Don't Judge a Book By It's Cover
#1
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Hotaru Lives Hotaru TalksHotaru thinks


OOC: Ethereal Eclipse, Hotaru is in lupus form. Word Count: 503

Blood rushed through her veins as the wind whipped past her ears and the ground pounded below her paws. It's cold hard surface giving way to the weight of the wolf as her padded paws flew across the ground. Turn...now. She veered sharply as she remembered the location of the Ethereal Eclipse's most annoying tree. At least it was annoying in her mind. This tree was always right in the middle of her path and had grown a large dent on its side to due the grey wolf smacking into it so many times. But the pain was worth it, she knew where the tree was and could easily avoid it.


Up ahead, was a wonderful rabbit and it was following the path just beautifully. Hotaru could smell the hare, it's body releasing a multitude of enticing smells that were easy for the wolf to follow through the darkness. She continued to run, relying on memory, scent, and hearing to keep her from running into things. Suddenly a leafy smell became incredibly strong and pain shot through her cheek and sides, like being lashed by a whip, as the branches of a bush beat against her sides. She couldn't avoid all the obstacles, but at least she had come out relatively unharmed. Hotaru slowed down a little, her caution getting the better of her.


Still the she-wolf ran, her lupus form flying through the forest. Fawkes could be heard overhead, his wings beating against the wind and his cries directing Hotaru to her pray. They worked well, a seamless team that dived through the forest. Hotaru knew the forest, she had spent hours running through it and memorizing the trails. She was running out of time, soon the rabbit would be lost. Hotaru sped up again, but didn't dare to run at her maximum speed. That was still beyond the grey wolf. A warning cry issued from Fawkes, but it wasn't needed.


The grey wolf slid to a stop, her canine form stopping just short a den that the hare had dived into just moments before. Her nose searched the mouth of the den, trying to locate how deep the pray was. With quick steps, she began to dig. The dirt was hard and compact. In several places it was frozen, making it very difficult to dig. Even the wolf's massive claws could not penetrate the dirt in an efficient manner. Again, she stuck her nose into the den, and her ears searched for any sounds. The rabbit must have retreated farther into the hole.


A howl of frustration escaped her lips. Even after all of her preparation, all of her memorization, all of her work, she still couldn't catch a rabbit. It should be simple, easy in fact. Rabbits were fast, but they were easy pray. Yet Hotaru still couldn't catch one. She began to pace back and forth, her frustration building. Fawkes alighted into a nearby tree, his large form shaking the branches and causing the tree to groan in protest.

Table by: Alex

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#2
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OOC


Terra was sitting on a hill, enjoying the relaxing feeling of snow falling over her. It coated her fur, allowing her to blend in better than she would be if moving around. She watched a hawk fly over head, it's movements rather odd. Again and again it cried out, as if telling someone what was going on below it. Terra allowed herself to imagine understanding the message, holding the secrets of the birds. It faded though as the bird swooped down, a piercing howl of frustration cutting the air.


Curious as ever Terra stood up, shaking the snow out. She trotted through the ground, her secui form allowing her to cut through more easily than her lighter lupine. It wasn't long before she reached the wolf. At the female's feet was dug up turf from a rabbit hole. Someone had tried hunting and failed. Grinning jovially Terra dipped her head in greeting. Tough luck. Don't worry, they get away from me all the time. That was because she was a poor hunter, but Terra wanted to give some reassurance to the hungry wolf. There's a dead horse nearby. It froze to death if you're hungry. Despite having learned how to hunt and living in a pack, Terra was still a scavenger, taking food how and when she could.

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#3
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Hotaru Lives Hotaru TalksHotaru thinks

Word Count: 609

Hunting was frustrating, it was difficult, and above all, it was necessary. Up to this point Hotaru had been living off of the small game Fawkes had supplied her or scraps that others had given her. It was hard, and it had made Hotaru very thin. Thanks to Fawkes she was still eating every day, and this kept her healthy. But she could definitely use more meat on her bones, and thus she needed to learn how to hunt. Even Fawkes had his limit. He couldn't keep hunting for the both of them forever. The blind wolf had tried several times to hunt, all of them ending in failure. She couldn't catch anything and all she ended up doing was wasting her precious energy on stupid stunts.


The approach of a stranger went almost unnoticed by Hotaru and Fawkes. The two of them had been so wrapped up in the hunt that they failed to notice her presence. Hotaru stopped pacing at the female's voice. She turned grey body to face the stranger, taking in everything she could. The female smelled like a coywolf as well as a member of a different pack. The lingering scent of others unknown to Hotar stuck to the coywolf's hide. Her voice was unknown to Hotaru and the grey wolf couldn't help but wonder why she was here. Red-tipped ears flipped forward and then back again. She couldn't hear any footsteps so she wasn't able to judge how large the strange coywolf was. If only she would walk.


From high in the trees Fawkes was screeching, his wing flapped in annoyance. How dare someone get so close to his master without him noticing. Fawkes flew down to a lower branch, eyeing the secui. Her red, tan, and black fur didn't really impress him, but her size did. The strange female was much larger than Hotaru, but at least she was a respectable distance from the blind wolf. Fawkes screeched a few more not-so-polite phrases in low speech before shutting up. Hotaru was able to take care of herself better now and he knew she was well aware of the coywolf's presence.


Hotaru turned her head to the sky and gave Fawkes a disapproving look. She knew exactly what he had said and even if the stranger had sneaked up on them it was no way to start off a meeting. Even as the blind wolf looked up, her ears were still trained on the female and listening to her words. Hotaru wasn't really soothed by her words, but the promise of food was enticing. Still, why would a stranger tell her where there was food to be had? The coywolf was part of a pack and it would make more sense to let the pack know of the finding rather than a strange wolf. Hotaru kept her head raised and scented the air, trying to figure out if the coywolf was alone and the direction of the supposed dead horse.


A snowflake fell on Hotaru's black nose and made her sneeze. She couldn't smell the horse, but that didn't mean it might not be there. It could be down wind of their location, thus preventing Hotaru from smelling it. The grey wolf brought her head down a little bit. "Why are you telling me this? I don't even know your name." Her words weren't filled with the suspicion she felt, but rather a questioning tone. What the blind wolf really wanted to do was ask where the carcass was and run to it as fast as possible, but caution warned her to be wary. It could be a trick, or a trap.


Table by: Alex

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#4
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OOC


There seemed to be a lot of things out here that took a dislike to the coyote right away. Terra hadn't done anything wrong, being upwind from the other and not done anything specific to hide her presence. The hawk was still chewing her out though, screeching a lot of noises that Terra was pretty sure would be insults if she could understand them. Terra had half a mind to chuck insults back at the bird, but didn't want to seem so childish, especially if it hadn't been aimed at her. Then again, the wolf turned and shot a scolding look at the bird, so maybe it had been exactly what Terra had thought.


Brushing that aside Terra grinned. My name doesn't matter much. You can smell who I am, can't you? That was her primary way of collecting information. Identify the scent and Terra would know it anywhere, whether or not she had a name to go with it. Names were only useful when trying to track someone down, and Terra didn't feel like the stranger had a reason to track her. She wasn't going to give the female a way to do it, anyways. I'm telling you because I'm not hungry and it would be a shame for the food to go to waste. I'm too weak to take it back to the pack from so far away. Someone might as well enjoy it.

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#5
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Hotaru Lives Hotaru TalksHotaru thinks

OOC: Sorry for the wait. Word Count: 407

The blind wolf wasn't particularly perturbed by the coywolf's sudden appearance. She had basically allowed the act to happen by only focusing in on one thing, a deadly mistake for one who couldn't see. Still, Fawkes hated the idea, although it was understandable in a way. The red tailed hawk couldn't still forgive himself for "allowing" her brother to sneak up on Hotaru and injure her. But Hotaru never once blamed Fawkes for the act. It was her brother who had betrayed them, not her loyal avian companion.


For one reason or another the stranger was intent on keeping her identity a secret. This immediately aroused suspicion in Hotaru's mind. Why didn't she reveal her name? Although it was true she could identify the stranger by scent it was only polite to give one's name in greeting. Yet this stranger ignored such common curtsies. Very well, if the strange coywolf wasn't going to share her name, then neither would Hotaru. It was time to play ball.


As the stranger explained her action's Hotaru brought her head down so she could better listen to the stranger. The grey wolf was determined to find out everything about the stranger before her. The coywolf's reason for telling Hotaru about the carcass seemed sound enough. Even so, Hotaru couldn't help but wonder if the coyote-mix was as weak as she claimed to be. Without raising her head Hotaru called up to Fawkes in low speech, asking the bird for a description of the strange canine. Hotaru expected Fawkes to respond in low speech, but instead he called down in high speech, "Small dog." Hotaru didn't react to Fawkes's description of the coywolf. She knew this was the birds way of getting his revenge against the coywolf. After all, what greater insult can there be than calling a greater canine a dog. At the same time, the bird's words gave Hotaru an idea of how large the stranger was. If she was as small as a dog, even a larger dog, there was no way she could handle an entire horse carcass by herself.


For now, the blind wolf would trust the stranger's words as there seemed to be no false information in them. Politely Hotaru said "Sorry about him, he's just a little grumpy. Thank you for the information, would you mind doing me a favor? I can't smell where the carcass is so could you lead me to it? "


Table by: Alex

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#6
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OOC


Strangely, the wolf before her lowered her head to listen to what Terra was saying. She cocked her head, trying to figure out the reason behind it. The wolf was acting rather strangely, staying still and not meeting her eyes like a submissive wolf would. Terra didn't really get it, and stretched her head forward to see if something was the matter. Terra didn't smell any fear. In fact, the wolf was a little edge but otherwise perfectly fine. She couldn't imagine why the wolf was doing this.


The hawk spoke, and Terra's head snapped around. Now she knew the bird was mocking her. She barked up at the bird in the strange mix her half breed gave her. Small sparrow. Terra danced back a few steps, eyes lighting up with the prospect of trading taunts back and forth with the bird. Coming up with better and better insults would be a fun challenge, as long as neither of them took it too seriously. The female spoke again though, and Terra's mind returned to the matter at hand. Sure. Follow me. Terra walked sprightly through the snow, her paws carrying a jaunty pride in them. She was happy, and felt safe. It was only a few feet into the forest when they came across the frozen corpse sitting half in the frozen stream. Terra sat down, tail curling around her feet. There it is. Terra tipped her head towards the carcass, and waited for the other to eat.

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#7
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Hotaru Lives Hotaru TalksHotaru thinks

Word Count: 325

Fawkes listened as the stranger barked at him, her strange mix making the bird practically smirk. For once, someone was throwing insults back at him. Most canines didn't bother to give him the time of day, or if they did it was to swoon over him. He didn't mind being swooned over, but he hated to not be taken seriously. Fawkes cried back in low speech, using many colorful words that only made sense to birds. After a few short seconds of low speech insults the bird switched to high speech, "Multicolored mutt."


One of Hotaru's red tipped ears was trained on Fawkes, listening to his insults. What on earth was a colorless Pitohui? At least Hotaru got what she wanted. The blind wolf listened carefully as the coywolf danced a few steps, are footsteps light and nearly silent. She was small and light on her feet. Her tone of voice was strange as well, it seemed as if she enjoyed spewing curses at the red tailed hawk, and Hotaru knew Fawkes was enjoying the attention.


Eventually the strange female turned her attention back to Hotaru, ordering the blind wolf to follow her. Fawkes flew next to the coywolf, hopping from branch to branch and occasionally calling back to Hotaru to give her directions in low speech. By following their sounds and the hawk's directions Hotaru was able to keep up. She still treaded carefully, trying to avoid the majority of the obstacles in her path. The coywolf's scent trail was particularly useful for that because she too would try to avoid the bigger obstacles.


It wasn't long before they arrived and the smell of a decaying carcass filled her nostrils. Hotaru strolled over to where the horse was and tripped over one of its legs. The grey wolf managed to right herself just in time before she face planted the dead horse, cursing all the while at her luck. It just wasn't her day.


Table by: Alex

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#8
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OOC


The hawk broke out of high speech again, resuming his rant in a language she didn't understand. Patiently she waited until he said something she could understand. Grinning she shot one right back. Flightless birdbrain! She really was enjoying this. It would probably escalate, each side trying to come up with better and better insults as they went back and forth. Not just a test of endurance, but of cleverness as well. Exactly the kind Terra loved.


The wolf walked over, smelling the corpse. Terra was rather proud of this find, half frozen as it was. Surprisingly though, the wolf tripped over the leg. She almost planted face first into the meat, sending a string of curses through the air. Terra laughed, amused. Blind as a bat, are we? Terra was teasing, thinking that the wolf was really clumsy to hit the leg like that. It still hadn't occurred to her that such a confident wolf could actually truly be blind and hold a conversation with her without fear.

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#9
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Hotaru Lives Hotaru TalksHotaru thinks

Word Count: 370

Fawkes was very quickly running out of words that he could use in high speech. It was obvious from the coywolf's lack of reaction that she didn't know avian low speech and therefore couldn't understand the insults that he was throwing at her. Most of them he believed to be quite clever, although they wouldn't make sense to anyone but a bird. He on the other hand, understood her insults quite well. He ruffled his feather's angered to be called flightless. He spread them wide, flapping several times and causing the branch to shake. He was the wolf of the sky, not some downed dodo.


Fawkes tried one last time to throw an insult at the strange canine, his words ending before his wits. "Spineless skink." Hotaru rolled her eyes at that one, doubting he even knew what a skink was despite the fact that they lived in North America. He had picked up the word when he was younger and quite enjoyed the way it rolled off his beak.


As Hotaru worked to right herself she couldn't help but notice that the coywolf was laughing at her. It was truly embarrassing to be laughed at by a smaller canine. Hotaru turned flashing her teeth, her mood was bad before but now it was just fowl. She didn't enjoy being made fun of and this strange female was certainly doing a good job at driving the nail home. Hotaru stalked over, using her ears and sense of smell to pick out the coyote's location and didn't really care that she might have tripped over something. She bared her teeth and raised her tail, but made sure to stop a good distance from the coyote.


The grey wolf wanted to show displeasure not aggression. Her voice came with an icy tone, "So what if I am blind. I don't need my eyesight to get around and I don't need a coywolf like you to feed me." Hotaru's heckles were raised making her look bigger. She didn't like being made fun of, she never had and after her eyesight was stolen she hated it even more. Hotaru wanted to make sure that no one would underestimate her, even as she underestimated herself.


Table by: Alex

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#10
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OOC


Terra actually did know what a skink was, and didn't like being compared to one. Well, calling a bird flightless was pretty mean as well. She grinned up, bowing down to the hawk. You win. Terra couldn't think of a matching insult, especially since her memory about what she was being called was rather dim. Terra had eaten it, but the exact details escaped her. It was smallish, and squirmed a lot. Most things she ate squirmed though, trying to escape her grasp. It was better to give up than try to match the insult and fall short of it.


Hearing that the wolf was actually blind startled Terra. She stepped back, noticing the aggressive position. She would submit, but the wolf wouldn't see it. Well, that explained some things. Such as the lack of eye contact despite the confident air. You really are blind? Terra had just been teasing. She'd had no idea that that was really the case. Whining softly Terra moved closer, sniffing at the wolf. She still couldn't smell anything wrong with the wolf, though she definitely saw the fog in her eyes this time. Terra moved to lick at the wolf's face, curious now. She'd never met a blind wolf before. How did one survive?

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#11
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Hotaru Lives Hotaru TalksHotaru thinks

Word Count: 442


The auburn bird ignored his master when she rolled her eyes. Hotaru never did approve of such blatant and brutish verbal fights. She preferred to keep her words more colorful and interesting as opposed to the direct insults. Fawkes prepared himself for the killing blow, he was out of words and thus out of insults. However, to his surprise the coywolf conceded. Fawkes blind once taking in the reality of the situation. He had actually won their battle of words. Fawkes puffed himself up, his pride overflowing. He gave a delighted cry and had officially decided that he quite liked the colorful stranger. It wasn't often that he won a battle of wits, and this one had certainly been interesting.


As the angered grey wolf approached she heard the coywolf take a step back, and Hotaru decided, was most likely submitting to her. Her words and tone confirmed it, the coywolf had submitted to the blind woman. With that, Hotaru relaxed. Her lips folded back over her teeth and her tail moved into a more relaxed position. The coywolf's whine had an air of apology to it, and Hotaru allowed the approach. She kept her head high to maintain the dominance she had just achieved, but allowed the licks to her face. With a gruff snort the blind wolf accepted her apology. Now that she was calm again she was able to speak in a cool voice. "Yes I really am blind. It seems as if there are many who can't tell."


Her words were meant to be taken as an insult, it was just a statement and one Hotaru hoped would make the coywolf feel better. At this point in time Hotaru expected a barrage of questions. Hopefully they wouldn't be as bad as Juliet's questions or as confusing as Erzulie's.


Table by: Alex

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#12
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OOC


It was strange how the blind wolf moved. It was no wonder Terra hadn't realized, with how easily she traveled and interacted with her world. One would peg her as clumsy, or perhaps a dreamer, but definitely not blind. Not from her attitude, not from her actions. Astounded Terra stared the wolf right in the eyes, looking for any sign that it wasn't true. Most canines felt uncomfortable, but the eyes didn't even shift, as if Terra wasn't doing anything at all.


Why aren't you dead? How do you survive? Terra had grown up believing in survival of the fittest. If you weren't capable, if you had any weaknesses, life would kill you. It had happened often enough. Life was hard, yet this wolf overcame it all. It was quite incredible. Terra had a feeling the bird had something to do with it. Perhaps it really had been giving directions like Terra had first thought. How was still beyond her though. Acknowledging animals that fell into the range of potential prey was completely against her drive, as it would throw her world into too much confusion. The one good thing was that the hawk didn't allowing Terra to enjoy it's company, though still slightly confused by it.

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#13
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Hotaru Lives Hotaru TalksHotaru thinks


Word Count: 280


Although she didn't know this, Hotaru's eyes didn't really have any identifying marks on them to show that she was blind. She had become blind due to brain damage, not damage to her eyes. Thus they still moved, they still blinked, and they still looked out into the world. But her injured brain never processed the information, thus leaving her in a world of darkness. Her amber orbs just stared out and reacted to nothing, not even to the coywolf leaning in for a better look. Hotaru could feel the stranger's breath on her face and knew she was close, but she didn't react or flinch.


Even Fawkes didn't react to how close the coywolf was to his master. He didn't really care anymore because he knew Hotaru was well aware of her location and believed that his master had everything under control. The stranger had submitted to her after all and Fawkes had grown to like like the stranger. She was as close to a rival as he had ever known.


The question's that were thrown at the blind wolf made her want to laugh out loud. She was able to suppress the desire but allowed a small amused smile to decorate her face. They were direct and actually fairly original. How had she survived? It was a good question and one Hotaru had decided to answer without reservation. Such a direct question deserved a direct answer. "I had a lot of help. Help from Fawkes and help from strangers. I also wasn't born blind, so that gave me an advantage in my early years. However, one gets used to it quickly so the help isn't required as much."

Table by: Alex

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#14
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OOC


Terra listened to her answer attentively. That definitely explained a lot. To be blind from birth would be a death sentence for most. Living past youth to go blind helped increase the chances of survival greatly. Equipped with some basic survival skills and having already proven herself strong enough to survive past childhood, the wolf had proven herself with a strong will to survive. The hawk definitely helped as well, though Terra had more trouble picturing that.


That wasn't the strangest part for Terra though. The idea that strangers would be willing to help someone with such a horrible disability was astounding. Terra had helped the wolf because she hadn't wanted the food to waste, and didn't realize the other was at a disadvantage. She would have reacted much differently if she had, teasing and provoking the wolf instead of befriending her and leading her to a meal.

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#15
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Hotaru Lives Hotaru TalksHotaru thinks

Word Count: 274


For several minutes the pair of canines stood in silence. After Hotaru finished speaking the coyote didn't respond. Was she thinking? She certainly wasn't moving. Hotaru's red tipped ears twitched and one flicked to the side as she listened carefully for any evidence of movement or speech. It seemed as if Hotaru had given the coywolf something to think about, although what part of her speech the strange female could possibly be so engrossed in was a mystery to her. The blind wolf was sure she had talked in a clear and confident manner, and she was positive she had managed to explain everything properly. Yet there was something that gave the coywolf trouble.


Eventually Hotaru had, had enough with just standing in silence. Slowly she turned around and walked back to the carcass, all the while her ears remained trained on the other canine. Hotaru would be able to hear anything she tried to pull, although if the coywolf decided to attack Hotaru wasn't sure how she would react. The grey wolf approached the carcass carefully, her nose testing the frozen meat as is hovered just inches about the dead horse.


It didn't take long for Hotaru to make her decision. She was hungry and with powerful jaws at her disposal she was easily able to rip into the frozen meat. The first bite was wonderful, it was an odd taste but it had been awhile since Hotaru had fed on anything but rabbits, voles, squirrels, and other small mammals. The blind wolf closed her eyes out of habit as she savored the meat in her jaw. It really had been too long.


Table by: Alex

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#16
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OOC Oops. Half asleep when I did that one. Sorry


The impulse to help strangers wasn't one Terra held. Her reason for helping had probably been completely different from the others, closer to her feral roots than many of those she met. Deciding that they must have been luperci to be so willing to help someone they didn't know Terra watched her move and begin devouring the carcass. She really must have not eaten in a long time, at least not well. Just watching reminded Terra of hungry days, setting her own stomach growling.


Never knowing when she'd eat next, even with the security and stores of her pack (which she was refusing to touch in case of emergency), Terra stepped forward. Triggered by the blind wolf Terra moved to the other side and began tearing off strips and eating them herself, making sure to keep a fair distance between herself and the other to avoid any snapping of jaws that might happen. It wasn't being mean, it was simply that outside of packs canines weren't meant to share food, and taking like she was revealed her scavenging nature.

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#17
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Hotaru Lives Hotaru TalksHotaru thinks


OOC: Shall we end this? Word Count:310


Despite the fact that the horse was frozen, it still tasted wonderful to the blind wolf. It had been so long since she had eaten anything larger than a raccoon. Hotaru devoured the carcass, eating at the belly and digging in further to reach the rich liver and heart. Those parts of the horse were filled with the nutrients she needed to survive and would give her the boost she needed to get to the next large meal. Although Fawkes hunted for her every day, it was not enough to sustain a fully grown wolf. Even Fawkes took advantage of the carcass. He flew down and positioned himself far away from Hotaru. It wasn't safe for him to be near a hungry and blind wolf. She might chomp on his tail by accident.


Hotaru wasn't bothered by the coywolf's attempts to get at the food. After all, if it wasn't for the small female, Hotaru would have never found the horse. Therefore, it was only right to allow the stranger to feed on the carcass as well. Eventually, Hotaru and Fawkes had gorged themselves. Fawkes flew back up into the trees to clean his feathers as Hotaru stepped away to clean her fur. Because the carcass was frozen there wasn't really a lot of cleaning to do, just a little bit of blood here and there she had to deal with. With her belly full it was tempting to just go to sleep, but unfortunately that wasn't the safest idea. The grey wolf would have to travel back to the pack lands before she felt comfortable enough to take a nap. Instead, Hotaru turned to the coywolf and bowed her head. "Thank you for telling me about the horse, I really appreciate it." Even though Hotaru didn't know the strangers name, she figured the coywolf wasn't so bad after all.


Table by: Alex

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#18
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OOC sucky end post and i store


The small group fed well on the horse, Terra enjoying the taste. It was definitely different than other meat she'd eaten, but Terra had eaten horse before in her travels, and this certainly wouldn't be the last time. Another canine joining her just strengthened her views that horses were food, and canines that rod them were the strange ones. Terra bit back a snarl as the wolf stole the best parts and ate them, but she really hadn't been that hungry to begin with. She backed away long before the pair was done, tail swishing gently as they finished.


Terra dipped her head at the wolf's acknowledgement. Safe travels. She turned, leaving the blind wolf behind as she trotted back to her own pack. It was a strange encounter to be sure, finding strength hidden in weakness. It gave her a few ideas though, ones Terra was eager to test out.

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