Nomads Pass Open Arms

I wont let you down.

Determination flashed in the silver wolf's amber eyes. She sauntered through the Pass with her body held lo to the ground, taking careful steps so as to ensure that she moved with stealth. Her black ears moved back and forth, picking up minute sounds that lingered on the air like a tremor. Branches clicking and creaking, wind rustling the top layer of snow, the flap of a bird's wings overhead. Noises which were part of the ambience but did not serve to help her in her search, apart from masking what little sound she might have made. She concentrated on using her sense of smell to track down prey and had found a few tracks already- rabbit, squirrel, even a mouse that had come out of its underground hole, hopped across the snow's surface, and disappeared into another hole.

She paused, sniffed, and lowered herself to the ground when she heard something, a rustling and chucking sound coming from a thick clump of brush ahead. The telltale clucking of partridge had caught her attention. As far as she could tell, the birds hadn't heard her yet, nor had they seen her. They continued to rustle and chirrup, the noisy little creatures. Sagacity focused in, sniffing the breeze and deciding whether it would be best to approach from another angle or to go at it from where she was. If she was successful, there would be no need for a wellaway on this day.

Avatars by Arla!

She can't seriously be playing around with birds right now? He had just gotten back from reinforcing the borders. The brilliance of the mountain day had gone un-noticed to him until now. It was like this on most days, sometimes foggier. He stifled a scoff as she neared the brush. His ears turned sideways to acknowledge the word around him, but his mind did not process them. His eyes were on Sagacity. The supposed "newest" member of the pack. He didn't want her here, as she seemed weak and useless. What was her duty anyways? If it had been mentioned in the meeting, then Ten had quickly forgotten as he couldn't put his pawpad on what it was. Perhaps, a scout? Maybe she could convince him to like her. The possibilities seemed slim to him. He looked at her more closely, squinting his eyes and remaining extremely silent. She was slender and small, almost bony. Her fur was gray-and-black, flowing and slick as it masked her lithe muscle structure. She crept forward on her stomach, seeming like a frail snake as she slithered towards her prey on the icy, rocky forest floor. The prey seemed clueless to her approaching. She would make the or bust in his eyes..figuratively, of course. He knew that she was the female second in the pack, but he also knew very well that as soon as another female joined: she would be kicked down and she would probably sink down the ranks like a rock. code by SWITCH | graphic by GREY | photo by DAWNTHIEVES.DE

ooc:SO-GLAD-YOU-JOINED!!! :D <3

It was only when the birds made their content chuckling noise that Sagacity chose to move a bit closer. If she was to have any chance catching one, she would have to get very close. The birds were on the ground beneath the bush, yes, but the bush would complicate things for her. They were on the opposite side and she couldn't guarantee that she could both vault the bush and catch a bird right afterwards. They were quick to take flight, and she didn't want to miss such an opportunity. If she planned things just right, and nothing upset her plans, she could do it...

One ear turned back as soon as she got the feeling that she wasn't alone. She couldn't smell anyone or hear them, but she was aware that they were there. A slight twitch from her tail indicated that she was concentrating, and did not want to be interrupted. Had the prey been something like a deer, and had she been further away, she might have involved him in her hunt. But at this point, any movement from her could send the partridges into the air, and thus into safety. She couldn't risk it. Some hunts were meant to be a solo adventure.

One of the birds ruffled their feathers and rustled a few branches while doing so, providing the perfect opportunity for Sage to creep forward and into a crouched position. She was close enough now- any closer and she'd vault into the bush, rather than over it. Gingerly she tested the footing beneath each of her feet, making sure that it wouldn't give away as she thrust downwards and kill the height of her leap. No, it was sturdy- she had everything she needed.

She leapt and the sound of her feet pushing off from the earth hard enough to launch her over the bush was enough to alert the birds to her presence- but the wolf was already breaching the bush by the time the birds fluttered into the air, and the birds became flustered in surprise when they realized that up was not a safe direction, not when a wolf was descending upon them. Sagacity's trajectory altered when she caught sight of one bird to her left that struggled to find a way to safety and she twisted in mid air, landing straight on top of it. The other birds took off, and the one she'd cornered managed to let out a horrible shriek which was stifled before it even reached its highest pitch. She shook her head from side to side wildly, snapping the bird's neck. A good kill- luck and skill had been on her side. It had been a while since she'd been able to make a kill so successfully.

She strode around the bush, bird in mouth, praying that someone had seen her catch it- and sure enough, her senses hadn't been fooling her. There he was, the second-in-command to Rhysis himself. satrap-like, he had a critical look on his face, but Sagacity did not allow herself to feel judged. She'd caught the bird. But could she sand there and eat it in front of him? She wasn't that proud of a creature. She dropped the bird and nodded to him. "D'you know of any caches handy to here?" There- good girl, Sagacity- now he won't think you're selfish. She wanted to establish herself as a main contributor to the pack, not as a weakling who'd nurse from the pack's strength.

Avatars by Arla!

[words: 267]

Tenzin scowled to himself. She couldn't possibly fling herself OVER the bush....He rolled his eyes. It didn't take long for the scout to launch herself into the air. Luck was definitely rooting for her today. The bird was flying upwards, and towards her, already. Just a gnash of teeth signaled death for the little creature. He smirked. Maybe she wasn't as weak as she looked. Maybe her skill made up for her lack in brawn. Ten often thought of himself as an appreciator to his muscled upper hand. The young girl strolled around the bush with the unfortunate creature in her sharp teeth. She dropped the bird to either talk to him or to eat it. He didn't understand her question at first. But then he nodded. "I don't hunt that much, sorry." He murmured. He wouldn't know. Actually the closest cache he knew...nah... He dipped his head sort of half-heartedly, scorning himself for admitting his weakness so quickly. Hunting. "You're the new scout?" He grumbled curiously, feeling sort of odd. He felt like a giant talking to her. Blissful, actually, because he had all the power. But something was off about feeling power and greedily hogging it against your own packmate. They were the same rank, so they would be holding their tails at the same level for now. Secretly, Ten wanted to know more about her. He just wasn't the conversational type of guy. The snow on the ground was ankle-level where he stood, freezing his legs. He wished his furs were longer down there or something, so standing around wasn't as painful. code by SWITCH | graphic by GREY | photo by DAWNTHIEVES.DE

She didn't see quite the reaction she'd hoped for from him, but she got a bit of smug satisfaction when he admitted that he didn't hunt much. This confused the sterling girl, whose ears turned back in puzzlement. Who fed him, then? He had to eat, so he had to hunt, naturally. But rather than questioning him, she pulled a half-smile. "Wish I had that luxury," She said quietly. If her metabolism hadn't been that of a goddamn squirrel, maybe she could've gotten away with hunting less...Unfortunately, she was the way she was and therefore she was one of those tiny wolves that needed to eat almost as frequently as a hummingbird. She took a secret spoonful of pride knowing she'd decided to be friendly, rather than competitive with the male. This was something new, but she felt she was doing it right. Her sense of humour was xeric to say the least, as dry and arid as the desert. But she felt he wasn't the type who'd prefer slapstick comedy anyway.

She nodded. "Sagacity." She said, volunteering her name. She felt no guilt in not knowing who he was- names and other duty assignments had been passed around, but she hadn't been able to put a name and rank to each of the faces at the meeting. She shifted on her feet. "There've got to be caches around here. Help me find one?" She asked casually, shifting her feet which were aching to be on the move again.

(This post was last modified: Feb 24, 2013, 07:28 PM by Sagacity.)

Avatars by Arla!