402
Breathing softly and walking with the utmost care, Shadowfang stalked his next meal without so much as a sound. His yellow and blue eyes were unblinking as he watched ever muscle and every little movement of the creature in front of him. He saw it look around and he lowered himself to hide in the brush that was around him and then silence. He waited until his meal continued with it's normal routine before he began to move along the blanket of pine needles that the trees were nice enough to offer him and it all but sealed his meals fate. He was close enough now as his muscles and joints flexed ready on a whim to spring him upon the lone creature.
"now..." He said as he pushed off on all fours and leaped into the air over a bush and directly on top of the stump where unknowing Chipmunk was caught off guard and helpless. His jaws snapped as his two front paws landed on each side of the small creature and victory. He smiled as he felt it's little heart beat racing while he held it by it's tail in his mouth and slowly he spoke as he went to place it back upon the stump where the little creature made it's home." You need not fear me little one...I have already eaten...now get before i change my mind." He let it go and at first it didn't move being to scared to and he merely motioned it away with his right paw and it went into the hole on the other side of the stump.
He smiled and laughed lightly as he was happy with himself that he was keeping his stalking and hunting skills and ability's trained as his father would have wanted from him." if your not eating, or sleeping your training and if your not training your dead." He quoted his father as he turned and started to head north east toward Anathema. He had run into other packs and respectfully and kindly asked to be housed if only for a while...He was on a venture to seek out all the packs one at a time and see what they had to offer and Anathema was his next target, little did Shadowfang know, he was about to meet up with someone a lot sooner than he had planned.
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Vesper
Word Count :: 427
Lupus form also.
The activities of the northern packs was of interest to Vesper, and though she had recently visited the infant pack New Dawn and her friends’ Ichika no Ho-en, she had yet to venture east across the mountain toward Anathema. She had heard negative rumors about their cave-dwelling neighbors, though she’d yet to truly meet a wolf from there to know. To imagine a pack more morally corrupt than Salsola was nigh impossible, so she believed that they were just misguided; Noir—Tayui, whatever—had not harped on their sins as much as she had the Thistle Kingdom. Perhaps Anathema was just dark; dark she could deal with—especially as darkness was only a perception. Fools believed themselves dark when they were nothing more than infants; she knew because she had been among the arrogant whelps herself.
She shook her head lightly then padded on through the snow, paws falling lightly on the cold white layer to the squishy pine needles underneath. The scent of the mixed forest danced in her senses, and she paused for a moment to take a deep breath and swivel her ears to get her bearings. She knew the Dampwoods almost like the back of her paw; the borders weren’t too far by this point.
The fresh trail of a chipmunk piqued her interest, and she trotted forward with a characteristically coyote gait. She wasn’t quite hungry, but a mouthful of small prey might stave off any hunger she encountered before she headed back to Inferni with whatever information she happened to gather.
The tawny female paused, blinking, when the prey-smell mingled with the odor of another luperci: male, wolf. Her ears tilted back, and she quickly moved amongst the trees, her brownish patchwork coat mingling with the brush and shadows and snow. She was by no means invisible, but she moved quietly enough, and when she at last spotted the wolf, he was preoccupied with pouncing on the chipmunk she’d scented.
Vesper narrowed her eyes, tilting her head slightly with curiosity when the male released the tiny creature. She couldn’t say she’d never played with food before, but now that she had a clan to supply, it seemed pointless. She rolled her shoulders and set foot after the large black wolf as he walked east toward her own destination, purposefully setting her paw on a twig so that he would be alerted to her presence. She didn’t recognize the set of his muscular shoulders or his loner’s scent, and new faces always brought new information—something she might be able to use.
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As Shadowfang turned to make his way toward Anathema the wind had shifted in his favor and he picked up a scent of another canine nearby. He stopped just before the swig had been stepped on and just as fast as the twig had been snapped he turned and faced the other with great speed as his instincts sprang into life, like lightning the moment he was facing the canine he was about to run and pounce on it thinking it an enemy but then he remembered that not all creatures were out for his blood like his father had led him to believe. When he saw that his pursuer was a fellow wolf or at least a mix of one and as he thought about how he was in neutral territory he quickly stopped himself and his ears stopped from laying against his head and they took a more relaxed position and the same went for his tail as it lowered just as quick.
He breathed lightly as his body took a more neutral, calm stance and very slowly he lowered his head and spoke with a calm , soothing voice like the wind but slightly deep and with a strength behind it." Forgive me....I forget myself sometimes. I'm use to thinking that everything is an enemy and out for my blood. My name is Shadowfang, you can call me Shadow. May i know your name? of course you are in no way obligated to tell me such things. I am on my way to the Anathema Territory, Are you of that pack or are you perhaps heading there as well? "
He kept his head down as he gave the female a quick look while not moving his head and then his eyes went back to the ground as his muscles loosened but still were ready just in case this chance meeting of strangers was to get violent. He kept all this in mind as he waited for an answer and perhaps a name in return if he was lucky and if he was really lucky perhaps she wont be an enemy, heck she might even join him on his little walk.
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Vesper
Word Count :: 367
It was always a gamble to approach a stranger, especially in the seemingly careless way that Vesper was doing it, but despite her insistence that most of the world was full of bigots and morons, she did have some faith that not every wolf wandering through the woods was a psychopath.
She was light on her paws, the one that had broken the stick held slightly off the ground in an almost inquisitive fashion, and as soon as the dark beast whirled around with body tense, she was prepared to leap out of the way of an attack. Luckily, though, he seemed to be part of the sensible population and relaxed once he seemed to have assumed the same about her; his posture relaxed. She smirked lightly and let her paw settle down in the snow.
The male spoke with a deep voice to match his deep body, and his explanation and introduction had her lifting a brow. She supposed that some luperci were simply damn talkative; she was reminded of that incessantly chattering horse girl near d’Arte and repressed a disgusted shudder. Instead, she waited until he was finished with his questions and answered in a light voice, not overtly friendly but polite and nonthreatening enough for her purposes.
“Another one, hm?” Vesper said first, her smirk deepening before her muzzle shook with some amusement. “Let me guess—some outcast prince, driven away from his pack by a lie, believing there are assassins at every turn. Nova Scotia seems to be a region for folks with heavy pasts.” It was a male from Anathema that had give her a similar story—or, rather, given her an outright demonstration of his paranoia, all but screaming at her to understand her intentions.
She was glad that this man was polite enough, though, understanding that some wished to carry their names close. However, the coywolf was normally open when it came to something as small as that.
“I’m Vesper,” the slender female said, and shook his head. “I come from Inferni, the coyote clan to the west.” She hesitated then, wondering if she should mention her purpose for being here. “I was heading in that direction,” she added vaguely.
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Due to Shadowfangs training and what he had been led to believe about interactions in the wild ( and thanks to what was hard-coded into his brain thanks to his father) Shadow still watched carefully every move and muscle twitch that was given off by the female but slowly after she had relaxed due to his behavior towards her, he finally managed to calm himself enough to where he wasn't looking for an attack from all directions. Shadow loved his dead father but it would have been nice if social interactions and etiquette were mixed into his assassin training.
As he settled he slowly sat down in a civil manner as he listened to the words of the female before him and he smiled and nodded as he heard her name." It's a pleasure to meet you Vesper and no i am not some outcast or dark prince cast from my home. I was in a small pack with just me, my mother and my father...My mother passed and then my father raised me and time slowly took him from me as well and now i am just looking for a place to belong. I'm looking to speak with all the packs in this land so to hear that you are from another one of them helps me a lot."
He thought for a second and then figured there was no harm in asking since they were already talking and getting info from one another." You said you were from the Inferni? An all Coyote pack was it? Do they only allow coyote's or is there something more to it?. " He stopped and laughed lightly and apologized." Forgive me for babbling, i am a firm believer that info and knowledge are as powerful as any knife or strength." He waited patiently for the slew of many answers to his many questions and he only hoped that his inquiries wouldn't annoy or upset his new "friend"
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Vesper
Word Count :: 452
The large, midnight-pelted male took a seat on the snowy earth, and Vesper flicked an ear in hesitation before settling down on her haunches as well. It helped to lend a relaxed air to the conversation, hopefully better easing the tensions that were normal between two strangers on neutral land. Her ears swiveled toward him, and she let out a small grunt, satisfied by his answer and relatively simple past. It made things less complicated, and she supposed that his paranoia was of a more natural sort—wariness that was oftentimes crucial for a loner to learn. It had been that way with her, to the point where her vigilance was an important skill in her rank. She always had to watch, to observe, to learn.
Shadowfang explained that he was hoping to learn what he could about the packs, and she nodded lightly in understanding. “It’s always best to scope out the neighbors, even if you don’t end up settling down with them,” she agreed. “You learn who to watch out for and who you might be able to turn to for aid. I was a loner myself for much of my life, so I understand the feeling.” It was only lately that she was becoming more and more of a pack wolf—or clan coyote—if she was going to be honest with herself. Months ago, she would have spat at the prospect.
She was considering whether or not to give him a brief rundown when he asked specifically about Inferni; she supposed that would be a good place to start. She smirked at his last statement. “No need to apologize. Loners have to look out for each other—and even if I’m not a loner anymore, I wouldn’t say no to helping out.” Her tail swished lightly behind her, and she shifted her weight, drawing her near bit-off hind paw up to scratch at the small silver ring in her ear.
“Inferni does not take well to wolves, so I would stay away, if I were you. It might be unfair to say it’s an all-coyote pack, as several are hybrids who cannot help their blood, but the coyote half is emphasized. Many Infernians might tolerate you, but it’s still safest to stay away in case there are any misunderstandings.”
She was open and honest with him, glad that he would hear about the clan from one of its members first; many thought that Inferni was nothing but trouble, a bunch of violent ragtag coyotes. While it was true that some of the less savory members went out of their way to be aggressive, most of the members she thought of were quite sane, withdrawn and wary at worst.
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Shadow listened intently at the words coming from Vesper and her experience with the Inferni and their way of life and after she was done and everything had sunk in Shadow nodded lightly and smiled" Thank you for letting me know about the Inferni it could have been bad for me to walk up to their territory and howl to speak with a member or the Alpha, you may have just saved me from having to deal with a potentially deadly situation." His tail wagged lightly behind him and it every so often thumped on the ground not due to him being annoyed or anything but because of the sheer size of it...To shadow his large size was normal and he really didn't see anything wrong with it he just though everyone else smaller than him." He looked around and sniffed the air out of habit and then he looked back to Vesper and with his yellow and blue eyes he looked into hers" So...care to follow me to the Anathema Territory? Or are you on an errand of some kind?" He stood up and shook lightly getting the snow off his pelt and he smiled as he motioned with his muzzle towards the direction he was headed.
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Vesper
Word Count :: 300
Sorry for the wait. :c
The dark wolf was a good listener as she spoke; she could almost see him absorbing all of the information she gave him. That was good; it would help him last a little while longer out here. While winter weakened the prey and made hunting easier, it was also treacherous for a loner; pack wolves might venture further out of territory if their chosen game moved. Tensions were high with the threat of snowstorms like the one that had happened in the past year around this time. Really, the life of a loner was dangerous even without threat of starvation or pack wolves; the other characters they shared the neutral land with could prove treacherous or downright cruel, such as the blonde dog with the knives.
She chuckled lightly at his gratitude, nodding. “The coyotes there really aren’t all that bad, but I’m sure even the best of ’em would be grouchy to see you on the borders.” Herself included, honestly, if he acted like a fool. She remembered the curly-haired wolf she had helped Helotes drive off.
Large head turning, Shadowfang looked around at the snow and the burled trees before meeting her gaze. Now that she could see his eyes clearly, her breath caught in her throat and her whole body stiffened; but he’d already gestured toward the cavern-dwelling pack with a light offer.
Blue and yellow mismatched eyes. Vesper tried to catch her breath, avoiding looking at him as she stalled for time to answer. “Uh—yeah, I can head that way,” she managed, her tongue slipping where it had once been fluent and confident. “I was just patrolling around.” She lowered her ears and stepped toward him—and the question burst out of her chest like a flapping bird.
“Do you know a wolf named Blind?”
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OOC text | WC :: +000
As Shadow finished his question and motioned for Vesper to lead the way he easy picked up the shock as she looked right into his eyes and then was at a loss of words and he was going to just come out and say if there was something amater but she beat him to it with her sudden question of if he knew someone named Blind. He thought about all the encounters he has had over the past few moons and he slowly shook his head and then since she brought it up so to speak he thought he would ask. I take it this Blind, Person has one yellow eye and one blue..in the same position as mine?"
Shadow kept walking but slowly so that they could talk about this person, Shadow was actually kind of interested in Blind because he didn't know that there were any others with eyes like his. He knew that miss matched eyes could happen but he thought it kinda cool that there was another with blue and yellow in the same position as his. Shadow walked next to Vesper and kept his relaxed expression and he wondered what the relationship was between Blind and Vesper but he figured that if he were to get such information Vesper would have to be willing to offer it. He wasn't going to ask just in case it was a bad memory or falling out.
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
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[html] Word Count :: 327 I'm a mean slow person. :C
The coywolf was impervious to most physical pain. Her entire body was riddled with scars, both from her tramontane life and her new one. The toils on both skin and psyche had conditioned her to be used to that kind of pain, to not feel it or at least put it out of her mind. Balance and resilience were what marked her as such a force in battle, factors that went beyond obvious agility and skill. But still—still she found that she could be caught off guard by a long-forgotten sensation or a repressed name. It angered her and even after she blurted out her question, she wanted to kick herself. She was young yet, and this male looked like he had seen a decent amount of years; the age difference was normally something she blinded herself to, but she was all too aware how childish she seemed now.
Her ears flattening in frustration, she cut her gaze off to the side and stared at the thick forest around them. It surprised her when he spoke, even if she’d asked the question in the first place, and she frowned at him. “Yeah,” she muttered at first, trotting after him to keep pace with his long dark legs. “Their shade is different—softer, paler—but it’s uncanny that they’re just about the same.” A memory stirred in her then, of the girl seeking out information on her father, and she found herself staring at Shadowfang to see if there could be any relation. The scents didn’t seem to match, but if there was no contact, if they were only distantly related, would they be so similar?
The pale tawny hybrid was silent as she mulled over these thoughts, not offering any more information as to what she was thinking or who Blind was. It wasn’t his business, anyway, wasn’t anyone’s business. She’d already turned at that fork in the road, and there was absolutely no heading back.
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As they walked and Vesper gave him simple answers to his question he picked it up easily that she was not willing to tell him anything more than what she has already and if that was the case then Shadow was fine with it. He kept moving ignoring the fact that she shot down his questions but still he enjoyed having the company and traveling with someone, anyone, rather then being on his own. As an assassin, traveling alone was not odd or uncommon, in fact to do so was actually sought by most assassins and Shadow could do it but he wasn't cold and the company was good for him. Shadow always felt like when he was with someone that he didn't have to be so serious or looking for an attack or enemy in the shadows.
Yes, Shadow liked this company and his body showed it. Shadows tail was waving widely and quick and his ears were at attention and ready to hear any words that Vesper may say. A slight smile was on his muzzle and he had a hop to his stride. Anyone else watching Shadow at this moment would think him a peaceful, caring maybe even withdrawn, and for the most part he was, if it wasn't for the fact that he could change faster then the wind and be the cold, calculating assassin that he was. "So if you don't mind my asking, what brings you out here heading to the Anathema territory. You of course, don't have to answer that i just feel some talk is better than none when around others."
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
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Vesper was comfortable with silence and solitude. As a loner, she might not have spoken to another canine for stretches of months, and she had almost always walked alone other than her brief run with the young coyote gang. It was simply how she was, even if others used to pack life would be perplexed. They would ask her if she ever got lonely, and until now, she had always answered no.
Being in Inferni had changed her, but the coywolf thought it for the best. She believed that she could always leave and return to her lonesome life without a problem. She simply didn’t want to leave, and she enjoyed the friendships there, just as she was content with walking beside this dark stranger without a word.
Shadowfang carried a contented demeanor, too, and his quiet happiness almost drew a smile out of her—almost. She instead gave him a sidelong glance of amusement until he was the one to start the conversation, and quickly she answered with a shrug. “I am at the top of Inferni’s scouting ranks,” she explained briefly. “I’ve just come from the north and am making my rounds through these woods until it’s time to head back home.” She was careful to avoid mentioning Anathema, however, as she wasn’t even sure she would reach the cave-dwelling pack at this rate. It would only be awkward to stand alongside the dark loner as he was asking his own questions, after all.
“So, Shadow—do you come from very far away?” Vesper asked, letting her curiosity guide his questions. She’d heard tell of luperci that had sailed across oceans to reach Nova Scotia, while others were Canadian-born like her.
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He continued to move slowly and steady and he had been content but due to his mission the question he asked needed to be answered.He turned his head and looked to Vesper as they walked and talked and while they did if Vesper was paying attention she would notice that Shadow was avoiding rocks and trees and holes in the ground without even looking where he was placing his feet. After asking his questions and hearing everything that the Coy/wolf had to say about it he smiled lightly and looked forward again thinking and memorizing and going over it all multiple times in his head.
He knew she was hiding something due to the way she never brought up Anathema and he figured it was a spying mission or something more. Shadow didn't dwell on it to much for it honestly didn't concern him. He was about to call it quits and let the female have her silence like she wanted but then surprisingly she asked him a question and because she had answered his, he felt it was only right for her to get an answer.
Yes, I came from far up north. I am not of these lands and i find myself here now due to the mission i have told you about. Thank you Vesper for all you have told me, and of course for the company, being alone is so normal for one such as I, however you have made the trip interesting and it is my pleasure to have met you. If you ever need a friend or a helping hand with anything, I am here. Shadow kept looking forward not bothering to see the look on Vespers face at his sudden friendship offering. Shadow was happy with what he had gotten from meeting Vesper and in his mind even though they were still strangers to one another he thought of her as his friend and if she didn't think the same he was okay with it and his offer would still be good if she wanted it.
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
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