No More Hiding in Shadows

His travels brought him today, onto a grassy knoll, covered with the remains of wildered flowers. A sturdy, cold breeze gliding in from the east, raddled the dry blades; a scent of rain on its tail. Winter would be coming soon, frost and snow and lack of prey, a harsh time in which to be a wolf - especially alone. So it was no wonder that the black boy's resolve to find himself a pack grew stronger every day. He needed the securities it brought, even if he was hesitant to admit so to himself, and furthermore, he longed for the company of others. He had spend too long on his own, traveling without purpose, meeting no new wolves and seeing no new sights; and it tired him. Drestig Avalon was looking for a home, it might be only a temporary one, or maybe he would be lucky enough to find a band of canines, worthy of his allegiance. Whichever the case may be, he was searching for someone to spend his winter with, and for every day, the need became more pressing. It seemed though, that today would not be his lucky one, as any trace of wolf in these grasses was faint, and no alpha markings could be found anywhere within his current range, but the brute did not claim defeat! Instead, he marched on through the tall death, content with simply making progress before the sun set, and maybe even meeting someone to share a few words with on his way; it had been so long. Word count: 259 My mind is my own <b style="color:#ff6600">”I'll say whatever I want to!”

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Luck was what had gotten the small female through her first year as a lone wolf, which was no shame to admit. Death was easy enough to come by when you are naïve to the world and distraught by the reality which lies in the hearts of those you love. Jack knew well it hadn’t been her personal skills or will to survive that had saved her. She knew this because at the time she would have done anything to not wake up in the morning. She would have given anything indeed, to suddenly cease existing, to suddenly forget the agony of emotion, but death, strangely enough, would not have her. So here she lay amidst the rolling hills of aspiring potpourri, alive, and well enough.

Thoughts of winter’s scheduled visit had Jack strategizing casually, her body tucked neatly together on a particularly low hillock. There were things she should probably do before the weather began getting too poor. For one she needed to dig a den urgently. The thought itself was enough to twist her fine features into a grimace; the ground beneath her was hard enough to make this chore especially disagreeable already. It would have to be somewhere relatively high as well, with as much rain as she had experienced on her way south she felt as though the lowlands might have cause to flood in the spring.

It was happenstance that she caught glimpse of the male before she registered his scent. Deep thoughts made for surprises, possibly bad surprises, Jack made note of this before staring suspiciously out at the stranger. He was older than she, but he certainly didn’t appear so. He was of the attractive sort, not the kind that dances wildly in front of you and announces it is God, but the kind that quietly sits in the shadows with a measure of humility and a knowing smirk. This she liked.

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Her scent came to him on the next breeze, filling his nostrils like rainwater fills a hole, or food an empty stomach. At first it made him stop up, freeze in place while he slowly studied the foreign impressions. Then he started running, first at a swift trot, but it soon changed to an all out sprint towards this new smell, which was, so unmistakably wolf! Only when his senses told him he was drawing close to the stranger, did he slow back down to a brisk walk, panting from the exertion, a broad, surprisingly honest, grin illuminating his dark face. It took some time to identify her, lying amongst the decayed weeds, her coloration only slightly darker than the plants. But soon enough, his eyes zeroed in on the bole form, flame-orange eyes stalking lacily across it, hungrily taking in every detail; It has been so long! It was a female he had found, a slender wolfess, displaying the clear signs of loneliness, in her slightly rugged fur and the hint of ribs visible along her side. The boy shortly wondered whether he looked as weathered, he made a point out of taking care of himself, specifically to avoid these weaknesses of loner life, but it had been awhile since he last ate. Then their eye finally met, and Drestig leaned back, smirking openly at the stranger, showing no sign of shame regarding his free gaze. Instead he leaned back, cracking the dry flowers under his firm hunches and addressed the dame openly, no sign of his elation entering his voice; <b style="color:#ff6600">"Well, hello there..." Word count: 265 My mind is my own <b style="color:#ff6600">”I'll say whatever I want to!”

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Jack met the stranger’s smirk with raised brows and a cocky half smile of her own. Her general assumption of this one’s exterior had been amazingly accurate in also identifying his personality. She remained where she was, reveling in this small accomplishment while staring at the dark male in a way she supposed he might appreciate. Her burnt umber eyes fluttered humbly over his body, unashamed but incapable of ceasing their travel. Confidence was something they seemed to have in common.

Taking note of that detail, Jack rose up from her place and trotted casually over to the stranger, catching a better glimpse of his fierce eyes of ember on the way. In a way it was startling to see such vivaciousness within him.

Before long she stopped before him, the same smug half-smile lining her delicate jaw.”Before we get too comfortable, I’d like to set one condition." perhaps she was simply too eager for company, but she felt certain that this male wouldn’t attempt anything brash with her, especially if they started out on the right foot. ”I bet you have a long story for explaining why you’re all alone out here. “ she paused for a moment raising her brows at him to confirm that this was correct before continuing ”I won’t tell you mine if you don’t tell me yours.” she ended flatly, there was a heaviness in her voice that dismissed any misconceptions about what she was saying. Jack honestly did not want to hear it. What use was it to her to know what unspeakable things he had done in his past? Neither did she imagine it would be any use to him to worry about what it was she herself was capable of.

. ”As long as you’re okay with that, I’ll tell you my name…” we can begin incubating this ridiculous need for companionship . ”… and you can tell me yours.” Otherwise, they could part ways.

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The ebony man was both delighted and intrigued to see the foreign dame study him with a similar look as his own, hunger and interest smoldering in the depth of her sienna orbs. His ears twitched to acknowledge her interest, and he felt a rising eagerness to speak with this woman, his curiosity only growing for every second in her presence. The stirring feelings didn't show on his exterior though, as he kept the, casually cocky, smile, only a twinkle in his glowing eyes giving off any sign of emotion; This will be very enjoyable! His eyes kept following her, with lazy pleasure, as she rose from her bed of roses, the movement of her muscles clearly visible under her skin as she came towards him. When she started talking, the dark scion waved his ears again, showing her the appropriate attention. As the fae asked of his story, he blinked to confirm her assumption, a faint sting going through his chest, of more annoyance than pain; Way too long! Drestig wasn't much for storytelling, especially tedious life stories! He preferred to focus on the present, and found no reason to dwell in the past, reaching forwards in place of looking back. So it was a relief to the black boy, when his new acquaintance expressed similar opinions in her simple request; offering a "clean slate", with significant weight in her tone. He nodded in agreement, feeling the lady's pain of her past for a second, and then pushing it aside, as per her wish. <b style="color:#ff6600"> "Very well..." he uttered, the flashing white disappearing from his dark face, as a hint of seriousness laced his tone; <b style="color:#ff6600"> "Either way, I won't go missing!" A wink broke the sternness of the statement and the smirk returned as the dark man bowed his head, proudly introducing himself: <b style="color:#ff6600"> "I am Drestig Avalon." Word count: 307 My mind is my own <b style="color:#ff6600">”I'll say whatever I want to!”

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Waiting patiently before him, the cedar hued female began to feel extreme ambivalence towards the scenario she them in. Her confident grin transformed into attentive sobriety as she weighed her thoughts. Was or wasn't there a lot riding on this moment?

From one perspective she truly cared to end her solitary life. She was weary from travel and couldn’t possibly survive the winter on her own. In addition comely male hadn’t attacked her right off the back, which was immensely appreciated, on the other end, her stubborn nature forced her to remain indifferent concerning the outcome. Inwardly, she was certain that if he rejected the offer, she could simply leave and remain unaffected. This wasn’t the first time she had come into contact with a stranger and offered this same contract, and without his verbal signature, it wouldn't be the last.

“Very well…” he said with a virile resonance in his voice that she had not been able to admire fully until now. Her ears leaned tentatively forward, as if seeking out more of Drestig’s pleasing speech of their own accord. ”Jackal Ward.” she responded lightly. Cautiously she approached Drestig more closely, tucking her head beneath his chin before licking it gently in a gesture that she hoped might facilitate some mutual respect.

Flattening her ears slightly, her tail wagging gently at her rear she playfully nudged him in the chest before removing herself a few steps to give him space. From the short distance she looked fondly up at the male who was very slightly taller then she, ”Have you had any luck finding food? We could probably take a sizable kill together... if you’re feeling up to it.” as remarkable as Drestig looked it was hard for Jack to tell how long it had been since he had last eaten.

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(This post was last modified: Oct 19, 2013, 01:04 AM by Jackal.)

Her gesture came completely unexpected to the dark man, instinct making him tense as her deep bronze fur first rubbed against his. But he quickly relaxed, leaning into her caress, eyes closing in pleasure. It had been so long since he last had any physical contact with other wolves, especially the more gentle kind of a female; Not since... An unexpected sting went through the boy's chest when a rush of memories flushed over him, the feeling of Jackal's tongue on his chin sending a faint shiver down his spine. He hadn't been overwhelmed by the past like this for many seasons, and it took him a second to compose himself, pushing aside the uncomfortable thoughts, like he always had. It was only a seconds weakness, and when the brown girl nudged him playfully, he was once again his own, mischievous self, nipping lightly at the site of her yaw in response. His smile was broad and crooked, ears twisting observantly as she made her suggestion, tail wagging in mirror of the dame's. It would be a real treat to hunt in a team again, even if it was just a team of two, and the very thought of eating something other than rodent again made his teeth water. So there was really no debate in the ebony boy's mind as he rose to his feet, meeting the girl's brown eyes, one brow raised as he addressed her; <b style="color:#ff6600">"Well jackal, it would be a pleasure to hunt with you." The pressure he put on her name, held no mockery, but rather was spoken in a tone of interest, head and ears cocked in curiosity. It was an unusual calling, but very fitting for this fea; This is shaping up to be a really interesting relationship! Word count: 295 My mind is my own <b style="color:#ff6600">”I'll say whatever I want to!”

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Jack had no illusions about feasting tonight. Two wolves were better than one, but not by much, and even if they could get lucky enough to catch scent of an elk herd it was unlikely they could bring it down unless it was near death already.. or incredibly stupid. The fact that tracks were scarce to being with was disheartening, more food would better than no food at all, and with Drestig’s help perhaps they could sleep with content bellies this evening.

”No time to lose then.” she stated with a nod of her head and a suddenly professional attitude. It was as if she was an entirely different beast when the task of hunting had been laid out before her. She immersed herself in her usual ritual, taking a moment to stretch her lithe body segment by segment, until no segment remained unattended, all the way from tail to toes. After this was done she bounded a few feet away from Drestig, her ears upright and tail rigid. Then finally she thrust her russet maw to the earth in earnest and began the search. At first she seemed to meander aimlessly, her slow gait and uncertain steps revealing that what scent there was to hold where they stood remained fruitless.

As time passed however she led the male further and further from their meeting ground, uttering not a sound. Personally Jack was used to hunting in the deep snow of her mountain home, so she was uncertain as to how much help she would be when it came to tactics. Yet as soon as she began to doubt her tactics, her eyes fell tenderly on some prints that had been pristinely preserved in the underbrush thanks to the heavy rain which had marked her arrival in the valley. Smiling sheepishly back at Drestig to bolster her own confidence, she nodded her head in the tracks direction, hoping to garner some approval before pursuing this particular quarry.

The prints themselves were not unlike hers and Drestig’s, but much, much, smaller. They could be anything from a large fox to a small coyote, enough to feed them both, but not enough to be incredibly filling.

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(This post was last modified: Oct 23, 2013, 06:45 PM by Jackal.)

Ooc: I sincerely apologize for Drest's perviness, I don't know what's gotten into him xD

It saddened the black male to see his companions roguish expression replaced by seriousness, but he understood the necessity of a certain amount of discipline when hunting. Raising to his own feet, he watched the sienna fae prepare for the task, stretching her body in all possible manners. His orange eyes were glowing, tail wagging slowly, as he kept still, watching the woman and enjoying her limberness with a crocket smirk. Then she set to work, ears perked, nose to the ground, and Drestig followed behind her on silent paws, enjoying the sight of her in full concentration, while acting as a guard, ears constantly in motion, listening for any movement around them, body tensed and ready to act, should any threat present itself. It took a while before they came across a track, and the boy was beginning to get restless, but then Jackal stopped up, a few steps in front of him, full attention on something on the ground. He trotted up to her to see what she'd found, and a broad grin split his dark lips when his eyes fell on the prints in the mud. He wagged his tail when the lass smiled at him, ears waving enthusiastically in praise. Ideally he would have liked a larger animal, but this was a safe bet, there being only two of them, and the canidae were entertaining prey, smart creatures sure to offer up a good chase; Let's do it then! Nodding in approval, the lad motioned for his partner to take the lead, this was her trail after all, stretching out his forelegs to loosen his shoulders, in a motion that looked remarkably close to that of a playful yearling; which was intentional. <b style="color:#ff6600">"Bring it on!" He whispered, smile turning almost grim. Word count: 295 My mind is my own <b style="color:#ff6600">”I'll say whatever I want to!”