Hush Meadow Tainted Dawn

The early light of dawn appeared over the treetops, covering the meadow in a vail of yellow and lime-green. The tall grass gently swayed in the breeze, dewdrops touching their tips. Birds began to sing their morning songs, enveloping the area in a chorus. All of the small critters of day began to wake, and the area became active once more.

Somewhere nearby, beneath a tall tree, rested a wolf. The light shone off of her frosty white pelt, her eyes closed in a peaceful slumber. Finally she began to arouse from her dreams, opening her eyes to reveal icy blue. Gaze traveling to the sky, a smile graced her lips at the beauty of the morning. Inhaling the air, she slowly got to her paws and stretched, ruffling her fur. Her jaws opened in a wide yawn, curling her tounge to the roof of her mouth. Slowly standing straight, she blinked and stared thoughtfully at the meadow looming before her.

<i>Where should I go... should I continue traveling? Or should I give these paws a rest?</i> Dove thought, glancing to her paws. They were very sore from the past few days, since she had been traveling for awhile. Her smile turned to a frown, all of her thoughts and memories returning. Sleep always did this to her; Fooled her into thinking the day was wonderful, when the day before was clearly bad. She had been on the run for many moons now, trying to find a place in the world, yet she had not gotten very far.

Suddenly her heart ached, and she felt her body becoming numb. All of the past seemed to loom up on her at the most unexpected times, sending only one message to her: <u>Run.</u> With a small whimper of frustration, she darted off through the long grass, all pleasure of the morning gone. Her paws were sore and some blood matted the white fur around them, but that would not stop her from moving to whoknowswhere. Her senses were again alert for any movement, sound or scent, as she wound her way towards the other end of the meadow.

Jin hurried through the thick <span class='word'>boscage</span>, his pelt getting plucked and tangled by branches if bushes and low-growing flora. The scent of another wolf was in the air, as was blood. Despite his misgivings about being shy around new wolves, he couldn't help but feel bad for the fae, and wanted ti find him or her as soon as possible. He wanted to see if he could help. As he neared the edge of the meadow, his nose searched the air for the scent, and he found it. It was faint, and growin fainter. <i>It must be on the move,</i> Jin thought.

In a flash of black, he was racing after the other wolf, his strong paws gracefully bounding across the ground. Tall grass tickled his nose and threatened to make him sneeze, but he held his head high to scan the area. Not so lon after, his vivid orange eyes rested on a blurry white shape moving swiftly through the flora. <i>That has to be it!</i> He thought. Suddenly he wondered what he would do when he caught up to the stranger, but he figured he could always think of it when he got there. Instead of stopping to ponder, he continued on his way, pushing his legs harder and harder so he could catch up. His tounge was lolling right out of his mouth; He hadn't run so hard in his life!

I have two rules.
Rule One: I'm Never Wrong.

Rule Two: If I'm Wrong.... Go Back To The First Rule.

(*starts singing* Run wolf warrior, through ends eternal~ Oops. Sorreh!)

Suddenly the wind brought the scent of another wolf, and fear began to course through Dove's veins. She fumbled uselessly with her paws to try and run faster, faster than the wind. Her pelt was a streak at this point to any watchers, and as she slightly turned her head back, she noticed the wolf following her. He was broad yet skinny, and he had a slick-looking black pelt. Her icy blue gaze locked on his orange for a moment or so, before she had to break away. It was no doubt a male, judging by the size; And Dove had no trouble believing he was possibly threatening.

As she tried running faster through the grass, a tall lock tickled her nose and she sneezed, momentarily causing her to close her eyes and run blindly. One moment was all it took. Her front paws tripped over a root or branch of somesort, and her rear end went over her front end, causing her to start rolling. Her trip ended with a 'thus' as her back hit the dusty ground, pebbles and bits of dust and other sediment spraying out from under her. White pelt now tanish, she struggled to get a foothold, trying to pull herself up before the male appeared.

As Jin neared the strange female, he noticed her trying to run faster. She was obviously afraid of something; Was it him? But why? If he was chasing her down, that didn't neccessarily mean he was going to attack her or anything. Even so, from her point of view it would seem like a threat, he had to admit. Finally he was gaining some ground, when he saw her close her eyes for a nanosecond-- and trip.

She fell over and over, rolling a good few feet before thudding to a hault in some dust and dirt. He noticed her trying to quickly stand, and noticed the flash of fear in her eyes. As she fumbled around uselessly with her paws, Jin noticed a <span class='word'>copse</span> not too far off, and wondered if they could speak privately there instead of out in the open. Quickly he advanced, sitting beside the struggling fae. He didn't yet make a move to help her, seeing as she'd probobly freak out when touched.

I have two rules.
Rule One: I'm Never Wrong.

Rule Two: If I'm Wrong.... Go Back To The First Rule.

As she was finally beginning to stand, the other fae appeared and looked almost as if he was examining her, noticing every single one of her movements. It scared her horribly, and her fur bristled with slight shock. His calm gaze rested on her fear-filled eyes, and immidiatly they both looked away, as though stung by a needle. She kept fumbling around uselessly, not even actually paying attention to her slippery surroundings.

In an instant she also saw him look towards the <span class='word'>copse</span> nearby, and a fearful thought crossed her mind. Did he plan to drag her sorry carcass in there when he was done with her? Too terrible for her to imagine! Her whole body began to shake, and as she finally stood she found the male was now sitting beside her. With a loud yelp, she stumbled to the side and once again, lost her footing. Her muzzle struck the ground hard and she whimpered, ears going flat against her head as tears brimmed in her eyes.

Jin's body jerked when he heard a second 'thud', then realized the other fae had scrambled to her paws then fell back again. If he wasn't so nervous, he'd actually help her, but he was so reluctant to do so. What if he seemed to be threatening her? That was the last thing he wanted, but letting her sit there in the dust was worse he decided. Standing again, his tail was low to say he wasn't a threat, but as he tried making eye contact he noticed something else; She was crying. Her icy blue eyes were brimming with tears, which was the last thing he'd expected to see. Did she feel vulnerable there, laying on the ground so defenslessly? Jin couldn't bare to see her this way.

Quickly and without thinking, he stooped down and licked her tears away before gently tugging at her scruff, trying to help her stand up. His ears were lain back, and his tail was slightly curled between his legs as he pulled, not wanting to seem mean or forceful in any way. Orange eyes flashing with concern, he pulled away when he thought she could stand and backed up a few pawsteps to give her space. If she chose to flee, so be it. He wouldn't want to startle her any more than he had.

I have two rules.
Rule One: I'm Never Wrong.

Rule Two: If I'm Wrong.... Go Back To The First Rule.

Gasping in surprise, Dove felt the tugging on her scruff and realized the other fae was attempting to pull her up. She nevously casted a glance to the side and saw his posture, realizing that he only wanted to help her stand. She could see it in his eyes. This wolf did not seem <span class='word'>felonious</span>, therefore any fears Dove had left seemed to be dissappearing. As he pulled, Dove finally grabbed a firm footing with her paws and once he let go, she found her balance and was once again steady on all fours. The stranger pulled away and sat to the side, confusing her. After all, he had been chasing her, why all of the sudden was he allowing her to run?

Tilting her head in confusion, she shyly glanced up and met his gaze, trying to find an answer in them. All she saw were deep pools of gold, nearly capturing her gaze, though she immidiatly broke the chain; Gazing into anothers' eyes frightened her. As they sat in silence, her front paws shuffled nervously, and she weakly wagged her tail. Racking her brains for something to say, she managed to murmur, <b>"H-Hello..."</b> Her sentence was cut short. She hadn't spoken with anyone for a long time, and quite frankly, she was terrible at meeting someone new at the moment. In her mind, she was banging her head against a tree, thinking, <i>stupid... stupid.... so stupid...</i>

Jin slightly smiled when she had gazed into his eyes. He wanted to seem friendly and reassuring, not mean and villainous. When she looked away again his gaze softened, as she seemed to finally be calming down. Upon seeing her tail wag, his began to twitch side to side as well, before fulling wagging like a playful pup. He was glad she was warming up to him, and not fleeing instead. If she fled, he may lose his first chance at a friendship, thinking the fae could make for a great friend.

He took in her weak greeting, letting it settle in the back of his mind. She'd finally spoken, and though she was timid about it, it wasn't a <i>leave me alone, scary wolf,</i> tone, it was just shy. When he saw her expression slightly faulter, he assumed she was aggravated with how she'd lamely greeted him, only adding to his amusement. Giving a toothy grin, he responded, <b>"Hello! You new around here? It's nice out today, isn't it? Name's Jin! How about you?"</b> In a rush to get aquainted, he found himself spilling out questions in an excited tone. He paused and tilted his head, ears going back with embarassment. <b>"Sorry,"</b> He added with a huff and a slow glance upwards.

I have two rules.
Rule One: I'm Never Wrong.

Rule Two: If I'm Wrong.... Go Back To The First Rule.

Dove's ears perked and her head slightly tilted as the wolf began to ask her questions so rapidly. Her mind spun with the effort to keep up with his excited tone. When he finished and looked embarassed, she couldn't help but giggle then smile and cease trembling a bit. The questions remained in her mind, and she soon thought of an answer. <b>"Hello Jin.... um, my name's Dove. I-I am new here, and yes, the weather is quite nice.''</b> She murmured in response. Wondering if he could hear her answer, she sat up straight and met his gaze again.

His eyes were pure orange, shocking her yet again. Not once had she seen a wolf with such vivid eyes. And his pelt was as black as night, and he was a good deal larger and stronger it appeared, but he did not scare her. He was friendly, and that's what mattered. Dove's tail began to sway back and fourth gently across the ground, joy becoming her main emotion instead of fear. Her fur now lie flat on her neck and back, a smile still gracing her lips.