Meadowlark Prairie Faced with the past

@Damien !!!!

Burke had been walking towards the borders each day now. He would just peek into the distance of Black Feather and then walk pack to the safety of the rendezvous site that was in the middle of the territory. He felt a bit like a coward hiding here but he had Malice to think about. She didn't want to lose him. However, today Burke was feeling bolder. He was still old, and wouldn't roam too far from the Caldera. He knew he wouldn't survive.

With his creaking walk he stepped over the border and towards the meadow, he once saw as BFW hunting grounds. He knew the paths on the other side of the large plains. This side was more unfamiliar to him. Burke raised his docked tail to boost his own confidence. Once he was half a mile on the meadow the male felt worn. He cursed this elderly body and stopped by a small creek, a very small stream. Perhaps, this was how far he would go. He had his thrill.

Coyotes had sadly never seen much kindness come from Damien, or actually Blackfeather Woods as a whole. And still they kept coming back for more. It was as though there was something within the forest that they wanted, something bigger than just an "easy" meal or a joy ride through the darkness, but Damien wasn't putting up with it.

Each time he got a chance to chase or kill one of those mutts away he took it, and that bright summer morning was one of those times. Damien rushed past the borders behind the creature, growing closer to it's tail as they grew further away from Blackfeather Woods, and before he realized it he was gnawing on a freshly-beheaded coyote's bones miles away from Blackfeather Woods.

That was when Damien found the trail. It was faint and hard to catch for the un-trained nose, but Damien knew he was not imagining things. It was Burke's scent and it lead to a creek to the south-west. Damien rushed to it dying to confirm his senses, and soon enough he found a grey figure lapping at the creek. He seemed oblivious to Damien's presence, for he stayed there, hidden in between flowers and tall grass long enough, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't find the strength nor the drive to do what he had wanted to do so long ago. No matter how much he still wanted it, he couldn't find the strength to kill his father.

Burke's senses had been dulled down by his older age especially, his nose was one that was degrading quickly. The male's eyes were still surprisingly keen, his ears could be better. As the male took his break and lapped water from the creek the male was quite oblivious to the one that was watching him. The dark fur in his face had whitened. Burke looked old compared to how he looked when he fled from Black Feather.

His pale eyes looked up and scanned over what he could see. He didn't spot the other wolf until he turned and a gust of wind betrayed his watcher. Burke stiffened. His ears perked up and he tried to spot the other. Annoyance instantly came over him, his ears flattening to show. Though, deep under that annoyance, his heart was starting to race. He didn't want to give the other the satisfaction of seeing his mild panic though.

Burke kept his mask on, puffed out his chest. "Damien," he called out. These could be his last moments alive. He wanted to sneer at him, but he still didn't know the other's exact location so that could be risky. Burke rather not wanted to die today even though he cursed on his elderly body at times. "You can come out now. No need to hide," he stated. He was prepared for anything.

The dark stalker was so caught up in memories and the fight with himself that he didn't realize he was downwind towards towards the older male. Though he was stiff like a gargoyle, Damien couldn't quite control his odor as much as he'd give for it, and sooner rather than later this mortal-wide flaw betrayed him.

Damien's heart skipped a beat when Burke called him out. His muscles tensed as though he was under attack and his hackles raised in an instinctive act of defense. He wasn't sure whether Burke would go for him, nor was he aware of how old the male was now. But after a few seconds of silence and stillness Damien realized that he was not really against any danger.

He rose slowly, the wind still blowing down on him, as he fully disclosed his position a few yards across the creek up a small hill, and from there he descended at the slowest pace possible with his head low, faced always against the grey beast without a single blink.

I almost thought I'd never see you again, he admitted in a low voice that wasn't quite - but danced dangerously close to a growl as he stopped at a safe distance from Burke. There he realized how long ago they'd seen each other last. Burke was a greying elder, tired and worn. If he hadn't been able to kill him before, out of respect he wouldn't be able to even touch him now.

It was quiet after he called the other out. The male wondered if the other was going to attack him. He kept his senses as alert as he could. Burke was soon after met with the dark shadow that was Damien. He slowly approached, which, annoyed the elder male. However, on the other hand, he was glad that the dark male didn't charge at him. Burke kept his stature and seeing that the other stopped at a safe distance. His racing heart started to calm down. Damien gave him a respectable distance, which meant that there was probably not going to be a conflict. Interesting. Burke really thought for a moment he would be finished.

"I was pretty certain I would never see you again, certain it would be my death," he pointed out. In fact, he tried to stay far away from Black Feather and Damien for a long time. Damien was full grown now, he had grown out of his gangly ways. He had become bulkier in his eyes, while he himself had been decreasing. It seemed matters of the past lacked importance. It got the elderly male curious why Damien would not kill him. Perhaps he would never find out. He could smell Damien was still at Black Feather because of his scent. Burke's scent, on the other hand, must have been confusing. He had never been good friends with the caldera wolves. However, there was one familiar scent for Damien in his fur, Malice.

Burke's pale eyes looked at the wolf that he once saw as his own son. He wished Sebastian had been more like Damien, now, he was rather pleased that Sebastian wasn't anything like Damien. "You are still at Black Feather," he pointed out the obvious, kind of wanting to gain more information.