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------The wolfish hybrid had fancied a battle with Poseidon, a test of his strength against the angry seas which were infinitely fuelled by day after day of rain. He'd quickly found himself with a formidable adversary--unshifted or even half-shifted he stood no chance. As such, with two arms and two legs he fought the against the strong pull of the current and the crashing waves, though he dared not stray further than a hundred yards from the shoreline. The exercise was draining; it always was, but here it was relatively short lived. All at once he was underwater and when he surfaced, he was acutely aware of the sting of salt water in his nose. Enough of that.
------Fighting his way to shore, Anselm crawled up the coast and shook vigorously just as another wave threatened to drag him back out to sea. Apparently Poseidon didn't like to be taunted so much during his moment of glory. The red-eyed beast shot an angry glance at the indifferent ocean and loped further along out of the reach of the pounding waves. Even here the ground was squishy and moist beneath his feet... it seemed like damn near the entire country might be underwater, sooner or later. Fortunately, he mused as he ascended the rocky slopes closer to his den, Inferni's elevation held more than a tactical advantage: it also would be their salvation during this blasted weather.
------Initially he'd intended to call it a day but just as he neared his cave a strange, garbled sound caught his attention. He straightened and stood on two legs as he surveyed the area--ahead in the distance (further down the hill and closer to the Dampwoods) was an unfortunate grouse with a mangled wing. Dropping back to four legs he moved at a comfortable pace toward it; it did its best to half-run, half-flap away, but eventually Anselm was able to simply reach out and grab it mid-flight. Standing straight again, he plucked the feathers out nonchalantly and let them fall to the ground. He then held the bird as one might hold a roasted chicken and began to munch appreciatively on the fresh meat. Already two-thirds of the way to the border, he decided to do a quick scout of the perimeter while enjoying his meal before heading home. The golden male headed due southeast, red eyes blinking through the rain attentively as he walked. [/html]
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so i suck, but look, i finally posted! XD; backdating is fine, just lemme know which day specifically so i can have it dated correctly~ 427 words
Tokyo had gone east, just for the hell of it. She felt like leaving her pack-lands for no real reason beyond the fact that she hadn't for a long time. There wasn't much of a point; she was incredibly happy just spending her days idle within the safety and security of a pack. She would have joined one much sooner, had she known how easy it was to reap the benefits while only performing minimal amounts of work! She had been quite worried that she might meet someone on the borders of Dahlia when she left (and thus have to actually do something about it, being Scout), but nope. Luckily, there had been no one. She had tried to stick to the north, purposefully avoiding the pack Phoenix Valley which she knew existed more southerly. That was where she had met brain-fevered Honore, and she had thus concluded that the entire pack was fucking crazy.
But it seemed as if there was a pack up here, another one claiming a piece of the northern coast. It smelled of coyotes. Weirdddd. She vaguely knew that there were coyotes in these parts, as there had been when she was a child, but she hadn't ever actually ran into one. Not for a long time. Not since back when she was with Champ, back when they were scavenging and roving across great distances. Tokyo didn't really care to meet one now, but it wouldn't be a huge deal if she did. She'd never found them particularly any more pleasant or less pleasant than wolves. A bit weird, but a lot of them were Tokyo's size or smaller which was kinda nice. Most wolves were bigger than her.
All possible intentions of being social trailed out of her mind when she saw the stakes marking the border, topped with skulls. Instead of reacting with anything resembling sanity, though, Tokyo was fascinated. The threat soared completely over her head. She didn't understand why these coyotes left these skulls on these sticks, so she had to go investigate. Walking over to the closest one, she wrinkled her nose in distaste at the bleached bone. She couldn't really identify what sort of canine it belonged to by either sight or smell. Pulling the stick out of the ground, she tossed it to the ground. With one foot firmly holding the stick in place, she tugged the skull off the stick. This thing was so gross! She sort of wanted to take it home, to show Princess. See what she thought of these crazy coyotes, haha.
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------The food was quite satisfying and made up for all of his failed fishing attempts earlier in the day, and in hindsight he wasn't sure why he had even bothered with the slippery aquatic creatures. The fish were in their element with all of this excess water--the bird obviously was not. Bountiful tide pools that often promised easy meals were overflowing and the water that filled them was dark with run-off and sediment, making any fish harder to target. Meanwhile, most terrestrial animals that usually lingered about the territory had relocated to the Dampwoods, where the trees and vegetation absorbed the water more effectively and staved off flooding.
------Anselm chucked the spent carcass of the bird thoughtlessly off to his right, keeping one bone from the ribcage as a toothpick and leaving whatever remained near the animal's head to the maggots and soil. When he was done dislodging some stringy meat from his back teeth, he pitched the instrument off to the side, too. Lowering to a crouch, the wolf cupped his hands together and gathered some water into his mouth--at least finding a drink was easy enough, and the slope of Inferni's territory guaranteed that the water was never particularly stagnant.
------Here, though, with his nose substantially closer to the earth, he noticed a foreign scent dulled by the rain. His posture pricked up immediately, he swallowed the last of his water, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before continuing. A short distance later near the borders, he spotted a wolf (a Dahlian no less) defiling one of their picketed " No Trespassing" signs. His first instinct was anger and the deep growl that rumbled in his chest made this clear. Had the trespasser been male he probably would have attacked on sight. For better or worse, though, this wasn't some random jackass--she was a looker. The soft crème coat, sprinkled and mottled with delectable chocolate, and those brilliant sky-blue eyes... they were unlike anything he had ever seen before, and he wanted a taste...
------Fortunately for the petite beauty, Anselm wasn't the sort to go forcing himself on others. Well built, fit, and rather handsome himself, he was remarkably suave when he wanted to be--he rarely had issues securing enough partners to keep the instinctual drive to spread his genes satisfied. His tail raised and head high to indicate his dominant status, he dropped to all fours and approached her quickly, though his hackles were not raised. "Those aren't free, you know," his deep voice spoke smoothly, if not a bit suggestively. He might be willing to overlook the more typical punishment for such a crime (one of violence) if she played along--if she was good, maybe he'd even let her keep it. [/html]
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lawllll, and kk i'll pick like july 28! 340 words.
Well, whether or not Tokyo had desired company, it looked like company had found her. This was supposed to be a coyote pack, but this canine sort of looked like a wolf. A quick examination of the scent confirmed that yeah, he was definitely a member of this place and not just a visitor. Just a wolf-ish looking coyote, then? She was inclined to believe that because she expected coyotes here, and thus he should be one. When he came closer and she had a better grasp on how large he was Tokyo decided that he totally had to at least be half wolf, no coyote she had ever met was that big. He was pleasant enough on the eyes, and so she decided not to be too terribly offended by his presence. Didn't look to aggressive, either, even though he was challenging her very recent acquisition.
"Well that's a shame, I don't really have anything to offer." She said casually, with a sort of teasing, lazy-drawl. Clearly the logic that followed from her sentence was that she didn't have to pay, not that she didn't get to take the skull. In fact, her fingers tightened on the old piece of worn bone. Now that it was under dispute, she wanted it even more. At first it had just been a curiosity, strange and weird and gross and something to show people back home, but now it was something she wasn't supposed to have. Which of course also transformed it into something she had to have anyway.
Her cool blue gaze, which had previously been meeting the odd red one, dropped to the skull in her hand. She twisted it round, gazing into the face of some mysterious, unknown canine of indeterminable species. A lock of her golden-brown bangs fell down over her eyes, and she reflexively tucked it back behind up behind her ear. "You've got so many here anyway, surely you won't miss just one." The purr of words was her best and prettiest sort of attempt at coercion.
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@&#&$Her blasé attitude surprised him, though his features remained largely unchanged. One brow rose sceptically at her first excuse, then furrowed with its mate at her second. Everyone has something to offer, even if it's in blood, he reflected, though he did not speak these words just yet, lest he spook the pretty female into running away. For now, silence spoke for him--his original point still stood. He watched as she handled and studied the pearly white skull for a few moments, curious as to why she was so fascinated by it. Couldn't she just get one of her own? "Ah, but surely you see if everyone comes in wanting just one, soon we are left without any decorations," he pouted, though this display of emotion was more mocking and hypothetical than genuine. "You must also understand that it is not merely an object--it is an image." For this reason alone, she could not just take it.
@&#&$Usually when Anselm confronted trespassers on the borders, he kept his body positioned between them and his territory, giving them a clear shot out--that was all anybody ever wanted at that point. Here he found himself padding slowly around her, liberally allowing his eyes to rove over her feminine form and soft fur as he did so. He paused once he had completed a half-circuit around her, still casual, but hopefully getting his point across nonetheless. She was temporarily being detained, and his trained eyes watched her carefully for any sudden movements. If she took off, he'd go after her. "So then... perhaps you are not being creative enough when it comes to potential payment, or perhaps you cannot afford it." He didn't think his ultimatum was an unfair one--she could either put it back on the pike, put it down so he could take care of it later, or she could come up with something satisfactory for them both. [/html]
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i suck so hard. 411 words
Tokyo had heard that argument so many times. If we just let everyone do x, then blah blah blah. They were completely missing the point. Whenever she was asking an especial favor, or trying to get away with an action that was frowned upon by some, it never crossed her mind that everyone should be able to do that. In fact, she would probably argue the exact opposite. She deserved special treatment; if it was something everyone could do, so much of the appeal would be completely lost. Tokyo said as much, patiently, as if she was explaining something to a child who just didn't.. get it. "I'm not saying anything about everyone being able to take one, just me." Her tone making it obvious both that this was something he should have figured out on his own, and that she very much believed that she deserved this special treatment.
She didn't really understand what he meant about image. How could she, when the initial purpose of having it on a stake soared so far above her head? So Tokyo just ignored it, because any sort of answer was a risk of exposing that lack of knowledge, making herself seem less than perfect. And that would just be a terrible thing. The strange male walked around, very clearly placing himself so that she couldn't really get away. Going deeper into the territory was possible, but didn't seem wise. Why was he blocking her from leaving instead of protecting his pack lands? Was the skull really that important to him? Instead of any sort of conventional voice of common sense advising her to just let it go, desire and greed bubbled up. If it mattered that much, she really really really had to have it.
Tokyo wasn't sure if she approved of the strangers words and behavior, but the way his eyes were clearly appreciating her beauty did incline her slightly in his favor. She adored being looked at like that, she could see the jealousy and admiration in his eyes (or at least something she decided must be jealous and admiration). "Well, what sort of payment are you thinking of?" She said bluntly, ignoring his game. She wasn't feeling very creative, mostly just sort of annoyed and sort of flattered. And honestly, she had no idea what she had on her that he could want. Her patchy, gray and light blue checkered dress? It didn't really look like it would fit him.
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Anselm had met a couple of girls like her before. None as uniquely coloured as she was, of course, but certainly those that were beautiful and knew it. He couldn't quite decide if he liked this variety (or those that were stunning but didn't seem to notice) better. He raised a brow sceptically at her tone--maybe looks alone weren't getting her the skull, but they were keeping him from striking out right then and there. He didn't appreciate being talked down to as a child, much less on his own territory, but he had a few more tricks up his sleeve before he would resort to physical force (in taking the piece of bone, of course, not the woman).
"Exemptions must be earned, Ms... Blue Eyes," he purled, needing to find some other way to address her as she hadn't offered her name. "If you're so exceptional," he continued lightly, "you must prove it." As if the innuendo were not clear enough, his tone should have made things obvious. Without realising he found himself flexing somewhat, making his already well-defined muscles even more pronounced beneath his thick golden fur--whether it was in anticipation of running her down after she took off with his skull or hoping to impress her if she chose to oblige was rather undecided.
Hardly an objectionable specimen, he obviously held a lot of bias as to which direction he hoped the evening would turn from here. He was well-built, but not overbearingly so--more athletic than bulky, thanks to his regular endurance training. Though he didn't fuss over his appearance, he managed to keep moderately well groomed, though perhaps with a shaggy or edgy look due largely to his unkempt mane. Still, though, he'd been turned down as many times as he'd been accepted, before, and usually he didn't care. This time was just a little bit different, however, because more was at stake than mere hormones.
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337 words, i shoulddd be faster now D:
Ms. Blue Eyes? Not too bad of a nickname, but it made her realize she hadn't actually introduced herself. True, she had had no real opportunity to do so, but his creative form of address presented her with one now: "The name is Tokyo Chance, of Dahlia de Mai." Said the female, her tone more polite and formal than previously. Really, though, she was mostly just stalling for time. Even Tokyo, as oblivious as she was to most attempted subtlety, could figure out by this point what he was baldly hinting at. But ughhhh, gross! The skull wasn't worth that, but she really really wanted to keep it. She sort of wanted to play dumb, to press him into actually blatantly asking, but she didn't want to annoy him.. And if he outright asked, then she would have to outright decline. Or would she have to? Could she somehow postpone the actual event, pretend to "delay" the payment, and then once her skull was safely hidden, get away with never carrying through?
It wasn't that she found him particularly unattractive, although her tastes did run a little more refined and well-kept. She just didn't find the idea of the action attractive. At all. It hurt, and puppies again would suck. "I have a bed in my den." She suggested, quite bluntly acting like she was accepting his offer, although quite cleverly (in her modest opinion) not actually lying. Because she didn't say anything about actually having sex in that bed. Although, okay, to be fair, she didn't really have a bed in her den either. So it was sort of a lie in that regard. But not in the sex-part! Tokyo was being super awesome clever. If she could get him back to Dahlia, she could then turn and chase him off the territory. And it was fairly believable that she wouldn't want to just lie with him on this ground, ew. How dirty she would get! And it would be even more uncomfortable than was necessary.
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Her title had a foreign ring to it that complimented her exotic coat quite nicely; Anselm was always drawn to such strangely marked ladies, though he wasn't conscious of the reason. He simply followed the call of instinct, and here it bade him to seek partners as genetically dissimilar as possible. "What a lovely name for such an alluring woman," he commented smoothly, though with a raised brow. Dahlia was not a pack he liked to think of often, though it did concretely explain why she faintly bore Haku's scent. "Now what would you want with a skull, anyway?" he wondered aloud. "Is this Haku's way of hazing the newcomers?" he asked, tone somehow amused and disgusted all at once.
He quickly forgot about it at her offer--it sounded like an acceptance if he ever heard one. Unfortunately, though, she didn't seem to understand that he was setting the terms here, not her. Even if she put a leash on him and tried to drag him there, he'd be bracing against the pull the entire way and yanking in decidedly the opposite direction. He didn't dare go within Dahlia, especially with only a lower ranked wolf as an escort. Haku would surely materialise from nowhere and go for blood, and if he managed to kill the shit-brown wolf the war would be rekindled. More likely than that, though, the entire pack would descend upon him and rip him limb from limb. That sounded like a far less glorious activity than getting laid.
"Ah, but I have blankets and pillows in my den as well, and it is much closer," he reminded her simply. Why should he have to go for a hike when she was the one who'd come here and tried to take his things, anyway? It made no sense to the tattooed male and he barely even considered it as an option, tensions with Dahlia aside. "It's that way," he indicated with his pointed snout--mama didn't raise no fool, and he wasn't about to let her trail behind him and abscond with his property when his back was turned. Unfortunately for Tokyo, most any of the tricks she tried to play with him he'd already played with others himself, and he wasn't going to fall victim to his own popular methods of deceit.
And go figure, that's when I hit a wall. D: Sorry about the wait. Perhaps this thread could be resolved within a couple more rounds of posting? [/html]
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man, poor tokyo looks like she won't be able to worm her way out of this with the skull. XD. the "wait" was no wait at all, silly~ 307 words, and exit tokyo! was fun thread ^^
Well at least he had enough sense to realize she was beautiful and deserved to be told so. Unfortunately, though, his next words caused her to bristle. Ignoring the question of why she wanted the skull in the first place, she chose instead to snap back at the suggested answer. "Excuse me, I'm not just some newcomer in Dahlia." She had been there for months and months! "I'm actually one of the highest ranking members in the pack, so there is no "hazing" of me. I just want it, okay?" She was exaggerating some; she was much more a middling-rank sort of wolf at the moment. But she didn't care, it wasn't like this male, whatever his name, would go check the actual facts to her claim. And Tokyo hated being questioned like that, especially when she didn't really have a satisfactory answer ready to hand over.
Unfortunately, he also had enough sense to avoid being played by her. He didn't even make the mistake of trying to lead the way back to his den! Gods, but that was frustrating. In a sour mood, Tokyo realized she should probably give up the game here, because traveling further into the coyote lands did not seem very wise. Especially not with an effective promise to do gross things hung in the air between the two of them. "But fine, you know what? Keep it." She considered throwing it at him, but that would probably be taken as some sort of sign of aggression, so instead she threw it past him into the territory, clearly returning it to the pack which she had stolen it from.
Without any other words, or any sort of explanation as to her sudden change of heart, she turned 'round and stalked away, back towards home empty-handed, her ears pressed back against her skull in annoyance.
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» lol, my bad. ): -mixed this up with a different thread kinda.- >>;
It seemed he had struck a sour note with the woman and he watched with mild disappointment as her form retreated towards the horizon. Her haughty gait was still very appealing and it was a shame he'd offended her so greatly that she'd turned back on her offer, but the whole meeting would prove to be inconsequential--regardless of what she said, Anselm was very aware of the leadership in Dahlia. Cercelee was an enigmatic figurehead who mostly let Haku run amok while Cwmfen undoubtedly mediated and served as a glue of sorts when it came to holding the pack together.
Regardless of whether his interpretation was correct, their identities were. From his sleuthing he knew the next two highest members in rank were a male and a female--furthermore, he was fairly confident Tokyo wasn't the latter. The rest just formed 'the masses'--nobody noteworthy or likely very important when it came to political relations. Perhaps his word choice had been rather arrogant (and indeed his whole way of viewing the situation), but it had only cost him getting his dick wet for the night. At least their border was secure.
Using his foot to flip the skull up into the air, he carefully repositioned it back on the original pike. He'd subconsciously rotated it such that its empty eye-holes could watch the chocolate and crème female go, though he was rather aware of what he was doing as he shrugged and took a good, long leak over her trail and near the base of the pike. Trespassers zero, Anselm two since his return. Things were falling into place so nicely--as he moved at an easy pace around the border, his mind drifted to his next priority: locating his daughter. It shouldn't have been particularly difficult, he supposed, seeing as she was now Inferni's second in command. | [/html]
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