Sun Mote Copse tell me that story about the west again

@Slavik

Per usual, he waited until nightfall. Most of the hours of sunlight were spent sleeping by the ebony male. It was simply better that way -- because he thrived in the night.

The place he was exploring this dark evening was a bit different from the place he had met his last captivating company. He did hope she was fairing well and that, perhaps, she had managed to catch some sleep this night. If she hadn't? Well, Behemoth wouldn't complain about having her company again.

Once more the young male set out to find himself a meal. Hopefully something more appealing than a vole.

Night had fallen, Slavik didn't usually go out at night but for some reason he was restless. He tried for a while to get back to sleep, nuzzling closer to his travel buddy in an attempt to drift off into a soft rest. At last he realized that his stomach was the one saying resisting, it let out a mighty roar and Slavik could resist it no more. With a quiet growl he scooted away and stood up, stretching his legs quickly. He left @Speedy's side, careful not to wake her, and walked out into the darkness for a hunt.

Slavik was not accustomed to hunting at night, he hadn't done it in a while, so he wasn't sure where to begin. He relied on his nose to take him where he needed to be, because his golden eyes were useless in the faint moonlight that reflected off his pelt.

sorry for sucky butt post :'')

i'm so bad at hunting posts but maybe this can be a trade thread?

There was something particularly tasty on the wind. Although the scent of another mingled with the scent of grouse, Behemoth was not deterred. He would not allow some stranger to steal his meal.

Behemoth ignored whoever might be nearby and instead quickly followed after the bird's trail. He could only figure it was hiding in one of the open areas of the copse. His tail arched over his spine out of dominance and excitement. The ebony beast was particularly hungry, this grouse was exactly what he needed.

absolutely! I need some more for big boy :)

Slavik wandered in the tar of night, when finally he caught onto a scent. Grouse, a bird he was quite familiar with from his first year on the plains. His stomach cheered him on, another roar and rumbled at his core. As he followed the bird's scent he caught the scent of another wolf, not Speedy but an unknown male. He wasn't stalled in the slightest. He was a naïve man, and so in his eyes this other was no competitor, but a yet to be hunting acquaintance.

He came to find his company before he found the meal, he could see a black silhouette floating across the forest. It was an almost ghoulish sight, but Slavik knew this was only a wolf. He let out a friendly chuff to get the other's attention, hoping they could agree to work together to catch their quarry.

Behemoth tossed his head over his shoulder, pale yellow eyes staring down the brightly painted man. Sharing was out of the question for such a territorial beast as himself. Without a word or even a dirty look, Behemoth set out a bit quicker. Large paws seemed to thud against the the earth as he closed in on the bird. He knew he was likely startling it with all the nose but he enjoyed the fear of his prey that came with the hunt. He intended to treat this bird better than the vole though. If only because tossing such a plump bird around seemed like too much work.

He lunged but when he pulled back he had only managed to yank a few feathers off the tail of the grouse. Which had reasonably sent the creature running. With a displeased growl, Behemoth gave chase.

Slavik frowned when the response to his chuff was to run faster. If the other had been willing to talk it out, Slavik likely would've been fine giving him most of the catch. Well now, Slavik wanted all of it. Slavik resumed his own pace, his legs working harder than they normally would during a hunt. While he was a nice and usually easygoing character, he did not like to lose. He had a bit of an ego, and he would not lose his clout as a hunter to some stranger in the night. He was being naïve again in assuming that this was friendly competition, it might've been a mistake on his part, but he was adamant against quitting this one.

Somehow the boy got ahead of Behemoth, perhaps he was faster, perhaps he was lucky. He finally could see the outline of the feathered animal, and with a snarl he lunged forwards, bowling it over like a bowling pin. He snapped his teeth around the helpless animal's neck, and felt the blood trickle into his mouth. His stomach roared triumphantly, and he turned around to face where he was sure his competitor would appear from. He was a fool for waiting.

He was not pleased with the outcome of their little hunt. Nor was the fire that was mounting in his belly soothed by the way the stranger seemed to flaunt off the prize. Behemoth gave no warning sound but the arch of his tail and raise of his hackles should have been enough.

Without concern, he charged towards the sunshine painted male. The grouse would be momentarily forgotten as he sought out the quickest way to teach this male a lesson. Which was to obviously get him on the ground beneath Behemoth.

Why didn’t Slavik see the attack coming? Because he was a big goof ball who thought that everything could be talked out. Because he was arrogant and thought that he’d won. Whatever the reason, he was simply standing with his chest puffed out, holding his grouse in his jaws waiting for Behemoth to bowl him over the same as he’d done to the bird. By the time he noticed the arched back and snarling lips on the other male, it was too late, and he could only turn to the side slightly to try to preserve his grouse.

On impact the bird was knocked from his jaws, it slid across the clearing and left a bloody trail behind it. The other male planted himself on top of Slavik, and immediately the sunshine boy attempted to throw his weight and roll him over, trying to pin him instead. However this was met with more force than he’d expected, and he only struggled under the Goliath.

The struggle was met with a gleam of excitement in Behemoth's eyes. Toying with birds and rodents was only fun for so long but now he finally had a true opponent. Behemoth kept his weight on the male, determined to not let him escape.

Now Behemoth was not going to crunch this male like he had the vole or even pluck fur like he had the grouse's feathers. But he was going to make sure his age-mate knew who was in charge between the two of them. Not exactly aiming to break skin (unless the sunshine boy pulled away violently or Behemoth had a change of mind) the ebony beast clamped his jaws around the other male's. A low deep growl vibrated through his chest and up his throat.

In all of Slavik’s one year, he had never faced this kind of aggression. It certainly put a spin on his optimistic outlook, maybe he should finally start being a little more cautious with his interactions. The male above him, who he’d formally thought of as his competitor was now his for, his captor. He felt trapped and truly afraid for the first time in a long time. His eyes alight with fear, he shrunk down as the other’s jaws closed around his muzzle. He let out a yip of pain as the teeth grazed him, though they didn’t sink in too far.

Finally the boy’s survival instinct kicked in, and he felt himself ease back into his own weight. With a snarl he used his back legs to kick up, throwing the other male off and freeing himself. He scrambled to his feet quickly, turning to face his attacker with his tail held high.

He was heaved off the male finally, his jaw releasing its grasp. A smirk plastered across his face despite the pain in his stomach. It was no longer just hunger that fueled him on. A deep bark escaped him as he charged but seemed to graze right past the sunshine male's side and so he circled right back around. The message was clear that Behemoth was not giving up.

At least not until the too-brightly-colored male finally left him alone. Hopefully with the grouse.

The dark male smirked at Slavik, and at that point Slavik realized that this was not longer competition, but that the other was toying with him. Some sick game was being played, and Slavik wanted no part. He started to back away when he was charged, this time he was ready so her side stepped quickly, the other grazing right past him. His heart beat quickened and face Behemoth again, head down defensively.

He let loose a disgusted growl, What’s your problem? If you wanted the stupid thing you should’ve asked. It was a poor attempt at diffusing the situation, but even in a state of fear and rage Slavik preferred to talk it out. He wouldn’t try again should this fail.

Behemoth had no interest in talking things out. Especially this late in the game. A growl bubbled up in his throat once more, tail arching and curling over his spine. He lifted his head high up. Pale yellow eyes stared the other male down. He was daring him to challenge him again. Behemoth was full of useless youthful energy to waste on this scrapping.

But for the sake of the other he finally rumbled in far too deep tones. It's mine. Leave. If his word was not headed, Behemoth was more than ready to go again.

oofIES sorry I took forever <3, you can close with your post or archive

Slavik's lips peeled back at Behemoth's response, his fury boiling inside of him. Son of a bitch, he thought to himself, part of him wanting to lunge for the other and reclaim his kill. But he reminded himself that he hated violence, so after a pause he began to back away, his head still in a protective position should he be attacked. Once he was far enough away he turned around and began to run back to Speedy. He licked his lips, the blood that rested there was a mixture of his own and of the grouse. When he arrived to find his companion she was still asleep. He didn't want to wake her just for this so he laid down next to her and tried to clean his muzzle wound in silence.