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Post by Kai on Jul 10, 2007 18:16:43 GMT -5
“In ancient times, the land lay covered in forests, where, from ages long past, dwelt the spirits of the gods. Back then, man and beast lived in harmony, but as time went by, most of the great forests were destroyed. Those that remained were guarded by gigantic beasts who owed their allegiances to the Great Forest Spirit, for those were the days of gods and of demons.” -Quote from Princess Mononoke
Far away from anything you or I am familiar with, up in the frozen North lies a forest. It was an ancient forest, far out of man’s realm. The trees were of monstrous size here, some roots jutting out of the ground were as large as the wolf walking past them. The wolfess was moving a leisurely pace, her chest rising and falling a bit quickly. Her red pelt stood out vividly against her new surrounding, and as she smiled her white teeth showed. But that was of little concern for her. Kai had never been able to blend in during the day, and so she was use to being easily spotted. Of course, in this thick jungle of a forest a white or black wolf would stick out as well. Iris would blend in better here because of her brownish coat. Gold eyes swept across the land, the pupils constantly expanding and shrinking as Kai moved deeper into the forest.
Light came in patches here, mainly because huge trees towered over the land there branches spread out far in an attempt to find a drop of sunshine they could call there own. But it was of little concern to Kai, for as a wolf she was able to see in both light and dark. Depending on where she was, her eyes would either appear gold or green-gold, as her eyes adjusted and readjusted to the light. Her ears her still constantly moving, catching many sounds. Some body of water had to be close, for above the call of birds a frog’s croak could now be heard. Her nose was snorting through scents, trying to ignore those of smaller game and focus in on the larger prey. Even without their scents, one could track some of the hoofed mammals by their footprints alone. Although the ground could barely be seen, the grasses held tracks well as did the fallen leaves and occasional patch of flowers.
Sitting down, Kai tried to wait patiently for her traveling companion to catch up to her. The wolfess was rather partial to pheasant, and never tried to miss a chance to take a bite out of one. Still, it provided to be elusive prey and by the time the bird had landed all Kai had to show for her jump was one of the large tail feathers. But this forest was full of life, so Kai was sure that she would have another chance soon to catch her favorite meal. In addition to ending up with just a few tail feathers, her little burst of speed had laid some distance between her and Iris. The two had been traveling together for quite some time now, in search of a home perhaps a few extra wolves to form a pack with. This forest seemed like a good enough place to claim as a territory, although it was rather different from the territory Kai had lived in as a cub.
A few moments ticked by, and in her boredom Kai began to swish her tail back and forth. Her eyes began to wander, stopping at length on an old tree trunk that now was on the forest floor. Tall white mushrooms adorned the top, covered the lichens and moss. The base of the trunk faced her, and even from a distant Kai could see that the wood was growing frail as insects ate at it and that one good push from a paw would probably send create a large dent in the tree’s side. A light wind began to blow, the first gust of wind Kai had seen all day, shaking the branches. The pattern of light shifted heavily, and now a beam of warm sun shine was directly onto of Kai, warming her red pelt. No, this place was nothing like her childhood home, but she would quickly learn to love it.
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Post by Iriscanine on Jul 10, 2007 21:58:47 GMT -5
"Wait for me!" Iris yelped. She had been left behind again. Try as she might, she could not keep up when Kai when she sprinted. Iris never was much of a runner. She liked a good romp as much as the next wolf, but all in all she preferred to stay slow and steady. Ugggh... I hate traveling. She thought to herself. She had always liked to be at home. Like a tree, once she planted her roots, she wanted to stay. She was thankful for Kai for helping and befriending her, but she was too picky about territories. Why they couldn't just find an area without traveling for days was beyond her. Kai didn't make much sense sometimes. She galloped along a little farther until Kai came into view. Thud! A stray tree root ascending from the earth caught her paw. She tumbled to the ground with a yip. She got up, grumbling and shaking her coat. "Stupid tree." Still muttering under her breath, she trotted over to Kai and glanced at her. "Kai, what now?"
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Post by Kai on Jul 10, 2007 22:33:44 GMT -5
"We find a den!"
Kai's ears were pushed forward as she listened to her friend come closer. The sunlight felt good on her, but she was tired of sitting in that same spot. Shuffling to her feet, Kai stood up shaking bits of old leaves from her coat. With a small strech, she trotted over to Iris her tail wagging rather quickly. Kai knew somewhat that her friend had been rather content with several of the terras she had looked at. But there was a drive for perfection in her, that kept her walking. And finally she had found what she had wanted. Kai wouldn't have to wonder if there was something better out there. Now all that remained was to find other wolves to create a pack with. Okay, so there was a lot still to do but alteast the first step had been completed. Kai sat down next to Iris a grin plaster on her face. She hoped Iris was as pleased with this area as she was. Afterall, she had passed up many lands for her. And if asked Kai would keep on walking. It would tear her heart into shreds but Iris needed to be happy as well. Some might have found it funny if they knew. Kai would barely hesitate to rip an enemy apart, or someone who threated her or her friends in anyway. But everyone to some degree needs acceptance. Kai choose to ask for it from Iris. And yes she would walk away from a potionally perfect life something she had searched for quite a while if asked. After a small arguement of course.
"What do you think of this area? I think it's rather grand."
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Post by Iriscanine on Jul 10, 2007 22:58:09 GMT -5
I think it's perfect. Iris smiled as her gaze roamed the forest, taking in the foliage. Just what we've been looking for. Her pricked ears heard the sounds of soft-singing birds and the rustle of leaves as the animals danced in the undergrowth. A peculiar sound reached her ears. Her stomach was emitting a sound like the growl of bear. She hadn't seen any prey animals so far, but the rustling in the undergrowth brought her hopes up. Kai, she said turning to her friend once again, what do you say we find something to eat?
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Post by Kai on Jul 11, 2007 15:48:34 GMT -5
Iris’s words were comforting. She was glad her complain was happy here, and it seemed that her senses were as engaged as her own. As her friend’s hungry stomach announced its troubles rather loudly, Kai had to chuckle softly. Food would be of there least concern here. Iris seemed to look to the undergrowth for prey, and Kai would happily look there as well. A river wasn’t that far off, but Kai generally tried to avoid hunting in water. Swimming wasn’t her strong suit, and while she felt strong on land the opposite could be said of her in the water. Standing up, Kai attempted to shift through all of the scents to find one that she was interested in. Already today she had missed her chance at a pheasant (If only the Gods hadn’t given those birds wings!) so fowl was out of the question.
“How about rabbit? I have seen a few rabbit holes already, so I am sure we can find one.”
Lowering her head, Kai sniffed gently above the ground looking for a scent trail or some paw prints that weren’t her own. Picking up on a possible trail, Kai walked through a bush, sending a few small birds flying in panic. Yanking her tail free of a branch Kai continued on. She could have sworn she saw the flash of a red tail, one that belonged to a fox. Changing direction the wolfess went to inspect what the smaller hunting was looking at. A set of holes greeted her eye, and her tail wagged with pleasure. It would only be a matter of time before something came out. A rabbit’s scent was everywhere as well as tracks in places were grass did not ground. All that remained was to get her friend over here. Her stomach seemed a bit more empty than her own.
“Iris, I think I found something.”
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Post by Iriscanine on Jul 11, 2007 16:10:50 GMT -5
Iris padded over to Kai, her tail waving gently. Then she spotted the holes. Rabbits! she thought. Her stomach rumbled again. If it gets any louder, Iris thought, It'll scare away all the prey in miles. The hole looked fairly deep and was located near the base of a huge tree. The russet wolf padded around to the other side of the tree. She cleared away the long grasses obscuring her view with her muzzle. Inbetween the roots there was another hole of almost the same diameter as the first. The rabbit tunnel was woven through the roots of the tree. Kai, Iris whispered softly. Do you think this might be the exit to the burrow? She pondered for a moment. I could howl into the hole on this side, and You catch anything that comes out of the holes over there. Her plan may work, but if the rabbits had more exits than just the ones the wolfesses had spotted, it would be a fluke.
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Post by Kai on Jul 11, 2007 16:55:23 GMT -5
“So you plan to be in two places at once?”
Kai had to hold her breath not to laugh at her friend’s mistake. Another rumble can from Iris’s stomach, and Kai raised an eyebrow. How hungry was she? From the sound of her stomach, she would have to eat a bear to appease it. But Iris’s discovery was a rather good one. Holding her spot, Kai stuck her muzzle down the hole trying to see if the rabbit was inside. There was a fresh scent, but it gave her little help. Lifting her head back up she looked to Iris. It seemed the only way to ever know if the rabbit was there was to try her plan. Her own stomach was rather empty, and a good meal wouldn’t be wasted. Nodding she spoke back to her friend, softly so as not to scare the rabbit if he was there.
“I’ll make the noise. I’m louder, even with your stomach roaring like that. And even if this isn’t the only exit hole the rabbit should leap out somewhere.”
She waited for a second, hoping Iris was ready. Then, lowering her muzzle once more Kai inhaled deeply. She let out a loud mixture of howls and barking, something that would surely scare anything that wolves hunted. Her claws scratched at the dirt as she tried to widen to hole a bit. Perhaps that would scare the rabbit even more and force it out in the open. If there was a rabbit. There was a very real chance that she was just barking at dirt and roots. Well if my barking dosen't scare something in this are into running, then Iris's stomach surely will.
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Post by Iriscanine on Jul 11, 2007 21:09:17 GMT -5
(OOC: Oops! I fixed that little mistake. ^^)
Ready Kai. Iris said, poking her around the tree trunk. She inched closer to the hole. The loose dirt crumbled and she stopped. She lowered herself to the ground, her muscles tensed and ready to spring. She heard Kai release a ferocious stream of howling and barking. The wolf's tail swished gently from side to side as her ears twitched and rotated, listening for any hint of an animal. Three furry blurs raced from the hole. Iris took off in pursuit. Instead of sprinting past her, which would have been the smart idea, they took off to the left of the trunk, which led them past Kai. Kai! Iris shouted in warning. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two larger ones advance slowly from the hole. Deciding that these would be easier to catch, she headed back, leaving the faster wolfess to the quicker rabbits. Iris took a flying leap and caught the back foot of one of the bunnies in her fangs. She delivered it a final snap, and took off in pursuit of the other. It fled along the ground, weaving through the tall grasses and bushes. Iris galloped behind it, tounge lolling and ears alert. She was distraught to notice that the greyish brown rabbit was headed for another hole. She sprinted harder, her paws flying, but the rabbit reached the hole before her. It darted inside and vanished. Iris dug at the earth for a while, but gave up and padded back to Kai and her catch.
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Post by Kai on Jul 12, 2007 14:37:20 GMT -5
And like a flash Kai was off. At first she was struggling to keep up, for the rabbit was a better sprinter than she. She tore through the underbrush, trying not to lose that rabbit as leaves and branches slapped her in the face. But the rabbit was having just as bad luck. Kai was chasing it away from the holes, and it would only be a matter of time before its legs began to tire and its speed lessened. She had no clue where the other two were now, perhaps hiding in some hole, they had come out so fast. As the chase went on, Kai grew better accustomed to her surroundings. She began to loss less ground each time the rabbit went through a thick part of the forest, and was slowly inching closer to it. Turning a bend, Kai smashed through an old rotting log, chips of the wood flying everywhere. White mushrooms were smashed as she climbed on top of it taking a flying leap. Tongue now having out of her mouth, and she realized that the rabbit was running in a large circle around the forest. It was trying to get back to the safety of the rabbit holes. Her legs pounded against the ground harder, trying to gain a bit more speed. The ground here has less small trees and Kai founded herself getting close to snapping range.
And as the rabbit darted into its hole, Kai followed. She was not going to lose to a piece of cotton! Her claws were pushing lose dirt aside as her body wiggled closer. Somehow she managed to grab onto a leg. And as the rabbit kicked and scratch and threw a fit, Kai found that she was thoroughly stuck. Her jaws crunched down, snapping a frail leg but the creature did not stop moving. Her own hind legs were busy kicking, trying to pull her backup into sunlight to no avail. Kai found her jaws could inch forward, creeping closer to the rabbit’s neck. If she was going to be stuck in this hole, by the Gods, she would have a meal! Her tail was thrashing from side to side, it being the only part of her still above ground. Snapping she felt something crunch and the rabbit stop moving. Her body sagged with joy for moment, until she remembered that she was trapped in the hole. Front paws now working with the hind ones, Kai slowly inched back up into sunlight. She came out, her coat almost as brown as Iris’s but held the rabbit up high for a moment. Ripping of half for herself, she dropped the other piece in front of Iris.
Enjoy!
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Post by Iriscanine on Jul 12, 2007 17:17:31 GMT -5
"Yum!" Iris helped herself to the half of Kai's rabbit, snapping it up quickly and demolishing it in les than a minute. "Nice job Kai. No rabbit stands a chance when you're around." The russet wolf grinned and began washing her paws and muzzle of blood like a giant kitten. She fluffed out her fur and sighed. A huge yawn escaped her. Remembering the other rabbit, she jumped up "I'll bury this rabbit for later." The territory seemed to be full of prey, but it couldn't hurt to be prepared. Iris loosely picked up the other bunny and went to find a spot to hide her prize. Her paws padded lightly through the grass as her nose scouted an appropriate place. The blood from the rabbit however, was all she could smell. She set it aside, and licked her nose, trying to clear the scent. She spotted a large, dark boulder. 'This will work nicely' she thought to herself. She trotted over and began digging. Her paws scratched at the loose dirt and her tail slowly twitched. Eventually she formed a hole deep enough for her prey. Dropping it in, she turned and kicked dirt over it. Then she raised a paw and scratched the side of the rock with her light colored claws, leaving four white lines on the smooth surface. "This way if the our scent fades away we'll be able to tell what rock it was." She loped back towards Kai, slowing to a trot as she neared her. She stopped altogether and sat down. Another yawn. Iris lay down and closed her eyes, her ears still alert and listening. "I think we should begin looking for a shelter of some sort soon." She said, still resting her eyes.
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Post by Kai on Jul 12, 2007 19:09:30 GMT -5
She picked at the meat quickly, snapping up everything she could. The bones were chewed and the marrow sucked out from them; Kai did not plan to waste a drop of blood. Kai was eating a bit slowly today, so when Iris finished her own portion she wasn’t surpised. While she chewed on a small rib bone Iris rose and buried a rabbit she had managed to catch in there ambush. Kai hadn’t really needed to run through half of the forest, but like Iris said it couldn’t hurt to be prepared. As she licked her muzzle clean of blood, her own nose was still filled with the smell. Kai snorted pawing at her nose until she could once again smell other things than rabbit. Nodding at her friend’s comment Kai rose for a moment-just long enough to trot closer to her friend and sit down. The jungle like forest was thick and finding a decent home could take a while. A stone den was the tradtional thing for wolves and Kai would prefer to honor tradtion. Stone would not bend or shake when the wind blew nor let in rain during a storm.
‘Agreed. A stone den would be nice I think. And soon anyone who steps into this forest will know that two wolfesses live here and have claimed it as there own.’
Iris was resting her eyes now, but Kai’s were still darting around. She hoped that after a few days she would be able to ignore every little nose that jumped out at her. Right now she did not need to be on the look out for prey, yet still sounds rushed to her. Yawning, sighed heavily. The dream was finally real. Her body might have yawned as if it was tire, but her mind and spirt was still fully awake and brimming with energy. Her heart was still pounding from her chase and her breath was quick and rapid. Kai wasn’t exactly smiling on the outside, but her heart was fillled with content and happiness-something that did not happen everyday. Her tail showed this as it slowly wagged back and forth, not resting at all.
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Post by Iriscanine on Jul 13, 2007 16:41:42 GMT -5
Iris's nose twitched and she opened her eyes. "Have you seen any sone dens around here?" She wan't sure she had seen any places resembling one for a while. The forest, while populated with many animals large and small, didn't seem to have many rocks, much less a place to set up a den. Her old pack had lived in a series of holes dug in the network of tree roots. She knew that Kai, however, had grown up in a stone den with her mother and siblings. The russet wolfess lay motionless for a little bit, resisting the need to get up. Her paws were folded under her and were experiencing little needlepricks of pain from loss of blood flow. Iris reluctantly got to her paws and shook her coat again. She sniffed the ground and stretched her legs in front of her. She glanced over at Kai in time to see her yawn and smiled. Iris wagged her tail and pranced in front of the red wolf. "Let's go look!"
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Post by Kai on Jul 13, 2007 22:47:51 GMT -5
‘Unfortunately, no I haven’t. There has to be one somewhere around here.’
Iris’s prancing excited Kai and she broke into a slow trot. She wasn’t in the mood to search for her friend after she sprinted off. Together the two went around exploring the forest with Kai darting around to look in every nook and cranny. After a while, Kai spotted something gray amongst the background of green. Her walk turned into a trot, as she went to the front. She looked around for signs of a wolf, but found none. In fact the cave looked abounded. But just to make sure Kai entered it and began sniffing around. Her nose twitched as she took in an old scent, one that was rather odd. It was familiar to her, but at the same time was slightly exotic. The closest Kai could liken it with was the lynx. But the scratches on the rock were too large to be a lynx’s. Well whatever it had caused the scent had not been to this spot in quite a while. Shrugging, Kai walked out of the cave and turned to Iris.
‘What do you thing lived here before? It seems weird to me. But it hasn’t been here in awhile, so if you don’t mind I think this would be a decent home.’
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Post by Iriscanine on Jul 16, 2007 11:10:16 GMT -5
Iris watche Kai enter the cave and begin sniffing. A slight breeze came and the brown wolfess shivered a little. After Kai's question, Iris crept slowly onto the smooth surface of the cave floor. The walls of the cave were slightly wet, but there wan't water dripping onto the floor. She sniffed at the spot Kai had. She caught a strange scent and sneezed. "I've have no idea what this is." She told Kai, her nose still twitching. "It doesn't smell familiar at all." She snuffled around the cave. Her nose hit the wall of the back. She fluffed up her tail and turned to flee whatever monster was attacking her. When she realized it was only the wall, she grinned sheepishly. Iris sat up and rubbed her sore snout with one forepaw. She turned and looked at the entrance. the cave was so deep, it was considerably smaller. The wall of the cave was almost a coal black, not from lack of light. The stone was just that color. iris trotted back to Kai. "I think this den will work nicely. I saw a river not far from here. We won't have to worry about water and we can prey on the animals that come to drink. It is large enough to accomodate a huge number of wolves. " Iris beamed at Kai. "Speaking of which," Iris said, bcoming serious, "I haven't noticed any other wolves around. Have you scented any others lately?"
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Post by Kai on Jul 18, 2007 21:36:21 GMT -5
‘No and that worries me a bit. A place like this should be crawling with them and have a pack defending it already.’
Her eyes will still trancing around the den, poking into every crack. She distrusted the place for now. There had to be more than the eye knew of. The scent did not bother her much, it was old and therefore nothing to worry about. Kai hadn’t smelled it elsewhere either, so whatever it was not here. Iris was busy for a moment, inspecting the cave in here own manner. A small bump into the wall scent her in a scramble until she turned grinning, realizing it was but a wall. Settling down, Kai took a postion towards the back of the cave where her thoughts could roam around freely. Her red tail was flickering around back and forth in thought, and one of her paws tapped its claws on the stone floor, creating a rather intrestind sound. Movement was everywhere in her, from the tips of her ears which turned catching every sound to the ends of her claws which itched for even more action. A yawn tried to work its way up her throat, but she pressed it down waiting to stay awake longer and explore this new area. Kai wished to stalk through the land learning its lay so she could seem to appear and disappear at whim. She wanted to howl at the moon and greet the rising sun before settling down for rest. There was no time for yawning! Rising to her feet, Kai paced back and forth her nails clicking as she thought. Iris was right, there was no one in this land. Perhaps if they made it clear that now someone lived within it, others would come farther in. Eyes bright and alive with intrest, Kai turned to Iris a grin on her face.
‘Do you want to explore more? There is so much to do here, and it seems that my body agrees that now is the time for movement. At the very least we should visit this river.’
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