Drooping Willows A few more miles...

Sloane waited when she took off and admired her technique in separating the two yearlings. When he saw the direction that she was driving her prey, he made his way over to a thick clump of underbrush. He moved in small secretive lengths to avoid the deer seeing his slinking form. He hoped that Jessie would be looking for him and spot his intercept coarse. He was finally in a good ambush position, barely in time.

He could see Jessie through the bushes, but she made little sound with her small form only the occasional sound of attack as adjusted the creature's course. The sound of the deer's panicked breathing and of it's leaps over the hard earth were hard to miss though. <i>Almost.... now!</i> As the animal bounded by , only about two yards away from his spot he launched his own large form. The deer could do little to escape as he had timed his attack just so, so that it had little time to change course. His attack was swift and silent in the beginning and allowed him to gain his element of surprise.

He aimed for the deer's vulnerable neck, but missed a secure grip. Instead, a small chunk of neck muscle came free and he slide down it's side, raking his fangs deeply across the side of it's neck. He barely heard the bleat of pain and terror as he tried for another death grip. The neck was gone as a target, and his teeth only scraped the side of it's flank, so he went for the legs. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as he saw his chance as he grabbed a hind leg in his powerful jaw. He tried to bite down and break it, but he slipped again and locked down on the rear leg tendon instead. His iron grip came down on it and it severed like thread before his onslaught, crippling the beast as he hit the ground with a thud.

He lay there, dazed for a moment and heard Jessie bolt by. The attack had only taken seconds and she was there when he heard a large crash and a terrified wail as the hamstringed animal turned to face her, it's neck bleeding profusely and it's back leg useless for flight now.

Knight of Honor

The way Sloane entered in the attack pleased her, but soon a feeling of dread passed through her, he had missed but in the process had succeeded in tearing off a part of the yearlings throat. It would be enough for the animal to bleed out and they would then be able to track the blood and find the animal. . .dead and ready for them to eat. But it wasn't enough for the other male and Jessie knew. . .he was going for the leg. Fear coursed through her entire body. What he was doing was extremely dangerous. One buck from on of the yearlings legs could render him immobile. The fact that he had succeeded in bringing the animal down impressed her, but not over the fear of almost losing another friend.

The deer lay useless against the ground, waiting for death to take its grip on it. Jessie would make its fate even closer, for nothing ever deserved to be put into the pain in dying and suffering. She staunted over to the deer and got close to its head. The creamy female's jaws then opened and snapped at the prey's neck, ending its life finally. The eyes of the creature faded and she could only be thankful that it had been brought into existance. Hopefully, its spiritual path at been returned to the earth.

Her eyes then moved back to Sloane and she approached him, a stern, knowing look on her face. Why did he have to do something so dangerous? That move he had made could have killed him, didn't he know that? The young female's tail curled slightly as she stood in front of him, dispproval in her gaze. How could he be so foolish to do something so stupid? Didn't he know better?

As if speaking her own thoughts out loud she scolded him, "You do realize how dangerous that was right? You could have killed youself."

(This post was last modified: Jun 23, 2012, 10:23 PM by Jessie.)

As he stood and shook his head to clear it, Jessie ran by. The damage was done and the beast was done for, but she ended it's suffering quickly. Then she headed towards him looking like she was going to cause him some suffering instead. When she scolded him about how dangerous his maneuver had been, he was surprised. He hadn't thought, he'd merely reacted to the situation. She was right, there was a definite element of danger in going for a leg, especially a hind one, but it had turned out all right. It was sweet that she had been concerned for him though.

<b>"I am sorry for worrying you, Jess, but it worked out. I'm tougher than I look!"</b> he said with a wink, trying to lighten her mood. He really hadn't meant to cause her any distress and gave her a sheepish look, with a lopsided smile. He took a step towards the deer, making a beckoning motion with his creamy head. <b>"Come on. Let's enjoy our feast!"</b> The dear might have only been a yearling, but it would more than sate both of them, even with one of them being half it's size.

Knight of Honor

Her nickname rolled easily over his lips. . .something she didn‘t like. . .Brenton and Cali were the only ones who ever used her nickname and that was how it had been for as long as she could remember. She had to drill into her head quickly that Sloane was her friend. . .but friends could turn on one another as quickly as they became friends couldn‘t they? She sighed as if suddenly tired, which would make sense considering the run she had just put up and padded towards the kill with Sloane. His smile and words made her relax though. Everything was okay at the moment and that meant that she too would be okay. Nothing was going wrong and there was nothing like living in the present. No one should have to dwell in the past of the future, the only thing that mattered at the moment was the present, in some cases, that is.

The yearling wasn‘t as big as she would have liked but she was pleased with the catch, even if the brown male had almost thrown himself into his own suicide attempt. She was ready to dig her jaws into fresh meat and she knew that Sloane, hopefully, wouldn‘t mind her taking first pick. As she trotted over to the carcass her emerald eyes seemed to shine with delight. Scanning the body and sniffing it she nodded in approval. . .she had picked out the one that wasn‘t ill. And the fact that her nose wasn‘t failing her, pleased her even more. Lowering her jaws, she pulled off a strip of meat from the leg and settled down next to the deer, waiting patiently for Sloane to join her.

Sloane waited for her to head towards the deer and followed a bit behind her. She seemed to have a preference of what she wanted to eat after sniffing the yearling. He was fine with that, since he wasn't overly choosy. Once she settled in by the leg, eating heartily, he moved to the neck of the young deer and continued what he had started earlier in the hunt, further shredding it with his deadly white fangs. They both ate contentedly in silence for a bit, enjoying the fresh warm meat. She had chosen well and run the creature down and he'd felled the small deer. They made a good team and now reaped the rewards together.

When he'd eaten enough, he sat back sated and happy. The over-sized wolf stood and moved a few feet away, lay down and began to slowly groom himself. He wasn't a vain wolf, but he was proud of his family and his heritage and had been taught him to take pride in his appearance. Soon he was satisfied and he gave Jessie a quick look. She seemed to be done as well, at least for now and he gave her a charming smile.

<b>"So Jessie. What are you going to do when you find your sister? Are you going to join her, if she's in a pack?"</b> It seemed like she'd been going through a lot of change recently and he wondered what might happen to her when they eventually parted ways. He felt a touch of sadness at the thought, but he was a wanderer and she was on a quest to find her sister.

Knight of Honor

After feeling full enough she sighed and put her head down on her paws looking at the older male in front of her. Her tail wagged slightly as he listened to his words. The answer to his question didn’t even have to be thought about when she heard them. She was definitely going to try and join a pack if her sister were in it. The whole reason she was here, was indeed to find and be reunited with her sister. Blinking her eyes she tilted her head and nodded, “Yes, when I find my sister I plan on staying with her, whether she be in a pack or a lone wolf I will stay with her.

During her answer she started bobbing her head, as if it was the most logical thing in the world. She smiled at Sloane and a curious thought suddenly hit her, “What are you thinking about doing? She was curious as to what the male would be doing. . .or going. . .that is. She was curious as to where she could find him if something bad happened. She trusted Sloane enough and considered him a friend. Watching out for him would be a problem though, mainly if they wouldn’t be joining the same pack.

He was genuinely interested in what Jessie would do. When she said that she would stay with her sister wherever she may be, he nodded his head in agreement. Family was important. If he had any left to speak of he would definitely seek them out. <b>"That's good," </b>he said with a small smile, hiding the small bit of sadness that came with the thought of his own lost family.

When she asked what his plans were, he tipped his head slightly. He honestly didn't know. He'd been a loner for so long now that it was all that he knew anymore. Of course, there was more than one type of family and there was always the possibility that he may find a new one some day. He gave her a crooked smile and answered with a small shrug, <b>"Honestly, I'm not sure right now. I think that I will keep heading north for now. It feels right, but something tells me that we shall run into each other again... one way or another!"</b>

Knight of Honor

You can archive if you want! <3

A sweet smile grew across Jessie’s face at the words he had spoken. It was indeed in their best interest if they did see each other again. . .it would be for the best. Friends always stuck together no matter where they were. So that was why with one last smile and a lick to his cheek she said, “I should be on my way then. Until next time, Sloane.” With a small wink at him she trotted away her tail wagging slightly behind her.

She had a new friend and a great path written out for her, and to say she was excited was a complete understatement. She wouldn’t stay still, and that was why, once again, her paws brought her along the paw steps of fate once again. She couldn’t have been in any better mood at the moment if anyone else was with her. . .well maybe one other wolf could have changed the way her mood went, he had always been able to. . .but she knew she had to shake him off. It was time to let him go. . .both of them had agreed to that Now she had to be on her way to find her sister, once again.

Sloane gave a small nod at her words. Yes, it was time for both of them to be on their way. She had her sister to find and he... well, he had not idea but he knew that it was time to be off again. He watched her retreating form with a hint of sadness. He had greatly enjoyed his time with her and truly hoped to see her again, hopefully in the company of her missing sister. At least he could file away another friend in his travels. They were slowly adding up and even though the encounters had been all too brief, he was glad to have met each and every one of them.

With one last look, he took a deep breath and headed off for the next leg of his adventure, northward as he had told Jessie. Briefly, he wondered who or what he would run into next in this melting pot that he was fast becoming a part of, but shrugged his shoulders. All would be revealed in good time he thought with a broad smile, looking forward to the unknown.

Knight of Honor