Fallen Tree Cove To Behold the Change

His claws dug into the earth as he tried to keep up with the fleeing animals. But only the fastest wolves would be able to keep up with a deer and Anthem was built for stamina not speed. He couldn't keep up as the elderly doe raced ahead towards his sister and he watched as his sister's form launched itself at their prey and hit it. The scream echoed in his ears but he didn't flinch as he continued on. Angele's blow had hit but the doe hadn't gone down he needed to get their before it escaped from them with all the others. Then the doe was going down and he couldn't see what happened next as bushes blocked his view.

A snarl bubbled from his lips as he pushed himself to go faster until he was on the scene to smell fresh blood hit his nostrils and his sister's voice called for him. Rushing past her and the deer he quickly planted himself in its path fangs bared as his hackles rose. The deer whirled on him the whites of its eyes showing as it tried to dance away from the two wolves that had it pinned between them. When the doe turned to view his sister Anthem moved forward to sink his fags into its left thigh. The taste of blood filled his mouth and then he let go as pain came from his side as a hind leg glanced off him. 

He jumped back and flinched at the sharp stab. He had a bruised rib likely or at least he hoped because he didn't have a very good understanding of healing. But from what he was feeling and what he little he did know he thought it was bruised maybe cracked. A growl rumbled in his chest in displeasure as he stared at the doe.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

OOC: Sorry, not sure how to draw this out to a full 250 word post, so it'll be short...

It didn't take Anthem long to catch up.  Angele saw him on the other side of the deer, snarling and snapping at it as it wheeled on him.  When it turned to face her again, her brother rushed foreword and sank his fangs into the doe's leg.  The deer turned on him again, and Angele took advantage of the opening, surging foreword to bite her shoulder.  She leaped back to avoid the deer's hooves, satisfied that her teeth had struck bone.  Angele knew now that the deer wouldn't be able to run again; not only was it trapped, but two of its legs were now injured.  Even if it did get going, it couldn't run fast enough to escape the hunters.

Angele dodged another wildly-aimed kick and kept growling.  She'd noticed when Anthem had been kicked, and for that fact alone this deer wasn't going to get away.  The smell of its blood filled her nose, helping to sharpen her senses and determination.  A good meal for the alpha and his queen would be a good way to begin the conversation she had every intention of started as soon as the hunt was over.

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

Together we shall not stray.

@Angele  It's alright.

He shifted his weight forward and winced at his side let him know that it didn't like that. He growled at himself as he watched his sister move forward to bite the deer's shoulder and deftly avoid its sharp hooves as it tried to fight her back. Now it was just a matter of time before the deer feel to them. Two wounded back legs and a wounded shoulder? The doe must have been hurting badly but she was fighting them as best as she could. To be honest he was surprised at how much she was trying to stop the inevitable when they all knew she was going to end up feeding the wolves that stalked the area.

Anthem moved forward to snap at the deer quickly ducking as the doe's hind hooves swung near his head. He was thankful that he hadn't been hit as it would have been quite nasty for him. Taking the advantage that the doe had given him he launched himself forward to sink his fangs into her left side. His fangs glanced off rib bones but he could still taste fresh blood in his mouth and hear the cry of pain that the doe let out. He jumped back his muzzle stained red. His tongue slipped out as he began to pant moving slowly around their prey partly because he wanted to get into position for his next attack and partly because his side was bothering him. As he moved their was a slight stiffness.  

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Anthem darted around the doe and managed to take a chunk out of its side without getting hit again.  Angele smiled.  The deer was starting to get tired; she didn't expect it would last much longer.  As her brother paced around their prey, she noticed he was moving stiffly.  The kick, no doubt.  Angele's anger bubbled again, and she went straight for the face.

Standing up on her back to legs and jumping, Angele's teeth snapped down over the creature's nose, making it rear in pain and panic.  Its legs bumped her, but they would only leave bruises.  Forced to let go by the animal's superior height, Angele quickly jumped back out of the way of the churning hooves.  She snapped her jaws a couple times at the empty air between them to further panic it.  She glanced again at Anthem, wondering what his next move wold be.

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

Together we shall not stray.

OOC: I'm going to speed this up a little. @Angele

With his every move his side ached but the hunt was getting close to the ending point and he wasn't going to call it quits just from taking a hit. Angele and himself had been raised to take them and dish them out. A flash of movement and his sister was in the air her grip tight on the deer's face. If he would have had the time to truly watch he might have tried to figure out how high Angele's form was above the ground. It was no time for that though as he quickly went in to bite at the doe's leg once more. This time though he felt his fangs slice through the tendon that allowed the deer to move it's leg at all. He felt grim satisfaction as the doe flailed and he evaded the random limbs as it began to tip towards the ground.

He quickly looked over to make sure that Angele wasn't going to be squashed before he turned his attention back to their prey. If it was possible the whites of its eyes looked even whiter is it tried to frantically find a way to get out of the situation it had found itself in. Seeing that the doe was trying to get her front legs under her Anthem found himself moving forward to grip the doe's muzzle and effectively stopping it. Growling he began to pull as he forced its head down. This left an open expanses of neck for his sister to grab and bring an end to this hunt. Then they would be able to catch their breath.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

OOC: @Vespertio - This is backdated for 5/21, the day before the puppies were born.

Angele watched her brother duck in as she dropped back to the ground, and quickly scrambled out of the way before she was crushed.  The deer flailed, trying to get her legs back under her.

Anthem was having none of that.  He darted in again, snapping his jaws down over the creature's nose and yanking down as hard as he could.  The doe, which hadn't been expecting that, was left helpless for just a moment before should would be able to pull herself up with him attached.  Angele took advantage of that second to slip in and slash her throat, severing the jugular and releasing the creature's lifeblood upon the world.  Angle quickly scuttled backwards, snapping lightly at Anthem's tail to suggest he do the same.  The fight was over; the doe wouldn't be going anywhere.

She struggled for a few more moments to get to her feet, but the rapid loss of blood soon left her lying on the ground at the hunters' feet.

Angele inhaled deeply, allowing the scent of their success to fill her body.  She tilted her head back and howled, her cry one to both announce their victory and call @Vespertio .  Now she could talk to him about her rank ascension with meat to back up her usefulness.  She looked at Anthem beside her as she finished, eyes twinkling. 

"Good hunt.  You okay?"  She sniffed his side, where he'd been kicked.  She was no healer, but considering the fact that he was moving decently, albeit a little stiffly, it couldn't be too bad.

"Speech"

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

Together we shall not stray.

It was over as soon as his sister moved in and opened up the deer's neck. He held on for a moment longer before heeding his sister's unspoken warning and backing up letting the doe die without the fangs of some a wolf in her flesh. He watched the doe's futile attempts to stand almost feeling sorry for it as the light slowly faded from her eyes. It was the nature of things though. The prey were hunted and killed by the predators and there was no changing the way things were. His glanced at his sister, ears twitching, as she tossed up her head and called for Vespertio. He let her voice carry by itself not adding his own to the cry. His sister would be the one needing the audience with their King not him though he would stick around even if for amusement and to see what his friend said.

He let out a soft huff as he stretched out his limbs testing how much his side hurt from which movements before he looked up to respond to his sister's question. Feels okay I should be fine by tommorrow or possible the next. If it doesn't get better i'll go see the new healers we have. He commented lightly with a shrug. He hoped it would be fine and that he wouldn't need to be poked and probed by the newer pack members. Anthem hadn't officially met them yet and though he knew he should he didn't feel he should do it while he was asking them to help him out. It was like asking a stranger to scratch your back when you didn't even know their name yet and that was something Anthem felt just wasn't right. They were all pack members though so that should count for something. Right?

@Angele

(This post was last modified: Jul 20, 2015, 04:53 AM by Anthem.)

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

@Anthem @Angele

Liquid gold optics remained ever vigilant of the surrounding pines as creamy limbs marched rhythmically back and forth before the entrance of the birthing den Namid had chosen. There was a certain electricity in the air that charged the territory as a whole as of late. No doubt another indication of the rapidly approaching arrival of the pack's first litter and grouping of heirs. If the queen's recent irritability and inability to properly hold down food were not enough to point to such a conclusion. Any minute, hour, or day now the cubs could arrive to the regal couple. 

A solo song soon brought the expecting father to a halt, rust tinted ears twitching to and fro to catch each note on Angele's howl. The light coated woman was issuing a summons for the patriarch as well as voicing her triumph. Shifting golden optics towards the den's entrance, reluctance swam within his veins at leaving his beloved unguarded, but as alpha it was a part of the leadership title to respond to the needs of his pack. Prodding his head into the den a quick goodbye and I love you was muttered to the half drowsy queen before creamy limbs were once more set into motion. The earth flying beneath his mountain hardened pads as they carried him towards the source of the call. The sooner he could attend to his subordinate the sooner he could return to guarding his soon to arrive family.

Pine needles crumbled beneath Vespertio's weight as he galloped across his domain, pace only slowing once the intermingled scent of fresh blood and the Coldheart siblings washed over his senses. Habitually adopting a dominant posture the plush of his tail held a friendly demeanor within its slow wag. "Anthem, Angele." He addressed the two with a nod towards each of them, halting before them. Noting the slain deer at their paws. Then, dark rimmed skull rotated to focus solely on the light coated sibling. "You called for me?"

(This post was last modified: Jul 21, 2015, 06:44 PM by Vespertio.)

Angele twitched her ears dismissively at her brother.  Of course he was alright.  They'd dealt with much worse at a much younger, less experienced age.  Even so, she nudged him lightly.  "I'm glad you're okay." She said fondly.

She heard the crunching of pine needles and looked up, ears erect and pointed in the direction of the sound, body ready to defend their prey.  She relaxed as soon as she smelled Vespertio, however.  He padded around the underbrush and into the area around the kill, waving his tail in a friendly but still dominant way.  Angele dipped her head and returned his greeting.  "Vespertio." 

She nodded as he spoke.  "Yes.  I had something I wanted to ask you, and the opportunity to present you with this kill was just a happy coincidence."  She told him, sitting beside her brother.  "I was speaking with one of the younger members of the pack, and she asked me if I was planning on following my brother's example and making a go for beta.  At first I dismissed the idea, as I'm still fairly new, but I got to thinking about it... and I would like to try, with your permission.  I don't want to stir up any trouble without your prior knowledge and permission."

She paused.  She hadn't spoken so much in one go to anyone besides Anthem in a very long time.  Angele took a deep breath before continuing.  "I think it would be a good idea because - well, you don't know me, but Anthem can attest for my nature - I would be far more comfortable about the Queen's safety if I could act as... a buffer... between her and the rest of the pack.  I have yet to meet the rest of the members, but that is exactly why I think it might be good.  I have no ambitions of leading a pack, so you wouldn't have to worry about me trying to overthrow your mate as alpha.  Furthermore, once I get into a position to do good, I won't let it go easily.  You wouldn't have to worry about her safety."

Finally done, Angele sat quiet.  She hated talking, but it seemed best to get it all out in one go instead of inserting little blurts of reason here and there.  She glanced at Anthem, hoping for a sign from him that she'd said the right thing. Every word she'd spoken had been the truth.  The question was, would Vespertio believe her?

"Speech"

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

Together we shall not stray.

@Vespertio

It didn't take long for the sound of paws against the forest floor to reach their ears and Anthem turned towards the noise awaiting his friend's entrance. It felt like the two of them hadn't talked in a while but they were both busy and had things to do. He patrolled the border while Vespertio tended to Namid as they awaited the birth of the pups. It was likely going to be soon. When Vespertio appeared Anthem dipped hi head in greeting while his tail swayed behind him. He didn't say anthing though, Angele was the one who wanted to talk with their leader. The beta didn't even know if he should be here for this part their could be something that the two of them might want to say but wouldn't while they had an aduiance. Then Angele was speaking here piece so Anthem stayed where he was glancing between the two of them to watch their expressions.

When she had spoken all that she wanted Anthem dipped his head in a slight encouraging nod before he turned his attention back to Vespertio. He still didn't speak instead holding to the silence. He didn't add anything because he didn't want to change whatever thoughts Vespetio might have about the situation. Angele would have to trust their leader and his words and not rely on Anthem too much to help her out in these situations because he wasn't always going to be there to help though as her brother he wanted to support her as much as possible. 

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.