Turtleback Lake Scavengers Of The Damned

"We are the scavengers, scavengers of the damned."

Lips as dark as the thunder clouds above curled to reveal a set of stained teeth ready to tear at the first bit of flesh and feathers to come within range. Head cocked to the side with Dorian's single eye trained steadily on the flock of ravens that cawed and bickered with one another over who would get in the first bite of the remains from another predators kills. The scent of lynx in the immediate area the most likely culprit, but that information was unimportant to the young Gray. No, what was important was filling his empty stomach and chasing off these dark cloaked sky rats that stood in his way. Scavengers that didn't deserve the meal he so desperately needed more. But who was he to judge? Was he not one of them, a rat of the ground himself for having adopted the lifestyle of a scavenger to see another day? A scavenger of the damned. Living off the scraps of kills made by others due to his disability. Lack of proper vision hindering his ability to hunt solid meals for himself like a normal wolf should. Reduced down to nothing but scraps and tiny morsels like mice and rabbits. Even then, the tiny things quicker than his bulkier self and escaping nine times out of ten.

with a burst of speed his frame pushed through the brush he hid himself behind, leaving behind the safety of his shadows in order to feed. An array of black feathers scattering everywhere as ravens took off this way and that with calls of displeasement at having their meal interrupted by a stranger. This didn't phase Dorian as hunger kicked in and canines sunk into tender flesh. The familiar tang of blood on his tongue producing a feral rumble in his chest as piece by piece he scarfed down the venison as quick as he could. A habit that came with the life of a lone scavenger. At any moment someone could come to chase him away and who knew when the next time he would eat was. It wasn't until his stomach grumbled in protest to receiving more did Dorian step away from the carcass, red tinged muzzle swiped partially clean with a quick lick of salmon colored tongue. Lifting his head a quick surveillance was taken before daring to move a step. Light furred limbs carrying his bloated belly towards the edge of the lake he remembered being near by. A drink the only thing left he needed to be satisfied.

Hesitantly he comes to a stop at the edge of the treeline, ears pinning back at how far of a distance the water line lay from his current position. If he wanted water he would have to leave the safety of the trees and its shadows to get it. Shed his safety blanket and step into the light of day. A thought that was quick to bring a whimper from his trembling lips. 'What if someone sees me? Someone could see me if I step out there! I can't do it..I can't do it..' His paranoia rung in his head, another whine rising through his vocal chords as his functioning optic gazed longingly at the rise and fall of waves lapping at the shoreline so peacefully despite the rain that dotted its surface. As if coaxing the young Gray to come into its shallow embrace, promising him the safety he felt in the shadows. Oh how his throat felt like a desert in that moment. The action of swallowing back saliva feeling as if his throat would tear open from the dryness. He could just dash out and take a quick couple licks. Nobody would see him. He was alone...right?

@Dorian

Grey and glowering, Oula was her own little stormcloud, seemingly escaped from the rolling skies above. Her fur, once soaked to the skin, was just now beginning to dry and still stuck out in odd angles along her back. Mud and moss had dried between her toes and all the way up her thighs, as well as stuck splattered in dry clumps on her belly. Her round face was set in a scowl, eyes narrowed and snout jutting forward as she searched. She couldn't believe her luck; her months of hard work spent tracking, the blood, sweat, and tears she had poured into coming this far was all but washed away in a single afternoon. She wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all, cry to the heavens for mercy, but instead grit her teeth so hard they creaked against one another. Oula would not give up, she would still find her and make that woman pay for what she had done.

She had fought through the storm to get to these woodlands, and was hoping to not come away disappointed. Compared to the desolate tundra, the forest provided ample coverage and adequate small prey. It seemed like a reasonable enough place for a renegade to disappear into, with the drawback of it being like looking for a needle in a haystack. She moved with purpose along the curving shoreline, pale green eyes scanning the mud for any tufts of white fur or paw prints. Suddenly something caught her senses and she lifted her head, nostrils flared as she took in the scents on the air. She discovered the bitter tang of old blood, and the more lively musk of a wolf.

Her heart jumped in anticipation, grey and cream head jerking towards the treeline with intent focus. Her small ears pivoted forward as she listened, body frozen and single forelimb locked in the air mid-step.

Hesitation pumped wildly through his entire being, ears forced back in a sweeping motion to press against his skull. A single light tinted paw lifted and placed gingerly upon the cooled sand below, only to be retracted with a lightning like quickness back into the shadows as if the mere presence of the dulled sunlight trickling through stormy clouds on his fur was much too painful to bare. An invisible burn caused by the figment of his imagination. Coral complexion of Dorian's tongue beginning to reveal itself from under the dark curtains of his lips. Swiping fervently along the sides of his muzzle at the enticing - most likely chilled and oh so delicious - liquid that his parched throat yearned for.

Heaving his large frame away from his protectors in the shadows - a tenderfoot at moving quickly - sand was flung in the wake of his massive paws. Distance between the lake and Dorian closing rapidly until the soothing liquid came up to caress at the lower extremities of his limbs. Creamy furred cranium lowering to allow coral tongue to lap vigorously at the rain splattered surface. A groan of pure pleasure escaping his maw from the healing effect it served his hoarse throat. Rejuvenating the vocal chords within. But, he was all too aware of his vulnerability now. Pausing, head lifted with tongue slithering back into its cave, a complete turn around was taken to give his single functioning optic an entire view of the landscape. Only daring to return to euphoria when everything appeared normal. Unbeknownst to Dorian, a stranger in the shadows had caught his scent. 

Lowering skull back down to the splattered surface, pinkish tongue greedily lapped once more to bring the cool liquid down his gullet. Muscles growing tense from the overexposure to open area knowing very well his back was entirely vulnerable as well as anything that dared come upon his blinded right side where the world was completely void to him. A black abyss.

(This post was last modified: Jun 26, 2015, 05:26 PM by Dorian.)

@Dorian

As Oula listened carefully, she heard nothing more than the lapping of water against the shore and the rustling of leaves in the nearby forest. By sound it would seem she was alone, but scent did not lie. Now that she concentrated, she noticed the smell was distinctively male. Her lip curled in irritation, this wasn't the woman she was looking for. Every lead so far was a false start, and she was beginning to doubt she was even on the right trail to begin with. Oula knew she would have to make due with what she had. At least she knew someone was in the area, and fully intended on using the opportunity to extract whatever information she could from them. Sage eyes narrowed to determined slits, she pushed onward along the beach, rebuilding her lost momentum with a fast pace. Her clawed paws dug into the damp silty shore, carelessly flinging muck in her wake with each stride.

When she caught sight of the tawny grey male she broke into an all out run. She hadn't seen another wolf for weeks and this would be perhaps the only chance she'd get to find answers. She came to a stop at his right side, several body-lengths away. She did not dare get too close to a stranger of unknown disposition. Her posture was neutral, head level and tail low, yet alert with brown ears and eyes directed towards the male.

"Excuse me, sir," She stated in a clipped fashion.

Gradually the metallic tang of blood and flesh was cleansed from his pallet with each delicate lap of his coral tongue pulling back the refreshing liquid. The tinkling sound of soft, swollen drops of rain pitter-patting against the foliage of the forest behind Dorian drowning out the rest of the world. Turtleback Lake cast in a foreign glamour as the ominous clouds cloaked it in an ethereal patchwork of monochrome shades of slate and pebble. Only hints of vibrancy allowed their visibility. A peaceful scene for one to find themselves, but peace held no permanency in the young Gray's life. Over the low humming of the rain at first a delicate gwuf, gwuf, gwuf could be heard. The noise barely evoking a flick of a smokey tipped ear until the sound grew in volume to form the familiar wallop of determined paws striking the sodden silt upon his blinded side. Someone had found him.

Yet, the reverberation was quick to cease. A surge of trepidation locking limbs that urged to run in place like a deer caught in headlights. Coral tongue once lapping delicately at the refreshing liquid now coiling back into its moist domain. The thunderous beating of his heart overwhelming the inner workings of his eardrums with the constant pulsing of his blood, a clipped voice pushing through to induce a flinch on the man's behalf. Life began to trickle back into the frozen wolf as skull lifted gradually from the waters splattered surface in preparation to meet his maker. Hell bent that his final hours were dwindling down to an end. Angling his head over his shoulder to bring the alleged reaper into his line of sight, jaws parted to speak, but silence befell them. Tongue refusing to wrap around the words he wanted to say, practiced apology withered away like dust in the wind within milliseconds.

"Y-yes?" vocal chords choked out eventually, a far cry from words once planned. Oh how he yearned to retreat back into the protective embrace of his shadows in that moment. To disappear from unwanted eyes and attention. Singular jade optic risked a survey of his sage eyed captor while awaiting his demise. She was smaller in build than he; a fact that did little to soothe his increasing angst despite his size advantage, and coated in smokey hues of grey and white. A near look-a-like of his own light Mackenzie Valley coloration spare the splashes of rust he adorns. Regardless, @Oula was an intimidating adversary for the Gray. Noticing the compact frame she sported, Dorian pondered the option of making a sprint for it. Could this woman catch him in a serious game of cops and robbers? 'I couldn't run to safe my own life.' the pun of a thought rung mentally. No, he would have to face his demons. 

@Dorian

Oula's appraising gaze fell upon the male as he turned to face her. The male didn't look too different from the wolves back home, save for the jagged lines of torn skin crossing his right eye. She wondered if he was a fighter, or just a victim? She stared at the milky white orb for a few seconds too long, before switching her attention to his functional eye.

 

She watched with sage eyes narrowed to slits as his lips moved silently, word's threatening to spill but dying before they hit the air. Her leathery nose twitched, a sort of grimace wrinkling the dusty brown skin atop her snout. She had no time to waste on stuttering cowards, and her paw jerked a step forward as she grew impatient. Finally he croaked out a simple "yes". The growing tension in her shoulders eased, her snout smoothing. Good, he was cooperative.

"I'm looking for someone. I'm hoping you can tell me whether or not you've seen them, or know anyone who has." She said, skipping clear over introductions and cutting straight to what it was she wanted from him. She was doubtful that he would know anything, but had to exhaust all her options.

"She's a female about my size, maybe arctic, with ice-white fur and sky-blue eyes. It's very important that I find her." Oula said with great significance, as if the fate of the world rested on her ability to find this wolf. And to her, it did.

A single step forward was countered with a single step backward. Meager was his stuttered answer, but it seemed to please the monochrome she-wolf enough to cease further movement. If only a fraction. Rust tinged audits rotated forward apprehensively as Dorian awaited what further words, or actions this strange woman would offer in the coming moments of time. Singular optic darting between the sage shade of Oula's and the beige coloration of the sand beneath his paws. Onyx nails creating miniature grooves in the sediment out of nervousness. The young Gray just wanted to be on his merry way to enjoy the scenery.

"I'm looking for someone. I'm hoping you can tell me whether or not you've seen them, or know anyone who has." She spoke with a solid source of importance. Skipping over entirely the formal introductions he had expected to fall from her lips next. Instead, she was getting straight down to business. "She's a female about my size, maybe arctic, with ice-white fur and sky-blue eyes. It's very important that I find her." A white coated woman with blue eyes? Jogging through his memory bank, Dorian couldn't recall coming across a wolf with such characteristics. His agenda in life was to avoid others at all cost. Clearly he wasn't Mr. Popular who knew everyone who knew someone else.Shaking his head quickly, he remained mute. Unsure what may happen now that he failed to deliver the answer Oula was hoping for. "N-never seen a-another like that before, ma'am. I'm new to this place." Nervousness bringing forth his stutter once more. Yet again Dorian was good for nothing.