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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 18:51:39 GMT -8
As they got closer, Tenzin started to pick up the faint, stale scent of a badger family long gone. They must be coming up on the old burrow. Hai confirmed this, announcing their arrival, causing him to pause in his stride. He wasn't too worried about anyone else finding them- Hai was so kind to him, he couldn't imagine the other rogues were much worse. Careless, maybe, but not malicious. Even so, this clearly wasn't claimed territory, so no one could say that they were trespassing. Maybe he was being too carefree about it, but he didn't have anything to lose, and he could barely feed himself. Sometimes he wondered if letting himself return to mother nature faster would be more useful than ambling on uselessly. But his meditations helped him to understand that everything has purpose. Even him. Maybe he didn't know what it was yet, but all he had to do was give it time and more thought.
The female to his side nudged him towards the hole, stopping at the opening to allow him to crawl inside. It was a bit cramped, but somehow it made it more cozy. He hoped it would help keep in the warmth as well while he slept. Now that he thought about it, he was pretty tired.
Tenzin let out a long yawn and curled up, tucking his tail around him. He sighed and gave a little wiggle of comfort.
"Hai. I can't thank you enough for helping me out today. It's been a while since I've had another wolf around, and you're the first I've spoken to since my family, other than asking if anyone had seen them, of course." He gave another yawn. Sleep was dawning on him quickly. "I knew if I waited patiently some good karma would be bestowed on me." With that, he drifted off, quickly delving into a relaxed sleep, one not experienced in months.
@hai
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 23:18:58 GMT -8
ROGUE KNOX
Knox listened quietly, patiently as the male explained himself. Ebony ears flicked attentively and gave the appropriate amount of respect to Corvidae, even tho Knox did find the habit unattractive he would still be kind. “Well, It’s not that they taste good. It’s just that… I have to? If I don’t it feels like something terrible is going to happen, like all the prey will die, or there will be a huge storm. I know there’s no logic to it, I just have to. Honestly, I don’t really think about the taste!”
Something in Covidae’s words rang true within Knox’s own heart. Finally he wondered what happened to his normally hyper and active pace. He couldn’t remember the last time he just stood in one place like this, just, being, alive. Looking around momentarily, he absorbed what was happening around him. This was a rogue group, forming completely with rogues literally falling in front of them.
This was something akin to his first 3 months of pup hood. So many siblings ran around him that he couldn’t even understand where a sibling ended and he began. Always intertwined and falling over one another. Then each one was given away until he was the only one left. This was the first time since that moment that he has been around that many bodies.
And he loved it.
Smiling and turning his head, he looked out to the waves. The closest thing that could come to his home with his mother and father. Frozen bodies of water was what he was accompanied to in the winter and then harsh, wild water that tasted of salt in the summer.
This was slowly becoming home.
“I get that,” Knox finally answered, his orange eyes seeming to carry a new glint as he gazed at the other male. A genuine smile graced his face as he just watched and listened to the others talk back and forth.
Home, huh. I like that.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2018 6:11:33 GMT -8
Hai let out a tired, wolfish grin as he said those words, then looked back at the sky. "Good night, Tenzin. Sleep well, young wolf." She said, and the feeling of true tiredness overwhelmed her. Maybe sleep would be possible tonight. She curled into a tight ball and stared ahead, hoping they would be left alone for the night. Slowly, her eyes shut and darkness overwhelmed her.
Small black and silver paws scrambled in deep snow, a lemming jumping to escape quick jaws. It jumped into the air, hoping to confuse it's predator, but with a sickening crunch of fast reflexed jaws the creatures life was over. The small rodent hung in young Hai's jaws, limp and crushed. The yearling wagged her tail, proud of her catch, and turned trotting back towards her home clearing. She looked up, the sky becoming dark and pale stars appearing above the horizon. Hai stopped suddenly. Something was wrong. A strange smell hung in the air, like sulphur and she broke into a run. A high pitched bang rang through the air, and Hai slid to a stop, skidding on the slick snow and falling onto her side. The scent of blood and pain floated through the atmosphere, and fear crept up her spine. She didn't have to look closer to know her family was dead. On the ground in front of her lay scattered lumps of snow, drops of scarlett seemed to have rained down from the sky. Hai whimpered and crept forward on her belly, sadness overwhelming her. There in front of her was the strangest creature she had ever saw. Covering it's slender, clumsy body was tree colored fur, with bright orange over it. It had mud on it's face, and it stood on two legs. The creature seemed to wear the fur of it's prey, because underneath she could tell it was naked and hairless. It smelled of smoke and death, and beneath it's foot laid the black furred body of her father, and in a heap piled high was the rest of her family. He killed them all. Slowly the creature turned to look at her, and a shiny brown stick in it's hand was lifted to meet her gaze. It moved it's hand-
Hai woke up with a shock, looking around and panting, she was hot in her fur, shaking all over with fear. Great sadness overwhelmed her, the feelings of her dream returning. She pushed them away, looking around. The sun was rising, the early morning air was chilly. The sky was a streak of light orange and pale blue, the redish orange of the sun a crescent blinding light on the horizon. Hai turned around, looking into the darkness of the badger sett to look and see if her friend Tenzin was still there and asleep. Her back ached, and she felt as if she had only gotten a few minutes of sleep, but she knew she would not rest again for a long while.
@tenzin
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2018 12:18:47 GMT -8
Unlike his new companion, Tenzin's dreams were not wracked with nightmares. Instead, visions of his family in a far away place filled his mind, happy and plentiful despite the fact they were lacking a member. Tenzin was a bit young to be forced out of the pack, if his father were to do such a thing, but still they celebrated and meditated together and lost no sleep. They had faith their son was alive just like he knew they were alive. His grandfather was getting old, his spine arched with arthritis and hips plagued with dysplasia along with the fact that his sight was gone, but his family cared for him and fed him, ignoring the fact that he could no longer provide for the pack anything other than wisdom of a life long lived. Tenzin didn't know how his family got to be so far away, but he knew he still lived under the same sky as them, and from what he saw in his dreams, they knew the same.
While Hai awoke with a start, looking around cautiously to make sure no predators were around, the russet male would already be awake and alert, quietly meditating while he had the time. He had a feeling that new adventures were on the horizon and wanted to get in his meditation time whenever he could. He had a completely peaceful air about him, pleased now that he had had another dream of his family, the last one being over a month ago. When she went to check on him his ears would swivel towards her and his head would lift, a smile being presented to the ashen female.
"Good morning, Hai. How did you sleep? I slept very well for the first time in a long time, so I appreciate that." After a moment of thought, he piped back up. "If you were up on watch, i will gladly keep an ear out while you sleep."
He shook out his fur and stretched his limbs as he exited the sett, licking his lips dryly. He was pretty thirsty. He would have to sniff out some water soon, or eat some of the snow that lay around and hope he doesn't get a mouthful of twigs and dirt. If she would be sleeping, he wouldn't want to wake her up to ask for water. He was hungry, too, but that could wait. Hai had barely eaten anything yesterday, she should eat first.
@hai
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2018 12:36:52 GMT -8
Hai shook out her mottled fur, "No, I'm fine. I slept for a long time in a long time as well.... but it didn't do much for my mind. Terrors of the past stalk me. Are you thirsty?" She asked, seeing him lapping at his muzzle. Hai stood up stiffly, stretching out her paws and pushing her back out, her spine giving off two satisfying pops and she sighed in contentment. With her dreams gone and the sight of the rising sun around them, she felt better. She could tell Tenzin was calm, previously entranced in one of him rituals of stillness. Vaguely she wondered what exactly he did during those quiet times. Hai turned around, sniffing the air and feeling the chill along her legs.
@tenzin
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2018 14:18:30 GMT -8
It seemed she had a troubled past. It explained why she didn't have a pack to roam with. He sort of guessed most rogues had some kind of tragic backstory, while the rest were probably forced from their pack or chose to go on their own. He listened to her shake the sleep from her own coat, two pops of the spine causing a content sigh to escape her jowls. He listened to her sniffing the air, and he raised his head to do the same, feeling the chill in the air on his face. The rest of his woolly body was largely unaffected, used to colder weather up in the mountains. He maybe smelled another storm of snow on the horizon, but whether it was a sheet or a blanket he couldn't know. After all, he couldn't even tell if there were any clouds in the sky.
"I am pretty thirsty, actually. I was considering eating some snow, actually," he snickered, one creamy white paw reaching up to scratch at an ear. "Perhaps after some breakfast we can try to teach each other some things. Or maybe you can show me around, as you seem to know the area better than I do. Do you talk to any other wolves around here? I can smell a lot of different kinds of wolves. Back home I really only saw my kind, so I kind of wish I could see all the colors of wolves there are."
@hai
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2018 6:08:35 GMT -8
Hai looked at tenzin, "Yes, breakfast sounds like a wonderful idea. And there isn't much snow that is clean, but there's plenty of it melted. There's frost on the grass, if you want to lick that. Or we can go find a puddle. And if you want, I can describe my looks to you, but I haven't spoken to anyone else in a long time. The colors of wolves vary greatly here, from black, to white, to red like you, or rusty. Sometimes you will see odd things like us, but they are called dogs. They are a little like glorified coyotes, most are small, that I have seen anyways. Some, like me, are mottled with dull colors." She said, scanning the brightening landscape.
On the distance she could see the line of water, though she didn't know whether it was saltwater or fresh. She vaguely wondered if there were any easy fish in there, and at the thought of meat her stomach grumbled. "I would like to learn some things from you, though. I figure for a wolf wizened by the lack of sight you could show me many ways to observe other than by looking." Hai turned in a slow circle, looking for a puddle and searching the air for the scent of any animals. She could smell lemmings hidden in the ground, birds flitted above, out of reach, and farther off she could smell something small and furry..... pine martin, maybe? Perhaps otter?
@tenzin
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2018 8:34:27 GMT -8
The kind female who had very recently decided on becoming his help agreed on the notion of breakfast, informing him that at the moment there was mostly ice on the ground and a thin blanket of snow on top of that. He wasn't really in the mood for that kind of water. She offered to describe herself to him, teaching him of other kinds of animals that could seldom be seen around here. "Dogs," she called them. A few moments of silence followed, Tenzin taking that moment to sniff the air. There was definitely a lot of other animals around them, prey and predator alike.
When Hai spoke up again, she expressed her desire to learn something from him. He could hear her moving, but he didn't know what she was doing. Probably scanning the area for water and food. "I would be happy to teach you what I can. Life is a very harsh mistress, so it's important that we learn to accept the world as it is and find our own peace. One way I do that is through meditation. It is hard to let go of material wants and detach ourselves from the cycle of desire and envy and malicious intent, resulting in bad karma coming to us in life. It is even harder to accept things as they are and keep going even when you feel things aren't working. But even if it doesn't look like things are happening, they are. Inside yourself those things are changing the way you think and feel, and putting that energy into yourself puts that same energy back into the world. It takes patience above all else."
His stomach rumbled again, reminding him of how hungry and thirsty he was. He took a few steps in a circle, again licking his dry lips. His ears swiveled as they located where Hai was in relation to his new position, turning his head towards her. "Now, about that water..." He trailed off with a snicker, realizing the juxtaposition of his previous statement to the simplicity of this one.
@hai
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2018 8:47:05 GMT -8
Hai let off a wolfish grin, satisfied. She turned and swished her tail against him, "There is a puddle this way, and I think I smell something tasty around here too. After breakfast, how about you teach me to do this... meditation? And I will help you with catching food again." Hai started to walk North, after rubbing her side against the younger male to indicate the direction of travel. Soon in front of them opened up a great puddle of muddy water, and at the bottom tiny fish darted in and out of large rocks. Hai resisted the urge to snap at one, knowing they were too small to sate any hunger and to fast to be caught.
Hai bent and lapped up some of the earthy tasting liquid, the coldness stinging her tongue but helping nonetheless. She lifted her head, breathing out puffs of smoke and looking around at the water hole more closely. Around the edges of jutting rocks near the outline of the watering hole, a very thin layer of ice floated thinly, already beginning to melt in the mornings warming rays. The water glinted in the sunlight, pale and shiny, reflecting her eyes. She looked down into the water, at her own reflection, seeing how the lack of sleep has affected her over time. Her fur was matted from long travel and neglect, and she sat down and began to smooth the fur out of it's tangled and back into it's smooth and thick form.
@tenzin
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2018 9:45:01 GMT -8
With the brush of her side against his as she moved, he took steps in her direction, following the sound of her footsteps crunching through snow and sleet to find his way through the area. He knew they had arrived at a watering hole with the sound of small fish swishing through the water. As she craned her neck to lap at the water, he did the same, taking in gulps of freezing, satisfying water until his thirst was quenched. When he finally pulled away Hai had already finished and was cleaning herself, attempting to smooth and clean her fur as best as she could. It wasn't until that moment that Tenzin wondered if he looked scraggly and messy as well. It had been so long since he had seen himself that he completely forgot about licking himself or taking a dive into a lake to wash himself. He hadn't gone swimming since before he went blind, and truth be told he was a bit afraid of getting into water when he couldn't see what was underneath or around him, how far away the bank would be and what if he ended up in a river and the current is too strong and he fell off of a waterfall and died? Drowning was, in his opinion, one of the worst ways to die, the worst being burning alive.
He shook out his fur just in case his woolly coat was ruffled and let out a heavy sigh. The closed eyes of the wolf cracked open ever so slightly, just to see if anything invaded his long-gone vision. He saw white, indicating the light of the sun, but other than that there was nothing. No other colors, no discerning shapes. Those eyes closed again, only giving the faintest hint of the incredible hues of his irises underneath if she was looking hard enough. He raised his nose to the sky.
"Meditation later. For now, let's get something to eat. I'll even try to catch something for myself this time with your advice from yesterday. I'll stay close to the badger den so if you wanna travel a little ways out to find something a little more filling that's alright. Or, if you want to move to a new area completely to hunt we can do that too." With his suggestion, he angled his nose and ears towards the ground, the slightly melted snow making it easier for him to hear the rodents scurrying through tunnels underneath. Maybe he could really catch something for himself today, as long as he didn't miss the opening of the hole again.
@hai
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2018 12:08:24 GMT -8
Hai cocked her head, thinking. "Perhaps you should stay near the badger den, I don't want anything deciding that your looking like a whole meal." Hai chuckled a little. Only I can think that She thought. Standing up, she turned fully to her friend, "Do you know the way, or would you like me to walk you back to the den? I don't mind, it's not far if you need a lead. I know where I need to go, I can smell something off in the distance." Hai looked thoughtfully at the wolf. She was wondering what he saw, or if it was just darkness. Turning away, she felt a little bad for staring at him, hoping he hadn't felt her gaze.
@tenzin
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2018 18:57:23 GMT -8
At Hai's joking, he snuffed out a laugh, going ahead and taking her offer to lead him back to the old den just in case. As he tried his vision, he felt the female's eyes on him, staring, but he didn't mind. She just happened to see him in a vulnerable moment, but as he learned to let go of his inhibitions and shame, he didn't mind. He allowed her to show him the way back to the badger hole, quiet as he tried to track any movement below them in the ground.
When Hai would turn to leave him to do a proper hunt for herself, he would lift his head and offer her a peaceful smile. "Good luck. I'll be here, practicing. I hope you catch a juicy goat or happen to find a deer!" Oblivious to the fact that only his species was naturally adept at hunting larger animals alone, or the fact that goats may not even be here, he sent her off with his best wishes, warm puffs of air escaping his black nose in smoke only to dissipate a second later. It was really cold out, they must be getting into the brunt of winter soon. He would need to acquire a proper den, pack, or both pretty quickly. He barely fit in the badger den, if he was going to be settled in somewhere it should at the very least be big enough for him, and at the best big enough for a whole family. A nice medium would leave room for a mate, as Tenzin was becoming aware of his coming of age approaching, but as of right now he didn't feel any particularly strong adolescent feelings, especially not towards anyone in particular. He had just got a new friend yesterday, after all.
@hai
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2018 6:48:30 GMT -8
Hai trotted off, sniffing in the direction where she could faintly smell something fuzzy. His wishes of her to catch a large animal stuck with her, a warm set off, but she didn't know how to catch something that large. Maybe a goat, they weren't that big, but not a deer. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen a deer, regardless the last me she had eaten one. The mottled female stopped suddenly, her ash colored face set to the east and her ears pricked, and in the distance the water splashed gently against a rocky outcrops. On the shore, an lanky brown animal hopped, standing onto it hind legs and breaking something open in it's segmented paws, and eating something out of the middle. It dropped back to the ground, enthralled in it's process of cracking open some shelled creature and eating the insides.
Slowly, Hai crouched, slinking forward quietly. She watched everything around her at once, careful not the step on rocks or brittle driftwood in the sand, the grains beneath her paws sifting with no sound. Ten feet away now, the animal seemed to run out of shelled things to eat, and became alert. It turned it's creamy muzzle revealing it was an otter, a young one and bigger than the rabbit from the day before. It squealed, and jumped into the air. As it turned around and began to slide over the rocks, Hai took off at full speed, her paw pads scraping painfully on the rocks, but she was on task. The animal leaped off a rock, not high at all but the animal was small, and as it leapt so did she. She felt her jaws close of it's brown, sleek fur, and a shock of cold engulfed her body and she fell into the water, and she stood, the creature thrashing and hanging by it's leg in her muzzle. A sharp nip of pain ran through her face as the creature struck upward, landing a nip on her cheek with it's small, sharp teeth. In rage she shook her head, bringing the creature from side to side as she simultaneously crawled out of the shockingly cold water. It began to weaken, and in a flash she dropped it a quickly slammed her paw onto it's spine, closing her teeth around it's neck with a resounding crunch, and it was still.
Picking up the limp otter, Hai padded back to where her young friend was practicing his own hunting skills, the trip taking longer than expected, her pelt seeming to freeze to her, so cold from the water she had fallen into. and she dropped the limp animal at his feet. Her pelt was covered in a thin layer of frost, crystals glinting from the mottled hair in the sunlight. She shivered and shook the thick pelt out, pieces of ice flying in all directions. "Here you g-go....It decided to take me for a swim. It's an otter." Hai stammered.
@tenzin
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2018 8:36:58 GMT -8
Tenzin listened to the sounds of his new friend wandering away to look for food, and when she was out of earshot he turned his attention back to his surroundings. A few birds chirped, the majority of avians having made their way to the warmer southern areas of the world to survive the winter. Most rodents were hibernating along with some select predators, but aquatic life was alive and moving, unnerved by the change in temperature. A breeze made its way through the trees, brushing through his rusty fur. He sighed, concentrating on his hearing. He could hear distant thumping, the soft movement of a rabbit rooting for food. Too far and too fast for him to chase with his current accuracy issues. Then, his ears swiveled to the sound of close rustling. It was slow, ambling, something like a beaver or porcupine.
Did he dare go after something that could end up being a living cactus? The urgent rumbling in his stomach said yes. Shaking his shoulders to loosen his muscles, he crouched low, remembering his training from when he was a pup before he lost his sight. He crept towards the rustling, making sure his steps were light before putting his weight on them to make sure he wasn't going to crush any twigs or make a loud noise as he moved. He got closer, stopping dead in his tracks when the rustling would stop, assuming the creature would be scanning the area for predators.
When he felt like he was close enough, he waited an abnormally long amount of time in a pouncing position, tilting his head and swiveling his ears to get as accurate a positioning on the prey as he possibly could. Then, when said prey made another small movement, confirming his target spot to attack, he lept. Claws forward and teeth gnashing, Tenzin landed on top of something soft and furry. It wasn't a porcupine, so that was good. Thinking quickly, not wanting the animal to get away, he quickly bit at the animal several times, bones making sickening crunches with eat decisive bite. He had no clue where the animal's neck was, so he would just have to attack until it was dead. The animal had some fight in it, though, and the young male found himself being attacked in return with sharp, tiny teeth and gripping paws. He had no idea what he was fighting with, but the fox underneath him certainly knew the danger it was in.
It fought hard, but Tenzin's crunching snaps of his teeth proved fatal, and the masked creature gave up the fight as its life drained from its eyes. He could feel his muzzle scratched up and drenched with both his own blood and the blood of his prey, but he felt exhilarated. He had made his first kill! Gripping the creature in his jaws, he followed the scent back to where he figured the den was, and lay down to eat.
Just as he was finishing eating, pushing away the head and bones he hadn't eaten and licking his lips clean, Hai was returning from her hunt. She dropped the otter at his feet in offering, but he quickly pushed it back to her with his nose.
"Thank you, but this is your kill; you should eat it. I caught my own prey anyway! I have no idea what it was, but it really scratched me up and gave me a fight." He pointed in the direction of where he had tossed the remains of the small arctic fox proudly. "So don't worry about me, I've already had my fill. Go ahead and eat." He smiled warmly, wiping his claws in the snow, staining it red.
@hai
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2018 10:34:34 GMT -8
Hai's ears perk up in surprise, and her muzzle opened up in sheer joy. She could see by the bloodied and matted, but still intact, slender head that it was a fox at one point. "Oh wow, good job! We both got predators. Are you okay, though?" The mottled female asked, settling down with the limp creature between her paws, and began to tear into it. It tasted rich and fatty, and a lot like fish mixed with a martin. The meat was delicious, and quickly er hunger was sated as she gulped down the slender otter. Licking her muzzle, she stood slowly and picked up the remains, taking to to a slender, dying bush a few feet away from the den and burying it.
Hai turned back to Tenzin, sitting and looking over his fur for any wounds. She noticed his paws wiped blood into the snow, and she looked at the sky. In the distance, billowy white clouds rolled in from the distance, slowly making their way over the sky. She smelled snow, and knew that it would wonce again cover the land around them, and she noticed the chill setting into her moistened fur. She shook her fur again, small shards of ice hitting the ground silently around her and disappearing into the thin layer of dirty snow around them.
@tenzin
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