Bunny?

Black nose dug into the snow after a round black pellet that lay gently on the snow, just as softly as the rabbitie paw prints that barely sunk into the powder. Minos began to dig, though the scent of the small mammal was stale and lingered only lightly. He growled as he scrapped through the snow, the flakes flying to his side. No. There was nothing there. The white male stood, front half down in the hole he had just created with back end in the air, and looked out to see if just by chance he had scared another creature with his tactics. No. He saw nothing. Nothing came to his nose, at least anything that owned a cotton ball tail.

Bounding out of the small hole the Dahlian trotted to the next tree that called for his attention, and spread the Dahlian scent once more. Leg lifted, he heard a voice. Quickly Minos went into action. He bounded around the tree, turning to face the maker of the greeting. His tail waved, and he stretched his neck out to smell him. He smelled of coyote, and of the pack that had attacked his alpha. But those creatures had been attacking the brown wolf at the moment, and this male sowed no sign of wanting to hurt him. Though, it was important to be cautious. Would the tan male want to show he was better? Minos watched his body language and found no tension in it, so hidden agenda and hopes of showing that Mino was indeed the omega.

Minos stepped out from the trees cover, tall even but wagging with pleasant curiosity. The other’s tone had been welcoming, and so he took the invitation. “I’m Minos.” he stated with the next step closer. Yellow eyes blinked, ear forward and his front end lowered slightly in the beginnings of what might be called a bow. Testing the waters was dangerous. But he had yet to find a friend.

     The smell of what the other was doing was very strong, even if Nala had no idea what, exactly, it was that they were doing. Wrinkling his nose, he stepped forward more, having no concept of safety in distance. Truthfully, he did not even realize that this was the smell he was supposed to avoid because they were involved in the war. It had lingered on the young black puppy from the day before, and Anselm's reaction certainly had not been a good one (he had already forgotten the triggered memories of his siblings at the loud yelling), but the young coyote really did not know how to put two and two together. He never really saw the potential danger in anything he did, and this time was no different. Since they were not on Inferni soil, he was going to be as friendly as he would with anyone. There was no harm in that, as far as he could tell.

     "I'm Nala," he said, tail wagging excitedly behind him. This was great, the other one was nice, too! That was always important, since he was not really much of a fan of meeting others who were not nice. Briefly, his thoughts turned to the idea that this canine might be one of those that could change their shape and walk on two legs, but the thought was immediately forgotten. He never really could hold an idea for very long, he knew, but it was not really an issue for him. He sniffed the air tentatively, then motioned towards the trees awkwardly, asking while he did so, "What were you just doing?" Having never lived in a pack or clan before coming to Inferni, Nala was not used to such things. His family had been alone, generally, and had moved around to where food was plentiful. This whole area was so strange!

White tail waved behind the wolf, a flag of surrender and hopes of meeting another non-aggressive creature. His front half sunk down another inch, eyes watching to see if the male would show any of the obvious signs of play. To Minos' delight his tail moved, quickly and with a tension-less excitement. Mino watched it, staring past his face, for a moment. A white paw reached out, hitting the ground in front of the coyote, testing again to see if his reaction would be negative. Minos heard the name, but the forgot it just as he assumed the coyote had forgot his after speaking it. Those didn't matter anyways only smells and sight did. Names could be changed, by those crafty enough to think of such a trick. It was hard to change the scent of a creature.

The sandy male walked towards the tree, and the white follower tilted his head in wonderment. His question was an odd one, and Minos did not know what he was talking about. His gaze drifted to the yote and then to the tree he was looked at. "That's mine." He spoke, some what mater of factly. The wolf walked to the tree, his nose forward to check to see if was indeed his his. To his delight it was, and the pack-wolf looked to the other canine and confirmed it was the nod of his head and a smile. He wasn't sure if the other was understanding completely, which was odd. Tree marking was simply natural, "You want one?" The wolf asked with a inquisitive face, there were plenty and they both could have as many as they wanted.

     No one had ever really played with him before, and seeing the happy and seemingly playful reaction of the white canine delighted him. The coyote grinned cheerfully, glad to see that this male was apparently much nicer than the little ebony girl. She had been terribly rude, accusing him and awesome Anselm of needing to die! But he had set her straight, yes he had. Anselm had helped, of course, with the physical part, but he had been the one to tell her she didn't belong there and that she was wrong about them needing to die. Obviously, she had been raised very poorly! "You smell like a little girl who came to 'ferni yesterday, but she was really dumb," he commented, having decided that was the only logical explanation for the way she had been acting and speaking. If his brothers and sisters had been there, she would have left crying. Nala certainly knew this from personal experience.

     Nala inspected the tree, accepting the wolf's explanation with a small nod. He still did not completely understand, but, well, if Minos said the tree was his, then it was his. It certainly smelled like him, in a weird, very strong way. Nala didn't really like that at all, but he certainly did not want to offend his friend! Nose still wrinkled, he turned to face Minos, minor confusion still decorating his young features. "What do you do with a tree?" he asked, unsure of any possible answer. He really could not see why anyone would want a tree in the first place. Could anything even be done with a tree? He certainly could not think of anyhing at all, but he really wanted to know what Minos was going to do with his tree. If it was a good idea, then maybe he would have his own tree, too. But if it didn't seem good enough, then he could just use Minos' tree, surely.

Minos found that he liked to smile around the tan colored canine. There was something about the male that made Minos want to prance about and play a game of tag. But the follower had more reserve then that, even if it wasn’t much. Yellow eyes watched his face as he spoke. Normally the white wolf was not much for conversation, but he usually didn’t understand what was happening or what was being spoken about. But, with a cock of his head he easily took in the observation that his new friend spoke. The little female? Yes, Mino knew of her. She had death in her eyes and smell little more then snow and the spice of a wooded forest and a mingling of the wolves that she lived among. Her eyes, her voice were both hollow. Dumb had not been something Minos had described her as before, he had thought her as hardly alive without the rotting stench. I know of her,” Minos explained. “but I think she was close to death.” he explained. Trying to tell of her lack of life could only lead to the word death.

His eyes widened with excitement as his friend looked at the tree. He was happy to run around claiming places with this coyote, perhaps playing tag at the same time. Watching his sandy colored face Minos turned unsure at his question. He didn’t really know what he did with the tree once it was his. But it was. Didn’t that count all the same? “Its just mine.” he tried explaining again. Trotting to the tree Minos walked around it, standing beside it with his head and tail in a dominant position. Did he not see? This was his, ownership was power. Running to the nearest tree the wolf looked to the other male in query, “This one can be yours.” He trotted back to the coyote, his tail waving.

     Narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, the young coyote considered what he had to say about the young Dahlian. She hadn't seemed like she was dying to him, although maybe Minos had met her after her visit to Inferni and maybe she was roughed up or something. Anselm hadn't done anything too bad to her at all, but maybe her body was just sensitive. He was not one to pick up on much, but he really had not noticed that she seemed to be dying, which was all that he could assume that Minos meant. That was what "close to death" meant, right? "Oh... Well, that's sad. She just seemed dumb to me, since she came to Inferni and all and told me and Anselm we needed to die," he commented, deciding that the puppy was not his concern anymore. Even if she was dying, he decided, he still did not like her just because of what she had said to Anselm and himself. It had not been very nice to tell them that they needed to die! Because, simply put, they didn't.

     Trotting over to the tree that Minos had pointed out to him, Nala sniffed it gingerly, still not quite sure what he was supposed to do with the tree once it was his. It seemed like he was just supposed to have the tree for the sake of having a tree. Well, Inferni had lots of trees, and they belonged to the leaders, and Minos had a tree, as well. He might as well have a tree, too! Then he could come visit his tree and make sure it was still his tree and such. "How do I make it my tree?" he asked, as he had already forgotten what Minos had been doing upon his arrival. "And do we have more trees?" Even without knowing what he would do with a tree, Nala was, admittedly, excited to have his very own tree.

Minos had a selective memory, quite selective in fact. At the moment he thought nothing about speaking with, and hopefully playing with, the Inferni member. Though, he wasn't certain that this coyote was a bad one since he had not tried to attach or dominate his yet. He smelt of the other canines that had attacked his leader, but even that was far from his thoughts. He resided in the moment, and thought lightly on the meeting with the dieing girl that the tan male spoke of. Minos laughed at the things he said, why she would say that to them he could determine. But for a pup to say such a thing was humorous, since she was almost dead herself. His chuckle died out as he replied, "I don't think she listened well." just as all good followers must. She had not listened to him, not when he had asked her to stay away.

They stood at the base of the tree, the coyote examining it as he rightfully should. it was silly to simply pick a tree without first looking it over and checking to see who else had been there. It was not as fun if you didn't cover another's mark, though it was likely dead in scent already. It was like stealing a piece of land or a possession from another, without them really knowing or being able to chase him down. These trees were lightly scented with the vague notion of another canine, but it was still fun to claim them all for themselves. The other male came up sort though. Face turned to ask Minos how such a thing could be done. The white wolf was surprised that he did not know (even if every question Nala had was leading up to this one) but happily and excitedly instructed, "Watch." Moving to another tree Minos sniffed it, standing beside it but then turned and sniffed it again. Satisfied that it was a good tree, the wolf lifted his hind leg closest to the trunk and felt the give of his bladder and marked the tree. It was that simple. Once he was done he stood before Nala, tail wagging. "There is a whole forest." He exclaimed, his voice more excited then ever.

     It did seem likely that the little girl, whatever her name was, was very bad at listening, indeed. Anselm had told her to leave, and she hadn't done it right away, stupid little girl. Nala was going to keep thinking of her as very dumb, instead of thinking about her in the way that Minos did. Even if she was almost dead, that didn't mean she could just do stuff like that. Shrugging his lean shoulders, the coyote decided she wasn't even worth thinking about anymore, and quickly diverted his attention to what Minos was saying and doing. Nala stayed beside the tree he had begun to sniff, deciding he was rather fond of this one already, even if he did not really know what he would do once he had his own tree. Well. . . He guessed he would really just have a tree, in that case.

     The process of claiming his own tree did not seem that difficult, he decided, watching Minos mark another tree as his own. Lifting his own leg, he waited a few moments, willing it to happen now, and quickly. He did not want to look silly in front of Minos! As the flow finally came, he grinned, peering at the alabastor wolf eagerly. "Like this?" he asked tentatively, though he was certain he was doing it right. He was, after all, mimicking Minos' actions, just on a different tree. After lowering his leg, he trotted to another tree, inspecting it as thoroughly as the first, taking his time with it as well. Nala had to be picky with his trees, didn't he? It wasn't like they could claim them all, he did not think. A thought occurred to him then, a very sad one indeed. "What if someone else wants my tree, too?" This would be very traumatic, indeed, if it happened.

Being with the tawny coyote was liberating for Minos. He felt as he had when he was a pup, before the real rules of those on top and those on bottom had pushed him below everyone else. He held rank in his new pack, but the chocolate leader would easily pound him back to the omega position if he stepped out of line. So Minos played the role of follower as the pro his years of submission had taught him to be. But here, it didn't seem to matter. And he waved his tail beyond his back-end with the energy of a folded eared blue eyed runt. A smile was worn, and he gave a encouraging "Yeah!" It was easy, but he figured the coyote was one of the smarter ones running about. He seemed it, knowing what Minos was thinking just by watching his form. Even if he didn't know that basics of territory marking, Mino figured coyotes just did something different. But nothing was as efficient as his method. "You need to fight to protect it." Minos spoke with a casual tone. Yellow eyes looked at the tan faced yote, before his front end fell to the ground in a playful bow. Tail waved, lips pulled back in a lazy smile. A growl came from his throat, but it was all in mock. The other might need to learn to fight too, and Minos shuffled to the side with an attempt to keep his stance as he tried to moved closer to the other's tree.

     Nala stepped back to observe his handiwork, glad for Minos' encouragement. He'd never had a tree before! Now he had one, and even if he didn't know what to do with it, he still had one. Not everyone had a tree. His brothers and sisters, they didn't have trees! And they called him the stupid one. Obviously, he was not, and they were, because he had a tree and a Minos and they did not. His puppyhood (not that he was even out of it yet, really) had been rather lonely, since his siblings had always told him that he was the stupid one. Woudn't they regret treating him so meanly, if only they knew that he had a tree and they didn't? Goodness gracious, it would be great! Then he could laugh at them, just like they had laughed at him, and he could be happy in his home in Inferni. Naturally, he forgot quickly that they were not really happy, considering the war going on.

     Wrinkling his nose, Nala decided he did not like the idea of having to fight for his tree. He was awfully small, and he had taken so many beatings before. What if he didn't win? "But. . . Couldn't they just get a different tree?" he whined, very unhappy with the idea that someone could try to steal his tree. It was his tree, Nala's tree! He whimpered in surprise at minos' change of position and the sound that came from him, but it did not cross his mind that it could have meant something bad. It never did occur to him, after all. He was mostly surprised, but he quicky dropped to mimick the Dahlian's position, wiggling his bum awkwardly in the air as he tried to tip-toe to his tree in secret. "Did you want this tree? 'cause it's mine, you said so!" It would be terribly silly of Minos to want it now!

Minos moved from side to side, a wide grin plastered on his face. He made the move towards the tree that Nala had just claimed, and then shuffled back away from it as the other male crouched into a play bow. His tail wagged, a playful rumbled echoing through his chest. “That’s the point!” his voice was uncharacteristically light hearted and high pitched. It was slight odd for the grown male to be acting like the pup he wished he was. Life was so much easier as a youth, no pressure, no rank. But as a natural omega Mino easily feel into the mindset, using the postures and the actions of a pup to ease the tension between he and another more dominant wolf.

Minos ran a few paces away, beckoning the other to chase. When he did not follow immediately Minos ran to the tree, nose low as he inspected it almost as if he was about to claim it himself. Yellow eyes did not look away from the other male and his smile did not fade. He touched it with his nose and then ran the paces away once more, jumping lightly as he did.

     Nala had never exactly fallen out of his puphood. He was still very young, and mentally, he had not progressed much at all. For such a thing, he was very glad to find someone willing to play with him. Everyone in his own clan seemed very serious all of the time, and he didn't really know what to think about that. It only made this whole war situation seem more daunting, since everyone seemed so worried or whatever all the time, and he never quite knew what to do about it. Now that he was away and had someone to play with, Nala was beginning to feel really comfortable in his new home, finally!

     As Minos moved closer to the tree again, Nala yipped warningly, his happiness evident in his broad smile. He launched himself after the alabastor wolf, excited to be moving and doing something apparently useful. After all, he was protecting his tree! And that was very important to his life, most definitely. "I'm gonna get you, I promise!" he said, grinning as he slowed down, dancing on his back paws a little bit as he mockingly threatened the Dahlian.

This was what the male needed. The pup that he had met, as Nala had, was half dead and not whiling to play even if Minos had asked. She had never answered any of his questions (as silent as they might have been). In his mind he had been as clear as day, and he was still certain that she was dead now. Her scent, the gaze of her eyes all told him that she was very close to loosing all life, and thus being a dead wolf. Minos had his alpha, which was caring and vicious as Minos was loyal and submissive and now the male needed nothing more then another that spoke as he did, could understand that Mino was no one to fear and thus no one to dominate.

Yellow eyes danced with excitement, his tail waving behind him and his stance tense with eagerness. He growled playfully, a rumble that was low and soft not hard and rattling in his throat, in response to the warning that the coyote gave. He spoke, rising to bat at Minos’ face. The wolf shrunk low, jaws snapping at the underbelly of the sandy hued canine. His voice came high pitched, the growl turning to mock snarl. Then the wolf turned on his heels to initiate the chase. He bounded, hopping in his step around the tree that they fought over. He had yet to have so much fun since joining the wolves he belonged to now.

He ran around, his pale body bounding and hopping as he moved around the coyote's tree and then through the other trees. His pink tongue hung out of his mouth, his tail waving behind him. Nothing made him happier, and it was a new and almost forgotten feeling for the male. He was normally just terrified, and feeling useless or worthless. But this was just fun! The male looked back to see the yote running after him just as he hoped. He wouldn't catch him, oh no Mino was just to fast. Though the wolf wasn't traveling at the speed he would have if it was a much larger scarier beast chasing after him, Mino was still moving quickly.

Oh no no no, never ever! Eyes moved back to his path, and the male hopped over a large tree root. He stopped, turned and crouched again so that he was slightly hidden by the tree's extension. Hiding was something that he was normally good at, but instead of using the tree and hiding completely Mino rose his rose over the root, watching for his new friend to make the turn so that he could come springing out and surprise him. Oh, what a very good plan.

Who was at war? Minos could not remember anymore. He could just let the time pass without much thought as he ran around with his new friend. It seemed impossible that they weren't supposed to be friendly, and even more impossible that they were supposed to hate each other. It was obvious by scent that the coyote was of the clan that had attacked his alpha, but it was even more obvious that this was the most funnest creature Minos had come across. And of course that outweighed any obligation that the pale wolf might have. No one would find out anyways, it could be their little secret.

Yellow eyes looked over the tree's root, watching as the male noticed that he was gone. He swallowed a chuckle, stifling his giddiness. He felt the urge to roll over in laughter, but kept somewhat serious and crouched still behind his hiding place. Ohhh the dark yote would not find him just as he couldn't catch him. As Mino though deeply on how an ingenious plan this was he didn't notice that his friend had caught his little paw in one of the tree's roots. He heard the falling thud though, and his head popped out with surprise. Quickly he jumped up and ran to his battered friend, prodding him with his nose. "You all right?", his voice heavy with concern.