Ouroboros Spine drinking arsenic

@Kerosene forgot to add tag

Change. She could smell it, smell the lack of one and the triumph of another. Whatever Shit-For-Brains had gotten himself into, Kroc wanted no part of it. He would show himself in due time and no sooner. Kroc would not be gutted for engaging Tonravik's new mate in any sort of activity until she had settled down. When she settled down, the tank assumed that they would both be out and about more. 

In the meantime, she occupied herself, patrolling and hunting and whatever really needed to be done. In her few moments of downtime, the pale Warden found herself exploring, sometimes ending up back at the lake. This was where she was now, lingering in the shallow water as she debated swimming out to the island that had been revealed when the fog had rolled out. 

A low, contemplative sound left her, finally moving forward to slink into the water so that she could end up on the shore of the island. Upon arrival, she shook the water from her pelt and moved forward. 

300th post!

He wanted to sleep. Finally. Wanted to drift off into that mindless abyss where he could sleep long and hard and recover from the physical and mental exertions over however long they had withdrawn for. He'd lost track of time. Lost track of most things save for that burning need that and swept through and claimed him as many times as he'd claimed her. It was no small mercy that her heat had passed and with it their coupling was complete. For now. For now he would escape and surrender to the thralls of sleep.

Kero'd found himself upon the isle. He'd found it. He'd returned to it. For all sakes and purposes that isle within the lake was his solace. His retreat. He'd ventured there in hopes of undisturbed rest and for a while he found it. He slept. Hard. His exhaustion far too deep to be disrupted by anything other than the natural cycles of sleep. It wasn't until he began to emerge from that slumber that he became aware of the world once more.

Jaws widened, baring a yawn that ended in the final snap of teeth. He lingered, head upon his paws with closed eyes until he finally thought to rouse himself. Kero lifted to his feet and stretched. Downward dog. Upward dog. One leg at a time as he worked out the stiffness in his shoulder from recent wounds.

He realized then that he was hungry. He'd not eaten his fill in quite some time and now that he was rested, he had but one aim. There was a herd of deer somewhere on this isle. He'd find it.

Speak Think of the devil and he shall appear. 

A familiar form in the near distance, red and full of shit. He'd probably arrived shortly before her if he was this close to the shore. She chuffed, aiming to grab his attention, gold eyes quickly noting the new wounds he sported and what they meant. A scent lingered around him now, not new, but heavy. Heady. While she was not instinct driven to continue her line, Kroc knew that this meant her patrols would need to be more aggressive. A pregnant Alpha and pups soon meant that there was more purpose driving her. She would do what was needed, without fail. 

Where as the other one had been actively seeking Tonravik's attention and favor, he had made little effort to truly integrate into the very pack he sought to lead. The times they'd been around each other had been coincidence as his focus had been their dark leader. Though Kroc had made no effort to learn about him either, the difference was that she had no ideations of usurping and becoming Alpha female. Instead, she threw her all into the pack and protecting those within.

The fact that SFB had risen to Alpha, while surprising, was welcomed. She respected him, at least a little bit. "So," She said as she neared. "Can I still call your dumb ass Shit-For-Brains or is that not allowed anymore?" While her vernacular was crude, the question still stood. He was ranked above her now and while it didn't always seem like it, she respected those of rank. If they'd earned it, at least. He had long before his coupling with Tonravik. 

He traced the island as he remembered it, noting the patterns of he herd that lived within this place. If they'd remained after the few hunts that had taken place in these parts, their patterns might not have changed too much. He turned his pace in one direction, seeking out the parts he knew this herd to settle in. There were a few locations in which they roamed between.

One of those hot spots was along the shoreline. He neared the edges of this isle and paused just long enough to quench his thirst. Tongue lapped at the lake's surface. Ripples spread beneath the weight of his tongue. He found himself staring. Looking, but not seeing as time escaped from him. The water had stilled in that time. The remnants dripping from his muzzle were no more. Just him, staring back into the face of a wolf who wore the wounds of recent wars.

He pulled himself from the water and traced the shore. His mission was back in full pursuit as he blinded himself from all save that which he sought. With narrowed vision, he all but missed the white wolf who neared. It wasn't until she spoke that he was pulled from his stupor. He froze. His ears swiveled slowly upon his head and his head turned even more slowly behind them until he stared back at her.

She'd said something. What was it?

His tail flicked behind him; waiting.

Tail Yank: 4 See Here

Her eyes narrowed. Something was different. Something was off. He was not Shit-For-Brains but another beast entirely. The cinnamon male's rigidity spoke volumes of his current state. Her ears tipped forward, focusing on him, letting everything else filter away. She, too, could be a beast of instinct but she would not let this one become what he was not, or rather, what he should not have been. 

Moving closer, she closed her teeth on his tail and yanked. "Snap out of it, Shit-For-Brains." She decided then that she'd keep calling him that. It was only fitting with this mess that he'd gotten himself into. After she got him grounded again, they'd go hunting. Yeah. Something like that.

Dodge 7! For funsies and realism!

The white wolf neared him, her body moving with that heavy boldness that so often clung to her form. He watched her. His muscles tightened beneath flesh as she slipped past him to wrap her teeth around his tail. He turned, pressing his hind quarters sharply aside as she snagged the tip of his tail. It pulled through her teeth and freed it self as he rounded on her, lifting a paw to cuff at her nose and warn her off.

"What," he snapped, teeth flashing as he squared his shoulders towards her once more. He hardly recognized her in this haze. His eyes were looking, but not seeing this wolf for what she truly was. A friend perhaps? Something? He didn't know. The tension within him had been running at full throttle. Still was.

She took the cuff easily, gold eyes blazing as she looked at him. There was no smirk on his face, no glint in his eye that matched his normal attitude. Searching, Kroc realized that, at least for now, the wolf who had healed her shoulder and gone on about the fucking weather was not currently in house. He might not come back. Wolves changed though and if he was going to go through such an adjustment, she'd take it in stride. 

"Relax. I'm not here to fuck with you." It was possible that her assurance would fall on deaf ears but she made it anyway. He was likely the closest thing she had to a 'friend', though that particular word wasn't a common one in her library. Her teeth had only come against this one in jest and the stress after battle. Otherwise, they were amicable to each other and the Warden would not disrupt that now; she did not challenge Alphas. Her ways were to support, not lead. 

Standing here like this, against one another was useless and time consuming. Her ears tipped forward. "What are you here for?" Aline time? To hunt? To find a den? If Kroc could not bring him back to himself, she would do what she could to aid in other ways and so sought to know his purpose here on the island.

His attention now on her, he watched as she withdrew. This pleased him enough for him to visibly relax though his stare was just as intense upon her form. She spoke and he listened to the muddied words as they filtered through his ears. Relax. Hadn't he done that? He didn't quite understand as he looked and stared upon the white wolf who continued to speak.

She asked a question. His ears tipped forward, mirroring her own before he lowered his nose to the ground and sniffed. The deer on this island traveled along these parts. He smelled them along with a few other ground creatures who took residence here.

"Hungry," he said while turning. A few paces and he took off, nose scenting the air as he resumed his hunt.

If it had been physically possible for her to roll her eyes, she might have. Hungry. Of course he was. He'd probably spent all his energy with Tonravik. Oh well. He went off and she followed, staying close to assist him. She could smell the deer and would aid him in felling one. As he was alpha now, she waited for his instruction, his communication. Fortunately for them, she understood body language as much as she did sarcasm, so they'd still be able to work together.

Driven by hunger and the promise of a meal, he picked up his feet and pressed onward. The white wolf joined him. He glanced at her for a moment, snorted and continued on. She could help if she wished. That would be fine. If anything it would make this easier so long as she proved a help and not a hinderance. He'd not hunted much with her before, but if she was as good as catch food as she was at catching wolves daring their borders, he imagined she'd do alright.

He found the herd more inland this time. Kero paused, lowering his nose to sniff at fresh tracks before he caught sight of them at their new romping grounds. He ducked, flashing his tail behind him to indicate she do the same as he crouched low and surveyed the herd before him. Something... there had be be something worth eating in that herd.

There. He spotted it. A fawn. A dainty possibly only a few weeks old. All the same he wanted it. His mouth salivated as he watched it prance and explore dangerously far from the rest of the herd. Kero stalked forward, flicking his ears into attention before he sprang after it.

As he crouched, so did she, mimicking his movements. They would hunt and she would allow him to go back to his new mate without challenging this new facet of his personality again. Not today anyway. He wasn't up to such things just yet. She would save her antics for a more appropriate moment, focusing now on the task at hand. The deer ahead of them were their targets now and she let everything else but her hunting partner and their quarry.

When her newly risen Alpha bound forward, Kroc followed him, charging after him just as brazenly.While she was not a fast beast, she was large enough to ward off the similar charge of the nearby mother. Snapping teeth at her, the doe was cowed for the moment which gave Kroc enough time to whip around and spook the calf back towards SFB and into the trap of his teeth.

The white wolf sunk into his step, following behind as he led them in this chase. He was hungry. He'd eat, sleep, and see where life took him next. For now he was intent upon that baby deer. His tongue escaped, licking his lips as he salivated. It looked succulent. Tender. Tasty. He wanted it. He wanted it now.

He paid no attention as he rushed the fawn. It hadn't spotted him yet, but as soon as it did it began to bleat. Kero ignored it, pursing his frozen target who quickly decided the best course of action was to run. He chased after it, ignorant of the hind who moved to defend her spawn, but it was of no consequence. Kroc intercepted and the kill was his.

He trapped it against a rise of stone. With no where to go, Kero went in for the kill and sunk his teeth into the soft hollow of its neck. Young and delicate, he ripped, stealing away the pieces required to draw breath. It fell limp. This prize was his.

The rest of the herd scattered as he stilled and hovered over his next meal. Without waiting he sank teeth within its flesh and began to consume the juvenile deer. Delicious. Wonderful. He at his fill and moved aside as he invited Kroc to sample in the rest of it's remains. Kero climbed upon a nearby rock and groomed himself of any lingering blood upon his fur.

They felled the creature easily, her vicious sounds keeping the grown members of the heard at bay. With the babe dead, her Alpha filling himself with the tender meat, they took lest interest and finally filtered away to other areas of the island. He ate and she lingered, standing guard in a way but in another, just truly standing there. She was not overly hungry and wasn't gunning for any meals, but the fact that he offered to share was appreciated. 

Moving forward as he stepped away, Kroc chowed down on what was left, eating only a small portion. With intentions to go back to her patrol within the next few hours, the female did not eat to her fill. Traveling light was a bit easier, especially at the lengths she went to protect this place. When she was done, she stepped away, looking to SFB. The fact that he now had a mate to tend to, care for — things Kroc could and would never do — meant that this likely wouldn't end up in the caches, so why ask?

With a chuff, Kroc notified him, letting him know that she was taking her leave to go explore the island. Whether or not he joined her was up to him.

Possible Kroc Exit. Kero's choice!

I'll fade!

As Kroc moved to take her share of the fell deer, Kerosene continued about his way. Up on the rock, he licked away the blood from his muzzle and cleaned scraps from his whiskers. He made quick work about it before the calories began to sink in. His lips parted in a yawn and snapped closed. Mm. It was near time for another nap.

The white wolf chuffed. Kero glanced at her once before turning away. Stretching, he reclined and settled upon his mount. He'd sleep for a while and if, after waking was still hungry, he'd polish off the rest of that fawn and let the earth devour the rest of it. There wasn't much there to begin with. But it had been delicious.

He napped again.


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