Small, silvery blue paws passed over the crumbling soil, a large pair of nicked, slightly tattered ears rising above the tall grass as the tiny canine stalked the fields. A dark gaze flicked throughout the grass stalks, the small shape jerkily jumping and stalking through the wilderness with all the grace a coyote could muster, which was not much. Pluto's tufted tail lashed, the male huffing curses and insults under his breath, not directly aimed towards any other creature but instead mostly aimed at the winter weather itself, which seemed to mock lone canines like himself. After all, the stupid season should be bowing to such a clever little coyote, correct? Pluto's pale tongue rasped his slightly crooked fangs, nostrils flaring at the faint scents of rabbits and birds as he released another slur of curses. Damn birds were everywhere, why couldn't there just be rabbits? Of course, Pluto should be excited that there were at least faint traces of the other prey animals, but just the thought of birds made his scowl deepen. He hated them. Why did nature favor them so? Wings...pretty little flowers...the ability to sing...ugh. Give it to the coyotes, why don't you, nature?
Pluto continued to creep through the tall grasses, path swerving to avoid the strengthening scents of birds and instead following the scents of rabbits, most likely half starved and nothing but skin and bones due to this foul season. Dainty paws carried his own gaunt form along, muzzle slightly parted to reveal an array of yellowed, sharpened canines apt for tearing through the tender flesh of anything smaller than himself. The scent grew stronger, the sweet tendrils curling through his dark nostrils and weaving its way through his fur like a fresh spring breeze. Pluto's pace began to quicken, carrying him swiftly through the grasses at a half-jogging pace, tail waving out behind him like a ragged banner. Suddenly, the grass was shaking, and Pluto's claws dug into the soil as he halted his jog to wait for any signs of further movement. A small, pink nose poked out, tiny nostrils twitching as a small breeze picked up, blowing the coyote's own scent towards the little rodent as if the very earth itself was turning against him, such a travesty! The nose was vanishing back into the grasses, and without thought the male released a small, high pitched snarl as he lunged towards the smaller creature.
The rabbit screamed, a distress call telling its comrades to flee from the leaping predator as he landed, clumsily barreling into the rabbit before plunging his many fangs into its though. It screamed again, kicking with its free leg and slashing the coyote's dark nose. Pluto snarled again, releasing his catch before snapping again, gaining a better hold on its scrawny body with his canines now buried in its chest area. He forced his jaws to clamp tighter, feeling ribs crack and splinter before the rabbit suddenly fell silent, screams dying out as Pluto crushed its ribcage. Its sides rose and fell for the last time before everything was still, and Pluto released his hold on the dead rodent with a smirk curling across his reddened muzzle. For him, this was a victory despite how messy the catch was and how much noise was created during the process. After all, he was better at snatching food than actually catching it. Speaking of snatching; the male ripped off large chunks of his meal, swallowing them whole as quickly as he could hopefully before any larger predators appeared to confiscate his hard earned food.
At the sound of the shriek, Ravel lifted her comely head and swiveled her ears to pinpoint the direction from which the sound had come from. She scented the wind, licking her muzzle to wet her nose and aid her sense of smell, and while she inhaled she closed her eyes slightly, to concentrate on the sense she was focusing in on. Surely enough, she could detect the scent of blood on the wind, though this was no surprise. The only time that sound was ever uttered was when a rabbit had been killed. The telltale screech was something most predators knew quite well, and Ravel was fairly certain that it was the only sound that rabbits knew how to utter, as she'd never heard one make a sound otherwise. How bland of a world it must have been for them, then, to only have one song to sing in their whole life- their swan song.
She'd been grooming her thin forelegs but found herself intrigued by whoever or whatever it was that had made the kill. She stood up then, raising her head above the grasses to peer out and catch sight of a greyish figure in the distance, lean to the point of being gaunt, and hunkered over what she assumed was its kill. The breeze had worked against her, and she hadn't smelled the coyote until she'd heard the rabbit's final scream. For a moment, she considered barreling toward the creature and attempting to steal its meal- but a rabbit would have disappeared down a coyote's trap within minutes, and she was far enough away she knew there was no way she'd be able to make it to him before he either inhaled it or took off with it. So there was no hope of an easy meal for her.
She yawned then, and stretched out her spine, bowing to the ground before leaning forward and stretching each of her slim hind legs behind her. She shook out her pelt of greys and blacks and headed toward the coyote even though she knew there was no chance of her snagging a meal from it. Coyotes were small, fast and clever- they were fun. And though Ravel was a civilized wolf when around other wolves, she couldn't exactly help herself from the temptation of messing with a coyote, particularly a small one with a belly full of rabbit. She made a beeline for the coyote, body hunkered down as she hissed through the grasses, slowly accelerating toward him until she broke into a dash, mouth agape and eyes blazing with glee.
With his face practically submerged in the meat of his kill, by the time Pluto's small nose lifted back into the air, the scent of lone wolf was already quickly strengthening, as well as the sound of pawsteps. Most coyotes would have attempted to swallow the rest of their catch whole before escaping, but Pluto had a different approach to the situation. If a wolf was going to try and snatch his kill or simply had just come to toy with him himself, he wasn't going to let any other civilized canine feed off of the thin rabbit's flesh. The small coyote began to stomp the creature into the crumbling earth, savagely ripping through flesh and ligaments and simply letting them scatter. Wasting food? Eh, you could put it that way, but Pluto couldn't let any other creature benefit from his own actions, it simply wasn't his way! Besides, he couldn't just gorge on the entire thing and try to run, that would make an even bigger mess. The wolf suddenly exploded from the surrounding grasses, barreling into his little flattened clearing with maw agape and ivory fangs gleaming. Pluto arched his spine, attempting to jump out of the larger predator's range with his own jowls parted, releasing a yap of, "Piss off."
Pluto landed, small claws sinking into the earth in an attempt to stabilize himself before snorting, paws lightly settled on the earth with his toes taking most of his weight just in case he had to jump again. "Don't ya have some fleabitten pack to run off to?" He taunted, watching the much larger creature with scorn, pale tongue slipping out from his chops to rasp across his crimson jowls, flicking towards his nose and dampening that area as well to keep his sense of smell sharp just in case the fleabag had friends. Pluto began to bounce on his toes, still watching the wolf with his entire body tensing to jump again, wishing to live up to his ancestors' reputations of being talented escape artists and just general pains in the asses.
ooc:
@Pluto :D Just so you know, I'm working on a little something for you, 'cause I immediately liked Pluto, and should have it finished soon! Just gotta add a few finishing touches, then hook up my scanner and I'll pass it on to ya.
ic:
Ravel charged toward the coyote with her head up, eyes glistening and ears perked until the coyote caught sight of her. Now, it was on. She hadn't used her full speed just yet- she didn't exactly want to kill the coyote, or even hurt it badly, necessarily. She wasn't even sure she wanted physical confrontation at all, she just wanted to mess with it, see it run off with its tail between its legs and maybe chase it a bit just for fun. She did the same with foxes, they were often quick to flee as well, though not nearly as fast as coyotes. But rather than wolf down the last bit of its meal, this vindictive creature set about stomping and dashing the remainder of its kill to bitty, dirty bits, which made Ravel's ghoulish grin widen. Clever beast; though she knew she shouldn't expect less of a coyote. She did like to pester them, and occasionally pummel them, but she did not deny that they were quick thinkers. Unfortunately for the coyote, she wasn't after the leftover bits of rabbit; she was after him.
Nimbly, the coyote leapt out of the way, and Ravel dropped her near shoulder, plunging her weight to one side so that her hind end swung around behind her, claws gnashing through the grasses and tearing neat scars in the earth. The coyote she managed to keep in the corner of her eye while she whirled, focusing her gaze on him intently once she'd swung to face him, to see him prance on his feet and prepared to dash away and avoid another attack should she launch one. His question made her pause for a moment and laugh, before she lowered her muzzle again.
"Nope."
And with that, she dropped her body and began to move toward him at a slow trot, hackles raised. Her advance was meant to spur him into a run or to get her within close range, as a charge left him the opportunity to leap out of the way. Moving at a slower pace, he'd have a much harder time simply jumping to one side or the other, so unless he chose to stand his ground and fight, she aimed to push him into a run to get him clear of this area.
((OOC: That's really sweet of you, thank you! ^.^))
IC:
Pluto bounced from paw to paw, dark eyes settled firmly on the much stronger albeit clumsier predator, flicking a large ear to rid the tender flesh of one or two stalks of long green grass that had beer ripped from the earth by the wolf's harsh pivot. At his previous inquiry, the towering female visibly paused, his words eliciting a small laugh from her lean muzzle before she responded with a single word. Pluto's brow slightly raised, knowing by scent that she belonged to no pack but at least hoping to elicit at least a small reaction from prodding her lowly status. Weren't lone wolves looked down upon by pack wolves? Eh, he wasn't a filthy wolf; how was he supposed to know? In his own eyes, a lone wolf was a smart wolf if they were able to survive without having to rely on an entire army furry cretins.
"Nice. No 'alpha' to boss you around." Pluto chortled, the word "alpha" slipping from his maw like a serpent uttering a threatening hiss, full of distaste and malice. A true canine didn't need someone standing on their shoulders, watching their every move and keeping them from being truly free. Perhaps he was bias, but he was certainly hypocritical. If he had the chance to lead, he probably would take that chance and run it straight into earth and ride it right down to hell. The female had lowered herself into a crouch, sliding through the torn, flattened grasses like some overgrown feline stalking a mouse. Pluto's paws quickened as he continued to bounce, silence filling the air as the two canines faced off against each other, both attempting to play the other for fools.
Suddenly, Pluto leaped to the right, toes lightly brushing the soil before he sharply pivoted and jumped back to the left, attempting to trick the slowly approaching wolf into thinking that he was aiming to run past her in one direction, when in reality he was ducking to the opposite side and continuing his little jig, eager to see how the clumsier but unarguably stronger and deadly canine would respond. Her eyes did not seem to reflect any malicious intent, instead filled with a wild glee that mirrored the bluish coyote's, although it was slightly dimmed and fighting for dominance with a mocking gaze in his own ebony optics.
Ravel had expected some sort of snide remark from the coyote about being a lone wolf. Maybe something along the lines hinting that she was unnatural, clearly didn't get along with others, or just that she was doing life wrong. Most wolves were drawn toward the life of a pack wolf, and many depended on it. But not coyotes, and perhaps that was why the male before her didn't choose to pick on her life choices. In that instant, she felt herself cultivating a small spark of respect for the coyote- and if not that, then at least she felt they might share the same sort of vagrant spirit between the two of them. Perhaps she was more coyote than wolf at heart.
With this thought playing on her mind, she found his next statement quite pleasing, and rewarded him with a sharp nod of her narrow muzzle. "Exactly," she said, knowing that the coyote understood the importance of going by one's own laws. It was strange, how in an instant she'd gone from wanting to annoy the coyote to simply wanting to spar with one...But Ravel had never really found one that had responded the same way she might have responded had she been the coyote harassed by a wolf. This guy wasn't so bad.
She was quick to move toward him when he jumped to one side, and snapped her jaws in the air when he dodged instantly in the other direction, earning him a pleased chuff from the sterling-featured wolf. But for a wolf, Ravel was petite and close to the ground, and on the instant that she landed her pounce, she was able to rebound and though there was no way she could have made a grab for a tuft of fur on him, she lowered her head and aimed her shoulder at him, hoping her quick reaction could at least land her a good shoulder check.
A sharp grin split the male's lean chops, although it was a smirk of agreement, only stretched due to his natural, fiendish, coyote looks. Pluto had never really met a wolf like this before, she was a smart one; not one of those brainless drones herding together like cattle in a green pasture. He decided that he liked her. Sure, he'd probably still be an asshole (as he was to everybody), but he would certainly prefer her company over having to socialize with some other fleabag. Pluto was pleased as his evasion tactic succeeded in the beginning, watching as the larger canine barreled towards were he had feigned, powerful jaws snapping shut where his tail had been only seconds prior. However, the female was a swift one as well, not fast enough to swivel and snap with her fangs, but fast enough to turn and lunge towards the tricky little beast with a powerful shoulder. Pluto braced his haunches, taking a deep breath and blinking the dust from his eyes before leaping again, feeling the female's furred shoulder slam into his hips as he flew through the air.
A mild jolt of pain pierced his leg from the impact, but as the young male landed again and spun to face his sparring opponent, he shook out the aching appendage and placed it back onto the earth. He was pleased to find that he could properly stand and run on it still, albeit with some mild pain still. Coyotes were not meant for attacking head on, they were sly, willy creatures that ducked and leaped and only got close enough to limp when they were cocky enough. And Pluto, well... He was always cocky. The lean canine bounced back and forth, feigning left to right before suddenly sliding downwards, aiming to nip at the large female's ankles and paws. Hard enough to feel, but not hard enough to draw blood, as this was only a spar between two agreeing parties. It was strange how the tables had turned.
Pluto's dark grey claws scrambled in the soil, throwing up a cloud of dry winter earth as he leaped again, trying to get out of the wolf's attacking range as he panted for breath. The dust burned his dark eyes, his slightly clouded optic hazing in and out of focus as the particles aggravated the old injury. Pluto shook his head, ears flicking directly upwards and nostrils flaring to send his other senses into overdrive, hoping to compensate for his slightly blurred vision.
ooc: Sorry for the wait! It's been a crazy busy couple of weeks. <3
IC:
Having snapped at air, Ravel's next attack hadn't been terribly well coordinated- the shoulder was a last-ditch effort to make some kind of contact- and was perhaps the inciting force behind everything else going out of control. She collided with him roughly, managing to check him in the hips before the nimble creature could get out of the way. He was thrown sideways but managed to swing his hindquarters around again so he faced her, and she squared herself up as well, crouching to prepare herself for any retaliation, but instead the coy beast danced from side to side, trying to psych her out. Instead, Ravel held her ground, head lowered and joints bent so she could avoid his nips. They were close enough now that it would only take one pounce for one of them to reach the other- and both were quick on their feet, small for their species, and tuned into the movements of the other.
She lifted her paws to avoid having her ankles bitten but a sudden change in direction allowed him to nick one of her ankles with a canine, just as he skidded on the dry earth. Ravel lifted her head above the small but sudden cloud of dust and coughed twice before she saw an opportunity- the coyote's vision was blurred, so she lowered her head and aimed to head-butt him square in the ribs.
But just before she could make contact, she plunged her front feet out in front of her and stopped, close enough that she was within his reach, and backpedaled as fast as she could. She'd changed her mind; she could have easily winded him, if he hadn't seen to move out of the way or been quick enough to dodge, but she didn't even give him that opportunity. His loss of vision was a turnoff, and Ravel wasn't interested in pummeling someone when they couldn't properly fight back. She stepped back a few feet, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she waited for a nod, or some indication that he'd managed to get the dust out of his eyes.
It's fine, I hope things clear up for you soon!
Out of the corner of his blurred range of vision, Pluto spotted the swiftly approaching shape of his opponent as she charged him, and he braced his small form as he waited for collision. Instead, he was met by the site of his sparring opponent backing away, waiting for the coyote to get the sand out of his eyes before the fight continued. He shook his head, a small sneeze shaking his ribs before he sniffed, blinking the dust from his eyes before smirking again.
"Damn sand." He simply stated before leaping forwards, digging his claws into the soil before slipping backwards again, attempting to trick the female again, but this time by fake charging instead of fake evading. Nimble, albeit tired paws carried him across the flattened grass like a aching dancer, keeping up the swift footsteps and leaps despite the sweat beading from his forehead and the slight burning in his long legs.
After one or two more fake leaps, the coyote actually jumped, attempting to slam his small figure into the wolf in an attempt to either knock her over or at least disrupt her sense of balance, as she was close enough to his own size for it to possibly work. At least, hopefully. His thin tail stuck out straight like a twig, helping his balance while preforming the attack as well as to compensate his still slightly blurred vision, which was finally beginning to really clear much to his relief.