Broken Boulder chutes too narrow

His belly ached. His feet ached. His eyes ached. His ears ached. Hell, even his tail ached. Tweed was tired, hungry, and ready to collapse. But he didn't. The struggle for survival had yet to give up, and his physical body kept him moving, even his mental and emotional pieces were ready to give up. Soon, though, even that piece would fail, and he would finally be free of this torture some called life.

An old, rotten carcass caught his attention, and he lazily altered his path to move toward it. The thing was disgusting on multiple levels, but he snapped his teeth at the crows and began to dine on what was left of the carrion, eating so fast he was likely to vomit some of it back up. At which point he would eat it again and again until it finally went down.

S'okay If i jump in?

She was out of the territory, again. Hell, she could barely stay in the territory. She hated being pent up from exploring, it was natural for her to just go out to find absolutely nothing exciting. She didn't care much though, she loved the journey more than anything else. With an steady walk pace, the large female had a soft smile on her face and shiny glassy eyes. 

Stopping in her tracks, she lifted her muzzle up to the air and let her eyes wander around the land. It was quite a beautiful sight, the light snow dusting made it even better! Krypton had wished she could just wander about and not have to worry about anything, never worry about food shortages or wars between packs. She laughed at herself harshly, that wasn't real life that was fantasy.

Shaking her head, the burly female decided to let out a loud howl. It wasn't filled with confidence like most, but it had somewhat a melody to it and it sounded inviting. She wasn't in the mood for a brawl, instead she wished to find a new wolf to exchange words with. It wasn't every day she would do such a thing, but sometimes seeing a new face was a nice change. She hoped the howl would fall upon kind ears as she walked over to a flat rock and laid down. With her head resting on her paws, she waited for the return howl as snowflakes kissed her dirt-colored fur.

It only took eating it twice before Tweed managed to keep it down. His stomach rumbled, threatening to vomit again, but he swallowed hard and it obeyed. The crows continued picking at what little he had left behind, and Tweed took one of the ribs in his mouth. The bone was frozen, of course, but it was better than being a squishy, rotting mess like the rest of the flesh had been.

A howl echoed through the air, then, and Tweed looked around him suspiciously. It couldn't have been too far off, and he worried that he had just eaten something that another wolf had expected to come back to. Nevertheless, he couldn't afford to leave the bone behind. He needed rest, too. Pausing his frantic chewing, he stood, hefted the rib bone into his jaws, and began to trot off, away from where he thought the howl had come from, and definitely away from the corpse that had been his snack.

Waiting and waiting and waiting. The burly female let out a sad whine on how her howl wasn't returned. However, it somewhat relieved some fear about having to deal with a aggressive wolf. It was a win and lose situation for her, she was hoping to maybe recruit a new wolf or maybe strengthen ties between two packs. She respected the decision though and didn't give it a second thought.

However, anew idea pushed itself into her brain like a parasite, and a scent wafted into her nose. Blood and meat. Her eyes widening, the large female sat up from her position and stuck her muzzle into the air again, taking longs whiffs of the air. The scent wasn't very strong, but it was compelling enough for her to want to search for it. She hadn't eaten for a while since she left to explore. Her stomach growled at her, barking orders to follow the scent. 

The tawny female obliged her stomach's orders and stood up, walking off of the flat rock and onto the snowy path. With her large paws leaving behind a trail with long strides, she set off to find the meal that was waiting for her. And if by any extreme chances she met the wolf who did not answer, a bluff could easily be pulled with her large body. Hackles raised, tail up, head raised, legs prancing - it seemed to almost be a plan for her. She smiled and picked up her trot, her stomach already making more protests.

Did a lil' dice roll for this one. :)

His echolocation of her howl had failed him, and the much stronger, much more imposing figure soon made her way into his vision, coming straight for him. "Shit," he thought, a low, inaudible growl vibrating the bone that he still held in his jaws. He desperately needed the rib, but Tweed also instinctively knew that he could not win a fight against a much healthier wolf. The loner struggled with the decision only for a few seconds before coming to the only natural solution: drop the rib and flee as quickly as possible.

As soon as the bone left his mouth, the adrenaline took effect, a slight buzz taking over his system as he made a U-turn and began to book it away from the female. He knew continuing this way would bring him back to the carcass, though, so he zigged to the right a bit to avoid it. He had gotten everything he could from it, and now he only had to hope that she wouldn't continue to follow him and hunt him down.

The burly female kept her pace normal as she continued to trot own the path. She felt herself drool a little at the thought of meat that she wouldn't have to kill. However, she also wondered how much would be left for her. If the scent was weak, then most likely not a lot of meat will be left for her to scavenge on. If anything, the skeleton would be picked clean. She shook her head and continued to move, not wanting to think about the negative sides.

She finally started to smell the carcass stronger, but her eyes caught something else. It was a male, one that was smaller than here (however almost everything is smaller compared to herself). He looked frail and exhausted, almost as if he was about to collapse as it was. She saw how the male held a bone in his mouth, most likely one filled with meat that would last him a while.

He turned off and ran, dropping the rib in his mouth. She tilted her head in the slightest and watched him flee. She probably looked like the hunter of the carcass and scared him off! Krypton snarled at herself and her large body. "Curse me and my damn body." She thought gruffly, before jogging over to the bone and picking it up. It tasted find, but she stopped herself from eating it. It wouldn't be right for her to eat something that she didn't take. Scavenging to her was another ball game, but stealing wasn't something she was fond of. Taking her chances, the female started to give chase in hoping to return the rib to the male who needed it more.

"H-Hey wait! You forgot this!" She yelled to him, tightening her grip around the bone and galloping after him. Although he would have speed on her, she would be able to run for miles after him if need be. She wasn't built for speed, but stamina was a great strength she had. She started to follow him, seeing how the carcass where he most likely got the rib from was there. She looked around in directions on where he would've gone. She relied on her nose (although it wasn't as strong) and started to search for the wolf's scent. 

All the dice rolls!

He heard her voice, but he was so hell-bent on getting away, that Tweed didn't bother to listen to what she was saying. He could only assume that she was going to pummel him to death if she managed to catch up to him. A stumble over a snow-covered root allowed her to do so in no time, and just as Tweed was picking himself up to make another break for it, she was practically on top of him.

The boy cowered, trembling and awaiting his inevitable death. This was it. She would be the one to cast out that last glimmer of hope he had been holding onto. He would be dead in a matter of seconds at her jaws. Any fight left in him was quickly smothered out by the realization that he could not win even if he tried. Tweed fell to his side on the snow, awaiting her killing strike to take him out of this world.

Finally gaining enough of the scent, she headed to the right of the carcass, keeping the bone tightly clutched in her jaws. She kept her pace fast, even though it was not as quick as the male up ahead. She tried to use a burst of speed, but it wasn't there. She feared she would lose him and not be able to return the rib. Her eyes then connected onto his running form ahead, and she saw how he tripped and tumbled onto his side.

She saw how the male didn't even dare to get up, almost as if he was just waiting for her to come and kill him. She continued to gallop, finally breaking to a stop to see his body cowering in front of her. Her breaths were heavy and chopped up, her paws aching a little. "D-Damn you run fast." She breathed out, the rib still tightly clutched in her mouth. Walking over to him, her hackles and tail lowered, she set the rib by his belly and backed off. She sat down on her haunches after, looking at the male with her curious eyes.

"You forgot this, I thought you would want it back." She said softly, offering him a smile. Hopefully she would destroy his fear about her.

Tweed's chest heaved up and down against the cold snowy ground. He was at peace with his life in that moment, ready to give himself as sustenance so that this other wolf could live. Instead, she spoke more words, which he (again) did not hear. When he felt something on his stomach, Tweed flinched, assuming that it was her teeth grating against his tender flesh. But no pain came, and he opened one eye to find her sitting a few feet away.

He wanted to explain that he had not forgotten it. He wanted to explain that she was supposed to be his salvation. He wanted to explain that he had left it for her so she would, at the very least, give him a swift death. But his throat was dry, his voice unused for so long, and he was not even sure he could form the words if he tried. So instead, he pushed himself onto his elbows and pulled the rib close, never taking his gaze off the female. Surely it was only a matter of time before she changed her mind.

Sitting down and panting slightly, Krypton kept her eyes relaxed and on the male. Normally she would have just left already, but the male looked as if he needed medical attention considering how frail he looked. She thought about going back to the carcass and bringing more, or maybe finding a small, fresh kill. She would wait though, hoping the male would not scamper off.

He propped himself up, and kept his eyes on Krypton as she did to him. Instead of making a move to go find something (in fear of scaring off the male), she laid down as well and put her head on her paws. Hoping to lower her own body, it would give the illusion that she held no blood lust or anger, not to mention hopefully it would reduce the size of her body and fur mass. It made the tawny wolf feel saddened that the male would just accept his fate if she were going to kill him after he fell. It was like he was just willing to let it happen, almost as if he wanted it.

She shook her head at the thought, now wasn't the time to go and think about that. "Do you need more? I can go find more." She offered to him softly, hoping he would accept and let her help him. Then again, he could say yes and he would just run off. It was a risk, but if he said yes, then she would go; even if he did run away from her.

Tweed shook his head when she offered to go find more food. She was a stranger to him, and he was a stranger to her. He had been taught long ago that one should not accept gifts from strangers, especially without something to give in return. Doing so was a recipe for being in debt, and Tweed had no inclination to be in that position. He had little, if anything, to offer in his current state, and he did not know if he would ever get back to his former self.

"I'll be fine," he assured her, even though he knew that wasn't true. How could he be fine? He was alone and unwell in the middle of winter. In any case, he didn't want her to go getting things for him. Tweed assumed that she would not make any further moves, so he picked up the rib and began to back away, hoping to make an exit from the situation.

The woman saw the male decline her offer to find more for him. She couldn't push him to let her, that wasn't her job or place to do so. He looked as if he needed rest and more, but she couldn't force him into anything. She simply accepted his answer with a nod of her head. The man started to move away, he still held the rib she returned to him.

She decided if he wanted to leave he could. She crossed her two front paws over one another and gave him a confused look. "I'm not one to push this, but you look like you need more, are you sure?" She asked, her head tilted a bit. She was never one to do such actions, but this was different. If he wanted to leave he could, she wouldn't run after something as simple as another wolf. If he declined help she would leave.

Last one from me!

Tweed did not know why she kept pressing the issue, but he did not stick around long enough to find out. He shook his head a final time, glanced back once to make sure she wasn't following, and then trotted away from her.