Swiftcurrent Creek sound off

This thread is for @Nightingale.

It may have been more than seven days since Fox saw Ferdie wrapped around a weakling adolescent. But the leader had been far too busy with other matters to deal with that one in particular. However, the time had come, and Fox knew that a judgement call had to be made. Tuwawi wasn't getting any less pregnant as the days went by, and she could not stand for dead weight in their ranks (aside from the impending newborns, of course).

Fox settled herself by the creek, watching the rushing waters for a moment before turning her muzzle skyward. In one long, low howl, she called for the whelp. She did not wish to see anybody else alongside her at this point. The decision was hers, and hers alone, and she would not have anybody try to save the girl. Fox knew that Ferdie had likely already adopted her on some level, and she did not want him to try and fend for her. If the girl was really worthwhile to the pack, she would be able to fend for herself.

Nightingale flicked up her ears and wavered in her fishing spot warily. With a moments hesitation, she bounded toward the call, instead of taking normal strides, she propelled herself with leaps, which, surprisingly, was actually pretty fast. She soon came into sight, slowing herself drastically and coming down into a crawl. She slithered on her belly and kept her eyes to the ground.

She was terrified. Seven days had past, and both of them knew it. Nightingale wanted to scream but she forced herself to remain calm, but her body did give a quake every once in awhile.

She stopped next to the alpha, letting the whines of fear die in her throat. She made sure she was in submission and she kept her eyes to the earth, fearful of what she'll see in Fox's eyes.

The whelp came into view, and Fox scrutinized her every move. At the very least, she was submitting properly, meaning that Fox would not have to oust her right away. Instead, the girl cowered as if she knew that this day would bring her death. Fox was not quick to judge, though, believing that she had given this girl a chance for a reason. The yearling's tail remained high over her back, and finally, she spoke.

"Can you fend for yourself, youngling?" asked Fox, having either never gotten or not remembered the pup's name. She had never considered herself to have the best memory, and since she half-assumed that the girl would be dead in a week's time, she had not committed her name to memory.

Nightingale flicked her ears warily. Slowly, she began to nod. She quietly whispered her answer to the alpha.

"Yes, ma' am, I have been taught to fish and hunt, so no one would have to catch food for me, and I'll be able to catch food for the pack, too, Ma' am..."

She stammered and stopped, realizing she was beginning to ramble. She grew quiet again and quickly dipped her head at Fox respectfully before returning her gaze to the Earth.

We won't roll dice for this. Just paragraph-style sparring. :)

"Speak up when you talk," Fox replied, "Nobody is going to be able to hear you if you whisper." The yearling's tail flicked to show her impatience for such things. Taking a few steps backward, Fox narrowed her eyes on the younger girl. She could not have been that much younger than Bones, and yet she was acting much more childish. Nightingale was still small, still thin, and still fragile, but Fox thought she may have gained a few pounds in the last week.

"Stand up and fight me," she said. "Just feeding yourself is not enough. You must also know how to defend yourself." Fox allowed the girl time to stand, and awaited the girl's attack. Fox did not expect the girl to win, but good effort was what she was looking for.

She quickly stood up, her little-too-powerful legs making it looked like she hopped up. Her heart began to pound.

"Stand up and fight me!"

Nightingale swallowed, she saw it in the Alpha's eyes that she didn't expect Nightingale to win. Nightingale didn't expect herself to win, either.

Still, you need to try! She told herself. She wasn't going anywhere if she didn't try.

Nightingale closed her eyes and reopened them. They now shine with determination and fury. She wasn't going down without a fight. She crouched at first, then propelled herself forward, her strong legs throwing her tiny body towards Fox. The whelp feinted going for the shoulder, but at the last second she crouched again, her body skidding and slithering underneath Fox's, she then quickly pushed up, hoping to tip over and unbalance the larger wolf. For good measure, she used her muzzle and pushed against Fox's right hind leg, hoping that would help her.

Nightingale's feint to the shoulder was well-played, but Fox was quick to read her movements. Being a small wolf herself, Fox had played the "get under your opponent and flip them over" game before. However, it had never bee played on her. Still, there was a disadvantage that Nightingale had not seen. She had left her hind end exposed, and Fox nipped at the girl's haunches. Since this was no aggressive fight, Fox only wished to make it apparent that she could have taken a chunk out of her.

Not only had Nightingale left herself wide-open to attack from behind, but Fox let her legs go limp, which—if Nightingale did not get out of the way soon enough—would cause the girl to be trapped beneath her. Because they were of similar size, that likely wouldn't matter, but what if it had been a larger wolf the size of Haunter or Njal. They were likened to bears, and for good reason.

Leaping aside, Fox took the offense this time, using her head and shoulders in an attempt to knock Nightingale off her feet. The other girl's slightly smaller size was to her disadvantage this time, and Fox was curious to see how she would respond.

The nip at the hind quarters caused Nightingale the bolt forward. She whipped herself around just in time to see Fox about to ram into her with her head down. On instinctual panic, she rose herself on her hind legs and came down on Fox's shoulders as she almost knocked over the creamy youngling. It caused her to stumble a bit, but she steadied herself quickly. She pushed down and made a leap-frog jump over the alpha, that made her land lopsided, but she remained standing as she turned to face the elder wolf.

With a jolt, the youngling realized that she had a slight advantage over the alpha. Her leaping ability. When she could, Nightingale can act like a frog, leaping from left to right. It was an almost perfect evasion tactic. Now only to figure out what's the best situation with attack...

Nightingale steadied herself, preparing to leap out of the way and waiting for the alpha's next move while thinking of a way to remain on the offensive...

That was enough of a display for Fox, and the yearling relaxed her muscles and licked her lips to signal that she no longer meant to spar with the younger wolf. “You can fight, but you can also do better. I want you to continue to practice under Ferdie’s guidance.” Perhaps it would keep the brute happy to have a project to work on. Ferdie was more than capable of teaching her how to fight better and how to use her strengths and deal with her weaknesses.

“What is your name?” she asked, finally feeling the information would not be a complete waste. To have another able body in their ranks was good, and Fox was not blind to it. There was strength in numbers, and the creek seemed to be thriving as of late.

The young pup felt disappointed for a second, but then came a rush of relief. She had done it... She. Had. Done it! The little wolf couldn't wait to tell Ferdie!

The half-blind pup sat back down and nodded. "Thank you, Miss Fox. I won't let you down, I promise..."

The pup looked at her alpha, answering the question with a clear conscience now that she wasn't seen as a dead weight as much. "My name is Nightingale."

Fox nodded to acknowledge each of the girl's statements. And if Nightingale did prove to be dead weight, she would have to face the consequences. Satisfied that this one might turn out okay, Fox gave her a nudge to the shoulder in a silent good-bye. Her task was complete, and Nightingale had the weight of the trial lifted off of her shoulders. As for Fox, she had other things to attend to.

Trotting away, Fox smiled, although Nightingale would not see it. She was glad that she needn't have Ferdie do a mercy-killing on the whelp. Even a weak life was a life wasted, and Fox disliked waste more than anything.

Exit Fox! Thanks for the thread. :D