[html] This is thread #1 of my current plot grab bag. Please see the link so you know what's going on!
!@#$%His eyes and ears were always open--it was not only his duty, it was in his nature. Rumours were constantly finding their way through the grapevine, which branched off quickly and seemingly found its way throughout all of 'Souls within the blink of an eye. He knew enough to know that he had to watch his back with everybody now--lest some fool not involved with their enemy chose to make themselves so. But alas, they would be self-centred indeed to suppose that all of 'Souls was preoccupied with them and them alone.
!@#$%The disbandment of two packs was also among the popular gossip these days, but Anselm liked to see things for himself. One, Insieme, had never been of particular concern--they were tucked so far away from Inferni that they were hardly a threat. He had never heard much from or about them, so it seemed logical to assume that they mostly kept to themselves. Nay, Inferni's next door neighbour, Labyrinth Glen, was of much more interest to him.
!@#$%Upon his initial investigation, he had found nobody. Were they reclusive, as well? Was it possible that they were so withdrawn that everybody simply guessed that they were gone? It was time to find out. Anselm drank in all of the information he could through his senses as he slunk around the former border. He had to admit, their scent was growing weaker--and so, he stepped inside the fading boundary, low to the ground and rather determined to find some answers.
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Iskata had started to settle in the new cottage in the country that surrounded Halifax, yet she still had things she'd left behind in Labyrinth Glen. She'd finally taken her time to move everything from one spot to the other and now was just sitting on the porch staring off in the distance as she listened for the sounds of nature moving around her. There was still much work to do in the new territories that they were beginning to gather. The lands about the farm still needed cleaned up and the pens needed to be checked out to make certain that they were sturdy. There was a lot to do but the band had plenty of time to work on it it seemed.
They were still a few shy of having a strong pack but they knew within the season that they would be on their feet and just as strong as those that surrounded them. Iskata smiled to herself and shook her head, so surprised that they had come so far this time, yet the dream wasn't over. She had been looking for Deuce to see what she thought of the new pack's territories and the farmland, she wanted to see if the other would help her try and gather together the placid animals that the humans use to tend... she had so much on her mind it was nice to just sit and let it filter out every once in a while, though she knew sooner than later she'd need to head back to their lands.
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!@#$%He stopped slinking around so much when he heard somebody else nearby. Up ahead, he noticed a female--he couldn't tell what she was doing (if anything), and he decided to approach. Elevating himself to a neutral position, he called out to her from behind. "Excuse me, wasn't there a pack here?" If she was from the pack or at least knew some of the members here, she would probably be able to better answer his questions than anyone--or at least she'd be quick about it. Sure, he could spend hours mucking around inside the borders, confirming that the scents were indeed fading, or maybe he could have a simple five minute conversation to glean whatever information he needed.
!@#$%Were things ever so simple?
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Her wounds from the encounter with Gabriel were well enough healed but when the voice spoke up she snarled softly to herself as she watched the Inferni clan member approaching as he came to ask a question. The flare of anger in her eyes didn't disappear though his words were polite enough. She laughed softly at his stupid question as she spat an answer at the creature before her. "Why would you care, that pack was one of the few at peace with your damnable clan.." The threat in her voice was more than detectable as she watched him with fire blazing in her eyes.
She watched him with suspicion as he sat there trying to hold an idle conversation with her, when she knew by now there was nothing idle about the clan on the edge of the wastelands. She snorted at the thought of them being anything near innocent, they even tried to taint their youth into thinking the whole world was out to get them. She laughed softly as she shook her head, "Tell your leader I'm still alive and kicking, he hasn't killed me yet.." She knew she was taking a dare in taunting Gabriel but she really didn't care anymore, there was nothing keeping the two from eachother's throats anymore, not with Faolin gone.
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!@#$%Threatening Anselm was generally a huge mistake, and this case was no exception. Immediately his eyes locked with hers, and his hackles raised and the fur on his tail stood on end as wave after wave of anger rippled through him. He didn't know her and he hadn't done anything to her. Perhaps Inferni's sermons of irate wolves like this one weren't as far off as Iskata might have imagined... he hadn't shown any aggression at all, and she had gone and gotten bitchy with him. She started it. And then she added fuel to the fire, by proclaiming her ill will with his leader. Perhaps informing Gabriel's (more or less) loyal and paranoid blood relative wasn't such a fantastic idea on her part.
!@#$%By the time she had managed to spit out "hasn't killed," he was in action, and by the time she got to "yet" he was moving forward at full speed. At the last second, he sidestepped to the right, pivoted, and aimed to sink his teeth into her shoulder, eye, or whatever he could grab on to. After he dealt with this nonsense, he would go on and try to figure out what had happened to Labyrinth Glen himself.
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She was surprised that the hybrid was stupid enough to think she wouldn't have seen the attack coming and by the time she'd seen the muscles bunch up in his hindlegs and the sudden burst of energy as he sprang forward and towards herself. She snarled as she followed the quick movements of the male and then as he was out off to the side so close. Dropping her head and rolling to the shoulder she kicked her hindlegs out as she caught hold of the male midlaunch.
Her fangs were drawn as his teeth snapped at her tattered ear and the ruff around her neck. Snapping her head back quickly she drew the male in closer instead of trying to throw him away, attempting to sink her teeth into his flesh as she caught the scent of his anger. She knew he had reason but she had her own anger as well, both were justified in the attack but she didn't care, she'd send the male home with a few scars to bare to Gabriel instead of her words.
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!@#$%Angry or not, he was not out of control. The concept of berserk rage was a foreign one to the practised male--he was too cool and calculated for that, not to mention he had the confidence of god himself. It wasn't entirely unfounded. He exercised daily for strength and endurance. He also sparred with Gabriel frequently, to work on his reflexes and attacks.
!@#$%Deciding that going for the front end (where the teeth were) might result in more injury, he changed up his plan of attack. He skirted away quickly to her rear, then ducked down. It was almost as if he was attempting to get under her, and he was. From back here, she probably couldn't reach him with her teeth. Also, if he stood up suddenly, he'd be able to knock her off balance. At bare minimum, he could use his fangs to slash at the soft underbelly.
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As he moved suddenly she growled, her sun shot blue eyes filled with rage as she twisted, drawing up her hindlegs to try and catch the male offguard by tangling her own legs in his. She'd been on fine terms with part of Inferni at one point even when her pack had been at war with them, she'd learn to avoid them for a while and yet her own best friend had been Faolin for as long as she could remember.. but now it seemed that there was nothing holding the girl back from her anger of the ignorant hatred that seemed to be bred into the clan now.
She twisted across herself as she drew her claws out to slash at the angry face of the hybrid before her. She wasn't about to get her innards torn from her navel just because the clan member had comes snooping around sticking his nose in the business of the packs. She knew the pack she'd belonged to had nothing to do with the waging war with Inferni but that dream world was no more and she had to protect herself and her own, starting with the bastard before her now.
[html] !@#$%She was mistaken if she thought that he was doing this because she was a wolf. Anselm was not that senseless. He was doing it because she was a bitch. He was doing it because she had tried to push his buttons, when she could have just responded with a simple yes or no. Not even he went so far as to disrespect complete strangers that way--there was never a need to respond with anything other than neutrality. In his mind, she was the prejudiced one. Couldn't he have caught her by surprise originally? Most likely, but he hadn't. Apparently it didn't count for much.
!@#$%Her legs hunched up, and he couldn't get to her belly any more. Drat. Before he could even come up with a plan of his own, she practically threw herself at him--her paws were going right in his face. Her nails connected and scratched, but he ignored it, as she'd struck him below the eyes and gravity would only drag her paw further downward. With that, her paw was also right next to his mouth. Like a snake he struck out quickly, and his jaws clamped down hard. How could he miss this? She'd practically shoved it right into his face. All he knew was that one he had a good hold, he was going to do some damage. A wolf with three legs fought much worse than one with four.
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Before she knew it the bastard had her foreleg in him mouth but instead of panic she gritted her teeth as she pulled her leg in closer to her chest, knowing that if the male was wanting to cause her some pain he wouldn't be letting go of that leg, but doing thus was bringing him into reach of her deadly fangs. She lashed out at the male, her fangs snapping onto the scruff at the back of his neck as she clamped her jaws together, shaking her head sharply as she tried to ignore the shearing pain in her foreleg from the teeth that were claimed there.
She knew she could have behaved better, but the male turning up so suddenly after the attack on Gabriel only made her think it was just another taunting message from the clan. She was through of playing nice and now for all it was worth she wanted to taste the blood of the damn beasts that had torn her world apart so long ago. If anyone had a reason to be biase and prejudice she had her own right by the wrongs done to her.
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!@#$%He had to give her some credit--she sure wasn't panicking and she wasn't screaming in his ear (which was a relief). He felt her bite him on the scruff of his neck, but for now he was just grateful she was attacking the thicker skin here and not the delicate stuff halfway around on his throat. That didn't mean he didn't find the random sideways jerking annoying. Dropping forcefully to the ground, he sought to make his entire body dead weight. His teeth remained clamped down on her leg, and he dug his nails into the soft earth and began to pull them both somewhere, hoping that it would distract her from the incessant shaking. She may have been taller than him, but he still weighed much more.
!@#$%Still, eventually this would get old. Anselm's jaws loosened around her limb, but they remained tight enough that his teeth might graze her leg and paw if she tried to yank it away, or he his head. Releasing it suddenly, he twisted his head around and took a quick snap at her throat and waited for her to recoil. The second that she let go of him, he would dart away and off to the side before she could get a good hold again. If she insisted on holding onto the back of his neck, he would go for her throat again, or at least the chest as close as he could get to it.
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Iskata had learned overtime tricks and shortcuts when it came to fighting, she should have as many scraps as she'd been in. Though she'd lost more than she'd won she still had learned how to keep herself alive. She might not be the best at the wages of war and battle but she could fend for herself if not win the battles. Her teeth clamped in his ruff brough the slight taste of blood to her tongue as she tried to shake him like a bad pup, she knew how damned annoying the rattling could be but it was really the only thing she had hold of to keep him at bay, atleast to keep him from causing heavy damage.
She felt the teeth loosening on her foreleg but she knew that it wasn't the end. She wasn't stupid enough to drag her foreleg from his fangs the pain was beyond simple pain now, it was enough to be ignored as she kicked out at the hybrid with her hindlegs, trying to gain purchase to the soft belly of the beast though her claws only seemed to strick against his ribs as he was bearing his weight down causing her neck muscles to strain as she continued to rattle him back and forth.
Suddenly her leg was free as the fangs twisted around to snap at her throat. Quickly she snatched her foreleg from his reach and drop her purchase on his scruff as she steadied her weight on her three good legs and tried to barrel his compact form over as her maw flashed open, her blooded teeth snapping at the male. She was growing mentally tired of this stranger crashing into her territory and she wasn't going to settle on running from the heathen.
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!@#$%Anselm kept his centre of gravity low as she ploughed into him. Honestly, he couldn't say what she hoped to accomplish with this manoeuvre--she was lighter than he was, and he wasn't trying to balance on a tripod of legs. He gave maybe two inches, but his claws dug into the soft earth and he lashed out with his fangs, attempting to strike her with the shoulder she used to hit him, since it was right in his face. Unfortunately, she was snapping at him, too, and he felt the distinct sting of teeth connecting with flesh.
!@#$%After attempting another quick series of slashes, he back-pedalled quickly to put some distance between them. He was waiting. Waiting for the shock to go away and leave her with the full realisation of her injury, perhaps... or maybe waiting for her to lunge after him on three legs. If she chose to attack, he'd be ready--he kept his head low to protect his throat and his eyes focused intently. If she chose to limp away, though, he would let her. He didn't know her, and for Anselm, that still counted for something. Whatever her deal was with Gabriel, he hadn't heard of it, and he wanted to form his own opinion on the matter before he committed yet another act of senseless murder.
!@#$%Now's your chance, he thought, listening to the deafening silence of the forest as all of life seemed to be on pause. His hackles were lowered accordingly--if she didn't see her opportunity here or decide to take it, it wasn't his fault.
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She snarled as they clashed and yet she knew she was getting nowhere. All she wanted now was to escape to her own home and be done with this all. She was furious at herself for being so stupid and letting her temper get the best of her but that was her problem now, just like he was. She had to fight her way out of this and take the first moment she had to crawl away if the beast would even give her that chance.
When her fangs had connected with his flesh it seemed to last only a few moments before he retaliated, but the sudden burst of attacks came and went, the scores from his claws on her shoulder and across her ribs were burning but she tried her best to ignore them. The scent of the male and the warmth of his body that had been so close suddenly seemed to disappear as he pulled himself away from her.
In the few seconds she gathered herself and turned her eyes to the male, a burning hate for his clan was forming inside her and yet he never advanced to attack. She bared her fangs at him and almost instant was ready to dive back into the fight but that small voice of truth told her this was her chance. With one fury filled glare at the male she bared her bloody fangs again and in a flash she turned to flee.
Hating herself for taking the easy way out she could hear nothing but the pounding of her paws on the forest floor as she pushed herself hard, the pain of her injuries returning with every paw that touched the earth, the sharp clarity of it all bringing back the mistakes she'd made, yet she still had her own skin on her, battered and shredded maybe, but she was still alive.
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 Anselm knew there was no shame in running--live to fight another day. Perhaps others had their codes of pride or honour, but he valued one thing and one thing alone: self preservation. It was instinctual, and anybody that denied themselves this was a damned fool.
She snarled at him and he continued to stare. His feet were light and his muscles loose, ready to move in an instant if she chose to advance. But for now, he simply stood his ground and waited. Another snarl, and then she turned to flee. Anselm took a seat where he was, not pursuing her but simply watching as she vanished into the brush. She had understood. Maybe. Well, she had understood enough.
With the excitement of the battle subsiding, he became more acutely aware of his own wounds. Once he was sure that she was gone (and the ruckus hadn't attracted anyone else), he allowed his eyes to drop so that he may inspect the damage. The back of his neck obviously hurt, and his shoulder and chest had taken a few good blows, as had his hind haunch. Nothing seemed life threatening, but he elected to get himself to a stream immediately to clean out the wounds with water and patch them up with mud to stop the bleeding, if necessary. A trooper, he continued into the old territory further. If a pack lived here, they had water. This setback certainly wouldn't keep him from doing his job. |
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