its because im evil

Her stomach, loud and unruly, grumbled with annoyance for some kind of substance. It had been a month, much too long for any carnivore, since she'd eaten a proper meal and her body showed tell tale signs of being largely malnourished. Her fur lacked the luster it once held, seeming dull mostly around the points of her face and the prominent area of her hip joint, which were sharpening each days passed. Her ribs showed on occasion, especially when her lengthy limbs paused long enough for another to study her closely, but her narrow chest concealed her slender stomach well until one looked at her pointed hips, the bones showed easiest when she sat on her haunches by means of conserving her energy. This morning she laid curled beneath the snow she buried, relishing the heat that radiated from her undercarriage and preserved her from the harsh element of winter--the icing on the topping was her dense tail, which covered her wet nose perfectly.

She shifted when she heard the chirping of birds, a signal that morning had finally arrived and the temperatures were once again safe to roam around in. Shaking her pelt free of snow once she got on all fours, she gazed around Cut Rock River pack for signs of anyone, and finding none, made her way toward Lachesis's den. He was her only friend in the pack, not only because he was her savior and healer, but because he was the only wolf that tolerated her presence despite meeting some of the locals a day or so back. The fact still remained that she was foreign on these lands, and was possibly overstaying her welcome in the pack. Since food had become scarce she reverted to scavenging what she could find, and with so little energy, she traveled just shy of Cut Rock's borders before she rested, deciding to go searching for food another day when her energy was restored. Glancing to the skies, in which light flakes of snow littered her face, she puckered her lips into a circle to howl, it was a desperate plea for the heavens to bring her anything to kill the pangs of hunger in her stomach.

(This post was last modified: Jan 15, 2014, 06:04 PM by Bastet.)

Avatars by Becca! Thank you!

(I'm gonna jump in here, hello!)

A billow of ashy vapor passed through Jessup Argis's flared leathery nostrils, inhaling a myriad of scents and he did not fail to take note of the particular strong warning scent of a nearby pack territory. Although he may be new to these lands, he certainly wasn't an idiot. At least not anymore. Packs made him anxious since they meant alphas and alphas meant too-serious faces and domineering attitudes. Well, in his opinion AND experience. The life of a lone wolf who didn't know how to use his words to his advantage was painfully short and Jessup wasn't keen on becoming a carcass of sunken flesh and bone for the crows. Sadly though, he would be lying to himself if he said he wouldn't mind a hare or even, testing his already pitiful luck, a sizable elk calf.

The male was careful not to stray too close to the pack's border, keeping his pace steady and nose sniffing.
Recently, most of his time was spent either hunting (unsuccessfully) or exploring (more successful) or both. Even with the thick trees that surrounded him like a cage, sounds were still easily picked up and his ears flicked and twitched at each sound. At the sound of a shrill howl, muscles tensed under his thick winter coat and he halted. Heart pounding, he lifted his head up immediately and his ears perked forward, registering the direction and owner of the noise. Didn't sound like a warning. A smile of relief but also interest twitched at the corners of his lips. And not far off. His paws went into motion and he followed the noise without a solid plan in mind. He'd figure one out soon enough.

Paws stepped silently against compressed snow, he was careful to not make much noise in the presence of the stranger wolf. Must be careful. Bright amber eyes flickered with amusement at the sight and he registered in everything about the female, noting the bones protruding against from her hips.
He would say the obvious. "Someone sounds a bit hungry."

Hello! Thanks for joining!

Her song ended abruptly, teeth clicking together softly as she braced herself against a strong gust of wind; with it came a swirling mass of snow that stopped almost as quickly as it came. She shuddered, feeling for the first time how bitterly cold the weather was despite her winter coat, she couldn't recall temperatures ever being as low as it was this winter. Her intuition told her that something was different this year. Though she could not read the heavens, she could sense that food had become extremely scarce lately, even for those who were scavengers without a pack. Even while living in Cut Rock River pack lands, a security blanket for any loner, her endless search for food left her feeling slighted for she constantly came across savaged remains from another carnivore or frozen meat beneath layers of snow. What ever live prey that remained were so few and far between that she feared she would never get back to a healthy weight to survive this winter, her only hope was that someone, or something, would answer her prayers for sustenance.

She was so deep in her thoughts that the approach of company hadn't reached her ears until he was upon her, looking her over beyond the borders, and he too looked hungry for food. She lingered a moment, letting his words come to her, mulling them over, before speaking finally to the dark stranger. "Yes, unfortunately I think we all are." she sighed, pushing herself from her haunches and to her full height, "this is Cut Rock River land, it will be wise if you stay beyond the border, we don't want any trouble..." the words sounded foreign coming from her own mouth but her position lied with Cut Rock River. Her statement to the stranger were words of advice but served as a warning if he found himself brave enough to come any further, "where are you from?" she wondered, guessing he was without a home but she was never one to jump to conclusions. If this male had no home she was sure that he could seek refuge with the River wolves, but her decision didn't matter, in the end it was the leaders who accepted loners, and at the moment, she was awaiting her own judgement.

Lalani had been patrolling the packs borders, hoping for some sign of prey. Even a day old trail would have been helpful. At least they would have something to go off of. Sadly, Lani found the snow untouched. Her unsuccessful searching caused her to travel farther from the borders. She wasn't exactly sure how short her leash was, but she figured if the pack wanted food, then she would have to be able to go look for it. Hell, she didn't even know if Maksim cared if she came back.

Trotting easily through the snow, Lani's eyes scanned her surroundings. She would, no doubt, be going home empty handed. She was lucky for the few rabbits that they had been able to catch. It didn't seem as if there was going to be a whole lot more where those came from. Her ears picked up on a sound. *Are those voices?* Picking up her speed, she followed the voices until she came upon a pair of wolves. One was a female, older than Lani, but much weaker. She obviously hadn't eaten much and was in serious need of a meal. Though she was a stranger and didn't carry the scent of the pack, there were a few distict scents on her. What was she to the pack? It seemed very much like she was a ward of the pack. The other however, was a male and a stranger. He also did not carry a single scent of the pack. Carefully trotting forward, she maneuvered herself between the starving female and the male. Lani figuered she would be too weak to hold her own against him, should things get nasty and she couldn't let a friend of the pack get hurt on her watch.

"Yes, where are you from?" She narrowed her eyes at him. Though he had not crossed the borders and was technically in the clear, she was curious as to why he was here in the first place. She would have to save her questions for the female until later. Lani raised her tail and chin high, showing her dominance to the strangers. Though she might have ended up as the lowest in the pack, it was her bad choices that had put her there, not weakness.

"Trust me stranger," The young male glanced brightly at the snow-covered tees surrounding them, feigning coyness with a voice coated in sugar, "The last thing we would all want would be tangling with a pack." Jessup was careful not to let his mask fall, even though this female would be no threat to him, all it takes is just one slip and you're ruined. However, he hadn't been playing with masks for very long and found himself caught off guard at her question. "I'm ah.."

His answer abruptly ended with the appearance of another wolf, female and, by the smell of her, a pack wolf. With buried trepidation, he flicked his half-eaten tail and forced himself, against his own instinct, to look friendly,"Ah! You must be part of this pack she was talking about." Good God, he must've looked like a ditz. A weak smile pulled at his lips, but inside his mind, the cogs were turning fast. The worst that could happen would that he would just be chased off and it's not like he never had any experience being chased off, so why was he anxious? He was Jessup Argis, son of no one and brother to nothing. As if on instinct, the words came, "I come from over the mountain pass." His paws shifted on the ice, voice still meek. To add to it, he refused to let his amber eyes meet hers, as if he was some shy pup.

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

You guys mind if I take the food? Bastet seriously need some health!

She caught sight of Lalani the same instant Jessup gave a response to her questions. Distracted between both wolves, having been off guard to another wolf's approach, she heard only half of what the dark male had spoke cocking her head when his statement trailed off into silence. It was rare for Bastet to feel so off put by an encounter but she instantly warmed up to the woman's presence when she mimicked her question to Jessup--surely, she was apart of Cut Rock River. The scent she carried had that of some members she had met previously but they were faint, as if the woman barely interacted with her pack members and Bastet found herself wondering why but left the question to disappear with her thoughts. She was sure that with time she would hear this woman's story.

She waited with patience for the lone wolf (how ironic) to answer both herself and Lalani's question, only settling onto her haunches once more when she felt her head grow weak. He answered with slight hesitation, nervousness evident in his voice but she dismissed these cues to digest his response to their questions, he said he was from the mountain pass. Such a pity being that winter was most cruel high up. "Ah, what brings you so far out? Is your home in danger?" she wondered, sensing once more the lack of pack on his pelt. Surely he had been separated from his pack. She could sympathize with this male considering how horrendous her own case was, suppose Lalani could be the passage he needed into Cut Rock River?

Absentmindedly she sensed the smell of rabbit in the wind, her stomach grumbling with anticipation of a meal. Could food really be that close by? Shifting her gaze toward the horizon she searched for the source of wafting scent, knowing full well she would need to track it to find it first hand.

(This post was last modified: Jan 19, 2014, 03:13 AM by Bastet.)

Avatars by Becca! Thank you!

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

Lalani stood vigil as she waited for the male to respond. His comment to the withering female about not wanting to tangle with a pack seemed ironic, considering that she was a member of said pack, standing before him. He was young, and seemed to be around the same age as herself. He actually appeared to be rather nervous, when two seconds ago, he had been confident. Though he was submissive enough and kept his gaze lowered, she was uneasy. Why had he been so confident around the weakened female but not Lani?She did not trust his motives.

As for the female, though she was older than Lani was, she seemed releaved at her appearance. She no doubt knew that in her condition she wouldn't have had much energy, should the male get aggressive. There was safety in numbers. The female posed more questions to the stranger and Lani stepped closer. "More importantly, what brings you here?"

She noticed the dark females gaze wander, as if she were searching for something. It took a second for the breeze to reach Lani, bringing the scent with it. Rabbit. Lifting her head,to the wind, she was able to pinpoint its direction. "It should be right over there somewhere." She motioned to the tree off to the right of the female. The wind had also carried another scent with it. "There's also a kill nearby. Find it. Take as much as it will give." Through all this, Lani's gaze never left the strange male in front of her. She found that she had no problem letting the woman take the food. She needed it much more. As for the male, she wasn't sure what to think of him.

(man, jessup would like some of that rabbit too, but bastet is starving)

More questions. More invasive inquiries. Jessup couldn't help but find himself more drawn to lone wolf than the pack wolf, she was much more polite at least. His tail wavered back and fourth, brows drawn in thought. The two definitely knew each other, that was for sure. A question arose from his conscious: what is the point of all this? What are you trying to accomplish? Good question. Knowledge, maybe? Knowledge never hurt anyone.

"Ah, what brings you so far out? Is your home in danger?" Ah, most likely, but he didn't bother saying it out loud. What should he say? The lie wouldn't come fast enough and telling these two strangers that he was driven from his pack for his own stupid actions would be too personal and not to mention stupid, letting his mask fall apart. "This winter hasn't been exactly easy for us smaller packs," With a forced sigh, he dropped his ears and his gaze. What are you trying to do? The question arose again without warning. Hide who I am. Another poor answer, but it would have to do.

The scent of a kill nearby rose his interest and he could see it plastered all over the starving one's gaunt face. His salmon pink tongue slipped out from behind his teeth and slipped across his muzzle, hunger roiling in his empty belly. It certainly wasn't a lie that winter hadn't been easy, especially on the lone wolves, but he knew that damn pack wouldn't let him leave her sight. Damn her. It was nearly impossible not to snarl in the sheer unfairness of it all. Maybe he would sneak back eat the bones if she left any, or even better, maybe he could fight her over it, he would win easily and earn a bigger meal than just marrow. Such thoughts ran through his mind until he was brought back with another question to answer to. Hell. He drooped his head and let his half-eaten tail fall between his legs, feigning submission. "I am new to these lands and I was only looking for an easy meal." He couldn't help but add a "Miss" at the end.