Spectral Woods Cat got your Tongue?

Word Count: 292

Angele launched herself at the cat at the same time as her brother, throwing her shoulder against it to help him flip it on its back. She knew she had to move fast if she wanted to avoid the creature's claws. It let out a strangled scream though Anthem's jaw-grip, waving its paws in an attempt to cuff him over the head.

She couldn't allow that, now could she?

Angele ducked under one of the flailing paws and pressed her own upon the creature's chest. They slid sideways, jamming into its armpits and locking its forelegs into a V shape, which prevented it from using them to bat off her brother. The hind legs, though, remained free and dangerous. Angele let out a growl of pain as the claws tagged her haunches. That was going to smart in the morning.

Know she only had a few more moments before the cat would be able to hit its target, Angele shot her head forward and clamped her jaws over the cougar's throat, fangs penetrating the jugular. The cat spat in rage and Angele clenched her jaws, satisfied to hear the crunch of the creature's windpipe crushing. She jumped back, standing clear of the furious creature's paws as it died.

"It's all over." She said smugly. She smiled at her brother. "You fight just as well as you did the last time we were together." She said warmly. "I almost expected you to get lazy." She wagged her tail to let him know she was joking and rubbed her head against his shoulder. She glanced back at the cougar, whose final death throes were finishing. "Now we have both a deer and a cat. What do you propose we do with all this meat?"

My brother is the Anthem we sing,
 
I am the Angele we follow,
   
My brother, Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Growling as the cat tried to bat at him Anthem bit down harder until blood spilled from his mouth. The cat wasn't going to get free. Not from him and not from his sister. Anthem kept the cat from trying to flip back over with his body weight and his paws while his sister went and pinned its front legs so that he didn't get hit by them. Wrenching the feline's head back so that Angele could get a better shot his eyes narrowed as he watched her take a blow from a back leg. Snarling he bit down harder if that was possible. He felt a fresh burst of blood and the sickening crunch of cartiledge. 

He and his sister had just met up again he didn't need her to get hurt in their first scuffle together in so many years. He didn't have to worry too long though as she quickly went for the kill and sound of its throat being crushed filled the air. When she jumped back he quickly pushed the feline off his leg that had managed to get underneath it and get to his feet and out of the way of the flailing limbs. With cold eyes he watched it die. Such was the way of the world. 

Turning back to Angele as she spoke a smile on his face. Thought I might have gotten lazy? I'm hurt I thought you might have a little faith in me Angele. He said tone mocking though his eyes gleamed with amusement, giving him away. When they were younger all he could remember of through out their training a good-natured rivalry. Who could take the other down first? How fast could they run? How could they bring down their foe the quickest? Still with a smile on his face he answered her next question. First we eat then I intend to take some back to my pack. His pack. Would she come with him to it or would she want to go somewhere else?

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

OOC: Sorry, this is a really long one! Hopefully it'll make up for all my short ones :)
Word Count: 508

Angele flicked her ears in amusement and sat down to begin cleaning her wound as Anthem returned her banter with mocking of his own. It was as if they'd never been apart, like the years between their meetings ceased to exist - they were still the same, down in the core.

"First we eat then I intend to take some back to my pack."

Angele froze, then here ears pressed back against her skull. She didn't move. Her tongue, which was pressed against one of the shallow gashes caused by the cat's claws, remained there, arrested mid-lick. Did he say pack? She'd noticed he smelled a little different - not much, but just enough to be noticeable. She'd thought it had just been because of the time they'd spent apart and the years he'd gained - they'd both gained.

No, she thought, I have to be honest with myself. I hoped - no, needed - it to be because of the time and the distance. I didn't want to believe that he moved on and found a life when I couldn't. But of course he did; why wouldn't he? He didn't know I was coming for him...

She'd thought at their meeting that they could continue as if the time never happened, but she couldn't kid herself. They had happened, and there was no changing that. He'd moved on.

Yet he'd been so pleased to see her. Angele loved Anthem very much. Apart from Nathaniel, on whom both of them had greatly depended on, Anthem was the only wolf Angele trusted completely. She'd avoided joining a pack this long simply because she found them to be full of corrupt, ambitious wolves who only played nice because they had something to gain. Why should this one be any different?

But it was Anthem for crying out loud. She couldn't leave him now that she'd finally found him. Besides, she had no where else to go. As far as she knew, Nathaniel was still with their scum-filled birth pack, and she couldn't go back there. She could always continue wandering about, but she was tired of skipping from territory to territory, killing as she saw necessary.

There was nothing for it. Anthem was worth it. Perhaps... perhaps this pack could be different.

Angele slowly finished her lick and sat back up to face her brother. She forced herself to relax as she looked into his eyes. She understood the look in them; she knew him too well. He wanted her to come with him, but was unsure how to ask or even if she would agree to come. "They may not even take me, Anthem." She said quietly. "You don't know the things I've done. The things I have yet to do. I'm not who I once was. I don't... I don't even know if I remember how to be part of a pack anymore."

She knew that, like she could read him, he would know what lay behind her eyes. Save me, they pleaded. Save me from myself

"Speech" Thought Signal

(This post was last modified: May 03, 2015, 12:08 AM by Angele. Edit Reason: Color )

My brother is the Anthem we sing,
 
I am the Angele we follow,
   
My brother, Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Anthem had moved to the cougar and didn't see his sister's reaction to his words, but he could all but feel it. His gaze found hers as he waited for her to process the information he had just shared. He wasn't a loner any longer but a pack wolf. One bound to follow its leader. It wasn't that bad though because his friend led and the lead female was also slowly getting to that point as well. But Angele wouldn't know that all she would see were the invisible chains that bound him once more.

Watching the thoughts and emotions go on her face he kept his attention on her. It really shouldn't have come as that big of a surprise that he had gone and joined a pack though. He had helping a pack form almost a year ago but they had fallen apart quicker than they had gotten together. Mapiya if he remembered right. A she-wolf had been willing to let him in and he had begun to patrol their borders. After that he had left with the only woman he had started to love after Selena had been killed in a stupid hunting accident. If not for that he might have remained but it had happened so he had left and now here he was part of a pack that he was comfortable in. 

His ears pricked up at her words before he let out a snort of dismissal. I am the beta of the pack and friends with the lead pair. They will take you in. After that his voice softened some. Do you think I don't know that? I was there with you in the beginning of it all. We fought and killed together. I know what's its like. He finished the last sentence staring her in the eyes letting all the pain he had buried rise with the heartbreak and the knowledge that he had taken lives and was likely to take more if needed. 

I know Angele. I know. But if I was able to join a pack and thrive then so can you. A small smile edged on to his face. I will be there at your call at a moments notice and we won't have to worry about losing each other again. They could stay around the pack territory. They would always have a home to come back to. Anthem had missed it. Missed it even when he didn't know it. The choice though was hers no matter how much he wanted to drag her back with him.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Angele's ears pricked up slightly, and she glanced away. Of course she knew that Anthem had the same start as her - they'd started together. But had he spent the last several years...

She'd grown numb. Taking a life was no different than batting an eyelash to her anymore. She no longer saw their faces when she closed her eyes, no longer woke up screaming from the nightmares. She never grew close to anyone because she always expected to need to kill them. But some part of her still wanted to change. She still wanted the life where she didn't have to worry about anyone coming after her.

She lifted her eyes back to Anthem's and gave him a hesitant smile. "I will come back with you." She told him. Maybe this time would be different. She wouldn't have to worry about the other members because if they trusted Anthem enough to make him beta, they would trust his word. They may not trust her, but this would give her a chance to start over. She could... maybe she could change. She could be different.

And she could be with Anthem.

But there was that one thing. He won't care, She thought, you don't need to tell him. But he deserved to know why she left.

"But, before we go, you should know... why I left. Trying to find you want the goal, but I initially left because..." She hesitated. She hadn't been this unsure of herself in years. But she cared what Anthem thought. She wanted - no, needed - him to accept her. To still care about her as they had before. She needed to get it out now, tell him now, so he didn't find out another way. "I left because they drove me out. After you left, I... I tried to kill Selena. For making you go. For breaking your heart and taking you away from me."

She looked away again. There, she said it. She looked him in the eye and told him what she'd done. Would he forgive her?

"Speech" Thought

My brother is the Anthem we sing,
 
I am the Angele we follow,
   
My brother, Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Anthem watched his sister waiting for her decision. He felt like he was waiting in a hunt for the prey to move either closer or farther. He didn't want to lose Angele when they had finally found each other again. No, she had found him. He had never dreamed that she would leave their birth-pack in order to find him. He hadn't even considered it. He had just left unable to deal with the heartbreak and the gloating of Selena and her mate. As soon as the words left her lips agreeing that she would come Anthem felt his heart swell with joy and he moved forward so that he could bump her shoulder playfully with his head a grin on his face. 

He looked up expecting to see smiles but she seemed to be debating something with herself. His head tipped curiously. What more was their to say. She had agreed to join the Cove and he was going to get to see his sister on a regular basis. Finally she began to speak her voice hesitant. Slowly a coil of dread slithered through the joy. What had she done? She spit out her reason and he stared at her for a moment. She had tried to kill Selena? The face of her flashed through his head. All golden fur and blue eyes. Angele had nearly killed her. 

Anthem didn't know what to say for a moment. He should get mad and snarl at his sister for doing something that she knew was going to upset him. Had they met a year or so ago that might have been what happened. He couldn't get mad at her though  as his feelings for Selena had faded with time and he was aware that if their positions been reversed he might have done the same thing. A small smile crossed his face as he sighed softly before he spoke. You really do like to create a ruckus don't you? It has been some time sense I have truly felt anything for her though it still hurts. In my travels I met another who put a salve on that wound but she is dead and gone now. His words were spoken softly the thoughts of Felrai still stinging slightly. But that wasn't the point he accepted what his sister had done and besides even if he hadn't he wasn't going to send her away now after being apart so long. 

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Word Count: 234

Angele's eyes snapped back up to her brother's as he spoke. He accepts me! She thought jubilantly. It all seemed silly then; why wouldn't he accept her? He was her brother. Angele's tail swayed as she smiled at Anthem. "Thank you." She said quietly.

She glanced at their kill - both the commandeered deer and the defeated cougar. "So... are we going to eat or did you want to present this to your alphas first?" The playful tint was back in her eyes as she spoke. The ground mist was pretty much gone by that point, and the fatigue was beginning to catch up to Angele. She resumed cleaning the shallow wounds caused by the cat's claws but kept her ears turned toward Anthem to let him know she was still listening to his words.

She was right; the scratches were already starting to sting and she cringed slightly as her rough tongue scraped over them. Still, there was nothing for it. She had to get them clean or they might get infected and make things worse than they already were.

Angele's stomach rumbled and she flattened her ears, embarrassed by the weakness her body portrayed by making the sound. She continued licking, trying to ignore it. Even if they took the prey to the alphas first, she would still be able to eat soon enough. She'd gone longer without food; she could survive a little while longer.

My brother is the Anthem we sing,
 
I am the Angele we follow,
   
My brother, Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Anthem let out an amused snort as she thanked him. What was there to thank? He had simply told her were things stood on his view about Selena. If Angele had killed her then there was nothing that Anthem could do about it. He had left so that he couldn't hurt her and he really hadn't thought about what his siblings might do. To be truthful he couldn't help but feel a little guilty about leaving them. He didn't even remember if he had told them if he was going or if he had jsut left. 

Angele's voice broke through his thoughts about the past and he glanced at the two kills. She began to clean her leg though and he growled slightly to himself as his gaze narrowed at the cat. It was already dead but it still didn't change the fact that it had spilled the blood of his sister.He wished Nathaniel were here he would have been able to put something on the wound in order to help heal it. Angele's stomach rumbled and Anthem chuckled growl dying in his throat. We eat first, we'll need the energy in order to take the rest back to the Cove. He said moving towards the cat and proceeding to eat it. One wasn't picky about what they ate when they were hungry. 

As he ate Anthem spoke. How did you find me? It's not like I left a very good trail for you to follow. He asked curiously. Traveling through marshes, mountains, forests, canyons must have made it hard for her to find him. He was honestly surprised she had ever found him. 

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Word Count:219

Angele nodded in agreement; neither piece of prey was very small, and would require energy. She settled down next to the fallen cat, intent on receiving retribution for her injury, however minor it may be. She had just taken her first mouthful when Anthem asked how she'd found him.

She carefully swallowed. "I ran into this old crone who said he knew the name Coldheart. He said there was a young pack just on the other side of these mountains with and Anthem Coldheart. I thought maybe he was just trying to save his pathetic life, but I might as well check it out. I did let him go, and for that I am glad. He was telling the truth." She smiled at him, licking the blood off her teeth. "So are you gonna join me or what?" She teased, taking another mouthful.

It had been years since she'd shared a meal with another wolf, and even longer since she'd shared one with Anthem. She briefly wondered about Nathaniel; where was he? What was he doing? Did he miss them?

She quickly dismissed these thoughts, though. She wouldn't let herself be deterred from her good mood derived from finding Anthem at long last. Filled with peace for the first time in a long time, Angele continued her meal.

"Speech" Thought

My brother is the Anthem we sing,
 
I am the Angele we follow,
   
My brother, Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

OOC: We could probably wrap it up with your next post if you want.

Anthem listened intently to what his sister said. So an older wolf had given her directions? If they ever met him again the large man would have to say thank you. Of course though his sister had threatened the elder. He snorted in amusement at his thoughts. It would be just like her to do that. To be honest he hadn't expected her to change into flowers and sunshine when they both had been raised to spill blood. A grin was on his face as as he simply shook his head in amusement and began to eat once more. 

The silence that fell was comfortable to him. His ears pricked as some shadows caught his attention and he saw that a crow had come to watch the two of them eat. Probably waiting for some scraps but he wasn't going to get lucky tonight. All the leftovers were going to be taken back leaving none for the bird and any of his companions that might show up. 

Anthem returned to the meal asking a question between bites. Did you come across anything interesting in your travels? If she had been guided by the words of someone else then she might have taken a different route than Anthem had. he knew that his route had been long as he had been wondering aimlessly until he had come here. All through his time alone he knew that he had seen things that he would remember to his dying days. Both the good and the bad. 

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.