He could ignore the insatiable hunger no longer -- with a bellow the large inu clambered atop a frozen snowdrift, his poignant tail held -- about him there seemed nothing save snow and stone.
But they would find it, whatever cache was hidden -- and tonight, the dogs of the wild would feast.
Dogmeat's bellow drew him loose from his watch, jarring him enough that he picked up his pace once more. The cold was biting and ignored as he moved to join his companion, briefly casting his gaze about. A quick test of the air told him what was there other than the wolves, but yes, the question remained. Where was the prey? Wordlessly, he set to trailing out a bit further, half playing tracker and half playing scout. Searching and hoping that they would find some indication of where their prize lied.
Now that she knew their scents, thanks to her troubling encounter with the red-eyed wolf, she knew that wolves were everywhere. The wolf had told her much, that they seemed to be cousins of dogs who had no Man. Junkyard Dog now knew she hated them.
And so she had jumped at the chance to do them harm, more so at the promise of food. Food and a fight, maybe, if that was what it came to. The prospect scared her, invigorated her. Too long had death been following her, and she knew that every day he crept closer and closer. Now she just wanted to fall on her own terms, rather than at the whim of nature.
Junkyard Dog crept with Dogmeat and Twister, wraithlike, alert. She listened and watched, ready to send up the alarm if they were caught in the act.
Both the malinois and the doberman were held in favor as he paused, panting. His breath misted instantly in the frigid air, assuming a form not unlike some ancestral ghoul -- and he watched lazily as it curled above him and vanished into the hyperborean air.
Soon, they would find food -- his heart just knew it -- and snuffing anxiously along the icebound earth, the man kept his vigil about him.
Venturing further across the snowy expanse of stone, he thought for a moment he had found something. Twister lingered over the spot for a moment, turning in a swift circle to come back over a spot that held his interest. It was nothing more than a scent marker among many of the breadth of the wolfish border. A disappointment, but reason enough for him to move further in. If there were wolves lingering about, he hoped to spy them out first. For now, he deemed it safer to move inward, nothing hostile having come popping out from a mystery trapdoor in the stone.
Several lengths further in, he stumbled across the first trace that something had been there. None too recently, but recent enough that it gave him a better reason to pause. It had to be a trail. Something had been drug through at some point, something that had to have been left out. The snow had sullied any visual marker and left him to scratch gently across the hard pack. This was brief; he drew his attention back to where the inu and the doberman had been left behind. Barking once to gain their attention, Twister did not wait to see if they would join him. His attention now turned to the landscape ahead of them, leery of the wolves that were bound to come descending on them in time. The laboratory dogs were aware and alert, but the wolves would be as well. They had been so far.
As they began to dig and scratch at the snow, or follow paths that she was less able to sense, she paced the area. A watchful guard, head swaying and ears swiveling at any foreign sound.
The inu's search turned up fruitless, but Twister's bark was hopeful. Alert, she followed, upholding her self-imposed duty as sentinel.
Junkyard Dog had already prowled after his call -- with a long, cursory look behind him, Dogmeat followed the beckon. His stomach, far more hopeful than his spirits, compelled him.
Shadow had been prowling along his borders, wary and alert. He was not looking for anyone in particular, or perhaps he was. He was looking for a messenger, from Swiftcurrent Creek, to tell him it was time to visit his children. Or perhaps Paarthurnax had decided she did not want a bloodthirsty, savage, ruthless, inhuman Roman to check on her precious babies. Ha. As if she wasn't heartless herself, taking his kids away from their rightful father. She owed him, for not taking his kids away the moment they did not need milk.
Suddenly, scents bombarded his nose, they were unwelcome scents and they were not wolf. But Shadow did not care, intruders were intruders and trespassers were trespassers. Even if they so much as lingered on the border. He broke into a full sprint, charging straight towards the band of canines. He had absolutely no idea what they were, but it didn't stop him brazenly barreling into them. It was dangerous, but this was his pack and no mangy canine would ruin his pack's hard work and steal.
Hackles bristling, ears flattened, tail raised in dominance, his whole body displaying his aggressiveness. The maniatic Angelus Mortis glint in his cold silver gaze glowed and he snarled a warning, "Get the fuck away from my lands," Shadow bared his fangs at them. However, he stopped before he moved straight in and engaged in a fight, no, backup was needed. So, the Roman lifted his head and howled for @Alastor , @Flash , @Crëyr and @Hjalmar before changing tact and howling for the whole pack.
Somewhere in the distance, he heard Shadow howl. A summon for him, and three others. It was urgent and something was different about this howl. A...Battle Howl! Flash stiffened. The strangers were here? Time to put his skills into use. The tawny male shook debris around his claws and fur and stretched his muscles.
Bunching up his legs, Flash leaped through his home, running through the stream to refreshen himself up. He strided through the water, reaching the other side and manage to shake off the water droplets. As he arrived, he saw a couple of other canines. Where these the invaders? They all seemed to be here for trouble. A blur of silver streaked towards them.
"Shadow!" Flash shrieked. he charged after the silver alpha, knowing he couldn't allow his friend to go into this battle alone. He raced after to the ashen male, and manage to pull in right after him. He seemed to be charging at all of them, not one of particular. The leader seemed to be a dark colored male, while two more stood behind him, a tall female with a couple of cuts and another male. Flash knew Shadow would take care of the leader, so he charged for the female.
His companions no more joined him at the trail when a figure came emerging from the snowy tundra beyond them. A bemused expression crested across Twister's face briefly as the wolf snarled at them, but the feral creature stayed back beyond arm's length. The split second he didn't move to engage was exactly when the rallying call went up. The former military dog didn't need words of encouragement, let alone any more of a suggestion to get a move on. He charged in, taking advantage of the fact that the wolf was outnumbered three to one. The consideration that his companions would not have wanted to start a fight didn't occur to him — they were fighting a new war of their own.
Like a missile bound for a white hot target, the malinois swooped in to take on the burly wolf. His strike was bound to be precise and deadly, inhabiting the strength and the anger he had carried pent up for lengths untold. Jaws parted, Twister aimed his strike for the scruff of the wolf, wanting to thrust him down to the cold, hard ground. Perhaps they wouldn't be digging up their leftovers after all. Perhaps their hunger would drive them to dine on something a little fresher.
Time was not on their side however, and the wolf arriving in his peripheral was not seen.
Hjalmar had been sorting out his herbs in his den, there were large bundles of cobwebs for outward wounds, after all when wolves went hungry, tempers ran high and that was how battles started. At least they had plenty of anti infection wounds, how long they would last though? The warrior medic did not know. The yearling rose onto his paws and made his way over to a squirrel, prey that he picked up earlier from a cache. Of course, he only did that after he caught something for the pack.
Then a howl went through the air, requesting for his presence, a battle. The Scandinavian did not think twice, he abandoned his squirrel and herbs and charged straight towards the source of the howl. Healing could wait until the battle was over, now, Shadow and the rest of the pack needed his warrior fighting skills. And the white viking was more than happy to give it. He arrived right after Flash did, fur bristling and hackles raised, forest green eyes locked immediately on the weird unwolf like yet canine creature who was barreling straight towards his leader.
Hjalmar charged, attempting to sink his fangs into the dog's hind legs and break it once and for all. Mercy was not something the viking knew now, and he was ready to tear the canine apart to defend his pack. Hopefully his attack would help his leader charge towards the remaining dog.
Despite Shadow's bristling appearance it did not stay him -- with a snarl he rounded upon Shadow with massive jowls slobbering and teeth flashing. While Shadow was distracted by Twister, Dogmeat came barreling from the opposite side -- with his burly frame, he was not unlike a charging boar. Placing his front legs adequately and strategically underneath the wolf's own, he sought to trip or unbalance the wolf while his teeth hoped for skin -- if his aim was true, the collision combined with both his teeth and chest would fell the wolf immediately.
He had no intent to kill -- at least not yet -- but this did not soften his blows. He would hold onto any part of Shadow his teeth found, reluctant to release the fiend for fear of disaster. If they could seize the leader and garner a stalemate, perhaps it would prevent any lives being lost that day.
edit: putting in names so it'll be easier for everyone
the all-familiar howl broke through her serene surroundings, and crëyr drew herself up, awake and alert as the song entered her ears. with a strong leap she was off and running, for shadow's message told her that something was wrong, and that he required backup right now.
her sterling leader was not alone when she neared. flash and hjalmar were there, seemingly battling an army of... creatures, whatever they were and that they were doing. fishing for one of their caches? anger rose up in her throat as her cerulean orbs turned into ice, hardened, brittle, frozen water. for her family was about to be harmed, and she did not wish for them to be harmed, and only wished to lessen the blow, even if her strengths were not at fighting.
but she did relatively well at hunting. so she leapt, hackles raised, her jaws open in a snarl, diving and aiming for junkyard dog's foreleg, as if she was a goat, an animal to be her future prey. crëyr wasn't exactly aiming to kill just yet, but she was joining flash in the fight, and she wanted to fend them off for the threat on the bypass to diminish. she wasn't a brutal murderer of any sort, but she had to protect her home.
Outlaw was exploring more when the king's howl split the air. Something's Up. Immediatley he turned, changing course for the source of the summon. He burst in quickly, a crazed snarl on his face, his jaws exposed feircely. His brown eyes scanned the scene quickly. For the dogs was DM, JD, and another dog fighting for them. The other side were four of the odd canines that smelled even worse and were bigger than dogs. Four against Three. Now Four against Four. He smirked. His white paws thrummed foward. Without question as to what he should do, Outlaw leapt towards the silver man with a scarred face and silver eyes. His fangs were exposed in another snarl, aiming for the alpha's neck. Ready to dig his fangs in and taste the sweet blood of his enemies.
He never strayed far from their ragtag pack of sorts, always keeping near and vigilant, now that the worst of his concussion had seemed to pass. The cut above his eye still stung, and was most likely infected, but he had dealt with worse. When one had daily injections for weeks on end that caused hallucinations and convulsions, what was a little physical pain? Still, the hunger that gripped his stomach was hard to ignore, and it seemed the other dogs felt it, too. The desperation for food drove them onwards, deeper into the wilds.
Lagging behind as the other dogs scouted ahead, Reaper nosed through the snow in some vain attempt to find an abandoned cache. Or a rabbit. Or squirrel. Or something. It was only the summoning howl of an unknown entity that caused him to look up, ears pricked and eyes widened. He had never come across a wolf before, but he was already afraid. They were the creatures of this wild place; they knew this land far better than the dogs who had come the sterile and structured environment of humans.
Still, they hadn't any idea what the lab dogs were capable of. What trials they had already been through.
When Dogmeat's own summons echoed down the valley, Reaper took off at a sprint, clambering up the hill with fangs already drawn. He arrived at the scene quickly, his long legs and large paws driving him through the snow with ease. A battle had broken out between the two groups of canines. The mutt stared in equal parts wonder and fear at the large, beastly forms of the wolves. A particularly large, grey-furred one had shouted something before Twister leapt at him, followed by a charging Dogmeat and the snarling Outlaw as a white wolf chased after them. A brightly-coloured wolf was aiming for JD along with a smaller female. Reaper — perhaps cowardly — decided to engage her, if only to even the odds against his fellow Doberman. With a guttural snarl, the dog charged straight at her, aiming to simple knock her off her paws before she inflicted too much damage upon his lab-mate.
Creyr darted in front of him, aiming for a foreleg. Flash grinned. It was actually good if he and Creyr could work together. They could take down one, then aim for another. That way the battle could be easier. He dived for the other foreleg. If they could break both her forelegs or both her hind legs, she would basically be unable to fight.
Flash wasn't a brutal murderer, who didn't want any of these canines to die. But if they meant trouble for Noctisardor bypass, he wouldn't hesitate to wound. Adrenaline darted through his body, giving him energy to fight. The canine seemed to be skinny, but you can't always judge someone on size, she may be a fighter.
From the corner of his eye, he saw another canine charge at Creyr. Two against two then. He attempted to fasten his jaws into Junkyard Dog's fore limb, leaving his feet ready to defend Creyr if needed.
His call was answered by two of his fellow packmates, Flash and Hjalmar but it was not enough. He needed more wolves if they were to fight off this mangy canines with slobbering jaws and weird forms. Where was Alastor and Crëyr? They were in need of help and the leader or whoever that large canine was, was seemingly also calling for backup. But their canines were thin and malnourished and though they seemed to have battle experience from their scars, his wolves had more and they had the advantage of health, size, speed and strength. Wounds they might get, but this battle they would win, he was sure of that.
One of the small wolflike yet unwolf like canines charged towards him, aiming for his scruff and deep in his mind, Shadow nearly scoffed. He wasn't about to be pushed down by this shitball of a canine, he had battled greater opponents and won, no way was he going to be smashed into the earth. Winter was his domain and the Roman was a winter warrior and he knew how to keep his balance. So, the silver leader let the dog's teeth touch his scruff before spinning abruptly around, fangs bared to attempt to sink it into the canine's throat.
He had been distracted by the dog and from the other side came the leader, leaving the other attacking dog to Hjalmar, Shadow turned to face the slobbering brute. But he was a second too slow and inwardly cursed himself as the dog sought to unbalance him. But his hind legs were dug firmly in the snow, something necessary for survival on snow and while he stumbled slightly, he did not fall and just managed to sidestep the blow. But a light stream of blood already leaked out, it was a light cut and it was easy to ignore the pain.
Then Shadow feinted a blow to the right shoulder of Dogmeat but ducked his head low, jaws aiming to clamp down on the dog's forelimb and break it, if possible. "Tell your canines to back off and I will too, no lives need to be lost today," the Roman spoke through gritted teeth, at least none of his wolves's lives. If Twister hadn't charged towards him, they might have been negotiating and understanding. Probably not. But.... Backup was called in case of a fight, obviously these canines had no brains at all. Burns and scars covered their bodies, but he had also gone through a lot, he too had gone to hell and came back, he had known nothing but pain, agony and sorrow since birth. Though his life was much better now.
Out of the corner of his eye, the sterling warden saw more dogs enter the scene, one black and white dog leaped towards him, aiming for his neck but this time he was ready and though the fangs grazed his neck, they drew no blood. Adrenaline coursed through his body, but he kept it in, not willing to make the first move once more. Let them make a mistake and end their own lives. Shadow called for @Silver Bone , @Sarana and anyone else who wasn't at the scene already. In case this battle continued....
The lake had called to him, an a way, and wasted no time drawing the argent boy towards it. He'd been there before, a few times actually, and was curious of it. The winter plants should be starting to bloom by now, and he was ready to try and find them, despite the fact he was alone. He decided on finding the plants first—if there were any yet—and then making note of where they were so he could return to them later. However, none of that happened. A howl had pierced through the air, calling for the young Greek wolf and several others, and he responded to it by following the call as quickly as he could. There was no doubt in his mind that he wouldn't get there right away, as he believed himself to be a decent distance away, but that didn't stop him from at least trying to get there quickly. He pushed his legs to carry him faster of the cold ground, only slowing when the scents started to waft to his snout.
Believe it or not, Alastor actually recognized the scents of those trespassing. Not as individuals, of course, but they seemed to hold the same smell as a dog he'd met during his short time in a human made enclosure. The creature had been old and beaten, smelling of his own filth, but there was something about the scents that all seemed to match together. In the yearlings head, he recognized that scent as belonging to something that was tame, a creature that had lost it's freedom. In reality, however, the smell was that of humans, which always seemed to stick no matter how long the dogs were away from their masters. The fact that the servants of humans—servants of those who had stolen and imprisoned him—where here and entering his new home made the argent male rather angry.
As he entered the space where the battling canidae species were, Alastor wasted no time in attacking in order to defend. It didn't feel right for having arrived so late to the battle, and was determined to make up for any lost time. So, without a second thought of hesitation, he leapt towards one of the canines that had appeared to have been targeting Shadow. The dog was considerably smaller, but that fact didn't make him wish to lesson his blow. With jaws parted, he attempted to land a bite to Outlaw's side. Had the other not tried to attack Shadow, it would have been his paw, but the argent boy planned on wasting no time with turning himself all about just to cripple some dog's paw. He held no intent to kill, as he saw no point in ending a lesser life right away, but he wanted to at least draw some blood from the smaller animal's side.
We'll go down in flames together
Thread titles are from Simon Curtis' "Super Psycho Love"
She was grateful Shadow accepted her back into the pack, Sveta left because wanderlust drew her away from her home once more. But this time, this time, the female was sure to stay. Noctisardor Bypass had proved to be her home once, and it would prove to be her home once more. Paarthurnax, Shadow's mate was no longer here and though curiosity tugged at her, the northern female did not ask, knowing it might be a painful subject for her leader. And she did not want to ruin her chances in the Bypass once more.
Sveta had devoted herself to hunting for the pack ever since she came back, and she patrolled the borders daily, knowing in winter, loners would do anything to survive. Steal from pack caches, eat carrion and lots more. But no one was going to steal the prey that the wolves of the Bypass worked so hard to catch on her watch, not while she was here. The northern female had not interact with anyone but Shadow since her return, scared they might call her a traitor.
But when Shadow's howl rang through the air, calling for the entire pack, Sveta came, this was the time to prove herself once more.
Strange scents wafted towards her, and when she caught sight of them, she did not know what to make of them. They were wolflike yet they were not and their scent was horrible, the northerner had never scented them before. But she heard them from her mother's stories, they were dogs. Lesser creatures of wolves. They were smaller, scrawnier and obviously malnourished.
Sveta took in the sight before her, and noticed a dog charging towards the female next to Flash and immediately took off. Not that she thought the female was incapable of taking care of herself, but it seems the only logical choice at that moment. She raced as fast as she could towards the pair, seemingly trying to push all her weight onto the dog creature who was attacking the silver female packmate, but at the last moment, she ducked her head, snapping at Reaper's left forelimb, aiming to injure it severely.
Mercy was not in her vocabulary when defending her home.
When she arrived on scene, it seemed the entire pack was there, but unfortunately for her she knew very little of them. She could tell by scent, that these wolves belonged in the bypass, but a unfamiliar scent hit her nostrils also. Looking ahead she spotted creatures that seemed to have similarities to wolves, but lacked the size and strength.
Instinctively the young female lept forward joining in the battle. One of the small canines creature grazed Shadow's neck, and was surely prepared to attack again. A male she had not met before, what seemed to be aiming for the canines side, went running toward the creature. Sizing up the black and white creature, it seemed he would win this fight, but the young female also wanted in on the action. Charging forward with teeth showing, she aiming right for Outlaw's throat.
In Sarana's eyes this was mercy, she wouldn't injury the canine and let it die suffering, no, she would be merciful and put an end to its life quickly.
The scarred canine's head came swinging around as Twister dove in for the strike. He grabbed for anything, knowing his attack would swiftly miss its mark. Any bit of purchase would no doubt serve as a stinging insult to the wolf who felt he could take on three of them at once. So long as he momentarily stayed out of the grasp of the alpha male, Twister could and would keep formulating plans.
As soon as he felt the whisper of teeth near his neck though, the malinois opted to spring away. Dogmeat had swooped in by then, leaving him to turn and whirl around on the approach of Hjalmar. Fangs bared through parted jaws, he found himself also trying to steer clear of the charging wolf like a matador to its bull; his display of teeth and anger this go was purely for show. He didn't ignore the fact that he was scissored between Shadow and Hjalmar — it was right where he wanted to be. It was clear now as the other wolves came pooling out from the terrain that this wolf was their leader.
They had made an unknowing attempt to seize the highest prize there was.
With a snarl he countered Shadow's lunge for his paw -- contorting his body and lifting his front limbs, he sought to slam the Alpha's lowered muzzle towards the earth in a swift counter that was sure to halt the wolf's onslaught and prevent him from nearing Twister. He would use whatever he landed on to propel himself backwards like a battering ram come shattering to earth. It was here that Dogmeat's true finesse as a fighter was evident -- in a graceless pirouette that carried his momentum, the dog pivoted and charged towards the small congregation that had gathered about Junkyard Dog.
Being that he had never once slowed his impulsion since his initial advancement towards Shadow, the momentum behind his barreling body was staggering -- with his head lowered and shoulders arched the brute sought to clobber the yearlings aside, hopefully allowing an avenue of escape for Junkyard Dog -- and hopefully Outlaw as well.
Dogmeat had little time to reflect upon the injuries that may have been inflicted upon him during his mad rush -- it was clear with each hammering step that the belligerent juggernaut would mow down any that stood between him and his comrade's safety. They would flee for now, but if the silver-furred Alpha did not keep his word Dogmeat would return with vengeance in his teeth.
Things went wrong quicker than she could keep up with. All she knew was that she had failed at her task, a poor watchman in the unfamiliar territory.
First one wolf appeared, then many, too quick for her to count. More joined the fray, both from the beasts and their own numbers, but she was hardly able to pay attention to their battles, not when she had her own to fight. At first a single wolf targeted her, a golden beast with flashing eyes. Fear struck her, invigorated her. She would not die today.
Junkyard Dog fell into a defensive position with practiced ease, but before either could strike, another joined their midst. In a one on one fight, she had little chance of victory. In a two against one fight, she had little chance of survival. Still, fight she would. "Bitch!" she spat at both of them, "cowards, you are." They snapped at her front legs and she reared back, stumbling backwards to avoid their crushing jaws.
Reaper came to her rescue moments later, much to her great relief. She couldn't see what happened after he engaged the female who had attacked her, as she was still more concerned with Flash.
Soon enough, Dogmeat was tearing through the crowd, providing her an avenue for escape. One that she took gladly, tearing away from the scene with the speed her breed is known for. She saw little as she ran, though she was aware of bodies around her, either friend or foe. As she fled, she felt the sting of a wound on her front leg. The wind burned it, but still she ran on, fear pushing her. It was a long time before she stopped running, glancing around wildly to learn of what had happened.
this is the most exciting thread i have ever had omg
p.s wouldn't it be slightly unrealistic if all the dogs came out unscathed?
everything happened at once— more wolves and dogs, friend or foe, appeared into the scene, but crëyr was too fixated on the battle raging before her to really notice what others were doing. shadow and hjalmar advanced to fight dogmeat and his drones, and some more pooled in behind them— alastor and sarana, followed by more dogs.
her fangs had grazed and slightly dug in the paw of junkyard dog before the canine pulled away, attempting to avoid the wolves' jaws. following that she spat something out, "bitch" with something else, and crëyr only had time to roll her eyes (in the midst of a fight, yes) before a flurry of new figures and movements appeared to her side.
a pale white wolf, a female one, charged directly towards a canine that seemed to have been barrelling towards crëyr herself, and she tore away from junkyard dog and flash, trusting her friend to take care of the dog. she knew that this wolfess was one of her own, as after all, she had the bypass scent on her. taking advantage of her temporary fighting partner's assault on the left, crëyr leapt and aimed for a swift blow at reaper's right ear, planning to snag it between her teeth and shred it.
Yellow jacket stumbled back as he heard many noises coming from all around. Snarling. A fight. Sounds exploded all around him, making him almost cower down, which the Yellow Jacket never did.
"Help! 'Elp me!" Yellow stumbled a short ways away from the fight, but not far enough. He was still cought in the maw of two other dogs, friend or foe, he will never know. Yellow still mumbled for help, some friend to assist him. Even if he had sight, he still was be unable to fight, being old as he was. That didn't mean he wasn't giving up though. Yellow would fight until he could get assistance from someone, anyone.