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Youth had risen early to put a fresh start to her day. There were still those missing links to heritage that she had to find. Those of relation whom she had yet to meet. But then that was a constant task that would remain until it was actually completed and she was united with her father. No doubt that by that time she would have yet another task that she had set for herself to complete. Such as learning to shift. That is what today's agenda held in store. Her sister had told her to concentrate and see what she wanted to become.
Most of the morning had been devoted to that. At least until hunger gnawed at her stomach. At taht signla she had to take a break from practicing in order to hunt. Little did she know that someone else had the same idea. Only their tastes were for larger game than what the lass was after. The feline watched the movements of the pup in predatory silence. With the stealth and grace that a cat possesed the cougar stalked the canine. It's fluid movements kept itself hidden from all of Selene's senses. At least until it was too late.
The maiden named for the moon had been just about to secure her own meal when claws scratched against her flank. Her own leap for food having put just enough distance between herself and the large cat so that she wasn't captured. Though the scrape of claws had her faltering. The prey item quickly skittered off while Selene landed roughly. The quadraped wolf toppling onto her side. Her snapped around to notice what had hit her was on its paws and quickly closing the distance that had been created.
Quickly claws scrabbled against the ground in order to gain the leverage that she needed to pick herself up. "Help! Please! Someone!" Voice was raised to ring out across the lands of Storm though it quickly was cut off with a yelp as a large paw swiped at her. Selene found herself backing across the ground, unable to take her eyes of the cougar. It was only when a hindpaw lost the soild ground to land in rushing water instead did her movements cease. The feline seemed to realize that the wolf was stuck and so slow stalk was maintained, the distance between the two closing leaving Selene no place to turn to.
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[html] http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j40/k ... efinal.png);background-repeat: no-repeat; padding-bottom:140px; background-position: bottom center;">This... kinda got away from me. XD 809!
The Alpha of Storm sat, a lone figure at the pack’s border. While this seemed like a random place on the expanse of the territory, this was where Phoenix had last seen his mate. She’d left to find their missing child, and though someone needed to do it, Phoenix desperately missed her. Iskata had been his strength, his inspiration, the main reason why he had finally accepted the position of alpha. She was the cornerstone that supported him and gave him resolve when he needed it. Whenever he began to doubt he could do this, all he needed was to just look at her and his children to be reminded of why he was doing this.
Now, three of those struts were gone (counting his other absent daughter). Iskata had not only been his source of strength, but she’s also been a comfort when things got hairy, the warmth he could come home to and put his troubles aside in the evening. The children also missed their mother, and even though they had their older siblings to help Phoenix look after them, they could not fill the void Iskata left. She left w hole in his heart and soul, and the massive male, for all his physical strength, felt weary.
The entire pack looked up to him—over a dozen wolves, all reliant on him for one thing or another. Phoenix had recently appointed a second in command but he still felt the burden hardest to bear weighing heavily on his shoulders. Sighing, Phoenix slowly lifted himself back on all fours to patrol the rest of the border, considering asking someone else to take over guard duty on this section of the pack lands. He hated being reminded of the woman who’d left with his heart every time he walked by.
A scream alerted the young alpha and snapped him violently back into the moment. Almost reflexively he was running towards the voice of the imperiled pup before her voice even fully registered in his mind. He recognized Selene’s voice, the young girl searching for her father. Phoenix wished he could help her with that, but all he could do was offer her a place to stay and an open invitation to come to him for any advice if she needed it. Thus far she seemed independent enough, but after taking in so many pups Phoenix habitually wished he could do more to help.
Well, it looked like he was going to get a chance, though in a much different way. A cougar had somehow slipped past their guard, most likely slipping in through the area of Storm unwatched due to the avalanche. However it had come in, though, it was going out. Thanks to an adrenaline explosion Phoenix managed to shift into his halfling form as he ran, something he had never tried to do before. With a vicious growl Phoenix leapt onto the cougar. He and the feline seemed evenly matched in bulk and muscle, but it had sharp claws and even sharper fangs that put a wolf’s blunt ones to shame.
Phoenix had one other advantage though, and that was the element of surprise. Unfortunately he didn’t have the chance to utilize it properly before the cougar recovered and wrapped itself around Phoenix, managing a bit into the back of his neck. Phoenix growled in fury and struggled to get free. The cougar’s bite was deep enough to draw blood but not enough to lock on to him permanently. Gathering enough muster, Phoenix managed to yank himself out of the bite, though not without sacrificing some flesh and fur in the process. Wolf and cougar stood on their hind legs and clashed into each other again.
A few minutes into the rapid-action battle, Phoenix was already growing winded from his long run and suddenly he realized that he had no hope of surviving one-on-one combat with this predator. He’d killed two cougars before in his life but this one was stronger and fitter than either of them. Desperate, he lowered his head and rammed the cougar, pushing forward and not stopping until both fell into the icy river of the water. The shock of the cold water was enough to stun both fighters and end it right then and there. Stunned, the cougar allowed the river to carry it away. Phoenix attempted to swim back to land but his already waning strength was totally sapped. Gasping, heaving, he tried to drag himself to the edge, but the blood lost from the wounds on the back of his neck and the claw marks along his sides combined with his already exhausted state were his undoing. Just before his feet touched solid ground they went limp along with the rest of his body and he began to slowly float down river, after the cougar he had just defeated. | [/html]
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Like Phoenix, Pilot had set of to do some border patrolling. He knew Phoenix’s scent was nearby and, in fact, he hoped that he might run across the chocolate colored wolf. It only had been a matter of days since Pilot agreed to the position of Gamma and still he felt awkward with its title. He was hoping by crossing paths with Phoenix on his own would give him the opportunity to seek some assurance. If Phoenix thought he was the right guy for the job, then perhaps he was. He just needed a little bit more persuasion to keep him heading in the right direction.
The young wolf came to a halt near the scent-marked border, examining a trail of paw prints that trailed from outside of their grounds inland. For a moment he turned his head into the brisk wind as to try to catch a unfamiliar scent. But then, something hit him. Of course there were prints leading into Storm – he had accepted a new member with Dierdre earlier that morning. With the tension lifted, Pilot had to laugh at himself. It seemed that with this increase of responsibility, he was becoming more paranoid. Perhaps this is one of the things Phoenix was warning about when he first proposed the offer to Pilot. He supposed he’d get used to it in time.
As he walked on a familiar voice permeated the air. It was shrill – a call for help. Turning his head, Pilot realized that it was the voice of one of Storm’s puppies, Selene. He instantly took off in a full on sprint – not bothering to change forms as four legs permitted him to run faster. Unlike Phoenix, Pilot had been further away and arrived in time to see the two scuffling creatures tumble into the frigid waters. With a small whine of alarm, Pilot raced to the river’s edge, searching for any sign of Phoenix within.
That sign came when Phoenix finally surfaced, though he seemed too weak to make it back to shore. Glancing towards Selene one moment to make sure that she would be alright, Pilot took off down along to river bank. He was surprised at how swift the water was moving for the middle of winter, but soon came along side where Phoenix had been pulled to. "Hold on, Phoenix! I’ll get you outta there!" He knew that he would be able to jump in and held support some of his body weight, but he wasn’t sure he would be able to make it back out. At least, not without some help.
After a moment’s hesitation, Pilot leapt into the frigid waters below, crashing down and sending an outburst of water tumbling into the sky. As his body hit the water, he took in a sharp gasp before plummeting below. It took only a second for him to get moving and swim to Phoenix’s side. Taking a deep breath, Pilot grabbed a hold of Phoenix’s arm in his teeth. He should have shifted before jumping in, but had been rash in attempts to save his friend. With the water weighing down his thick winter coat, Pilot knew he wouldn’t be able to get both and Phoenix out alone. His eyes searched the river bank desperately. He could only hope that someone else nearby had heard the calls for help.
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Sorry for the horrendous wait and the short, crappy quality of this post. I wanted to get in here and move things along.
He could hear Selene’s scream before he knew what was happening. Before he was aware of it himself, he had flung whatever had been in his hands to the ground and ran, helter-skelter, toward the river. In a panic he realized what had happened. His father was in the water struggling for any kind of foothold on the rocks within, but with no luck. Then he noticed a white head bobbing up and down alongside his father and realized that Pilot was there. The muscled grey youth moved forward onto the bank, reaching out his strong arms for both of their coats. He hoped that he wasn’t too late to save them from the icy depths of the mighty river. "Pilot!" he yelled, hoping to get the male’s attention.
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Pilot’s stone colored eyes locked on to the form of Moon, whom until now, Pilot hadn’t seen much of lately. With eyes wide in shock from the temperature and situation, the male tried to propel he and Phoenix closer to the bank. Still keeping a firm grip on Phoenix’s arm with his teeth, Pilot only hoped that he could send a message to Moon with his eyes – Grab him! As the alpha’s son grew nearer to the duo, Pilot’s heart pumped with more adrenaline. If only he could get Phoenix out, then maybe Pilot would be able to crawl out on his own.
Swimming as close as he could to the bank, Pilot tried nudging the massive limp form of his friend closer to the Graduierter. They would have to rush Phoenix back to the dens – they were both in danger from hypothermia if they stayed in that river too much longer. Not to mention, he wasn't sure how bad the pup, Selene, was injured either.
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Moon could see that Pilot was having trouble. Wading into the rushing water carefully, he remained in the shallows and grabbed hold of his father beneath the arms as soon as he was in reach, dragging him backwards. Phoenix was a large brute, heavy, and muscular. It was hard for his shorter, stockier son to move him very far for very long. The cold on his legs was nothing compared to the cold dread that was seeping throughout his body at the moment. After depositing his father safely on the bank, as far away from the water as he could manage, Moon returned to Pilot. He grabbed the male around the torso and helped him to the bank as well, before turning to the white female he had met weeks earlier. She was a young, helpless thing at the moment. Once upon a time, Moon would have never gone up to a near complete stranger and help her.
But after his recent maturation, he was ready and willing to do almost anything to help others whenever they needed it. He picked her up bodily and carried her back toward the other two males, trying to wrap her softly in his arms while holding her firmly, letting her know that he was there no matter what. He looked at her for a moment, whispering soft reassurances in her ear, placing her next to Zori; luckily the horse had followed shortly after his quick departure and had arrived in time to help the wolves move the others along. He turned back toward Pilot and his father, heaving Phoenix up onto Zori’s back and draping the huge wolf across his companion. Phoenix was heavy, but the equine could handle it. “C’mon Pilot, can you get up?” From inside one of Zori’s saddlebags he withdrew three blankets. One he wrapped firmly around his father, the other he handed to Pilot, and the third he quickly fastened around Selene’s small, trembling form.
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