[html] wc: 515
She held the creature down despite its screeches, putting more weight down to immobilize it. The thing was trying to flap and get away, but she had it down on the ground on one side…it wasn’t going anywhere! The light colored female had managed to avoid the strikes that it was trying to deal her with its claws and had one of its legs stretched out against the ground. She stopped for a moment to breathe, realizing that she had been holding her breath, and looked at the animal. It was an osprey, if she had her animals right…the large bird of prey had a black and white body, its chest and wing tips white with the rest of its body being mostly black. She had spotted it floundering around on the ground while on her way out to the border; Naniko had thought that she had smelled some elk out around this way, and had headed out after the faint scent early that morning. The osprey had a broken leg, she was now discovering, as she looked it over. The bone wasn’t sticking through the skin, but she could feel the bump and could tell from the bird’s reaction that she was hitting a painful spot when she touched it.
She tried to calm the bird down, speaking to it in low tones and stroking its breastbone with one long finger. Slowly the animal began to listen to her and it began to relax, head lolling backwards. She needed it not to flinch when she applied the braces and tightened the pieces of cloth. Naniko put two long sticks on either side of the break as a makeshift brace, ripping off pieces of her shirt sleeves to use to hold them there. When she tightened it the animal gave one loud squawk, but kept still afterward. She was glad for that. It would have to stay off of its feet for a while until the leg was fully healed or it would never be able to land properly again. She explained that to it and it looked at her with one beady, unblinking eye. She picked the bird up with an “umph”, holding it under one arm as she continued. Naniko wasn’t one for eating birds…not even one as big as this one. They were too beautiful and graceful…and didn’t taste good to her.
But it now looked as if she wasn’t going to be hunting today, not with this bird stuck on her side. She sighed and turned back toward her den. She’d have to explain to the pups that they would have a visitor, a non-edible visitor. As she walked she spoke with the osprey, asking it its name and where it was from. “Sccrl”, as it was called in its tongue, was from this area. In fact, he knew where her cabin was and had perched on the tree next to it several times in the past. She continued to speak with it as she walked, glancing up to the cloudy sky every once in a while to check the weather.
|
[/html]
[html] It was not Ty's conscious mind that brought him to this spot today, but it was simply his sense of smell. He had smelled the blood of the bird in the air, which usually meant a quick meal for Ty, or that another had made a kill. It wasn't that Ty wasn't a humane being, he simply knew that to survive, injured animals didn't usually survive without help or if the damage was permanent, the best thing was just to put it out of it's misery. Ty knew very little about animal injuries as well, but he did know a bird wouldn't survive with a broken wing, or other animals would have issues living without legs, or other crippling injuries, at that point Ty would put them out of their misery. He knew enough to bandage up some wounds, but most of the time he had to resort to just killing the creature.
It was about the time he passed a den he suspected this potential meal might have been claimed, which was a shame, seeing as how he hadn't eaten today, he'd been too busy trying to chop wood for the fire in his cabin's fireplace. Of course, he had turned it into a training exercise, trying to see if he could chop through two or three logs at a time. At first it failed miserable, and the wood ended up hitting him in the sides and forehead, but after a while he had got the hang of it. Now he ended up nearby the den of another wolf, one he smelled was familiar, he had remembered this scent as one of the valley.
But now he could hear the squawking of the struggling bird, did it still live? Along with the voice of another, a voice that was familiar to him, the last time he heard it was screaming trying to push out children, a rather odd first experience for Ty about childbirthing. At one moment she had been talking to him one moment, the next she had pups coming out of her naughty bits. Nevertheless, she was his alleged aunt, so perhaps another conversation with her would be beneficial to both of them. "I may be a little bold, but carrying a potential meal on your side is...rather unusual for a wolf isn't it?" He asked Naniko, trying to get her attention.
words:395
[/html]
[html]
WC: 338
The water rippled lightly as the tawny female peered into the clear depths. Her reflection was distorted lightly, causing her features to grow and shrink at random intervals. She lowered her muzzle to the surface of the water, lapping up the cool liquid. It felt good on her throat, and tasted clear and fresh.
A distant, loud squawking sound caught her attention; her head snapped up, a few drops of water dripping from her lips. The Tenens’ ears pricked forward, straining to hear the sound. It sounded again, though it was quieter this time. Figuring it was worth checking out, the female rose from her place next to the lake and set off at a brisk trot, her ears and nose alert. The snow crunched softly under her paws as she went, the crisp upper layer keeping her from sinking down into the softer, powder layer.
It was unusually quiet in the forest, even for the middle of winter. Above her head, the sky was a dull, soft gray. Wisps of clouds threatened to cover the sky and cast more shadow on the already dark January day. It would snow tonight, she was sure of it. Even with her thick winter coat, she shivered slightly. Breaking into a run, Andy lifted her nose to the air, noting the bird scent was also accompanied by two wolf scents, both of the Valley.
As she neared the little group, Andy recognized the scents of Ty and Naniko. Smiling, she quickened her pace, curious to see what was going on. The scent of bird blood was fresh, and it caused her stomach to growl. She hadn’t been particularly hungry before, but she felt it clawing at her belly now.
She rounded a tree, and saw them. Naniko was cradling the bird; a large osprey. It was injured. Andy bounded over. “Hey there. New pet?” she said curiously, noting the bird’s leg. She smiled at Ty, nodding in greeting. The young female sat, her tail thumping lightly in the snow.
[/html]
[html] Thanks for joining, guys!  wc: 315
There were some things that she just wouldn’t eat. This skinny little bird looked like it wouldn’t feed many wolves, anyway. It wouldn’t even fill her up. She had been wanting some company around the house, and it would be a good experience for the pups to learn about wild animals. Of course, she wouldn’t restrict it to their cabin…maybe the yard outside, where there was room for it to stretch its wings. It would need to keep its wings strong so it would be able to fly again after it was recovered.
A familiar voice came from nearby and she raised her free hand in greeting. The bird took advantage of the fact that she wasn’t paying attention and struggled, and she tapped it on the beak a few times when she was finished waving, a reprimand. "It might be, Ty, for any sane wolf. He has a broken leg. I’m guessing he’s been on the ground for a while...or unable to catch food, at least, because he’s really thin." When she had first started healing she had worked with the lower creatures, and now she was starting all over again from the bottom and working her way up.
Andy was the next wolf to happen along them, and she nodded to her when she arrived. She knew Andy from their hunt with Zynex. The wolf was very pretty in Naniko’s eyes, looking very much like her past mate Anu. She was, of course, not Anu…but Naniko could not help but connect the two when she saw Andrea. She cleared her mind of these thoughts, though, and greeted the female properly. "Not a pet, a patient. How are you two doing today? Would you like to walk back with me to the cabin and get out of the cold?" She had some meat back there, too, that she could offer them for a meal.
|
[/html]
|
