Kettle Pot Pond desperate and ravenous

@Greer (Anyone else please PM before joining)
Early Afternoon, Overcast, -4°F, -20°C

He had been wandering for hours.

Aching limbs carried him forwards in no particular direction, his only guidance being his frost-covered nose. The sky was dull and overcast and the heavy clouds threatened to rain at any moment and, had he not been so desperate for subsistence, Lorcan would have sought shelter some time ago. The incessant growling of his stomach kept him focused and determined, and stubbornly, the agouti male continued weave his way through the snow covered lowlands in search of food.

Black nose hovered an inch above the ground as he moved, searching for any trace of prey that happened to crossed his path. Occasionally though, he would pause and lift his nose to the sky and take a moment to inhale deeply, to sample the menagerie of scents which danced in the breeze. Up until now he had always been met with disappointment when he smelt nothing of interest, but this time—his heart quickened and he immediately froze.

Black nostrils flared as he swivelled his head slowly from side to side, trying to pinpoint the smell’s origin. The scent was faint, but it was there. Death. There was a carcass to be found somewhere close by. Without a moment’s more hesitation, Lorcan set off into a trot in search of the much needed free meal. It wasn’t long before he caught sight of a body of frozen water nestled within the snow.

As he approached the lake the scent of decay grew stronger, though it was still unusually faint. Even so, it didn’t take him any time to figure out where the stench was coming from. There three metres out from the edge of the frozen lake a half-submerged fox had met its demise. The frozen body appeared untouched, which signified its freshness as even the ravens hadn’t picked at it yet.

Hesitantly he touched his forepaw to the edge of the ice, testing its thickness, before he finally dared to step out onto the frozen surface. Dark nails clicked against the ice as he stepped over to the fox and sniffed it. Its body was bound within the ice and for a moment Lorcan considered just tearing off whatever flesh was still exposed, but then his stomach growled again and he swiftly changed his mind. He was going to retrieve the whole body, even if it took him all day.

Hot salmon-pink tongue began licking at the ice which sealed it in, working hard to slowly melt away that which bound his meal to its frozen tomb.

(This post was last modified: Feb 28, 2017, 07:23 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

sorry for wait :c <3

Greer was beginning to realize how big the lowlands truly were as he scoured the tundra for somewhere—anywhere—that would be suitable to place the newcomers at, as instructed by his sister. Somewhere close but not too close. An extension of the monadnock but far enough that these newcomers, these heathens, could not disturb the Whitestone wolves. More specifically, Morganna and her children. But Craw did not have to know that. The silver spider just had to know that the monadnock was already growing crowded with their growing numbers, and if they wanted to continue growing (and take over the tundra, or whatever) they would have to expand their territory.

Veering too close to the forest worried him, for the Rye wolves were already dangerously close to their home, and he did not want to step on the toes of the river wolves. A frown creased his dark features as he meandered through the snow-dusted tundra. He wondered if Capable had found anything during her travels. His frown only deepened as he made a mental note to seek her out to see what she had stumbled upon. The shadow preferred to work alone and not talk to anyone, including his packmates, but for his sister sometimes he had to make exceptions. The boy grunted at the thought, rolling his eyes to himself as he kicked at the snow, his pace quickening.

As he neared the frozen pond his deer-like legs slowed, brows knitting together as he padded, quietly, to the frozen edge. Greer was puzzled by what the pack’s healer was doing but his lips remained tight as he watched in silent amusement, his head cocked slightly to the side. He could offer to help but it looked like Lorcán had everything under control. 

(This post was last modified: Feb 18, 2017, 07:14 AM by Greer.)

Rank challenge 1/3

Two hours had passed since he had first discovered the frozen meal half-submerged in the ice. The agouti male had taken his time, carefully licking at the edges of the ice which locked the fox into its frozen tomb. Slowly the ice had begun to melt and, after working around the edges of the carcass multiple times, the fox finally began to move – slipping and sliding against the sharp edges of the frozen lake. Lorcan’s next tactic was to pull at it, to try and remove it from its icy enclosure in one piece.

It was just as he was finally beginning to pull the body free that a familiar scent hit his nose and his russet ears swerved towards the approaching side of footfall. Releasing his grasp from his prize, Lorcan paused to look up to meet the silver gaze of Greer. Immediately he felt uncomfortable. He had been working on it for hours and now someone had discovered him. What made it worse was that Greer was his superior which meant that if he was successful in retrieving the meal, his shadowy pack mate had every right to steal it from him. Lorcan was not in the mood for sharing. His gaze hardened but he said nothing and only chuffed before he returned back to tugging at the corpse. With any luck @Greer would go away if he ignored him.

Moving to put his back towards him, Lorcan gave a full more pulls at the fox’s pelt and then one final yank before the corpse slid free. Carefully, the subordinate dragged the frozen fox back to solid ground and moved to place his body between it and Greer protectively as he inspected it proudly. It would certainly help to stave off his hunger for a week or so.

(This post was last modified: Feb 25, 2017, 04:54 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

For a fleeting moment the Archer considered offering to help his packmate, but quickly dismissed the thought and remained where he was. It appeared that Lorcán wanted no help from the shadow, so he bit his tongue, his mercury gaze fixated on the agouti healer. Greer was enthralled by the older male’s determination, his head tilted slightly to the side. Regardless of the fox’s frozen state, it was unwise to turn away any food, even if it required some thawing. Despite the ache in his own stomach, the shadow was not keen on fighting over food. A little digging around and he would be able to find his own meal without having to steal it from his packmate.

After pulling on the corpse a few more times the fox was released from his icy grave. Impressed, the corners of his lips curled softly, a line forming in his forehead as he studied the tawny wolf. Lorcán made it very obvious that he was not willing to share. While Greer wanted to protest and declare that he bring it back to the Whitestone cache, he remained tight-lipped. The healer had worked hard for his meal and he did not want to take it away from him, no matter how hungry he or the rest of Whitestone may be.

His paws shuffled uncomfortably beneath him, his pointed maw angled upward as his silver gaze remained focused on his packmate. With his tongue pressed to the roof of his mouth he unfolded himself from the ground, his forelegs stretching out before him as he took a hesitant step away from the agouti. Now that he had seen the older male succeed in getting his meal from its icy grave there was no longer a reason for him to stay—especially since he was not in the sharing mood. Greer would find his own meal, elsewhere, without another present. He was sure that Lorcán did not need an audience while he consumed his prize.

(This post was last modified: Feb 25, 2017, 06:00 AM by Greer.)

Rank challenge 2/3

Much to Lorcan’s dismay, the dark shadow continued to linger silently at the edge of the frozen lake. The male’s nostrils flared in annoyance, sending a hot cloud of white into the air around his face as he continued to lick and pull at the lodged fox carcass. Occasionally he would glance across to Greer to that he was still observing, all the while hoping that his pack mate would take the hint and leave him to it. Had they stumbled across the carcass together things would have been different, but as it was, Lorcan believed that he had more right to the food than his dark superior. Hunger had made the agouti male desperate and so he was fully prepared to take a risk and stake his claim in front Morganna’s younger brother.

Once he had dragged the fox back to the edge of the lake, Lorcan made a point to position his body between the food and the shadow. Golden eyes looked down at his prize proudly, but he didn’t tuck in straight away. Instead his body stiffened, tall limbs anchoring him in place. He could still feel those metallic silver eyes upon him from behind and without turning around and asking him directly, Lorcan had no idea what the shadow was up to. The subordinate in him grew worried and suspicious of an attack, for it was well within Greer’s rights to reprimand him. The dark fur along his back bristled subconsciously as he grew anxious.

The sound of shuffling broke the looming silence behind him and, fully expectant for Greer to be storming towards him, Lorcan quickly moved to turn around and face the male. Charcoal black lips parted to expose white fangs and a low growl began to rumble in his chest, ready to defend himself and his prize. His tail dared to rise higher, making his objections clear. However, when his golden eyes finally had a minute to focus on his pack mate, he saw that Greer was in fact walking away. Eyes widened in surprised as he studied his pack mate's movements, keeping his eyes on him in case he should happen to turn around.

(This post was last modified: Feb 25, 2017, 04:59 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Hunger clawed desperately at his own stomach, for winter had not been kind to the herds in the lowlands, but he did not want to challenge the healer for his meal. After working that hard for a frozen dinner, Lorcán deserved every bite. No matter how hungry he was, the shadow determined it was not worth the fight. Despite his higher rank, the shadow was not in the mood for flashing teeth and arching his back. He could scavenge something for himself without having to steal it from his packmate. He did not want to upset his sister by creating tension between packmates. Things were already tense enough with some of Craw’s former packmates lurking around.

His skin crawled at the thought of them as he threw his chin over his shoulder, shooting the agouti another look. Initially the healer had shown some of his pearly whites, his lips curling back to reveal a snarl, but it quickly dissipated once he realized that Greer was leaving, not attacking. His hackles rose at the older male’s reaction, his own nose curling in response as a low growl hummed in his chest. But, instead of facing the healer he continued stepping away, his nose raised slightly to see if he could catch a scent he could sink his teeth into. One that did not belong to a packmate. He did not want to fight, whether it was over a meal or a rank, Greer was not interested. Not today.

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

Rank challenge 3/3

Lorcan had thought the battle won as the dark male moved away, but the Whitestone healer kept his golden eyes on Greer, just in case he thought to turn around and try and steal his meal. As he watched Greer step away, Lorcan let a low growl rumble subtly in his throat to make sure that the shadowy Whitestone male kept walking. His russet ears swivelled forwards and his black-tipped tail lifted and sway dominantly behind him to remind of exactly who had won the right to the food.

As Lorcan watched him, his dark lashes narrowed into slits when he noticed Greer shoot him a look. The dark fur bristled along his spine, making himself seem bigger and more intimidating. If Greer wanted to fight, Lorcan was hungry enough to take him up on it. Though the memory of Morganna’s warning did linger in the back of his mind and so he hoped Greer would just accept defeat and leave.

Greer responded by raising his own hackles and releasing a growl. Lorcan immediately took a single step forward, forepaw thumping on the ground as his tail swung aggressively behind him. Jaws parted to snap his fangs in the direction of the male, before glancing back protectively at the frozen fox carcass.

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Greer knew that he could do his job efficiently regardless of where he stood in the Whitestone ranks, which was why he did not challenge the healer. He also did not want to anger his sister, who had dismissed a Whitestone wolf due to a rank challenge that turned violent. So, without hesitation, the shadow continued forward, his shoulders sagging slightly as he maneuvered over the frozen ground. He would leave Lorcán to his meal and find one of his own, because sparking an unnecessary fight was the last thing he wanted. First, he would find something to satisfy the growl of hunger in his stomach, and then would seek out his sister to keep her updated on what had happened. Leaving the willows with his older sister had brought them unexpectedly closer, which he was grateful for. He had felt suffocated beneath the swell of Willow Ridge, feeling inadequate and unimportant. Moving north, to the lowlands, had allowed Greer to discover a purpose for himself. He would be forever grateful to his sister (and Craw) for giving him the opportunity to join them.

He dismissed the agouti healer with a sharp wag of his tail before he broke off running, putting as much space between him and the older wolf as possible.

One more post from you and then archive? :)

Lorcan was not sure if the dark shadow had taken the hint, or if he was about to turn around and start a fight. If he was, regardless of Morganna's warning to the pack, the agouti male was prepared and willing to thrash out for the meal he had worked so hard to retrieve himself. Golden eyes glared around across to the dark male and latched onto to Greer's metallic silver stare in challenge as he moved forwards to stomp his forepaw on the snowy ground. Charcoal lips peeled back to expose a set of pearly-white fangs - fangs which had yet to break into the flesh of the half-frozen fox carcass - as he snarled to defend his meal.

It soon became apparent though that the shadow wasn't actually in the mood to step forward and put him in his place. Instead Greer dismissed him with a sharp flick of his tail before running off. Lorcan's black tipped tail then rose to curl dominantly over his back, finally staking full claim over the carcass and his higher rank. As he turned around to hungrily sniff and lick at the frozen corpse, the Whitestone healer couldn't help but think it had all been worth it. Now at least after going through all the trouble he was finally able to enjoy his hearty meal in peace.

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together