Show me the western way

[[CRR wolves?]]

Aeolus had been smart about where to put his paws since joining; he did not want to get on the bad side of Astra or the male alpha whom he had never met. The man's dark tawny coat patrolled the borders with vigilance however. He had been a member for almost a month and every day and night he tried to prove that he had what it took to be a wolf of Cut Rock River. He knew that Anastasia did not like him, but she seemed to have disappeared, her scent rapidly faded on the borders and she was gone. While Aeo was sad that the fae was no longer a park of the magnificent pack, he was relieved he did not have to put up with her anger towards him any longer.

Aeo let his body do most of the work, he put little thought into patrolling the borders other than when he checked for loner scents. His mind drawing up ideas and plans. When he was trusted more, perhaps he would go as far as to challenge his way up to second. He would never challenge for alpha, he had a lack of taste for it. Aeolus felt relieved that he had made it over the mountains before the snow had fallen into it. To think that he might be stuck on the same side as Phineas' pack as a loner was unbearable at the very least. Regardless of what his brother said, Aeo blamed him for everything.

(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2014, 12:49 PM by Aeolus.)

The caches were slowly dwindling. Hati knew where each one was, aside from those that individual members had stored for themselves. Food was being brought in less and less as winter became more bitter. As much as each wolf of Cut Rock River tried to provide for each other, it was difficult enough to simply stay alive long enough to do so. Hati had been scouting the borders of Cut Rock River, and now he was on a mission to replenish a cache for the pack. His target: anything that moved.

He walked silently between the cedars that labeled the place as home, nose quivering as it searched for a sign that prey was near. Eventually he found a scent, but it was not of a beast that would find its way into any cache. It was a member of the pack, one he did not know but whose scent he had discovered at many locations throughout the territory. By the lingering remnant of Astra's own signature smell, Hati was satisfied that this male was no intruder, but even so he changed course for the stranger, hoping to intercept him before they became too far away to bother. No more than a quarter of a mile separated them, and Hati traversed it quickly and soon found the tawny male snuffing about in the snow. He watched for a while before loping up to greet him with a wagging tail and bright eye to show his friendly intentions.

(This post was last modified: Jan 15, 2014, 06:09 PM by Hati.)

Aeolus turned at the scent of another, but the scent he bore was of Cut rock river, so Aeolus was not aggressive. A small smile pierced his muzzle as he dipped his head and lowered his tail below the man's. This wolf before him was of higher rank he was sure, for Aeolus was a new wolf and had yet to learn. He would wait for the man to give the first words for Aeolus did not know that this man could not speak. His eyes were never on the man's eyes for that would be disrespectful. Aeolus' mind racked with thoughts about the pack and Anastasia's disappearance. Aeolus felt worried that he had caused this, she had left very soon after he joined.

Perhaps it wasn't his fault though, she he remained calm and quaint. He did things according to how he remembered doing them for years on end. He recalled doing what he always did for four years, every since he was in his prime; ever since Aeolus was a yearling. Aeo decided to take the first words, he cleared his throat a little and introduced himself. "I'm Aeolus, a new subordinate but old soul." He gave a slight chuckle when he said old soul. That he was. His eyes were remaining calm as he thought about his brother. Phineas is the traitor... but part of me knows what he said was true. What is Phineas truly was the victim? Was I wrong to decide and make my brother the enemy? Perhaps one day I will visit him. He had no idea why the thoughts reached his mind. But they did and there was no stopping them. He awaited Hati's response.

(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2014, 12:49 PM by Aeolus.)

Look Out!

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by a bear nearby. +10 Health

The tawny stranger wasted no time in yielding to his approach, leaving no question about Hati's position above him. Hati came to a stop not far from where his pack-mate smiled respectfully and returned the look, a strange feeling of gladness touching at his soul. It had not been long ago when he kept entirely to himself, avoiding even members of his own pack when possible. Now he felt the duty of befriending those who shared his home within Cedarwood Forest, though most meetings began awkwardly due to his lack of speech. It was always easier when one whom he knew was there to introduce him with his recently given name, Taras. But that wasn't going to stop him.

The stranger, whose name Hati now understood was Aeolus, finished with a chuckle and the obvious expectation of Hati's own introduction which would never happen. But he flicked his ears and wagged his tail to signal his appreciation and, as always, hoped that his newest companion would not misunderstand his silence for disdain. Hati had once rolled onto his back to show the ugly scar on his throat to Maksim, but that was no longer required and his reason for keeping quiet could be discovered at later times in a less humiliating fashion.

Without waiting for questions from Aeolus, Hati slipped past his bulky frame and bounced through the snow. A new scent had stolen his attention; that of exposed meat. He was like a child, trying to follow the dying scent as quickly as possible but carcasses were always harder to locate when frozen. Eventually he spotted a large brown lump marring the snow and sprinted towards it, sweeping his tail at his pack-mate Aeolus to join him in a feast. In no time his teeth were at the rock-hard flesh trying to separate small strips from the bones. It was a apparent by the long scratches that a bear had either killed the beast or found it laying here just like they had. But, thankfully, it was gone now, leaving the body for hungry wolves to take advantage of.

(This post was last modified: Jan 15, 2014, 06:09 PM by Hati.)

Aeolus had caught the scent in the snow and he wanted to follow it; however he would wait for the man to say something first. The man gave a wag of his tail but no introduction which Aeolus found rude. He did not understand that the man could not talk for he looked just fine to Aeolus; the man instead of introducing himself ran off towards the scent. Aeolus followed his his eyes slightly narrowed. There was something off about this wolf and Aeo did not like it at all. The reason he felt all this was because, again, he did not understand that the man couldn't talk and he was clueless the the fact. Instead, to Aeo, the man seemed rude, arrogant, or the man hated him.

The man had nothing to hate about Aeo because he and Aeo had just met. This made him extremely confused and so he just kept his mouth shut about the topic. His orange eyes held the confusion and he looked up at the Welkin above him for some guidance. A small worry drove its way through the older man as he tried to figure the stranger out. "What is your name?" He asked as he reached the moose. Aeolus sniffed it and hunger gnawed at his stomach. I want to eat it, but it has to be saved. Yes, it has to be saved. Aeolus took a gulp. "We should break this down and add it to the cache." He said in a calm voice.

(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2014, 12:50 PM by Aeolus.)

The meat tasted good. Hati planned on saving most of it as a cache, but for now he needed to eat and regain strength, and it was likely his pack-mate could use some nourishment as well. But the dark tawny stranger seemed to have no interest in food, but rather stared at Hati with disgust and annoyance. It was understandable, considering his less than friendly silence, but the disrespect was getting on the black river wolf's nerves. If Aeolus continued acting this way then he would not waste time in showing him his place.

Hati watched as the wolf sniffed at the carcass but turned it down almost reluctantly. Did he think that saving some meat was going to help anything if he himself became weak with hunger? The pack needed each of its members to stay as strong as possible. Hati frowned disapprovingly but let Aeolus be, continuing to eat and wondering how to seem friendly when he could not speak. He did not plan on entirely satisfying the hunger that had set in weeks ago and never left, but his companion seemed to think that it couldn't be touched at all.

In response to Aeolus's final comment regarding the carcass, Hati let his lips curl up in annoyance and glared, pausing his meal. Then, after holding the expression for several seconds, he nodded his head towards the dead animal. You are welcome to do just that, and I will join you in doing so once I have finished putting a tap on my starvation, subordinate, he spat silently. With that his attention was returned to feeding himself.

(This post was last modified: Jan 15, 2014, 06:10 PM by Hati.)

Aeo is a rude ass mother fucker

Aeo was so confused as to why the man would not respond to anything he had said with actual words. It had not occurred to the old man that the younger man could not speak at all. With the awkward stare that the higher ranked man gave him he just started to break it down to take to the caches. He gulped once more as he thought about digging in and helping himself. No. He had a rule. Pups. Leaders. Higher Ranks. Myself. Lower Ranks. The order of need for food. While yes, technically leaders would be first, pups needed more food as they were developing still. He closed his eyes briefly as he breathed in the scents of the carcass. Aeo's discomfort got his mind working.

Perhaps he should challenge the man who was eating the food that the pack should store in case no more food comes around the entire winter. It needed to be stored carefully and it was not what was happening then and there. A small frown reached him as he started to take chunks and store them {the vagueness because of a lack of knowledge about storing them}. He had no knowledge of the man's name or origins yet. However, Aeo was positive that he was in the rank just above him. A small smile crossed him, a wicked one. The smile was after he had turned away from the man however. This was to conceal such a smile from the man. He would take it the wrong way {most likely}.

As Hati devoured the toothsome meat, it became more and more apparent that Aeolus was not at all agreeable with his actions. It didn't really matter what the lower ranking wolf thought, yet for some reason Hati was receiving some shady vibes off the tawny male. It was never wise to turn one's back on a possible enemy, so he ate with his eyes glued to Aeolus whenever he came near. After a few minutes of tearing at the carcass, Hati lifted his head, still watching as Aeolus ran back and forth to fetch and hide the chunks of flesh he managed to tear off.

Now that the gnawing pain of hunger was out of the way and he could think clearly, the dark wolf turned his attention to properly introducing himself. Which, truthfully, was impossible. There wasn't one wolf in the world, probably, who knew his true name. As a rogue he had gone by many, always given to him by a stranger. Some stuck with him within certain regions where his reputation preceded him, and then there were those that were only used once. The latter were usually of the less friendly and more hateful type. Now he was Taras to those who had heard of him by others. Otherwise he was just a rude, silent black brute who apparently didn't understand that food was for storing, not for eating.

As Aeolus returned from one of his many quick trips, Hati ran forward and brushed against him. They were family, in a way, and he was a wolf under Hati's protection. No matter what the feelings were between the two, they were on the same team. As if to say as much, Hati sent Aeolus a meaningful glance, hoping to convey his thoughts.

After the return from one of his trips it seemed like Hati wasn't in such a bad mood as Aeolus had picked him out to be in earlier. He took a deep breathe as the man brushed up against him and gave him a meaningful glance. It took a while before Aeolus discovered why the man had been so silent. "You can't talk. Can you?" He asked as he felt extremely stupid. How could he not have guessed something like that? He was supposed to be fit for being an adviser or something of the sorts. The dark tawny man then spoke again. "I'm sorry for being rude earlier..." He said in a quiet voice It was very important for them to get along as pack mates.

Aeo still couldn't believe that he hadn't realized that sooner. His eyes filled almost with a pain. How was he to know what to call the man if the man couldn't talk. What should he call him? "Does Maksim know your name?" He asked, figuring that he could ask the leader when he next saw him. He exchanged a meaningful glance but knew his place to not look into the eyes of the smaller man. Aeolus reminded himself that some things were almost impossible to know. Aeolus had caught onto the message that Hati was trying to deliver and calmed down a bit. Perhaps the other man saw no hard feelings between the two. At the very least, Aeolus hoped that it was true.