Drooping Willows A few more miles...

Jessie seemed perfectly happy with keeping it casual and he was grateful once more. She said that she hadn't followed her sister directly, rather months down the line. When she mentioned the name, Cali Swiftpaw, it rang no bells. She shook his cream and russet head, <b>"Sorry, but I haven't run across her, as of yet. As I said before, I haven't been here long though. I'm sure that you will find her soon!"</b> He hoped that this little fae would not have to wait long to be reunited with her sister. It was obvious that their bond had been a strong one to lead her hundreds of miles to find her sister.

He gave her an encouraging smile. She had still been brave to set off after her all alone. He was even more pleased to have met a spirited little thing like Her. <b>"Well, if you like we can walk a while. Maybe, we'll come across some sign of her, before we have to part ways. Of course, that also depends which direction you are traveling. Right now, I'm headed north."</b> For all he knew, they were headed in completely opposite directions.

Knight of Honor

She listened to his words with patience she didn't know she possessed but it was nice none the less. She was actually talking to someone, something she didn't do quite that often. New found respect gleamed in the brown fae's eyes. She liked this male, he was respectable enough and nothing rude stood out towards her. Something that she highly appreciated. As if being a fantast she smiled at him, almost seeming to be awarded with a Golden Noble Prize. Twitching her ears she continued to listen. The two of them put together seemed to have much to say to each other, something that amused her highly.

Opening her mouth she spoke, "I have no clue in which direction I should be going in. North is a good direction as any at the moment. I would be thrilled to walk with you for awhile. Perhaps we can talk more."

She then sat there, her emerald eyes shined almost asking when he was taking the lead. She was curious as to where this wolf was going, she considered him a friend and though things we getting weird for her, she didn't mind. The only time she would be uncomfortable was if someone else was rude to her. Something that she didn't appreciate highly of. Back in her past she used to get in trouble for her sharp tongue. She had not had to use it yet in Relic Lore though, no circumstance had come to that yet, which was probably an extremely good thing.

Sloane couldn't help the smile that crossed his face when she agreed to travel with him a while, obviously enjoying his company as much as he was enjoying hers. He really did hope that they found some sign of her sister, or better yet, the very fae herself! With thoughts of finding her sister at the forefront of his mind, memories of his own birth pack crossed his mind and he wondered is any of them were still alive. It was possible, but not likely. He couldn't help a tiny sigh or regret at not knowing their fates for sure. That he had gotten revenge for his father would have to be enough.

Not wanting to dwell on his past, he looked into Jessie's bright green eyes and gave an approving nod. He was enjoying her company vastly and looked forward to more time with her. <b>"Wonderful! I would love to talk more, Jessie. Let's be on our way then. Perhaps some silly creature will offer itself up to us for a meal, along the way!"</b> His tone was light, fueled by his contented mood. He liked this little fae. She seemed sweet and her dedication to her sister was definitely a plus in his book. Family had meant everything to him. It still would, if he'd had any left.

With a beckoning motion of his head and tail gently wagging Sloane turned northward and led the way into the beautiful, yet mournful trees ahead. They almost seemed to hold secrets of joy and sadness within themselves and for a brief moment, Sloane pondered what these lovely trees might have seen in their many years. Then he mentally shook his head at his foolish thoughts and looked over his shoulder to see if Jessie was coming. He liked the idea of her being close by him.

Knight of Honor

A small smile was brought upon Jessie's face when she heard Sloane's words. Of course they were silly creatures but they were part of their life cycle. WIthout the prey they wouldn't be living in the first place anyways. With a small mental snort she padded after Sloane her eyes shining in excitment. She hadn't been in this part of the forest before, most of these things were new to her, due to her being so new to the area, nothing seemed to be good enough at the moment. With small wagging in her tail she laughed and padded next to Sloane a small smile on her face.

Perhaps she would see her sister while they were traveling or see some sign of her sister. She remembered her sister perfectly. White coat, emerald eyes, similar to hers, and quite taller than her. For her family line Jessie was quite a small wolf herself. Her mother and father were large wolves along with her sister, but somehow she had ended up being the runt in the litter. It didn't even back sense. Even her grandfather had been a big wolf, she just didn't seem to fit in with them. The thought brought a laugh upon Jessie's lips, but she didn't release it for fears of having to reveal her life to Sloane, something she was definitely not ready for.

Opening her mouth she spoke in a strong voice, "Perhaps these creatures. . .will give us a run for our meal."

(This post was last modified: Jun 14, 2012, 04:54 PM by Jessie.)

Sloane smiled at her enthusiasm which only served to fuel his own. Although Jessie seemed a tiny bit withdrawn about sharing too many details of her past, he could not fault her for he did the very same thing himself. Other than that she was wonderful company and he was glad that she had decided to travel with him for a bit.

As they traveled through the willows it seemed that the prey was mocking him for his earlier statement, for not a mouse showed the tip of it's tiny tail to chase. He hoped that their luck would change as a little time went on and his belly started to tighten for want of sustenance. He could easily go days without food, but that didn't mean that he had to do so. He kept his nose to the wind and his bright amber eyes peeled for a likely meal and it seemed that the little fae did the same.

Just when he was about to snort in frustration, the tiniest of scents wafted to him in the breeze. Deer, perhaps two or three. <i>Yes!</i> He turned to Jessie with a gleam of anticipation in his eyes. Not only was food nearby, but the kind that would give her the chase that she desired. Together they should be able to take down a smaller or weakened deer with relatively little trouble. He smiled and tipped his head in the general direction of the deer, assuming that she had caught the tantalizing scent herself by now.

Knight of Honor

Jessie’s own tailed wagged as she walked with a hop to her step. She was overly happy with the scene she was displayed with. The trees seemed to sway to the rhythm of her steps and the breeze singing to her as she walked. The thoughts brought a smile to her young face as she walked. The silence between the to of them was a comfortable one, something that brought even more joy into the young fae’s face. Soon enough the cunctation of prey was obvious in the air, and soon clear annoyance was obvious on Jessie’s face. This was a forest, where could the prey be? It was almost mid-summer and still nothing was up and about. One would at least think rabbits would be hopping around somewhere.

And just as her thoughts finished the scent of deer grazed her nostrils. Snapping her head towards the scent, clear excitement was displayed across her features. Her tail soon began to pick up its pace of wagging. Peering at Sloane hopefully she realized, he too had found the scent of deer. A plan was in need of formation but she didn’t know who would be better at it though. She knew though, that she -being the smaller one of the two- should probably be the one to chase down the animals. Grinning like the devil she looked at Sloane, waiting for him to quo what they were doing. He was in fact, older than she.

It was soon apparent that Jessie had indeed scented the prey. She had an eager and expectant look on her face. They were about the same age, but he suspected that he had been fending for himself for much longer. It seemed natural for him to take the lead and she seemed to agree as she looked to him expectantly with her beautiful emerald eyes. He was larger and stronger and she was smaller and swifter. She was the logical choice to give the initial chase to the quarry, leaving him for the main take down power. Despite his strength, he knew that they had to go after the weakest, or one or both of them would come away hurt.

<b>"Let's get closer and see what we are dealing with. If one is suitably small or weak, you will run them down and I will cut across for the kill."</b> Unsure of her experience or actions in such a situation, he thought it prudent to be clear on the acceptable prey issue. <b>"If I don't give the go-ahead, please don't give chase. With only two of us, if we bite off more than we can chew, we may get hurt."</b> He didn't want to belittle her abilities, but by now he was well aware of his own limitations and he didn't want to see her pretty little skull caved in by a well-aimed hoof.

Once he had given his brief safety speech, he turned towards the deer’s mesmerizing aroma, keeping his body and tail low to the ground. His multicolored russet pelt did well to camouflage him, but his size was more of a challenge in motion. He glanced over his shoulder to see if Jess was following suit and was close by his side. When they traveled just a bit farther, the deer were easily seen through the foliage. Two yearlings. <i>Excellent!</i> He gave her a conspiring smile and a wink. <b>”Lady’s choice!’</b> he whispered to the little fae.
{INDENT}

Knight of Honor

The male next to her seemed to want to give her the whole "Safety Speech" and with a mental eyeroll she listened, almost eager to get towards the deer. Once he was done with his speech she nodded in understanding. He didn't doubt her. . .he was making that clear but they both knew well enough that one should not take down a large animal with only two wolves. Mainly when one of them was smaller than most wolves. She didn't completely understand the whole concept of her size, all of her family was large. . .even her sister, but she remained as small as a bean. '

Soon enough the two of them were side by side. Jessie silently stuck next to Sloane, her paw steps and whole self as swift and silents as one of a panthers. Soon the two of them approached the deer. There were two of them, both of them yearlings. Sniffing the air she held the scent of illness. It seemed to be coming from the one on the left. That one she definitely didn't want. . .she had prior experience to eating from a corpse that had been ill. An upset stomach was nothing something she wanted from coming out of this.

Hearing Sloane's words beside her she nodded satisfied that she had already taken her pick. She bucked her head to the right and lifted it twice mentioning clearly she wanted to one on the right. She waited though. She would not take off. . .he had stated perfectly clear that he would be the one to give the go and she would respect that. Ears pricked and paws ready to fly towards their meal her right ear twitched, excitment soon creeping into her veins.

She had seemed slightly bored with his words of caution, but she had heeded them well. When she indicated which deer she intended to go for she waited still and he was pleased with the respect that she showed him with that one action. His eyes twinkled and he gave the small fae an affirmative nod that not only said that he understood her choice, but that she proceed with the hunt. He grinned at the obvious eagerness that radiated from the tiny fae. Yes, he liked her more and more!

As he waited for her to make her move, he kept a keen eye on the two yearlings. One seemed a bit unhealthy, the one that she had passed over. He was sure that she had sensed it the same as he had. Healthy prey was always better, given the choice. Luckily, today they had that luxury. Sloane scanned the terrain, trying to anticipate how they might put it to use in their hunt. His plan was to stay completely hidden when she made her move. Once he determined their path, he would move to intercept and ambush the deer. The surprise would up their advantage greatly and anticipation caught him now, for the thrill of the hunt and the enjoyment of a new companion.

The overly large wolf now crouched low, muscles tight as a whip and ready for action.

Knight of Honor

The girl still remained still her eyes flicking back and forth between Sloane and their prey. She was ready to bring this animal down. She was hungry. Her muscles were relaxed, but tense, ready for the sign of action so that she could spring and wear out the yearling. She knew she would have to send one spiraling in another direction and she planned on doing this with the sicker of the two. She waited for the male’s okay though watching him closely.

When she saw him crouch down ready to bolt she took that as her cue. With a small flick of her tail she took off. Her speed was on her side as she ran towards them. A snarl erupted her mouth and she snapped at the sicker ones back leg, hoping that it would take off. And then it was to her prey, the one that she would go for in the end. She pushed her legs faster so she could catch up with the yearling.

With her speed she gained her spot next to the yearling. Her own fangs nipped and patched of fur were in her own mouth. She was driving it towards where she hoped Sloane would be. She kept her pace next to the young deer though, in hopes that it would soon able to be attacked by her fiend, himself. He should be here soon. Where was he?