to glance approvingly at the rest of his pack.
He needn’t say anything, they knew who was next in line to feed.
Moving away from the meal, he trotted over towards a somewhat flat, snow-dusted boulder and pulled himself up. Settling with his legs to the side, the surface of his makeshift throne felt cool against his warm stomach, and he eyed the scene in front of him with amusement and alternated between cleaning his paws and chewing on the scrap he saved, savoring every morsel.
Quote:
Feel free to engage Black Forest in conversation now if you like. heart
Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2019 12:20 pm
The hunters moved as a perfect unit. A pack system within a pack, communicating and responding to nonverbal cues as often as they chattered amongst themselves. They had moved to the side for Black Forest, watching as his ferocity reigned, and in light of his silent command had turned to face the betas. Their captains. Waiting.
They were all hungry. They salivated aggressively onto the snowy floor, snapped and yipped at one another... their growls were the loudest and yet they knew their place. Even though their brilliance felled the packs prize... they knew, and respected, the system.
Ivory Laced, one amongst their ranks, had kept his cool long enough to see their alpha through his meal when his eyes searched again for his father's. He waited for Cloud's acknowledgement. He waited for anything that resembled it. Feeling as if he might throw-up his own stomach from all the nerves and excitement. He might have waited even longer if another hunter hadn't jostled him, looking over quietly from her place at his side with either concern or annoyance. The pale wolf broke into a stressed pant, registering none of what the female carried on her countenance and, instead, merely grateful to have successfully returned his attention to the event at hand.
And out from behind his own thoughts.
Shia bean Vice Captain
Prophet
Offline
Shia bean Vice Captain
Prophet
Offline
Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2019 12:35 pm
The waiting game was not reserved for hunters alone. So many of its members were kept behind the velvet rope, waiting for their alpha's right hands to make moves. To fill their bellies. And to step aside for the rest of them.
And then there were others who could hardly keep their eyes off of the dark alpha himself.
Joy might have felt the pangs of hunger, but she was one of the entranced. Eager to approach. Wishing to thank him, and to commend him on his faith in their hunters. To sit within his presence. To feel his energy. To breathe it in. The Moon's greatest warrior. The Mountains King.
But Joy knew that if Cloud saw her before she reached Black Forest, he would interfere. And she wanted this, in spite of the consequences. So when the opportune moment presented itself her form slipped into the chaos. She moved through her pack mates, unseen by most and pushed to the side by others until Black Forest was on a straight path ahead of her.
And from there she moved in, keeping a low posture as the gap quickly closed... her lips peeled, ears folded back, tail tucked, and eyes squinted as they peered up at her alpha. And then around, averted only out of respect.
"Oh, Black Forest! Your hunters have done it again... they are so impressive! And you, you are so wise. This a boon upon us all... the Moon smiles upon you. I sense good things are coming. I bet. I bet!"
----
Cloud. Was. Watching.
Carefully, knowingly. He lost her for a moment, but his gaze was on her again the second she escaped the crowd. He couldn't trust her to sit still. He couldn't trust her to listen. She was always defying him... He hated it. And it was secretly why he tolerated her.
He snarled under his breath, cursing the female for making stupid, stupid mistakes. Cursing his own responsibility for her. A split seconds worth of thought kept Cloud planted in place: Would it be easier to end this?...He couldn't say that the crime hadn't crossed his mind before. Despite how much he enjoyed the challenge, life would be easier without it......
But murder was a crime. Even if it felt warranted. And life, might, be a little less exciting without her.
This time he didn't bother to address Grey or Hellebore with a look. There was no time. She was already upon Black Forest. She had already spoken. He simply stepped out of line and headed straight for his mate, limbing for a split second before falling into stride. When he found her side he brushed against it roughly, stepping ahead of her to bow low before their alpha.
"Please, excuse this outburst. She is... confused. The energy has taken hold of her. She's ravenous, and ravenous beasts tend to act impulsively. " Then, in a whisper with a little more force, Cloud whispered...
"Joy Departed, step back."
Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2019 4:35 pm
The dark alpha was tentatively cleaning his paws, gingerly nibbling at the calloused pads and the fur between when he caught movement coming towards him. Ice blue eyes lifted to survey the nearing female, though he didn’t even lift his head - his tongue calmly dragged across his ankles laid elegantly in front of him, ears pressing forward. He could feel her submission even before she upon him, and a sly grin spread across his maw as she spoke his name. Ah yes, Cloud's girl...
He knew of her and her… unique brand of admiration… Her words washed over him like a warm breeze, though he knew they were the sweet, empty remarks typical of a subordinate. Ordinarily, he would have waved off such weak flattery, but in this moment, he wanted to hear it. He craved the attention, and the show he put on required that he continue to play the role.
Finally pausing to look down on her crouching frame for a moment, he looked back on the scene of his ranks, head held high with pride. “Yes, my dear, I must agree,” he replied, but it wasn’t quite clear to which of her statements, “The hunters have done a fine job, indeed. We should sleep peacefully on full bellies tonight…”
His voice trailed as Joy’s mate approached and impressed his will upon her, apologizing for her, and he loosed a low chuckle at his antics. Shifting his weight to take them both in from his perch, he bowed his head in greeting ever so slightly. “Ah… no need to herd your family away, I will allow it - as you say, the energy tonight is… infectious,” another smooth chuckle left his lips as he looked between the pair. “I hear the elk was felled tonight with great skill… it seems like we have a promising newcomer to thank.”
Black Forest’s eyes narrowed on the pair, the smile that graced his maw coy and waiting, “And what of your children, Warrior Cloud? What role did they play?”
Crimson Tendrils watched all before her, silent and contemplative yet with a source of quiet pride for the meal the hunters and herself had felled and brought to feed the pack. Her stomach rumbled as the tangy scent of the crimson liquid in which she derived her name hit her nostrils. Yet she waited, knowing her place along with the rest of the hunting party. Cold eyes watched Black Forest tear into the elk as it sputtered out its last breaths as her and the hunters moved to the side in what felt like one fluid movement, making way for Black Forest to feast. Her ears swiveled as the others tittered between themselves, paws anxiously awaiting their turn. Her gold gaze wandered over the rest of the pack as she waited, watching, her voice silent among the others as was per usual. A tongue quickly darted over her muzzle in anticipation, lapping her hunger back into place until she could have her turn to satiate herself.
