Blackfeather Woods Breathe No More

For @Hiraku

THANK YOU!

Nemesis let out a sigh as she gripped the leg of the fawn, slowly dragging it to her hiding spot. The deer wasn't that small, it was actually quite big, for its first year in life. And yet, after all the mauling, blood and cries, it was still  breathing. It gave another pitiful moan of pain before collapsing again, eyes rolling to the back of it's head. "Shut up you stupid beast" She growled, but to no avail. 
This time, the cry was louder as if the animal was calling out for someone to save him. "Well it's not gonna happen buddy" She smirked, devilishly. 
"It's just me and you now. Well, soon it's just going to be me and your carcass, but no hard feelings right?" She taunted the animal, who obviously knew the tone of her voice and cried again. Giving it's ankle another big tug, her teeth sunk into it's flesh even more, earning a screech and then silence. Looking over to it's face, it seemed to be dead, but just to be sure, she went over and sunk her teeth into it's neck, for good measure. The deer gave a half-hearted cry that escaped along with it's last breath and then finally, perfect silence with the absence of heavy breathing. 

Instantly, the body became harder to pull and finally she decided to just take it's leg and come back for the rest later. Running to her cache with the torn leg in her mouth, she had no thought on her mind of anyone stealing the rest of her deer. Her food storage was beneath an overturned tree, a cause of the storm. It was hidden by pine, dirt and rock to mask the scent from any thieves so only she knew where to find it. She dug up the fresh dirt and underneath the remains of her last meal. Dropping in the leg, she covered it up, re-putting the pine and rocks in their places. 

Quickly, she darted back to the body, eager to take the rest to her cache. Upon her arrival, she found not one scent, the one of the now rotting corpse of the deer, but another. Growling, she stalked over to her prey, eyes trained on the thief. Fox.
"What do you think you're doing?" She snarled, malevolence laced in her tone.

There were no signs the fox could go off on. He stared at the sky, trying to get a sense of direction, but didn't get much from it. He was a much-better tracker than stargazer, and even then, he couldn't even see the sky from the forest. He nervously surveyed the area around him. That white canine that has been following him seemed to have disappeared once he got into the forest. Still, that...thing could be waiting for him around a corner. Still, the fact he didn't see it for a while kept him on his path to go deeper into the forest.

Blood slowly entered his nose, and an audible grumbling came from his stomach. Hiraku was shocked with the smell, and looked around to see the carcass of a dead deer. It was missing a leg, and had several wounds. He licked his lips and almost came up to take a bite. Almost. The scent of a wolf entered his nose and he jumped away. The thoughts of his dead brother flooded his thoughts and he quickly hid himself behind a nearby tree. He did not want to end up like that, not here. Still, since this wolf didn't rip the deer apart like how his brother was, maybe this wolf was somewhat more-tolerable.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hiraku gulped with an uneasy feeling. A rather angry wolf glared at him. If this was a nice wolf, he was glad he didn't run into a mean one. Keeping his composure (and his legs ready to spring away at a moment's notice), he responded with a simple, "Hi..."

Nemesis growled even louder at the fox's timid reply. Her experiences with their kind were always bad. Most of them, she found, were very self righteous and she had no time for them. It was time someone taught their race a lesson in manners, that is, if they had the brain capacity to learn something.
 She glared her menacing, cold eyes into the fox's, showing exactly what kind of wolf she was. Not to be messed with. 
The fox actually looked terrified and looked like he would spring away any moment. That wouldn't do, not at all. He tried to take her meal, and wanted to get away without consequences, but that wouldn't happen. She was in no mood for mercy. 
She was about to carry out the punishment when suddenly, she had an idea. 
The fox looked hungry, and she had lot's to share. Perhaps she could get him to do something later in exchange for a piece of the deer and his life. 
"Hello, fox. My name is Nemesis. Who are you?" She slyly asked, a sudden change in tone. It would not go un-noticed but if she wanted to get what she wanted, she had to play nice.

The acting kicked in. Hiraku noticeably relaxed, a confused look sporting on his face. "Um...Hiraku..." It was as if he placed down all defenses. 

It was far from the truth. He knew that this wolf wanted to rip into him as soon as she can. Still, what scared him was the fact he could approach the situation so calm...mentally. It may have something to do with his brother's death, but he felt himself a bit colder. Still, he had to deal with this wolf.

Knowing previous encounters, he knew he was much-faster than most of his brethren. However, this speed only matched the average wolf, and this one did not only look fast but a lot of motivation to go far beyond. His stamina would keep him at his top speed and his jumping footwork would be able to tread in even the hardest of conditions, but this wasn't only a test of strength. She had a look in her eyes that made her seem very...calculating. She may have been able to outfox him if he didn't catch onto that particular trait. He will just play it cool until she slip up, whether it would be an opening to escape or when she lets down her facade to kill.

Nemesis quickly calculated the events that would take place next. She could drop her facade, and go for the kill or she could play it out and get something out of it. 
"Please, help yourself. There's plenty to share" She smiled. He would eat her food and then she would take her prize. "You must be really hungry, I don't blame you for wanting some food" She said, coyly. 

Except, she wasn't one to share, not without something to gain. "It's still fresh, take a bite. I won't be mad, honestly" She tempted him. This fox was smart, and wouldn't fall easily for her tricks but to tempt with food could work on anyone, if you said the right thing. She didn't care that she wasn't being honest at all, she didn't live by consequences and wasn't afraid of breaking a promise, unless it actually meant something.

The fox wiped the confusion off his face and replaced it with joy, as he sprinted around towards the deer. He kept his path towards the wolf blocked by the deer carcass, though he knew that the wolf could jump over. Even though the move was a bit too showy for his tastes, the fact the deer was in the way would give him a bit of time if things took a turn for the worse. He would also plan to keep that deer in between them, at least until he sprinted away. 

He never really had deer before, or venison as some of his friends would call it. As he sunk his teeth into the deer's side, he noticed it was really tough to chew through. With a bit of work, he managed to tear a piece off and tried to chew it. He wasn't really used to these tough meats, usually settling for rabbits of voles. The taste itself was alright, but his hunger got the better of him and he tore in again, still weary of the wolf nearby. He also made the mistake to let down his act, which only made him look a bit more dead in the eyes. But, it was unlikely that the wolf could see them.

Nemesis watched as the fox ate hungrily. She forgot about her own hunger and instead, focused on the fox. As he ate, she silently loomed over him and watched as he slowly let his guard down. She crept quietly around the deer, not making any sudden movements that would alert him. Instead, she kept her gaze on him as she took a piece of the deer for herself. In only a moment she would make her move, letting down her own act. It didn't cross her mind that he would have next to no chance of escaping this without harm and that he had only wanted to fill his stomach. She was in no mood for mercy.

She now stood, towering over him. "Listen, fox. I don't share, unless I get something out of it. You've eaten my kill, and I've spared your life. I guess you could say you owe me" She snarled. She was kind enough to give him a few seconds of thought, and possibly a chance to escape, but she would find him and get even if he did try to flee. And he most likely would, but it was his doom if he tried. Nobody escaped her wrath, no matter how small the problem. 

You don't actually have to owe her anything, don't worry:D It's up to you if you want him to!

As long as Hiraku makes it with his five limbs and his head, I'm fine. Besides, I'm a bit interested in Nemesis' proposal.

There was no need to act anymore, though he wished he didn't leave himself open for the wolf to get so close. He moved his legs away from the wolf, Nemesis he believed her name was, and faked a trip to stumble back a bit. He calmly accessed the situation, knowing that he had to plan his moves carefully. The best bet would be to jump over the deer and run out of the forest, but it would likely take too long. This talk of life gave him an idea, and he made a weary smile. "I guess I have. What did you have in mind?" If his eyes didn't seem dead before, it was obvious now. Besides, if he managed to get on her good side, he may be walking away with some information he needed.

As she stared into the fox's eyes, she found herself momentarily stumbling on her words. He looked sorrowful, like a lifetime of bad fortune had happened to him. It was the same look she found when she seen her own reflection. Dejected eyes and a hollowed soul worn down by the misery of the world. But she quickly recovered, shaking the realisation that they were alike from her head. She wasn't like that anymore. She harboured no feelings of emptiness or self pity anymore and certainly not for anyone else.

Her face turned hard again and the familiar coldness chilled her gaze once more. "There will be a time when I may need your services, so to speak. As a wolf, you can only do so much. But you are nimble, quick and unsuspecting to to others. That can be useful" She said, no emotion but insidiousness laced in her tone. "How about this, I'll call you when I need you. For now i'll let you go. Feel free to continue your daily life, make some friends, hell, have some kids. But just know that I let you and that you owe me" She proposed, though clearly, he had no say in the matter as of right now. In time, she could forget of his debt to her, but for now she would keep it fresh in her mind. "And you will not speak of this to anyone, it's strictly between us. Got it?" She warned, her tone deadly. Whatever the task she gave him to do, it wouldn't be life threatening, she knew that. Any major task, she would do herself to make sure of it efficiency. The fox probably had thoughts of dangerous deals and loss of limbs but she wouldn't let it get that far. She did have a bit of humanity left.

The wolf's proposition, or demand as it seemed, was reasonable to the fox. If she was letting him off the hook this easy, there was no need to run. Of course, it could be an elaborate ruse, but Hiraku believed she would've attacked by now. Anyways, it wasn't like he would even have to do whatever this deal was. He could disappear and they could forget each other, and he'll be free, simple as that. "Alright. I won't say a thing."

He turned to leave, but stopped. There was something nagging at him. What was he forgetting? He nodded and looked back to the cold wolf. He didn't see much risk in it, as this wolf was not that messy of a killer. "By the way, do you know any wolves that killed foxes recently?" Either response would be helpful, as he could start to narrow down his search.

Thanks for the thread!

Nemesis watched as he turned away, and she started to haul the rest of the deer away before she heard he voice once more and turned back to meet his voice. Wolves kill in foxes..no she had not heard. If anything, she would expect the killer to be in her own pack, the one where most were trained to take the lives of others. But she had not heard of a fox slaughter. Somewho, she thought, this was personal to the fox. And he seemed almost desperate for an answer. But she could only provide a simple one. 

"No, at least not in my pack. Why do you ask?" She wondered. But she didn't expect a reply, after the hostility she threw at him.. their feelings towards each other were less than courteous.

No problem. Thanks for having me.

"Just wondering..." Hiraku turned around, his ears open for an attack. He didn't expect one, but safety still helped. He had no idea how many packs were in the area, but he was glad he could cross one off his list. He was also glad he didn't have to look around here, as he didn't want to stay around in this forest. With some hope, he would never see Nemesis again, but it was a small world. So, he'll bide his time and hope for the best.