Protection Perfection

[kedon]

Kedon walked slowly towards where he figured the border of the Salen pack would be. He turned his head in every direction, checking for movement and listening for any sounds. He was so close to safety, so close to protection that he didn’t want to risk losing his cool. If he had to, he would even fight to be in a pack. Packs meant protection, memories and maybe even friends, though that last one might not work out in his case. But none the less, he was going to try. He was going to strip himself bare and offer anything useful he could do, along with his full loyalty, to them. Kedon had been told many times that he was useless, but he never believed it.

He knew that he was smart, smarter then most of the wolves he’s ever meet. He also has a strong connection to nature.“ Not sure how that would help anyone, but I say its worth something”he quietly mumbled to himself. Smelling the air and ground around him, he could tell he was getting closer. The smell of wolves was faint, but getting stronger.“O.k.…you can do this Kedon, just stay calm and focused on you power. Show that you can be strong and trusted.”He repeated quietly to himself. Coming to an stop, he took another look around and sighed. He could smell many wolves, and could tell that he was steps away from entering a packs territory. He sat surrounded by trees and plants took a deep breath and let out a loud howl.

“All those who grace this land, please hear me now. I ask only for entry, a place to live in peace, and safety. I will offer all I can, and if you wish to find me, I am placed at the border of the Lleingas Woods.”

He hoped at least someone could hear him, or all the courage he had worked up would have been for nothing. Now all that he had to do was wait and worry. Looking around, Kedon realized that air around him had an unusually high spiritual energy. The wind blew and he practically melted into is relaxing vibe. Yawning, he stretched his hindquarters and began to sniff at the air again before looking through the surrounding plants. They all cast eerie shadows, but were pretty enough to distract him from the images that would no doubt ruin his day. No matter what, nature always brought out the best in him.

[silver]

It was Boundary Day - the day that Exodus stalked around his land and remarked his scent markers. Typically, the task was completed in a fair amount of time. Little ever happened when the brute goes out, making his rounds. Sometimes, he would hunt to bring back some food while other times he gathered the entire pack to go out on a hunting expedition. Today was a day that Exodus decided to go out on his own. Later, he would hunt, but for now he needed to finish up scent marking the territory. When he came to one of the last areas, the brute gave a wide and sleepy yawn. The pups had gotten up earlier than normal today. They had been excited to get out and play around. For some time, they had been confined to the immediate area of the den, a confinement they all despised. It was for their safety, though. The little bundles of irritation had wandered off far too many times for Exodus’ liking. Although the alpha was sometimes distant from his brood, he did love them dearly and did what he thought was best for them.

From above, the grey sky rumbled with a threatening roar. Seconds later, a drenching down pour began soaking the land and everything else to the core. Exodus stood there for a moment looking up into the rain with a displeased expression. Basically, every scent marker he had just placed up was washing away with the down pour of rain. Great. Giving a small growl, the black Alpha sighed heavily. The sound of approaching foot falls caught his attention. Being close by, Exodus was able to hear them over falling water. Cocking his head to the side, the Alpha’s eyes narrowed. He had never had good experiences with strangers.

Silver optics focused on a large rock to the left and up ahead. If his ears heard right, the new comer would be somewhere below this rock. It would give Exodus the advantage he needed to spy on the intruder. If it came to Exodus needing to attack, he would have the upper hand given both the element of surprise and his sheer size. The wolf’s black lip curled back with irritation. Exodus would no longer tolerate others coming freely into his land without his permission. From now on, he was cracking down and dealing with them personally in whatever way he saw fit.

Bounding atop the large rock in easy, powerful leaps, the massive canine came to a halt at the end of the rock and peered over the edge. Below was a white wolf who appeared to be of the male gender. Narrowing his eyes, Exodus watched for a moment daring the other to enter his lands. However, the wolf did the complete opposite. Grinning to himself, Exodus listened to the loud howl and chuckled lightly. In a graceful pounce, Exodus landed before the white wolf and turned to gaze at him with kind, accepting eyes. “I appreciate you taking the time to ask permission before coming onto my lands. My name is Exodus, and I am the Alpha of Acerbus. By what name shall I call you, sir?” The Alpha sized up the other but not in a scrutinizing way. Exodus merely expressed curiosity for the new comer who was half his age and unlike the rest of the Anikirian population, had a polite way of conducting business. Already, the brute was in good graces with the Salen alpha.

[kedon]

Kedon was so in tune with nature that he had felt the rain coming a mile away, so when It finally began to pour down, he hardly noticed. The scent of wet grass was beautiful, so he was happy to be able to witness it full force for once, however he had buried he senses so deep into nature that he had not noticed the larger male that was right above his head, watching him silently. He only heard a faint sound that resembled a chuckle, and before he could react, there was a larger wolf, pouncing down in front of him. Kedon quickly jumped backwards and was ready to defend himself when he noticed how the male had not attacked him, and looked as if he was about to speak. He did in fact speak, and what he said surprised he to the fullest.

“I appreciate you taking the time to ask permission before coming onto my lands. My name is Exodus, and I am the Alpha of Acerbus. By what name shall I call you, sir?”

The question was relatively easy to answer, but Kedon was still recovering from the shock of being watched, so the answer came out quiet and slow. “oh… I would never enter anyone’s land without permission, it is a pleasure to meet you, my name is Kedon” He replied with only a moment of hesitation. He was beginning to calm down and relax back into his earlier state of contentment when his words struck him full force. “ Alpha… Alpha! Th-this is an actual alpha!?”. Kedon had never meet anyone will any form of power but brute strength, and he never found that quite impressive. But now that he was in the presents of a true alpha, he could understand what it took to be a leader, and he sure didn’t have it. Kedon never wanted to be a leader, it was too much work, too much pressure, but to see someone willing to take all that on, it was amazing. He had to learn more about him.

[silver]

Taking note of Kedon’s defensive posture, Exodus chuckled lightly. “My apologize Kedon. I did not mean to startle you. Sometimes I forget others do not like being dropped in on.” Exodus would have laughed at this little statement, but instead, he merely smirked. Dropping in on others at random was a typical Exodus entrance. Having been so used to others tromping onto his lands without permission, Exodus had grown accustomed to ‘attacking’ others when they dared to come close to his lands. Uncharacteristically, Exodus gave a grand grin. “It does my heart well to know there are still those who have manners. Come. Follow me.”

Turning his back to Kedon, Exodus traveled further into his lands. Stepping into Kedon’s stride, Exodus smiled over at him matching his steps exactly. The much larger wolf had to tilt his head down to fully see his new companion for Exodus was at least eleven inches taller than the other. “Tell me my good sir, what brings you to Acerbus? Passing through, looking for a place to stay the night, looking for a pack? Hmm?” If anyone from the pack saw or heard Exodus at this moment, they would no doubt think he had gone off his rocker. It was rare for Exodus to speak so freely with another. It was even something else to have him smiling.

Off in the distance, the sounds of scurrying could be heard. Exodus stopped short ears fully forward in attentiveness. Through the mist, he could just make out the form of a squirrel chasing another squirrel. They were running through the bushes, over a fallen log, and finally into a nearby tree. Staring up at the two squirrel still racing around through the upper world of the branches, Exodus sniffed. “I wouldn’t mind having a bite to eat. What do you say to helping me bring something home, hm?” Of course this was a test for Kedon. Even if the other just wanted to pass through, Exodus was curious as to what this brute could bring to the pack. If he was interested in his skills, Exodus would make an offer. Kedon could take it or leave it from there.

Besides, Exodus figured it was high time to have someone new around for a while. Ever since claiming this area, Exodus had kept to himself. Rarely did he go out of his way to visit with the other Alphas or bother in the going ons of Anikira unless it directly affected him. He preferred to stay out of the world’s business.

[Wildlife [NPC]]

"Give me back my acorn you flippin' thief!" "Finders keepers, go find another one!"

Two adult male squirrels quarreled near a fallen log. Chasing each other up and down a tree, through the bushes and around the forest. The smaller male squirrel, Kurchak was a grayish brown furred beast, he was a thief and a prankster. The older and larger male squirrel, Victer had black fur and didn't tolerate his neighbor stealing his food supply.

The two squirrels bickered by chatters and squeaks, not even noticing two large wolves coming their way. They didn't think anything of it, they were too busy storing up nuts and other goodies for the winter time when they fall into a long slumber. Suddenly, Kurchak happened to hear the voice of one of the wolves. He paused, twitched his nose and curled his front paws into his chest. The acorn comfortably stored in his cheek. “I wouldn’t mind having a bite to eat. What do you say to helping me bring something home, hm?” Kurchak's eyes widened, motioning his paw towards Victer telling him to stop. The wolves were approaching.

"Victer! The wolfies are going to eat us!" "What? Who told you- Oh my good golly! Wolves!" "W-we don't want to die! Eat him... He- He's bigger, much more meat on his bones!" "Don't rat me out! At least I have a family to feed!"

Both squirrels trembled with fear, but all in all they continued to bicker as well.

[kedon]

Having finally relaxed, Kedon listened closely to the wolf’s words, and gave a small shy smile. As the older male began to walk, Kedon jumped forward and quickly fell into step beside him. At the comment stating those with manners, Kedon felt his head rise a bit. He was proud of his image, and had always believed manners could help with anything. “Well, I was looking for a pack to join. Traveling can be quite unnerving if you do it for too long. This is still a pretty new piece of land to me, so I think joining a pack would be in my best interest, wouldn’t you say?” Kedon was glad that he had run into actual kind wolf, he was nothing like what he thought an alpha would act like. He was not rude and didn’t seem to be plotting against him in any way.

When the brute suddenly stopped, Kedon’s ears pricked up and turned, listening for any sounds that standout from the usual. He heard what sound like the bickering of an animal smaller then himself arguing with another. Getting closer, he could see that it was two squirrels, running from place to place, in somewhat of a fight. He looked over at Exodus, and when he heard his offer, he visually stiffened. Many wolves would think of this as a great chance to prove their might and show what they can do, but for Kedon, it was a great chance to goof it all up. Hunting, though necessary, was never something he was good at, but all in all, he didn’t turn down the offer.

“I would be honored to assist you” “ok… this wont be hard, I mean, their just squirrels” He thought to himself. He wasn’t scared of not catching anything, it was more like he just didn’t want to make a fool of himself. With a silent sigh, he took a few more steps forward, now standing a bit ahead of Exodus. Now that he thought about it, it seemed pretty easy, and with that, he felt a small smile tug at his maw and narrowed his eyes at the smaller squirrel before pouncing and trying to land a paw on its tail, if he did it, it would be his lucky day, if not, not much will have changed besides a ost chance of having a home.

[silver]

Exodus watched in amazement as the two squirrel darted about chasing one another bickering up and down the tree. Staring at the two, Exodus raised a brow worried that these little creatures may have been mad. When they spotted the two wolves, they stopped and chatted with one another fearful yet still fighting with one another. Exodus exchanged a glance with Kedon for a second, before sighing and rolling his shoulders in a shrug. “To reply to your previous statement, I do agree that a pack life is better suited for most wolves. They do offer food, protection, shelter, etc. However, I would also suggest that those who can should go out and experience a little of life before settling down. We can talk more on this later.” The conversation ended there and would resume later if Exodus or Kedon chose to do so.

At that moment Kedon choose to lunge forward to capture one of the squirrels. At this, Exodus sat back upon his haunches and looked on with a sorry sort of expression. He had not intended to go after the squirrels. Exodus had bigger prey in mind. Squirrels would hardly feed a single wolf let alone the others back at the den. Swallowing lightly, Exodus gave the smallest of sighs. “You can let the squirrel go, Kedon. While the critters do make tasty snacks, I had my mind set on larger prey. How does that sound to you?” The smile he offered Kedon was small and apologetic. “I should have clarified my intentions; I apologize. Well, shall we be off? I will take lead.” Exodus knew the land well. He knew where prey grazed.

Slowly walking off, he paused for a moment to see if Kedon was following, and then continued on into the mist. Out in this rain, it would be difficult to hunt down grass eaters, but they could manage. It would be a difficult hunt regardless. Stalking off, Exodus chanced a sniff at the ground. There was no scent other than wet dirt and grass. He would have to rely on his sense of direction and vast knowledge of Acerbus. Trotting forward, Exodus led the two to an area well known for sheltering a deer. Peering into the area, he spotted a couple adventurous souls wondering about grazing. Nodding to Kedon and then to the deer, Exodus signaled that this would be their prey.

[kedon]

Kedon had always doubted himself, and anything done wrong would bring total humiliation, however, this time seemed to be different. He had pounced after two squirrels and for once, he hadn’t felt an ounce of fear. He was full of new confidence. Exodus had replied his feeling on the matter of pack life, and the answer was quite reasonable, but the thought of being on his own for any longer then he already had been was, well, slightly irritating. He felt as thought he had spent all the time he needed experiencing ‘Life’ and that he was ready and willing to devote his time to not only himself, but those around him. Kedon took a step back from the squirrels before turning back towards exodus with a small smile
.
“Sorry. Larger pray is much better for a pack, isn’t it? I was being foolish.” With that, he silently stepped back behind Exodus, calmly watching. “I know nothing of the land here, so I’m not quite sure what pray they have around here. I should probably just stay back and see. I hate not knowing things, so if I’m accepted into the pack, I’ll make sure to learn more about this place.” After agreeing to himself in his mind, Kedon felt better, he wasn’t as worried about everything as he usually would be, and though he knew it would be back, it was nice to feel calm for a while. Kedon raised his hair to sniff the moist air, thick will the scent of rain. Rain was known to bring out specific animals, but also to mask and help to fade away scents. It was going to take a while to find something out here.

After a bit more walking and sniffing, he watched as Exodus nodded towards him, and then back towards what looked to be a pair of deer. Kedon could tell that he had decided that they would go after them. Going after deer didn’t seem so bad, so lowering his muzzle to the grass, he slowly nodded, confirming that he under stood and was ready. He was going to go all out and prove what he could do.

[Wildlife [NPC]]

Both squirrels froze like statues while the wolves decided. Perhaps they could put their pasts behind them, and be friends! Besides, if they survived this unfortunate outcome, they'd only have themselves to thank. Luckily for the critters, the wolves decided they wanted bigger, more challenging game to hunt. The squirrel's sighed in relief simultaneously, but before taking a risky attempt at escape, they continued holding each other for comfort until the wolves left.

"RETREAT!" "Back into the trees!" "That was a close one!"

The two squirrels scurried back into the trees to live another day.

[silver]

The black wolf gave a deep chuckle in response to Kedon’s reply, “Yes. Larger prey does generally make for a better meal.” Giving the tiniest of smiles, the alpha went back to padding through the mists. Later, before they reached the deer, an awful down pour began. It was fickle this time around. After a few minutes of heavy raining, the rain would turn into a sprinkle which in turn became a drizzle. The world was soaked to the core with cold water. Exodus, used to it, shook out his coat and watched the deer before them. The animals had not chosen to seek shelter, but rather insisted that this meal was more important. Winter would be upon them all soon. Everyone was hustling about gathering food to make it through.

Exodus gave a swallow, his silver eyes zeroing out their target. There appeared to be no old aged buck or doe in their midst. Seeing this, the wolf frowned and looked for the male deer in this bunch. Spotting him, Exodus seized him up. No wonder. This herd consisted of mostly younger females with only their main male. The other males in the group were the very young ones. Exodus gave a sigh. This would complicate things a little more. At first, he had intended to take a mostly hands off approach, but sending Kedon in there by himself to go after these young, thriving deer would be sending the kid to his death. So, Exodus decided to take half of the task giving Kedon to take the rest.

Exodus watched the females closely. A sneeze caught his attention. To his left a female doe had sneezed again. Subconsciously, those around her began to move away to find better grass. As part of the test, Exodus switched his view to that of Kedon and smiled, “So, my friend, which of these deer would you like to go after? You will choose, and I will spook the one of your choosing toward you. You shall make the kill today.” Never the less, Exodus would be keeping tabs on Kedon to ensure that no serious harm befell the poor lad.

[kedon]

“It wouldn’t make much sense to bring squirrels to feed a pack, the larger the better, though that tends to call for more support.”

Kedon was often proud of how he reacted under pressure, and this was one of those moments. The only reason he didn’t like pressure was because it was annoying, and thought it never had a say on how clearly he thought, if he could avoid it, he would. With that, Exodus had placed the reasonability of choosing which deer they would go after, on his shoulders. Staring out onto the grassy field at the deer which were busy eating, he tried to think of the best way to go about doing this. He had never really tried to hunt with anyone, and being somewhat in control over what was going to happen didn’t help at all.

He could see that they were all young with the exception of one male, one very large male, and going after him didn’t seem to be the best option, so he continued to think and watch. In the corner of his eye, something caught his attention. Looking closer, he saw a few deer moving slowly in another direction, yet he wasn’t sure why. He took note of how they all seemed to be edging away from a female to the far left, and with that he came to a decision.

“Hmm…We should go after that female, it looks like the others are inching away from it, so there’s a bigger opening for us.” Nodding his head in the direction of deer he had been watching before looking back at Exodus. The smile he had on his muzzle was helping to calm the fear Kedon felt on the inside of his guts that he hoped wasn’t slipping through the mask of contempt he wore almost at all times. It wasn’t a fear of hunting, but a fear of screwing up, and he seemed to have a bad habit of doing it.