She stuck to the darkness of the forests, feeling at ease when she could blend in with her surroundings. A creature of the night, the witch preferred travelling when the moon was out, resting when it disappeared below the horizon to make way for the sun. She never fared well in the daytime. When it was dark, still, and brooding, that was when Lakhesis was at her best.
So it was no surprise that as the afternoon brought with it heavy, rumbling clouds that spoke of an incoming storm, the coywolf was out and active. She glanced at the sky as thunder growled in the distance, unafraid despite having been swept away by a fierce storm a few weeks back. She had been separated from both her sister and the pack. She did not care much for the latter, but did indeed miss their caches of meat. It was rare the girl had to fend for herself, having been tended to as a vessel of the Fate in her old pack and then depending on Shego while travelling.
The coyote blood in her bid that she scavenge instead of wasting precious energy, and that is exactly what she did. Keenly, she watched from downwind as a fox cached it's most recent meal, waiting a half hour after it had left before she moved. It wasn't that she was wary of the fox, but instead of the larger predators that could possibly be in the area. With light steps, Lakhesis slipped from her cover in the undergrowth of the glade and sprung upon the cache, quickly tearing at it and ravenously devouring the fresh meat she had been for too long without, gaze sweeping the area every so often to keep an eye out for competitors.
What made him go towards the Sunrise Valley was just a need to see what herd others had. The south was starting to feel homey, now was time to return back to where he had passed through, see if he could get something interesting. His initial thinking was caught short when he saw yet another apparition of his mate. He followed her, running and running until he ended up in a forest. He had told Burke he would be gone for one or two days. That he needed to move, and "recruit" for him if needed. However, he was also out to get maybe the members that were still missing. Whether or not they liked it, they were still member of the pack and needed to come forward to Burke with their life choices.
Meat is what got his attention as he went into the Fox Glade. It was a darker forest , which was welcome after the meadows and the rain. Autumn had struck rather quickly. That's when he saw a black figure eating. He looked at it for a moment before making out that it was a wolf. From her size, she looked female, and hungry, really hungry.
None disturbed her, for now. The forest remained quiet and still as Lakhesis greedily tore strips of meat from whatever the fox had killed, holding it in place with a paw. She hadn't a clue what it was exactly, but she relished it all the same. It was a fresh meal...and one she didn't have to work for.
The witch looked up again quickly to check on her surroundings, and suddenly the sickening noise of flesh tearing silenced. Another had entered her field of view, large and dark with falcon yellow eyes. She peered back at him, standing stock still with a hunk of meat still gripped between her teeth. Bloodied lips pulled back into a warning snarl.
Akela growled back, aggression was never his favorite approach. His body language signified her that he was not interested in stealing her piece of meat. He was no wolf to start a fight over a peace of meat, even back when he was a wolf. He must have been cursed for causing females to react that way to him. Although, he understood that one would not be happy about having him so close to her current meal. She seemed more like coyote than an actual wolf. "Relax , missy. " he spoke. "Just passing by" he added." You have a great meal, doll. "
He countered her show of possessiveness with a growl of his own, and Lakhesis eyed him cautiously as he spoke, noting his unaggressive stance. Still, she didn't want to take any chances — especially not against a fully-grown male. The scars that marred his face added to her wariness. He went to move onwards, though, not showing any interest in her meal. Lakhesis almost went back to wolfing down the rest of it before the scent he carried hit her. She was familiar with it. "You're from Blackfeather," she stated with confidence, looking up to catch his gaze.
The male stopped and turned to the female. She knew of Blackfeather woods, nothing surprising there, bu usually other wolves could not recognize his scent as being the one of BFW. Intrigued he decided to give this female more conversation. "Yes, I am. " he spoke. He lifted his head , still wondering where this would be going. " Not many recognize the alpha's scent, are you familiar with my pack ? " he asked.
He paused, in which Lakhesis gave a pleased wave of her tail. His words furthered her joy as he stated he was of Blackfeather Woods. Had the pack provided some interest to her she would have acted the helpless damsel, wanting for the male to take her back home. However, the pack had been nothing but an inn, a stop-over along their journey. Unless...
"I was," she replied non-chalantly, before taking a step closer, nose wiggling as she took in the scents on his pelt. Unfortunately, she could not pick up that of her sister. "Do you know of another? She looks like me, with green eyes." Had Shego returned after the wicked storm?
"I take it from your past tense that you do not wish to return. " Akela concluded. "I have not...but the alpha sent me to look for the missing members. Are you referring to your sister ? ....Shego ?" he asked. Her description would truly help him recognize her if he ever stumbled on her. "I have not seen or heard of her in these lands. She went missing , just like you, after the storm ...if missing is the appropriate term. "
She gave only the slightest hints of surprise from his assumption, before a look of careless nonchalance overtook her features once more. She hadn't meant to give away the fact that she had once been a part of the pack, though guessed it didn't matter much either way. If Shego ever returned and stumbled across the dark woods again, there would be little Lakhesis could do to stop her from telling the other members — especially this man — that she, too, had a missing sister. The witch shrugged. Seemed like the stranger didn't care to bring the stragglers back into the fold, anyway.
"Yes," she replied to her sister's name. Her expression remained passive, until he noted she had gone missing, and it quickly turned a steely resolute one. "The Fates always return," her voice came sternly. "If you see her...tell her I am still searching."
"I shall deliver your message. " he told her. Since he had nothing else to say, and no reason to stay and disturb her meal furthermore. He simply looked at her for a moment. "May your path lead where you wish it to lead. " he gave her on her way. He did not know what she had done, and to be honest, he wasn't even sure anyone in the pack apart from Lusa cared. He gave her a curtous nod. "Farewell, Lakhesis" he bid her farewell, and started to leave, continuing on the way he had been on before he had stumbled on her. One down, he would have something to tell to Burke.
- end -