Wolf RPG

Seregryn had found a barren patch upon the mountain - not wholly empty of cover, but with a limited spread of trees - and she had sequestered herself within the shrubbery, waiting, watching. Her goal was to lurk there until someone interesting came by; however, it was not long before the fos goufa was losing patience. It took maybe an hour before she began to stare forlornly up the crag, wondering if she should try to bait one of her superiors out of hiding — as if they would come out of the woodwork just to entertain her. Everyone was most likely too busy with their duties, as she should have been.

The only movement she bore witness to was the hopping and flitting of tiny birds. They hid in some neighboring bushes, and were having a gay old time grabbing at grass seeds, or bumbling their fat bodies in to one another, or simply making a chorus of noise from their perch. She couldn't count how many there were — they were many, and too small — and eventually she stopped watching her surroundings and was focused upon the birds. This would be good practice, she thought.

Collecting her limbs beneath herself, cat-like and ready to spring, the agile young wolf held herself close to the ground. She watched the birds make their erratic way closer, then farther, then in to the air, all of them going in different directions for different reasons; the wind was on Seregryn's side (if that mattered at all), and then with one explosive pounce followed by a flurry of scrambling steps, Seregryn launched herself at the flock of sparrows with her mouth wide open.

When the chaos ended and the birds had relocated to a higher and safer place, Seregryn turned her head and spat one plump chikadee on to the stone; it was an odd little bird, different in shape (being so round) and color (the distinctive striping was what led her to it during the spontaneous charge). It was too small to be of value, so she simply let the dead thing sit there at her paws, and stared down at it, triumphant.

Gavriel, used to warriors as his companions, had found the other wolves strange company. Wolves like Sangilak and his Heda kept him grounded, reminded of their home far more brutal than the lands of the teekon but the peace—even with the tensions to the south—is a welcoming change. It had been a few days since Thuringwethil had sent off Vercingetorix to return to Trigeda and let them know of her new rule. Whether he would return or not would determine their connection, the wolves that remained loyal or not, but he is hopeful he would eventually return with good news.

His distracted by a sudden rumble and scramble and a bird flew a little too close to his head that catches him off guard. He ducks and turns to see the strange pattern of Seregryn but she’s staring down at plump bird. He hadn’t seen the action, but he’s able to concluded she’d successfully taken an animal of flight down—a feat that isn’t so easy—and he feels a swelling of pride in his chest. Familial, perhaps, but as their future leader. Thuringwethil’s death does not linger in his mind, he knows it is likely to happen sometime—commanders do not last long, but perhaps in these peaceful lands she can extend her life longer than the past.

The large male shifts his weight and dips his head, looking at the woman with a flat expression but his tail wags his congratulations anyway.

It has been some time since Seregryn has seen Gavriel, but he has likely been busy aiding their leader. She remembers having him at her beck and call (mostly because he would not leave her side as they traveled), and a part of her misses that. As he drifts closer, Seregryn takes a step over her tiny prize as if to guard it, but then reaches towards him with her dark face — investigating the scents housed among his fur. He smells like sulfur, like a Dragon, but also of other wolves and places. Had he been traveling? This thought makes her recoil slightly, her ears forward-facing abruptly, but she does not ask.

Then, she withdraws the protective limb from across the tiny bird and seeks it with her dark maw. Seregryn grabs the creature — unsure if it is dead or stunned, but it does not matter — and it fits snugly like a small tennis ball between her teeth. She is tempted to bike down hard and see if the bird would pop, or crunch, or simply slip down her throat without issue; instead though, Seregryn tosses it up and bups it with her nose, sending it flying towards Gavriel in a rare moment of play.

Gavriel isn’t sure what the girl is going to decide, so he hesitates and waits. She’d quickly gone up in rank since they’d been here, but he hasn’t desired for such things. Unsure of his own purpose, he allows the Fos Goufa to do as she pleases—for the time being. He hadn’t been assigned—officially—as her guard, but he hasn’t been with her as much as he’d liked. She is in the confines of the pack now, for the time being, and so her safety is without question. He knows Thuringwethil wouldn’t let anything happen to the child, even if she needed a little work to fit her into her impending position.

It surprises him that she ultimately tosses him the bird and Gavriel takes a step back to avoid it, letting it hit the ground lifelessly. Brown eyes dropping to look at the kill, quickly glancing forward at the younger wolf, before he nudges it back forward with his nose. He then uses his front leg to kick it forward with force, back toward Seregrýn with a smile adoring his features.

When the bird-ball lands at Gavriel's feet, Seregryn watches it for a second, and then levels a bored look at him - as if to say, really? - but the expression soon shifts as he kicks the dead thing back towards her. It doesn't move very far, but it is enough to prompt further play from the girl. She dives towards it, head lowering and teeth unsheathing from behind her black lips, as if she is to grab at it. Instead, she closes her mouth and knocks the bird's bulbous silhouette away, sending it rolling back towards Gavriel. It manages to catch a lip of stone jutting from the soil and grabs a little air before landing a few inches away.

She charges for the bird and he rocks back to try and get out of the way, but she doesn’t come close enough to collide. Instead, she’s going for the bird and in a matter of seconds, it’s back at his feet. He can’t suppress the chuckle rising in his throat as he then lowers his head, brown eyes forward and watching the short movements of the eager girl. When Gavriel picks it up—carefully between his teeth—and stares for a moment longer, awkwardly extending the silence more than it needs. 

Then, he bolts in the opposite direction.

She is half-stepping back and forth, back and forth, an eager child with full attention on the game they were playing. She was like a puppy waiting for a tennis ball, watching it and then watching him, and then — then he was scooping it up! Seregryn anticipated a toss, and braced herself for it. Her chest descended in to a play-bow of sorts, and she readied a small boof as she impatiently watched him...

And then he was turning around and running. A brief look of surprise crossed her dark face, and then she was absolutely livid that he would take her bird away. She had hunted that! It was rightfully her's! Much like a toddler who had just seen another child steal their favorite toy, Seregryn went bounding after him — losing sight of the game as she tried desperately to keep up with his leading strides.

Gavriel does not run at full speed—mostly because he feels unsteady on the mountain—and allows the younger girl to catch up with him. It doesn’t take long and when he turns head to look back, he’s surprised to see the joy from her face gone. His eyes widen and he isn’t sure if he should keep going or stop, but there’s something in the back of his mind that tells him not to stop. Why? He shakes the question and eventually, slows, curving a circle so he comes around to try and face her so he can see the jovial expression on his face. Which, surprisingly, he has a hard time holding on to all of a sudden.

Scampering after him, it is clear by the lull in his speed that he is only playing; or that is how she sees it, and the anger she feels - that possessiveness - stutters a bit along with her pace. The girl's tail lashes at her hocks, then arches across her back when faced with Gavriel. Give it back! She demands with a sneer, showing off her front teeth as if she really means business. Seregryn is playing, to a point, and cannot shake the sharp aggression which flavors her reaction, but she has tempered it somewhat.

He glances back, tongue lolling between his teeth and the bird, to see her chasing after him with speed. She shouts after him and he begins to slow to a stop, circling a wide range and dropping the front half of his body. The bird rolls out of his mouth then, short a few feathers along the way and one particular still sticking out the side of his mouth. Brown eyes focus on the younger girl, waiting to see if she'd take on to play or snatch the bird for herself.

Seregryn was greedy, and riled by his antics. Her childishness came through loud and clear when the bird fell free of his teeth, as she dashed towards it and tried to grab for it. Whether she grabbed it or not, the girl loosed a warning growl that was anything but playful; then, scooping away the bird first with an extended paw and then with her hasty teeth, she collected it and began to prance away, pleased with her prize and even more contented to know she had spoiled the game.