The Pack Lands

"Oh? Are you speaking with me?" Altair teased as he lightly bumped her.

"Oh of course not! I just happen to be talking to that splendid tree" she said with a sly smile. She laughed as he bumped into her lightly, nudging his shoulder playfully in return. "Ah, I see" she said, her tail wagging lightly. Her gaze drifted to the side, watching the grass's tint grow darker. She looked to the sky with a flick of her ear, the dark clouds succeeding in winning against the sun on this day.

"Oh of course not! I just happen to be talking to that splendid tree" she said with a sly smile. She laughed as he bumped into her lightly, nudging his shoulder playfully in return. "Ah, I see" she said, her tail wagging lightly.

As she nudged his shoulder, Altair jumped to the same direction.

"What's this? Are you getting stronger?" He laughed as he walked back to her. The brute sat down on the ground and cast his gaze to the sky. "Do you think it's going to rain?"

"Are you all right?"

Silver listened, her mind beginning to flick around the inside of her vocabulary for a well put together sentence. Was she alright? No. Not at all, but she did not want to say that for fear of seeming like a wimp. Scholars were not lazy, weak, or any of those. They were simply the ones whom used mind over muscles, well in her mind, at least. She sat down, feeling more comfortable and figuring if she was injured she had an entire den filled with members nearby.

"Alright? I do not have a good answer for that question. I no longer see even the light of day nor may I ever see friends or family again, but I am coping with these clouds that have taken permanent residence in my eyes, if that is what you mean. " She replied to him, her ears intent on their new interest, listening for any sounds of dominant posture or such.

"I am Josh, and I mean you, or anyone else, no harm. What do scholars do?"

"Well, considering I am the lead of such a rank I will brief you on what I believe Scholars are in this pack. Scholars are the more broadened rank, able to do anything from aiding other ranks to herbalism, keeping track of members, teaching the young, and just helping. We are the wolves whom use our brains more than muscle for tasks. I was once a Guardian but with my small size it was not too fitting. Once Scholar opened I dived into it without another thought. " She finished her words, hoping they had been as true as she felt they had.

"Silver Moonlight, Master Scholar, my friend. I can feel emotions through scent and hearing. What is making you so stressed?"

Adena blew a breath out through her nose. She decided not to react to the last comment. The fae's blindness could only allow her to do so much; she was restricted. This was a side of Adena that she had never explored, she was being sympathetic. "Nice to meet you Silver Moonlight," she said. Adena made sure to keep an eye on the male as he stood.

"I am Josh, and I mean you, or anyone else, no harm."

"That's good to hear," she said sharply. Then cleared her throat. "And pleased to meet you," she added quickly, softening her tone with hesitancy. "I'm Adena," the russet femme said to both of them. The fact that they had shared their names gave them some sort of association; they knew more of each other at least. When the male quickly cast her aside as he spoke with Silver Moonlight, Adena watched in silence as she gave her reply.

"Alright? I do not have a good answer for that question. I no longer see even the light of day nor may I ever see friends or family again, but I am coping with these clouds that have taken permanent residence in my eyes, if that is what you mean."

Adena tried to imagine what it would be like to not see what she saw every day. To be honest, she thought she'd go insane. She acknowledged that the fae was quite confident in her movements and admired the fact that she was accepting it, as far as she could see - or hear. As the two of them began a conversation about ranks, all Adena could do was stand and listen to Silver Moonlight speaking of a Scholar's responsibilities.

Silver turned, her heart beganing to yearn even stronger for what she thought was now her home. It seemed as if the memories of her deceased parents were pulling her, egging her on to the way home. She wished to see her siblings, their pups, and her children and live with them in her sister's pack, as it should be. Her gaze turned, and a strong determination shone in her eyes. It shimmered, and did not cease, for it continued glimmering in the depths of her blind eyes. Though she saw nothing, it was as if a clear path was lain before her and she could see the way without sight. She turned to face the two, bowing her head gracefully in goodbye.

"I am sorry that you both will never really meet me, but my family calls my heart like never before. " She said simply, a small excited smile appearing on her grey muzzle. Memories and images showed in her mind like never before.

She moved, sadness also hitting her as she remembered Falco. She did not wish to abandon him, so she ran through the forest, flashing like lightning between the trees. An unknown force seemed to guide her straight to his scent, and before she knew it she was embracing her mate with her head wrapped over his neck. She winced again as it dawned upon her that this would be her last time seeing him for a while.

"Falco. " She said, not waiting for him to answer. Blind eyes searched tirelessly for him, though they remained blind. "My family, my pups, my sister, my brother, and my deceased parents seem to call at my very heart. I am leaving here Falco, for my dreams of becoming a great member whom is appreciated and known for hard work and dedication is gone because of my imminent blindness. But, please, remember. I love you and always have, but I must live with them like it was destined for me as a pup. I will visit, seldom but it will happen, and I wish you the best in life from here on. Please, understand. I am sure you will find another, though I shall not. I love you Falco, never forget that. As well, I'm not Bayne. I'm not leaving to leave, I'm leaving to live with my family for the first time since I was three months old. " Silver said, her hug strengthening as she spoke. She then broke away, looking him in the eyes without sight once more before the fae disappeared like a ghost, flitting through the forest. A howl rose into the air, a howl of sorrow, excitement, goodbye, and the dawning of the live a wolf never had before.

"Let's go,"

Gale looked at Taru with surprise. He had thought she wouldn't have agreed and yet she had. Now, the fantasy that had been layed down in his mind cleared. It was no longer needed since all the thoughts that would be inside of his head were battle plans. Complex, intricate plans to seperate the elk from the herd and to take it down without injury. One plan stuck out from all the rest; the male descended the slope until he was alongside Taru once more.

"Seperating will take the longest; do feint attacks on the young if you are given the chance," he said as he watched the elk move in patterns to escape. They weren't running. Yet. "Do not do anything too risky; don't attack the young if a bull is standing near. We just need to get the bulk away from the injured one. After that, we will have to make sure it runs. If it stays stationary, we will not have any chance of catching it."

With that, the warrior tore off. His legs stretched in well known formations as he raced forth to the herd. A snarl erupted from his jaws which sent the elk into a frenzy. The instinct to flee and to protect their young conflicted heavily. The cows would race ahead before falling back again to make sure the baby elk didn't recieve any blows from the wolf's powerful jaws.

Gale's pace was just slower than the herd. At the moment, he was focused on keeping them moving. The only time he ran faster was to change the direction of the herd to keep them from bounding into the forest. If they managed to retreat in there, it would be a lost cause. Once they changed their fleeing movement by a few certain degrees, Gale would go behind once again. He was waiting for two different openings: He needed the injured elk to either slow down because of lack of energy or he would wait for a sight of a youngster. This attack on the herd would have to be carefully controlled; he would have to keep his bloodlust from rising.

For now, he just wanted to experience the thrill of the hunt and the rushing of adrenaline through his veins.

(:3)
Codex giggled slightly at her pun, and sighed. He looked out into the horizon. It was sparkled and dotted with tiny, silvery stars. The rusty brute smiled, as he heard something. He looked down, and Ice's silver-brown tail swished peacefully. He let out a slight smile, as he scooted a little closer to her. He felt something, as he went closer to her.

When Ice felt Codex scoot closer to her she felt a faint light headed feeling, a small warm smile crossed her muzzle, she felt a spark between herself and the male. Now that it was dark the moons light made the silver parts of her fur seem to glow, her green eyes seemed to glow brightly as well; the way her silver fur glimmered on her body was one reason she had been named BlackIce. After sitting like this for a while Ice spoke, "We should probably get back so the others don't think we got lost or something..." Ice looked at Codex awaiting his answer.

(Sorry for slow posting lately. I've been helping set up 4-h at the fair up in Washington, so if my posts seem delayed please forgive me. :) )

The brute smiled at her, and saw that Ice's markings began to glow and shine. He stared at her, until she knocked him out of his thoughts. "Oh, yeah, okay, let's go. Race ya there!" He said, smiling. He winked at her, as he jumped up and began to sprint back to the den. His long, lengthy legs stretched out, grabbing the ground and pulling it behind him. Codex continued running, the air pulling at the fur covering his face. His tail dragged behind him.

Gale kept a slower pace even as Taru passed him. While in his hunting mode, he needed to conserve his stamina. If it got too low he would start to make mistakes. Mistakes that could quickly turn fatal for one or even both wolves. His green eyes remained locked on the delta's form as she seperated the herd. He just needed a little break . . .

Like his mind had been read, the elk split apart and that allowed a gap to form between the herd and the target. Taru had done well to spread them apart; he felt admiration for the young wolf spread like fire in his veins before he rushed forth. His legs stretched to their extremities as he bared his canines in anticipation for the feel of flesh in his jaws. His paws dug into the ground in one last ditch effort to reach the elk.

Once he had, he nipped the creature's ankles. The rest of the herd could run away for all he cared but this one had to stay. Which it did. The elk stopped in its tracks and turned to face the male with a challenge in its eyes. His muscles ripped as he lowered himself in a crouch. He would need Taru's help for this. Some wolf would have to distract the elk and the other would have to make the killing blow.

Ice smiled back and when she saw him wink towards her she felt a wave of warmth flow over her. Then she launched herself forward, very literally, kicking off from her back feet and sent her whole body flying forward, like before she extended her strides making all her legs come up and off the ground; it didn't take long until she was running by Codex's side. As they drew closer to the den area she gave him a sly grin and again like before, launched herself forward and burst through the shrubbery, she skidded to a halt, just inches away from slamming into a tree. She let out a breath of relief at her perfect stop, then she noticed she had nearly rammed into what was her 'sleeping tree'. Finally exhaustion caught up with her as she let her body fall into the bed of pine needles and grass, it felt good to lay down after a big run, she shifted her green eyes up to Codex and said, "If you're too pooped to walk any further you can sleep here..." Something in her hoped he'd take up her invitation and besides it bested sleeping alone.

The brute skidded to a halt, not to far away from Ice. He heard her offer, and smiled. "I'd love too." He said, as he curled up next to her. The golden-striped brute curled up around her, smiling softly. "Good night." He said, in his most soothing voice as possible. The male rested his head next to her's, and slowly fell asleep.

Gale did not hesitate. As soon as Taru was off of the cow's back, he could feel his muscles ripple beneath his pelt as they coiled. He shot forward in the leap that he had been teaching to Cinnamon a while beforehand. All one hundred twenty pounds of force hit the elk from the front. His jaws locked in place on the animal's throat and he put six hundred pounds per square inch on its neck and therefore, he quickly broke through its coat and flesh before meeting the jugular. Blood spurted into his mouth; he let the elk go when he felt its body go slack.

Dead eyes stared at him but he turned away from the elk. His paws carried him back to Taru and he lay down to examine her wound. It was a deep and long gash therefore, the brute stretched his neck forward and gently cleaned some of the blood. It was then he realized what he was doing. Gale pushed himself backwards and jumped upright. This was none of his buisness. It was up to the fae to clean her wound and care for herself. After all, she wasn't a friend. Or was she?

"I apologize." He said softly as he cleared his throat. Something told him to ask her what was on his mind. "Taru, are we friends?"

The warrior closed his jaws and walked back over to the elk. Its body was still warm but was cooling quickly. If the temperature had been warmer as it had been earlier, the cow would still retain the heat. But if rain was on its way, the cow would soon decompose. That meant they would have to eat as much as they could.

"You don't have to answer that question if you don't want to." He spoke quietly as he circled their catch.

"I definitely think we are friends. What about you?"

Gale didn't bother to hide the surprise that lit his green eyes. Taru had seemed to struggle over what she should say and what she shouldn't. At first, he thought that she was about to either decline or simply not answer; he felt a thorn of disappointment plant itself in his chest. Once she replied positively, Gale felt himself brighten. The only friend he had was Altair but he hadn't seen much of the brute. To have yet another friend accepted into his tiny, almost non-existent world made it brighter.

"I believe so. I don't usually hunt with just anyone." Gale answered her question with a gentle laugh. He gestured to her wound. "Would you like for me to assist you in cleaning your injury?"

He may not be a healer but he would help his new found friend with her current physical ailment. His pawsteps led him back to the delta and he tilted his chin so he could look her right in the eyes. The colour of them reminded him of honey. But they were a little pale to be the bright gold of honey; could the be like honeycombs? This was a puzzle he would ponder over for a while.

Melic dragged herself across the dense scenery, feeling light headed yet cautious, since she was more than aware that danger may be lurking about. Her paws bashed against the ground with a hard force, causing the soft earth to break up into many small fragments. The female sighed as the fur on her back bristled up, due to the cold yet gentle breeze twisting around her pelt - she was fairly sensitive to the cold. Her eyes flickered, as she held a sense of saddness masked within them, as they seemed dim and lifeless, even though the sun was shining directly at them.

"Uh, another day..." Melic muttered to herself, as she swished her tail and rolled her eyes in an anti-clockwise motion, she wasn't in a very good mood, in the slightest, not even the nice weather and the cool breeze against her fur seemed to cheer her up.

The brute awoke from his slumber. Best sleep ever. He saw Ice sleeping peacefully next to him, as he smiled. He got up, trying not to disturb the fae, and padded off. New scents were being pelted at his nose, as he saw an unfamiliar wolf, however it was a safe bet he was part of the pack. Codex walked to the wolf(Gale) and said, "Hey there!"

Ice felt a smile pull at her lips just before fainting into a peaceful slumber, her mind happy that she was not attacked by her nightmares. When she felt Codex get up to apparently check out something, she merely cracked an eye to see where he headed, just then two scents hit her nose, Taru the delta and one of the guard, (Gale) who she had nearly clashed with before joining, Ice also smelled the scent of a fresh kill, it tempted her, she pondered if she should go, since she and Taru had had a small bicker, automatically Ice was on her paws, she muttered under her breath, "What happens in the past stays in the past..." With that she was off, it didn't take long to find them, Codex too, Ice gave a small glance to Taru, wanting to make an apology with the female. Then the bitter scent of blood made Ices nose flare open, her green eyes darted about until they set upon a gash on Tarus back leg, a small flash of worry sparked in Ices mind, however it was none of her business, thus she kept her mask of calmness pasted on her face. Ice didn't feel comfortable enough to speak her apology this minute, in fact her mind begun to idle over random thoughts. - As her thoughts passed, another part of her history flashed back into her mind, it angered her very much; not showing this in her expression she turned back to return to her pine needle bed without a word. Ice noticed that her paw was nearly healed, however she refrained from walking on it until she was positive enough to walk on it with part of her weight. Under the pine she sat and licked it a bit, then her mind was back in her past life, it was something that had always bothered Ice; who had been her father? This was something that always frustrated her, the only thing she knew about him was his name. For hours Ice sat still as a statue, her green eyes dull, showing that she was into deep thought.

"Hey there!"

A vicious snarl erupted from Gale's jaws as he leapt back. Codex had made the mistake of approaching the warrior from behind; Gale felt threatened. The warrior's hackles were raised and his lips pulled back far enough to exopse his teeth and gums. His legs were arrow straight and all the muscles locked. He didn't know this wolf and through the anger he didn't inhale the scent of the pack. All he knew was that this new male was a threat. To him and to Taru. Green eyes stared at the enemy of his mind with a cold light. His body clearly sent the message of what his jaws had yet to say: Get away.

When the next wolf approched, Gale's snarl deepened. No one could be sure if this was because of the blood haze that usually took control of one's mind or if it was simply because he still hated others. He only relaxed slightly when BlackIce departed but he kept a icy gaze on Codex. His long tail wasn't erect but it wasn't completely vertical to the ground either. So much hatred and anger burned in the depths of his eyes that it would faze many. His dark aura swirled around him as he stood his ground though he turned his body so Taru was behind him. What ever Codex did now would show Gale whether or not to let his fury fade.

[Lame..]