The Wildwood just another midnight run

<blockquote>This certainly was something, wasn't it? Such lush greenness, something that - for some reason - just wasn't all that common in her old territory, even during the summer. It was a pleasant day, but the guttural growling in her stomach distracted her from enjoying herself and the nice weather. She grimaced, lips curling backwards to reveal pale fangs that gleamed in the light. Turning her attention to the undergrowth, head bowed and senses alert, Indigo inhaled. The scent of prey excited her more so than it ever had done when she was part of a pack, because it had been days since she had last eaten and it had gotten to the point where she would eat grass if she had to. Ducking down, the small cynical voice in the back of her head chuckled dryly at her. <i>"You wouldn't of been this hungry if you'd stayed put."</i> She paused and huffed, rolling her eyes at the rather logical voice of reason. But thinking about it, if she had never gone, she would never have experienced what it was like to be a loner.

Sure, it was hard, but she had a lot more respect for the ones who she used to drive away from her old pack's boundaries if she ever saw them.

The female felt no remorse in doing that though, why should she? Although it was not necessarily a hunter's job to patrol the pack lands and confront anyone that lurked nearby that did not belong, but everybody pitched in and she wasn't exactly just going to ignore them because it 'wasn't her job'. In her peripheral vision, something moved, and she froze. Oblivious to the predator that lurked nearby, a small - but meaty - rabbit hopped into Indigo's path, about ten stride length's away. The face of the she-wolf was concealed by the long grass, so she could see it but it could not see her. On top of that, she was downwind, which was just as well for her. Maybe she was not destined to starve to death? That's a comforting thought. A eerie silence lasted, but only for a second, as it did not take long for Indigo to focus in on the poor fluffy bastard and launch herself at it, upon the rabbit within seconds and seizing it by the back of the neck. It did not struggle for long, and soon fell limp in her jaws. Indigo growled, a sound prompted both by relief and triumph. Now she had her prize, she could enjoy it. Fangs cut into flesh easily, and the protests of her digestive system had been quelled for now. All was well, or as well as it could be for her at this moment. She was not exactly happy as a loner, but her current lifestyle didn't get her down. In fact, she rather enjoyed the independence, although she knew full well that she would not stay this way forever.

The female was not questioning herself, she simply... felt more at ease surrounded by others. Even strangers, as the case would be when she eventually joined one of the packs that no doubt populated this land. Although she would admit it to no-one, Indigo felt rather isolated, and the sooner that feeling was quelled by meeting others and making an impact, the better.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Aug 18, 2012, 03:57 PM by .Indigo..)

Gentle paws traced lines through the grassy undergrowth, her agile frame drifting gracefully between brambles and tree trunks. She moved with practiced grace, hardly leaving an imprint in the soft dirt under her ebony paws; it was easy for her, her thin frame light enough to leave an entire field of flowers undisturbed. Emerald grass, matching the exquisite color of her eyes, tickled her underbelly, lush blades twitching in the faint breeze that drifted through the labyrinth. Rays of sunshine tumbled effortlessly through the canopy, creating kaleidoscopic patterns across the musty floor - it shone across her coat, creams and browns glowing as warmly as the Goliath trunks that reached toward the endless expanse blue sky. Midday sun rained down upon the forest with uninterrupted rapture, gifting the precious wildwood a certain sense of serenity and calmness - perfection, even. It was strange how being lost, as she was, would not throw her into a state of delirious panic - no - but instead cause her to smile that heated, enigmatic grin. Luna's pace slowed, emerald gaze shifting upward toward the glittering canopy, squinting her eyes against the rolling waves of sunlight that trickled through wavering leaves. Certainly, she did not know where she was .. but the sun was always the same, despite it all. She had been following it for the past few hours, hoping that it's unfaltering direction would lead her somewhere beyond the endless realm of green and brown trees. Certainly, a forest was not the worst place to be lost .. eyes narrowed as she withdrew her gaze from the ceiling, lips pursing in mild thought as the cogs of her mind continued to turn. She did not mind the forest, but the thick trunks of the trees and their wide, umbrella-arms felt almost constraining to a girl that had spent so much of her life traversing the chilly mountainsides. The cool breeze that managed to manipulate it's way into the small pockets around her was but a tease, a faint reminder of where she had come from .. and where she wanted to go. It was then that violent cracking caught her attention, ears pressing forward as she caught a glimpse of rustling trees. The soft thunder of paws, the even softer, desperate patter of tiny feet indicated to her that someone was about to catch their lunch. And the turmoil was over as quickly as it began, the forest slowly regaining it's endless composure .. and it was if nothing at all had ever happened. If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it .. does it make a sound? Luna began to move again, fearlessly, toward where the sound had abruptly cut out. Through the trees and bushes she thought she saw a glitter of ermine fur .. if it weren't for the sudden scent of blood, she might have thought she imagined the whole thing. As she moved closer, the white and silver figure became more clear, the blood of a rabbit staining her lips as she looked down at her meal. Luna cocked her head to the side, pushing her way through some brush and nearing the female. "Nice catch," she offered, her pretty voice chiming with youthful bliss, the remnants of a little smile still present on her lips.

<blockquote>Indigo paused for a moment, savoring the taste of her meal and still shaking from the buzz of the chase. That was what she lived for, the pleasant tingling in her legs and the escalated pulse. It excited her, drove her, motivated her to become better. When she was the lead hunter of her birth pack, many respected her - including her own mother towards the end of her stay - and a few even looked up to her, some of the younger wolves seeing her as a role model. She was not wizened with age, and only had a couple of years experience under her belt, but that had not mattered to the wolves in her old territory. Here, in this place, she could completely reinvent herself if she wished to, but the she-wolf <i>liked</i> how she was before and certainly would not change. She'd made a good impression on the alpha's of her old pack, and she could do the same to any other leaders around here. There was no rush though, was there? She snorted under her breath. <i>I wonder what these packs are like...</i> Indigo supposed that was just something she would have to discover when she ventured closer to their territory and interacted with pack wolves.

The blood clung to her muzzle, and despite swathing her salmon pink tongue over her lips once, some of it still stubbornly remained on the edge of her peripheral vision. No matter. Something - or someone - made a noise nearby, and Indigo quirked a brow, not bothering to look up because it could well be another prey animal or even an uninterested wolf passing through. If they wished to attack and she had been their target, they would have made more of an effort to remain stealthy, it was as simple as that, so she felt no fear towards the one that approached her. She would have been foolish to assume that nobody would have been drawn to the scent of rabbit, and that was why she was not surprised, and twitched an ear in the direction of the stranger as they ventured closer. <b><i>"Nice catch."</i></b> The voice was most definitely feminine, light and airy, childish in a way. Indigo looked up and regarded the pretty girl for a couple of seconds with a neutral expression before offering her an amiable smile and chuckling under her breath. <b>"Thanks. Shame there wasn't anything bigger around, but I suppose I am only one wolf."</b> came the response, voice a little deeper and rougher than that of the lithe brown and cream female but still just as feminine. Even though she had been hunting and doing little else for her pack since she was young, bringing down prey like deer was not possible for one wolf, no matter how large and capable they were.

She remained guarded, but not hostile. Although this other wolf did not seem threatening, you could never be too sure, although that was no reason to be impolite. So with a smooth motion of the head, she motioned for the other female to come closer before ducking her head down and taking another bite out of the rabbit, eyes focused on the meat but ears pointed in the direction of the other. The first wolf she met in this new land... this would be interesting.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Aug 18, 2012, 06:12 PM by .Indigo..)

Istas was becoming more comfortabled being surrounded by the trees, even if they were a new entity to her. Having been born in a land where she towered over the trees and living mainly in the mountain ranges since. She'd pick the trees over the fast moving water she left behind at the border any day.

Her pale white pelt and light step adding a ghostly quality to her passage that seemed at odds with the vibrant colours which surrounded her. Still Istas pressed on, egged on really by her stomach. She had little luck catching anything in her previous area of exploration and was on the lookout for some easier game to take the edge off her hunger.

A few minutes passed as the alabaster female glided through the forest, her form just barely clearing the underbrush. Istas halted, skidding gracelessly to a stop, nose lifted skyward scenting the wind; she searched for the pull of the spilled life blood. She had caught it's scent a few strides back but was hard pressed to find it now. Retracing her path Istas snorted happily as she located it, locking on to the trail the female followed it through the trees her nose aloft.

Her ears warned her before her eyes saw the clearing ahead in the trees. The same wind that brought the scent to her nose brought voices as well. Istas' pace slowed her attention now on the wolves, what sounded like females, in the clearing. She skirted the edge of the clearing until she was across from them. A safe distance she thought to observe and evaluate.

A silver pelted wolf was dining on a freshly killed rabbit, the blood she had smelled must have come from it, as a jade eyed female spoke to her. Istas looked on slightly confused, by their body language it was clear they did not know each other, why would the older wolf let the other near her while eating.

Istas edged closer to the edge, just a single line of effervescent foliage blocked her entry, so she could gleen more information before walking into a fight.

"A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth."