02-25-2009, 09:39 AM
It was a cool, still morning. No wind whistled through the treetops, no breeze rustled the low branches of the pines, whose stiff needles littered the ground in a carpet of green. These same needles shifted underfoot as a large animal shouldered past low-hanging boughs, yellow eyes searching out ahead, attempting vainly to pierce through the foliage into what lurked on the other side. Brennt was the name of this creature, and his senses and reflexes were sharp. His nose told him something resided behind the next cluster of needles, his ears strained against the oppressive silence, seeking any sound that might betray the one he stalked. The muscles beneath his loose skin bunched, and the wolf burst through the join between two trees; needles flew from the join and from beneath his feet, his head was low and his teeth were bared.
When Brennt came out through the other side, there was nothing. The smell of rabbit was strong where he stood, but the upset needles beneath his nose told the tail: he himself had been detected, and his prey had fled a moment before its death. Looking out in the direction of the smaller animal's flight, a slower, dimmer part of his mind considered giving chase, but after a moment, decided against it. He would be unable to catch such a small animal under the cover of these wide-based trees. He was not low enough or agile enough for such work. Instead, he would resume exploring this new place, as he had been before the smell drew the sharp attention of his baser side.
There were many heavy topics to ponder, but Brennt did not ponder them. He knew that the answers were not attainable for him. People liked to complicate things, to make their words or actions labyrinthine in motivation and goal. To understand those around him would be impossible, and he would get a headache considering it all. All he knew was that he had been forced to run from another pack. This time, they hadn't known it was him; at least, not until he had run. He had known that Pallok would pursue him, but he hadn't suspected that Fern would. While Brennt was dimmer than most, he was also too slow to get caught up and turned around in the maze of social interaction and subterfuge, allowing him to easily recognize much more basic truths about those around him. He knew that Pallok had wanted to fight him even before he'd eaten the pack litter, simply as a conquest of physical power. Pallok was a little smaller than Brennt, but faster and smarter, to the point that he considered himself better, Brennt knew. The fact that they were both the same age and held the same rank had added fuel to the rivalry the black and gray wolf had sought to foster between the two of them.
Nonetheless, when Pallok had finally caught up to him, Brennt had done well in the fight which ensued. The two made a good match at first, but with every wound, Brennt had become more enraged, whereas with every twinge of pain, Pallok lost heart. Pallok had tired quickly, where the child-eater seemed to draw on endless stamina. Ultimately, Pallok had paid for becoming separated from Fern, and his windpipe had been clamped shut by his enemy's jaws while he rolled over in submission, hoping to be met with mercy. When Fern found the two of them, she shrieked, and attacked him. That fight ended sooner. When it was done, and her leg had been bitten, Brennt had become possessed of a powerful urge, and sought to win favor. He had been sorry he had hurt her. He was willing to say he was sorry and not hurt her anymore. Then, maybe she would accept his advances. She was a girl and he was a boy, that was what the two of them were supposed to do. She had just screamed again, and limped away quickly. He attempted further to convince her that the fight was over and that he just wanted her to like him, and to love her back, like male and females do, but every time he tried to go further, she yelped and did her best to run. Eventually, he decided she was just dumb, and let her limp back to her pack. This place would be different, though. No one would think to follow him through the burned waste. The smell of burning wasn't around anymore, but there was nothing to hunt. Luckily, he had been rewarded by traveling as far as the mountains, because there was plenty on the other side of them to keep him interested.
When Brennt came out through the other side, there was nothing. The smell of rabbit was strong where he stood, but the upset needles beneath his nose told the tail: he himself had been detected, and his prey had fled a moment before its death. Looking out in the direction of the smaller animal's flight, a slower, dimmer part of his mind considered giving chase, but after a moment, decided against it. He would be unable to catch such a small animal under the cover of these wide-based trees. He was not low enough or agile enough for such work. Instead, he would resume exploring this new place, as he had been before the smell drew the sharp attention of his baser side.
There were many heavy topics to ponder, but Brennt did not ponder them. He knew that the answers were not attainable for him. People liked to complicate things, to make their words or actions labyrinthine in motivation and goal. To understand those around him would be impossible, and he would get a headache considering it all. All he knew was that he had been forced to run from another pack. This time, they hadn't known it was him; at least, not until he had run. He had known that Pallok would pursue him, but he hadn't suspected that Fern would. While Brennt was dimmer than most, he was also too slow to get caught up and turned around in the maze of social interaction and subterfuge, allowing him to easily recognize much more basic truths about those around him. He knew that Pallok had wanted to fight him even before he'd eaten the pack litter, simply as a conquest of physical power. Pallok was a little smaller than Brennt, but faster and smarter, to the point that he considered himself better, Brennt knew. The fact that they were both the same age and held the same rank had added fuel to the rivalry the black and gray wolf had sought to foster between the two of them.
Nonetheless, when Pallok had finally caught up to him, Brennt had done well in the fight which ensued. The two made a good match at first, but with every wound, Brennt had become more enraged, whereas with every twinge of pain, Pallok lost heart. Pallok had tired quickly, where the child-eater seemed to draw on endless stamina. Ultimately, Pallok had paid for becoming separated from Fern, and his windpipe had been clamped shut by his enemy's jaws while he rolled over in submission, hoping to be met with mercy. When Fern found the two of them, she shrieked, and attacked him. That fight ended sooner. When it was done, and her leg had been bitten, Brennt had become possessed of a powerful urge, and sought to win favor. He had been sorry he had hurt her. He was willing to say he was sorry and not hurt her anymore. Then, maybe she would accept his advances. She was a girl and he was a boy, that was what the two of them were supposed to do. She had just screamed again, and limped away quickly. He attempted further to convince her that the fight was over and that he just wanted her to like him, and to love her back, like male and females do, but every time he tried to go further, she yelped and did her best to run. Eventually, he decided she was just dumb, and let her limp back to her pack. This place would be different, though. No one would think to follow him through the burned waste. The smell of burning wasn't around anymore, but there was nothing to hunt. Luckily, he had been rewarded by traveling as far as the mountains, because there was plenty on the other side of them to keep him interested.