The Awful Daring Of A Moments Surrender

[Takeshi]

Four days of traveling in the same direction and still nothing. Sure, he'd had run into a few wild hare and a couple field mice, but he'd been too weak to keep up the chase and run them down. Kesh whimpered to himself, then forced the wind from his lungs out his nose as he sat down in the middle of the forest. It gave him the chance to finally look around and study his surroundings.

The place was full of browns and reds and oranges. It was much different from the whites and greys and blues he'd come from, but a lot warmer - though the changing winds told him that would soon change.

The black furred pup yawned, not holding back the small noise he produced at the end. It sounded almost like a whimper, and he suddenly imagined himself back home, playing with the others in his pack. He shook his head and jumped back, rump in the air and shoulders down as if playing with another. He let out a few excited yips, dodging swipes from his imaginary playmate and returning with a few swipes of his own.

The session didn't last long. In fact, it was actually interrupted by a rather large growl. At first Kesh backed up, his tail down between his legs and his head level with his shoulders, wary of his surroundings. But the pang in his stomach made him realize that the growl hadn't come from another animal, but from his own hungering stomach.

Kesh laid down and rested his head on his paws, crawling on the ground in little steps until his legs stretched out behind him. He whined to himself, then let out a couple of low howls, crying about his empty stomach, then got up and shook the dirt off his belly. There was no use crying about it - he'd just have to make do with food in the area.

He located a few mushrooms but opted not to eat them - he'd had a bad experience the last time he'd tried to eat such things. Instead, he continued walking in the direction he'd been heading in and ran into a few berries. He chomped on a mouthful of the bush, catching a few berries but getting more of a mouthful of leaves than anything else. They were bitter, and he coughed, spitting them out at his feet.

The wind picked up again, carrying different scents and delivering a grasshopper just a few yards from him. Too excited to pay attention to the scent of wolf markings on the nearby trees, Kesh lowered his body to the ground, ready to pounce on the grasshopper and give chase if the need arose.

[Amanda]

Polaris, the young pup who had lost her mother and now her siblings, who had seemingly vanished into thin air, Howled plaintively at the trees, pleading them to take her back to Larka.

No such luck.

Auds perked forth as the shining white female heard howls and whimpers from not too far away. Polaris bounded after the noise, her shining white coat a testament to what she had been named after-the north star.

Coming upon a young wolf, who was darkly colored, Polaris kept her movements silent as she studied him. His dark pelt stood our amongst the fair coats of her pack...and he seemd to be...hunting.

HUNTING!

With caution to the wind she scrambled into the clearing, sniffing and whimpering, for her tummy was the emptiest that it had ever been-in fact little Polaris was looking quite thin. With fate on her side she took a running leap over the other pup and happened to land on the grasshopper. squealing as it crunched under her oversized paw she scrambled out of the way, shaking her paw and looking suprised at the same time.

A woof of greeting was given to the other wolf as soon as she confirmed that the bug was not trying to devour her paw.

Hello! My name is Polaris and i'm lost and hungry. Who are you?

Her puppyish blue orbs blinked sweetly and innocently at him as she awaited a reply.

[Takeshi]

Kesh ducked his head low to the ground, his ears back, stunned at the appearance of the wolf before him. Had he been paying attention to his nose rather than to his stomach, he'd have sensed it. Instead they'd gotten the jump on him - or actually, his potential lunch.

The dark wolf cub studied the awkward movements of the new wolf and noted it's size. It was still a pup as well, and so not a threat. But also not potential food. Kesh sat down on his rump and tilted his head. He eyed the grasshopper from where he sat - it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He gazed up at the other wolf now, his eyes like two glaciers in the forest light.

Kesh He said simply, not sure what he'd do about his new situation. It'd been long since he'd been with others, and he was just as lost and hungry.

[Amanda]

Polaris tilted her crania to the side slightly to his answer.

Kesh? That's an interesting name. Are you looking for Larka too?

She trundled over to the bug, neatly chomping it in hafl before plopping the remains at Kesh's feet. Even grasshoppers were fairly large to young wolf pups. Sniffiling around in the underbrush her plume waved excitedly as her rump stuck up in the air, her bodice half buried beneath the ground.

Mmmph muh! came a muffled squeak at she tried to back away from whatever fuzzy thing was residing within the hole. Her crania and shoulders had become wedged as she tried to pull herself free of the puppy eating dirt and the menacingly beady eyes that were watching her.

Polaris had stumbled into a small rabbit warren.

[Takeshi]

Kesh practically inhaled the one-half of the insect remains as soon as the pup named Polaris turned around. The sudden muffled panic coming from her suddenly had his ears standing at attention and had him gazing in her direction. He padded over silently, his head down, wary of whatever it was she'd found, but too curious to ignore a quick look. It was then that the scent hit him - a dank, almost musty stench. The scent of a rabbit!

Forgetting himself and letting his stomach take over for the time, Kesh grew excited and made a light yip sound, jumping over to Polaris's side and pressing his chest to the ground, his bottom high in the air. He made little noises as if telling the other pup "It's a rabbit!. Look there! Get it! Get it!"

[Amanda]

There was a great deal of squealing and scrabbling as Polaris wiggled farther into the hole. A yelp and a tremendous push of muscles, and little Polris had pulled herself mostly free, holding on with all that she was worth to the hind limb of a rabbit.

This rabbit kicked and thrashed and would have gotten free if Polaris hadnt had super sharp puppy teeth.

Finally polaris back out if the hole, the rabbit was as big as she was, and still fighting. mumbling incoherently that she couldnt hold on any longer, she thrashed her crania from side to side instinctively and let go, hoping kesh could catch and finish off the rabbit.

[Takeshi]

Kesh jumped eagerly side to side, barking loudly now. He watched Polatis release the struggling creature and his muscles seemed to move on it's own accord - he leapt after it, catching it in his jowls before it hit the floor. His teeth sunk heavily into the rabbits neck and he tried to fling it as Polaris had but unable to. The thing was as big as the two pups were!
The rabbit made a few sounds of panic, but it only made Kesh more eager, and he jerked his head back and forth, catching more of the rabbits neck in his mouth before attempting to tear at the neck and rip it from it's body; at least, that's what he imagined adult wolves could do.

Finally the rabbit stopped moving. Kesh gave the neck one final, strong bite, before letting go and staring at the body. Yeah, it was finally dead. Pleased with himself, Kesh moved over and grabbed the rabbit, dragging it by the neck and plopping it in front of Polaris. He sat down in front of the other pup, tilting his head at it as if waiting for it to make a move. When Polaris didn't move fast enough for him, Kesh nudged the dead rabbit with his nose, giving a small sound as if saying "go ahead" or "hurry up".

[Amanda]

Polaris would have blushed if wolves were capable, and if she were old enough to think of such things.

Thanks!

Polaris grabbed the end of a front limb and jerked, her rump in the air, plume waving.

This language said plainly Tug of war!

Polaris wriggled and squirmed, her paws pushing down into the cool earth as she tried to tear the thing into more manageble chunks.

[Takeshi]

"Uurrrah!" Kesh made a growling noise and mimicked Polaris's pose, his tail high in the air, swishing this way and that. His large paws moved out past shoulder width, giving him a good, solid foundation. He grabbed part of the rabbit and tilted his head left, then right, waiting for Polaris to start pulling.

Impatient, Kesh moved his paws on either side of his mouth, pushing the rabbit away as his teeth pulled at it's flesh. He was rewarded with a mouthful of fur and blood, which he then scarfed as he sat back on his haunches to consume. He closed his eyes, pleased to finally have a meal, and someone else to share it with.

The dark-furred pup let out a breath through his nose and thought back to their introduction. He out a "hrrrrr" sound, as if thinking.
Who is Larka?

[Amanda]

Polaris assaulted the tear that he had made, and after downing a good mouthful she sat back to answer his question.

Larka is my caretaker, my mother had died from an illness right after I was born...she is also the Alpha here. She accepts new wolves and she likes pups, even though so many of hers seem to die.

Polaris tilted her crania to the side and whimpered softly as a thought crossed her mind.

You will stay with me, wont you?

Hiding her eyes, suddenly embarassed for reasons she wasnt quite sure of, Polaris returned to attacking the rabbit, managing to tear a wide enough hole that made access to the meat easier.

[Takeshi]

The words the other pup had said seemed to echo in his head. Had he heard them before? Kesh shook his head a little to clear it, then looked at the pup across from him. So she belonged to a pack. And under the alpha's care, no less. Kesh wasn't sure he could set himself up for another big disappointment, but he knew without a pack, he'd likely starve. In any case, he found himself suddenly protective of this other pup. No... he wouldn't leave just yet.

Kesh bent down to the rabbit again and stuck his nose into the tear. With his sharp front teeth, he ripped the taut muscle right off the bone. The blood was still warm against his nose as he picked his head up, a sound catching his attention. Was another animal nearby? Kesh moved in front of Polaris, standing over the rabbit's dead body, looking around for the source of the noise.

[Amanda]

Polaris pricked her auds and the fur along her spine instinctively rose, making her appear twice as large as she was, which wasn't much. She crouched closer to Kesh, their fur brushing together comforted her and allowed her to better feel his responses. Muscles tense, her auds swiveled like radar dishes, trying to understand what he had heard...

(I didnt want to put a creature in if you had a particular idea in mind, so sorry for the short post =p)

[Takeshi]

(( 6^^ I actually didn't have a particular creature in mind, though if you'd like to have them encounter the pack anytime soon, perhaps they run into a wolf.))

[Amanda]

Kira had headed west for several miles, the scent that the cold breeze had carried grew stronger and stronger. As did the scent of a rabbit. Intrigued, for she knew Polaris was very young, Kira entered the clearing where her pack-sister resided. Auds perked forth curiously as she took in the scene- a brazen male pup standing guard over Polaris and a rather large dead rabbit. Amused, Kira's tone was friendly as she spoke.

Polaris! Mother sent me to find you, but I see that you are doing quite well on your own. Who is your friend?




Polaris wiggled and yipped once she saw her older pack-sister, immediately she ran and nuzzled her.

Kira! I got lost in the forest and I was so hungry and I fell in a hole and stepped on a bug and...

Tilting her crania to the side and inhaling before she spoke again, Polaris took a few steps towards Kesh.

This is my friend Kesh. Look at the rabbit we caught!


Kira eyed the mangled corpse and smiled. The two pups must have been starving. Looking at Kesh she addressed him next.

If you would like, Kesh, I can bring you and Polaris back to mother. There is good red meat there, and she likes pups. Infact, I just brought a little female named Ember to her.

shaking her head, Kira wondered where all the abandonded pups were coming from.

[Takeshi]

Ember? No... it wasn't a familiar name.

At the invitation, Kesh got low to the ground, his stomach and chin rubbing into the dirt as he looked up. He remembered the lower wolves in his pack doing this after a kill - they weren't allowed to eat first. Kesh didn't really care about doing it, at least when he was back in his pack. And he'd gotten snapped and growled at. But this was different. He was trying to be accepted by another wolf, so he had to at least try to follow their customs.

Kesh put on his best cute pup act and whimpered, crawling a little towards the older wolf.