Anyone!
@Onyx , maybe? pack mates preferred, but i'll take anyone B) Also, warning for some foul language.
Under the cover of night and the intermittent light of the moon, Aesop crept along the grasslands beyond the dark of the forest. The days had been warm and never dipped below freezing. There was no snow, and so he lost the advantage of camouflage. Still, he crouched low, the brown grass brushing against his stomach as he crept along in near silence. There was a rabbit not too far away. A rabbit with his name on it. And so he crept closer, closer, until its ears perked up and it caught sight of him.
The chase was on.
For about thirty seconds later when, in a fit of pure grace, Aesop tripped over his own two feet (though there was a branch there, he'll swear until the end of his days) and fell face first to the ground.
"Fuck me! Come back, asshole," he called, resigned though he was to his failure.
hello!!! i'm v sleepy i hope that this makes sense,,,
Aesop groaned, deciding he was done. He was going to lay there and just take a break, disregard his failure and become with the earth until it swallowed him whole. Drama queen.
His plans were interrupted by a small voice, feminine and tentative. Immediately, Aesop laid his paws over his muzzle, covering his eyes. "God, how much of that did you see?" he groaned, shaking his head, "I'm alright, just fuckin'... pretend you didn't see that. I'll buy your silence, if you like." It was just... so uncool. That had not been a high point of his, and certainly didn't fit in with his (high) image of himself.
Well, he could only go up from there, he supposed. So he stood up and shook the dirt from his coat, turning to face the stranger. She was lanky, young and awkward. Her eyes pierced the darkness, a bright point on her dark fur. She smelled of the Bay, of brine and earth. A pack mate.
Aesop shrugged, still trying to shake a few stubborn pieces of dried plants off of him. It only took him a few moments to give up, deciding he didn't care much after all. She seemed nice enough, patting his back and attempting to comfort him. Nothing can heal a wounded ego. "Yeah, but, no. Y'see, I'm like-" Aesop sighed through his nose, "y'don't get it, it's cool. I'm fine, a bit embarrassed is all, if I'm bein' honest." Aesop decided to be less interested in his blunder and a bit more interested in the girl herself. "But really, I'm alright. Ain't nothin'. You're a Bay wolf, too, am I right?" He was pleased to meet a packmate who wasn't going to prove herself insufferable shortly after they met (a la Atreyu and Charon.)
Aesop was touched, at least, by how out of her way she was going to comfort him. Admirable, he decided, though he still found it difficult to like someone who seemed so... soft-spoken. Perhaps she was just shy, but she came across as a pushover to him, a decidedly not admirable quality. "We all got our weaknesses, I just don't normally like mine to be so... blatant." He shrugged, surprised to learn that this (apparent) pushover was so highly ranked. With a half bow, he replied, "pleasure, Onyx. I'm Aesop, Kappa. New in these parts, if it wasn't plain. Perhaps you'd like to try n'grab ourselves a meal together?" Two heads are, of course, always better than one, and maybe two wolves would have better luck than he'd had alone.
I'm so sorry!!! I had no muse! I will definitely be more active.
Onyx gave up on comforting the man who was obviously disappointed in his miss. There was no helping a wolf who didn't want to be helped. When he suggested hunting, her tail wagged. Yes! What do you want to hunt for- or just anything that we catch the scent of?
She asked. This was perfect! It would give Onyx a great chance to practice her Gamekeeper skills, since she was going to pursue it. She couldn't wait till the day she could tell Sir Jarl Ragnar Loðbrók that she was a gamekeeper!
No worries! <3
The other's reaction to the suggestion was strong, strong enough to suggest a certain passion that Aesop hadn't quite expected of her. If he was being honest (though not very fair,) she had not struck him as the type to enjoy such an active skill. Because there was hunting for survival and there was hunting as an occupation of sorts, and he had not pegged her as the type to be enamored with the latter.
"Let's go with the second one, just go where the wind takes us," he suggested, taking off at a lope towards greener pastures, with the good faith that she would follow.
what should they find? Do you wanna do a dice roll to see if they catch it or just write it out?
The tall teen obediently followed, immediately willing to fall behind Aesop's lead. Her blue eyes scanned the night while her shiny black nose examined every scent that crossed the air. Her shadowy ears were perked forward, twitching every so often if she heard something. Do you smell anything?
She whispered very quietly to him, her lips barely moving in case not to scare off any nearby prey. She didn't want to be a reason why they didn't catch anything if they really had that bad of luck.
We can roll! I still don't know quite how to do that, though, so would you mind? And maybe they can go after a mink? I'd say deer, but I feel like their chances are a bit better with smaller game.
Once they were a good deal away from where their original conversation had taken place, he slowed to a crawl, stalking among the bushes and grasses. They were silent, shadow and sand, weaving among the underbrush in search of their meal. He began to follow a faint trail, though steadily grew stronger and stronger. At her question, he nodded.
"Yeah, somethin' small. This way." And so he lead her along, slowing as the scent trail became unmistakable and they were near to their prey.
Bummer for them, lmao. Mink are very territorial! And, like skunks, spray gross smelling liquid in defense. Unlike skunks, though, they have terrible aim. It is weaker and persists for far shorter a time than skunk spray, though, so they should be good no matter what.
Aesop followed diligently, creeping slower and slower as they drew nearer. Now, he could hear the distinct crackle of underbrush, the susurrus of disturbed grass. He knew they were near, and crept ever closer until-
The mink was large, and clearly expecting them. Perhaps they had not been so quiet, or it had seen them coming from some hole they had not seen. It hissed at them, a warning, as it sat at the entrance of its den. The situation was tentative, as he knew of the foul liquid it would spray if it decided it
really didn't like them. He was not in the mood to smell for days, but decided to leave it up to Onyx.
"What's the plan here, girl? We goin' for it or-" in the end, the mink decided for them. It began to turn, and Aesop knew better than to stick around. He turned just as quickly, hoping to get out of range.
"Fuck it, run," he warned her, bolting a few feet away to safety.
Wrap up soon?
Aesop bolted with little regard for whether Onyx followed him or not. She could have fun stinking to high heaven all she wanted, he was going to stay nice and clean. Fortunately for her, she follows, and he laughs as he runs. After another minute or so, he slowed to an easy lope.
"It shouldn't follow us this far. Just wanted to get rid of us, prolly. Did a good job, eh?" he asked, grinning easily. He was disappointed with the loss of a meal, but pleased that they had escaped unscathed.
Following their unsuccessful hunt, the two parted ways. Aesop decided to return to the heartlands of the pack and the peace of his den, and rested until the moon wheeled high into the dark skies.