Word Count 491:: Do you want to block the fight out in PM’s so we can pp each other a little bit or what? Oh and congratulations on receiving the longest post I've ever written.
It was really warming up now. The heat clung to the earth even after the sun had left the sky. Because of this Zalen had been avoiding moving about during the day, the sun basically boiled the energy right out of him, and heated his ebon fur like nothing else. He could barely stand it, so he had become somewhat of a night owl. But the change in sleep schedule had finally taken its toll and sometime earlier in that morning Zalen had retreated to the relative cool of his den for a nap.
Now it was mid-morning, the orange rays of the sun had finally crept into his shallow den and danced over his eyes like little fire demons. With a groan he opened his eyes to slits and looked out into the woods just beyond the mouth of the cave. Already the trees and ferns seemed to wilt in the days swelter. He rolled over onto his stomach (he had been sleeping on his back) and the damp fur of his back stuck up in dirty mats. He would have to take a bath again soon and what a relief that would be.
He was stiff and groggily stepped into the filter sunlight to stretch. He could feel his engorged muscles become more malleable now. He found it much easier to rebound in Secui form than any other. This physical state was built for speed, endurance and recovery but did not lend well to heat maintenance. Zalen was about to shift into Optime, a form that would allow him to regulate temperature through sweating as well as panting, when a sound met his sensitive ears. Quickly the grogginess left him and he became alert.
It was a strange sound, one he didn’t quite recognize. The closest he could guess was a very large deer or elk but the sound abruptly stopped and he heard the animal mutter. He then realized it was a horse he was hearing. Zalen had recently learned that some Luperci chose to keep horses for transportation. He remembered thinking this was a bit silly, seeing as the Secui form was best for travel, but he supposed those who preferred Optime form would find horses quite useful.
Then the smell of a wolf came to his inky nostrils and he began to feel on edge. He knew he had sufficiently scent marked the surrounding area and wondered why someone would leave their horse a ways off before approaching him. This all did not sit well with him and he became increasingly anxious. This was very strange, ominous even. He felt a growl rise in his throat as his fur stood on end and his tail became ridged. Then he heard the trespasser’s pad falls and he took a step towards its direction, tail now completely erect. In the sunlight and approaching Secui wolf glinted like gold. Zalen released a low and intense bark, "You! Identify yourself!"
