The Wanderer in Pursuit ((Open))

[najira]

Through the thicket of the forest, a white whisper gallivanted on the path in the pursuit of a faint, but distinctive scent. The promise of whatever mammal had enticed her interest made her pace quicken into a steady run, claws digging further into the frosty soil to proppel herself forward with each extended stride, mouth open with fangs showing only slightly as she tasted the air with heavy breaths.
Her excitement of a possible meal had not been of irrational action however, she had not eaten for days say for a baby hare which she had snuffed out from its den a few days back. That had sustained her well-enough, but the temperature had been bitterly cold this past week, and without a pack to huddle next to or an insolated den, added with her hunger, the wolf had begun to feel the cold more than she used to, and her strength had started to falter because of it.
She had not dared to stay in the same den or whatever makeshift of the sort she could find more than once. The last thing she wanted to draw unwanted attention.

Having caught the scent a mile or so away, the stronger it became with her drawing nearer, the more eager she was, amber-brown eyes alert, ears directed forward and paws continuing to rip through the ground in her haste to draw herself closer to the site.
Though despite her impatience, upon drawing closer to strengthening scent, Najira forced herself to slow down to a brisk jog and further to a steady walk, heart beating fast through her chest and body quivering with adrenaline.
If she continued to be this loud, she could easily scare away the prey, which she had identified as a herd of Caribou on the outskirts of the forest.
However, this was not the only factor she was cautious of.
The reality of running into gypsies or a rogue, hostile pack of wolves restrained her need enough to charge in from her angled spot and give chase.
Luckily, the wind was blowing in her favour, framing her presence from the herd with her scent being blown in a North Easterly direction.

Signalling out the weakest of the prey, Najira carefully and slowly moved around the herd, still concealed by the forest to situate herself in the best possible place, white fur hidden in the shrubbery that she crouched behind.
Being of only a single wolf against a herd of roughly ten, the femme knew she was outmatched, and the likeliness of her catching a caribou, even the sickly, was slim if she did not plan and strike at the opportune moment.
She was riding her hopes on a successful surprise ambush, eyes transfixed on a doe, yet the slight sway of her tail from her suppressed excitement rustled the long grass beneath her, alerting a couple of the Caribrou which stopped their grazing and lifted their heads.
-Careful now, careful.- Najira thought to herself, becoming completely still as to lower the guard of the prey once more.

[Deleted]

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[atrb=background,http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z444/spottystar/casbgTWO.jpg] Things had been quiet in Shyia, not much that was going on. But, perhaps that was not such a bad thing. As they say, no news is good news, right? The more he thought about it, the more he agreed with that saying. He preferred it to be quiet and almost boring than to be uptight and worried because everything was going wrong. Quiet and almost boring sounded peaceful, even, compared to that logic. Life was actually going smoothly for him, and he didn't want to mess things up. If that meant living the quiet life, so be it. He had enough of the opposite in the short life he had lived so far. He was rather content. But, unbeknownst to the Valley brute, today would not be as quiet as all the other days, not as boring or uninteresting as his days with Airila had been so far. He was not out and about looking for trouble, oh, no. He was actually doing the opposite. He was attempting to teach himself to hunt, that way he would be worth something to his new family and he could contribute something other than sharp teeth and muscles. But, what he found was not prey at all. Well, there was a small herd of caribou in the distance, but no that was not what this brute had spied. Hiding from the herd, cautious and patient, was a small white femme. She look purely like an arctic wolf, a beautiful shade of white, and a small figure. But, Castien was on the larger side of the Valley wolves. She look fragile and petite to him. He did not speak or make his presence known right away, he did not want to startle her while she was concentrating, but she would not be able to take down a caribou all on her own. She he quietly made his way closer to her side, all signs of aggression nonexistent. He waited until he was only a couple yards away before, "Pssst. I hope you weren't planning on trying this yourself." his tone was kind, and playful. His body language saying he was willing to help. He stayed low to the ground and kept his voice at a whisper, as to not catch the attention of the victims and startle them away. A wolf must be really hungry if their going to such lengths and extremes to get food. He knew he probably should not offer without Toiro's consent, but he knew the alpha would be more than willing tohelp out the hungry fae. "Want some help?" He asked with a crooked grin. He could go for some excitement. Count --> 441 w. Muse --> decent :) Tags --> Najira Notes --> Everything looks good to me :)

[najira]

Of course the awareness of the sudden, silent approach of the male had shocked her into giving an involuntary shudder from his voice, but the wolf suppressed the immediate reaction to turn around in alarm and examine the Mackenzie for fear that she would startle an onlooking Caribou or, lose sight of the one she had signaled out.

A soft sway of her bushy tail signified to the larger that she was aware of his presence, hackles left as flat as her fur to show that she understood his arrival was not one of being a threat, her short ears flicking behind her to listen to his measured breathing and back forward at any alert of a moving hoof from her chosen prey.
She wasn't at all comfortable with having the sudden companion as close behind her with no knowledge on who he was, but, he had offered her his help, and she would be foolish to turn it down when she knew that the chances of her scoring were already slim enough.
Besides, no matter how hungry she was, this prey would satisfy the two plenty.

Recollecting herself through the silent air that followed, Najira began in a small whisper, eyes never leaving the herd.
'If you are offering to help so freely--then of course....You see that doe shy ten yards away?'
Najira gestured to the selected member with a slight tilt of her muzzle, body still rigid and ready for any sudden change in the game.
'I'm waiting for it to stray a little further from the herd. They must be aware that she is unwell because she's been kept company by two others for some time now. Seeming that they are remaining close to her, I think they have their suspicions that I'm here, which will make this harder than I had previously anticipated.'
Najira wasn't used to being left in such a position, especially since she no longer had the help of her pack to turn the game into their favour. This unexpected, friendly stranger would have to suffice, despite the pros and cons to what she currently faced.

[seadragoness]

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[bg=000000][atrb=background,http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff153/Lumarinam/kastiel-background.png] Ooc: I don’t see any mention of the time, so I’ll assume its day, hope no one minds me barging in here The sound of soft crunching beneath one’s paw steps made the subtlety of walking across the snow that little bit harder. Upon the clean white earth one could see the manner of existence in any such establishment, so long as they caught it soon enough in the early morning sun. With the trails of squirrels the tinniest indents until one would think a creature that partly flied would have been the one to create the erratic prints across the snow; only in part where paw-prints made. The tracks of deer where heavy across the land, so heavy in fact they moulded into one, a trail of freezing water to hint of fresh tracks where a herd had previously passed. The snow was fresh enough that for the wolf that took a moment to search its endless white they could read the past in part and know what had unfolded in their land. Soon, the sun would beat it from its shape and creatures would scurry across old tracks and bury them against their own, soon, nothing would be clear and all would be an endless puzzle. For now however, the clean cut of snow that had fallen just that night held wonders on its surface. So bright against the land as the morning sun washed against its back. As Kastiel, the beta to this pack took his steps into the day, the movement of the snow beneath him sparked like diamonds in the light. Flecks of gold mingled with the reflection of his own brown coat cast rainbows with each step he caught, broken like a fly’s vision as his feet cracked the harder, surface layer. It wasn’t the tracks in the snow that took him from his border patrol, it wasn’t the deer or squirrels or other forms of prey. The scent of a wolf that did not belong here, yet whose scent clearly drifted from inside the pack, that was reason enough to stop his current duties and start another. Someone had trespassed, and no howl had been issued from this stranger or a pack mate. Clearly, this wolf had no right to be here and still they remained. He moved until the trail stood upon the snow and the scent was clear and sharp before him. He crouched deeper into the snow, his dark coat barely a disguise but the trees thick enough to conceal him. He could see her now, crouching low and ready in grass not fully covered in a blanket. He stayed quite, unseen at a distance, a growl silent in his throat as he realised what she was doing. This stranger was hunting on their pack lands! This violated the rules in so many ways, undeclared and silent, sneaking across their borders and into their herds. Prey was hard enough this winter without loners stealing what they had and changing the patterns of the herds he so carefully watched. She turned and seemed to say something, but he heard nothing in the gently blowing wind, and he moved a slight step further to understand what was going on. That was when the beta saw it, a pack wolf of this territory was there as well. He also had not howled out to their Alpha, not only this but he stood beside her ready to help her take down the packs herds. What was going on here The Beta crept closer yet, on silent paws and ready stance, closer until he was right behind them, his voice was low enough to not be herd by the hers they watched, but sharp enough to help them understand the error in their ways. “ What Is going on here. You, you are a stranger in this land, and Castian, you are not. These herds belong to Airila, and you would help her commit this crime?” Then fell silent, ready to let the other to explain himself.

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[najira]

(OOC: No not at all!)
This time, Najira could not hold her composure.
At the sound of a new, unexpected arrival in their midsts, his disapproving tone not one of friendliness as the others' and with the added effect of his silent and sudden approach, the white femme reacted in the only way she sought fit.
With quick thinking in reply to this sudden threat, Najira whipped herself around to face the other with a low, hasty growl, ears flattened against her skull.
Her eyes large, incisors bared, and fur standing on end, her display was a mixed reaction of both her alarmed aggression and fear, evident in the way her tail was tucked between her legs and the angle of her body she had pressed against the ground from her chest up to unconsciously make herself seem less of a threat when she realised what she was doing two seconds too late.

The game had all but fled at the sound and ran at a break-neck speed, too fast for her to catch up if she was to do so now. The Arctic took a moment to look over her shoulder for a split-second with whimper of distaste and longing for the lost doe before she whipped her head back to the front, contemplating whether she should make a run for it or stand her ground and face the consequences.

This is exactly what she didn't want to happen.
She knew that being a lone wolf had its consequences, and, having being so desperately hungry, she had bit the bullet and tried to hunt down one of the dominant packs' herd. She was entirely in the wrong, and she knew that, but, she merely couldn't bring herself to calm down from her shocking fright that had lead her to be in this position.
She didn't suppose this wolf would accept pardon from her illicit activity. If she had of known that a pack was around these parts, then she would not have dared to try and hunt the Caribou so that she could avoid what was happening at this very moment.
It must had slipped her mind that she had crossed onto another's boundary in her haste to draw herself closer to that enticing scent.
This male had every right to be displeased.

This new addition in their midsts obviously knew the wolf that had offerred to help by how he addressed the other. He seemed to be of a higher ranking by how his angled eye looked down at the other in that same disapproval, and in his air showed a dominance Najira could not help but feel, hence her restraint at continuing to growl at him in her deeply uncomfortable state.