Wolf RPG

The meadow had quickly become the Kali's safe-ground, a sanctuary where she could comfortably spend the days stalking the frosted stems in search of prey. Truth be told the field had little to offer in terms of shelter, and so, when night gripped the land, Simatra would retreat to the treeline and wait out the dark.

Morning dawned cold and dreary and the golden nymph remained within her makeshift den for a moment longer, contemplating the day ahead. The young boy had offered her a visit to the Willows which she had dutifully declined for now, but perhaps she could scout there in the days to come. For now, though, she emerged from the brush at a steady lope until she reached the creek, huffing in slight anxiety as she saw its most shallow sections frozen solid. Fishing would be a challenge today.

It had been a while since her last meal, and she had begun to lose weight, ribs barely visible under her cloak of grey. Winter almost held full control over the lands, and finding meals would become more and more of a challenge, suspected Israel. As it turned out, the lone wolf experience was just as difficult as her parents had once warned her. It was not an experience that she liked.

Israel walked slowly along the creek. Every few feet she stopped, cobalt eyes scanning for water deeper than that which was already frozen. She hadn't much taste for fish, but could not turn down the potential opportunity to eat. A noise suddenly interrupted her search  and she pricked her ears, then lifted her head to look across the creek. There, doing the exact same thing as she, stood a golden-furred female. 

Ever cautious, Israel took a step back and called softly. "Hello..." In her weakened state she had no wish to fight over whatever supply of fish swam within the waters, but it was best to remain careful. Some individuals  were very competitive.

Simatra was a newbie when it came to fishing, having stuck to forest prey almost all her life. There had been times when she had travelled beside loners, the occasional individual having spoken briefly about the sport but never going into depth on the subject matter. The evenings after her encounter with Tamborine she had spend investigating the creek, testing the flow and making note of the few fish that swam below the surface But never quite making a move.

Hello.

The quiet tones pulled her from her thoughts, and she turned to face a wolf. The canid was thin, starved and rawboned from hunger most likely, yet there was no doubt she'd be a grey beauty come the warmer months. "Hi there," she'd greet, concern for her current company drawing her along the bank until she stood a respectable distance away. "What brings you here, hunger?" It wasn't hard to guess.

The other female displayed no outward signs of aggression, or even fear, as she approached. That put Israel at ease, and she settled down upon her spindly haunches to talk, her own expression much more relaxed. 

"Yes," she answered. "Although..." Blue eyes cast into the water and then returned to the green pair before her. "I am not much of a fisher," she said with a laugh. Her parents had taken herself and her sisters on fishing ventures as children, but none of the three girls had ever paid close attention. "I don't even really like fish." There was a note of regret in her voice, as though she were ashamed of this. She wished there were more options, or that even if there weren't,  that she could more readily accept what was available to her.

"But beggars can't be choosers, I suppose. I'm Israel."

The greyed woman seemed to relax quickly and Simatra did the same, bringing her rump to the ground as she began to speak. With ears pricked, and worry held at bay, the golden nymph would listen with dutiful interest as the other rambled on about her eating habits. She was not one to reject company and, in fact, found the speach rather amusing to listen to, though she refrained from showing the most of her humour, offering a genuine smile to accompany the wolf's laugh as she spoke her name.

"Israel, you beg?' she mused, ears flicking in thought before she dismissed the statement. Lone wolves learn to source their own food, but perhaps Israel was too weak to do so? She wasn't sure. "I'm Simatra," she introduced in an effort to change the subject from what probably would've been a very awkward conversation. "I'm not much of a fisher, I've never actually tried before..." With two inexperienced aquatic hunters, perhaps a hunt on the surrounding dry land would prove to be a better bet if they were to catch enough to feed them both. "There's a small herd of white tailed deer that graze near the treeline, maybe we could have a shot at one?" In other words: was she able enough to join forces and bring down a deer? There was a possibility.

If the golden beauty found amusement in Israel's awkward commentary,  she did a good job at hiding it, and probably to the benefit of their budding aquaintance with one another. Israel had a fragile ego; she hated to be the subject of another's amusement. The joking question didn't offend her, however,  and she gave a small smile and a curious tilt of her head, tail slapping the ground once.

Still, Israel worried that she had already embarrassed herself. She hadn't been a loner for long and was accustomed to the comforts of pack life, and that was the sole reason for her weight loss. Only in recent days had she begun to question her decision to strike out on her own, and on leaving behind the only life and family she had ever known.

She was grateful for the change of subject. Eager to rescue herself from any possibility of judgement, Israel stood just as quickly as she sat down. "I could definitely assist you in a hunt, Simatra " she said, a little more brightly than before. "With two of us, perhaps we will be lucky, yes?" she stood idly, waiting for the healthier woman to take the lead.

Israel seemed not to be affected by Simatra's humorous statement, and for that the golden nymph was grateful for. So many times she had blurted out what came to her head, so many times an encounter had gone downhill from there; it was a real relief to be able to speak her mind and refrain from being judged. Or, at least, that's what she assumed.

As the woman agreed, the Kali rose to her paws, cocking her head to one side as she listened to the last of the grey wraith's words. "Teamwork will be necessary to succeed," she agreed, "Come." Flashing her company an excitable grin, she trotted forward to take charge as Israel made way.

She would often see the herd, maybe 3 doe's strong, flit amidst the trees during the warmest parts of the day, (if you could call midday in winter 'warm'), and so that was where she headed now. With Israel hopefully in tow, they could aim to drive an individual into the open field where attacks could be easily aimed, or perhaps plan an ambush amongst the thickets which would allow the element of surprise to their advantage. The latter was not one Simatra preferred.

Mirroring Simatra's enthusiastic smile, the grey pixie followed behind her away from the stream and into the wood. Her blood seemed to pump faster already, as it always did with the prospect of a hunt at hand. A hunt, of course,  that did not involve fish. 

Being unfamiliar with this territory, Israel put ever ounce of her trust within the gold-furred woman, and her trust was not misplaced. Soon the scent of deer was strong in the air, and Israel slowed her pace from a smooth lope to a fast walk. Ahead of them was the herd, small, with only three in their numbers.

It was here that she halted, cobalt eyes searching Simatra for an indication of what to do next. She could not help but notice that one of the two does walked with a blatant limp, and the delicious smell of its blood perfumed the air. Israel had every reason to believe that her partner detected this detail,as well. If they could separate the lame animal from its fellows, victory would be theirs.

The heavy stench of blood did not go undetected by Simatra. A glance and a few brief seconds of focus on her partner's cerulean gaze told her that she too had picked up on the flaw. A few blatant strategies flitted through the mind of the golden wolfess but one stood out in particular; a combination of her two previous thoughts. "We will charge them from the thickets," she spoke, voice a low rumble. "With any luck they will flee to the grasses and we can tackle the lame one where offence can be clearly placed. I trust that with the skills of you and I, we will have full advantage once they are out in the open." Full expectations and high hopes of success were things that the Kali now placed upon the greyed woman's shoulders. "Be careful."

And they were moving again, Simatra leading on with a sweep of her feathered tail as the team loped parallel with the meadow, their pelts a myriad of earthy tones as they flitted beneath the great boughs, until they reached a twisted yew. Through the branches, the tattered hide pelt of the stag could be seen, and presumably his hareem of two would not be far off. The limping figure of the injured sidled into view as the pair came to a stop and the golden huntress stole a glance at her company, her gaze knowing. Here, if Israel would agree, they would prepare the final stages of their attack.

crappy post... Sorry :/

Israel listened to Simatra"s proposed plans with an open mind and intent ears. She replayed them in her mind to ensure she understood. They would part the injured doe from its fellows in the thicket,  and drive her to the open land of the meadow. Acknowledging this,  the grey beauty nodded, hugging her partner's side as they proceeded through the wood.

They soon came upon a gnarled yew, and there they paused to gather their wits; at least, that was what Israel did. With a knowing glance the blue and green eyes met, and with this last look the hunters agreed upon their plans. The agouti wolfess again flanked Simatra and they cautiously headed towards the stag and his small harem. When the distance had been effectively closed, Israel struck, her lips pulled back into a vicious snarl as she raced to the wounded animal. 

They gave chase, the grey and golden pair rounding upon their query and separating it from the group. The doe fled just in the direction the wolves had intended,  but its limp rendered its pace quite slow and the stag had long since caught onto the attack. The buck bore down upon them with its fatal antlers and for a moment, Israel glanced behind her, sweet blue eyes wide with terror.

Ambush was on their side. Surprise caught the herd off guard as the two of them struck, Simatra's lips peeled back in a snarl as she and her companion rounded on their heels with a volley of vicious snaps, bodies working in cohesive union as they drove the lame doe away from the protection of her band. She stole a glance at Israel, their aim clear as they bore down on the slowing beast. Yet the pair had underestimated the capability of the herds' remainder, and the golden Kali whipped around as a furious bellow sounded and the stag was upon them.

Seeing Israel's terrified innocence drove her to attack, and she abandoned all thought of the limping doe. Time seemed to slow as Simatra roughly shoved the grey beauty to the side, a savage roar erupted from her throat and her fangs sinking deep into the flesh of the buck's foreleg. It was, perhaps, a rather stupid move on behalf of the Kali, yet it diverted the beast's attention from barrelling straight into her partner and for that, through all the feral surges she felt, the former Dezba was unspeakable grateful.

The dark eyes of the stag seemed to blaze with primal fury at the predators' interruption. Its head bore down with horns sharp as bear fangs, and Israel fully expected to be taken down. But with a fierce snarl that was not her own, the stag turned its massive head and the grey wolfess was given the opportunity to escape. When  Simatra's powerful blow sent her malnourished body sideways, escape was forced upon her without a second thought.

The situation remained dire, for now the buck had turned its attention upon her gold-furred ccompanion, and were that not enough, both hunters attention had been diverted away from their prey.  Unaware of the doe's location -- which in reality was mere yards away -- Israel snarled and sought to save her friend, leaping toward the stag's flank and tearing into the delicious flesh, ripping furiously and with abandon. The male deer's pained cry told her it had been sufficiently distracted. Now the pair of canines might return their attention to finding and executing the doe once more.

Israel's wild eyes searched the meadow until they landed upon the wounded doe, which limped pitifully away. Once more she gave chase, holding onto the hope that,  if they worked quickly to bring death upon the doe, the wolves would yet eat.

With Israel at her side, the stag bucked and bellowed but made no gain. Simatra herself was lost in the moment, retreating back to her spars and letting instinct and months of training control her every move. It's just like fighting a wolf. The thought was a surprising throwback to Awenasa, a life she hadn't thought much of since her farewells. A grazing kick from the beast gathered her conscience, and her wild roars met with the bellows of the buck as he turned and fled haphazardly back to the remaining doe's.

Panting hard, the gold furred Kali flexed her shoulder. A dull pain throbbed, yet it seemed the kick had inflicted more damage to the outermost skin, where an angry scrape could be seen, than the internal muscles. She swiped her tongue across it, pausing for a few moments before joining Israel at a steady lope. They could've just as easily taken down the stag, yet why spend energy on a fit creature when there was a lame one ready and waiting. The doe staggered, and Simatra leapt.