Spectral Woods Thief in the snow

Phyrrus smiled and followed in his footsteps, her legs springing up blissfuly. She gained speed, running at his side. The snow was light and powdery. It would have slowed a shorter wolf. Lucky for Phy, she was able to sprint gracefully past the trees. She didn't really know where they were going. But, she didn't have fear that she would find herself lost, yet it was a little nerve wracking to be going somewhere new. With a questioning glance to Anthem, Phy wondered what he was thinking. She ran on, even though her legs were starting to burn and her paws where numb from the ice. "How much longer?" Little puffs of precipitation escaped her maw as she spoke. They had been running for a solid five or six minutes.

 

The pair approached a small ditch, the ground sloping downward. Phyrrus locked her muscles, slowing her speed a little. The terrain was rocky and her paws were digging deeper into the snow reaching the permafrost underneath. With a jolt her paw caught on an iced over root and her body toppled over into the snow. Phy struggled to release her leg and with a penetrating whine of the root tearing, she was free. Sort of. She pushed around the snow, trying to get some footing to stand up. With a triumphant laugh, she gripped onto some ice and lifted her self up. Powder caked her silvery frame, dangling in little clumps.

(This post was last modified: Feb 14, 2015, 04:21 PM by Phyrrus.)

  

Anthem wasn't really thinking about much other than finding some scent of prey. He needed to no wanted to bring something back that would help contribute to the caches. So used to travelling at a steady pace he didn't realize how long that had been running for that is until his companion spoke up. Blue eyes twisted to glance at her smaller frame at her words. Was she getting tired? Slowing his pace a little he considered. How far was he willing to go in order to bring something decent back? It wasn't like he couldn't go out tomorrow in order to find something. He could even try going farther north along the mountains. He might be able to find a dead mountain goat if he searched long and high enough. He was about to speak when he saw the dip in the ground.

His ears twisted with interested as he looked at the dips in the snow before picking up speed to jump the dip. He didn't feel like wadding through the snow that was bound to have gathered in the small trench. As he jumped he heard the thump of Phyrrus hitting the snow. Landing he whirled around in time to see the root snap and her struggling to stand. Even though he had jumped the dip in the ground he found himself bounding through it as he arrived at Phyrrus's side. Nosing her shoulder he spoke some concern in his voice. Are you alright? He found himself to be worried that she might have hurt her leg or paw when she had tripped. Then with a laugh she was up and standing snow dangling from her frame. He let out a small sigh of relief. If she was laughing she wasn't hurt but if she was it probably wasn't that bad. Taking a step back to give her some space he spoke responding to her earlier question. We can stop here I will probably just have to try again tomorrow. He gave her a once over just to reassure himself that she was alright before glancing at the root that she had tripped over. It could have been worse he guessed but it could have been a lot better.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Phyrrus was surprised that he as at her side, she didn't expect him to be so worried. She laughed it off and gave him a reassuring nudge to the shoulder. "I'm alright, I just have horrible depth perception- I mean damn." It was quite a blessing that she didn't injure herself, the odds were high that she could have broken her paw. The was no pain she could feel, but just incase she checked it. She let her tongue roll out and flatten the soft fur over her ankle and toes, checking for pressure points. He stepped away, allowing her to shake the loose pieces of snow off. The tougher clumps she chewed at, releasing after a few seconds. "We don't have to stop now, I'm good to keep running. All I ask is for a break every once in a while." She said teeth still fiddling with her fur. After she licked the last bits of flurries away, she tilted her nose up to drink in the currents. The faint scent of hare laced somewhere within the woods."I don't think we are going to find a large kill tonight, but, we could maybe track down something small. Just to fill our stomachs." She offered, gaze sliding down to his. Phy yawned, wagging her banner slightly.

  

Her words had him relaxing some even though he hadn't realized that he had been tense. Then she went ahead and checked it. His eyes watched her face for any sign of pain. If she was hurt then this trip would definitely be over he wasn't going to have her get even more hurt than she was especially since they were from different packs. When her face didn't portray any signs of discomfort he let out a soft huff. He considered Phyrrus to be just on this side of being a friend and he had few friends he didn't want them to injured different pack or no. 

Anthem let her words wash through him. She wanted to continue on even if it was just to find something for themselves. She just wanted to have a chance to rest every now and then. A small smile spread on his face and he shook his head softly laughing. He had forgotten that others hadn't been on the move for as long as he had. It was one of the few perks of travelling so much, more stamina. Alright deal but you can lead for a while now. He told her motioning with his nose. He would have offered in any case but he wanted to give her chance to lead and let him trail behind so that he could watch her move. Another small way to make sure that she was alright. He just had to be sure that she was okay his mind wouldn't let him rest until he did partly because he felt like he was responsible since he had been leading her right towards the small trench and she wouldn't have even tripped if he had gone in a different direction.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Phyrrus looked at just the right time to see his smile. She hadn't seen him really smile, only short chuckles and grins for something humorous that she let slip. She flickered a smirk and nodded, taking lead. She trotted off gingerly, not wanting to leap into action and cause any unnoticed pains. She followed the faint trace of hare, staying on a sturdy path until she turned abruptly and loped into the thicker area of the woods to find the vermin. With luck, small prints started to show. She slowed and turned back to face Anthem. "I think we found something, or somethings." Phyrrus tipped her nose to the series of trails winding past trees. She moved forward, tracking down one of the trails. They seemed to be fairly fresh prints, so she kept her eyes elsewhere for sudden movements. The thick squeaking of her paws pushing down snow sent three shapes darting from different places. She sprung off from her feet, launching at the one closest to her. She hoped Anthem was as quick to notice as herself, it would be frustrating if one of them only got a reward. She closed her crushing jaws around the small body, its shrieks bouncing off the forest. She silenced it with a shake and turned to see what had become of Anthem's kill.

  

Anthem watched as his companion took the lead and he followed in step. He let out a soft sigh as all the worry that he seemed to be holding melted away. She was alright maybe a little sore but alright. Following in her footsteps he let himself dwell on the fact that he had three others that he could call friends. There was Seraphina from the pack that lay south of his and then Phyrrus in the pack that lay to east. He also couldn't forget that Vespertio ,his leader, was also his friend. A friend in the packs that lay near them and friends within. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Lost in his thoughts he flinched as his companion took off. After a brief second he took off after her snow flying. Had she found something? Her statement had him glancing at the tracks and then the area around them. The somethings could be closer than they thought they were. 

As his eyes scanned the snowy bushes around them he heard the noise that Phyrrus made against the snow and then there were shapes bounding away from them. Taking off Anthem went after the one that looked the fattest. Seeing as that one was the farthest away at the time he almost didn't catch it. It was sliding into the safety of its hole when Anthem's fangs snapped around one of its hind-legs. Screaming in terror as it was pulled from it home Anthem tossed it into the air and as it fell he twisted so that his jaws found there way around its neck. Prize in mouth Anthem glanced over towards Phyrrus to see what had become of her in the brief mad rush. She was watching him and so he lifted his head to show her that he had caught his own kill. 

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Anthem found grip on the rabbits hind legs. It was a relief, the hare was small enough, it would be a pitiful to share the meal. The girl picked up her lump of fuzz and walked over to Anthem, smiling through the rabbit's grey fur. "Very nice," She said, inspecting his find. "Plump little thing huh?" Phy's nose nudging its weighted torso. She wondered how it got that much food in this harsh winter they were living through. She was about to bite down on the morsel if meal but she stopped her self short. "...I think you should bring one back to your pack Anthem." She said with a slight frown. "I don't need to eat that much so if you'd like, you can have half of mine and yours can go to Fallen Tree."  Her previous expression fading into a slight smile. It wouldn't be fair to ask him to go back empty handed, the Bend had plenty of food within their boundaries. She began to take apart the hare, holding it down with one paw and severing it with her jaws. .

It was getting a little late, the sun picking up an orange tint from the late afternoon. She took her half, picking out tufts of fur from the sour goop. The rest of the rabbit laid beside her, staying "up for grabs". She sighed and finished her meal, still a little hungry but she bit her tongue. .

  

Anthem raised his prize a little higher so that as his companion inspected it she could have a better look. Seeing as his mouth was full he couldn't agree with her comments but he did let a growl of agreement rumble up his throat. It was plump and that was the main reason he had gone after it and not the one that was the closest to him. He had been lucky to catch the thing when he had otherwise he would have had a mouthful of dirt and snow with nothing to show for his efforts. As she continued to speak though he deliberately put his kill down on the snow before watching her tear apart her own catch. His expression had turned a little serious as he looked at the two of their kills thinking. His stomach gurgled at him to eat though he wasn't hungry though the taste of fresh blood made his mouth water. 

He shook his head as he let out a sigh. Eat your kill you caught it i'll just go without. He didn't need the food and he sat waiting for her to enjoy her meal. His gaze went to the mountains that towered in the sky. It seemed that the light was slowly leaving them to the darkness that came with the night. He didn't worry to much he could always find his way back to his home no matter how far he strayed. His blue gaze went back to Phyrrus and he wondered if her new pack was her home or if it was just a place for her to stay at the moment. His thoughts distracted him and silence remained in the air between them.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

She pinched her brows together curiously. Phyrrus wasn't going to force him to eat, he knew what was right for him. So instead of protesting like the decisive woman she was, she only pursed her lips and continued to eat. It wasn't the first time she had gotten in trouble for "insisting" a friend should have something to eat, many times the lady had been snapped at for her intentions. She was wiser now, wanting to make sure that this relationship lasted. The poor Monodora had little connections in the Lore. She had realized, where life was abundant, it is also very lonely.  

The sun was sinking and darkness was settling in, it would be wise to start going back now. She stood up from the snow mixed with mud and entrails, wanting to get going. "I better be going, I don't know this place very well and I could get lost in these intricate woods." She offered a smile, a little sad to be leaving the cloudy man. "We should do this again some time, yeah?" She smiled, turning away to begin the trek.

  

Anthem watched as his companion pursed her lips and he had to smile a little. He thought she would protest but she didn't comment on it though he imagined that she didn't like it. He almost started to laugh though he kept it to a brief chuckle. It was nice to have friends that worried about him. But just overall it was nice. You could be with them and not worry that if you said something that they would take extreme offense seeing as how being friends meant that you knew the other person and their personality at least a little. He watched as she finished her meal a smile still on his face. His ears twitched as she spoke and he nodded. That's a wise choice, but if you do get lost call and I will come help you out. He said it simply so that she understood that if she did need help he would come if she called.

We will have to see. He said as he stood a teasing note in his voice. But we try and do this again. It was a good way to get out of the pack territory and see different areas. His mood was much lighter now still a little serious but much lighter. He watched her walk away into the shadows and stood there a moment longer as he listened to the sounds of her movement disappear. Then picking up his catch he turned and began to make his way home one ear listening for her if she called.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.