Sex: FemaleThe snaps and growls from Gent and Naia distracted Sagacity, and even though she was doing her best to keep an eye out for other pack members, between the utter ecstasy of food in her belly and the nerve-wracking fact that her pack mate and another wolf were fighting was too much for a brain that was already over-tired and starved of nutrition. And that said a lot, especially considering that the male who appeared on the scene, running toward her with the ferocity of an unstoppable chinook of fire was a massive, beautiful specimen of a wolf. Not the type who could be missed easily, especially when he made such a striking figure when he was in an aggressive state. Had Sagacity seen him before she'd decided to scarf down as much of the deer as possible, she wouldn't have provoked him. She knew better than to toy with the gods, especially when facing so large and fearsome an opponent.But there was nothing for her to do now other than defend herself. Jumping ship and abandoning her packmate would have been a pirate-like thing to do, and perhaps had she had more warning she might have done so and urged him to quit his own fight and run with her. But there was no time for that- she prepared herself as best she could but there was no avoiding the enraged behemoth's onslaught. There was no avoiding him- it would've been like an ant trying to avoid being stepped on- her opponent was too large and had come up on her too fast for her to side-step nimbly. She knew there was no hope of simply trying to absorb his impact by holding her ground, so she instead allowed herself to be hit and flung away from the kill. Her hip smarted and she ground her teeth together as she sought to catch decent footing when she hit the ground. Her claws scrambled against the ice and her hip protested at bearing her weight after having been hit so hard. It wasn't until she caught herself that she could taste the blood from her own tongue, which she'd bitten when she landed. Like a cat she'd landed on her feet, but she'd been set off her balance and had to rely on her own speed and agility to stake a counterattack, even while lame.
He'd charged her like a bull, head down so that she couldn't reach his throat and put a speedy end to their fight. She hissed a snarl as she whipped around to keep him from targeting her flank again and snapped her jaws at the point of his shoulder, angling herself alongside him so that her legs would not be accessible should he reach around to grab one. If she could maim the muscles one of his legs, she knew she'd stand a better chance against the giant she faced.
With a heavy thud, Maksim found his prize. All one hundred and fifty one pounds of pure Mackenzie wolf bulk slammed into the side of the much smaller specimen.
Flung away from Cut Rock River's rightful food, the monochrome wolf spat out a snarl as she landed on her feet, twisting around to swiftly face the king of the Cedarwood Forest. She was a cougar, lightning fast and acrobatic, whereas Maksim Baranski was a bear, heavily muscled and powerful. Their differences meant that their clash would be an intense one. Whatever was occurring between Naia and the swarthy bastard was lost on Maksim. The agouti beast had to deal with this pest first, though he did not doubt the loyal Timber's ability one bit. He prepared himself for another charge forward, squaring his shoulders and covering his neck once more, but it seemed like she had other ideas. Whatever pain he had inflicted upon the slim wolf, she was certainly not showing it. She darted forwards, alarmingly fast, and her jaws were aimed directly at his shoulders. Adrenaline rushed through Maksim's veins, his heart pounding with the thrill of a fight. The desire to protect his home was strong. He would be willing to do anything to ensure their safety and survival.
That meant sometimes taking risks.
At the last possibly second, the River leader darted forwards. It was an attempt to dodge her attack—a dangerous tactic at the best of times—and, apparently, it had worked. As soon as his paws touched the ground, he span and, with a thundering snarl, leapt towards his ash hued opponent. The Baranski's fangs were aimed at her flank, eager to bite down and sink into her stinking flesh. Should he find his hold, he would proceed to shake his head wildly from side to side in an attempt to rip and tear her open like a fallen doe.
we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue
Gent was all optimism and focus, putting everything he had into reaching the carcass first. He sensed Sagacity barreling behind him, and coming up on his right, while the foreign paladin careened at him from the left. It was a time for all or nothing, if they were going to get a piece of that meal, and the boy was damned determined that they would. Thus, in a split second plot, Gent put on the brakes, digging in his paws and swerving to face Naia head on. |
 |
He'd grabbed her injured flank, causing her to shriek in pain as he whipped his head from side to side, as he would when tearing flesh from a doe. Her skin was thick and loose on her haunches, but his teeth had sunk in, forming four perfect puncture wounds which increased in size with each shake of his head. In a frenzy, and all at once, Sagacity knew she needed to get away. This was a fight she couldn't win- she'd been injured thrice, all in the same joint and knew she would not recover from these injuries enough to push him into submission.
"I Yield!" She snarled. She'd collapsed onto her side and used her feet to try and push at his face and shove him away, trying with all her might to catch one of those gleaming, anger-filled eyes with a claw so she could wrench herself free and get away from him. The fight was over for her- but she needed to get out of his grip. She knew she'd lost and that she was done- but knew that words alone wouldn't do. Her tail had been drawn up against her underside to protect it and to show deference to him, and while she bared her teeth it was a nervous grimace, one which meant she knew she was weaker, but would still defend herself even though she'd surrendered. She curled her neck toward her chest to protect her throat and pulled in her forelegs, ready to use them with al her might to push him away if he did not let her go.
♦♦♦♦♦
In the moments before they collided, Naia saw her target slipping and clawing against the ground in order to face her. She subconsciously registered the information-- that they were going to be fighting on ice-- as she leaped toward the swarthy male from the snowbank bordering the icepatch. Though this particular terrain was not ideal, it might prove advantageous for the shorter, more lightweight wolf to face a larger enemy on a slippery surface. She slammed into the brawny yearling face-to-face and chest-to-chest, his angry snarl magnified by the the closeness of their bodies. In an instant the aggressive vocalization was followed by a sickening thud as his body hit the ice with Naia on top of him. She scrambled away from the shadowy male that had cushioned her impact, turning to face him as she took a few steps onto the snow bank. If he chose to charge her, at least she would have a firm foothold.
The dark intruder was on his feet once more, looking frustrated and more than a little rattled by the impact. If Naia had been herself at the moment, she might have felt bad for injuring the youngster, thief though he was. She hadn't intended on doing so much damage with a single tackle. He launched himself forward and Naia dug her back feet into the firm snow for support. Though her goal in initiating this encounter was simply to block the youth from reaching their cache, he was now charging her with jaws wide open, hungry for her flesh. Renewed anger boiled up from the pit of her stomach; just how insolent was this boy, thinking he could attack her on her own territory? Her own bloodthirsy growl blended into the echo of snarls emanating from behind; a sure sign that a packmate had joined her to engage the silvery female.
Her attacker lunged toward her slashing for anything his jaws might find, choosing to utilize brute strength over technique. Naia tucked her head to protect her delicate throat, flattening slightly and skittering to the side to avoid his attack. Her perch on the snowbank was firm while his approach was slowed due to the ice beneath his feet. His jaws found nothing but air as he reached the bank and slashed out for her, and she was already poised for a counter attack. From her position at his side, she leaped to tackle him once more, although this time her jaws aimed an attack at the soft part of his neck below his ear. If she could get a firm hold on this part of his body she would have control of his head, which was of course the most dangerous part of her opponent. No more Miss Nice Girl; she was going for blood this time.
His teeth sunk deep into her flank, puncturing her skin with ease. As soon as Maksim felt the familiar splash of blood against his fangs, he began to whip his head side to side, jaw locked in her flesh. The agouti leader wanted her to feel pain—he wanted her to know that testing the River wolves would ultimately end in failure. Her wail was like the screech of a fallen fawn and he relished the sound. His fangs gripped her flesh tightly. Her lesson would be leant. The tear grew larger with each violent shake of the brute's head. Despite it all, the Baranski didn't enjoy the taste of another wolf's blood; it didn't sit in his mouth well, not like the taste of prey's precious life. It was sour. He let the crimson seep between his teeth, dribble down his chin and cling to her fur—maybe now she'd have some colour on her.
She collapsed onto her side, showing submission and yielding to the king. She knew she would not win. Her dusty paws reached out to push him away and Maksim squeezed his eyes shut, a snarl bubbling in his throat as he released her flank. Frankly, he'd rather not have her dull claws poke his eyes out. His reptilian gaze remained focused on her as his lip remained curled over his bloodied teeth. If he were less of a gentleman, he would have torn the meat from her belly and then from her bones. As much as it would have disgusted him, the agouti River leader was not objective towards cannibalism in such cruel months, especially if it ensured his follower's safety. “Cut Rock River is not a pack you can scavenge from, vultures.” His words were spat as if they were darts drenched in venom. “Leave, before I tear your damned neck open and allow you to sustain my family.” This was not an empty threat. He snapped his jaws, teeth clicking as he did. She could leave now or attempt to save her comrade. If that were the case, he'd simply switch right back into the offensive powerhouse who had ripped her flank open.
we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue
Gent must have underestimated the toll these chain events were taking on him, as his lunging attack completely missed its mark, and left him open and defenseless to Naia's next strike. He felt her jaws close in on the crux of the connection from his head to neck, and the paralysis was instant. His legs skittered beneath him, struggling to pull him from her but the limited momentum he was able to implement only worked to sink her teeth deeper. A yelp bolted from his throat as he realized the hopeless position he was in. |
|
Sagacity hardly registered the moment that Maksim finally let go of her; the pain in her haunch lingered and stung even though the pressure and shaking had ceased. As soon as it registered, she recoiled from him, sliding a bit further away from him with her ears pinned and tail held close to her belly and she did her best to avoid glowering at him. How could she have been so foolish as to have engaged in a fight with a wolf who could so easily overpower her? He spoke and warned her, and she thought to defend herself verbally- but thought better of it. Instead, she bit her proud tongue and cast a glance toward Gent who had also given himself up, which was just as well. Even if he had come out on top, there was no guaranteeing that the both of them would get very far before the whole pack caught up and sought revenge.She knew she could say that they'd not expected to find pack here, and that his packmate had leapt to action too soon, but she also knew that they hadn't been civil enough to leave as soon as they'd caught the pack's scent. Winter was making a terrible mess of them all, and there were no excuses to be made. Knowing that Gent, too, had given up, she decided not to test the man's words or to retaliate. This was not her battle, no matter how wounded her pride was. There was no coming back from this- he'd won. She cast a quick glance to Gent before she leaned back onto her feet, tested out her stinging hind leg quickly before she uttered a quick bark- an order for Gent- and retreated.
At least, she thought to herself, she knew there was a pack here now. It meant that once again, the pack had an enemy. No doubt Naira would not be pleased to hear about this...
♦♦♦♦♦
Naia's teeth sank into the tender flesh below the intruder's ear, and she had her first taste of another wolf's blood. The metallic tang which-- when it belonged to her prey-- usually stimulated her aggression instincts tasted wrong, almost repellent, when it emanated from a fellow wolf. Had he been her prey, she would not have even thought twice about instantly opening his carotid, but the sickening taste in her mouth subdued the urge. Instead of ripping, she just bit down harder as he struggled, hoping the yearling would understand the silent message attached to the gesture, I could kill you right now. As if she had hit a button, her attacker surrendered with a helpless yelp. Let this be a lesson, boy.. she thought, giving a dominant shake to the yearling's head. A low growl rumbled in Naia's throat, as if she was still thinking over whether to let go or kill him. Maksim's valediction rang out over the battlefield; a warning Naia thought needed no additional comment from her. ”Go then,” she ordered gruffly as she released the swarthy male's neck. She neither took her eyes off his retreating form nor lowered her hackles until he had vanished completely.
She drew in a shaky breath to compose her thoughts, mentally running over her body parts to make sure nothing was damaged. More than once Naia had sustained injuries during a hunt but hadn't realized she was hurt until long after the battle was settled. She was a bit rattled-- that much couldn't be helped-- but she was otherwise in perfect condition. He hadn't hurt her. He didn't even touch me, she realized as she mentally replayed the confrontation. However, before relief could fully settle over her she had to check on her leader. ”Maksim?” she called, surprised at how exhausted her own voice sounded. She trotted toward the cache, honey eyes scanning for the agouti male. ”Are you injured?”
![[Image: hashtags-inalinaia.png]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CfDO8VKTzi4/U9P3i6wclnI/AAAAAAAAKmM/lFMZNVldXrw/s0/hashtags-inalinaia.png)
Maksim's words did not fall on deaf ears, it seemed, as the injured woman stood after his words. Behind him, the River leader heard Naia's voice address the dark coated yearling. The monochrome woman gave a bark to her subordinate and both the wolves retreated, fled the territory of Cut Rock River. His reptilian gaze did not leave them, watching with narrowed gaze as their dark figures disappeared into the shadows of the Cedarwood forest. His bulky body was still riding on the adrenaline rush of putting another wolf in their place, one who was not of his pack. Taking a deep breath, the Baranski steadied himself. Victory was certainly theirs, but at what cost? Which pack did those wolves belong to? Whoever they were and whoever led them, they were enemies to the River wolves now—they would be attacked on scent. At least until they redeemed themselves, though the agouti brute couldn't help but doubt that something like that would occur.
Once again, the Timber female spoke. His ears swivelled in her direction, noting the tiredness that carried in her voice. It was certainly a draining experience. “I'm uninjured, Naia,” he responded, his muscles still tense and his body posture still screaming dominance, “though there's a foul taste in my mouth—her blood tastes of piss.” Maksim snorted at his little joke, regardless of whether or not it was appropriate. He slowly made his way to stand before the cache that the thieves had tried their luck at taking, staring down at it. Anger bubbled in his gut once more. It mattered not. They had been put in his place.
Throwing his head back, the River wolves' leader howled. A warning to anyone nearby and a parting gift to the wolves who had been bested: do not test the wolves of Cut Rock River. He was lost in his victory cry, unable to hear whether or not Naia joined in. His howl died out and the Baranski looked to Naia. “Let's get this food back to the pack.” Without another word, the agouti wolf turned, making his way towards the fallen deer. Grasping it by the neck, he tussled with it momentarily in order to position himself so that he could drag it into the territory. They had won this round. Maksim could only hope there would not be another.
we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue