retrograde

In the quiet moment Quick tried to gather as much as she could as she awaited her judgment, listening intently to the words passed between the two dark wolves of her company. Mrs. Naira, Sir Mapplethorpe? Odd that a pup would refer to his mother and father by such terms... unless he was not their blood. She had never encountered such an arrangement, but that didn't mean it couldn't be possible. So she's here to join right? The boy was bold in his speech as most children were, but not with the air of naivety that so many youth possessed. She let her metallic gaze trail from tree to tree in their surroundings, slowly and finally landing on the nameless boy with undeniable sincerity. "Yes," she said, the syllable smooth and true. Chulyin had brought her, but her resolution had been cultivated on her own and it was important that her agency was recognized, if even by a child.

The call went out, though with a struggle. If she let her mind wander toward it she too could feel the weight of the goat burning on her shoulders. The relief of dropping it tempted her, but it felt disrespectful to their tiresome journey to flop the gift so unceremoniously on the ground. Instead she shifted her weight, trying to rearrange that which sat between her blades, to a more optimal spot where it wouldn’t be such a bother. Quick found out soon enough that there was no such spot. Luckily for her the moment she quit fidgeting would be the moment they were joined by another, an older male who approached with an air that matched the stiffness of the fur along his back. By the command he took of the small gathering she had to assume this was Sir Mapplethorpe.

He was her size, but stockier, worn and sophisticated like a great oak. It was instinctive to divert her eyes, let her tail go limp and twist her ears toward her skull but she did so with extra consciousness. He was quick to dismiss the youth to scout a carcass. His yellow eyes landed on her with a question: short, perhaps not sweet. "Quicksilver, sir, and I-" Her curt response was interrupted by a different nearby call, with a message that lit her weary limbs with fire. The hunt was on again. Her silver eyes flickered toward the Leader's toes as she continued her sentence with an anxious flick of her tail, "I'm going to help feed your family." Not without a price, of course. She needed food and a home herself, but there was no time to negotiate. The air said deer, the howl said coming, and she would be ready.

No longer concerned for ceremony she twisted her body, teeth reaching to grasp the goat and pull it from her and Chulyin both. Perhaps the smell of death would distract the approaching prey from the wolves. Perhaps it would worry them more. She couldn’t work her mind like them; she was a predator. With a meaningful and wide stride the pale lady positioned herself among the twisted trees, dark nose quivering and ears perked forward. If there was a command she would follow it. If not, she would hunt.

everything that kills me makes me feel alive

Karpos offered a smile as the girl noted she was there to join. "Nice to meet ya; I'm Karpos." He introduced himself as he waited for the leaders to arrive. Karpos immediately ducked lower as Sir Mapplethorpe arrived to the scene. The stare that he (Karpos) was given made him (Karpos) feel like he had done something wrong and so he stepped back almost to hide behind the man. The man told him to go after the young pronghorn that had starved in the snow. He immediately nodded and rushed off after the scent. He was glad he had practiced his tracking. He sniffed the carcass as he arrived and gave it a small nibble. It was good and relatively fresh. It would be stored.

Karpos had no knowledge of Mrs. Naira being in the area but he knew that Sir Mapplethorpe could handle the loner on his own if she were to provide any troubles. Karp felt like he was in trouble for honing his Guardian skills at the borders but he had nowhere else to practice. He was pretty sure he had scared Mercy off with the long litany about his father. He could always spar with Aponi or Nova but he didn't want to fight Aponi and beat her. He did not know Nova well enough to actually fight against her. A small smile crossed his muzzle as he started to peel off the hide of the young pronghorn as he had seen Sir Mapplethorpe do a little while ago; before the training session between the two of them.

Karp then took a small section of rib and devoured it. Sir Mapplethorpe had let him do this before so he figured it safe to assume that he could do it again. After that he went and slowly broke the deer down to store it for the winter. Food was scarce and this source was precious. He knew there would be a goat to add as well and that made him smile.

--Exit <3--

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the snow. Hunt Opportunity

woaah. how many more SoW REs are we gonna get???
(also, just a quick reminder: Quick, Karpos, Chulyin, Mapplethorpe, Naira...etc,.)

The man stood silently, watching as Quick and Karpos engaged in a bit of small talk. His lungs were straining somewhat, and so he said little and reacted less. The winter seemed to make him slightly colder. Everyone was wrapped up in finding food, scraps, scouting...He was no different from them. And yet he still longed for social interaction and felt as though he was getting very little of it. It drove him away from the borders, though he still intended to return with some food. This time, he'd found this woman and since she'd proven herself to be useful and perhaps in need, he had brought her as well. Perhaps somewhere in the back of his one-track mind, the man thought he might get some social interaction from her as well. His nostrils twitched as Mapplethorpe showed up. There was something deceased about, but the elder man commanded the boy to take care of it. He was glad that this goat would not be the only food that they'd have to eat.

Chulyin bowed his head to his leader, jaws parting to introduce the woman, but he was beaten to the punch by the agouti man, and Quick answered once more. He felt an uncertain churning within his stomach. A mixture of hunger and caution. They were all hungry, but just as he had not returned empty-pawed, neither had she, and certainly that would give her some good favor in the eyes of a likely weary leader. But it seemed there was little time to judge as Naira howled, and the weight was suddenly lifted from his back. The scent of the carcass must've hidden the scent of live game and there would be no hesitation to capture it. Quick was swifter than he, though, and he could only backpedal as she hauled the goat onto the earth. It seemed there was some inkling of a smile upon the man's face as the pale woman took the initiative to prove herself, not with words, but with skill, and so soon after their journey.

The sound of hooves breaking through packed snow soon overwhelmed his ears, the scent of hair and heavy breath and grasses causing his pupils to consume his golden eyes. Hackles raised, he clenched his jaw, settling himself into a ready position as he searched the dense snowy trees for incoming signs of life. It did not take long at all for the small herd to come upon them, obviously startled by the new set of wolves. Lips pulling back, he waited for Mapplethorpe's signal as well, so that they might be more successful.

(This post was last modified: Jan 23, 2014, 03:18 AM by Chulyin.)

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

So... much... food(!). DX Baaaaad timing for Thorpe.

There was little time for questioning the woman or even asking Chulyin where he had find her or where he had been, let alone where the morsel of food they had brought back had come from, for just as Quicksilver lent him her name, Lady Naira howled. Mapplethorpe had expected it to be some sort of song that hinted at a pack meeting or one that exclusively called for his presence, but instead, in the stretch of silence that followed, the sound of frantically running hooves came from somewhere in the distance. Instinctively, Chulyin and his ivory companion reacted; she even had a mind to chime in that she would feed his family. Both of them were at the ready and while the golden-eyed Leader was in no mood or condition to hunt today, he dictated, "Help Naira, I will take care of this here." He placed a paw on the frosted goat that the duo had delivered then gestured with a sharp jab his muzzle towards the place where the family of mule deer could just be seen through the woods.

"Go! Help Naira."

The word left his throat with a bark and while he looked after them, he hastily added, "Just one! But don't worry if you don't get it!" He exhaled slowly, shifting his weight again from one side to the other if only to slightly stretch out where it felt like the muscles were knotted at the base of his neck. Glancing over to where he had sent Karpos, he was satisfied to find that the Pronghorn was starting to look like a pile of scavenged bones. He would have to reward the lad later, but right now, he had his own number of caches to worry about; the ones he had only started to tend to on a near-daily basis were starting to run low. As deftly as he could, with what looked like a developing tic or limp, he started to drag the hoofed limb towards the heart of their territory. He would catch up to Quicksilver soon enough to find out who she was, where she had come from, and, most importantly, why she had come home with Naira's brother.

(This post was last modified: Jan 23, 2014, 11:45 PM by Mapplethorpe.)

Someone's gonna have to come back for those lynx remains xD

The rushing of blood pulsed through her small ears, wrestling for the dominance to be heard against the orders barked by the yellow-eyed male. Help Naira. If Naira was this kingdom's Queen, then she sure as hell was going to. It was the pounding of hooves that finally took her attention, and she lost care if there was anything left to be said to her. With a gentle huff she glanced at Chulyin, hoping together they would grab at least one of the herd. By all logic they had to be just as weary as the wolves, if not more. The ice was quickly overtaking everything that was ever once green and they did not eat scraps of meat like she would. Her muscles ached from exertion and the cold, but she was not prepared to stand down. If there was food in this terrible time, the attempt had to be made. The fact that she still had to impress these leaders was in the back of her mind - all her instincts had switched to survival.

Through the trees she paced closer toward the approach the mule deer, hoping their fear and her snow-like camouflage would keep their highly alarmed minds from recognizing her as a threat. They ran past her hiding spot, and she allowed it. They didn't want the fastest or the boldest, after all. Those deer at the front would soldier on to live another day, but the nervous stragglers at the back had a deadline fast approaching. Her metallic eyes scanned the crowd with a frenzied need, finding a youth in the crowd. His shoulder blades jutted out from his back, his joints bonier than they should have been - and yet there was meat to harvest on him still. Her and Chulyin could not operate on their same plan as they had last time. The ambush here was different and the chase was already going. It was going to be a free-for-all, but she trusted the dark male knew success in many forms. With fleeting seconds important as ever she pale wolf launched forward, a snarl of need ripping from her throat.

Now the mule deer knew there was more than one chasing them. Quick could practically feel the fear multiplying as it radiated off their grey-brown bodies. Driven onward by the smell she tore forward to catch up to the youth. He had hooves just as sharp and mean as the adults, but not enough experience to know how wolves were easily hurt. Dodging a kick from the rear legs she snapped her jaws, letting her teeth pierce the flesh of his leg but not grabbing a hold. With so many deer around she didn't risk attaching herself to him yet, but they would wear him down, separate him -- then they could kill. She craned her neck forward and dragged tooth marks into its hide again.

(This post was last modified: Feb 01, 2014, 03:53 PM by Quick.)

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

(Hopefully this is alright. I kind of wanted to run with Riley's idea of fur color...)

The eldest man did not hesitate to command them, informing the pair that he would tend to the goat. Chulyin gave a stiff nod, nostrils flaring as he turned towards the wood. The sound of hooves continued to fill his head, slowly filling his veins with adrenaline. Hackles raised, he exchanged a glance with Quick, before moving in a wide arc away from her, falling low, belly brushing the snow as he waited by the treeline, hoping to be in perfect sight of the deer that would soon emerge. His dark coat stood out against the white and he hoped to use that to their advantage. If he could pick out a good target, then he hoped to drive the creature right into Quick's waiting jaws. She was more easily hidden, obviously, in the snow. The man could only hope that they might share the same thought in this endeavor.

Before the throng came through the trees, he searched the dunes of snow for a pair of silver eyes, hoping to convey some silent message to her. But he could not find her and could only reply upon the woman to understand his intentions. Tail flagged, hackles raised, he began to bark as the deer came through the trees. Though many of the elders moved forward, a few were caught off-guard by the sudden and stark presence of the large male. Plowing through the snow, he chased them towards where he'd last seen the woman. He would only herd them towards her, letting her pick her own victim. From there, he'd would assist.

Lips drawn back, he snorted as he threatened the deer, nearly startled himself when the pale woman emerged from out of nowhere. He slowed his racing, eyes fixated on her as he began to weave around the edge of the crowd. When she picked her victim, he began to bark again (at this point, unknowingly startling a lynx into abandoning its own kill), hoping to draw the rest of the deer away from the one that she'd singled out. The threatening sounds were short-lived as he decided then to go after the deer. He was young which made him just as dangerous as any adult. It took some effort to catch up with Quick, though when Chulyin did, he drew up alongside the deer on the opposite side. Muscles bunching, he launched himself upwards, teeth aiming to grip the frightened creature's shoulder. The frightened creature threw its head about, jamming a shoulder into the dark wolf's nose, breaking his grip. His tongue passed quickly over his teeth, tasting his own blood mingled with the blood of the deer.

Behind again, he resumed his position, lungs burning, paws stinging as they scraped against ice and snow. He threw his weight against the deer's side, furred legs mingling with galligaskins as he hoped to trip the deer up.

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

The only way to keep your people loyal

• NAIRA •

is to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy

Her heart thundered in her ears, and echo of the deers own hooves as she chased them towards their awaiting doom. The flash of white was not familiar but that did not matter now. Her brother was quick to join them, throwing his weight into the fray. A terrifying adrenalin fueled grin was plastered on her bloodstained face, she could taste victory as the mule deer stumbled, another push and he was down.

Darting between flailing legs she went for the animals delicate stomach, it’s scream and the scent of fear fueling her savage attack as teeth cut through flesh and hide. As its entrails spilled steaming onto the snow, the beast began to slow, its small kicks of desperation not enough to save it as the tawny wolf growled a low warning, her hackles an impressive crest down her spine as she warned her victorious companions to stay back and began her feast - as was her right. Her paws splayed between the deers haunch and ribs, her head all but disappearing into the gaping wound as the deer took it’s final breath.

No words were spoken to the new wolf, but the leaders tolerance of her presence was enough of a greeting for now. Once her belly was full and some of the bloodlust had ebbed from her system she would mark the woman as one of their own. Winter could not last forever, but while ever it lingered the tawny leader would continue to put herself first, and that was just something they would all have to live with.

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