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Elk hunt, anyone? Asha is located on the outermost borders of the Serena Reserve that isn't claimed by AniWaya, so anyone is welcomed to join. Not sure how popular all welcome threads are here, but I'm going to give it a shot!
It was high afternoon, with the skies gray and the snow falling at a steady pace. The lands of the reserve were naturally quiet as always; the only sounds given were that of frequent, gentle songbirds, or distant calls of canines or other creatures that prowled. Although the familiar hawk of her Spirit Guide was not present, she could hear his soft whispers in the corner of her ear as if Jaya had been perched upon her shoulder, urging her to go forth on a particular path to where up ahead a mile or so there was opportunity to catch prey. The red she-wolf had been tracking after a band of wapiti since she first picked up their trail and scent near Grandfather's Tears. The wapiti were a special offering in these areas, due to the fact that they were only abundant in these parts from the chain linked fences that still surrounded the borders (which were curious contraptions to the Amara female). There was a particular herd that she was following, composed of two strong bucks, a seasoned doe, and one juvenile that looked a little lanky. Asha had no interest for the largest of the bucks and the youngest little juvenile, but the middle buck and the seasoned doe were figures of prime interest.
Her equine had been left about a mile back or so, for traveling upon foot would be a much more swift method of hunting (and would reduce the noise of her following the herd). In her grasp was her special crafted bow, coupled with three arrows. It had been a particular weapon that had been of great use to her since her journey outside AniWaya, although it would be soon time to craft another one for her liking. For now, it would suffice. Her amber eyes were intensely focused ahead, as her slim and small figure wove around trees and dashed across little open fields in the forest, keeping as low and stealth as possible. The wapiti didn't seem to notice her yet, and were moving at a consistent, mild pace in possible migration to find better grazing grounds. It would come to a point, however, where the herd would temporarily settle among a small clearing. One of the bucks had shown interest in something that was beneath the blanket of snow, and instantly began to graze upon the grounds. Hiding crouched behind a large sort of coniferous tree, the Ayastigi observed them in silence for a moment. There could be a good shot made from here, but then again, maybe even something a little higher up would suffice? The Amara remained in her place, silently contemplating what possible strategy could be used to get the best and cleanest kill possible.
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here he is, to mess up her mad skills. xD
SSWM - 566
The male had traveled lightly over the vast territories at a stead pace. Every so often he had moved through bush and snow, looking carefully for the tracks of those that might be considered prey. The horse he rode upon was his favorite. The merle patterned mare that had claimed his so long ago. It felt like they had known each other forever, and it was hard for him to look back on a day without her, those times seeming like another lifetime all together. Heath did not look to those days often, rather revisting the memories of his time after meeting Lumière. It was then that he had joined the pack, and met Ruri, and had truly befriended Haven. She had brought the light into his world, and thus she held a certain part of his heart that no other could reach. Together they had trekked around the northern reaches of Crimson Dreams, rounding the pack lands and giving them all plenty of room to breathe. Heath still did not look upon them in a trusting manner, though he feared they all knew he was not welcomed, and he would rather not try to persuade them that he had changed.
Instead he lead the mare on foot through the chain linked fence, a place where paw prints and scents were plentiful. The male had lingered briefly at the area, pushing the links back just a bit further to allow the small mare through the opening. She did not put up a fuss, knowing that Heath would follow the scent even if she demanded to stay behind. The mare never liked being left while he was out scouting, and so he was often forced to bring her. His stallion Stark was far more willing to be left in his stall. Lumière just always seemed to need to know what he was doing. The pair moved slowly and quietly until the footing was fair and then Heath mounted her once more. Riding though the new lands he forgot the prey he hunted for a moment, and found his eyes straying to the fence line. It was an interesting thing, and knew of the pack lands that were not far from where he stood.
Still they were distant enough that he did not fear himself trespassing. The bi-colored hands held the mare’s reigns lightly, and let the horse guide him along the fence. The snow had drifted along the physical boundary, and the pair was forced to move inward and into the trees that lived in the reserve. Slowly, quietly they traveled until the scent of prey made his stop Lumière’s approach. His heart stepped up its pace, curiosity setting his adrenaline loose. Nudging her along, they came to thinning trees, the clearing visible through the branches of the evergreens. Gold eyes looked out to see the shadows of hoofed beasts, and slid from the horse’s saddle. Slowly he advanced, falling lightly to the snow and in a moments time and with a brief falter in his step he was the four legged creature of is lupus form. Black and tan form limbs lead closer and closer, the notion that another would be hunting the same family of prey beyond his train of thought.
And then, with a burst of speed the lanky coy-wolf left the covering of the trees, nose heading for the middle set creature.
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If you don't mind, I'm going to go ahead and let you interpret where Asha's arrow lands (if it happens to strike an elk or not, or maybe even just barely miss Heath!), just to make things more interesting. :3
Her tail flicked absently behind her, as her light beige eyes remained scrutinizing upon the herd before her; sizing up the possibilities of which one to strike, which one would be efficient enough for left overs for the tribe, which one would take the easiest fall at the most profound angle she could strike it at. Serious hunting took patience, calculations, thought, strategy. In most instances you only had one shot and one shot only to obtain your trophy, so the seasoned hunter would realize that the action plan must be thought out thoroughly. Time was of the essence in most situations, but with this one, it seemed that the Ayastigi had some few spare minutes to supplement coming up with a grand scheme of taking down a wapiti. She could already feel her salivate glands begin to water, as she had been anticipating the taste and the sinking of her fangs into their supple flesh, and licking oh so succulently away at their sweet, sweet blood. Everything about her now she could feel sharpen to an even better degree; her eyes honing in more on focus, her nose receptive to their natural scents, her tongue already tasting their soft flesh, as her instinct to hunt began to filter in her veins like a hallucinogenic dosage. She then set her two spare arrows down, in which her fingers deftly began to set up her arrow in her longbow. Her choice was to implant an arrow into the second buck, seemingly as his physique looked strong and nourished; a worthy kill and prize for her tribe. As quietly as she could, she began flexing her arms and raising her longbow in the position to strike.
It would, and could, only take a second for something to suddenly ruin the opportunity.
Her ears had heard the sound of deft paw falls at first, flickering in the direction of the source. It wouldn't be until her eyes would follow, and then from the shade of the trees would come a figure that was lean and made for the very definition of hunting. It was a flash of what was a combination of grays, black, and brown, but of course looked more black than anything as it rushed the herd of wapiti. Instantly did her psyche set for alarm, as her amber eyes widened at the sudden interruption of her hunt. Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Gone were the calculations used to make the perfect shot, gone was the calm and collected nature of the scene to where she could make a perfect, clean kill. The wapiti were not foolish creatures, and in the light of such a predator rushing toward them, the elk instantly decided to bolt. Her motives clearly worked on autopilot now, as the red she-wolf then raised from her cover and raised her bow to draw her allow back fully. Asha wasn't about to let them escape without a possible shot made from her, not after the tracking she had done to reach them at this point. Clearly disdained by the other's attempt to hunt them now, Asha drew her arrow back as far as the string would allow before the breaking point, and giving a quick, constant stream of air to blow through her snout, had let the arrow go careening in the very same path the wolf was running on. Whether it would hit a wapiti, miss entirely, or even possibly pierce through the wolf was something that would play out very rapidly in the next scene of things. The wapiti were quick hoofed, and instantly after her first arrow was shot, she would quickly scoop up her other two arrows and then leap out of her hiding to take off after the herd and the wolf chasing after them. Her strategy might have been ruined at the moment, but she wasn't about to give it up entirely yet.
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maybe another arrow?
SSWM - 558
Their scent was all around. But it was the fear the radiated from them that made Heath power forward with speed and strength that surprised even the owner. He was small in his wolf shape; his coyote blood taking hold and making him look thin and light. But it allowed for speed. Paws pushed through the snow, his body rising to be carried over it and his eyes honing in on the one prize he hoped to take. The others ran with them, the herd traumatized by his presence and yet still hoping to stick with the others, none wishing to be separated from the small group. The coy-wolf continued to run, paw steps growing weak at one moment and then with determination sounding through his form another burst of speed brought him closer.
Had he known that a silent hunter stood in the shadow, waiting for the very prize he fought for, Heath might have simply waited. In time the arrow would pierce the deer’s neck or heart and there might be a small free meal to be taken. But his mind was very heavily distracted by the scene at hand. He could not wander where his mount had roamed off to, or how much meat would be drawn from the oddly shaped deer. Heath could only see the flanks of the creature that careened through the banks of snow with an elegance that was not diminished by the obstacle.
Such grace made the falter in the beast’s step all the more noticeable. It hit, shaking the deer’s haunch, but neither brought the beast to the ground or slowed it in the instant it struck. Gold eyes looked to find the feathered stick perturbing out from the beast’s back end. It was deep, sinking into the muscle easily, piercing the solid mass. The pair continued, running as if there had not been anything to interrupt their chase. It was taking its toll on the hybrid, and his breath was drawn and expelled harshly. The cold hit his chest as his breath weakened, and just as he felt the need to slow, giving in to the prey that was faster, more agile and better at the distance run, the hoofed animal faltered in its own step.
Heath could not miss the weakness that was now made obvious by the wound the arrow had created. Who might have shot the beast could not be questioned at the moment, and the predator allowed the instincts of old to wash over him. With a burst of speed that had to be drawn from a primal place inside the male he descended on the animal. Paws carried the screaming muscles, the ones that complained that they had been pushed too far too quickly. The travel, the wear of the ride, the change from one form to another. It had taken its toll and the male felt it now. But he pushed still, gaining speed as the prey slowed. The distance shrunk, and the fear could be tasted on his tongue. Blood from its wound had begun to weep, and the scent of it filled the air that streamed behind the beast. It pushed him further and in mere instants he was beside the creature. His fangs sought the neck of the beast, sought the blood and the metallic pure taste of it.
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Her arrow careened through the air, setting its mark upon the creature's muscular and well padded haunch. It could be a gesture that was full of victory and one that would send a howl of triumph to ring from her vocal chords, but not even a smirk happened to pass over her muzzle at this moment when the arrow placed itself in the wapiti's hide. It was still running, pushing forth, even through its struggles. She had witnessed many times before how creatures would recover from several shots made, braving the fine sharpened points of the arrows, quite presumably even living on after they had successfully escaped from their captors. The wapiti were certainly stronger than they looked in a predator's eyes, Asha knew that much.
The wapiti's essence was beginning to spill forth from its wound, decorating the air and ground with its distinct liquid of life. Her keen canine senses, like any other canine's nose, immediately picked up on the rich, metallic aroma that sent her glands immediately watering and sending her instinctual psyche into almost a blood lusting frenzy. She had to keep her calm, however. Had to keep her endurance in check, had to keep herself self-possessed. The other predator who was still trailing right after the elk, it was a figure that was built streamlined, and his movement blended in well with the surroundings at the speed he was going. She was still not able to discern his visage, but that wasn't a concern right now. If anything, her attention was focused more upon the fact whether or not the Lupus hunter would make the strike to take it down. Even though Asha had intentionally wanted to keep the wapiti for herself and her tribe members, even she at this moment couldn't be selfish. The AniWaya weren't starving to death.
The Ayastigi still ran after the two, seeing as how the rest of the herd has dispersed into other zigzagging directions. Her running held much more quality in her Optime form than any other form, due to the fact that she did not shift regularly, but like the other hunter, was already beginning to feel the effects of feeling winded. It was then the distance began to shorten dramatically, and before one knew it the Lupus hunter had lunged to take a fatal bite to the wapiti's neck. Now that the wapiti was getting dragged down by the sheer force of the wolf's jaws, Asha had halted in her path to make another shot. Loading the arrow and throwing her shoulders back, her eyes focused upon the elk's flank, closest to its available lung. Curling her tail behind her, the Ayastigi took in a deep breath and at the end of her exhale, let the arrow fly.
Hightailing in a straighter line this time, the second arrow hit its mark precisely where her amber gaze intended it to go, adding yet another fatal and possibly ending wound to the wapiti. There was a gurgling cry that emitted from it, although the sound in its throat was compressed tightly by the jaws of the hunter crushing its wind pipe. It had been seized, either way, with the jaws of the wolf upon its neck, and now a second arrow devastating its lung. The Amara stood in her place, catching her breath, watching from a distance as the life of the wapiti was drained from its eyes and its body. Also, it was an opportunity to see a little of the hunter's visage, in which her gaze was then more intent on studying than that of the dying elk.
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He needed to run faster, just a bit further. The lean and thin coyote mix galloped beside the sprinting elk, his eyes concentrating the on the neck that was his target, rather then the type of prey that he had come upon. Yes, it was different. But Heath’s mind fell into the carnal instincts that had been in instilled in him the day he had been born, passed to him through the lines that were once free of all that made them change and brought them closer to the humans that had once ruled these lands. Given the hands, the knowledge of tools, it brought them into the world of the broken cities. His mind was lost to the horses that had filled his once meaningless life, forgot the stables, forgot the clothes he chose not to wear this day. It was nothing more then the wind in his ears, the sound of the heavily breathing elk, and his own. The pulse that pounded in the neck Heath sought, his open mouth beginning to strive for the taste of blood with its wet jowls.
Back legs pushed with a power that he would not suspect he had in any other state of mind. It threw his form at the beast, and a newly sparked hope needed him to hit the target. His nose touched the soft velvet, pushing violently against it and at the same moment his jaws fell shut, muscle tightening until they seared with pain. His body tensed, paws hardly touching as he refused to allow the elk to slip from his fanged jaws. His tongue felt the pulse, the beating heart of the creature quickening in the fright. The beast and the wolf were jarred by a sudden strike, and for a moment Heath merely figured it was the second of his pack to attach themselves along the prey’s hide. The blood flowed into his mouth, not satisfying the craving that he had but only intensifying it.
The pair began to fall, the breathing of the elk faltering once, and then again and again. Heath did not allow his jaws to slack, meeting the snow as the dieing creature did. It was there they lay side by side, teeth deep in the beast’s skin. The pulse was gone, quickly and oddly so. The blood coated his mouth, the warmth on his tongue and filter down his throat. Heath released his mouth from the jugular, honey eyes blinking against the daze that he had fallen into. They followed the blood of the broken artery and focused on the spears that stuck from the chest and flank of the beast. The coy-wolf’s breath was ragged with effort, teeth exposed and crimson with the life of the fallen smeared across them. Remembering there was no other pack mate, no one else to help in the bringing this prey to the ground, the hybrid looked behind him, turning to face whom ever had assisted him in the kill.
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This had played out to be a beautiful rendition of predator chasing prey, although it had been two predators, one that had been in their standard canine form, and one that ran on two legs wielding and manipulating a makeshift weapon. Not too many choice encounters of the such happened in the way this one did, and while this had certainly caught the Ayastigi off guard for a moment, after the frantic thrill and rush of the hunt had passed, this was to be quite an interesting collaboration. She could note the frenzy of bloodlust and the hunt cloud his judgement and send the canine into a state of pure ecstasy. She too felt the red hot adrenaline pump through her veins after the excitement of the chase, her own pupils wide and dilated with elation, although it probably wasn't anywhere as near intense as the one who had locked his jaw upon the neck of the wapiti and was to taste the still alive blood upon his tongue before death had washed over the elk. The hybrid had released his grip, and seeming Asha had noted he was slowly coming out of his bewilderment of the hunt.
As the male hybrid had turned to look at her, her amber eyes locked upon his own golden gaze. Breathing deeply to recover her lost breath, there was a moment of shared silence to where she only kept his gaze with an unreadable expression, before her eyes strayed upon the two arrows that were embedded deeply within the flank and haunch of the wapiti, and the reservoirs of blood that ran from its multiple wounds from the kill. Flicking her russet hued plume from behind her, the Amara then began to approach the predator and his brought down prey at a confident sort of stride. Asha had been a little thing for her Optime form, only standing to five foot five, and built quite small, although her demeanor made up for her size in leaps and bounds. To see the male exposing his blood plastered fangs might have made her a little uneasy and maybe have another be a little more than apprehensive to approach, but the Ayastigi was not afraid, whether the male would snap at her coming close or not. Her gesture was only to retrieve her arrows, in which once coming upon the now lifeless wapiti, swiftly knelt down to where she was at somewhat of a mutual level of height with the hybrid.
Through the whole process, her amber eyes were transfixed upon his golden ones. Her expression was unreadable, but as she yanked out the projectiles from the carcass, the area where the arrows had entered began leaking more profusely with blood. The specially crafted arrows were stained with crimson to the very middle shaft of the anatomy of the projectiles, and with one of them, Asha had brought the head of the arrow to her jaws in order to lick at the rigid point, to get a sample tasting of the wapiti. The metallic flavor burst upon her tongue, and she swished what she had tasted around in her jaws to get the full effect of the flavor. Instantly did she begin to salivate more, as wapiti was surely a rare delicacy in anyone's diet around these parts. "You won't find a taste like this in any other regions around here. This is the only place. Rare, and very delicious." Asha then said, a small smile curving at the corner of her maw, and slightly waving the bloodied arrow forward in a gesture to make a point to what she said. Wapiti had only been plentiful in this area only, which made its rarity of a delicacy even more valuable.
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sswm - 511
Eyes remained locked on the beast that approached. They gazed upwards at the two legged creature, breath came heavily and with an eager harness that raged through his chest. Her presence only heated him more, the surprise of her existence in the chase, the sight of her now. The male remained in the daze that the kill brought, the haze that lingered over the non feral portion of his being. The part that claimed and tamed horses, wore clothing upon his back and held the hand of his mate. The pieces that were connected to the virus that swam his veins. It was dangerous for her to approach, his mouth wide and lips twitching in the need to show even more of his bloodied fangs. He felt the yearning to tell her she mustn’t come any closer, for the thing that he had tasted was his and his alone. She smelt not of Cour des Miracles, and thus not of any beast allowed to touch the creature he had brought to the ground. No, come no closer the soft rumble in his chest spoke, not yet a growl but a dim vibration that filtered up into his throat.
She knelt, and Heath immediately felt the challenge diminish. Falling like a crumbling wall. He took a breath, deep and through his nose. She was of Aniwaya, as it was the nearest pack lands. She plucked the arrows from the beasts hide, freeing the wounds that they had made, the blood flowing and filling the air with more then just what he had broken and brought forth. Heath could not register that she was tracking the herd before he had come upon them, not yet at least. For the moment his simply watched her, his mind returning to its lucid state. Eyes watched intently as she tasted the beast off of the pointed metal, licking the blood away from his teeth in response. Her voice sang, ears forward and perked in order to take in the words. Finally regaining his composure the male took the steps that brought them face to face and then looked at the fallen beast, finding it looking different then the moving blur that he had attempted to chase.
It was not the deer that he had once thought it had, in the frenzy of the chase and ecstasy of the kill. No, the shade of the pelt and the antlers marked it different from any caribou he had seen before. And it was obviously not a deer, whom was far less bulky. She smiled, and curve of her mouth made Heath more eager to remind himself of the taste before it grew cold with death.
“I can share.” The Miracles man spoke, knowing the look upon her face was then of pure anticipation. In his mind he had taken down the creature, and though her arrows had helped some it was not the same as the crushed trachea that Heath had dealt. But his blood stained snout wore a smile of it own, coy and eager as well.
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Her olfactory senses had been secretly at work depicting the scent that had been his sort of natural essence about him. Although the Ayastigi had not known of the scent of Cour des Miracles as its very scent in particular, it was a scent that she had certainly detected once before. Not finding a specific affiliation or organization of a name to the pack scent he wore, it would be a fact she would only have to figure out and learn with time. It appeared to be that his own nose and senses were analyzing her as well, as his deep breath must have registered in her tribal aroma. Ah, such a thing was unique in the canine world with finding acquaintance with one another. At least in these ways, it was a lot less embarrassing with doing the traditional method of sniffing each other's tail, in which Asha couldn't even begin to ever picture herself doing to one another, even if such a gesture called for it in her Lupus form.
Her tongue happened to sneak a licking taste of the drying blood upon her arrows again, and it would remind her of such that she would probably have to replace these two arrows for new ones later. They were still exceptionally good, but Asha was the type who just liked to have clean materials to work with for the next time. She had set the two crimson stained arrows down beside her, and as the male suddenly spoke up, he spoke of sharing with a smile written upon his snout. Sharing. That word seemed like one that lacked in many vocabularies nowadays, but particularly liked the way it sounded from the male. It didn't sound forced, faked, or said with any bout of intimidation. A meal to share, between a Lupus and an Optime, just like casual friends meeting out on a casual lunch one afternoon.
Asha had let his words register in her mind for a second, before nodding her muzzle with her smirk still apparent. "I could work with that." Asha said, as from kneeling down, she then suddenly sat cross legged, indian style, across from the Lupus and the kill. Even though she wanted to bring most of the wapiti back to AniWaya, she figured that she couldn't be selfish in company such as this, especially for bringing down the wapiti. For a moment her gaze observed the wapiti in its state, before transfixing once again upon the male. Her amber eyes gaze him a once over, and her inquiry also had her tilt her head to the side in questioning. "Are your hunting skills more adept in your Lupus form than in your Optime?" Asha then asked. It was sort of a no brainer at first, since apparently he had been capable enough to bring down the wapiti with his jaws, but then again, it had been unusual to see most individuals at AniWaya even walk around in their shifted Lupus form. Matter of fact, Asha couldn't remember the last time she seen someone in their Lupus form, let alone remember the last time she had shifted.
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posts might be a bit smaller, recovering from sswm :3
He felt the tire of the chase, and the kill, on his body. If she chose to fight for the right to the dead beast Heath could not see himself as the victor quite clearly enough to want to risk it. He would fight though, but the addition of the weapon would not make it a reach for her to win. His form did not show the tension, but he was relieved what she agreed to his offer. Heath took the breath he hadn’t noticed he was holding, and gave a brief nod. Honey colored eyes watched as she fell gracefully to the ground, her legs folding before her. His head went down to the creature, though his eyes stayed on the female. Thoughts drifted for a fraction of a moment to Lumière. His horse would not be far, trailing him as she always did. But, the mare would remain away until he was ready, foraging the new territories brush just as he had.
She simply watched the unmoving creature, eyes fixed on the body as if it would open and eat itself. Heath gave a half smile to himself at the thought and when he took his eyes on of her he moved to the puncture wound that he had already made, hoping to open it fully. But her question drew him away, and Heath did not need to think it over.
“Yes.” it was an easy question, for Heath did not know how to hunt any other way. This was all he knew, and it was what his instincts told him to do. She, obviously, had been taught something much different.
“I don’t know how to use any weapons.” All he ever carried was a knife, and that was for the simple functions of cutting and nothing more. It was only after many uses that it didn’t feel awkward in the male’s large hand, and he just lost the feeling that he was going to cut himself each time he took a slice of something.
He lowered his head again, and let his teeth sink into the cooling flesh. The throat feel open at his single tug, and his eyes glanced over to the female, wondering what it was that she was thinking about. He knew little of her pack, and couldn’t guess that they were all too used to the taller Optime forms.
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It's all good, no worries.  373
The male's reply was quite simple, and expressed that he had been a more agile hunter in his Lupus form than in his Optime. It was interesting to know, for like mentioned previously, Asha had only been used to hunting and practically doing nearly everything in her Optime form and the specialized traits that came with living in an Optime form. Even though life was surely more simplistic as a Lupus, life as an Optime was also very simplistic in its own way. The best thing was to manipulate objects with the extra phalanges that were your fingers instead of mere paws. To think about it in a more profound manner, Asha couldn't imagine living her life as a Lupus entirely, not without all the benefits that Optime figures had. But, to each their own, and what was even more interesting was the prospect that he didn't know how to use any weapons.
There was certainly nothing wrong with that fact, but like said, it was interesting and unusual to where she came from. "That's interesting to know. Not too many of my tribe members can say that they prefer hunting in Lupus to Optime. We're too used to the benefits of Optime." The Ayastigi further went to say, and then fell silent again as the male let his fangs rip into the wapiti's throat. More of that delicious aroma from the elk wafted from its wound. Not wasting anymore time to let the kill spoil, she had picked up one of her bloodied arrows again, and then began using the pointed edge of the arrow to slice off a sliver of meat from the hide, to which she would take a bite of the succulent part of it and discard much of the fur and flesh that of course didn't taste well. Chewing thoughtfully, she spoke again amid a mouthful of wapiti. "But there's nothing wrong with that, either. Sometimes when I like to get away from the world, I'll shift into Lupus." For that was her escape from time to time from the "reality" from the real world. "My tribe, I'm from AniWaya. I'm Asha Amara, by the way. And you are?" Asha then asked, slicing off another sliver of meat.
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Before the time in his life that involved the pack, and thus the stables and horses, Heath had always found the simple things easier in his Lupus form. Travel was tiresome and slow on two legs compared to the four that he wore as he spoke to her. Since meeting Lumière, and becoming knowledgeable in the ways of horse training Heath had simply asked for the mare or the stallion Stark to aid in his travels. But there was nothing like satisfying the simple need to run, to let his legs stretch and either fulfill the instinct to chase or let the endorphins seep into his blood stream.
Honeyed eyes looked back at the female, his tongue washing the blood from his teeth. He had not thought much on the subject, knowing those that never shifted and others that remained on in their Optime form just as she did. Jut as he had, but in the delicate yet deadly fashion that her form provided, she begun to feed. The sharpened metal or stone pierced the beast’s hide, and Heath worked further with his teeth at the elk’s throat. He stepped close to it chest, working his way down slowly.
He looked at her once more, understanding how she felt. If he wanted nothing to do with all that surrounded him he would just go. Running in a direction that made no actual sense and ran until his legs were light a flame and his chest threatened to burst from the pain. His head rose as he introduced himself,
“Heath.” he spoke simply, not enjoying his last name and thus not adding it.
“Cour des Miracles. To the east.” having been to the tribe’s lands only once and having been asked to leave Heath knew little about them, but found the weapon she bore the most interesting. And so his questions were numerous, but Heath possessed some form of patience, asking only one.
“Do you only use that for hunting?”
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The Lupus male had introduced himself as Heath, not providing a surname after. Heath did however note that he came from Cour des Miracles, to the East. She remembered having an encounter or two of individuals from that pack to the East, but it wasn't any encounters that shed much light upon the territory itself, nor were the encounters anything interesting; just brief, passing moments through time. Asha had a profound interest in the other regions that were claimed, simply because AniWaya had been set to the old, custom way of things, and most of these other regions had been more advanced with certain tools, education, and even technology in some aspects. "I've never been to Miracles, but from what I've remembered I heard that there are other species of individuals that aren't wolves per se?" If she could remember correctly from her last distant encounter, there were some who held other canine species in their genes, closely related to most "domesticated dogs" of the past. She wasn't sure though if this information was valid, and hopefully Heath would be able to provide some clarification for her for that.
For a moment then, Asha simply remained devouring her share of the wapiti. The taste was quite different than just a standard elk, moose, or deer, for it had a distinct flavor that bursted uniquely upon one's tongue, and if she had been starving she would have been gorging upon the carcass like a mad tribe member. It was easy for one to get past the point of full with wapiti, since they were such a delicacy, rarity, and sometimes very seasoned to where you just couldn't stand to not eat another bite. Asha had been taking generous portions to herself, however, and chewing her food calmly. It was easy to gorge yourself on wapiti, but it was also important to know that there was Heath she was sharing with, and of course a glutton wouldn't look too attractive in another's company.
It was then Heath had questioned her arrows, in which she had took a moment to pause chewing and even inspect herself. Her answer would come easy, for her arrows were used for numerous things. "Of course. I've used these to practice, dig things out from tight spots, even tried to fish with it once, but that didn't seem to work too well like a spear would." Asha softly laughed at this, for looking back on the thought of fishing with a bow and arrow was a little silly, but at the time she had simply been exploring the possibilities of what a singular weapon could do. "I have plenty more back home. Different weapons, I mean. I have spears for fishing, spears for throwing, a little neat wooden contraption called a boomerang that I found on my journey that you can throw and it spins in the air." Asha noted some of the basics of weaponry that she had stashed in her cabin.
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Heath nodded, his mouth full of meat that he would never feel like he could devour fast enough. Just as any animal he knew that this might be the last meal he would eat for some time. Perhaps it was true, and it likely was not. But, one never knew and taking his fill was only a means of survival whether he looked like a hording beast of not. With the mouthful passed he answered in length,
“We accept all kinds, anyone really.” They didn’t care, as long as they knew how to behave and even that was negotiable. He had met a few, and had been a little wild himself at one time, that could use a good whipping to set them strait.
“Our leader is a dog, as are his two right hands.” Of course his Ruri was nothing that could be associated negatively with a dog, it was only Jac, the King, that he felt any bitterness towards. And of course Heath like Vigilante. Both sub-leaders were seen to Heath as the morals the Jac had lost right along with his arm; purity and honor.
They continued to fill their stomachs, and Heath looked up as she spoke to answer him. To carry such a thing was a fairly new concept for the Marshal, and only knew a few that wore a weapon. With the ignorance that Heath possessed came fear, and Heath hated to fear anything. The Knight of their pack did, but Heath trusted Haven’s knowledge of its workings. She told of the many that she owned, and Heath came to the assumption that her entire tribe was packing some sort of weaponry. He had not yet decided if her tribe was one of peace or not, it was simply too early in his understanding. At the last explanation the male looked on with a slight bout of confusion.
“What will you catch with twirling wood?” he smiled at the image that played in his head, though had no desire to mock the female.
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Asha had never heard of a pack that was a blend of different canine species and to her that was very interesting to know. She was even more intrigued to know that the leader and his counterparts were purely dog, and not wolf. Dogs to her were not a subject that she had been entirely familiar with, and seemingly dogs in general had been used as a derogatory term in the past. She had not met too many dogs either, so she couldn’t be prejudice or judgmental toward them in any way. “Huh.” The Ayastigi had said in something of an agreeing manner. “That’s really interesting to know. There are barely any dogs from our tribe lands. Tell me, do they lead any different?” Perhaps dogs had a certain way of leading, which was fundamentally different from that of the hierarchy of a typical ranking structure of a wolf pack, and hopefully Heath would be able to provide further details to this.
There had been some passing moments to where she simply enjoyed her half of the fill. Savoring every bite and every taste, it was unknown whether or not she would be able to taste a wapiti until the spring time was to roll around in a couple of weeks, so to salvage the kill was a must. She would especially have to bring back some fresh slivers of meat while the wapiti was still in its early decomposing stages, and Asha had to keep a mental time clock on how much time to spend before she had to bring her half back to the tribe’s village. It was then that Heath mentioned his inquiry about twirling wood with a smirk, and with his smile, Asha had smiled too, as if reading his mind. Sure, twirling wood did sound strange to hear about, but it really wasn’t all that strange once one saw it in full fledged action. She had almost wished she had brought it along on this day, and could have provided an example to go with her explanation. “Well, you could catch things from long distances. If I was still chasing after this wapiti, I could fling my boomerang at it, and from the blunt force of it twirling in the air, I could knock out the wapiti cold. It’s certainly something you wouldn’t want to get hit with whatsoever.” She noted, with her voice dropping in a serious tone to this. Some things might have appeared silly, but in full use, they were certainly no laughing matter.
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sorry for the wait
Her question was relevant, but Heath needed to think hard to make his answer just as pertinent. When he thought of his leader he thought of how the King had some sort of parental hold on his mate, how Jac had hated him and punched him in hopes of driving Heath away from the woman he loved. His leader was a drunk, radical and in the coy-wolf’s mind slightly insane. But he had a decent heart, courage and was wise enough not to get locked into the wars of clans and packs beyond their borders. He had always stayed away from him, and Heath found that an intelligent decision. If they lead any differently, Heath couldn’t honestly gage it. And so he answered,
“I don’t think so.” His shoulders shrugged ever so slightly,
“But we have a Kingdom, not a pack lands. Not an Alpha but a King.” Heath attempted to explain that though there was the same sort of hierarchy, it had its differences.
In the moments of silence Heath only gave into the instinctual desire to feast. His stomach needed filing, and her mind could not predict the needs of his pack so far away. The meat would not be fresh if he tried to hall it to his and Ruri’s cabin, and so the wolf took what he could with the intention of leaving her what he could not eat.
Her painted face looked at him with the same sort of smile, the pink beyond the corner of her eye a trait that Heath had yet to focus on and notice. Such things were common, as were clothing and jewelry, making it had for him to notice anything at all. Though weapons would always stand out for the male. But honey eyes caught the decoration and were held until she mentioned the wapiti. Her eyes found his, her last notion a sort of warning. The flinging stick was not something to be messed with, though Heath would need to see it in action to truly understand what damage could be done with it.
“I am a bit more familiar with swords and knives. But use neither as a weapon. Hunting has always been a pack affair,” he paused looking at the kill he had hoped to bring down all himself,
“usually.” he corrected with a confirming tone.
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Apologies for my own delay and the shortness of this, assignments were tedious this week. O_x Want to wrap this up in a bit? 441
It sounded like the leadership of a dog wasn’t as different as that of a wolf, or even a coyote for that matter. It seemed like there was a basic way of leading things, ingrained into every branch of canine species out there. Differences that Heath did mention, however, was that Cour des Miracles wasn’t a pack land but a Kingdom instead, and the Alpha was resounded as a King. Nodding to this snippet of information, it was subtle differences in the regions and in the titles. It was just like how AniWaya was, with their different custom of words and labels. “Ah, makes sense then. We don’t refer to our lands too much as a pack either, since we consider ourselves more of a tribe than anything. My father, who is the Chief of AniWaya, is often referred to by several different labels; Chief, Kalona, Raven Chief…” Asha explained, sharing a little bit of her own differences experienced back in her tribe lands. She wasn’t sure if the information she provided was interesting or not, but it was something to speak and share about nonetheless.
In those moments of silence where they simply ate their full, it finally arrived to the point where the flavor was just too overbearing for her tongue and senses already. Flavorful food was good in the benefit that one didn’t need to overly gorge themselves in order to be full; the flavor usually made up for it, and it was perfect for those looking to organize their diet in portion sizes. Her tongue continually smacked and licked at her lips, long after she had finished devouring her half. They were still in the midst of having a conversation about weaponry, as Heath remarked how he was familiarized more with swords, knives, and all those “metal scrap” pieces that Asha liked to refer to them as. There was intrigue rested in such weaponry, although it was tradition and culture of her tribe to also construct weapons out of wood and organic material from the earth. Still, it didn’t necessarily hurt to have a metal made weapon either. “Knives are fun. There’s a warrior in our tribe who wields a huge sword, but we haven’t seen it in the heat of war yet. Usually we have weaponry that’s hand made from the organics of the earth, but I would be very curious to see some of the swords and knives that you speak of.” The Ayastigi responded, licking her lips of the fading taste of wapiti upon her muzzle once more before resting both hands upon her knees.
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sounds good to me :3
Their customs were quite different, and the moment Heath thought that she was from just another ordinary wolf pack, such as he could imagine that the wolves of Crimson Dreams lived in, the image was dispelled from his mind. It was all very much like a primal human tribe, as his pack was medieval in form. But, he would have understood such a thing if he held more knowledge of the creatures of the past, and instead he looked on in wonder. The only thing making sense was that she was so very different then he, and that she might live in a world unlike his own was easy to accept. The male nodded his head asking,
“Does that make you a princess?” for that was what Heath would call a child of Jac (if the rogue ever accepted any of his kin as his own). A coy smile found his face, not thinking seriously on the comment. The notion that she might take offense to the remark not even a second thought.
His stomach was growing heavy, almost as if it had fallen low and stretched with the feast that he continued to pour into his mouth. He was slowing, savoring the taste of the meat rather then merely gorging himself. It was interesting, unlike the white tail and the hare he was used to, with a taste that called for another bite. His breath was growing slow, his body preparing for the rest that it would need in order to digest all that he had inhaled. Asha spoke, and Heath lifted his eyes, and sat with the weight of his stomach pushing him backwards. Fun? he pondered, fun if they were handled right. Dangerous in any other form.
“Cour des Miracles is open to you, if you care to visit.” It was leas that he could do, after her willingness to share with him. Her weapon could have wounded him badly if she had chosen to use it. But with her obvious master of the human tools there was a peaceful aura that surrounded her, making it easy for Heath to entrust her with it. Eyes looked to the sky, and then found her face once more.
“I am afraid we do not have such a selective menu.” Heath added, giving a small shrug to accent the tamed grin. He was unsure how she would like his home lands, if they ever met again, but he was certain that it held a few things she had never seen before.
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