Cassiopeia's View You man the island and the cocaine and the elegant cars

@Zilla

As the Stormthorn wound (winded?) her way down the face of Cassiopeia's highline she thought of all of the events that had lead her to this point in her life. To say she was irritated by this mild inconvenience was an understatement. She had lost her home and her titleship to some brightfaced whelp. A whelp that, apparently, was a superwolf or something. Pallas still bore the marks of their scuffle on the bridge of her nose and the back of her scruff. The area along her neck was sore and flush with crusted, old blood. Someday, she would have her revenge. For now she focused her energies on sourcing food, which it appeared the landscape lacked. She looked up as she thought she heard a hare, however, it appeared to only be her hunger playing tricks on her mind.

Pain. That was all Zilla could think of. The pain of travel-weary paws against hard stone, the pain of an empty stomach, and the pain of shame. The she-wolf had been taught from a young age to live by a very simple code: follow your own orders and no one else's. You know how you live your life, and if you leave important decisions up to anyone else, those idiots will just get you beaten down. Suffering because of someone else's stupidity is unacceptable. With those thoughts in mind, she had always been able to walk freely through life, depending on no one but herself, even during those brief periods that she chose to follow the commands of an Alpha, she only did it when she knew she could get something out of it, and would only do what she believed would actually work. If she doubted the commands, she’d be gone by morning, end of story. Of course, to live this way, one would have to have complete faith in him/herself and never doubt their own judgement, which was what Zilla had been desperately trying to do since she landed in this predicament. She wanted to believe that her decision to stand up to her past Alpha had been a wise one, even if it had resulted in the nasty scar on her side and her banishment from the pack. She wanted to believe she was strong enough to live without them, and that they had wronged her. However, due to all the pain and suffering she’d been through as a loner since that day, she had to shamefully admit that no, the decision had not been wise. She had wronged herself, and now was in the worst state of health she’d ever been in. Still, even if she’d made a mistake and was without food or family, she would not give up: she’d simply keep going until she dropped dead.


She was coming up to a new area she’d never been in before, which caused her senses to be on high alert for danger, but more so for food. One rabbit. That’s all she wanted. Even if it was a tiny one. One rabbit, and she would at least have enough energy to stop dragging herself along and hold her head high for once. She slowed as she approached the ridge, her pale blue gaze scanning the rocky structures apprehensively. Then she tilted her head back to see the ledges up above. Perhaps there’d be something up there? It was worth a shot. Besides, even if she didn’t find food up there, she’d probably have a nice view of the Wilds and would be able to pick out her next destination. Huffing, she began to carefully climb her way up, finding paths she could pad onto and possibly haul herself up to if need be. Of course… On her the mental list of skills she thought herself to have, climbing had never been one of them. Her gaze was not trained to see faulty places of rock, and as such, she put one paw in the wrong area and caused some rocks to suddenly fall away. She yelped in shock, almost tumbling forward, then quickly retracted her paw and steadied herself, backing away from the area. Heart pounding and eyes wide for a few seconds, her fear soon turned into anger, causing her to bare her fangs and aggressively stop her paw at the faulty rocks. Would she ever cease making a fool of herself?! She moved around the area and continued climbing upward, not even stopping to consider if she had attracted attention or not.

Pallas' head whipped around as she heard a yelp nearby. With an owlish stare she started towards the noise, her ears upright and assertive. When the Stormthorn rounded the rocky precipice she saw a mottled and dark wolf. She had hoped the wolf had sustained an injury during the hunt, but that was too convenient. The unhappy trum of her stomach caused her scowl as she looked at the poor creature who was now, apparently, attacking the rock. Summoning her inward pleasantry (there was none) she stepped forth and peered rudely down at the troubled wolf. It was like they didn't teach her to walk where she was from, or something.

Having already been in a pretty dour mood from lack of nutrition and exhaustion, almost being dropped down a cliff side by a deceiving patch of rock definitely did nothing to improve the loner’s mood. She lowered her head and pinned her ears back, and frown set on her face as she continued onward, paw steps now more delicate and careful, her gaze suspiciously scanning the path before her for anything that might raise some red flags. To be raised in the rough rogue lands and taught to fight for her life, she sure as hell wasn’t going to be killed for not watching where she was going. As she went along, she began to have an eerie feeling going down her back, the kind one gets when they aren’t alone, but she had longed learned to ignore this feeling. It was usually just the wind ruffling her guard hairs or her overactive senses playing mind games with her. When she got a bit higher up on the rocky shelf, she stopped climbing briefly to peer over the edge and check her progress, which would cause her to get a little faint and anxious. Had she fallen when those rocks gave way, she would have, at most, been injured, but she was certain that if she fell now, she’d certainly break enough bones to kill herself, if not her neck. Wincing, she turned away from the ledge and looked up to see how much further she had to go, then immediately found her gaze locked with that of another wolf’s. Her reaction to the newcomer was a little delayed, since the figure was so still and unalarming in her current state, as if she were simply a statue. Then Zilla’s mind made the connection that this was another living, breathing loner, and she didn’t seem all too happy. The dark wolf’s eyes widened in surprise and her body went stock still, heart pounding, but she had never been one to make her fear known to others. Showing fear was to show weakness, and you never show weakness to a potential threat. Before saying or doing anything else, she quickly scanned the scents of the surrounding area and thought back to her travel’s here: she had not picked up any pack scents, nor was she picking them up now, so at least she knew she wasn’t a trespasser. We both have as much right to be here then. She thought. That in mind, she narrowed her eyes at the other and perked her ears, then flatly asked, “Can I help you with something?” Though she seemed undaunted on the outside, her heart was still pounding on the inside, and every bone in her body told her to run for it. This wolf seemed larger than herself, and had a higher ground advantage. Not to mention how risky it would be to bolt over such an unstable ridge. This definitely would not be a good place to be attacked.

Zilla looked up at her and their gaze locked for a moment. Pallas felt the insurgent rise of her hackles flare almost immediately, though they were quelled when the dark wolf tonelessly asked if she could help her. Unless she was capable of reverting back time, or pulling food from right under her injured paw, Pallas doubted quite reasonably that she would be able to help her. She shook her head in a silent "No". Pallas' ear canted back in a pinned fashion and she strode forward, stepping on a stone quite close to the wolf. Her nostrils flared as she lifted her muzzle, clearly trying to deduce from the whipping winds if the female had eaten lately.

Seeing no evident signs of aggression or even discontent aside from the female’s scowl, Zila was able to relax just a little, a wave of faint relief washing through her system, slowing her heart rate some. She was well aware of the aggressive loner types- they were the kind to walk around with snarls constantly rumbling from their throat and mean glares passing over everything, dead or alive. They attacked anything that looked at them without a second thought, just for the fun of it. Clearly, the wolf before her was not like that: she had not lost every ounce of her sanity yet, and showed signs of being able to contain herself, so Zila did not need to worry about anything sudden. However, just because the loner wasn’t attacking now didn’t mean she wasn’t going to, as was the case for Zila herself. She would remain on guard, and honestly wouldn’t let it down ‘til her death at this rate. She would not be able to turn her back on this wolf and continue until she knew she was safe, so looks like she wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. When the wolf strode closer and lifted her muzzle, Zila took a defensive step back, tail rising slightly in alarm. Was the loner trying to smell her? Smell what? A pack? She scoffed inwardly, thinking it quite obvious from her malnourished and disheveled state that she was also on her own. Then what else would she be looking for? I wonder if she’s eaten… Zilla randomly thought, eyes roving over the wolf. She looks like she's in better health, but maybe her coat is just thicker… Then it clicked. Food. The wolf wanted to know if Zilla had killed anything recently. “I don’t exactly know what you think you’re going to smell.” She huffed, then felt herself slump a little, ears drooping and tail falling. If the wolf wanted to know if there was any prey where Zila came from, would that mean there wasn’t much food here either? So much for that plan...

LMAO I like zilla's reaction to being smelled "bish go 'way"

Pallas had not expected such a flare of disgruntlement from the female. She stepped back as well, her own tail rising assertively over her back. She would have escalated her language but Zilla disengaged her own defensive posture by speaking. The Stormthorn mirrored Zilla's action, her own tail falling to her hocks. Like Zilla, Pallas had encountered plenty of loners to make her wary and she was not about to trust this female blithely. 'Got food?" Pallas asked, hoping she could con the female into hunting for her.

lol that’s her reaction to everything “yOU’RE In MY BUBBLe-”

Of course not, twit. Is what she would have said, if she were an idiot. Zila was no idiot however; in fact, she fancied herself to be a smart ass. Giving a falsely sweet smirk, she tipped her head forward looked up at the wolf, one brow raised. “Of course I do. I just decided to go on a several-day fast.” She allowed that to hang in the air for a moment before dropping the sarcastic look, then frowned and lifted her head, making her skinny body more visible, as if to say, “that answer your question?”. “No. Besides, even if I did have food, I sure as hell wouldn’t just give it away. I don’t even know you.” Not that she was keen on being generous to those she did know personally. She just felt the need to point that out. Since the wolf only seemed interested in food, it seemed clear Zilla had nothing to offer, therefore nothing to keep the other loner’s interest. She should be able to continue on her way and forget this interaction ever happened, but an idea slowly came to mind. It made her groan inwardly though, her need to remain independent kicking in. Two wolves were better than one when it came to hunting. Perhaps, between the two of them, they could find something… Even if I was desperate enough to resort to that,- Okay, she was pretty desperate. -I don’t know if this wolf is that trustworthy. She might just take the prey for herself and my efforts would just leave me hungrier. No thank you. Now dismissing the idea, she figured she’d be better off hunting alone. “Now are we done here? Believe it or not, I don’t intend on starving to death. The longer I'm here, the further the prey will get.” Her pale blue gaze briefly wandered past the wolf before her, the hopes of finding food in the area beyond evident in her eyes.

Pallas felt her anticipation grow as Zilla started off in a promising way, alluding she may have food somewhere. The tips of the pale wolfess' ears perked forward with interest only to lie flat on her skull once she realized the ruse. Immediately Pallas felt angry, betrayed by a mere stranger! What a Rudepaw! The Stormthorn was not to be shaken lightly and she stepped forward, body language assertive. "Girl, don't test me." Pallas growled lowly. "I'm hungry enough that you look appetizing." It wasn't exactly a lie. "So, you in to hunt together? That is, if running your mouth doesn't chase all the food away first."

Seeing the wolf’s sudden change in mood due to her sarcastic comment, Zilla’s gaze instantly snapped back to the she-wolf before her, landing directly on the fangs bared in her direction. Her ears turned back and she took another step backwards, but doing so caused her to quickly remember her predicament; she was on a ledge, and not an incredibly stable one at that. She couldn’t afford to keep taking blind steps backwards, however, she certainly wasn't going to just stand within lunging range of the older wolf. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, huh? Having briefly glanced down to her hind paws, she looked back up at the wolf and flinched inwardly at the thought of being hunted down like prey. She knew loners were desperate and savage at times, but cannibalism had oddly never crossed her mind. Great. Add more dangers to the list why don’t we? Clearly, this wolf was not one to teased, so Zilla would have to be a bit more careful with her remarks and body language. She did not exactly submit to the older after hearing the threat, but she certainly shut her muzzle and began to think of other ways to approach this. Oh look. She had thought of team hunting as well. Perhaps great minds think alike. For Zilla to suggest the idea in the first place was one thing, but now that it was on the table, she’d seem like an idiot to decline the change of a successful hunt. Who cares what she has to do; they could both get food out of it, and if this wolf wanted to take it for herself, Zilla would just have to be one step ahead. She might have the speed advantage anyway, and if they could just get away from this ledge... “Alright.” She stated simply, eyes narrowed with irritation about her mouth “chasing the prey away first”. “But I’m NOT the main course, we clear on that?” Perking a brow at the wolf, she turned her nose up to the wind and began to scan the area, checking for any signs of prey. None yet. Suppose they’d have to do team tracking first.

You can PP Pallas walking w/ Zilla towards prey or something, I don't mind :)

Pallas had readied herself for rejection from the dark wolf, but none came. Her ears drew forward in pleasant surprise.  The idea of a joint hunt was well received though a brief smile played simply from her lips as Zilla set the conditions she was not to be eaten. Pallas had never consumed wolf before, but she had also never been this hungry. It was certainly an idea in the back of her mind, if only in infancy.

"Sounds like a plan to me." The old shewolf said, dropping heavily from her rocky ledge to Zilla's level. If there were no other interruptions, she would start to look around the basin for any signs of game.

Ooh... I felt... creative...

Now that all signs of aggression had faded from the female (for now anyway) and had been replaced with a smile of approval, Zilla once again allowed herself to relax, but only just enough to let go of some tension, like her firm belly, which had clenched up when the older wolf had suddenly growled at her. She still wasn’t going to put her trust into the stranger, for that simply wasn’t how the dark wolf’s mind worked, but now that they were going to work together, for the sake of the hunt, it’d be best to put any misgivings aside. For now, they were hunting partners, solely focused on tracking down prey and executing it swiftly, hopefully catching enough to fill both bellies. They’d need to rely- if just a little bit and only for a moment- on each other for the task. Then, the minute it was over, they would be free to growl at each other all they wanted and go their separate ways.

Her body craved to take yet another step back when the white wolf landed beside her, but she knew better this time, so she forced her feet to stay in place like they were rooted to the ground, and merely leaned her weight back some. The other loner quickly set to work sniffing around the area, searching for prey, so Zilla lowered her muzzle and began to do the same, head swinging from side to side and paws trotting quickly over the ground. Her mind was primarily focused on finding prey, but she kept a wary eye out for faulty rock patches. If she fell and killed herself, she definitely wouldn’t need prey then, would she? Angling herself away from the ledge, she began to trot up higher on the shelf, into deeper forestry, where prey was more likely to show up. Her ears turned this way and that, her nostrils flared furiously, and her pale blue eyes darted up on occasion, all checking for signs of prey. Every now and then, she’d look back over her shoulder at the other she-wolf to make sure she was looking for prey to, for some part of Zilla worried she might find the pale loner stalking her or simply sitting back and watching her temporary partner-in-crime do all the work. But no, every time she looked up, the elder wolf was still searching for prey, and seemed rather focused on it too.

A sound soon became evident to the mottled wolf, something like a rustling of grass and leaves. Perking her ears, she froze and turned to face the noise, her body now completely frozen and focused on what was ahead. By the sound of it, it seemed too small to be another adult wolf, and was too quiet to be a pup. It didn’t even seem loud enough to be a fox. Twitching her nose, she inhaled very deeply, straining to pick up the scent. Though mingled with strong smelling plants, the scent was still just strong enough to be isolated: a rabbit. A feeling of giddiness arose inside the wolf, her mouth already salivating, but she had to remind herself to stay calm, lest her excitement made her loud and careless. As quietly and slowly as she could, she turned around and trotted back over to the other loner, walking in an odd sideways fashion so she could keep an eye on the rabbit’s bush as well. Sensing the wolf beside her, she quickly nudged the she-wolf’s left side with her nose, then stepped back, just incase the gesture wasn’t received well. She jerked her head in the direction of the bush, then began to stalk back over to it. She was quiet yet again, as silent as her paws would allow her to be. Sneakiness had always been one of Zilla's best traits; not only was she lighter, but her pelt was dark too, making it easy to blend in with the shadows. Granted, her fur wouldn't do her much good right now, but her silent step was definitely useful. However, perhaps not silent enough? There was a quick rustling, as if the creature had been stirred, and then it was off, jumping out of the bushes and racing through the forestry. Zilla had to bite her tongue to keep from shouting "After it!" There could be other prey around, so she didn't want her voice to alert the entire area. Shoving her ears forward and narrowing in on the rabbit's quickly disappearing tail, she tore after it chasing it from one side and hoping the other loner might take a different side, so they'd be more likely to catch it.

The Stormthorn silently trailed after the female, doggedly pursuing her as the came to a wooded copse. The two of them hunkered down scoped the vicinity, noses to the ground. Pallas was having a hard time concentrating over the fevered demands of her stomach, but as Zilla nudged her she froze and drew to the ground. She noted how much quieter the wolf was on her paws, possessing a stealthiness Pallas could never summon. Her ears flew forward as a hare erupted from the brush and Zilla just as quickly shouted to give chase.

Pallas disliked being told what to do, but followed anyway. She was slower, given her hunger and limp, so she went wide. It occurred to her that a hare was an awfully small meal to share, but she got distracted as the thing leapt in her line of vision. With a growl she hunkered down after it, snapping the air with sharp fangs.

Apologies for the super long wait. I got caught up in last minute projects from my school. ^^'

When one travels such a long, weary mile in search of their next meal, hunger clawing at their empty belly like a vicious beast from the underworld, all of their thoughts become dulled and their senses fade. The energy and strength that once flowed through their limbs is gone, and they feel ready to collapse- to leave their scrawny body as food for the vultures. Had Zilla been psychically keen enough to know she’d be hunting today, her first impression of how she’d perform would be slow, sluggish, and uncoordinated, not unlike her train of thought at the time. When that furry little creature darted out of the bushes and her feet - as if against the user’s will - tore after it, she was genuinely stunned to find just how much strength she could conjure from several days of nothing.

Her mind and body, which had been drifting so far apart since the day of her independence, came into complete unison, driven by the mad desire for food in her body. She no longer felt any snarky remarks floating around in her mind, no longer had clear thought or opinion- she was a pure animal of instinct now. As if driven by an outside force, she race after the rabbit like a dark streak, paws flying over the ground, blue eyes so wide with concentration that she looked mad. She darted up and to the side, dodging any obstacles in her way as she desperately tried to close the space. 

A few minutes into the chase, as her mind began to slowly come “back online” so it could recognize the rabbit’s movements and predict its next moves, she remembered her situation and took a quick moment to glance at Pallas, finding the other loner to be following the rabbit from a wider angle. The other wolf seemed incredibly slow to her, but then again, she had to remind herself that not everyone had her light and swift gait. Wait. Was she limping? No longer able to keep looking (out of fear she’d run right into a tree), she groaned and quickly turned back around. Alright… I can make this work… She thought, then began to change course and turned left, causing the rabbit to go right. Zilla made a wide U-turn on the animal, herding it back towards Pallas. When the creature spotted the paler loner and tried to run in a different direction, the younger wolf leaped forward, right in the rabbit’s path, sending it straight for Pallas.

Then snap! The paler wolf lunged forward and killed the panicky creature. Seeing it’s dead body hanging limp from her accomplice’s jaws, Zilla slowed to a stop and wagged her tail in triumph, jaws parted as she panted with exhaustion. Her stomach gave a loud grumble, as if scolding her for exerting more energy than she had, but she didn’t care. Her blue gaze landed on the small creature, hunger apparent in her eyes. It was small and definitely wouldn’t satisfy one wolf, let alone two, but if they could both split what little there was evenly, they’d both be more energized and ready for another hunt.

“So, how you wanna do this?” She panted to the larger female, tilting her head curiously. The thrill of the hunt, however brief, seemed to wipe away her bitterness from earlier- Zilla’s main goal was food now, and the prospect of actually having some put her in a better mood.

No worries at all friend! School is more important. Sorry Pallas is a class-A dick! Feel free to have Zilla grab some from her while she eats! @Zilla please pM me if you want to reinstate this thread, I wrapped it up bc it was older! Thanks for the thread friend. I did a slight PP so Zilla could eat :)

With the hare between her teeth, Pallas suddenly remembered the importance of survival. She wasn't about to give this stranger the rabbit she caught. Her gaze hardened as she watched Zilla pull up, cheery and smiley. Smiley. As if they were old friends enjoying a beautiful day outside. No, they were anything but. They were just two strangers, and Pallas a selfish one. She was not about to jeopardize her survival by sharing this tiny, scant meal with a complete and total stranger.  A snort issued from her clenched jaws and she laughed contemptuously. With that she started to gnaw on the rabbit rapidly, trying to swallow it whole before Zilla could intercept her.


But Zilla was quick - she snagged a piece and Pallas spun growling, trotting down the rocky slope. She would carry the ripped rabbit a fair way before resting, adopting a jumbled trot as she covered terrain at a quick yet efficient pace.