The Tomb of the Forest

Kisu looked around as he stopped near the entrance of the crowded forest. He tilted his head into the air, the familiar scent of rain touching his nose. The sky was mostly grey, something he felt lifted his spirits rather than hindered them.

Moving into the trees, the overcast sky was immediately blocked from his view. The evergreens swayed slowly in the wind, the moss on their trunks sticking its ground. The grey wolf felt like he was meeting the sister of Blackfoot Forest; she was a bit unsettling, but not as much as hearing the shrieks and being shoved into the pitch-black of the other forest that was miles away.

He moved slowly, his shoulder blades poking his fur upward as he sniffed the ground. Another wolf was near. Kisu wound his head around, looking for any physical markings. He wasn't necessarily in a grumpy mood, but preferred to be alone at the moment. It didn't seem as if that would last long, though, as he heard something move in the brush nearby. His silvery-goldenrod eyes stuck to the direction the noise had come from, waiting for the creature to show herself.

She came, and she went. Tonravik noted the other wolf in a manner that was hardly duly; while her eyes struck his figure for a brief instant, there was nothing more that she did to acknowledge him. She could not tell that he did not want to be bothered, but she attributed others to herself sometimes, and she for certain did not. She was scouting for prey, far more important than scouting for wolves that would not offer their service. Perhaps he would have, and perhaps he might; but she would not waste his time, as she hoped he would not waste hers.

Strong, able limbs carried her forward into the coniferous lands. She sought any herd, big or small, but as of yet one could not be found. The alpha knew there was one nearby; she could see it in the tufts of fur here and there (although they were few and far between). There was recent markings of their own as well, which could not be ignored. And so she would continue to look.

His eyes connected with her, but only for a moment. He noted the deep brown orbs and dark fur, along with the ease she walked with. She didn't bother with him, though, and seemed distracted by something else.

Hunger panged in his stomach and seemed to move throughout his body. He cursed inwardly, narrowing his brow in frustration. Kisu stood cautiously for a moment before moving forward, in the direction of the she-wolf that had left him be.

--

He crouched into the brush, stalking the prey from afar. Maybe the black wolf was also searching for food, but this was his to capture and feast upon. He moved forward slowly, pulling in closer to the beast.

A sound. It was a single sound, but the sound was one only prey could make. The bear of a wolf froze, and turned; she had not gone too terribly far, and it would seem the other had heard it too, for they were at the ready. Tonravik was immediate in her decision to turn, to head toward him; her plan to not interact with him whatsoever had changed as the wind might, but such was life.

She was low, but not too low; she did not want to frighten whatever quarry he had found. She drew nearer to him, though kept a comfortable distance so as to not invade his space. Her intent was naturally to distract, but she had no desire to take what he had found (though, given her status as a pack wolf, never mind its leader, there was a large chance that she could if she so desired to). Her body language would communicate that. They could not read minds, but as all wolves could, they could read bodies. A low rumble was emitted, to summon his attentions, and then her head moves left and right in a slow manner. No.

If there was one, there would be more. It would be a waste to take one down to lose them all; the quarry he had spotted would inevitably lead them to a herd.

The grey wolf side-glanced toward the black female from before at her summons. Before he turned his attention back, he saw the shake of her head. Obviously she was hunting for a pack, but that was of no concern to him--he was a lone wolf, and needed only to aid himself. But, she did not intrude on his catch, nor seemed to desire to take the prey from him, so he complied.

They would follow the meal together, then. To its herd.

His respect for her motions made her think of him differently. Most lone wolves were dense and impulsive. Most would not be welcomed within the realms of her lands. And then there were few that survived for a length of time. Ultimately, if they did not join a pack—particularly with the season Winter approaching—they died; it caused no ache in the heart of Tonravik, who only cared for her pack mates. Only those that ran with her mattered. All others were not her concern, unless what they did affected her (be it inadvertent or otherwise).

Tonravik reclined onto her haunches, casting her dark gaze to the grazing prey. It would likely not move for a while yet; either it would join its herd as day approached in the copse its brethren rested in, or it would continue to graze and sate its appetite. It looked healthy, and its size enabled her to know it was a female. Had it been alone for a while, she imagined it might have been hungrier. Of course, she did not know it all; perhaps it lingered because it was a gluttonous beast that wanted the rest of the land to itself. In time, they would see.

Kisu noted that the black female had relaxed as he looked over to her and relaxed himself. The prey was lingering. He never thought too hard on what sex the animals were, just that, in the end, they were a meal.

He started a fraction when the beast suddenly turned and skipped a few feet. The grey wolf slinked down and followed quietly behind. A few minutes later, when he began to relax again, the creature skipped a few more feet, paused, and kept going. They would have to move quickly, but silently, in order to keep up. He glanced over to the raven-colored female.

As the animal moved, Tonravik lingered an instant longer than the silver male did. She imagined it might look back, or become anxious that its own movement might entice a hungry beast. It did not. She waited even still, and followed slowly behind it, shoulder blades rolling as her head swayed left and right.

There they were. She moved toward the brush that the male was at and lingered there, prepared to wait until the creature moved again. Tonravik looked it over. Truly, their prey was in full health. Tonravik had no ideas of hunting this particular creature unless the entirety of her pack was there to bring it down. She was not so sure that the lone wolf would be able to hunt well with her as of this very moment given his time of solitude, but instinct was inherent. More than that was his own potential hunger or low health that might lead to rash decisions. The wolf was apparently a good tracker, but that said nothing of his hunting abilities. They were two different territories.

Perhaps he needed a pack. Or maybe he was uninterested. Tonravik's idle thought did not break her concentration on their prey, which began to move again. She imagined that in time, they would find that out, too.

Kisu could see the edge of a mountain forming as the creature skipped around in its odd pattern. He was becoming impatient. If the black she-wolf had not appeared, he would have stalked and taken out the animal within a small time-frame; but, here he was, following the beast to an unknown destination.

The grey wolf almost gave up on waiting when he smelled more of its kind. A lot more. He craned his neck to the raven-colored female that was near, and then peered where the scent was coming from. He couldn't yet see the herd, but he knew they were near. The prey seemed suddenly startled and hopped off in the direction of her family and friends. Kisu smiled at the dark one, and sped off in a low crouch. They would both feast soon; Kisu had no intentions of only scouting today.