Manifesto

Alrighty, sounds good! If Skull is a bit off at first, it's just because I'm shaking off the dust.

As twilight stretched inky fingers across the world, the woods darkened, and enveloped the wayward wolf in the familiar shade. Skull was used to traveling at night. Now that the offending summer sun had fallen behind the horizon he was feeling the beginnings of a second wind. The grass beneath his paws was springy, and still slightly warm from the afternoon, and the air buzzed with insects of all sorts. It was a lush land, even in the grip of summer, which made it all that more enticing to the middle-aged wolf.

The unusual flicker of fireflies flitting between the boughs and casting the faintest green glow on the bark of the trees they clung to drew his attention from the trail. His ears swiveled forward, and he observed them as they hovered over the long grasses in a great, but loosely gathered, flock. He had not seen these in many, many seasons, and it even brought a faint smile of appreciation to his face.

But the joy was short-lived, as he soon caught wind of a scent that was very wolf, but intertwined with the sweet milk smell of pups. His hackles bristled at his own poor perception, and he crept deeper into the woods in pursuit of the mother. If he were to happen upon her first, perhaps he could explain his presence and be on his way without trouble. Hopefully he would not be ambushed. While he was an expert at mountain terrain, he could not handle more than two pack wolves in the dark on unfamiliar territory.

He made no moves to mask his presence, and he soon spotted the female beneath the boughs of a deciduous tree crunching into prey. Some small thing; no deer haunch, or other scavenged item. The scent of blood was too fresh. Skull lifted his head and drew in another breath. This was the female, but he could not see her well enough in the dark to discern if the pups were with her. He hoped not. A mother protecting her children was a dangerous thing to stumble upon.

Instead, he called out, but kept his distance. The moon had not yet risen enough to provide ample light, but he stepped out of the woods just the same. "Greetings," He says warmly. "If this is your claim, then I apologize for intruding upon it, you, and your dinner. I will be gone within the hour." He did not divulge much more than that. Skull was never one to be long-winded.