The Wildwood let the night liberate your soul

The regal wolf had not strayed far from Swift River since he had discovered the state of it's female leader and future. Corinna's ragged and distraught appearance haunted him each time he closed his eyes, and while Ruiko worried deeply for his missing brother, he could not help but feel anger at the male just because of the state of his family. Deep down the tawny wolf knew something devastating something had happened to keep Indru from his family, but that didn't stop his illogical anger at the fact that his brother had let something happen to him when so many counted on him.

The hefty wolf hadn't set paw in the Wildwood since his foreboding visit with Ozera, who in turn had also left Swift River and it's whelps to their demise. Pitiful. Long forgotten was the crimson blood that had been dangerously placed on a large rock on far from his current position now; instead, his mind was solely focused on finding a meal to not only feed the small mouths of his nephews and niece, but one that would fill the belly of their delicate and pretty mother.

With the sun beginning to set in the horizon, Ruiko stalked his figure closer to the ground, his gaze finally falling upon prey that would at least help soothe the hunger pangs of his family. With a growl, the golden male leapt forward, his paw agilely striking the pheasant as it's feathers lifted to run; having stunned his prey, the Tainn males jaws clamped tightly with a deathly grip upon the creature's throat. As the taste of blood filled his senses, Ruiko Tainn released his anger with a snarling growl that echoed the oncoming night's silence.

(This post was last modified: Aug 24, 2011, 11:51 PM by Ruiko.)

After her rocky arrival, rolling about in the fiery flowers, Anais had hardly stopped moving. Thankfully she'd been provided with some short-term companionship from the wolf who she had encountered there, but it was time to move on. Her stores were stocked, and it was time to see what else lay on the other side of the mountain. Perhaps more wolves to collogue with, unless she ran into a pack, and in that case, there would probably be no speaking merely chasing and teeth. A smile curled along her muzzle at the thought, as shade began to cloud over her. It had already been relatively dark, but coupled with trees above her head, Anais came to discover she had entered a new place.

Sniffing the air, there was something strange in the scent of the forest. The creme female went on, letting her nose twitch absently while her eyes searched more deeply for clues. Many of the trees appeared...smaller. Her ears twisted back at this discovery. Had there been a disaster of some sort within this land? Fire? The thought made the fur along her hackles rise. She, in her four years of life, had never encountered flames but from quite a distance. It turned the sky black and seemingly destroyed all in its path. But she had not noticed destruction before she'd reached this point.

Something had quelled the fire. Rain, perhaps, seemed the only real option. Her attention was then grabbed by the feral snarl echoing between new and old trees alike. The smile reappeared, and she took after the sound, slithering skillfully between the flora, hoping to find her target before the sun was truly gone. Anais slowed as she took the scent in again, picking out the odor of wolf among the green. It was strong and mingled with that of blood. Someone was hunting. Her own stomach made a mild protest of its own, although she had eaten only earlier that day. She began to move slowly now, peering carefully around the growth until she discovered the hunter. <b style="color:#bd6778">"Hungry?" She asked, her voice low, but not quite a whisper as she revealed herself, her posture neutral, though her voice betrayed her. It took quite a bit of pushing to meet others, though being in this new place, that was something she was actually quite apt to do. Eventually it would have to stop, but for now, she still had quite a bit of looking around to do. <b style="color:#bd6778">"speech."

There was a flurry of motion the minute his jaws began to tightly squeeze his unsuspecting victim. It had been a swifter hunt than normal, and Ruiko was thankful it had been so, for Corinna and her pups needed nourishment as soon as they could receive it. With a vicious shake of his muzzle, the tawny hunter drained the life of the prey, and only when it’s body lay limp did the wolf settle it between his paws.

A low yet feminine voice echoed the silence of the dead woods, and the regal wolf jerked his crimson-stained muzzle in the direction of the she-wolf. Tracing the blood with his tongue along his lips, the large male cast a quick glance across the pale girl, his shoulders lifting in a shrug. “No,” he responded, his figure shifting ever more protectively over the meal. “This is for my family.” It felt strange to say – his family for such a long time had only consisted of he, Kinis, and Ranger. Yet with Indru’s disappearance and Swift River’s gradual downfall, he knew Corinna was hanging on by a thread, and he had already made the decision to casthis own thoughts and plans aside until they were living a stable life again.

He had yet to decipher the she-wolf’s intentions, but because of his sister’s circumstances, Ruiko Tainn was fully prepared to fight for this catch, and he wouldn’t pull a simple stunt of just protecting this meal. He would make sure she would regret even looking at the pheasant hungrily.

Her chest expanded as she breathed in through her nose, taking in the scent of the pheasant. Again, her stomach complained and she silenced it with the reminder that it had only been hours since her last meal. Besides, she would not demote herself to fighting others for her meals. It was footle. Too many feathers anyway, and he was quite a big boy. But most of her actions were far beyond her control, the motions and words being acted out before her mind had a chance to censor them.

When she finally had his attention, she moved in a bit closer. She was still a safe distance away, though the word "safe" was quite loose in Anais's world. But it was getting dark and she refused to conduct a conversation with anyone that involved raising her voice or squinting. He did seem quite set on protecting the food, and she stopped suddenly as he curved, abruptly dropping her rear upon the earth. His family, eh. Anais scoffed, tossing her head back as she did so, before dropping her eyes on him again, <b style="color:#bd6778">"Quite a sad little bird. You must be desperate. Worry not, I have no intention of wresting you of your meal. Besides, I'm not stupid." Her tail swept around her haunch.

Her dirty yellow eyes searched around for a moment, taking in the darkening expanse of large and small trees, before she closed in once more. There was an exasperated look on her face, as if the words that were about to leave her lips pained her to speak them, and she exhaled in a dramatic fashion. <b style="color:#bd6778">"What is this place called?" Her question was rather general, as she honestly didn't know the name of this land, nor of the forest she was currently standing in. Any name at all would help her out. <b style="color:#bd6778">"speech."

The pale girl moved closer to him, stirring one sharp canine to slip out past his lips in warning for her not to come any nearer to him. His hackles bristled lightly, only smoothing when the stranger settled herself abruptly to her rump, though his guard was not yet down. It was getting dark, and he had finally found a meal to give to Corinna and her pups; his sad little bird was going to feed three hungry little mouths.

She seemed uninterested in much, and the sudden dramatic look that blanketed her features drew a derisive snort from the large male. “Wildwood,” he answered in monotone, his eyes glancing over her once more before his muzzle bent down to begin plucking a few of the feathers from the meal. He wasn’t about to let Corinna clean it, and the moment he swept back in to Swift River lands he was certain she or Triell would be there to greet him and wish to take over the daunting task. When he had said he would provide for them, he had meant in every aspect.

I'm just going to end this really fast. I've decided to bring Borlla back, and drop Anais. Sorry. :C

The male seemed quite stuck on protecting his meal, and she regretting even bothering to strike up a conversation with him. How unpleasant. And she didn't like to socialize. His response was enough for her, and she gave him a curt nod. <b style="color:#bd6778">"Thank you," Anais sniffed, and began to turn away from him. <b style="color:#bd6778">"I'll leave you to your skinny bird." Nodding again, she turned back through the trees, and disappeared. <b style="color:#bd6778">"speech."