Iridescent Lagoon I walk this lonely road....

Shade had cornered it, Skana ordered him to finish it and he did. Lunging at the neck and gripping it hard. He felt to blood reach his throat, it tasted good. Smelled delicious to eat the deer. He pulled back after killing it. He cleaned the blood from his muzzle, "Finished it, let's eat." He barked back, proud of his first deer. After all those years of rabbits, this deer would be good for him, boost his confidence. If he were in a pack, he would be able to hunt tons of deer with his pack mates. He thought about it. He would <i>enjoy</i> a pack. But it wasn't in his blood. Who would take an old lone wolf who lives on rabbits? No, they'd think him weak. He wasn't the protagonist, he had no <span class='word'>bildungsroman</span>. He couldn't, he was at war with himself. Follow his heart and soul, follow his gut. Or he would follow his head and ancestry. His thoughts jumbled again, as always.

He waited for Skana to make the first move and take the first bite. She needed it more, she'd earned it. <i>Why did I ask to hunt with this wolf? Why is she so stubborn. She seems to have too much pride. Enough pride to kill her. So why am I helping here? Is it because it's the right thing to do?</i> His mouth watered from the deer. It smelled good and delicious. “You can eat first.” He mewed, unsure if he was to eat first or her. Did it depend on who did the most work to catch it, or was it the one who killed it who ate first?

Once the deer ceased its thrashing, Shade having crunched it's throat in his jaws, Skana stepped off of its side. She looked into the buck's eye, and pulled her lips back in a slight frown. It had been too bad that the young creature had it's life extinguished so soon. Normally, the woman would pass over younger animals, preferring to go for those too old or sick to have much life left in them anyways. The adolescent animal would have had the possibility of many years ahead of it, had the two old wolves not ended it so soon. It was a pity, though while Skana didn't have many years of her own left, she wouldn't forsake her starving body for the sake of a young deer. She dipped her head in a moment of respect for the slain animal, but she would not feel sorry for it. She had to live.

Shade urged Skana to eat first, and already her jaw was parted and teeth ready to sink into the warm meat. She hesitated though, glancing to the side at the male. She had always eaten first, or if not first, just after Kawak. Her pack would not dare to cross that ritual, lest they face Skana's anger. She normally wouldn't think twice about immediately sinking her teeth into meal she had helped catch, but the presence of the lone wolf made her falter. He was not of her pack, and she wasn't even an alphess anymore. As much as she hated to admit it, she held absolutely no standing over him. He had landed the first strike on the deer, and his jaws had claimed its life. He was the one who deserved to eat first. Shoving back the white-hot burn of long ingrained instincts, she stepped away from the carcass. <b>"You eat first, you're the one who killed it. You've earned it."</b>

This fae was stubborn, she refused to eat first. She needed the food more and helped just as much as he did. If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't have killed the deer. "We'll both eat at the same time, we both worked just as hard to catch this buck, we'll." He declared his eyes showing that he refused to argue. He waited for her to step forward when a flashback of his past popped into his mind, his history:

Shade was born in a small litter, 2 pups. Him and his sister Shadowstorm. They lived together with their parents for a few months but then, a small group of lone wolves attacked the den. They killed his parents, but spared his life and his sisters. Luckily, he learned how to hunt already from his father, and he had taught his sister all he knew. He started out, knowing his sister was alive, togo looking for Shadowstorm, who had ran away from the scene thinking he was dead as well. He is a firm believer that pack members are weak. But that belief is deteriorating in him. He is starting to contradict himself and that is when he decides to make a move he;s never done before. It's 'weakening him' he thinks because he is sick of a lonely life. He wants a pack now, but he keeps his thoughts in check as he continues forward, hoping for a strong will power to hold him off until he finds Shadowstorm, his sister.
Before he came to the Relic Lore, he encountered a wolf name Ari. She started rambling on about how she wanted to be in a pck and he got mad. He attacekd and mauled her. Leaving a nice big scar on the back of the small fae. He regrets it because she was no bigger then a pup.

Skana raised an eyebrow at Shade and turned back to the deer. If that's how he wanted to do it, so be it. If he didn't want the opportunity to eat first, she wouldn't belabor the issue. Without a moment's hesitation longer, she tore into the carcass with all the ferocity of a hungry wolf. For as regally as she carried herself in movement and posture, in eating she was little more than a savage, noisy beast.

Over the loud crunching and scraping of her teeth against deer bone and the tearing of flesh she hadn't immediately noticed that her companion had fallen unexpectedly silent. Either the hunting, or her catty remark, had shut him up. It had been a relief at first, but now it was raising her suspicions. Since being betrayed, she was overly cautious and her trust was no longer as easy to earn. She didn't mind silence, but how he just quietly stood there set her on edge. She turned a wary amber eye to the man. Why wasn't he eating? Tearing off a large chunk of meat, she gulped it down and lifted her blood covered muzzle to cast a leery gaze at Shade. Was he just daydreaming? Or plotting something? Skana couldn't be too careful. <b>"You're quiet now, huh?"</b> she grumbled at him.

Shade nodded as Skana stepped forward and started eating, he stepped forward as well and sank his teeth into the leg of the deer, the savory flavor tasted good. His mouth watered for more. [i/]You're quiet now, huh?"[/i] The words stung. "Not quiet," he gulped, "But eating. I don't talk with my mouth full." He retorted.

He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of believing she'd shut him up. No, he still had pride., it was her that he should be slashing at, no, he'd regret that too. He suddenly regretted trying to help the old fart. She was just arrogant and rude. A former alpha his ass; He refused to believe it. He despised her, but still felt like he should be kind and respect her. The conflicting emotions made him sick. He hated it, sickened him even. He just continued to eat his part of the deer. Making sure he kept rambling. "You don't seem like you're in a pack now, if you don't mind me prying, what happened and why are you no longer an alpha in that pack. Why are you a lone wolf?"
(Sorry it's a short post, not a lot to reply because I've got a bit of a muse problem right now)

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>(No problem. Also, it cracks me up these two will end up in the same pack xD)</span>

Quickly Skana sated her voracious appetite, finally withdrawing herself from the kill. She had been watching Shade out of the corner of her eye, and noticed her words seemed to cause some sort of offense with him. As if out of spite, he started talking, asking probing questions of her. Her brows drew downward and her ears pulled back, annoyed yet not quite angry yet. Though he hadn't meant it as one, she took it as a slight compliment that he had recognized her as an alpha. She hadn't told him that, so she could only assume there was some strength or aura to her that still spoke of power. <b>"First, I do mind you prying."</b> Her voice was rough, quiet, the calm before the storm.

Since the deer had fallen alongside the lake, she padded the short distance to the lagoon's edge and stared into the water. She watched curls of bright red deer's blood trickle down from the carcass and swirl into the water, turning it pink. She considered Shade's question. <i>Why are you no longer an alpha in that pack? Why are you a lone wolf?</i> As much as she wanted to ignore his questions, those were the same things she had asked herself throughout the hard, lonely winter and spring following her fall as alphess. Though she wanted to blame the young woman who had challenged her, betrayed her for power, she really couldn't fault Lila. It was the very nature of a wolf pack, when the leaders faltered the stronger would take over. Though it hadn't felt <i>fair</i>, it didn't matter. Enough of Salmon River had been convinced that Skana and Kawak needed to be ousted, and that was what mattered. Skana constantly beat herself up over the "what if's". Many nights were spent sleepless, wondering if she could have done anything differently to prevent what had happened. If she could have done anything to keep her mate alive.

Skana snarled and snapped at her own scarred reflection in the water. With a splash her teeth met water. Her reflection became distorted and ripples skirted across the calm lake. Her snarls died away, and she lifted her face and let the water drip off her muzzle. She slowly turned her head to look back at Shade. Skana didn't look angry, or annoyed anymore. She just looked tired, defeated, old, like she had worked hard and earned each of her seven years. <b>"I've thought about it a lot, myself. It's a long, painful story. It doesn't matter why I am no longer an alpha."</b> In a second, the vulnerable expression disappeared, her face simply a blank, expressionless mask. She hoped she wasn't going senile. Normally she didn't lose her temper like that, nor did she let strangers see her in moments of weakness.

(I know right, can't wait for the 'reunion' xD Finish and archive?)

Shade nodded, <b>"Sorry, I haven't meant to re-awaken old memories."</b> he said with a brief nod. He saw the setting sun, night was when he commonly moved along to his next location. <b>"I guess it's time we part ways then."</b> He said with a bit of glee and a bit of sadness. Something wasn't right. She was too stubborn for her own good. Pride wasn't everything. Pride was also realizing you're too weak to not accept help. But she didn't quite see that. Only because she'd went hunting with him and helped him, did she accept deer.

<b>"Just remember one thing though about this meeting please, pride is sometimes accepting the fact you need help of others. Just remember that. I was never an alpha so I am not sure of they way packs behave. But if I were you, I would have taken the rabbit instead of being stubborn about it. It was nice to meet you Skana, good luck on you're travels."</b> He said before simply padding away. He had not manners really, but he went on his best behavior around other wolves. Although, Skana didn't seem to understand the concept.
*Shade exits*

(Gaw, another short post, sooooo sorry)

Their hunt had taken up the rest of the daylight, and Skana noticed the sun was sinking steadily below the horizon. Shade apologized with a nod, and she grudgingly shrugged. He had helped her, and it wasn't his fault she was a grouchy old hag. He mentioned that it was time for him to leave, and she agreed with a dip of her head. Just before he left though, he gave her a piece of advice. She nearly growled, she wasn't a pup who needed to be taught a lesson. But she held it back. One was never too old to learn, and he was right. Pride was no good if it had you make stupid decisions. She really should have taken the rabbit when it was offered.

<b>"Good luck to you also."</b> She said just as he turned to leave. She stood still as he disappeared into the trees, still considering his words. She had to admit that as proud and stubborn as she was, she <i>did</i> need help. She needed to find a pack. Having a goal in mind, she set off into the night.