Chasing Shadows

[revan]

Soft paws made no sound as they carried the lithe black form through the forest, and yellow-green eyes narrowed in anticipation. Ears flattened to her skull, Revan sped through the cool night, glad that the day's heat had finally dissipated. While 85 degrees was not as bad a some places she'd been, she was sure that black fur attracted heat. In a way, Revan longed for winter. While it was true that food was scarcer, it was also the only time of year that Revan felt truly comfortable in her heavy, dark fur. There were times that she wondered if there was Arctic wolf in her breeding somewhere, as she preferred cool places to warm ones more often than not. Of course, there were times that she felt cold and needed warmth from outside, but those were few and far between.

A slight change in the scent she was following brought Revan out of her thoughts and called her attention back to the present. She slowed her pace to a slow walk as the scent strengthened. Her prey was close. Changing from a sedate walk to a stalking one, she crept to the edge of a small clearing. 'One advantage to dark fur,' she thought, sliding along on her belly through the tall grass at the clearing's edge, 'is that I don't shine like quicksilver when I'm in the moonlight.' She pitied light-colored wolves, sometimes, when their night hunts were spoiled by moonlight catching on their fur. Then she caught sight of her prey, and all other thoughts were driven from her mind. The scent had told her that the buck was old, past it's prime, and the tracks had told her that it was hampered by some old injury, but she still hadn't expected it to be so big. 'I'm going after this on my own?!?' she thought. 'I must be crazy.' But she had no pack to call on, so it appeared that she would indeed have to take the buck down alone.

Revan was about to strike, but a small sound off to one side caused her to halt. She froze as the buck came to alert. For a few heartbeats Revan held her breath, as the buck stared around. It was only after the buck snorted and went back to its grazing that Revan breathed again. She turned towards the spot where the noise had come from and silently made her way back to it....

[cyric]

Zyther, a buck just entering his adult years, traveled without his companion. As of late, the young buck was realizing that it was best to stay with his own kind. It was far less dangerous, yet he couldn’t completely give up his buddy. The other had been there for him when his mother had left and then long after that. His mother. Zyther had never found his mother. It was as if she had vanished into thin air leaving no trace, no hair, no hide, and no trail. When his thoughts turned to his mother, Zyther’s heart beat with pain. However, the young male refused to let it bring him down. He pushed forward both physically and mentally. Striding through the Xayar Forest, Zyther happened upon an older male. This was a white tailed deer and Zyther was a Red deer, but deer they were regardless.

The old and injured male turned up to gaze at Zyther with cold eyes. “Have you come to challenge me? I have no mate worth fighting for.”

The young Red deer gave a small, rueful smile. “No sir, of course not. I merely sought to share a meal with you. I find that food in good company tastes better.”

The other deer snorted and then laughed returning to his grazing with a sighed, “Very well, young one.”

Zyther smiled lightly and stepped forward to a greener patch of grass. The scent of wolf was in the area, but the buck was used to the smell. In fact, he hardly thought anything of it. This was Zyther’s character fault. For too long had he been in the presences of wolves. He had grown to care for them or rather one in particular. One day, it could very well be his downfall. The young buck had caught Revan’s interest by his sudden noise. The she wolf approached.

Out of no where a rumbling snarl shook the ground as a ginormous wolf crashed through the brush. The wolf lunged out of the foliage and came to a sliding halt in front of Zyther protecting him from the female wolf. The massive black wolf was a good fifteen inches taller than the she wolf. His body was almost calico like being comprised of three different colors; black, white, and red. The red was not a wolf’s typical brownish red, however. It was a crimson red akin to that of blood. The red areas were also fashioned in strange markings in the form of a spade, a club, a diamond, and a heart.

“This deer is not your dinner!” Crim snarled angrily with bristles fully extended. The moment Crim had rushed out of the brush, the elder deer had dashed away almost having a heart attack. No patch of green was worth his life. Zyther, unlike any other deer, stood where he was and watched the event calmly with alert ears. “Leave him be.” Crim growled with vividly yellow eyes flashing. Revan would not be feasting upon Zyther tonight. Unfortunately for Crim, the black brute had failed to realize that Zyther had not really been Reven’s intended target. But, she had been too close to the young buck. Crim had felt his friend’s life was in danger and thus decided to step in before it became too late.

“Is that necessary, Crim?” Zyther asked with a raised brow. Crim peered at the buck over his shoulder and gave a snort.

“Apparently it is since you can’t bloody look after yourself.” Now, it was Zyther’s turn to give a snort.

No doubt, Revan was very, very confused.

[revan]

Revan frowned as she watched the old deer bound away. There went her dinner; she wasn't about to try and take it now, not with it on alert and fleeing at it's top speed. Abandoning her stalking pose, she turned back to the young buck and the huge wolf that was protecting it. "Well, thanks for spoiling my hunt," she said sarcastically. "I'm not stupid," she continued, sitting down with a huff. "I know better than to go after a buck in it's prime on my own."

Revan was slightly afraid of the other wolf, as he was much larger than she was ever likely to get, but right now her annoyance was stronger than her fear, not to mention the fact that she had never let fear stop her, and she wasn't going to let it start now. She took the opportunity to observe the odd pair. A wolf that protected a deer, instead of going after it as prey. Sighing, she flopped to the ground staring morosely up at the others. "I tracked that buck for three days," she grumbled. "Three days." She gave herself a shake before settling down. Her anger had drained away, replaced by resignation; her ears drooped and her shoulders slumped a bit. "My name's Revan," she said, laying her head on her paws. "And you?"

[cyric]

At Revan’s reply, Crim stood to his height and then sat back upon his black haunches with his tail curling around his paws. “My apologizes, miss. It was not my intention to run off your dinner. I was simply protecting my friend.” His voice was soft and respectful but the bitterness wasn’t hidden well in Crim’s tone. He had a lot to be bitter about. Soon, she was telling him the story of how she had tracked the deer for three days. Crim allowed a heavy sigh to escape. “If it bugs you that much, miss, I’ll catch you a damn deer myself.” Annoyance. A tight frown tugged at the black wolf’s lips. Almost a year ago, no one would be able to recognize Crim from how his personality was. The only similarities between Past Crim and Present Crim were his looks. Big. Sleek. Red and black. Other than that, it was as if Crim was a completely different wolf.

Revan spoke her name and asked for his. Crim sighed again and stood to his paws shaking out some the winter fluff that still clung to his fur. “My name is Crim. That’s Zyther.” The massive brute’s cranium swung toward the deer. “Come on. We’ll hunt together. I haven’t had anything good to eat in a while.” The slight pronunciation of the brute’s ribs against his fur suggested he had not eaten well in quite some time. “I’ll meet you back at that pond we came across this morning.” The words were directed toward the Red Deer who nodded and bounded off in search for his own food.

Glancing over his shoulder, Crim peered at Revan to see if she was following, then continued forward with a slow pace. It was one that Revan could keep up with if she went into a light trot. “We’ll leave that old buck alone. Zyther doesn’t like it much when I go after a deer he’s talked to. This place is plentiful in game since there’s no pack to claim the good.” The brute put his nose to the ground and searched around for a moment until he caught the scent of a herd that led eastward and away from where the old buck had run off to.

[revan]

Revan got up, gave herself a shake, and fell into step behind Crim, content for the moment to let him lead. "Thank you," she said quietly, shifting her pace to an easy lope that would keep her level with the huge male. "I haven't had anyone to hunt with in a long time." In fact, apart from one or two other loners who had been willing to let her join them for a single hunt, Revan hadn't hunted with a group at all. Etiquette demanded that a loner never hunt when crossing claimed lands, and Revan had respected that. But there were times when she had watched a pack hunting together, teaching the cubs to follow the lead hunter, to run in the pawprints of the elders, to be a team and take down larger prey; watching those hunts had caused bitterness to rise inside Revan, a bitterness so bad it hurt. Half the time she would want to go back and tear her old alpha - the one who ordered her abandoned - to shreds, but she knew that would serve no purpose, and it would only get her killed. So she would slink away, and continue on her lonely journey.

Revan watched the red deer - Zyther - she reminded herself bound away, then turned her attention back to Crim. His physique was quite attractive, she caught herself admiring it, and was surprised by that. Giving herself a mental shake and reminding herself that now was not the time for that, she returned her attention to the here and now. Her curiosity had been roused. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you and Zyther come to be friends? It is a little out of the ordinary."

{Gah! Short post!! My muse sucks tonight! On a completely different note, the spellchecker wants to turn Zyther into Lather! LOL!}

[cyric]

"I haven't had anyone to hunt with in a long time."

These words echoed over and over again in Crim’s mind. Each time he heard them, his expression turned harder and colder so that by the time they faded away, Crim practically sneered with resentment while his eyes could almost freeze whatever he gazed at. “You’re not the only one,” he muttered in return leaving it just at that. How long had it been since he saw Ly or the others? Hell, Crim would even be thankful to see Tryn again! … He’d be grateful to see anyone of his kind again. A dark shadow passed over the brute’s countenance as he let loose a heavy sigh.

The pair walked in silence for a couple of moments. Then, Revan asked the million dollar question. “Didn’t take you long to ask. Never does.” Frowning, the black wolf continued pacing forward at a steady pace only occasionally stopping to make sure they were still on the trail. “I found the little guy as a baby. Something happened to his mother. I was just going to leave him, but the damn little bugger asked me to stay. Little babies are so hard to ignore.” Crim’s expression and tone looked harsh, but his words were so soft. Really, the big male was just a teddy bear who lost his way in life. Crim actually loved puppies. He used to act like one all the time. Not anymore, though. He could never go back to the way he was. Crim was forever changed.

A flash of light appeared up ahead signaling the end of the forest and the opening of a clearing. Slowing to a walk and then coming to a halt, Crim crouched close to the ground so that his belly kissed the dirt. Sniffing the trail before him, he realized that it was a lot fresher than he had anticipated. The herd was just up ahead no doubt grazing peacefully in the clearing. It was the perfect set up for the wolves and a bad decision for the deer. “Mind your step.” Crim growled deeply while picking his way slowly through the rest of the forest. When he was close enough, golden eyes observed a medium sized herd grazing. Several young were about, but Crim could no longer go after them. Would it ever reach the point where he could no longer hunt deer at all?

Gazing around while keeping himself downwind and hidden, the brute took note of a deer that stood further away from the group than the rest. Something may have been wrong with it, but Crim witnessed no external injuries. His gaze flickered to Revan’s and then to the deer. That would be their target. Next, he found Revan’s eyes again, locked on for a moment, then gestured to an area up to the right. He intended her to chase the deer toward him, but Crim couldn’t help but wonder if she would understand his meaning.

[revan]

Revan flinched at Crim's response. She had just been trying to be nice. Oh well, maybe it was a touchy subject. Come to think of it, in all of her travels, Revan had never seen a wolf quite like Crim before. What breed was he? Revan was going to ask, but thought better of it. Perhaps that was a touchy subject too. She listened to his explanation of his and Zyther's relationship and managed a small smile. "You have a better heart than my original alpha," she said softly, eyes blinking rapidly to keep tears away. She hoped Crim hadn't noticed, that would be embarrassing. Other than that, Revan had no other comments on the odd pairing. Sometimes two friends found each other, regardless of their physical shapes. It simply was, and that was that as far as Revan was concerned.

When Crim dropped to a crouch, Revan followed suit, creeping up beside him. Yellow-green eyes met golden as their gazes locked momentarily. Revan flicked her ears in acquiescence to Crim's silent direction, and slid silently out of sight, back into the deeper shadows of the trees. The wind had picked up and Revan was hard-pressed to keep herself downwind of the herd. She reached the point where the herd would catch her scent if she moved any farther to the right and paused.
Focusing on the target, Revan crouched and slowly crept closer. 'Here we go,' she thought.

Allowing a deep growl to echo through the trees around her, Revan sprang forward, leaping out of the cover of the trees in into the center of the clearing. The herd scattered, deer leaping in all directions to avoid the black predator that had appeared in their midst. Revan paid the larger part of the herd little heed, save to dodge hooves and/or antlers that swung toward her. The black female focused her attention on the buck that Crim had designated as their target. She chased it towards the spot where the huge male waited.

[lanny]

The forests of Xayar were dense and thick, complete with a lush undergrowth and splaying canopy. Patches of moss littered the rocks and trees, accenting the entire woodland with a semblance of life. It was almost as if the forest was closing in, draping random foliage on tree branches to reach down, and planting bushes and grasses to reach up, both of which closing in to form a trap of intricate green—a trap that could lock you in a eternal leafy labyrinth. The air was equally unsettling, a heavy humidity weighing it down and enveloping the forest in a hot blanket.

But among all this foliage and clamminess lay an Arctic wolf, slumbering among the bushes. Its chest rose and fell at a steady pace, and based on the dirt and grime staining its white coat, it had travelled far. Blood also marked its muzzle and front, though it was not blood of its own body, but rather, that of the unsuspecting little rabbit the wolf had chased down only hours earlier and gobbled up in record time. That characteristic grin across its muzzle could also be noted, and if one knew this wolf at all, they would immediately recognize that unforgettable expression—that expression that, even in sleep, he bore with pride.

Yes, if one knew this slumbering creature at all, they would almost instantaneously identify him as Lan, the wolf who had drifted away from his gypsy band for a time in a search of unfamiliar company, and was now making a pit stop in Xayar before ambling his way back to them. After all, he is sure they would be overjoyed to see his smiling face again. Everyone always was.

But, it looked like his little pit stop would be cut short, as it was rudely interrupted by the hooves of a bounding deer—which, I might add, landed dangerously close to Lan’s head. It had him awake in a jiffy, though, his body shooting upward like a freshly grown daisy as he watched the terrified animal that had nearly crushed his skull disappear into the labyrinth of trees behind him.

“The hell…?” he mumbled, sleep and confusion still fresh in his mind. However, before he was given much time to piece the situation together, more bewildered deer began bounding in his direction, their eyes wide with terror and tails high in warning. Lan watched, jaw agape and brow quirked as they followed the path of the previous deer.

But then, his confusion melted into a smile. He knew that there was only one thing that could make a group of deer so blind with terror—wolves.

Perhaps this pit stop would last a bit longer than expected after all.

Lan grinned in the darkness and moved in the direction the deer had bolted from. It was fairly easy for him to pick his way through the scrub, his pupils little slits in a pool of brown as his night vision kicked in, and before long, he located a break in the trees, in which shafts of moonlight leaked through the branches. As he peaked his head through these branches, Lan was expecting to find a scattering of pack wolves chasing down a buck in that field. Instead all he found to cause the commotion that awakened him was a lone black figure running toward the centre of the clearing, which left Lan puzzled for a moment. Only an extremely skilled or extremely idiotic hunter would chase down a full grown deer on their own.

But then he scented a male wolf close by, who was most likely concealing himself in the undergrowth as the other figure in the field herded a deer right toward his gaping jaws. Lan knew this because it was an efficient strategy he often employed when he wasn’t alone. However, it was only until Lan glanced toward his left that he realized just how close by this fellow male actually was. In fact, only a couple dozen metres separated them, and Lan decided to saunter his way over to this lone black figure.

But… as soon as he did so, he immediately regretted it. The figure had seemed so massive that it could perhaps be two wolves piled on top of one another, but as Lan grew close enough to view to the details, it was clear to him that this was indeed not the case, and that the frame of that shadowy figure from afar had been composed of not two, but one impossibly large wolf. This was an odd transition, as Lan was used to towering over most other wolves—or at least having a few inches on them—but hey, Lan wanted a change in company, and well, guess what he got? He never was the tallest wolf in the first place—the only difference now was that he knew that he wasn’t even close.

And anyway, nothing hindered Lan when he decided he wanted to spark up a conversation—not even the buck approaching with the other wolf at its heels. “Hankering for deer, huh?” he asked quietly, at the moment not attempting to frighten the two’s prey—surprisingly enough. He simply crouched parallel to Mr. Massive Wolf over here, observing as the other’s target came closer and closer, albeit without interest. “I had some deer meself not too long ago,” he quickly continued, not even appearing to care if his company was listening or not. After all, Lan often did talk just to hear his own voice. And, moreover, his words weren’t even true—Lan had a rabbit not too long ago, not a deer, though he had devoured his meal with such haste that the amount of blood staining his coat would most likely make his claim fairly convincing. All Lan wanted to do was flaunt his amazing hunting abilities, but there was nothing impressive about taking down a measly rabbit, and he instead wanted to make it seem as though he had taken down something much larger on his own, and a deer seemed like a sufficient candidate, considering how they were currently surrounded by them, some still blindly leaping to their left and right. And one racing right toward them thanks to that second wolf in the field. Again, Lan hardly seemed fazed. After all, he always chose the absolute worst times to generate conversation. “Yep, a nice big Red deer,” he added, only saying Red because he knew they were one of the larger deer that a wolf could realistically take down by their lonesome—albeit without great difficulty. But this was all a part of Lan’s tall tale used just to put himself onto an equally tall pedestal. Little did Lan know, however, that this wolf he currently shared a silence with had a trusty companion of the exact breed that Lan had specified, and he may be getting himself more than just the tall pedestal he intended.

But the targeted deer and fellow wolf had arrived well within striking distance now, and if the male didn’t make his move, before long their meal would be lost among the other terrified deer that bounded into the forest…



(OOC: Geh, sorry if I went a bit overboard).

[cyric]

Revan followed Crim’s directions to the T. She stayed down wind as best she could and headed off into the brush. The deer knew something was up. Occasionally, several members of the herd would lift their heads with wide, cautious eyes. However, seconds of silence would pass and they would continue with their grazing tails twitching nervously. Every time a member of the herd lifted its head, Crim held his breath waiting for them to spook and tear off in every which direction. Yet, it never happened. Or at least, it didn’t happen until Revan charged after the selected target.

Just before Revan did her part, however, a white object entered within Crim’s peripheral vision. Amazed at the sheer gall of this strange guy, Crim turned to stare at Lan with an open gaping maw. Crim gaped at the arctic wolf for a moment longer before turning away giving him an ‘Ooooooooooooooookay creeper’ look out of the corner of his eye. Who the hell just waltzed up beside a wolf during the middle of the hunt and just chatted away? Frowning, Crim cleared the other from his mind. Lan didn’t pose much of a threat so Crim was free to turn his attention back on the deer and ignore the new comer. Probably some sap looking for a free meal. Now the wolves were just trying to use him. It wasn’t enough to be afraid of him any more.

With a quick sigh, Crim grimaced at Lan who said something about having a deer earlier. Crim didn’t think it was likely. Again, he thought the other wolf was just looking for a meal provider and the massively large black and red brute fit the bill. Eyeing Lan with a displeased expression, the black wolf once again turned to the deer. Revan was almost ready now. She was in position and was about to charge.

“Yep, a nice big Red deer,”

[/i]

This caught Crim’s attention immediately. Turning his piercing yellow gaze upon Lan once more, Crim’s eyes narrowed to slits as he looked down upon the brute with a stern expression. No. It wasn’t possible for Lan to have taken out his Zyther. The two had hardly been away from one another… Still… All of the sudden, a bulk of brown entered the corner of his eye. Crim turned just in time to see the deer heading straight for him in a blind fit of fear. If he had been human, his face would have paled by several clearly visible tints. With wide eyes, Crim could only stand there as the deer collided with him striking him square in the chest. The two tumbled back end over end. Eventually, they were stopped by the large trunk of a tree. Everything was wrong. Up was down and down was up. Or was up left and down right? What did that make right and left?

Crim moaned loudly trying to get to his feet and scramble his bearings together before being kicked in the jaw as the struggling deer attempted to get back on its own feet to make a get away. Cross-eyed, Crim’s vision blackened, cleared up, and then blurred out. His head swayed from side to side. Having been in the process of getting to his feet, the large brute’s hindquarters fell back to the earth with a heavy thud. Now absolutely nothing made sense. Damn… you… you… bastard Crim incoherently thought to himself as he tried to regain some sibilance of balance and rational thought. So much for a meal.[/blockquote]

[revan]

Revan's eyes went very wide as she saw Crim fall. "No!" She leaped forward, all thought of food forgotten. Ignoring the last of the scattering deer, Revan sped to Crim's side, placing herself between the huge male and rest of the frightened herd. Small as she was, the sight of a bright-eyed, black furred wolf with hackles raised and teeth bared sent the deer fleeing from her, all but vanishing into the forest save for the noises of of their passing.

Once all was clear, Revan turned to Crim, full of concern. The huge male lay, unconscious and unmoving, near the trunk of a tree, blood streaming from a cut on the side of his head. A male Arctic wolf - white, as characteristic of that breed - stood off to one side; Revan thought he looked slightly amused. How could anything about this be amusing? Not that she really cared about that at the moment. Right now, all that mattered was finding out if Crim was alright. Despite having only met him a few hours before, Revan had felt a bit of a bond forming between them. She was not sure if Crim would return her feelings - an offer of friendship was all at this time, though it was true that Revan found Crim's physique quite attractive. Watching the huge male hunt had raised emotions in Revan that she had never felt before. Not that she would say anything. After all, Crim might have a mate, and, even if he didn't, who would want to mate with a runt? That fact had been made very clear to Revan early in her travels. During mating season, runts - male or female, it didn't seem to matter - were almost always left by the wayside.

Carefully keeping one ear focused on the white male, Revan knelt and gently licked the blood away from the cut on Crim's head. There was a small pool near the base of a tree a few feet away, and at its edge, Revan saw a familiar plant. Burdock! Revan pulled a few leaves from the plant, careful not to crush them, and pressed them to the cut on Crim's head. They stuck to the wound, forming an instant scab. Now that the cut had been tended to, Revan nudged Crim with one paw, trying to wake him. "Crim," she called softly."Come on Crim, you need to wake up."

[lanny]

When Lan set out to acquire someone’s undivided attention, he usually got it, as was clearly seen with this massive excuse for a wolf. The black male had directed his gaze away from the task at hand just to gawk at Lan—despite the dozens of deer that were hurdling their way—and Lan couldn’t help but grin. The fact that he was able to draw the eyes of surrounding wolves no matter what the situation gave him the semblance of importance, and he bore this with an imperious smile that reeked smugness, which he continued to bare as he bantered on. Apparently Lan needed no reply to spur him, since the massive male seemed apt in giving none, but yet Lan spoke of nonsense anyway, more so to hear his own voice than anything else. This was done even though his conversation recipient had long since returned to his hunting chore. Now, however, he seemed highly disgruntled while gazing out into the clearing—that frown pulling at his lips was no doubt Lan’s doing, and Lan couldn’t help but grin all the more, offering a smile big enough to compensate for the other male’s lack thereof.

He continued to jabber about nothing, the deer drawing nearer and nearer each passing second. However, not even the trampling hooves could hinder Lan, and besides, he expected to be snubbed throughout the short conversation anyway, and for the male to lunge at that approaching deer, claws spread and mouth agape, killing it in a single blow, and if Lan happened to be lucky, which he generally was, he expected to then gorge on the free meal.

But these expectations were immediately shattered by the actions of this colossal wolf. With the targeted deer only metres from them, the black male suddenly shifted his gaze from it toward Lan but Lan was unable to catch the male’s expression before he fell away from his view, and violently so. Their quarry, blind with terror, had managed to charge right into him and send them both toppling to the forest floor in a heap of hooves and claws. They became a tangled mass of limbs, and Lan could only stand by as each of them struggled to break free. Initially, he was too stunned to react, his eyes wide with surprise, but of course, this hardly lasted. Soon enough, the shock melted away, the smile returned, and an uncontrollable laughter bubbled from his stomach. Even as the male received a nasty bludgeoning to the head by the deer’s flailing hoof, Lan continued to laugh, perhaps with even more force than before. The sound rippled from his lungs, reverberated through his body as it exited his mouth and was then lost in the vastness of the surrounding forest. “That was… I’ve never… Holy shit,” Lan mumbled, attempting again and again to articulate the reason for his humour into words, but was much too lost within his mirth to do so. Even after the deer had bounded away and even after the accompanying female rushed to the male’s side, Lan continued to snigg er, the irony of watching such an enormous wolf being taken down so effortlessly by a simple little deer too much for him to bare.

Soon enough, however, his full fledged laughter gave way to the pain of his weary abdomen, his overwhelming amusement dissolving into only the occasional snicker. He had even managed to complete an entire sentence and said, “Whew, that was a good one,” before chuckling once more. Lan hadn’t the slightest clue to explain why the black male had acted so foolishly, losing focus on his prey as he had, but it’d been well worth it. At least, in Lan’s opinion. He highly doubted that male, nor the female tending to him, would agree. In fact, the male seemed unresponsive and the female was engulfed with concern. By this time, she had already patched up the gash on the black male’s head with a ferny plant of some sort, and Lan couldn’t help but assume that the haste of her care and the attentiveness in which she responded meant that they were close, mates perhaps, and although the notion nauseated him, Lan was curious as to how it all worked out—what, with him being so big and her so small, and Lan’s smile quivered, threatening to become another burst of laughter.

"Crim," the female called, though Lan could hardly hear her because of her quiet tone and the distance that separated them. "Come on Crim, you need to wake up."

Ah, so Crim was his name. Oddly suiting, considering his array of peculiar crimson markings, which Lan had only just taken to noticing. They were mostly scattered across his face in strange shapes, and although they happened to spark Lan’s curiosity, he refrained from commenting on them, as another matter became more pertinent at that moment, which was to berate the female's, in his mind, irrational distress. “Pfft, I’m sure he’s fine…” Lan muttered, finding her overbearing concern a bit grating. After all, it conflicted heavily with his carefree disposition. “If a big guy like him can get mauled by his food, I dunno what that says about the rest of us normal sized wolves.”

Lan smirked at his own humour. Not only did he initiate conversation at the most inappropriate times, as seen previously, but he also seemed to crack jokes at equally inappropriate times as well. In truth, he just never really knew when to shut his trap—or rather, never really wanted to.