First Meeting [Open]

[Lynker]

A big black wolf crouched low to the ground, hidden amongst a cluster of ferns. His glittering green eyes were focused on a young deer. He was going to catch it. He was. He’d show Curse who could hunt! Lynker was tired of fish. He didn’t like having to rely on the young bear for his meals. And it wasn’t natural for a wolf to have a diet consisting of only fish. He wanted something substantial. The few rodents he’d managed to catch had been so skinny and weak that they must have been almost dying of starvation as well. He was almost tempted to try some of those strange plants that Curse kept eating, but knew that that would spell disaster for his digestive system.

Lynker’s tummy grumbled loudly, reminding him of the big meal he was about to catch. The deer had lifted its head at the unusual sound, suddenly aware of the danger but unable to pinpoint the location of the wolf. It flicked its tail: a useless warning to the other deer in the area, for they were long gone by now. Lynker bunched his muscles and leapt out of the undergrowth just as the deer decided that it was probably time to flee. He missed its flank by a claw length and struggled to regain his balance as he landed clumsily, nearly toppling over onto his side. The wolf skidded in the leaf litter, paws slipping on the slippery surface, as the deer bounded away. He raced to catch up, dodging through the trees faster than he could have ever imagined. As he leapt over a fallen tree he spotted the deer sprinting through a clear stretch of forest just ahead of him. He was gaining on it! Lynker’s paws thundered on the ground, each stride bring him closer and closer to his prey. He was going to get it! He was actually going to get it!

Suddenly, an ear-splitting roar split the relative quiet of the morning. Lynker skidded to a stop as he recognised his friend’s voice. The deer bounded gratefully away, forgotten by the petrified wolf, and soon disappeared into the shadows of the forest. The roar came again; this time a desperately frightened trying-to-be-threatening sound that chilled Lynker to the bone. His friend was in danger. The black wolf turned towards the mountains (the direction of the roar) and broke into a run.
He raced through the forest, no longer revelling in the feel of the wind rushing through his fur, no longer feeling the thrill of dodging so closely through the trees that their trunks brushed against him.

He finally arrived, panting, at the base of a steep cliff. The brown bear cub was cowering on the ground as he looked fearfully up into the sky. The wolf followed his friend's gaze but could see nothing there.
“Curse!” Lynker called out to his friend, and the bear turned to him with obvious relief. “Lynker! Lynker, it tried to kill me!” The cub stood up and began quickly trotting towards the wolf.
A spark of irritation stabbed at Lynker. “What tried to kill you? There’s nothing here!” he snapped “You idiot bear, you made me miss my kill! I almost had it! A nice plump deer for our dinner!”

Curse opened his mouth, probably to say something derogatory about Lynker’s hunting skills, but saw the fire blazing in the wolf’s eyes and coughed awkwardly instead. “Sorry Lynk-” his words were cut off as a flash of white streaked through the sky and Curse ducked back into his cowering position just as a hideously sharp talon slashed past his nose. Lynker jumped away in fright as the bird wheeled back up into the air to circle for another attack. A whistling screech pierced the air as the gyrfalcon began its dive.
“Get away from my hatchlings, you savage monsters!”

This time the bird hit its mark. Curse cried out in shock and pain as the bird latched its talons into his shoulder. It flapped its wings, trying to keep its balance on the bucking bear. Lynker rushed to his friend’s aid and batted at the falcon with his paws, until the bird finally released its grip.

The wolf firmly but gently pinned the big white bird to the ground with one paw as the bear moaned, checking his wounds. “Hey, hey, calm down, birdie.” Lynker said to the struggling creature “We’re not going to hurt you – or your hatchlings. See, look, we can’t even climb up that far”. It was true. The cliff was sheer vertical rock.
The gyrfalcon stopped flapping but narrowed her eyes, still suspicious. He could tell that the bird was a female because of her size. She was massive! Probably the biggest bird he’d ever seen.

She stared at him for a couple more seconds, then seemed to relax. “For one, my name is not Birdie. I am Astra" She paused, as if deciding something. "Look, I’m sorry that I reacted so harshly to your friend there but it’s a natural mother’s instinct to attack anything that comes anywhere near her nest, and I’ve had bad experience with bears in the past. Now, would you let me go so we can have a civilised conversation?”

It was Lynker’s turn to narrow his eyes doubtfully. “How do we know that you won’t come back and attack us again?” The bird – Astra, he reminded himself – rolled her eyes. “You’re no threat to my chicks. You can’t even climb up that far.” A smile twitched at the corner of her beak.

Hesitantly, he lifted his paw and she scrambled back up onto her feet. “That’s much better, thank you.” Astra said as she ruffled her wings “Now, if you’d excuse me, I’d better get back to my nest. Perhaps we will meet again sometime soon. If you ever need any help, just call me. I... want to make up for what I did today”.
The gyrfalcon nodded to Lynker, and then to Curse (who was still grumbling irritably), before she took off into the sky. Lynker watched in amazement until the white bird disappeared into a hole near the top of the cliff face.

He turned back to the bear cub. “Are you alright?” he inquired as he padded over to see if Astra had done any damage. “Yeah, fine. Just a scratch. But did you see that bird?! Ridiculous! First moment she was trying to kill us, then she suddenly became all peaceful and apologetic!”

Lynker had to agree with that. The ways of birds certainly were strange.


.

[accalia]

An almost white female trotted along escaping her previous incident with company that was not so friendly. Maybe I am supposed to be alone forever. Maybe I wasn't made for pack life. Maybe I'm a loner.
These thoughts gave her a heavy heart and she beginning to be depressed. She hung her head low and looked at the ground not looking where she was going.Ouch! she looked straight up at the tree she had just walked into. Great, just great. Now she was miserable and had a headache. What a great day this turned out to be. Sher emotions were building up inside and she was angry. Angry at packs and life and herself. But, she would never admit to that.

She walked on angrily. She had a low growl in her throat as she walked. Her thoughts were consuming her mind. All she could think about was how miserable that she was and how unfair life was and just when it seemed like it couldn't get any worse, she stumbled upon the funniest thing she had ever seen in her life time and possibly the funniest thing in any wolf's life time; a wolf, a bear cub and a bird. These three were arguing about something. The bird looked angry and aggressive at first but then she looked more relaxed, the wolf looked like the one who was trying to get the peace back between them all and the bear just looked scared. She continued watching these three until the bird flew away for whatever reason and the three became two. She laughed under her breath as the bear and the wolf continued talking. These two looked okay, although her judgment skills were not the best. She decided that she would walk over and say "hello." This could be another mistake but, she was desperate for a positive experience with someone. She wasn't expecting to be with this wolf or the bear for very long, just a simple conversation would satisfy her need although, more permanent contact with another wolf would be nice she figured that it wasn't going to happen. She was a loner, she is a loner. She knew that not many were looking for contact with other wolves but, she thought that maybe because this wolf was associating himself with a bear and a bird that maybe he wouldn't mind her presence.

She did not want to screw this up again. She howled so that she wouldn't startle to the black wolf. This howl was not long but it was clear and clean. By the looks of it this was a male and males have not been so kind to her. She wanted to make sure that she took every precaution to make sure this male wouldn't be aggressive towards her, and if he was, it would not be her fault.

She trotted over to the general area, keeping safe distance from him just in case she was wrong again and he was not so friendly. Her tail was relaxed as well as the rest of her body. This was an interesting wolf. He might be a little off, but interesting. He also looked hungry. Maybe this isn't a good time. She knew how she was when she was hungry and it wasn't pretty but it was already too late. She was already here.Hello, I couldn't help but notice the..um...conversation that you had with the bird and I thought that I would drop in an say hello. She wanted to keep things civil and polite. She didn't want any trouble with either the male or the bear, yet.

She stood casually, not really worrying about being attacked. These two seemed perfectly civil but, she knew that situations could turn easily so she searched again for an emergency exit just in case she needed it. Her emerald orbs tried to look as harmless and friendly as possible. She knew that she was socially awkward and would probably screw things up if she talked too much so she planned to have the conversation be short, unless of course this male was talkative. She waited for a response from either the black male or the bear cub or both.

[Lynker]

Lynker’s eyes snapped up at the sound of a short howl, and he quickly scanned the forest for the wolf that must be nearby. Sure enough, there she was, padding towards him. His eyes narrowed slightly, almost suspiciously, but he managed to stop himself from moving into an aggressive stance.
He didn’t like other wolves, but maybe this one would be okay. Surely not all wolves were bad – at least that arctic he’d spoken to before had seemed alright, if a little bit strange. And at least this wolf had howled, even though this part of the Oriens was not his territory.
She seemed wary of him too. She kept her distance from him, as if he could lash out at any moment. She’d better stay there… he grumbled to himself Don’t want that disgusting smell of wolf anywhere near me. He much preffered the scent of bear.

“Good morning ma’am” he returned her greeting with a polite nod, shooting a quick warning glare at Curse. The bear cub rolled his eyes as if to say “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t want to get my claws dirty on something so insignificant as a wolf. She’s all yours” Curse turned and ambled off towards the scraggly bushes at the base of the tall cliff to forage for food. His diet sure was strange – he mostly ate berries and roots, things that made Lynker sick to even think about.

The two wolves stood in silence for a while, neither seeming to be the one who would start the conversation. Lynker had done his part, by replying to the other wolf’s hello, so he didn’t see why he had to do anything else. He was a naturally shy wolf, when it came to talking to others of his own species, but he usually managed to disguise his discomfort with aggressiveness. Now, however, he was quiet. He could see the uneasiness in the other wolf, and didn’t want to frighten her away unnecessarily, especially since the Zaor Forest wasn’t officially part of his territory.

But finally the silence between the two became a little too awkward for Lynker’s liking, so he coughed, preparing to speak. “Well then… I suppose we should introduce ourselves... I am called Lynker, and that bear over there is Curse. The bird you saw us talking to before was Astra, but I don't really know her. We only just met, you see. And you are…?”

It seemed as if the black arctic was trying to fit everything he might want to say into one lot of speech, so that he could resume his peaceful quietness. Sure, if the other spoke, he would be glad to speak back, but he was no good at starting normal conversations. And who knew, she might not even want to talk to him. His voice held the thick accent of a bear, so he wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t fully understand everything he said. She should be able to at least get the general gist of it though.

Lynker absently scratched at the ground with one of his massive paws, not bothering to hide his unusually long and sharp claws. He was an extraordinarily bear-like wolf, having been raised by Curse’s family since he was very very young. Maybe it would be nice to have a little chat with someone of his own species.


.

[accalia]

As the female approached she decided to stay a good distance away from the strange black wolf. He was an Arctic by the looks of it but, oddly he also looked kind of like a bear. His age was uncertain. He looked about her size, give or take about 5 pounds. He looked like a wolf, walked like a wolf but smelled like a bear and spoke with a heavy accent. Is he a bear or a wolf? bears eat wolves don't they? He looked suspicious of her just as she was suspicious of him so she stayed a good distance away to not offend his personal space or get that bear smell on her. His bear companion seemed to say something to him and then walked away. She wanted to ask what he had said but it was really none of her business. At this time the male chose to speak. He was friendly or at least seemly friendly. She slightly wagged her tail, excited that at least one wolf would be nice to her. When the black male spoke his name, it sounded odd to her.Linker hmm that is an interesting name. She thought about this for a short second wondering if that was his mother-given name or the name that the bears gave him but she decided that it really didn't matter. His name was his name. After sanding here with him the smell of bear didn't bother her quite so much any more. She still did not want to get closer to him but the smell wasn't so bad.Hello Lynker. I'm Accalia. She figured out from the last run-in she had with wolves not to speak to much but she thought it would be awkward to just stop talking after introducing herself so she continued. She wanted to ask about how he came to living with bears but yet again, it was none of her business. I hope I didn't startle you with my abrupt entrance and I apologize if I offended your friend, Curse is it? I'm not familiar with they way of bears so If I did something to upset him I'm terribly sorry. At this point she realized that she was actually apologizing for something. She had never apologized for anything, especially things she did not know she even did. Desperation does crazy things. She decided that if she said anything more that he would be annoyed with her for talking so much. She waited for him to respond, if he would respond. Had she said enough to continue a conversation? she hoped that she did.

Her eyes were still light from her surprise of a friendly wolf and a male at that. She noticed while Lynker was pawing at the ground that his paws were bear like, his claws were long like a bear's paws. His hind legs were like a bear's as well. Is this a bear or a wolf? she wondered again. This " Lynker" was very interesting to her. He looked like an odd fellow, someone she might possibly get along with.

She was beginning to hope that this conversation would last a little longer than she first thought it would. The female was not really looking for a mate or love although, those things would be nice. She wasn't expecting it. The female was looking for maybe a friend or at least someone who didn't hate her. She kept her body language calm and friendly. She carried her tail low, still wagging slightly but nothing extremely noticeable. Her face carried a small wolfy smile. She was happy that this meeting had gone better than she imagined but she didn't want to look too happy and come on to him too strongly. The female did not want to scare away the one wolf who has actually showed her kindness. She waited for Lynker's response and hoped it was a good one.

[loop]

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[atrb=background,http://i43.tinypic.com/296dk40.jpg] His large brown eyes stared at the ground before his face. Was he still asleep? Or had he finally woken up? Standing Loop stretched his body and glanced around, his eyes catching on a hollow log. ‘I bet you can’t fit through that.’ He turned his head to see a small puppy gazing at him. Grinning he replied, “I bet I can. I totally will!” He laughed and bounded forward to where the log sat. Getting as low as he could he began to crawl through the opening when he heard it. A loud rumbling as if a herd of deer where running by. He heard the hooves of one hit right before the log and jump over it. Cringing in fear he hurried himself out of the log and glanced around. He saw the trail of dust they left behind. Lowering his head and going into hunting mode he began to see where they came from. Something had to have frightened them which meant there was a successful wolf nearby who would leave part of a carcass behind for any loners wandering by. His orbs searched hungrily for the place where the deer had once been. The dust finally settled after a few seconds so the trail of where they had been was gone. Loop’s tail twitched into a playful mode of swaying back and forth until he commanded it to focus in on the hunt. Maybe there was an injured deer the wolf hadn’t caught but the brute could. Hearing the thud of feet close to his position he turned to try and find it. A cry of need came from the distance. Sounding like a bear Loop turned to run away when he saw a blur of brown and black through the trees. The black blur turned and ran towards the cry of help while Loop decided to pick up where the other hunter had left off. The deer darted past him just as Loop managed to put his teeth into the meal. Tearing off only a little skin he growled and took chase of the beast. Twisting throughout the trees they went, making circles and figure eights as the deer frantically tried to find the rest of its family. Laughing to himself he knew this chase was real. Getting closer, the Mexican Wolf tried to cut the tiring deer off and take another bite but only missed by a few inches. Growling again he continued chase, trying to leap on the food at any given chance. The brute could feel his bones getting tired from the hunt, but he could also feel the deer struggling with the same problem. Bursting into a clearing he tried to gain some speed but couldn’t find the strength to. Weaving back into the trees the duo went. Praying for it to end Loop could see that the deer was beginning to run awkwardly because of the bite in his leg. Smiling Loop somehow renewed some of his strength to just not give in. He could see that the deer was heading toward a tall looming cliff as the trees began to thin some. Focusing in on the last few seconds of the hunt the brute had only one hope, corner the deer. Growling from hunger and frustration he noticed something over the deer’s shoulder… Predators. Words: 555 Muse: Human ^^ Notes: I thought I’d come in and give the hungry some food :] Hope you don’t mind

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[Lynker]

Accalia. A smooth gentle sounding name, which did in fact seem to suit her. Lynker smiled, having no clue what else to do. He did not understand the strange social politics of wolves.
Luckily, the other wolf spoke again, and he found himself able to answer.

“No, no, you didn’t upset my friend. He’s just like that sometimes” he reassured her. "And you’re better than most. A lot of wolves don’t even howl when they enter pack lands, let alone when they just meet a simple loner like me. This is my home, but I don’t lay claim to it” He tipped his head to the side wondering whether to continue. Oh well, it won’t do any harm, will it? “I have thought about joining a pack… it might be an interesting experience… but I doubt that my lifestyle would fit well with theirs. After all, who likes a wolf who acts like a bear?”

Lynker laughed to himself. He was well aware that he was different to the rest of his species, but he didn’t really feel that bitter about it. He enjoyed his life with Curse, despite the bad diet. He supposed wolves weren’t too bad, but they were certainly very strange and he found it difficult to get along with them.

Curse suddenly gave a loud roar of alarm, and Lynker quickly turned to see what it was that the bear was afraid of. A deer was running towards them, followed by yet another wolf. It looked very tired, tripping and stumbling now and then as it was chased towards the cliff face, where it would be trapped between the three wolves (and the frightened bear, although he probably wasn’t going to be much help).

Lynker rushed towards the deer, trying to block its escape route. When he was in position, he raised himself onto his hind legs and waved his clawed paws in the air, trying to seem big and threatening. If the deer was dumb enough to come close, he would leap on it, but his aim was to get it to change direction and head straight into the paws of one of the other wolves, who would probably be much better at dealing with it than he was.

.

[accalia]

At the other wolf's smile, the she wolf saw fit to smile back. She noticed that his smile was a bit awkward and maybe he was unsure of what to do so she made sure her smile was warm and a bit more confident even though she was bit unsure as well. She was trying to make him feel more comfortable around her. She was beginning to like this wolf more and more the more time she spent with him. It was at this time that Lynker spoke. A relieved look came over her face when he had told her that she had not offended his friend. She was relived partly because she had been told from a young age that bears are dangerous and could easily kill a wolf which made her fearful of Curse and partly because if she had done something to upset the bear then he might be less friendly towards her. His voice was reassuring and comforting. It had been a long time since anyone had comforted her and it felt nice. She was trying hard not to become to attached to the big male because she knew that if she did then he could hurt her emotionally or physically for that matter. She knew that if she let her guard down and he happened to break down her walls then it would mean trouble for her but, it was getting harder and harder to do. A thought came into her head. I've already let my guard down. He is seeing a part of me that no one else has seen. What was it that made me do that? Maybe it the fact that he's been nice to me, maybe its my real self that just wanted to come out and chose him to come out to. I really dont know. I just hope I haven't made a mistake in letting him see the real me.

He spoke again. She was surprised at what he said. He was actually complimenting her. His compliment made her feel special, like she was different from other wolves in a good way. She had always thought that she was different in a bad way. This change was nice. She smiled again, but this smile was more unsure. She did not know how to respond to compliments because she was rarely given them. Lynker continued. This wolf was full of surprises, it kept her wanting to know more. She had always thought that all loners except for her had always wanted to be loners. I tried to join a pack but, they made it very clear that I was not welcome. I don't think that I would fit in well with pack life either. I can understand why they wouldn't want me. I dont blend very well with my surroundings and im not that great of a fighter so I would be more hurtful to a pack than helpful. I don't have any hard feelings towards them. She realized that she was talking a lot about herself so she changed topics and decided to respond to his question not knowing if it was rhetorical or not. I think it's fascinating how you act like a bear. It makes you special and different from everyone else. She wanted to make him feel like he had made her feel.

Suddenly a roar of alarm filled the area. She assumed that it was Curse because Lynker responded to it rather quickly. She too turned to see what all the commotion was about. Then, the smell of deer filled her nose. It smelled good and she had not eaten in a while. She looked to Lynker because he was familiar with this part of the island and he would know if the other wolf chasing it was okay. He was on his hind legs, something she had never seen a wolf do before. Maybe he was trying to scare it so the other wolf could get it but she really had not idea what he was doing. She decided that she would join in this hunt. She got low to the ground waiting for the other wolf to bring the deer closer and for Lynker to scare it or do whatever his plan was to do. The deer looked tired meaning the other wolf had probably been chasing it for a long time. This would be an easier hunt, not necessarily easy, but easier. She was waiting for the opportune time to jump of the deer to try to bring it down but with her smaller frame that would not be easy. She knew that her light coloring could give her away to the deer. She was not so equipped for any season other than winter when it came to blending. Her white fur with bluish tones gave her away almost every time so she stayed as low as possible to not frighten away the deer for the other two who must he be very hungry as well. How is this gonna work? I've never hunted in a group before..I hope these guys know what they are doing...I'll just follow their lead.

Words: approximately 902
Muse: eh not my best
other: I don't mind at all, the more the merrier

[loop]

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[atrb=background,http://i43.tinypic.com/296dk40.jpg] Unsure of what was going on before him with the other hunters, the brute decided it best to just keep running until he got a chance to attack or the deer fell to the ground dead. Laughing again as he knew there was success in the air the duo joined the predators and the final moments of the hunt began. He watched as the deer began to panic. It turned to see the wall and then around to see the wolf closing in the last remaining few inches. Then another turn to see a white wolf readying itself to lunge. Taking a deep breath of the scent of the wolves and the deer Loop could smell a hint of bear nearby. He hoped the larger predator wouldn't come to eat their kill. Noticing nearby his Timber wolf hunting buddy, the insane canine smiled. Lowering his body in a split second he lunged in the next just as the deer tried to jump and get away. This time, getting a rather good grip on the deer's body, he managed to bring it down. The hunter and prey both fell to the ground in a loud and painful thud. Growling he heard his friend call to him, 'Get him in the neck Loop! Kill him before he gets away!' Following his advice He moved before the beast could stand to the neck. Biting down he could feel the deer beginning to just give in to the thought of death. Unsure of what the other wolves were doing, or how close the bear was, he ended the deer's life. Raising his head he glanced up at the timber wolf. He grinned, "Finally got one for you." The wolf nodded and let out a little chuckle. 'You did good Loop! I thought you would never be able to hunt with the way you always act.' He tilted his head a little and smiled at his friend, "Of course I can hunt! I can't always have you get all the meals, can I? Maybe now you can finally stop following me around!" Loop laughed at this notion and walked over to the other wolf. 'No way, a little kill like that can't keep you alive! You'll be hunting four or five of those a day if that's all you can catch! At least you're doing better than the others over there. You can at least catch something no matter how small it is.' A twinkle entered his eyes for a moment as the Mexican wolf growled at his friend. "You don't even know those people! Get lost!" With that the timber wolf faded into the air, his memory vanishing. Turning around the male grinned at the other two wolves. "Sorry about my friend, he helps me hunt... He doesn't know how to act around others. My name's Loop, and you guys are?" He stepped forward back toward the deer and grinned eagerly at them. New friends, always such a joy! Words: 506 Muse: Non-existent Notes: The timber wolf is his memory.... so yes, he is talking aloud into thin air ^^ hehehe .............. Also, just skip me until I post again. Loop will probably be eating away so just play it as that ^^

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[accalia]

The white femme relaxed her body position and looked at the wolf that had brought down the kill all by himself. She sniffed the air to get a better idea of who the wolf was. This wolf was definitely a male, about 3 years old and by the looks of it he was a Mexican wolf. He said something about another wolf who was supposedly there. She didn't smell, see or hear any wolf other than Linker and this other wolf who called himself "Loop." She looked to see if she could find this other wolf but she didn't move from her spot. She found none. Maybe this other wolf was an imaginary friend to Loop. She had an imaginary friend once as a young pup so maybe it was an imaginary friend. She thought it was a bit odd that he still had one but hey, who was she to judge anyone. I'm Accalia she introduced herself to the strange wolf. She put a stress on the "A" and made a soft "C" sound so it sounded like an "S." If spelled phonically it would sound like Uh-say-lee-uh.

She turned her attention back to Lynker, still waiting for his response. Maybe she had spoken too much. She wondered if she would get a response at all.

She looked back at Loop and the smell of the kill filled her nose and she could almost taste it. She wanted so badly for him to invite her to share it with her but she knew if she asked or just walked over to it that he might respond negatively. She didn't want to stare or drool at the sight and smell of food so close to her so she looked back to Lynker.

((OOC: Sorry for the super short post..I wasn't sure if it was my turn or not so I didn't want to do something that would change the plot in case it wasn't.))

Words: 306
Muse: dead
Mood: Hungry
other: Sorry again for the short post and for the explanation on how to say her name..if I didn't I wouldn't have had enough words