Blackberry Fields blue skies & green grasses

Cessair picked off a final blackberry, chewed it thoughtfully, then swallowed it. She licked any remaining juice off her lips, taking her time as she listened to Ice. The pale wolf confused her a little, being menacing when they first met, then playful, and now dead serious. Then again, they had wandered to a very serious topic, and if Ice was going to invite her to possibly join his pack, it was important to get these serious questions taken care of. When Ice was finished, Cessair looked past him unseeing while she thought over how she would respond.

Her answer would define whether or not she would be fit join Swift River. Fighting was definitely something Cessair would avoid for as long as reasonably possible, but it was still a grey area. Cessair was never faced with the responsibility of fighting for a pack, and she had never previously asked herself whether she could handle it. Obviously she would never fight any wolf, packmate or not, over trivial reasons, but if she was fighting for a packmate, could she do it? Her mind drifted back to the dangerous area of her memory that included the day her mother was murdered. She and Rowan were forced to strike out on their own as very young pups in a very dangerous world. If someone strong enough to fight had been present to defend them, Cessair might have had a better puppy-hood. It was too much to imagine what her mother would have felt if it were her pups and not herself that were killed. Yes, Cessair would defend the pups if necessary.

A similar train of thought led to the conclusion that she would also fight for her pack in general, although she knew she would have to endure training first, as fighting was not a skill in which she was well-versed. Only one thing remained that prevented Cessair from responding to Ice; she was still unsure about joining a pack. Her visions still caused her grief, and she wanted the luxury of options. Perhaps she would go talk again to the wolf she met to the east -- Nina -- and see if she could help cure her of her flashbacks. Maybe she would join Nina's pack. Finally, Cessair focused again on the present and opened her mouth to give Ice her answer.

But what was that? When Cessair's eyes focused, they were still resting where she left them, somewhere past Ice, and she noticed something out of place. She continued to stare at it, trying to discern just what it was, while she distractedly spoke. <b>"Yes, I will fight for my pack. Maybe I would still have the little pack I was born in if someone was there to fight for us. I don't want to see that happen again."</b> Cessair glanced into Ice's eyes, her own reflecting a confused expression with only a glint giving away her deep thoughts from a moment ago, before walking slowly toward the strange sight she had spotted. She came upon it to realize that it was deer tracks leading deeper into the blackberry field. Hadn't she just said she couldn't survive on blackberries alone? Her stomach, which she thought had been subdued by the juicy berries, suddenly burst to life with an intense vigor. After sniffing the tracks, Cessair realized they were fresh enough that the deer might still be around somewhere. She looked over to Ice, excitement now in her eyes. <b>"Deer tracks!"</b>

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. He didn't know if her period of contemplation was a good thing or a bad thing. She didn't seem hesitant - which was good - but on the other paw, to him it wasn't a hard question to answer. It was just to say "Yes" and be happy, right? But she took her time, and he guessed it might be because she wasn't a natural fighter. Perhaps she had to think about it. But hopefully, if she ever had to defend pups, she'd not stop to think about it then - just do it. Behind him his tail swayed, and he found himself with nothing to do except study her small, furry body, and the interesting pattern of tan and gray making up her fur. Her gold eyes were properly spaced out, but he let her be. It didn't take long anyway, though she was still staring at something behind him. For a moment he frowned and turned his head, too, but he obviously looked in the wrong place and turned back to her with a shrug as she delivered her response. His first reaction was joy, but then he realized exactly what she'd said. In surprise he blinked, and opened his mouth as if to speak before closing it again. She began to walk to whatever it was he'd seen and he trailed after her. She'd lost her pack? Because no one had defended it? That sucks. "I- I'm sorry about your pack. Should you decide your wandering days are over, you could always come home with me - or if you want to wander a little more, you could come by later.. if you feel ready, and that Swift River is right for you." And then she'd found what she sought, and Ice stopped too, and was just about to stare with mild disinterest at their surroundings when Cessair began to sniff the ground. Something in Ice kicked into attentiveness and he leaned down, too, pale muzzle brushing across the newly churned ground. Deer, he thought, just as she exclaimed it was. And she looked at him, something fierce and excited in her gaze, and he felt the deep anticipation of a hunt seep into his bones. There was something feral - something predatory - in the smile he offered her, jaws open, a spark in his pale eyes. "Aye," he agreed, staring at the pattern for a moment to discern which way the deer had gone. "Maybe we should fill out that berrybelly of yours with some meat." He rolled into motion again, walking with long, easy strides after the deer, making himself familiar with its scent. Ice wasn't the best hunter around, but his instincts were sound and he was strong enough to bring prey down - but not always fast enough. He'd have to trust Cessair to slow it down so he could keep pace - in fact, it was her deer tracks, so he'd not mind letting her "lead" their little hunt at all. He raised his head to look at her, giving her a nod - waiting for her to step up to it, and set the pace of their tracking. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Anticipation of digging her teeth into the warm flesh of a deer caused Cessair's mouth to water. She couldn't even remember the last time she had eaten fresh deer, as larger game was practically impossible for a wolf of her size to take down alone. Once, she had found a stale deer carcass that smelled vaguely of bear, and after shooing off the scavenging birds, she managed to glean a few remaining scraps of meat off the skeleton. It would be good to take a break from the small game and berries, and to finally eat like a wolf instead of a fox. <i>That is,</i> Cessair thought as she brought herself back into reality, <i>if we do manage to take down this deer in the first place.</i>

Cessair had been watching Ice, intending to copy him or follow his orders to learn how to hunt deer. When the more experienced wolf turned and nodded at her, though, Cessair understood that Ice wanted her to lead, and a feeling of impending disaster settled over her. <b>"Umm... I've never really hunted deer before..."</b> Her voice was quiet, but it still managed to trail away at the end of the sentence. Still, what better way to learn how to hunt than to just try to see what works -- surely she was born with some sort of instincts, after all? If her mistakes led to the failure of the hunt, then at least she'll have learned what <i>not</i> to do. Besides, Ice was there to help.

With a quick nod to Ice, the gears started turning and Cessair set off in a quiet trot. Her nose traveled an inch or two off the ground as she tried to analyze what she could about the scent. She was more speculating than anything, but she deduced that it must be a doe that wasn't in peak condition -- maybe weak, but not exactly diseased. Mottled brown ears swiveled back and forth, scanning for any sounds. Her own footfalls, those of Ice behind her, and any sound that could indicate the location of her quarry were what she was listening for as she searched. A breeze rustled the grass and delivered the foul odor of rotting blackberries, bringing to Cessair's attention to the matter of wind direction. She paused to feel the breeze, then set off again in a slightly different direction as the she and Ice drew nearer to the deer, making sure that the scent of the deer was blowing to her and not vice versa.

A few more steps, and the scent was so strong that Cessair wondered she hadn't spotted the deer yet. She stopped and crouched low, peering between tall blades of grass. There it was. The creature was facing mostly away with its head to the ground. As Cessair contemplated the next move, the doe looked up and scanned for danger. Uncertain, Cessair looked behind her to see where Ice was and what he wanted to do.

(This post was last modified: Aug 31, 2012, 11:41 PM by Cessair.)

So sorry for the wait! :/

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. The admission was somewhat of a surprise - being raised in a pack himself, Ice was sort of under the impression that everyone had, at one point or another, hunted deer. Apparently this was not the case, and coupled with her earlier words of fighting and disaster... Maybe they'd been too busy to hunt deer. Or too few. Too inexperienced. "I'm sure you won't bollix it up," he said lamely. It was a pretty awful as far as comforting went. Deer hunting could be tricky - if you found the wrong one, they were fast and agile, or even aggressive. Males, mostly, could be aggressive, and coupled with their sharp antlers... He fought down a wince. You also had to be lucky in the first few seconds of the chase. If the target you'd picked was a sprinter... They could be very fast. Ice was a wolf that really couldn't catch up with a running deer, unless it was injured or lame for some reason or another; he needed to come in from an angle when it was already driven in some direction. He needed someone to herd it towards him, or to be the one who sent it running in the first place - if the other, or others, with him was fast enough to catch it. Ah, well. This would certainly be interesting... Cessair set off and Ice was quick to follow, tail comfortably still behind him. Hunting, like berry eating, was serious business. He mimicked her stance of nose over ground, trailing after, but smelling mostly the fresh imprints of her paws. There was an underlying scent of deer though, and as she altered her path slightly, he stopped for a moment and sampled the winds. It was blowing their way. Good. Then he followed again, slightly further behind, until she stopped again. Ice, being tall, hunched over and slid across the ground in a sort of crouch-walk. He'd seen the deer, too, and preferred to hide in the grass like a rock instead of stand up like a beacon of danger. His hunting partner looked to him again, and Ice crept closer to her. If she'd never done this before, of course she'd be uncertain. However, he had no desire to give their position away with the yips and growls of their speech, so brushed up as close to her as he possibly could without flattening her to the ground, his hushed voice barely more than exhalation. "Hinder it by going for legs and belly," he said, before thinking back on Jessie and her failed attempt at killing that deer. "When killing, go for the throat." You had no luck breaking the neck of a prey this large; choking and cutting the jugular was the only option for a wolf. With a nod and a half-smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling, he wished her a silent good luck and distanced himself again. Using the wind direction and the tall grasses as much as he could, he waited until the deer seemed to decide it hadn't seen either of them before sliding off. They'd had more luck trying to catch it if they didn't come from the same place. Anticipation set his blood on fire, adrenaline pumping out with each beat of his heart, sharpening his senses. The thrill of the hunt. Without adrenal reflexes, you could easily get kicked to death when hunting larger stuff (like moose; does were, in that sense, mostly harmless). As silently as he could he settled as close to the doe's head he could, spacing out his and Cessair's positions. He didn't want it smelling him, but if Cessair startled it from behind, he'd have more luck getting it from here, if it went in the direction its head was currently pointing. If it went the other way... well, then they had no luck at all. Kneading the soft ground with his blunt claws, Ice waited for the hunt to pick up speed. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

For a moment, Cessair worried the sound of her expectantly rumbling stomach would alert the deer, but thankfully it was only just loud enough to be a bother to her and no one else. Ice's advice was welcome, as she was so at a loss that she couldn't think of the first thing to do. <i>Legs and belly.</i> She repeated to herself. <i>Throat.</i> As the pale wolf stalked off to a more advantageous position, Cessair's mind scrambled for what to do next. A chase was in order, she knew at least, but she just really wanted to get closer to the doe. It would be wonderful to be able to stalk up so silently (and without giving off a scent, too) that she could come right up behind the deer and jump on its neck without a struggle. Inexperienced as the little girl was, though, she knew such a fantasy was no more than that. She would have to just run.

When she saw Ice settle in his chosen position as near as he could safely be to the doe's head, something clicked. Or, at least, Cessair hoped that something clicked. Nonetheless, it was time. She moved silently a few steps over in the hope that her altered launching point would frighten the deer right into her hunting partner, then burst forth with as much speed as she could muster. For one delightful half-moment, Cessair saw the deer freeze in confusion, but it quickly -- <i>very</i> quickly -- gathered its footing and took off. The hunt was simply thrilling. Built for speed, the little brown wolf shot after her intended quarry almost as quickly as she'd seen a hawk dive for its prey.

The doe, in it's surprise, hadn't started off directly for Ice as Cessair had hoped. Instead, it veered over left a little before locking into an initially straight path. Cessair had confidence that Ice would be able to compensate, as it wasn't too extreme a change in direction. With all her senses on full alert, Cessair let her mind engage itself fully in the joy of the chase. Her muscles screamed in protest of the welcome exertion. Distractions faded into a mottled green backdrop. All Cessair could perceive beyond her own heavy panting and the expected sound of Ice's footfalls was the fleeing doe and its utter terror. Pushing herself just a little more, the swift girl pulled up even with the deer's flanks and bared her teeth. She fancied she could taste the warm meat already as she dove for the brown-coated flesh. The resulting mouthful of short fur was encouraging, but what mattered more was whether she had caused it enough injury to slow it down. If Ice could get to its throat, she was sure the doe would be theirs.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. The calm, steady rhythm of his chest, of his heart, lent him patience as he waited. Grass waved gently in the wind, ruffling the doe's brown fur, and Ice's silver eyes didn't leave her for a moment. The sound of paws hitting ground, hard, fast, a frozen terror locking their prey in place for less than a heartbeat - before he had consciously registered the details he was running, moving, hammering the ground. Blunt claws made dents in the earth, giving him traction as he pushed off. He didn't even think about how it had veered slightly left, all he saw was its movements, and once it realized that he was another hungry wolf intending to kill it, it veered even more left. Concentration held Ice's face a neutral mask, tail streamlined, twitches running around his lips. Cessair was apace it now, wind running along their bodies, smelling of deer. It spurred him on where otherwise he might've dropped off, and the slightest stumble in its pace marked a landed hit from his inexperienced companion. Maybe they had a chance after all. Panting, the large River male stretched out in each step, propelling his bulk into a nearly unstoppable force, momentum easing the strain of forcing himself into such a speed. Long legs ate up the ground, and as he miraculously drew past its haunches he kept clear, not wanting to get a hoof in the face and break his jaw. Once past the immediate kick danger zone he swerved in though, jaws open wide as he tried to catch any part of as he could. He wouldn't be able to keep up this pace for too long, it was now or never, though he nearly had his head ripped off with the frantic motion of her running when he found purchase on her elbow. Mercilessly, Ice clung to the doe, biting down as hard as he could and allowing his natural heaviness to slow their motions. They were still running, but with a wolf clinging to her, slowly mauling a vital joint, she had a hard time keeping the pace. A burst from the doe ripped her mangled elbow from his mouth, and with a snarl he nipped her flank when she tore past him, a flap of skin tearing off. A stray hoof clipped the top of his shoulders, and with a strangled curse Ice gave her more space; she'd upped her pace again, though with her wounded front leg he hoped Cessair would manage to trip her up or something - anything, so he could catch up again. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

The sheer joy of running as fast as she could provided enough motivation for Cessair to ignore her tiring muscles. She maintained her position just behind the deer, but far enough to the side that she wouldn't get kicked, as she watched Ice's approach. With his powerful muscles visibly straining, he made a dive for the doe and clamped onto her front leg. A momentary thread of expectant pleasure wound its way into Cessair's mind before it was buried again under her concentration. As the doe suddenly slowed under the weight of the massive pale wolf, Cessair kept her pace and allowed herself to come up even with, and then surpass her prey.

Now that she was ahead of the deer, Cessair didn't much know what to do. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the words "legs and belly; throat" continued to circulate. There wasn't much time before any window of opportunity to attack would close, so she made a frantic decision to turn and leap for deer's throat. As she dug her paws into the soil to initiate the move, Cessair heard an exclamation from Ice and realized immediately that he must have lost his grip; the doe would upon her in a moment. Her sudden change in direction caused Cessair to trip, as her momentum continued in the original direction. A new wave of adrenalin consumed her. If she didn't move quick, the deer would trample over her. She scrambled for footing, and just saw that the deer was only a heartbeat away.

Opening her eyes again a moment later, as she had braced herself for the impact, Cessair saw the deer swerve out of the way. It must have seen her at the last second. The new direction afforded a fair shot at the deer's throat. Cessair leapt for it, clamping her jaws as tightly as she could as soon she made contact. She missed, landing instead squarely on top of the creature's shoulder and injuring it further, as well as severely knocking it off balance. Hopefully Ice would be able catch up and assist soon -- Cessair's hold put her in the way of the deer's frantically working hooves. Constant minor blows would soon knock her off, so she did the only thing she could think to do. She wrenched her jaws to the side, tearing the deer's flesh severely. Holding on as tight as she could, Cessair thought she could feel the doe slow down.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. For a moment, he couldn't see Cessair - not that he actually was worried, but there was a whole lot of deer and he couldn't see what she was doing.. what she was planning... He knew that if the doe got away today, he'd be able to round up a pack mate and get one later. But Cessair - she was a loner. She'd not been able to hunt deer before, and certainly wouldn't be able to alone either. If it had just been for himself, Ice would've dropped off then and there, given in to the ache of his bruised shoulder and not pushed it. The deer would die later anyway, either from infection of her injuries or at the teeth of another predator. But it was for her, to give her a chance to fill her belly, that he pushed on. Growling under his breath, Ice dug claws and pads into the ground again and upped his pace, defying the heaving of his sides. The doe, startled by something, turned, heading in another direction, and he saw the scuffle of paws beneath her own before they seemed to stabilize. What was she doing? It didn't matter, though. She was clinging on, unbalancing it, bothering it, bleeding it. It was enough for him. It had cut off his angle of chase too, lessening the distance he needed to cover - making it easier for him. Besides, the doe couldn't keep living on adrenaline alone for much longer. Her pace was slowing, and he just pushed all the harder for it. Skirting out to the right to avoid another kick, he snapped at her front leg again. She couldn't hold out much longer, and the distraction of his muzzle and Cessair doing gods know what on her other side was enough to make her stumble for a moment. Merciless, calculated, Ice danced out slightly to the right, before driving in to the left. Thick chest rose into the sky, sturdy hind legs holding his weight as he crashed into the moving doe. Strong jaws closed around her throat, snapping shut on what they could find. Front paws thudded down again, and his movements carried him along with the doe's, although he hung back, held back; she nearly had to drag him, and eventually stumbled to a halt. He hoped Cessair got off, because the deer collapsed, her trachea mangled and the jugulars torn up. Life bled out of her, eyes glazing over; twitches and electrical currents made her kick feebly, but there was no life left. Blood soaked his muzzle, the taste of death in his mouth, and he let go of the downed creature, and looked up to Cessair. He might be a pack wolf, and easily able to take her down in a food fight, but it was, in a twisted way, her deer. So he'd stand down, and let her get the first pick of its body. A fine dessert to a meal of blackberries. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Cessair lost her grip on the deer's shoulder just a second before Ice knocked it over. When all four of her paws hit the earth again, she immediately moved clear of the doe, only to see it fly back into her path with the massive pale form driving it down. After swerving left to avoid any desperate kicks as the deer's life ebbed away, Cessair finally came to a halt. Her heart felt like it was pounding its way out of her chest, and the cool air she vigorously inhaled stung her throat. Staring blankly at the deer as the final wisp of life escaped its carcass, the adrenaline pulsing through Cessair's blood finally gave way to conscious reason. And the doe, at long last, was dead.

If not for the sudden wave of fatigue that drained into her muscles, Cessair would have started dancing around her prey in utter ecstasy right then. Instead, she satisfied herself with a hearty tail wag and glanced up triumphantly at Ice. This deer would probably be the largest thing Cessair had ever caught -- or <i>eaten</i> for that matter -- so in her mind it was a great triumph, and Ice would certainly already be tearing into its flesh. It was surprising, then, to see Ice clearly waiting for her. Unable to think under the lingering stress of the chase, Cessair only wagged her tail the more enthusiastically and dug into her long-awaited quarry.

Warm flesh slid down Cessair's throat, almost immediately revitalizing her. She was several bites in when she pulled herself out of her satisfied stupor to look back around at Ice. After licking what blood off her muzzle she could, she felt it necessary to thank him. After all, without him she wouldn't have such a meal, and he let her have the first pick besides. Excitement prevented words from coming fluently, but Cessair was determined to say something to her friend. <b>"That was amazing! And, and you just -- knocked her over!"</b> Cessair faltered. Those weren't the right words, so she tried again. <b>"Thank you. Thank you so much!"</b>

(This post was last modified: Oct 20, 2012, 01:18 AM by Cessair.)

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Once the haze of the hunt cleared, eyes snapping back into focus, he found Cessair standing a few feet off - unharmed, then, by the doe's last fall. Ice licked his jaws as he waited, forcing the blood along his hairs until it slid off, tan fur and all pooling on his tongue. Pale eyes blinked slowly, steadily, tail swaying at a solemn pace behind him as he waited - quietly urging her on, when finally it seemed to dawn on her that he was waiting. He chuckled quietly when she dug into the meal, sparing a second to observe her - to wonder, if she had ever tasted deer before. For one who had grown up in a functional pack, it was no strange thing to feast on a herbivore larger than a rabbit, but.. for one with her background.. and if this was the first time - what was it like? Ice was not one to think about what he ate in that manner. Food was food; meat was meat. But if you'd lived on rabbits and berries... His dark, leathery nose sniffed at the cooling skin, before he gave a wolf's shrug and sank his teeth into its bared haunch, allowing Cessair's choices to go uncontested. He was content to feed in silence, ripping into the flesh with a predator's efficiency and unconcern. After a while he realized she'd stopped, and, head still low, craned it to look at her. She was cleaning her muzzle, looking at him with eyes that seemed sparkly to him. Curious, but not sure what she wanted, he cocked his head, looking at her. Pale ears twitched, a rippling, gentle laugh spilling from his strong, bloodied jaws. His tail gave a few amused twitches and he leaned in closer to the smaller female, giving her a playful bat with one large paw. "Knocking things over is my business here in life, eh," he said lightly, winking at her. "One of the few things I'm good at." But then, after grinning like a cub, he seemed to sober, straightening up a little more. Without thinking about it he cleaned some of the gore from his muzzle. "It was my pleasure. You showed me the berries - I showed you deer, eh?" He looked at her for a moment longer, before his head slid down again, giving his spot on the deer a few casual tugs, but he didn't really feel hungry anymore. Instead, he just felt tired; he'd had a successful, satisfying hunt, the sun was warm on his back, the company good... He'd have to start on the way back home soon, but why hurry that? And so, he padded off a few steps, and lowered his back, stretching out his thick legs. A nap wouldn't be wrong at all... .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul