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 Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:10 pm
No food... this land was called barrens for a reason. The silver fox-like colored wolf lifted her muzzle skyward and frowned at the dusk. The moon was starting to rise and she felt the rippling in her chest as a howl threatened to leap into her throat. She snorted instead. This was no time for puppy games.
She trotted to the top of a hill and stared out for any sign of life. A rabbit, a wounded deer, anything... it had been a long time since she'd eaten. Her green eyes rested on a a pale form with a green tint. "What could that be..." She skidded down the slope and moved toward the new creature.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:24 pm
Shanuh was busy finishing the last scraps of what was once a raven. The bird had been stupid enough to land so close, and Shanuh had been desperate. Fate had smiled upon him, this day, as more often then not the birds won the game of tag. Today had not been the raven's lucky day, and he'd wound up a tastey, if feathered, snack.
It wasn't a satisfying meal, but it take the edge off his hunger. Shanuh was a lean wolf, his pale coat as health as a malnourished wolf could be. There were scars along his form, showing past experience and life. He wasn't old, but he was far from being a naive and stupid pup.
The barrens was his home, was his life, and that was how this wolf preferred to keep it. Once he'd lived in a pack, when he was much younger, but since his removal he'd been alone. It didn't bother the canine - in fact, he preferred his company to the company of others!
Ears swiveled and pricked as the sound of something caught his attention. Some coyote looking to steal the last of his snack? Some vermin? Eyes turning toward the source, Shanuh stay still as death. His body tensed, and the fur on the back of his neck raised. A flash of white, his teeth peeking out as the start of a snarl formed.
Who was there? He'd find out soon enough.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:32 pm
The scent of fresh blood caught D.S.'s keen nose. Ah so it was a predator. Her fur bristled as she approached the other wolf, making sure to skirt around him and survey what she was looking at. z
For a female wolf she was exerting as much dominance as she could. Tail up, head high, teeth bared in a ready growl. Her mind registered it was a wolf standing on guard. His smell and posture gave him away.
Friend or foe? Her green orbs went down to the bloodied mass of feathers. Food... this male had food and it was a bird! Her fur began to turn a rusty red under the fading sun.
"Who are you... " She questioned, her voice holding the warning of a viper. If he struck, so would she with more force.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:39 pm
As the wolf circled, Shanuh kept his guard and defenses on edge. From scent alone he could tell that it was a she, a wolf, like himself. His eyes picked out her high head and her raised tail. The poisen hidden behind her words did nothing to perturb Shanuh - oh no! From size alone, unless she was unnaturally small and petite, she looked to be young.
Nothing older than a pup, nothing he needed to worry about. What would she try to do to him?
Nothing.
The wolf's gaze of pink and yellow stayed locked upon his target. If she was stupid enough to advance any closer she'd get a snap and a snarl. He didn't take kindly to inquisitive strangers, especially when there was food on hand. HIS food.
Shanuh shared with no one.
"And what right do you have to ask that of me? You're the one who has pranced over to investigate - you're the one invading my space. The question then becomes, girl, who are you?" How arrogant of her to assume that he needed to speak to her?
He was older, wiser, and survived many more years than she. He didn't take commands from her. . . in fact, this wolf took commands from no one!
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:53 pm
A low growl started in her throat when he challenged her. So he thought himself better then her? Fool. Her age had nothing to do with her mind.
Answer him? Or challenge him? "My name .... is Dragonic Storm." It was true that she invaded first and around his catch.
Was he worth her time? He had food. That was something she defaintly lacked. Her eyes flickered toward his meal but she forced them to meet his eyes.
"And you?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:08 pm
The moment the growl caught his ears, Shanuh allowed his fangs to bare further. The growl that had been present in his throat turned in to a threatening snarl - he would not tolerate such behavior!
Yes, he thought himself better than she. But it wasn't necessarily out of arrogance as it was fact. He didn't miss the way her eyes danced from him to his kill, he didn't miss putting two and two together. Food was scarce as a loner, and scarcer still within the Barrens. But - so it appeared - he was the one with food and she was without.
If she couldn't catch meager mice, vermin and birds than where did that put her?
She was nothing more than a begger, than one who wanted to partake in his meal.
Hmph. Let her starve to death - it was called survival of the fittest, and if she wasn't fit enough to find her own food than so be it. It surely was no concern of Shanuh's and meant only that there would be one less wolf to feed. Someday, he knew, his time would be up and then his place and name forgotten.
But until that day came . . . .
Tail raised high, ears pressed forward, eyes burning in to D.S. he said nothing. She continued to press her advantage, to try to look so proud and so arrogant. Threatening him would gain her no advantage when he held the food and she did not.
She'd get a name when she proved she was worth his time and lost her own arrogance. If she wanted food, she'd have to show some form of etiquette.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:26 pm
D.S. watched the wolf in front of her carefully, trying to judge what to do. He was a male thus larger and of course stronger. At the very least he had fresh food in his stomach and the instinct to guard what was left. That made him a very dangerous enemy indeed. Both of these could lead to her quick demise.
Loathing crept into her eyes for a second before she lowered her gaze and dropped her tail and head. Not quite submission but she wasn't going to defy him. Why? She needed to get through the night and this wasn't going to get her anywhere. A stand off with him meant sure death.
True to the wolf's age and status she allowed the male to remain dominate. Yet there was a look in her eyes that told him that she wanted to prove him otherwise. A look that said 'bite me'.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:16 pm
She was smart to recognize that at this point he was the superior of the two. He was older, stronger, much more well fed (at least currently) and - in his own humble opinion - much more cunning than D.S. But at least she wasn't completely defiant - her tail down and head lowered was good enough for he.
She was smart enough to back down from her challange, and that granted her a few more minutes within Shanuh's presence. He himself kept his dominant position, tail still raised high, ears pressed forward, and eyes only on D.S. Just because she relinquished control of the situation didn't mean that he had to do the same.
His lips did stop the curl, and his glistening fangs went hidden behind his pale fur. Again, Shanuh was not quick to speak, but studied the female. Hmph.
So now what. . .? Did he give her his name? Did he make her squirm a bit more? He hadn't time for such fools. He had places to be, and new trails to discover. Within the land he had his own little territory, his own spot of land he preferred over all the others. And yet . . . did he stay? Why should he?
He had no business with the female, the stranger.
Contemplative - but still on wary guard - he licked his muzzle, long tongue removing some stained blood and down from his previous meal. The raven was mostly eaten, but there were still a few bites left. As if to aggravate her, he shifted a paw to nudge the dead bird.
"If you think you're getting a piece of this bird you're sadly mistaken." Blunt and to the point. Shanuh didn't share.
At least not to strangers like she.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:22 pm
D.S. showed no change. His taunting was in vain. It was no longer the bird or the food that had her standing there. It was that pale wolf. If for a second he thought she was a waste of time, she would make sure that he at least loathed her.
It was taking all she had not to challenge him to a fight. Not while she wasn't in her prime. Not now. The silver wolf spoke in low yet calm tones. "I don't want it," She blatantly spoke the truth, "Its your catch. I have no right to it or want of it."
Well she didn't now anyway.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:27 pm
Whether or not her answer surprised him, he showed no emotion. Nothing. An ear flicked, but that was that. D.S.' response was her own, and he wasn't about to challange that either. "Well then," he growled low in his throat, "be off if you have no want or need to be here. Let me finish my meal in peace." And that, as far as Shanuh was concerned, was the end of it.
Eyes staying only on D.S. he lowered his head and snatched up the remains of his kill. If she had no right or want to his meal, then she had no reason to stay. Shanuh wasn't one for friendly conversation, at least to strangers and wolves like D.S.
How dare she come romping in thinking she was something special. She was nothing to Shanu, nothing more than a pesky fly or obnoxious rodent or evening chill. Something to be ignored, something to look through, something to think little of.
She had no place with him, no need to be by him, and so he bid her adieu. If she didn't leave, then he would.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:36 pm
Rejection... why did this feel like some sick and twisted dejavu? She shook off the feeling and stood up straight, carrying herself the way she had when she first approached him. Let him eat in peace? Fine.
D.S. gave him a brief glance before trotting off. After that ordeal she didn't know she could feel that tired. All of the adrenaline of facing him down wore off and she noted that her left hind leg was sore from her travels.
What was his name?
The silver wolf shook her head violently. Who cared? She'd never see him again. The thrill and challenge was over. She favored her leg for a few steps, not really caring if she was in sight of him or not and dropped down.
She needed to sleep... and tomorrow... Tomorrow she would hunt and prove herself as a real wolf. Her green eyes moved to the now high moon.
Yes... hunting sounded good. She closed her eyes and pinned her ears back, trying to drift off.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:47 pm
Shanuh watched her meander off, and as soon as he felt she was a safe distance away, she was forgotten. At least for the moment. Dropping the bird back to the ground, the wolf quickly gobbled up the last of his feathered meal. He didn't move, even though she was still within sight, and didn't look up to watch her nap.
The last of the bird felt good going down, and though he wasn't full, he was at least momentarily content. It would be enough to give him energy to find more prey elsewhere within the Barrens. He would sleep peacefully this evening, with food digesting in his stomach. And come dawn, he'd search for bigger game.
Mice and rabbits were good for a snack, but Shanuh knew - could feel in his bones - that much larger prey was needed. A deer. A moose would be great, but he couldn't pull one alone. There were benefits to a pack, he knew . . .
but the wolf was far too stubborn and far too mistrusting to find any worthy. Instincts told him he needed others, but Shanuh wasn't so easily inclined to join others. . .
Licking his muzzle, pleased, the wolf took a moment to groom himself. Evening was fast upon them, and the night was young. Perhaps a drink before sleep, perhaps not. The wolf sniffed the air, locating scents and distinguishing one from another.
What other wolves were around this night? Hopefully none.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:26 pm
-I don't know how much later but sometime later. Few days to -?-
D.S. panted and shook off her dusty fur. The pale wolf was long gone from her mind save for his dual mocking eyes. For now, she didn't care.
The wolf lowered her nose to the ground and found the trail she'd been tracking. Deer from the smell. Blessed deer. She didn't care if she broke every bone in her body she needed something.
If only she had another wolf to hunt with... Personally, the company wasn't loved but now she was at her breaking point. A few loose scraps had done nothing toward making her able to survive.
Hunger and desperation drove her actions now. The female's nostrils flared as she searched for any wolf to form a quick alliance with. Any wolf.
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:16 am
Fate worked in mysterious ways, and the irony of the situation was not overlooked. The deer hadn't one stalker, but two, the ghost of a killer stalking them for hours. It wasn't often a herd was stumbled upon, especially in a land named the Barren's.
As it was, Shanuh didn't want to make a mistake. He was only one, yes, but he needed an actual meal. Rodents, birds and rabbits could tide him over until a real kill was made, but if he didn't find plentiful meat soon, his body wouldn't last long. And the longer he starved, the more weak he'd become.
This was the way of things, but thankfully, Shanuh felt himself to be lucky. He was too intelligent a wolf to get killed, much less be taken down by weakness,or fatigue. One couldn't survive all the years alone without being smart enough to eat.
His nostrils searched the wind, picking up surrounding scents. He himself sat downwind from the deer. If they caught sight of his scent then the whole hunt would be off! He wasn't terribly near the small herd, in fact the deer weren't even in sight, but he knew they were over yonder. He was merely waiting to see which one looked weak and small and stupid enough for him to kill.
But something else distracted him. Another wolf?
Part of Shanuh felt cornered. If another pack were to stumble upon the deer, any chances he had of killing one was over. Buut . . . .
he only smelled one. The longer he waited, the more he was sure there was only one in the area. Instinct told him that two wolves were better at pulling down prey than one. And hunger forced him to be social.
Like an invisible dart, the pale furred wolf made a beeline over to D.S.
Creeping through some underbrush, it didn't take him long to track the female.
For a moment, he didn't recognize the silver one, but memories slowly crept back. Oh. Great. It was the pup, the young one who liked to bare her teeth. Ears pricked forward, tail raised, he gave a soft snort. "Enjoying your starvation. . . ?" He asked, all the arrogance and mockery laced within his voice.
His gaze, though, wasn't quite as harsh. He was starving just as much as she was and instinct demanded he find someone to hunt with.
No matter his pride, he needed to eat.
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:57 pm
His voice hit the mark. Alright any wolf but that wolf. With a heavy sigh she turned to him and blinked.
A smirk spread over her muzzle.
"I'm a bit tired of it. How about you?" She questioned throwing the tone right back at him. The silver wolf stared at him before shifting her posture to that of slight submission.
As much as she hated it, she needed his... help.
He seemed as bad off as she. Barely fit to take down a fawn let alone a full grown deer. Did he need her help?
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