Verdigris Ravine tooth

tribe grew. zoug remained the only man among them. he had not thought on this overmuch yet. they had just met one another to make this grouping. and there still was no cave. the ravine provided protection from the bright sky fire and cooler water, but the sides felt exposed to his mind and his eyes.

he had learned some words thus far, and shared them in his heavy accent with the others. but for most of his time, zoug devoted himself to endless scavenging and foraging tours, filling his belly and bringing back more for tribe.

he had taken to wearing a glossy piece of snakeskin around his neck, and redaubed his chest and neck with fresh blood. in this way he meant to show his worth as fearsome to s'ari and the others. not only as a man but as one who knew how the way of invoking the sand spirits. zoug wished he knew their words to say these things about himself.

Dark woman came with more prey, ground squirrel and mouse. Not much had she found on this trip, but nevertheless it came with the need to dig and store it, of which slender paws overcame sand and created a dip in the ground. 

The prey was quickly covered, and she sat to bend her neck down and bite at an itch on her flank, as it appeared as if sand had gotten lodged in her fur. But she couldn't quite dig it out, and it was making her irritated. 

And itchy.

he watched kusuma bit at her fur and zoug wondered if the closeness of the tribe had made more of a banquet for gnawing insects. there was an orange flower which grew rampant through the hotlands. making a mental note to find it and dry the petals, zoug carefully approached.

he did not touch her; he sat close and let his ears splay. it was a question: would she accept his help to alleviate the itch for now?

Dark woman's amber eyes wandered to Zoug for a moment, her biting stopping. Her head tilted, trying to understand what he wanted. The man was not the most talkative, but his presence did not indicant ill intent. Kusuma was very good at knowing, the wind and the earth told her these things. Maybe he wanted to learn words, or... 

Did he wish to... scratch her itch?

She gathered her paws under her, padding closer so the man could see the ruffled fur where the sand or whatever was. Kusuma itch is here.

when bidden, zoug ducked his head and started his preening. he cleared the hairs there of dirt, of sand, of any crawling insects, which he cracked between his back teeth.

she was not full clan. but she was tribe to him and to s'ari. so he would say nothing. it mattered more than she was not one of the Others.

wolves.

if kusuma allowed, zoug would go on, moving along her spine.

Kusuma was actually enjoying his preening. stepping backward a few pawsteps to allow a new spot to be reached. He could see the dirt and sand and loose hairs where she could not, and he was Tribe, so she trusted him not to hurt her.

Zoug was nice, which was good, for the woman did not know much of men.

Dark woman was happy with this.

he fell into a humming rhythm with dark woman, eyes falling to half-lidded pleasure. it was good to touch and to be touched.

zoug had missed this closeness.

he nipped along the back of one ear.

This closeness, the dark woman only knew from her days as pup, with Kusuma-mam and Kusuma-da, Kusuma-litter too. 

This was closeness of Tribe, different but similar enough for her to feel connected with land of hot sands and the coyots that lived there. The coyots that called her kin. It made Kusuma-heart happy.

His nip to her ear gave her a moment of remembrance, for times long past. 

She shifted a bit, and the ear flicked. 

Kusuma ear is in good taste? she asked, with a hint of a joking manner.

the smile was in her voice. he understood enough to see that kusuma was pleased. he nibbled the edge of the other and then pulled away 

zoug too shared in this pleased feeling. a low yip and a flick of his tail invited her along for hunting. this too was a way to create a bond between tribe.

Dark woman followed swiftly. 

Kusuma hunt with Zug, she could never get the majority of names right, but it was more of a feeling. And besides, Tribe hunt together.

She questioned where they would go silently.

zoug would not take them far beyond the ravine. they must stay close while the skies were hot.

hares were here. smaller rabbits. lizards. scorpions. and the eternal serpent. the hopping-mice or rats also, found closer to darkness. zoug found a trail and ran along it with a bouncing, amused step. "tribe hunt together,"[/i] he mimicked, understanding its meaning if not the words themselves.

Dark woman was the man's shadow, never leaving it nor going as far to advance to step at his side. Something told her so, though the coyjackal did not know if it was the wind or the earth at her paws that said as much. They were silent save for a breeze that yielded no whisper.

Maybe it was because she did not know the land as well as the scarred man did. Maybe it was because she was acutely aware her pelt was better in shadow than in light. 

Tribe hunt together. 

Tribekin hunt to strengths.

fade or keep going? <3

tall stones created a sunning place for many fat lizards.

zoug fell back on his haunches. there was a bounty here, and he wanted to take this moment to properly appreciate.

then the man's jaws flashed, and a scrabbling orange reptile clawed frantically from its place between his teeth.

Either works for me n. n

Dark woman's head tilted. Hunting was new to her still, and seeing the lizard scramble for unseen ledges to escape brought with it an interesting whisper. One the wind did not seem to want to tell her. 

She curiously went to his side to sniff at the creature. Words were not uttered from her muzzle.

zoug offered kusuma the lizard, his tail swaying. he drew a line upon the face of the sand, then made a deliberate gesture. it was his word for the scaled things. he glanced at kusuma to see if she understood.

and then he looked for others, belly clenched in hunger.

Sandscale, she called them. The thinks that weren't sticklike enough for sand-stick, but scaley and thing. Be Zug's name of sand-scales? she questioned, sniffing the present. 

Was it a present? 

Too late, Zoug was gone, and she trotted after him, before... well, look at that, she seemed to be an attractant for rabbits. Her ear flicked.

fade here? <3

name? perhaps she wanted the one also, for the poisonteeth. zoug knew this. a line dragged by a toe in the sand. a sharp gesture toward his canine teeth. he slowed it for kusuma and repeated both.

clan word snake.

rabbits, next. zoug bounded off with a low bark.