Drooping Willows Heed my warning

55°F/Mid-afternoon, moments after a fresh spring rain.

The willows were soaked, their drooping branches glistening with that
of rain. The sky was clearing, returning to its original robin egg blue color.
The gray clouds were slowly being whisked away by gentle breezes.
Jedd slowly paced through the forest of these sad trees, his pale eyes
flickering with a rather peculiar peace of mind. His deep gray and black
threaded pelt was lightly salted with the rains, glistening softly where
spots of sunlight reached through the canopy of the pleach underbrush.

This is was he wanted. The quiet. The birds began to emerge from hiding,
returning to their feeding areas; their social grounds. Songs rang through
the air at variable pitches, and his right ear listened to them as he lowered
his head to a minuscule puddle, lapping up the cool liquid from which the clouds
had dropped. Bringing his head back up, the creature breathed in, nose testing
the air. There were small creatures abound, continuing to feed just as the
birds were doing. With a flick of his charcoal dusted tail, he crept forth, right
ear perked and tuned into the forest of willows. He waited to see or hear
prey.

<font style='margin-left:20px;'> Follko trotted silently along the wet path. He was still bogged down in his depression and being hungry didn't help his mood. The grasses and plants were still thoroughly soaked after the sudden rain. The blackish wolfs' paws were refreshingly cool after trudging through all of the wet underbrush, and as Follko glanced at the clearing sky he wondered if any animals would be out and about enjoying the clearer weather. Ever since he left his stupid parents he's had problem after problem trying to find food, getting chased by a family group of coyotes, and falling into a damn groundhog hole. Follko had been so close to catching that stupid mammal when it dissapeared down its hole in front of him. He couldn't stop himself quick enough and the young wolf tripped on the hole doing a faceplant in the wildflowers.</font>
<i> It would be very nice if I could grab a meal out here...</i>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'> The scents that washed over his muzzle while he trotted along made his stomach growl. Follko hadn't eaten for nearly a week, and the scent of a rabbit made his jaws slaver. The wolf lowered his dark head and began scenting the area. The smell of the rabbit couldn't be found on the ground, but it still clung freshly to the slight breeze. Picking his head up; Follko quickly scanned the surrounding area. The rabbit was definately close by, but he hadn't crossed its trail yet. If he was lucky the rabbit wouldn't see him and run off to its burrow. However the more likely event that would happen to him is that the rabbit would probably see him before he finds it, AND of course he would lose his meal.</font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'><i>I am NOT losing this one.</i> His thoughts dimmed as he concentrated on searching for the rabbit. Unfortunately the wind was not coming from the direction of the other wolf which was also creeping around the meadow. Follko had no idea that he was getting closer to another adult male. </font>

“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.”
--Edgar Allan Poe  

Jedd's nose was to the ground when suddenly a brown patch of
fur dashed by. Rabbit. His head shot up, pale eyes watching the
creature as it made its way into the thick underbrush. Grunting,
the gray-black wolf shrugged to himself before spotting a male
about twenty yards away. The Hell? the wolf thought, brow
raising. The creature seemed rather busy, his nose to the ground
just as Jedd's was a moment ago. It had appeared that the wolf
did not even notice that Jedd was right there. The wolf turned
now, so he was facing the sniffing beast.

"You huntin'? his voice questioned. A small, wry smirk had
creeped upon his maw "Cause if so, your rabbit ran that-a-way."
He released a slight titter, eyes focusing on the male. He pointed his
maw lazily towards the brush in which the critter dissapeared. The wolf
was of a dark hue, with brown threads streaking through his pelt. Interesting.
Jedd's right ear strained forth, listening intently for a reply from this
unknown wolf. As the breeze happened to flow towards him, Jedd
could only smell that wolf- no others. Was he a lone wolf? He stood
his ground now, waiting to see how this brute would react.

(This post was last modified: Apr 10, 2012, 12:00 AM by Jedd.)

Follkos' ears pricked when he heard the voice. "You huntin'?"
With a quick twitch his head and body swung to face the unknown
wolf. Almost immediately Follko was surprised at how close this other
wolf had gotten to him.
How did I not notice?!? Follko watched the male silently with his head
still low to the ground. The blackish gray male in front of him had one ear
brought forward to listen for Follkos' response.
"Cause if so, your rabbit ran that-a-way." Follko glanced in the direction
that the wolf pointed to. Then he looked back and realized that the
wolf was chuckling at him.


"Who said I was hunting THAT rabbit." Follko stood up straight out of his
hunting crouch and lifted his ebony tail. He didn't want to look weak in
front of some random creeper wolf.
The wolf in front of him had an unpleasant scent to him.
The scent of many wolves which meant that he was a part of some pack.
"Sorry, I don't mean to be rude but why are you even talking to me?"
Follko didn't let the other wolf answer his previous outburst.
However since this wolf was from a pack he thought that he should
be a bit more careful. He didn't want to piss off his friends and have them
chase after him.

(This post was last modified: Apr 11, 2012, 02:30 AM by Follko.)

“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.”
--Edgar Allan Poe  

Jedd rolled his eyes lightly as the wolf seemed to reply in a manner he
did not take as kind. "Well, you were so damn busy smellin' the ground,
you woulda ran into me either way. If I were you, I'd be glad that I saw you
first." Jedd let a slight huff of air, and turned his large frame towards the
older wolf. His pale green eyes held steady on the creature, for he did not
know whether or not he would become aggravated by his comment. Gray-
black pelt ruffled as a harsh wind blew through the trees, the crisp scent
of the previous rain wafting through the air.

Jedd now brought his head up high, eyeing the creature suspiciously "If
my thoughts are correct, I'd say you're a bit of a weak hunter." Oh, he
was surely to press this wolf's buttons. He didn't care, though. Why the hell
would you be a lone wolf if you couldn't hunt? The way the wolf was sniffing
about frantically, Jedd could sense a bit of a novice in the darker toned wolf.

Follko watched the other male with bright eyes.Letting a small snarl loose from his dark maw Follko had to agree with the other wolf.
Then he twitched his left ear forward and laughed.
"Yeah so what if I'm a bad hunter? I can scare away any little
wolves from their meals." He sat down and pawed at the moist ground.
The smell of rain permeated the air and that scent always
reminded him of home. His parents
pack lived farther south in a wetter climate than Wildwood.


With a smile and a nod Follko acknowleged the younger male.
"I'm an older wolf with no new tricks." He growled softly
while still watching Jedd.
"But that doesn't mean that you know everything about me either.
I may even be a better warrior than a hunter..."
Follko still held his head high even though he was sitting.
He had his own dignity to keep.
The willow trees swayed on the rain scented breeze,
and birds flew swiftly gathering up twigs to bring back to their nests.

“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.”
--Edgar Allan Poe  

Jedd mumbled something inaudible to himself before looking up to
the male, right ear listening to what he had to say. The brute had his
head raised high, obviously unfazed by what Jedd had to say. The
gray-black male bit his tongue before letting a small grin slip across his
devilish face. He padded towards this unknown wolf, his tail held at
normal level, signifying no dominance nor submission. "Hmm. I guess
you're right. You could be a good fighter...how would I know?" His
cowboy sort of drawl gave his words attitude- just the kind of wolf he
was.

He lifted his head up, nose sniffing the air. There was game all around.
His stomach growled lightly, and he growled back softly to himself in annoy-
ance. Well, at least this wolf was smart enough to come to an area that
appeared to be plentiful with small mammals. He sneered, walking a half
wide circle around Follko. "You seem new here." he changed the
subject within the bat of an eye "I ain't been here too long myself."
He admitted this to the wolf, but no harm no foul, right?

(This post was last modified: Apr 12, 2012, 12:46 AM by Jedd.)

Follko was now pleased that the other wolf was finally speaking
in a slightly more normal tone. Though he didn't care for his strutting so much.
At least he had somebody to talk to. No matter how bad the attitude.
"Yeah I'm new." Follkos' brownish black muzzle twitched into a grin.
"I've only been here for a short time and I can already tell
that it's just as boring here as in my old home..." The older wolf trailed off and
flattened his fur. He had been tense the whole time while meeting
this stranger so his fur had been standing on end. Now he could relax a bit,
even if he was forcing himself to do so.

Bringing himself to a standing position with his head still held high and his tail held at a more normal position the dark brownish wolf
eyed Jedd cautiously while he sniffed the air.
"Hungry too?" he chuckled then looked around towards the place
where the stranger had said to have seen the rabbit run off.
He joined the male and scented the breeze passing quickly over the
flowers and grasses. Of course NOW he could scent which
direction the rabbit had gone. If only he'd scented it before and
not made a fool of himself.

“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.”
--Edgar Allan Poe  

Jedd could not help but to snicker at the wolf calling these lands
boring. His eyes lit up, teal-green irises with a more friendly appeal
now. 'Well, this wolf wasn't that bad' he thought, head nodding
in approval at his own inner voice. The smile stayed glued upon his
muzzle as Follko noticed him sniffing the air. "How'd ya guess?"
the wolf said with a friendly, short nod of his head. "Haven't eaten
in a bit. You look like you could use a deer!" his voice rose in what
seemed to be a hoot of amusement.

His eyes lingered around the willows, looking for prey. Rabbit. Squirrel.
Mouse. Vole. He did not care. He was hungry. He slunk past Follko, his
body now lowering as he did so. Large paws stepped cautiously, barely
making a sound. His right ear worked itself, twisting back and forth, like
a satellite as he listened the the sounds around him. He was not sure what
this other wolf was to do, but he knew one thing: he was going to get
food.

Follko was immediately surprised by how fast the
male switched his demeaner from cautious to friendly.
maybe we were just too scared of each other Follko snorted
happily and shook his brown black mane. He growled in approval
and then felt the hunger gnaw at his stomach.


"Haven't eaten in a bit. You look like you could use a deer!"
Follko couldn't help but to flick his tail twice and agree with him. The last time
he had a deer was after his second birthday. Yes it was a carcass
from a pair of coyotes but at least it was semi fresh.
"I guess a fresh deer would be nice to eat." Follko looked at
his somewhat thin frame. Living alone for so long and eating
tiny meals had robbed him of his size. Though he was still muscular
enough to be of use in a hunt.


Yeah food would be nice but why do I have to follow him? Follko
watched Jedd slink by and fought with the idea of working together
for a good meal or trying to hunt on his own. Then with
a soft snarl he decided to follow the younger wolf.
but I should be leading... The blackish brown wolf wrinkled
his nose slightly but continued following the blackish gray male.
Follko watched Jedd with curious orange eyes while he looked for a meal.
"Hmm...Maybe we will get a good meal out of this." Follko spoke softly
so that he wouldn't disturb his stranger bud nor any prey items nearby.

“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.”
--Edgar Allan Poe