Fin was after that little bastard of a fox again. For some reason, it seemed the little bitch had decided that the sterling mockingbird would be her newest little plaything. The eta had woken that morning to find two beady yellow eyes laughing wickedly into hers. Before she had even come up with the wherewithal to snap at the critter that had invaded her home, said critter was out into the wild in a flash of russet. It had taken a few moments, but after the initial shock had evaporated, Fin was up and out the door in its wake.
She had chased it quite far--probably farther than she should have been proud of. But unfortunately, once the spitfire Blackthorn set her mind to something, it was almost physically impossible for her to change it. Her mind had decided that the little fox would make the greatest addition to the Northeast cache that the Plateau pack could ever have dreamed of, and so she was not about to rest until it was dead and buried with the other bastards Fin and her packmates had destroyed.
As Finley crashed over the the small ridge, completely missing her target and barreling head over heels into a wide thicket, part of her was actually considering that she maybe should give up this game. Maybe it was time to admit defeat and to admit that she had been bested by a tiny, insignificant little fox. But then it popped up in front of her, absolutely beaming at her with delight. She stared at it, somehow even more infuriated by its existence when seeing it upside down. The critter dashed off again, leaving Fin lying in a precarious position, flat upon her back with thistles pricking at her spine as though mocking her continuous failure.
(This looks fun :D)
A lone gray wolf navigated the mountain path with ease, glancing up every now and then to marvel at the soaring peaks far above him. The mountain was calling to him, and Koda knew that if he answered there would be an adventure in store for him today.
As he walked, he came upon a small ridge interrupting the path. He cleared the ledge with a graceful jump, landing softly on the other side. Pausing to admire his surroundings, Koda realized he could hear paws approaching him fast.
Koda almost tripped over his own paws as a red blur darted through his legs. "What the Hell!" He blinked hard and shook his head as the fox slipped into the bushes. "What was his problem?" The wolf wondered aloud.
Before he had a chance to fully recover from the shock, another much larger creature came barreling toward him. Koda stepped back just in time to avoid being struck by a female wolf as she crashed over the ridge, landing flat on her back.
He noticed the fox emerge from the bushes, as if taunting his pursuer, before slipping away yet again. But he did not give chase, instead turning his attention to the wolf sprawled out on her back in front of him.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked her. His concern for the stranger was genuine, but he had to bite his tongue to hold back his laughter. The whole situation was pretty funny, when you stopped to think about it.
Lol glad you joined!
As Finley laid on her back, she couldn't help but wonder what she had done wrong in her life to be in that position. Sure she had made her fair share of mistakes, and she wasn't always the best at putting others before herself. But was she really bad enough that the gods sent a demon to harass her? It seemed to the silver mockingbird that they had gone a little too far. I mean sure, she harassed plenty of other creatures, but she never consistently pestered the same one. Except that wolverine... But. They were friends! Didn't they know that?
Oh. A wolf was watching her.
Ashen ears twitched as a voice sounded near her, and she shifted her head to look upon a face full of concern. Fin blinked stupidly at him for a moment before giving a sigh. "Oh yeah, I'm good," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Just watching the clouds, trying to pick out shapes." She turned her gaze skyward. Curiously, they all looked to be in the shape of a headless fox. Curious indeed.
Koda chuckled a bit at her reply. "Well, your sense of humor is intact anyway," he remarked, feeling a bit relieved that she wasn't injured. Being a newcomer to these lands, he would have had no idea who to turn to for help if she had hurt herself.
He noted the scents of other wolves mingled in with his new friend's scent, a sure sign that she was part of a pack and not a lone wolf like himself. There were no packs in this area that he was aware of. She must have been Hell-bent on catching that fox if she had chased it all the way to the middle of nowhere.
"So what did that poor little fox do to make you want him dead?" He questioned, genuinely curious about the she-wolf's motives.
Fin couldn't help but give a grudging smile herself as he responded to her. With a grunt, she rolled onto her belly and pushed herself up onto all four legs so that she could hop forward and out of the thistle bush. Once on level ground with the male, she plopped down onto her haunches and began to scratch at her back. She could only assume that she looked a complete mess, but that was all too common for a girl who spent her days chasing critters and cliff diving, amongst other similar activities.
"You know, I don't even remember anymore," Fin admitted with a thoughtful furrow of her brows. "I think I was hunting it and it was being a real dick about escaping. I mean, I know I'm not going to be successful at every hunt, but the asshole doesn't have to rub it in." Her eyes trailed over to the thicket, peering for any sign of its smug little face. It usually stuck around to give her a snotty grin or to flash its bum at her before it danced away. It didn't seem to be there now, though, which was both a relief and irritating as all hell.
Koda watched as the girl freed herself from the thistles and came to sit near him. As she scratched herself, a shower of dirt and leaves came loose from her silver pelt. "Here, let me help you," he said with a laugh, gently using his teeth to remove a stubborn twig from her ruff. He took a step back, as if admiring his work. "There, much better," he said with a nod.
He barked a laugh as she explained her situation with the fox. "I know what you mean," he said, suddenly remembering the fresh scars on his muzzle. The story behind that cluster of scars was shameful, indeed, as any wolf with a lick of common sense would know better than to try and take a bite out of a porcupine. But he'd been hungry enough to try, and he got a mouth full of quills as a result. While he fully understood that it was his fault, he could understand feeling annoyed when a hunt just wouldn't go your way.
"My name's Koda, by the way," he said, suddenly realizing he hadn't even introduced himself yet. It had been a long time since he was in the company of another wolf, and his socialization skills were a bit rusty. "May I know yours?"
Finley leaned forward as he reached behind her head to assist her in the de-thistlifying of her fur. It tickled somewhat as he pulled the twig out, but she resisted the urge to shake it off until he was safely away. "Thanks," she muttered, still somewhat irritated about the whole debacle, although it was passing slowly.
As he backed away, Fin finally turned her attention to study the man. He was a young wolf, close to her in age it appeared. Handsome, muscley, everything she enjoyed in a male. But then there was the matter of his face... The Blackthorn was a shallow creature and while she found the occasional scar to be highly sexy, the mottled pattern of torn fur upon his face was not so much. That of course didn't mean she wouldn't be friendly and wouldn't try to show off a little for him, but it did mean she wasn't about to be going back to his place for some afternoon delight.
"Finley Blackthorn," she replied with a smirk, "Of the Blacktail Deer Plateau Blackthorns." Of course, her family was not a prominent one at the Plateau, but the lack of familiar scent upon this male made her fairly convinced that he would never know it.
Koda felt a slight bit of embarassment creep up on him as his female company took notice of the fresh scars on his face. Although he didn't place a huge value on looks, he'd always thought of himself as a handsome wolf and he couldn't help but feel these pesky scars were cramping his style a bit. "Ah well," he thought to himself, "they should heal up soon. I just hope I don't have to tell her how I got them."
"Well, Finley, if you're feeling up to it we could look for something a little bigger to hunt," he suggested. It had been a couple days since his last meal, and Koda was beginning to feel hunger gnawing at his insides. After weeks of surviving on whatever small game he could catch on his own, it would be nice to have real food again. Plus, if he couldn't impress this girl with his looks, maybe he could impress her with his hunting skills.
Fin could tell that the man was getting a bit uncomfortable and she could only assume it was because she was gawking at his scars like a jack ass. She turned her gaze away from him as though looking for the bitch of a fox again, but it was likely too late. The damage was done.
Koda moved on as though nothing had happened however, and for that Finley was grateful. She hated awkward moments, even though she caused far too many of them. The prospect of hunting piqued her interest. The Plateau pack had had far too many failed hunts as of late. She wasn't about to decline the chance to feed on some real game. Especially when there was even the small possibility that she might be able to bring something back for her back.
"I'm game," she replied with a smile, "You seen anything around here lately?"
Koda thought for a moment, "I actually noticed a few fresh deer tracks back a ways, before I bumped in to you," he replied. The male was a very competent hunter, but he couldn't yet take down a deer all on his own. But with Finley's help, a deer hunt would be much easier. "I bet if we pick up the trail, it won't take us too long to track him down."
The gray wolf started to make his way back down the path. "It was back this way," he said with a backward glance at Finley.
Luckily, Koda did have some suggestions on where to search for prey. Fin was otherwise useless on the matter. She had never been this far up Silvertip before having only explored the very outskirts at the base of the mountain. From what she understood, a pack had lived here once. Now they had moved South for.. whatever reason. Chuckles the Wolverine had not been very pleased about that. It seemed they expanded into some of his favorite hunting grounds. At least, that was what she had discerned from his grumbles. He was such a grumpy little dude.
"I'll follow you," Fin responded when he glanced at her. The thought of following a lone wolf she had never before met didn't bother her. It did make her curious about him though. "Have you only just arrived in the area? I don't smell a pack on you."
"Yeah, I've been in the area for a couple days now," he replied. "I've been without a pack since the beginning of summer." Koda thought back to the last time he'd been with his natal pack, when he'd said his goodbyes to his parents and siblings. His father had been a bachelor at around his age, and he'd told Koda many stories of the perils he'd faced as a lone wolf. But he made it in the end, finding a wonderful mate in Koda's mother and becoming the Alpha male of the Spirit River pack. Koda hoped to be able to share tales of overcoming adversity with his own pups one day, but so far his journey had been fairly uneventful, save for his encounter with the porcupine.
"Don't worry, they didn't kick me out or anything like that," he continued, "I just wanted to see the world and meet cool new wolves, like you." He glanced back at the silver coated she wolf and flashed her a cheesy grin.
"I had to come check out the mountains first. There are no mountains where I'm from, just big hills." He ducked under an overhanging branch on the trail and then grabbed it in his mouth, pulling it aside so that Finley could pass easily.
"So how about you? Were you born here?" He questioned, interested in learning more about his company.
Fin listened without interrupting as the wolf told her about his history, giving a small chuckle as he assured her that he hadn't been kicked out of his previous pack. It wasn't very much unlike her own. She too had left simply because she wanted to seek her own adventures. He had been alone for a lot less time than she had, though. Fin had been a lone wolf for many months, stopping only with pack wolves to regain her strength before she left them again. Her time in the Plateau had been the longest she'd stayed anywhere since her birth pack.
Koda was the friendly sort, and also the very polite sort. She gave him a quiet "thank you" as she slipped past the branch he held for her. She was a little uncertain of how to take it--no man had ever been this gentlemanly before. She rather liked it. Nothing too wrong with being treated like the princess she was, after all.
"No, I was born elsewhere. They kicked my ass out," Fin replied with a teasing smirk, "No, I'm kidding. Like you, I decided to leave. I spent a good time alone and some time with different packs, just meeting others and exploring. I settled here with a pack at Blacktail Deer Plateau a couple of months ago."
She paused then, casting a curious glance to the male. "Are you looking to join a pack again? I could put a good word in for you at the Plateau. I mean, you'll have to prove yourself first, of course." She gave Koda another grin. What fun would it be to do someone that sort of favor without a little hazing?
(I did a little reading on deer tracks before posting this, yay learning)
Koda chuckled at Finley's sarcasm. "Well, you are a bit of a klutz, so I guess it's not too hard to believe they'd kick you out," he teased, referring to the she-wolf's previous antics that day. All joking aside, Koda was glad Finley'd almost crashed into him that day. Koda was a little surprised at how much he was enjoying the pretty silver she-wolf. He hadn't spent much time around females, other than his mother and his stuck-up sister. Though he loved his family very much, Finley had more personality than both of them put together.
Koda's ears perked up when Finley asked him if he intended to join a pack. He was flattered by her offer to put in a good word for him with her own pack. He must have made a pretty good first impression with her. Not bad, for a guy who wasn't so good at talking to girls. "That's a very kind offer," he replied with genuine gratitude, "but I'm not sure I'm ready to settle down just yet." He didn't want to be on his own forever, and he realized that with winter approaching it would only get harder to survive on his own. But he was determined to stick to his goals. "I'd actually really like to start a pack of my own, but if that doesn't work out, I might just look you guys up."
At last, Koda spotted the tracks he'd been looking for. "Here we are," he said, moving in to get a closer look. They'd been quite a bit farther down the trail than he'd realized. The tracks led off the beaten path, through the bushes and into the trees. Koda guessed they would find their quarry bedded down in the shelter of the woods. The hunter studied the tracks, barely visible on the dry rocky terrain, and started to put his experience tracking game with his father to work.
"She's an older doe, judging by the size and shape of these tracks," he kept his voice low so as not to spook the prey in case it was still nearby. "See how the toes are worn down and rounded? A young deer leaves much pointier tracks." The age of the doe could mean that it would be easier to kill than a younger, stronger deer. But it also meant that their prey had more experience eluding predators. He and Finley needed to have the element of surprise on their side if they were to be successful.
Koda put his nose to the ground and searched for a scent trail. It was faint, but it was still there and he followed it into the woods. They had a bit of searching to do, but they were closing in on their prey.
(lol now I learned too! Knowledge is power!)
Koda politely declined her offer, doing so in a manner far more gracious than Finley ever could have mustered. She considered calling him a dick--jokingly of course--but he was just so well-mannered that it felt just plain wrong. "Suit yourself," she said in the end, "But if you decide you'd like somewhere to rest your paws while you gather up your followers, just come on by."
It wasn't long before the male stopped them and pointed out the tracks left behind by the deer he had scented before. He spoke of the footprints, proving himself to be far more knowledge and attentive than Fin had ever been when hunting. She made a mental note to remember this little pointer and to bust it out one day in front of Peregrine and really blow his mind. But for now, she nodded along as he spoke as though she had known all about this tidbit all along.
Fin followed as he led her into the woods, her own nose to the ground to explore for any hints from the wilderness as to where their prey had gone. She walked a few yards forward before she stopped and lifted her head, ears swiveling to take in a faint sound that she suspected might be their lunch. "Hey, you hear that?" she whispered to her companion, her eyes trained to the West as she pinpointed the noise to that direction. "That sound deer-like to you?"
(Sorry for the long delay, it was total chaos last week. I like Finley's new avatar, btw)
Koda followed Finley's gaze, studying the surroundings for any sign of their prey. The hunter's keen eyes caught a flicker of movement from within the thick undergrowth. The vegetation concealed most of the deer's body but Koda was able to make out a pair of large ears, twitching and swiveling nervously as the owner listened to the nearby predators.
"She's in there, all right," he said in a hushed voice, "and she's on to us." So much for the element of surprise. They were at a bit of a disadvantage now, in terms of speed deer left wolves in the dust. But the pack hunters made up for what they lacked with their hunting tactics.
"I'm gonna try and sneak around behind her and flush her out," he said, "I'll try to chase her towards you, so be ready." Not the greatest plan, but their options were limited.
But the deer had other plans. It sprang to it's feet and dashed off into the woods. The gray wolf didn't hesitate, he took off after the deer at top speed.
Koda tore through the undergrowth, ignoring the sticks and thorns poking through his fur, his yellow eyes never straying from his target. He had reacted quickly, but deer had a pretty good head start on him, and the wolf started to fall behind. A sudden burst of adrenaline gave Koda enough speed to overtake his prey.
"Oh no you don't!" Koda snarled as he seized the fleeing deer's hock in his jaws, biting down so hard he could feel her old bones cracking under the pressure. He was dragged along behind the bucking doe for a moment, his paws leaving shallow furrows in the soft dirt. He dug his nails in and held on with all his might, preventing the prey from escaping so Finley could catch up and deliver the final blow.
No problem! And thanks :D
Fin gave a frown as he pointed out that their prey was aware of them. Their chances of winning this game had now plummeted, but neither wolves were ready to give up quite yet. She listened as Koda devised a plan, but the doubt she felt at it working quickly proved to not be without base as the doe bolted for safety not long after the wolf had finished his sentence.
Koda took off immediately after it, Finley tearing right along at his heels. The beast was fast, but the Blackthorn was a pretty fair match after her hunting partner successfully latched onto its hindquarters. Fin ducked away from the doe's kicking legs and charged up along its side to leap at its throat. Her jaws missed the target as the doe gave an unexpected lurch to the side, causing the wolf to snag the meaty part between its neck and shoulder blade--a good hit, but not one to win the battle completely.
Fin's hold lasted none too long as the doe gave a wild flail to shove its shoulder into her side, effectively loosening her grip enough that its other movements thrust her away from it completely. She landed on the ground with a frustrated snarl, nearly losing her balance, but missing only a beat because of it before she was running again, looking for an opening. Blood spilled from the gash Fin had left at the doe's neck, no doubt weakening the creature even more. Another run at it's throat was out of the question as exhaustion began to bite at Fin's nerves, leaving her with only one option but to throw herself haphazardly into the doe's side in an attempt to knock it off balance and allow Koda to use his weight to fully drag it down.
Koda released the deer's leg to dodge a kick coming straight at his head. He felt the wind rush between his ears as the hoof pierced the empty air where his head had been a split second before. It had been a very narrow miss.
Blood squirted from the sizable wound Finley's fangs had torn into the prey's neck. The silver she-wolf tackled the deer, almost knocking it right off it's feet. Exhausted and bleeding, the old doe was quickly losing stamina. One more big hit would probably end the chase.
With one final burst of energy, Koda lunged for the deer's throat, using his weight to bring the prey crashing to the ground. He closed his jaws tightly over the windpipe, crushing it so that the deer could no longer draw breath. It struggled feebly against the wolf's strength, but soon became still and silent. Koda let the limp neck slip from his jaws and fall to the forest floor. The hunt was over.
The gray wolf sat down, taking a moment to catch his breath. "Nice tackle," Koda remarked, once his heart had stopped pounding from the exertion of the chase. He had never seen a girl act with such aggression before, and he was surprised and impressed. Koda rose and padded a few feet from the carcass only to sit back down for another rest. Ever the gentleman, he would let Finley eat first.
With the combined weight of two wolves upon the doe, the game came to an end. Fin felt her body collide with the doe's shoulder, a painful spasm shooting through her own that she ignored in the fires of her adrenaline. In almost the same instant, Koda was at its throat, stealing what remained of its life as all three of them came crashing to the ground. Fin hopped away from the dying beast as it took its last breath, limping slightly, but too busy watching with pleasure as it died within the other wolf's jaws.
Fin gave herself a good shake as Koda stepped back. She gave the man a happy, pleased grin at his remark. "You weren't so bad yourself," she replied, her gaze moving back to the dead animal. Had anything ever looked so delicious? She didn't even notice that Koda had stepped back to allow her to eat first, simply strode forward and began to tear into the beast at the wound on its neck, eager to dig into its ribs to get at that juicy heart.
After a moment, Fin noticed that Koda had not yet begun to partake. She gave him an inviting growl, assuring him that it was alright to join the feast. The doe was plenty large enough for the both of them to devour together, just as long as he didn't try to take the best bits for himself.
Koda noticed that Finley seemed to be favoring one of her front legs as she approached the fallen deer. As the girl dug into the meat, the concerned male rose and padded to her side, examining her for signs of injury. Koda would feel absolutely terrible if she had hurt herself because he wanted to go hunting.
"You're hurt," he said, his brow knitted in concern. He knew Finley was a tough, resilient girl, but he wanted to make sure she'd be okay before he would eat.
Fin didn't even realize she was injured until the tawny wolf pointed it out to her. She pulled her muzzle from the deer's chest and turned it, covered in blood and gore, towards Koda. Her ears swiveled forward as her head tilted in brief confusion, twisting again when she put pressure on her left front paw and felt the sting of pain. She gasped lightly and grimaced--a look that quickly became a little grin as she turned her eyes back to Koda.
"Huh... Guess you're right," Fin replied with a little chuckle, "That's what happens when you start flinging yourself at stuff like an avalanche." Still not too concerned, and failing to notice that Koda still was, she dug her muzzle into the doe again for another bite.
Koda decided he could relax for now. Finley wasn't about to keel over and die right in front of him. He just shook his head at the girl. "What a klutz," he teased. 'And a messy eater, too.' He said to himself, referring to Finley's blood-smeared face. "Just let me know if you need help getting home," he said, becoming serious again for a moment.
The hungry wolf circled around to the deer's hindquarters. He sank his teeth into the still-warm flesh of the abdomen, tearing it open so that he could access the internal organs. There was one piece in particular that Koda was after. He pushed his head into the opening he had created and fished out the deer's liver. The tastiest most nutritious organ of the body, usually reserved only for alpha wolves. It had been a long time since he'd been able to enjoy one.
Koda stretched out with the liver between his paws, ripping off a big chunk for himself. He wanted to savor his prize, but he was aware of the scavengers beginning to gather around the carcass. A few noisy magpies at first, but soon foxes, coyotes or even bears would start inviting themselves to the wolves' feast.
"You should try some of this," Koda said, offering a piece of the dark meat to Finley.
Finley gave her new friend a smirk as he teased her, it only continuing when he offered her assistance getting home. He may have meant it earnestly, but to the force of nature that was the Blackthorn, the thought of needing someone to help her home because of a little shoulder ache was laughable.
She dug her nose deeper into doe's chest until she felt the chords that held up the beast's heart with her nose. Eagerly, the female pushed deeper, cutting those chords with her teeth until the organ was free for her to tear out. She had to actually shuffle backwards in order to free her face of the inside of the doe completely, so when she looked back as he spoke with the heart still clenched in her teeth, the blood was now up to her eyebrows.
Her gaze drifted down to the bit of liver he offered her and the corners of Fin's lips turned up in a grin. She tossed the heart lightly over to land with a thump within Koda's reach. "Trade ya--a bite for a bite," she said as she grabbed at the liver to sample a morsel.
Warm blood oozed into his mouth as Koda bit a chunk out of the heart. "Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully, slowly chewing on a mouthful of heart, savoring the texture and flavor before swallowing. "Not bad," he said at last, though he still preferred his liver over everything else. He pushed Finley's prize away with his nose, sending it rolling across the ground only to stop when it bumped into her paw.
Koda finished off his liver, then went back for seconds. After he had eaten his fill, he stepped away from the carcass and stretched his body out on the ground to digest his meal. "I haven't eaten like that in a long time," he said through a yawn, his eyelids starting to feel heavy with fatigue. Now that his belly was full, the next thing on his mind was a good long rest. "I feel fat and lazy now." he said with a chuckle.
The liver was warm and rich, just the way Finley liked it. But she, like Koda, preferred her own morsel of meat, so she tossed the remainder back and snatched up the heart. In terms of flavor, they weren't necessarily much different. Texture-wise, yes, but her draw to that particular organ was more just in the feel of triumph and power she felt at eating it. It was as though she was absorbing those features of the animal into herself, adding onto her own. To her it was a different kind of thrill than the physical ones she was known to often partake in, but she loved it nonetheless.
A chuckle escaped her as Koda stepped back from the kill to revel in his fullness. "Only feel? I guess I won't tell you what you look like then..." she teased with a wink. She dove in for one last bite before she too shuffled backwards away from the kill and began to roll around in the grass like a happy little puppy, just because she was exactly that--minus the puppy part. With a pleasant grin, she rolled onto all fours and stood, turning to her newest friend.
"Well, I probably ought to be heading back," Fin said with a slight shift of her cranium to gesture at the Plateau that loomed towards the horizon. "Are you going to be staying in the area? I'd love to bring some back to my pack, but if you want, I'll help you bury the rest real good so you have a stash when you need it." Fin knew what it was like to be a lone wolf. She personally got a kick out of never knowing when her next meal would be, or if she'd ever have one. But she was like, really, super weird, and this at least was one thing she was aware of that other wolves disagreed with her on.
"Plus, I'd hate for that bitch-ass fox to sink its teeth into any of this..." Her brows knit in displeasure at the thought of its stupid bitch-ass face. She was not about to contribute to that bastard's well being.