Iridescent Lagoon slept on the shore

As Koda stood and spoke in accordance to her idea, Sibyl rose up on her feet as well. She had expected that the brawny wolf would have taken charge and led them to the beaver den. So his suggestion that she should direct the hunt caught her off guard. She had figured that he would have had some experience hunting the oversized aquatic rodents, but even barring that she couldn’t quite see why anyone would be willing to follow her direction. <i>“If you say so, sir”</i>, she mumbled, before setting off at a brisk trot towards the north end of the lake. She was constantly looking over her shoulder to check if Koda was following.

Sibyl slowed her pace and quieted her step as she and her companion approached the tip of the lake. The water was shallower than the rest of the lagoon here and tall reedy grasses grew up out of the water near the shore. A messy heap of branches and mud rose out of the water about 10 yards off shore. The dwelling was of substantial construction many seasons old, and Sibyl noted that it looked much too sturdy for a pair of wolves to bust into. They would have to play the waiting game. Beavers weren’t too hard for her to catch, but it was really a lottery whether a beaver would return or leave its den any time soon. And then she would have to intercept them before they could make it back to their impenetrable wooden fortress. If they did manage to make it back into the lodge she could forget about a meal that day because they wouldn’t be coming out for a long time.

With a small flick of her head she signaled Koda to the tall grasses and scrubby trees lining the shore. She crept along in slow halting steps and nestled down into the grass so that she faced the prey’s lair, her short stature easily hidden. She was so intent on her surveillance of the lodge, looking for any sign of movement in the water or heading towards the lagoon from the bordering trees, that she almost forgot to issue Koda some guidance. After all, he had never hunted the critters before. <i>“Be still and quiet, and keep an eye out.”</i> she whispered to the male, but spared him no glance, all her attention was devoted to the prospect of some breakfast.

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>OOC: Just a heads up, I am going to be gone for this weekend, and I may or may not be able to get a post in before I leave Friday. I'll be back by Monday :)</span>

Koda watched her carefully to see her reaction to his suggestion that she lead the hunt. She seemed startled at first and it made him smile, just a bit. Given her obvious quietness, pack or no, she considered herself a 'lower' rank than him. At the moment rank didn't really matter. They were simply two wolves about to embark on a hunt for breakfast together, so why not let her take charge and teach him something of hunting the large den builders? She had risen directly after he had and with the brief confused hesitation she quietly agreed and headed off towards the north end of the lake.

He gave her an encouraging smile as she looked back several times. It seemed almost as if she was surprised that he was actually following her, ready to take her lead. When they arrived he followed her gaze and spotted the large sturdy dam a ways out from the shore. It looked quite impressive and quite strong. As Sibyl signaled him to the small trees and grasses lining the shore. <i>Good.</i> At least they weren't going to attempt to swim for their breakfast. While he enjoyed a good swim, to be sure, the beavers would likely have a great laugh at the wolves in the water.

He followed the fae's lead and lowered his own pale body, and crept closer to the shoreline leading to the massive and intricate wooden structure. When she stopped and lowered her self completely it became obvious that this would be a waiting game. A test of patience. That he could do. Nodding quietly at her directions, he moved a bit away from her, but still within easy communication's distance and settled in for a wait. As he settled himself to the ground, he noted that the very tops of his shoulders might still be visible, so he held extra still so as to not attract any undo attention to himself.

It took a while, but after about twenty minutes he spotted two brown forms toddling from the water, their wet pelts dark and slick with water. They seemed to be heading towards a clump of trees about fifty yards off shore. His body tensed, but he held himself in check. He was sure that Sibyl had seen the pair, but he gave the barest tip on his silver head in their direction and waited patiently for her cue.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

The time slowly dripped by, the sun inching its way up the sky at a snail’s pace. Sibyl kept watch over the water while fighting back several yawns. Koda seemed to be diligently following her brief instructions, so she mostly paid attention to the still surface of the water. She noticed bubbles rising up from the water occasionally, in a line towards the shore. Sibyl leaned forward on her toes in expectation of a beaver to emerge from the water at any moment. Just then, one, no, two quiet splashes announced the exit of the short brown figures onto the bank, ignorant of the two sets of golden eyes tracking their every move. Sibyl bit her tongue to stop from laughing with joy; she hadn’t expected to be so lucky for two of them, two chances at a meal. She sent a small smile Koda’s way and noticed his motion, but she gave her head the subtlest of shakes. Not yet. If they jumped out now, the beavers would be spooked back into the water. If she waited just a little bit they would be farther from shore, and any attempts at their escape would be an awkward waddle across land.

The beavers hadn’t yet seemed to notice the two wolves lying in wait from the tall grass. The surrounding trees which protected the lagoon’s calm surface from disturbance by the wind also prevented the breeze from carrying the hungry wolves’ scent to the oblivious beavers. Sibyl couldn’t smell them either, but she could see them and they couldn’t see her, and that was good enough. They were waddling closer and closer, and it seemed their destination would send them walking past the two hunters any moment now. But she couldn’t wait that long and risk the chance the beavers would spot the wolves on their way past. She had to move before they reached her so she and her accomplice could have the upper hand of surprise.

Five yards away, about to make it to the edge of the wolves’ grass patch, Sibyl decided it was time. With a sharp nod to Koda, she leaned back on her hind legs and shoved herself up and out of her hiding place with the soft susurrus of fur against grass. A red and brown streak in the sunlight, she sprinted out and around the quarry. She didn’t have any spare attention to devote to Koda and what his plan of attack was, but she hoped he wouldn’t rush straight at the creatures and push them back into the lagoon.

There was none of the typical fear or timidity that almost always accompanied the little wolf. Her bronze eyes were hard, not fierce but focused, staring intently at the rodents as she quickly positioned herself between them and the water. The prey both staggered, at first unsure of what to make of the situation. The pair seemed to make a split second decision to divide, one working its stout little limbs as fast as it could towards the forest, the other running parallel to the water, possibly trying to out-maneuver Sibyl and make it back to the safety of the lodge.

Koda continued to wait patiently, despite his belly now grumbling due to the potential meal that was closing in. The wait would be well worth it in the end though. He approved of Sibyl's strategy though. He may never have hunted the water loving beasts before, but he knew that if they moved too soon and caused the quarry to <span class='word'>skirr</span> back to their aquatic haven to soon, the pair of them would be hungry a while longer. So they held their ground until the flat tailed vermin were far enough from shore not to make a quick retreat.

Sibyl finally gave the go ahead maneuvered herself between them and the water. Her confidence in her abilities was apparent and the Sibyl before the prey now was not the same one that had sat on the shore will him just a short while ago. He smiled at her, approving of her sureness. Then the little beasts decided that separating was their best chance. One was doing his best to outmaneuver the she wolf, so he leaped after the other that seemed to think he could hide in the still distant trees. Koda was quick to chase after the panicked ball of fur. The wily little creature attempted to dart to the side, but the handicap of his short legs was just too much and Koda was on top of him in an instant.

He bit at it and it whirled it's body around, catching him a glancing blow on the side of his neck with it's powerful tail. The strength of it's appendage caught him by surprise, but didn't make a difference in the end. He managed to get the beaver's neck in his jaws and he clamped down firmly with his long sharp fangs, piercing the tough skin. Then he lifted the creature slightly and flung his head side to side a few times until he heard an audible snap, indicating a broken neck. The creature went limp in his jaws and he looked back to see how Sibyl was faring with her own beaver, his eyes bright and his tail wagging in victory.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

The plump rodent shuffled its way down the bank but Sibyl had easily caught up with it. She spun around in front of the beaver to again block its path. The little creature became more distressed, and hopped here and there to try to work its way around the nimble wolf. Sibyl was biting at the air in front of the beaver, who was just quick enough to evade her strikes. But she was aware that they were both slowly backing towards the lake, the haven of safety for the pursued prey. She would have to end this quick or the beaver would soon be close enough to the water to slip in and disappear. She reached out and leapt at the beaver, legs extended to pin it in place and jaw wide to close around its body. But this was a crafty little rodent, and instead of freezing in shock it took the opportunity to dash beneath Sibyl’s suspended legs. She felt its wet body brush against her hind legs as it slipped out from under her and resumed its race for the lake. Sibyl made a frustrated growl and spun around. She wasted no time in chasing the beaver, but its stumpy legs hadn’t allowed it to run very far anyways. She caught up to it in a moment and sprung forward again. This time her teeth met with the ankle of the quarry and she was satisfied that it was almost over.

That was until the wriggling thing started whacking her in the face with its tail. Her nose smarted and she snarled, and the barrage of smacks forced her to let go of the beaver. Now she was getting annoyed. Bit by bit the beaver was making its way back to the water, and if Sibyl didn’t get it this time there’d be no more chances. Directing all her frustration into the final attempt, she sped after the beaver for the final time. She was running along side the rodent, glaring at its beady little eyes. She had to make this bite count. The lake was getting closer by the second, and just as the beaver’s toes touched the water the she-wolf struck. Her jaws wrapped around its neck, sharp teeth trapping it in place. The beaver flailed and shook her body with its efforts, landing a few more whacks of its tail on her. But she would not let go this time. She flung her head side to side, worrying the beaver far past the point where it ceased moving. She really just wanted to make sure it was over.

Finally she dropped the prey, convinced it was dead, and looked back up the bank for Koda. Her ears were perked and her tail wagged side to side, she was quite pleased with the meal she had won. It was hard to ignore the breakfast at her feet but she didn't want to tuck into it yet if Koda hadn't caught anything.

Koda was thrilled to see that the shy fae had managed to snag her meal as well and he gave her a woof of approval around the beaver in his maw. He then made his way over to her, picking his way through the tall grasses that had served them well in the hunt and half dragging his catch between his front paws. When he was in front of her, he set the fat little creature down and said, <b>"Well done! An excellent idea, hunting beaver. These ought to make quite the nice meal for us, don't you think?"</b> He bumped her catch into her foot, to encourage her to begin eating her hard earned meal and then proceeded to enjoy his own fresh, warm meat.

When he was done eating, he licked his muzzle clean of blood with his long pink tongue and moved to the water's edge to wash it down with refreshing water. After his thirst was slaked, the pale wolf curled up in the sun and kept one golden eye on the shimmering water and the other on Sibyl. He certainly didn't want it to appear as if he was ignoring her. He was merely contented with a full belly and a beautiful day. Not to mention, pleasant company!

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>(OOC: Would you maybe like to finish up in the next post or two?)</span>

Sibyl's ears twitched in response to Koda's muffled woof. She heard him immediately but had to look over the grasses a couple seconds before spotting his silvery shoulders bobbing over the tops of the blades towards her. She smiled seeing that he had also caught his prey and with renewed vigor she shook her tail again. Her ribs heaved trying to replenish her air after the chase, but she beamed a satisfied look up to Koda.

<i>"Nice work!"</i> she congratulated him, but wasted no time in returning her attention to the sustenance at her feet. White teeth flashed in the morning light and soon what had once been a beaver was little tufts of fur and bits of bones. She rinsed the blood from her maw in the lake, stealing a drink to quench her thirst. She returned to the pile of bones and flopped down beside it to stretch out in the warm gaze of the rising sun. The she-wolf reached out and grabbed a femur in her jaws to idly gnaw on as she relaxed. Her bronze eyes would wander across the lovely landscape, sometimes flicking towards her companion. She was quite proud someone had saw it fit to follow her directions, as foreign of a concept to her it was.

(This post was last modified: Jun 03, 2012, 02:12 AM by Sibyl.)

Koda smiled softly at the apparent contentment on Sibyl's countenance as she finished up her meal and basked in the sun with a full belly. He was glad that he had let her take the lead. The outcome may have been the same if he had, as she had followed the plan that his own brain might have come up with. However, everyone deserved to feel successful and little Sibyl must not have had many such moments, given her unsureness. He was more than happy to have taken a hand in giving her one.

After a good while of the two enjoying their sated bellies and the gentle sun, Koda rose to his feet and padded over to Sibyl. He gave her a small smile, before speaking. <b>"Sibyl, it has been my humble pleasure to have met you and hunted with you. Thank you for introducing me to the delicacy of beaver, as well. I shall have to add it to my diet in the future! Perhaps we shall meet again, but it is time for me to take my leave."</b> He then moved closer, slowly so he didn't startle her, and nuzzled the side of her neck in friendship. With a final whisper to her, <b><i>"Believe in yourself!"</b></i> he turned and left, quickly fading into the treeline.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

Sibyl looked up from her work on the bone to see Koda rise and move towards her. She tilted her head, red ears twitching, unsure of what he might say. She gave a hesitant smile in return to his and listened as he spoke. At his words her timid smile broke into a grin and her tail flopped happily against the ground. She nodded at his farewell before speaking up in her usual tiny voice, <i>“It was a pleasure meeting you too, sir. I’m sure I’ll see you around again.”</i>

She stirred slightly when Koda drew closer but relaxed as she realized he was just offering a friendly gesture. She barely caught his whisper and felt her face warm when she did, now self conscious. Luckily the little wolf’s blush was hidden beneath her fur coat. She watched his retreating form, and before he had gotten too far she called after him, <i>“I’ll be in Cedarwood Forest if you ever need to find me!”</i> If she didn't get lost again, at least. After finishing off her pile of bones and enjoying the bright morning, she headed off into the trees, towards home.

{end}