Always shouts out something obscene

Putting this toward the Post prompt thinger

Now that her head didn't feel as though it had ten bricks stuffed inside it, Sagacity felt slightly better as she resumed her scouting duties, on the lookout for any sign of prey which might give the Hollowheart Keep wolves something to eat. She still had a bit of the sniffles, and sneezed off and on, but she could breathe through her nose again and that was a significant development. A good sleep had done her well, and she felt good enough to carry on at a lively trot as she perused through the Arbol Rosado in search of tracks. She almost wished she'd brought Mercy along with her- as her sense of smell was still somewhat compromised by her fading flu bug. Then again, she probably wouldn't have been able to tolerate his energy while she'd been ill, so it had been better for both of them that he'd stayed behind.

She found herself looking up at the trees in hopes that she'd see the buds on the end of the branches beginning to swell. She snorted out of contempt when she saw them still as tightly closed as they had been all winter. It was only February, a month when the weather was often the most surprising- in a bad way- so she knew she shouldn't have her hopes up. Still, it would've brightened her day to find some sign that spring was just around the corner.

At a much less than balmy temperature of -28° C, it was still several blocks away.

Even the afternoon sunlight did little to warm her up, so she kept her coat partially fluffed up as she moved along, so that she could conserve warmth. When the sun began to set she'd head back to the Ghastly Woods, but for now she was more interested in finding some sign that prey still existed in Relic Lore.

Avatars by Arla!

Maksim had left the lands of Cut Rock River—his territory—once more in order to scout for food and clear his mind. Several of the males had left his ranks without a word, disappeared into the night. It was a frustrating situation for the agouti leader to be placed in, one he had hoped not to encounter for some time. He tried to think of reasons why they had gone—why they had broken one of the River's rules and abandoned the pack—but he could only put it down to one logical conclusion: the upcoming breeding season. Not only that, but Astra had left, too. It had come as a shock and the River king's heart hardened. Astra was his friend, someone he had grown to admire and respect, but now she was gone, just like Anastasia. Kisla had taken the position of lead female, so had the butterscotch woman simply felt so scorned that she had to leave? Or perhaps the snows had claimed another victim, another trusted companion of the River wolf sucked into swirling white and biting cold. Lifting his crown, Maksim inhaled deeply, checking the air for any trace of prey returning to the Lore. It was then that a scent hit him which caused his lip to raise. Her. That woman from the border who had been sent packing by him and Naia. The scavenger. With a scowl, the king set off in her direction. Perhaps it was time to confront the vulture. How was her flank doing? He'd have sheared a chunk out of it if it weren't for her surrender. He was a temperamental wolf but he wasn't a cruel one. He strode through among the cherry trees, his head high and ears perked. It didn't take him long to find the ashen woman, staring up at the trees. “You.” The word was sharp, only meant to announce his presence if she hadn't noticed it yet. “I hadn't expected to see you walking around for quite some time.” His lip half raised, a crooked and silent snarl plastered on his face.

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

ooc: OMG THAT TABLE AND AVATAR. Maksim's one sexy beast!

Her nose twitched when she thought she caught the scent of something...Or someone. She paused, head up and eyes squinted slightly, one forepaw dangling in the air as she checked to see if she was delusional, or if there was something to eat in the area. Something apart from the scent of dry bark and pine sap on the clear, cold air. For a moment, she smelled nothing, for the soft breeze had turned gently and had settled to less than a whisper. She licked her dry lips, pursed them in disappointment and lowered her head so that she could focus more on the scents closer to the ground. The snow was more or less untouched and, given the fact that the snow hadn't fallen for a day or so, it wasn't a good sign. She'd been hoping to see tracks- but only those belonging to prey of some form.

Like a wayward waif the wind changed yet again and she found herself rooted to the ground once more as this time, she felt absolutely assured that she'd caught a scent...Unfortunately, it belonged to a wolf and immediately she set off at a walk, the fur along her neck slightly bristled in disdain. Why did another wolf have to show up? Didn't they know she was hungry and didn't want company? All Sage wanted was to be left alone while she scouted- she'd already bumped into one other wolf while out scouting, and sick, and wasn't in the mood for yet another companion of any type. Unless she could kill it and eat it.

But as luck would have it, a stronger gust of wind brought the scent of the wolf to her once more and rather than quickening her pace she froze. She knew that smell. She curled her lips lightly as she took it in and remembered the face of the wolf who had so easily overpowered her. Just the thought of him made her hip ache and she looked around with narrowed yellow eyes, and flattened her ears when she saw him heading straight for her. She might've scented him earlier, and had a chance to get away from him, had her nose not still been slightly plugged. But there he was, and she simply simmered as she watched him approach. But rather than taking off, she stood firmly in her place and continued to scent the air, as though she hadn't even seen him approaching. The frown on her face, however, was a telltale sign that she'd seen and acknowledged him.

She couldn't help but spare a small glance for him when he spoke to her. She remained neutral, obviously not overjoyed to see him, but she didn't snarl or feign superiority. He'd already established himself as being stronger than her, and she had no intention to fight him again. "Can't keep a good dog down," She said blithely, before her head turned, suddenly. Her ears perked, and she squinted, just able to see something sticking out of the snow. She'd just caught wind of it, and while her stomach clenched in hunger, she knew she couldn't simply assume she could eat it by herself. Finally she turned her head so that she could see him properly. And in all honesty, she couldn't really begrudge him much; he was a tank. No wonder he'd beat her so easily; he was of good breeding, with a solid, boxy build, and had a guardian-like aura about him. It reminded her of Faol- which made her heart sting, and her ears turned back. Faol was gone. Unaware of the influence this association had on her posture, Sagacity's lips softened slightly, as did her gaze. "I don't suppose you'll share now, either, will you?" She said, somewhat tonelessly.

(This post was last modified: Mar 04, 2014, 02:04 AM by Sagacity.)

god, so sorry for this wait! yes he is ;)

She certainly had noticed his arrival—her scowl made that much obvious—, but it seemed she was going to try and feign obliviousness. Or maybe a lack of care. It mattered little, as Maksim's words caused the ashen wolf to spare a glance at the River king before she looked away again. It seemed that neither of them were particularly keen to see one another but, at the same time, they didn't care to waste energy snarling and snapping. He had shown her before that he could over power her, so maybe the monochrome vulture had more brain than he had given her credit for. Regardless, he couldn't help but snort at her words, lifting his muzzle ever so slightly. Dog was certainly the right choice of word, but was good? Perhaps to those who knew her loyalty and honourable side (if it even existed) but to Maksim and the River wolves she was merely a mutt who been sent scrambling. “Unless you kill it,” he stated bluntly, watching her. The scavenger noticed the fallen moose before Maksim did, her ears perked and amber eyes squinting. He followed her gaze with his own, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled the scent. It was old, but not enough to be overly rotten or frozen to the point of it being inedible. Verdant eyes flicked back to the ashen wolf, noting the backward position of her ears. Was she scared of him? He doubted it; she seemed like the kind of woman who sung herself a siren of sorts. No doubt this was some trick. “Share?” He stared her down. “Well. That depends,” he began, taking a step towards the moose carcass. “Can you wait your turn? Or will you attempt to steal it from under my nose?” There was a challenge in his eyes as he took another step.

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

Sagacity felt a bit of spite toward Maksim- but most of that spite came from frustration she had with herself. She didn't like being weaker than someone else, and Maksim had already made a point of making her feel feeble and useless the last time she'd seen him. Part of her wanted to challenge him again, just out of spite, but she knew that it would've been foolish. Like he said, all he'd have to do would be to kill her, in order to keep her in her place. While her foolish pride burned and simpered, she kept her temper in check, knowing that if she wanted to keep her head on her shoulders she couldn't challenge him. It was extremely humbling, having to force herself to accept the fact that he was stronger than she was. While she readily accepted the dominance that Naira and Mapplethorpe had, she owned her place beneath them because she respected them. Having to respect someone else simply because they had more meat on them- and more battle experience- was quite difficult for her, which was surprising, considering her small size.

She felt his gaze fasten itself to her once he'd seen the bit of corpse sticking up out of the snow- and she purposefully avoided making eye contact. It felt strange, having to show respect and subservience to a wolf who wasn't even in her pack. She liked to think that being second-in-command in her pack made her superior to wolves from other packs...But on neutral grounds, physical prowess was all that mattered. One ear flicked forward when he moved, and she kept him in her peripheral vision, but made a point of looking docile even if she did look reluctant to allow him to eat first. She wasn't tense; no, instead she felt some sort of resolve from all of this. They both knew he was stronger, so a fight would make no sense unless she wanted to commit suicide. He challenged her, but she kept her gaze away and her stature the same as it had been for the past few moments. Her tail hung limply and her ears were turned back- save for one which was passively turned toward him to show that she was paying attention- and that she was prepared to skitter off if need be.

"I'm not suicidal," She said simply, and though she turned her head ever so slightly back toward him, she still kept her gaze off in the distance- neither toward him nor toward the kill. She sat, so that he would take the hint- she wasn't going to try and take anything from him...Though it was clear that she did so reluctantly.

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

should we ignore the second moose? for now, at least.
also, how do you want to split this one? how does 9 health to mak and 6 to sage sound?

She did not rise to the challenge and that pleased Maksim something fierce. She knew her place beneath him now, it seemed, though he was certain she didn't like that. So she sat, stating that she did not have a death wise as the Baranski stepped over to the moose carcass, saliva beginning to pool in his mouth at the thought of food in his belly. “Glad to hear it,” he mused before he settled at the carcass. He glanced to the grey hued wolf once more before his tongue swept over his lip and he parted his jaws. Heading straight for the belly of the fallen beast that had already been worked by coyotes somewhat, he dug his muzzle into the flesh. With his jaws clamped on flesh, he pulled his head back with a jerk, peeling it away from the carcass. The taste of the moose's wet flesh in his mouth was simply divine, the River king swallowing it back with a satisfied grunt. He gorged himself on the carcass, pulling away organs and muscle, flesh and bone. Nothing was inedible, after all, though he sought the 'best' parts for himself. Every so often he would check to see if she had moved, or to see if she was readying for an attack. He wouldn't trust her as far as his teeth sunk into her. At least, not yet. Minutes ticked by before the Baranski king lifted his bloodied muzzle from the moose, licking at his lips to savour the rustic yet cold taste of blood. “I have to ask,” he muttered, loud enough for the Hollow female to hear, “have you told your pack?” What he meant was obvious as he sat back. He wanted to know if her superiors were informed.

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

Sounds good to me- they can 'discover' the second one in a bit..Sage'll probably take a bit of the second one back if Maksim will share again XD

Sagacity's stomach gave an audible groan when she saw him move off in the direction of the kill. She glowered and stared down at the snow between her front paws, glaring down into it as though trying to melt the snow with her eyes. He sounded somewhat arrogant when he spoke and her ears twitched slightly, but she held herself back from imitating him, or even allowing herself to mouth the words. At that moment, she doubted very much that he'd leave anything for her at all; a big guy like him could have easily eaten a whole deer she thought ruefully to herself. He'd probably leave nothing but bits of fur, and chuckle to himself as he watched her desperately choke it down. He had the advantage in the situation and he was very capable of flaunting it over Sagacity without having to worry about some sort of revenge.

When he began to eat, her stomach clenched and she found herself grimacing. She was starving, and here she was, sitting like a pup who was being punished for mouthing off. Holding back a growl, she sank to the ground, laying with her back somewhat hunched as she clenched her stomach muscles. It ached and growled and she had to pointedly look away so she couldn't even watch him eat- it would have made things even worse. Still, she could hear him, even though she'd flattened her ears as much as possible. Her jaw ached from clenching it, so she relaxed it- only to find she was only satisfied when she was either clenching her teeth again, or grinding them together. Either way, it made her head hurt even more than it already did from the cold she was recovering from. At least her other symptoms seemed to have stopped, even if only momentarily, while the rest of her body concentrated on trying to convince her to steal something of a meal.

She wasn't best pleased when he decided to speak to her, his voice somewhat thickened from the saliva. She paused for a moment and drew in a breath. Her voice was strained and reedy when she spoke. "They know there's a pack in Cedarwood Forest, yes." And they know to avoid it, She thought sourly, but kept herself from saying so. She hadn't said much else- and there hadn't been much else to say. She and Gent hadn't expected to come across a pack in the forest and had leapt at the chance for a free meal- only to be torn away from it. She didn't regret it so much, though; she'd been able to wolf down a bit of the carcass before she'd had her hide nearly torn to bits. "You've told yours, I assume," She stated then, still staring fiercely down at the snow.

(This post was last modified: Mar 21, 2014, 12:29 AM by Sagacity.)