Big Salmon Lake And I Ran

@Fang

After her near fatal encounter with the resident wolves of Blackfeather Woods, Meeka had run until she put their territory far behind her. Her first important lesson about life in the wild had been a harsh one, and had earned her a few minor battle scars. Now she paid closer attention to her surroundings, and stayed far away from signs of wolf activity. She had escaped death to the cruel jaws of a wolf this time, but next time she might not be so lucky.

Her wandering paws had led her to the shore of a great lake. There were no signs of wolves nearby, so Meeka felt safe enough to stop and rest for the first time all day. She waded a few steps into the lake, the cool water soothing her aching paws. She peered down into the water, her reflection gazed up at her. The girl almost didn't recognize herself. Her fur was a mess, full of dirt and knots. The wounds on her neck and chest were still healing, becoming ugly scars. And her bright pink collar, her last physical link to her former life, was gone. Mere days in the wild were already starting to transform her into a feral beast.

Meeka remembered the days when she'd been frustrated with her parents. It had seemed to her like they were always trying to hold her back and stop her from having fun. "No Meeka! Bad dog!" They had scolded when she tried to eat out of the garbage. She had become so sick of brown pebbles, and the alluring scents wafting from the garbage were too powerful to resist. The wolfdog always thought her parents were selfish; eating all the good food themselves, and not even letting her eat the scraps. But after her first meal in the wild, a long dead half-eaten rabbit, suddenly dog food was looking a whole lot better.

A tear slid down her muzzle and dripped into the lake, distorting her reflection.

hi hi

Things had been less than exciting for the hybrid of late. The ill-conceived pack he had followed into the bleak woods nearby was hardly the paradise to escape the idiocy of his former group. Though fleeting loyalties were a natural flaw for him, it was never an easy task to survive on ones own and the little fact was starting to show, food was scarce, and consistent shelter from the cooling weather was becoming a rare treat.

Despite his desertion he had not moved far, had any of his former allies sought him they'd not have had to travel far, the lake and it's boundary becoming a temporary home. The day had started normally enough and food was about all that was on his mind as he traversed the waters edge hoping to stumble across something sma and stupid enough to be considered food.

It wasn't long before he stumbled across Meeka, a short distance in the water. From his short distance away it was a rather unimpressed mottling of black and white, runty wolf. Or something close anyway. At any rate it was someone he didn't recognize, a more steps closer before he decided to call out a greeting. "You ain't about to catch somethin' that close to the edge." advice about food was as good an introduction as any other right?

Meeka's ears perked up as a voice addressed her from behind. Startled, she whirled around and found herself face to face with another wolf. She retreated a few steps, until she put a comfortable buffer zone between them. The stranger didn't appear threatening, but her run-in with the Blackfeather wolves had taught her to be wary of wolves.

"I wasn't trying to catch anything," she informed the stranger. She hadn't had much success hunting on dry land, and she wasn't exactly brushed up on her fishing skills either. At least she was a competent scavenger, but living off scraps wasn't exactly living well. "Even if I tried, I probably couldn't," she added with a defeated sigh.

On his approach he'd just assumed her to be a runt, or a juvenile of some description. So of course when she'd finished her little dance-escape he wasn't quite ready for the vaguely familiar face to be looking at him. He'd paused when she spoke, her lineage was even more obvious than his own. He couldn't help but take note of her dishevelled appearance, the fresh scars and less than well fed physique, by all outward appearances she was a downright miserable sight. Huh, here I was thinking you were just a runty wolf. He spoke in an offhand tone with little regard given for her previous statements, he was still a little surprised to see another hybrid, even a pathetic looking one. Can't fish either huh? I never quite picked up that trick either. The hybrid tilted his head with a shrug. Fishing wasn't his thing at any rate. Opting to keep his distance he remained on the shore, as jumpy as she seemed he had no real desire to add to her apparent stress. Of course, essentially trapping her in the water probably wasn't helping. So how'd you end up here, and in such a sorry state? We don't get many of our kind here. True story, he'd only come across one other hybrid in his time in the wilds. Actions Speech

Meeka hesitated. She hadn't been expecting the stranger to show such interest in her. She kept her distance, but decided it would be okay to tell him her story.

"I was on a camping trip with my family," she began. She paused before continuing. "A little orange dog with a poofy tail came near the tent at night when my parents were sleeping inside." She didn't know what kind of animal the intruder was, so she described it to the stranger as best as she could. "I thought it wanted to hurt them, so I broke my leash and chased it away. But I couldn't find my way back."

"By the time I managed to find the camp again, they were gone." She explained. It had taken her days to return to the place. She'd tried to smell her way back, but the intruder had led her on a long, winding chase through the woods, causing the inexperienced tracker to wander in circles. "I've been looking all over for them." She wondered if perhaps this wolf had seen them.

"Yesterday, a couple wolves caught me wandering through their territory. They did this to me," she said, referring to her wounds. "I thought they were going to kill me, but I managed to get away."

Meeka turned the tables and posed a couple questions of her own. "You're a hybrid too?" She studied him, and recognized a few shared traits. She guessed he was part husky, like herself, but with a much more prominent wolf heritage. "Does life get any better for us out here?"

The hybrid listened intently while she spoke of her escapade that landed the dishevelled little creature in the wilds. An eyebrow raising at her description of what he assumed was a fox followed by a slight frown at the explanation of her clash with a pack wolf. He only managed to offer a shrug and the matter of fact tone. It's approaching winter, they've got to protect their resources. Of course he had grown up different, trespassing was not something you did, and he doubted anyone would be foolish enough to not know where borders were. Though the females wounds told him different. When she questioned him, he fixed her with a cold stare, golden eyes narrowing, the slight bristling of his fur added to the scene. A moment later he muttered Something like that. He was different, and despite the obviousness of that fact he was never fond of openly being reminded of his heritage. His irritation lasted a few seconds when he thought on her next question Easier? Depends how tough you are. Don't piss off pack wolves and they usually leave you be. Though there are some friendly ones around of you look. His own recent history showed him a lack of prejudice about his paternity. Though it wasn't nearly as blatant as the poor thing in front of him. I'm called Fang, by the way. Quite possibly the most obvious throwback from his heritage. and you are?

Meeka noted the irritation in Fang's brief response to her question about his bloodline. She made a mental note to refrain from asking further questions on the subject. Fang was the friendliest wolf she'd met so far, even if he was a bit grouchy, and she didn't want to piss him off by probing into a sensitive subject. "I'm Meeka," she replied. "Um, nice to meet you Mister Fang."

She frowned a bit at his response to her other question. Meeka was feeling quite the opposite of tough, these days. Her feet were starting to get cold, so she padded back to shore, parking her butt a few feet from her new friend. "Are you in a pack?" She asked him, hoping maybe he'd allow her to come back with him.

Mister Fang? Again an eyebrow was lifted, though he had nothing to say he watched her gingerly leave the lakes watery embrace to sit a short distance from him. Of course the polite thing was to sit down now too, Almost laughing when she asked about a pack. A single snort, a loud huff really, escaped as he shook his head in the negative. A Pack? Not recently. A moment of thought followed, He had been a member of two packs since his arrival in the wilds. One was under the leadership of an arrogant, self-serving, vain idiot. And the other. ..He had no reason for leaving the Blackfeather, other than he just didn't like it. I've followed a couple. We had. ..differing opinions on things. He rolled his shoulders in another shrug. Besides, I'm pretty capable of looking after myself. With a lifting of his head and a small puff of his chest, he laced his words with false bravado. The fact was, Winter was coming, food was getting scarce, and he wasn't quite prepared. Though every time his thoughts took him to the harsh reality, fuck-it was about the extent of his planning. I'll figure something out for winter. He mumbled out loud.

Meeka listened in awe. Fang was such a bad ass lone wolf, he didn't even need a pack. "I wish I could be as confident as you," Meeka said. If she thought things were hard now, they were only going to get worse once winter came to the land.

Suddenly, Meeka was struck with an idea. "Hey, could you teach me a few things? Like how to hunt, how to fight?" Maybe if she could absorb some of Fang's awesomeness, she'd be all right.

And once again he managed to weave a believable story, a slight upturn of his lips in a half-smile at Meeka's choice of words. He could almost see the gears turn when the small female thought out the next question. Follow him around? Now that was an interesting idea, though of course it could lead to the possibility he'd look like an incompetent halfwit when she realises he has no idea what he's actually doing. He rose, cutting the short distance between them and began a slow circle of the slight girl. Like a side-kick? He took his time walking around her, weighing the options here. The empathetic streak that ran through him wished to provide help but what sort of burden would another hybrid that didn't even know about borders be? He returned to her front, looking down his nose when he spoke. I don't expect to have it easy this winter, why should I have to look after you too? Despite the harshness of his question he quietly hoped the runt would at least come up with a believable excuse. Companionship when facing a lone winter was probably not a bad idea. Speech

"I won't slow you down," she replied, though her tone sounded far from convincing.

Meeka thought for a moment. What skills did she have that might convince Fang she wasn't totally useless? So far, she'd proved she was great at getting into trouble. In her former life, she'd been praised as an intelligent, good dog. She could shake paws, speak, play dead and even fetch the paper. Somehow, she doubted Fang would find any of this impressive. She thought harder. How could these things translate to living in the wild?

"I'm really smart," she said at last. "All I need is a little guidance, and I'll be able to help you hunt in no time."

Smart, that was it hey? A frown tugged at his lips, her words echoing in his ears for a moment. What was he supposed to do, nah, you're too much trouble, catch ya 'round. Of course that would likely mean the slight girl would be dead before mid-winter, if her recent history was any indication. "Fine." he answered flatly.

With that word he turned and began moving away from the lake, he didn't bother to see if Meeka followed, but he began speaking. Hunting isn't a big deal. But foods going to be scarce. ..I do have an idea though Just depends how wicked you want to be. Before he'd finished his sentence the hybrid turned his walk toward the not-so-distant mountain range, home of the spire wolves. He was certain he remembered where a cache or two were, and of course there was always small prey over there.

Now the question was, could this little hybrid be a decent excuse if they get caught stealing.

Meeka's answer didn't seem to impress Fang. Her ears drooped sadly, and she gave him her best sad puppy face. No one could say "no" to the sad puppy face. It must have worked, because Fang agreed to let her tag along with him. He didn't exactly seem happy about it, but it was good enough for Meeka.

Her ears perked up and her tongue lolled out of her mouth in a canine grin. "Yay!" She cheered happily. She rose and bounded after Fang, catching up in time to hear what he was saying. "Ooooh, what is your idea?" She questioned, intrigued.

We'll fade here, I'll start up another thread later today/tomorrow, yes? :3

The youthful bouncing alongside him along with her claims that she could indeed be wicked, was enough to put a smile on his face. "We'll see. The wolf-dog was already formulating plans in his mind, this could be advantageous, or it could be a total disaster, either way it would certainly be entertaining to say the least.

He looked over at his newly acquired companion with a slight nod towards the sunspire, "For now, let's head to the mountain. I lived there for a time and if there's no food, we can see just how wicked you think you are." raiding packs caches was certainly going to piss a lot of his former companions off, but for now it was definitely a decent back-up plan should the hunts fail. A gentle swing of his tail whilst he lead Meeka along.

All righty. I'm off to bed for now, see ya tomorrow!

Meeka trotted after Fang, turning her eyes to the horizon to admire the looming mountains. For the first time in days, she was looking forward to what the future held in store.