Wolf RPG

 He had kept his promise of protecting the borders, but nothing interesting usually appeared. He stayed, quite bored, before the thought of food entered his mind. His tail swished, then he left the border, venturing for the seals, since crabs seemed untrustworthy (in his opinion). They were weird and had little claw thingies, unlike spiders. 

 After his amazing hunting skills were put to the test, (actually, he just slipped a lot, his hunting was fine,)  he set out to find the alpha, who, in his point of view, was in love with food. Who wasn't, anyway? 

 He personally didn't know much about the rest of the pack. So maybe he would be lucky and meet a few. And maybe, just maybe, he would get another friend. The concept was quite foreign to him, though. But he trusted it nonetheless.

as of late caiaphas had not been compelled to leave her vigil in the grotto - there were certain things she needed tending to -- certain things she would much rather avoid. it was hunger at last that drove her from one darkened tunnel to the other -- and eventually, into the bright fold of midday.

the wretch squinted as she gave her eyes time to adjust, sucking her breath between her teeth in a seething hiss. no sooner had her eyes adjusted to the brilliance of the overworld did she spot james, a solitary figure on the strand. reclusive as she was, the salt witch drew forth with a quiet, studying expression.

He had the feeling that someone was near, and when he looked up, he was correct. Laying the seal carefully on the ground, he dipped his head down. His soldier-like pose was slightly ruined with the small wag of his tail. 

 " 'Ello miss Caiaphas," he began somewhat cheerily, "I brought you some food." It never had occurred to him, but he seemed to have a slight British/old english accent, which he knew nothing about. He tilted his head towards the seal carcass. That was the most of emotion he had ever shown (in that personality, anyway).

she watched him warily, noting the hunk of flesh that hung close to him. the ripe scent of salt and blood caused her stomach to flip and a white rime flecked her muzzle -- she licked away her saliva and eyed james ravenously. as soon as he announced in his affected accent who the meat was intended for she fell upon it savagely, dragging it away from him in the manner of a creature that had just endured a seven year famine. she placed a paw possessively over the stomach and tore, mouthing between gulps of bloodied meat: "thaenks----" gulp, rip -- "but i prefer porcupine."

Any wolf at this point would've slowly inched away from the alpha, but for some reason, James stayed, accompanying the hungry wolf. He made a mental note for next time about the food. As she devoured the meat, James sat down finally. 

 He decided that a conversation would be the best ice breaker, for him, anyways. "So miss Caiaphas, how was your day?" he asked politely.

caiaphas' ears canted forward as james sat down besides her, as if her company was at all enjoyable. she growled inwardly and yanked the flesh away from the grey agouti, turning her back to him as she gnawed protectively on her meat. from behind her she spoke -- and the only indication from the hunched-over wretch that suggested she had heard was the backwards rotation of a singular chewed up ear in his direction.

back still to the greyed wolf, caiaphas continued slobbering on the tender meat. at length she licked her lips and propped her front limbs in front of her, resting on her elbows and stomach. she brought a paw to her muzzle and licked it before speaking. "what do you want, james miles?"

 A little baffled he was, but honestly, the gesture didn't really affect him. What did he want? Friends, that was what he wanted (I know, I know, such a loser). He paused, thought about it, deciding not to share his weird anti-social-ness, then answered, "Not much, though, a conversation would be delightful." His oldish way of speaking did not apply to all his personalities, some more than others, but the accent stayed no matter what.

 James stared into the pale blue sky, his thoughts floating about around him. "I like blue, like the stormy sea. Also the night sky color, with all the stars, is breath taking. What's your favourite colour?" he wondered, adding his opinion, going for different approach.

with her craw sufficiently filled she turned on her little elbows, scuttling towards james like some violently disfigured creature. her yellow gaze met his own and she studied him --down to the very strangeness of his voice and the committed insistence of his presence.

of all creatures on this green earth to try to kindle a conversation with, caiaphas was likely the least eligible -- the effort would be frustrating and absolutely unrewarding, not unlike pouring water on a timid fire. "blood james. i like the color blood." she turned her red muzzle towards him with a wicked smile, licking her gums. "so, since you're still here -- what would be your favorite way to die?" because you know, as if caiaphas was capable of killing a perfectly hale wolf.

 He cleared his throat nervously. Blood was an interesting colour choice. Oh well, everyone was different, and that was what made them special. He took her question too seriously, which was a bad idea. "Well, I would prefer a rare way to die, not something like getting torn apart by a bear. Or something stupid like choking on food," he pondered, his mind racing wildly. Putting his full effort into trying to converse with this wolf was going to get him killed, probably. He was slightly naïve when it came to... ahem, death threats. It was mostly because of the friendship stuff, he was excited. He was the true combination of stupid/happy.

it seemed caiaphas' thinly veiled suggestion had flown straight across james' domed skull -- and perhaps for the better. there would be no use in dissuading him from her company -- if anything, he seemed deadset in sticking to her side like some insistent and hoary burr. with the meal forgotten she turned her entire attention upon him, her lamplight eyes illuminant as she watched the strange way his mouth formed, and listened to the foreign accent in his voice. "so maybe like being dragged under water by the kraken?" she suggested. "you know, lusca's pretty close to that.. maybe you ought to spend some time with her."

"Lusca?" he asked, his face thoughtful. He hadn't met anyone with the name of 'Lusca'. Though, little did he know, Moshpig was just Lusca under some ... herbs? But the thought would never cross his mind, as he believed Moshy was a lunatic wolf that somehow could stay in the pack and be helpful. After all, Moshy was his friend, or at least, not someone he wanted to kill. 

 It was all very weird, especially from the audience's perspective. James stayed unaware and Caiaphas stayed annoyed, and the story went on anyways.

had caiaphas known of lusca's dishonesty (really, would she even be surprised?) she would have demanded the rampant urchin be flogged for her lack of transparency -- as it was, she did not know, and lusca was thankfully untargeted by her wrath. but james was not.

"the urchin -- angry, little, black?" caiaphas cast a simmering gaze to james, judging for any sign her description rang a bell. not like saltwinter was flooded with wolves of lusca's ilk anyway -- for such a nondescript wolf, she was quite the standout. "captive, omega, that stuff?"

James frowned. "Haven't heard of her," he stated. "Sounds like Moshpig, though. Does 'Lusca' have a twin by any chance?" he asked curiously. 

 Moshy had fit under the description of 'Lusca' pretty well. He was 100% sure that Moshpig was totally legit. She was just a crazy wolf that Caiaphas had taken under her wing. Though, that sounded defiantly wrong, as it seemed Caiaphas wouldn't ever do that. But this fact did not pass James whatsoever, so he waited for an answer from his alpha.

whatever this 'moshpig' nonsense was, caiaphas would have none of it. her ears drew forth in surprise (okay, maybe not surprise) to learn of lusca's ruse -- perhaps she had underestimated the spry little wolfess. with a smirk to herself caiaphas looked towards the grotto where lusca was currently being housed. "no twin. guess you know better than to trust her now." she supplied darkly. with a cant of her muzzle her yellow eyes met james' for a moment before she decided to elucidate the reason for lusca's captivity. "she was found trespassing within the hearth of the grotto. for that crime alone, her freedom is forfeit." mainly caiaphas had told james just to gauge his reaction -- in some ways, captivity was mercy over death. or at least, that was caiaphas' opinion.

"M'kay," he said with a shrug. So Moshy Lusca was a captive, so what? "So, um, if I find a trespasser, what do I do?" he began nervously. He was never, ever in favour of death, and he didn't know how to keep someone properly captive. ( He was strong, but he wasn't evil.) . After all, he was totally okay with protecting this place. Was he supposed to call for her? But maybe they would escape by then.

the svelte coywolf's ears punched forward in light surprise as she heard james' inquiry -- other than lusca, she had never really considered keeping a trespasser alive. even then, lusca had only been spared as a present for vlad. vlad, who was long gone from the sound. her expression darkened as she recalled the circumstance, regretting ever letting that dark shroud of a wolf live.

"we kill them." she replied simply, uncaring if the coldness of her verdict chilled him. in her mind, a trespasser had violated every sanction that ensured his survival -- and in turn, was able game for the slaughter.

He stopped himself from squeaking by taking a deep breath. Killing was bad. It hurt more than just that wolf's life. And once a wolf was dead, they are gone. Forever. James was fairly acquainted with the idea known as death, as his parents... lived for it. 

 "O-okay, miss Caiaphas," he stammered finally. His blue eyes averted from looking at the alpha altogether, embarrassed. He would have to kill a wolf, one day. But that thought thankfully hadn't entered his mind.


 

the shrew did not miss the trepidation behind james' words -- her gaze, fervent, lashed to his own as if challenging the demure behind his voice. perhaps once, a long time ago, she would have seen the reason for his shaky agreement -- but the sylph had learned all too well the cost of complacency. she was reminded of kevlyn -- perhaps if she had of been willing to kill for him sooner, he would not be dead. despite james being taken aback by such a verdict, she spoke: "glad we've reached an understanding." the implication was very simple, and very real: oblige in the law of the wolf, or be killed yourself.

He bolted up, clearly uncomfortable. "Miss Caiaphas, I must go get more food for the rest of the pack," he said, half lying. A dip of his head and a quick, "thank you". His eyes scanned the ground once again, and he left the alpha to her thoughts.