Blackfeather Woods Life's a bitch and so are you.

Burke moved through the forest, after all it was his job to catch some food for Malice. The food was hard to find and he was tempted to go outside the territory to find some luck. Yet, if he would leave then those batards might thing he left and didn't allow him back in. Burke walked close to the borders, where his own scent was fading. He had patroled this border every day, for more than a year. So many hours, for nothing it seemed. 

Burke turned inwards back to the forest, feeling trapped here. The only thing keeping him here was Kendra and the fact that he would not survive alone with this famine. This was the last time that he was going to let others break him. Never again. The male kept a slow pace as he tracked for anything editble, only to keep his mind occupied. He wondered if there was still anything they could eat in this forest, most resources seemed to be depleated. His nose close to the ground, trying to find any clue.

She had heard the news, that of a fallen leader and a rising one. Burke, she understood, had stepped down, though why, she did not know. The dark woman the the male she had sparred with now stood at the helm of the pack, something which the wraith had no qualms about. Leaders rose and fell, like the tide, it was the way of the wild. Plus, she did not know this grey male very well, and felt no strong ties to him.

So when she caught his scent she approached quietly, to find him, nose to ground. She stopped a moment, watching, then walked toward him readily, head lowered slightly. "Sir" she said simply, tone neutral. It was merely a formal greeting.

Burke lifted his head when he heard another approach and then even call him sir. He was no sir. Not anymore. He was just Burke. The male flattened his ears and bared his teeth at the new comer that he let in. Strange how things worked. She was allowed in and allowed to prove himself but Malice was not. Burke instantly felt less inclined to be nice to her, besides, why would he.

"Fuck off," he growled at the pale female. She probably heard the news and if not, then she was badly informed what happened with her pack. Though it didn't seem like Damien to not have a victory howl, a new claim. He was ready to just barf, luckily soon his young would need his throw up mix of meat to survive. How handy that he could think of several wolves and just give those pups their meal.

Aeronwyn didn't fuck off.
She stayed there, stubbornly, watching the male. He was bitter, it seemed, angry. So this had been no simple hand-over, but he had been forced to give up his throne. No fresh wounds marked his body, she doubted there had been a fight. But the male seemed old. She had no idea how old, and would not ask, but did he not know that the old were not fit to lead? A pack needed someone young, confident, strong. Perhaps not as arrogant as the dark male, but somewhere in between. Perhaps the white female she had met would be a good choice, but obviously not for the pack wolves. 

This wolf was a packmate now, and one hardly any higher then her in the rankings. He could not simply tell her to fuck off and expect her to leave with her tail between her legs, no. That would not be happening. She tried again. "Why? Have I insulted you?"

Burke continued to track the faint scent, after all he was here to find food for Malice and not to have a chit chat with this newbie of a wolf that was just being noisy. There was something about not being the leader anymore. He could be disrespectful. It didn’t mind if he made mean comments towards someone. After all, it did not have any effect on her loyalty towards him. The older male looked at her with a glare. Burke wanted to keep everyone at a distance. Even her.
 
”Your face is pretty insulting,” he commented towards her with a non caring tone. He did not care if she was offended or not. Burke had more important, and personal matters to press on. Malice needed to eat to survive. If he did not find anything it would mean they were both hungry. ”You could however help me track any type of prey. Make yourself useful instead of wanting to pry, or whatever your intentions are.”

Your face is insulting? Aeronwyn simply raised an eyebrow a fraction, slightly confused. This wolf, the former alpha of a pack of darkness, couldn't even insult someone properly? She did not show this, however, but remained impassive. "I only seek to be useful. Beside, there is little I wish to know about you at the moment, seeing as l don't particularly care. You were alpha, you were defeated, you have pups. The end." That was slightly untrue, though she would not go asking him directly. That was not how one went about getting secrets. She instead mirrored his movements, scenting after a few moments the subtle trail of a raccoon. She motioned to him with a flick of her ears in the direction of the scent, then padded off silently. She didn't care whether or not the disgraced leader followed her at the moment.

Burke followed her, he had nothing better to do, he needed that food for Malice after all. "That is great to hear," he returned. Then at least he could be around her without this girl prying into what happened. He had trouble enough sharing it with Malice and what he was going through. The male was quite done with feeling so hurt, but he couldn't stop it.

It was clear that his nose was getting older, because he did not pick up the faint scent of the raccoon until she pointed it out. He trotted up so he was walking next to her, though not too close there was quite some space between them. His docked this up, something that happened automatically.

She did not respond to his words, but a flick of her ears said that she had heard them. He followed her, walked at her side, and Aeronwyn shot a quick sideways glance at him, at the docked tail, but made no mention of it. She continued into a crest of trees, following the scent,tail beginning to lash as it grew stonger. Her steel eyes suddenly flashed as they sought movement, and found it. Before them, perhaps ten meters, was the raccoon. It searched for vegitation with it's slender hands, grabbing the shoots and roots delicately. She glanced at Burke questioningly, wondering how he wished to proceed.

Burke followed the female with his nose low to the ground, he was going to track this meal too, he was not going to let the female do all the work, that was not how he dealt with things. Burke caught the raccoon when she did too. He stood there with her and glanced at her for a moment. He motioned her to stay. "I am going to startle it," he whispered softly before trotting low and silently to the ground to the other side of the animal. Once there he jumped forward, making it rush off in the direction of Aerowyn.

His plan was solid, and he crept around the raccoon without incedent. He lunged from the undergrowth like a bear, startling to stupid bandit. She leapt, a fluid arc of steel, and her fangs closed around the body with a snap. Teeth severed, fangs tore, the raccoon died. It was a quick kill, made possible by the assistance of the ash male, and she licked the blood from her muzzle with a smirk. The raccoon she lay by her paws, motioning Burke over. She ripped from the body a chunk of flesh, leaving most for the grey male. She wasn't completely heartless, and said as she pushed it toward him, "For your pups"

With that, she sunk her fangs into her potion and lopped off, not staying around for any thanks he might give, simply wanting to enjoy her meal alone.

Burke knew that the female was far swifter than he was with his large body. So having her make the kill seemed the most logical and successful solution. The male gave a nod in appreciation when she gave most of the food to him and for his children. "Thank you," he responded and then grabbed the raccoon to bring back to Malice.

She would need the food the most to produce milk. So far she had been doing well. One was healthy, so Burke liked to focus on that one. The other seemed sickly. He wondered how many pups they would have if the famine didn't happen. He vanished in the shadows while thinking, going to Malice.

END!