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 Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 7:32 pm
 She had it. The damn killer b***h wolf had his neck amulet and he couldn't go back into the Native camp without it. Not to mention there were things he needed in that bag, and he wanted it around his neck badly. For a time he'd ventured without it, pacing two and fro, never feeling quite complete. Something in the back of his mind told him that Xan was locked inside that bag, so maybe if he got it back. . .
His tail was tucked low, ears flat against his skull, and mouth stretched into a broad snarl. He wanted nothing stopping him from his purpose, and with a face like his there wasn't much that would want to stop and talk to him. They'd have to really hate themselves for that.
Kara had probably thrown it into the river, and it made him fume. He couldn't ever remember being angry, not like this. He truly wanted to rip the red's throat out. Only since Rechelle had he ever felt such blood lust. This time it was for a reason. She'd always taken his life from him, in more ways than one. Now she turned little blue Jori against her. Apparently loyalties ran deeper than he thought. Cursed wolf.
He'd been going somewhere, maybe even had a friend for the first time in such a long history of despair, but then he'd told the truth. Rather, Xan had told it, and now he hated himself more than ever. He could have left, it wouldn't have been hard to simply scamper away and leave the female there to ponder. He hadn't belonged there anyway, or he could have lied. But he didn't do that. Perhaps he should learn how, they said it wasn't so hard. Then he'd really have a reason to fear the seers. No, he wouldn't give in to such blasphemy.
He came here for one purpose.
To find that blasted Kara, shove her to the ground, spit in her face, and get his bag of tricks, then leave. No one else would be around. He was sure of it.
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 8:17 pm
 Mmm... sleep was always nice. Jori lay stretched out on the bank of the river, her blue coat shimmering in the fading afternoon light. Although the temperatures dropped to near freezing during the night, the daylight hours still managed to be warm. Well, at least in the sun, that is. And this patch of grass was especially nice. She grinned.
Unfortunantly the sun was setting quickly, and it wasn't long before her patch of sun was split to ribbons by the bare, skeleton trees. The shadows reached out and grew stronger, sunlight barely managing to flicker through. She watched them lengthen, watched the sky fade into a dull orange, then a bright red...
Like blood.
...teeth gouging, claws tearing...
Jori snapped her jaws at the air and jerked to her feet. The beauty of the evening was gone now. Ruined by the thoughts of that lone. He'd seemed so... broken when he left. So much like her sister that she almost couldn't bear it.
Don't be a fool. Her ears flickered back. He would have used you to get to Kara, or he would have killed you the first time you were alone with him. She ignored the fact that, had he wanted to, he could have killed her the other day. He murdered his sister!
But she had asked for the truth, and he'd only given it to her. And it was a long time ago... could she really hold him to it?
Ah well. It didn't matter now. He was long gone, and had certainly already forgotten about her. With a sigh the blue trotted towards the darkening woods. Dinner wouldn't be caught by itself, and she hadn't seen Neira around recently. Too bad, she would have liked deer...
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 10:41 pm
The dusk air gave the world a very strange feeling. Not necessarily evil, but mysterious. To be truthful the lone rather liked it, marveling in its wonderful air. He might have even stopped to fully enjoy the misty area if it weren’t for his task. His ears were even flatter now as he entered the territory, driving straight to its heart to look for someone, anyone who could direct him to Kara.
“Kara!” he shouted out to the world. “Where are you? You damn devil woman!” His voice was a slight rumble, to match the gathering clouds who cast the darkening sky in a haze of grey. The weather matched his mood. Foul.
Then he spotted her. She wasn’t Kara, but if she didn’t have links to the alpha then no one did. He wasn’t sure if he could stand talking to her, but he had little choice. His ears came from his skull, and his nose sniffed the air. He had to make sure it was the right wolf before barging in. He wouldn’t want to call a perfect stranger by someone else’s name. Then again, who on earth was that brightly colored?
Shaking off his fears he broke into a trot. “Jori!” he called, pounding his feet into a run. “Hey!” he persisted to yell, his speed picking up, he had taken the snarl off his face just for this encounter. Jori was a strange and unpredictable wolf. Just as he was about to call again he suddenly felt all his feet leave the ground. He gave a startled yelp, but all the calls in the world wouldn’t help him as he went tumbling down towards the earth. He could feel his head hit hard against the ground, and his body churning over and over as he speed across the grass, not of his own will. Finally he came to a rest, though his ears rang from the impact. How graceful he must have looked, falling like that.
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 12:21 pm
Rabbit would be good tonight. Deer would be better, but she didn't want to risk hunting one by herself. She'd seen the staved in ribs and the bashed skulls. The small blue sighed and padded silently forwards. Maybe tomorrow Neira -
What?
Jori froze, ears pricked and body tense, trying to spot the newcomer. For a moment she thought it was Neira, or even Kara, but the voice was different. Too deep, and unfortunately familiar to her. The woods were darker now, shadowed by the gathering storm, but she didn't have too much trouble spotting him A shiver of uncertainty traced its way down her spine.
She could leave, just run. For a moment she almost did, but then he called out her name and she stopped. Damnit. What good would it do to talk to him? But despite these thoughts she found herself turning around, watching the other larger wolf approach. And then... leap at her?
Oh.
That looked like it hurt.
Jori grinned and strolled over to the lone's prone form. The grass was tall here, and he didn't look too badly stunned. What an idiot! And she was scared of him? Ha!
"You alright?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 12:38 pm
Kiros let out a groan and rolled over, ears flicking all the while. The impact made his nose tickle and he fought the urge to sneeze, but it happened anyway. "Hello," he managed to choke out, his eyes watering a bit from the shock. The situation was rather funny and he almost laughed himself, but he couldn't possibly do that, she might think him rude.
"Fine," he grunted, raising and shaking himself off. He persisted to trot around and look for the source of his trip. He could find nothing. Grumbling lightly to himself he made a hole by scratching away at the dirt. After he was sure that it was big enough to render him stumbling he spit at it. Stupid ground.
He could now turn his attention back to Jori, but as he did he stopped dead. The light from the fading sun had hit her, illuminating one side of her body, giving it an orange glow - vibrant against her stunning blue coat. His tongue caught on the roof of his mouth and he clacked it once to regain his senses. He had a purpose.
"Where's that alpha of yours?" he asked her, ripping his eyes away from her with some difficulty. "She's got something of mine," he decided to answer before she ever asked the question.
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 2:35 pm
Jori watched the lone roll to his feet, a faint grin still lingering on her jaws. She decided to pretend her sudden happiness was due to his unfortunate faceplant, and nothing more. She certainly wasn't glad to see him, and -
She flicked an ear. He was staring. At what? It was rude. So what if she was a bright blue? It certainly wasn't her fault, was it? Jori flushed angrily and ducked her head, ears pinned near her skull. Deep breath. Alright. Blue is just unnatural, everyone stares.
"She's around." Jori lifted her shoulders in a shrug. He looked... complete... to her. Dark grey coat, with only a -little- blue on it (personally, she thought it was nice), long legs, deep eyes...
"I don't even know your name." God, what was she thinking?
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 2:55 pm
'She's around.'
What kind of an answer was that? He turned his attention to his legs, licking off the dirt that had grimed them up. she seemed to be deciding what to do with him. He was patient. He was in her packlands afterall. He couldn't afford to be rude. There was more of them than him and he wasn't sure he wanted to mess around with anything loyal to Kara. They had a tendency to be uh. . . protective.
He looked up when she spoke. Big mistake. His eyes caught him hard, their soft green complexion reminding him of the depths of the sea. It gave him visions of all sorts of places and times, and it reminded him of Xan. His body hurt all over from those memories, which were actually good. That's what she reminded him off, all that was kind in the world. She had forgiven him, hadn't she? The wolf certainly wasn't trying to rip his throat out. There was no way to forget their little 'talk'.
"Oh," he spoke quickly, realizing he'd been silent again. "Uh. . . Kiros." For a second he had almost said Xan, that was how strong the memory of his other half lingered in his mind. How he missed truly being able to hold an argument, and simply fading back as the other hunted. Yet, they were both his memories, making him far more confident now than he ever had been before. Far more deadly. Like then. He decided right then that any pup he ever sired would have the name of Xan. It was a good, strong name, that he could depend on. It was bigender as well, so it didn't matter.
"I'm sorry," he spoke again. He'd been rude. The sun was going down now, they'd wasted a lot of time staring at one another. That was odd, why was she staring at him? "Do I look funny to you? Its the feather isn't it? And the. . ." he asked, glancing down at where his small medicine bag should have been. "Damn it. I keep forgetting." He shook his head and plopped on his side, staring off towards the river.
"It's beautiful," her murmered to himself.
Steam seemed to constantly rise from the water, as if it were always warm and the air forever cold. It gave him a calm feeling and he could see why Kara so loved the packlands. He would have chosen here as well, but he could never live here. Not while she was alive. Forever paying his dues.
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 5:40 pm
"Kiros." She tried it out and nodded slightly. It was good, short. She liked it. What she didn't like was the way he kept looking at her. Like she was... like she was some new and exotic creature. It made her damn uncomfortable. She shifted from one paw to the other, eyes averted from his gaze. Instead she chose to look at the ground. At his paws.
She hadn't noticed how much his markings reminded her of rivers, of eddys and swirls in the current. It was... interesting. Yes, that was it. Jori flicked an ear back at his apology.
"'s alright." She muttered, embarrassed. "Those feathers are strange, I've never seen anything like them." But they weren't exactly... bad. Jori wondered where he'd gotten them. "It's that bag you're missing, right?" She hadn't seen it since they'd met last. If Kara had it, Jori didn't know where. She didn't know where Kara was, for that matter.
Probably a good thing she's not here...
The small female sat hesitantly next to him and followed his gaze towards the river. It was beautiful, especially at this time of night; the surface tinged with gold, almost as though on fire. And the mist...
It was always at least slightly misty here, and she loved it. It was perfect, beautiful. She would never leave. Clouds were building up on the horizon, catching the last rays of the sun and fading into crimson. Maybe it would rain tonight.
"Are you hungry?" She blurted.
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 5:57 pm
Kiros tried to keep his eyes off her, and with the river he was having some success. The glow made him want to jump in it, just for fun. To dance and sparkle with the golden rays of the fading sun as it melted away the landscape into darkness. Just like his heart was melting away to Jori.
What!?
Where had that come from!? He shook his head, trying to chase away the strange thoughts that were billowing in. He couldn't, no matter how beautiful she was, Kara would find out and kill him. Not to mention the pups. He did have a heart, he wouldn't put his brood through such a thing. Its not like she'd ever find anything in him anyway. He was just a no good loner and a killer.
"Yeah," he responded to her question, still gazing at the wonderworld before him. Just keep focusing on the scenery. "She's got it, I'm sure." It seemed like something Kara would keep, just to antagonize him. Maybe to set up the perfect place to murder him. "Those feathers are from plant dye made by the Natives. They have dark skin and walk on two legs. Strange things, but nice."
He was shocked by her next question. He'd never been asked to go hunting with another before, because that's most certainly what it was. He thumped his tail against the soft earth, pondering such an event over in his mind. It certainly couldn't hurt to go with her, would it? Into the darkening woods where nothing could be seen. How utterly romantic. He chuckled to himself, knowing how stupid he must seem.
He simply nodded to her and rose back to his feet, leaning backwards to give his front legs a good stretch. His jaw needed a bit of stretching too, so he gave a big yawn and waited for her to lead the way.
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 6:29 pm
Natives? Her old pack had lived near them, but never with them. Leu hated them. He had killed one once, a little one. He'd told her to watch, even though she hadn't wanted to; It had cried and cried, and then the big ones had come.
She shivered and shook herself out, trying to break away from the memories. That was a long time ago; and maybe when you didn't kill their pups, they were nice. Perhaps Kiros could show her someday...
Faint movement caught her eye and she turned in time to see Kiros' tail beating softly against the ground. Before she could stop herself a grin split her maw and she was wagging her tail in return. Tentatively, slowly, but it was a start. And he agreed to go hunting with her!
... that was a good thing, right?
Of course. Because now she could have deer. Together they wouldn't have any problem hunting down a yearling, or a young doe. It would be nice to have something besides rabbit or squirrel for dinner, she was tired of the smaller prey.
"Then let's go." Joy filled her body as she stretched her legs into a lope, heading for the darkening forest. It was... eerie beneath the branches, with a red world above and a blue-grey one below. Jori reveled in the sense of mystery and increased her pace, treading silently on pine needles and loam. She forced herself not to look back to see if he was following.
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 7:22 pm
She sure started out fast. . . Shaking his head he started off after her, though he only broke into a trot. He'd come a long way to see Kara and now he was going to go off hunting with some Aphrodite of a blue wolf. ( ::shot for making a reference to Aphrodite:: ) As she increased her movements, he moved out as well, trying not to fall too far behind, but not overexert himself at the same time. When she seemed just out of view he sped up just so he could see her tail fade away again.
Something white on the ground flashed and caught his eye. Furrowing his brow he choved his dark pads into the ground to see just what it was. It might have been rude to stop, but she hadn't been looking anyway. The majority of the object was covered by thick mud and it had a distinct and strange smell as he bent to sniff at it.
But he knew what it was. Disbelief crossed his face in the form of horror. He didn't know how it got there, but here it was and Kiros found himself shudder. Was this really that close to the place he'd last talked to her? He gave a worried glance forwards to make sure she was stil moving. Finding the way clear he made a quick snatch at the object that was soon in his jaws - and he was off running again.
His breathing was much harder than it should have been. Kiros' little stop had left him much farther behind than he'd planned, but he was determined to keep up. At last he could hear the patter of her feet moving across the grassed earth, so he put on an extra burst of speed. Instead of travelingat the rear like he'd initially planned, Kiros drew up beside Jori, and lifted his head just enough; releasing the necklace.
It slipped from his teeth down to her neck, where it rested there, so subtle, but with so much meaning. "There," he said. "It looks better on you than me anyway." His lips curled a bit on their rips, his tail wagging to display his calm happiness.
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 8:32 pm
Alright... just once.
Jori glanced over her shoulder, eyes scanning the darkness for Kiros. Nothing, only the swaying of tree branches in the faint, gathering breeze. She slowed, ears pricked, her enthusiasm for the hunt suddenly diminished. She was shocked (and slightly angry) at the sudden sinking of her heart.
What did you expect, fool? Jori growled softly and increased her pace to a lope again. What did it matter? He would only cause trouble between her and Kara. Trees flashed by, but she hardly noted them. She didn't want to betray her alpha. This was best... so why did she feel so dissapointed?
The settling of weight around her neck brought her back to reality with a start. Her paws dug into the forest loam as she slammed to a halt, ears flickering nervously. She glanced down, studying the medicine bag with wide eyes.
"What..." Jori looked up at Kiros, confusion written clearly on her face. He returned her gaze, tail wagging, which only added to her dismay. The bag was heavy around her neck, weighing her down... heavier than it should have been. She couldn't breathe...
"Uh... thanks?" Her face felt hot suddenly, and she looked away. "I guess Kara didn't have it after all, hmm?"
Confused and upset, she set off again and tried to make sense of this new development.
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:41 pm
Her confusing was amusing, and moderately cute. The way she looked away suddenly showed something was going on around her head. If only he was brave enough to actually say something. Thousands of little words drummed around inside his skull, plaguing him when he had no way out. I guess not, he answered without actually speaking. It was simply too perfect a silence to break.
A newfound energy came to his tail as he spurred himself into a sprinting stride, letting loose a soulful cry to the dark forest. Everything around him felt so large and unexplicably dangerous. As if everything in the world could go wrong, but he knew nothing wouldn't. On this night, this one mystcial treasure of a night, everything was going perfect. It was what joy was meant to be.
Kiros found himself a bit ahead of her, and constantly looking back to see if she was there. It was almost as if he thought she couldn't be safe and he had to be there to make sure she stayed okay. Not that she couldn't take care of herself, but it felt good to keep a watchful eye on something for once.
The calmness was drawn from his body as he caught the scent of elk. It was fall for the cloven creatures - rutting season. Males were particularily dangerous this time of year, but also extremely stupid. If one was careful they could take one down with only two wolves, but one mistake and you were a dead wolf. His muscles coiled up as the scent grew stronger, his body lowered to the ground; ears flattened against his skull and tail tucked low to his belly. HIs eyes flicked to and fro, searching for the approaching hazard.
A snort broke the air - followed by the sound of several crashing feet - causing his ears to flick forwards and back again. He swung his head behind him; just to check if she was okay. As usual nothing was wrong and he dared a whisper back at the female.
"What do you think?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 10:17 pm
With every step the bag drummed dully against her chest, like a second heartbeat. Jori kept her eyes focused on the path ahead, weaving her way through the pine trees and undergrowth. Thump. Thump. Thump.
He came all the way back here for this... and then gave it to me. She snorted. I don't understand him. A lie. She just didn't want to admit to liking what she understood. That she might have been worth something to someone other than Kara... for once in her life.
His cry filled the air around her and she answered it in a sudden burst of hope and companionship. The sound rose through the trees, eerie and echoing in the overcast evening. Jori slowed, allowing him to take the lead, then followed eagerly behind. After all, he'd been living as a lone for longer than she had; he would definantly have more experience in hunting.
Jori lifted her nose to the breeze when he did, breathing in the faint scent of elk. In front of her Kiros slowed, then stopped, crouched low in the undergrowth. She crept up beside him, watching and listening for their prey.
The snort made it real, sent a rush of adrenaline flooding through her veins. The idea of tackling a full grown male elk, just the two of them, sent a shiver of fear down her spine.
But what was life, if you didn't take risks? Danger made everything more beautiful, more alive. She grinned suddenly, her hackles rising in excitement. Her response was little more than a hoarse whisper.
"Let's go."
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Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2006 5:57 pm
Kiros nodded, his ears invisible against his skull as he slid his paws forwards. Slowly. Carefully. The thick scent of the male was intesne in his nose, and the urge to have something he couldn't. It swamred his brain and made him sick with bloodlust, wanting only to feel the elk go limp as its lifeforce seeped over his chin. Hiss legs slide forward again - so very wary. The earth easily fell from under his feet, staying out of his way as he neared the elk. Quiet now.
He dared not look back to see where Jori had positioned herself, or what she intended to execute. She'd hunted before, she'd knew what to do. Any slightest communication on his part would turn the bull to charge. Either horns or feet would strike him dead. The fur on his back rose in anticipation, his breathing faster with every step. His blood began to warm to fire, pulsing through every point in his body, spurring him forwards until all he knew was the beat of his heart and the smell of fresh meat. Thump. Inch forward. Thump thump. Stop.
Kiros' skin began to tingle. He wasn't far now. A small puff of steam curled into the air; teasing his eyes as it swirled into the black abyss of the night. He had been far closer than he presumed. There was only one thing to do now and they'd have to do it together. He hoped that Jori was ready and lunged for the animals back.
It would be impossible to kill him by nearly snapping the neck. The jump was merely a distraction - enough time for Jori to jump in and rip the jugular. His only regret was that he couldn't do it himself.
Time seemed to pass slower than frozen water. The jumped never ended, and he found himself wishing for the thick taste of flesh, but there was nothing. He realized in quite short order the pounce had been a miss. Growling he coiled his muscles and sprung again, this time the soft rawhide touched his pads and allowed him a grip. The elk wouldn't let him off so easily. It whipped its head around; rearing up onto its hind legs to throw him. All he could do was clamp on with his mouth and hope Jori would make short order of it.
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