s a i l i n g down [Patu]

[Dusty]

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The sun sparkled along the river's surface, playing with different reflections and colors of the light. The normally rushing river had calmed in the past few days, depleting to nothing but a calm water snaking through Torridlands. This was not the river Dusty had grown up with, been told to stay away from. There were stories that the river would swallow anyone who lay paw in it, along with the stories of the great battle in this dirt. Dusty turned her head in the direction of downstream. If you followed Talutah far enough, you'd cross over to Souselands where the river really was calmer, and was meant to be calmer. The name changed when it hit the verge of Souselands, though, and was no longer Torrid's raging river. Dusty's golden eyes flickered back to the river. The level of the water had gone down. This was the beginning of a drought.

The heat of summer practically pushed down on everything, suffocating it. Green trees had faded to a light brown, practically the color of the dusted areas of Dusty's fur; hence her name. The apples that adorned the trees in Rowtag were no longer growing plentifully, but rather more dully with a brown hue from lack of water. And the canyons of Sanyue. Dusty didn't even want to get started on the heat there. Of course, the bottom of the canyons were much cooler, but not many wolves knew how to get down there without breaking a bone. And along with the dry weather being welcomed into the lands of Darayn came the farewell to prey. Everything was scattering to the only wet area left: Sousepack's territory.

Dusty's eyes flickered downriver again. Heck, what of it? She thought. She was a hunter, trained to scout out prey for her pack. If that meant that all of the pack was scattering to another territory, well, Dusty would follow. She didn't care if she got into trouble. Without really noticing it, Dusty's body turned and her paws started to take her downriver, following the edge of Talutah until the scents around her started to change a little. The edge of pack territories were always places Dusty usually stayed clear of. She didn't like the mingling scents of her own pack and another.

Dusty let out a sigh against the heat, inhaling after exhaling. A warm scent entered her mouth and danced up to her nostrils and the roof of her mouth. The scent was warm and mouth-watering. Dusty recognized it immediately.

Rabbit. The word hadn't even crossed her mind before she took of running. Calm wind blew against her pelt as she ran, following the river, following the scent of sacred food. She welcomed the cool breeze of running, knowing she'd be hot and exhausted later on in the day as the sun rose higher up into the sky. Her paws thudded against the ground, which became thicker and thicker with undergrowth as she ran. In the back of her mind, she realized she had crossed pack territory. The unusual smells and sights around her barely registered in her mind, though. All she could think about was the small brown creature as it came into view, bobbing up and down.

Dusty picked up speed and the rabbit turned around. It's beady black eyes took in the sight of Dusty, her wolfish grin as she thought about sinking her teeth into the rabbit's flank and savouring the tasty meat. The rabbit turned around, startled, and picked up speed itself, winding in and out of the undergrowth, taking Dusty deeper into Souselands. Dusty, at top speed, bent her haunches and launched herself. She sailed through the air, intending to pounce on the rabbit.

Only to realize that, as she landed, she hadn't even landed on the rabbit, but more like the rabbit's hole. "Damn it!" Dusty cursed, depsite herself. A whimper escaped her lips. She had lost her food. Desperately she stuck her muzzle into the hole, leaning back and digging frantically. Her food, she wanted her food!



Notes: DIRECTED TO PATU as SIYL! [word count is 668] Other Sousewolves, maybe even a Torridwolf, can join later on to cause some drama, but let me & Patron get this started up first.

Anyways, Patron. Didn't really know in what direction you wanted to go with this, so I made it a simple chase-the-prey across territory thing.

[patronize]

siyl

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When the hours of the day stretched on to morning, pastel clouds emerged. There was no attempt to be subtle as the dreary gray masses turned to bright splashes of yellows and soft reds. Morning was here, announcing its presence with the arrival of weak sunlight to combat the darkness.

Yet again, Siyl found herself at the edge of the river, her rust-colored pelt meshing with the brown heads of cattails and leafy blades of grass. Her paws were submerged a few inches in the water, squishing into mud. The humid fragrance of water and plants combined into a feverishly sweet smell, carried by the wind's turmoil and into her nostrils.
Like many mornings, she was staring in Sousepack's river. It had been only recently she realized it wasn't just any river. It carried separate identities, different personalities. In all essence, it was a person. Impulsive and ruthless it was in Torridpack's lands, yet the feeling mollified to a slight welcome in Sousepack's. To Torridpack, it was a death wish, to Sousepack, it was the provider of fish and life.
The water moved at its leisurely pace past Siyl, not a worry or thought. Intricate ripples marked its surface, bringing depth and realism to its waters. Siyl had to wonder how much longer it would be there. The sides were receding slowly as days without rain added up. But that was not to worry about, not now.

With a thoughtful bow to the water, Siyl lowered her head close to the aqua. Her tongue edged its way out of her mouth and fell to the liquid, lapping up its cool fluid. The water's coldness chilled her teeth, but Siyl welcomed the frigid sensation.
She lifted up her head again, about to continue staring at the water in meditation, yet was stopped. A slight scuffle was heard, the sound of some sort of feet scraping against the dry earth. Her first assumption was that a meager prey animal visited, deer or rabbit, something nonthreatening.
Siyl's immediate thought was that perhaps a prey animal was around, deer or rabbit, or some other animal.
Yet soon, in a nonsuspicious odor, she smelled something that shouldn't be in Sousepack's territory. The faintest smell of...Torridwolf.
Nara was right, Siyl realized, her eyes widening in surprise. The Alpha was accurate in stating that they should be guarding prey closely...
Wolves were getting more desperate by the day.

She slowly turned her head, wondering who this unexpected visitor might be. The scent said female, yet that was about it.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a flash of movement. Twisting her head slowly to not startle whoever might be near her, Siyl saw a wolf. It was a rather small little female, shorter than even Siyl, standing absentmindedly. A runt, perhaps- no wonder it was so desperate to hunt on another pack's lands.
The colorations seemed oddly familiar, yet Siyl couldn't remember whose they might be. It was the standard color for wolves- a back streaked with black, a dusty sort of color around the body, a creamy beige around belly.
Siyl inhaled the female's scent again and her eyes shot open as she recognized the scent.
Oh yes, she knew who that scent belonged to.

Without stopping to consider the consequences, Siyl bolted from the serene haven of the river. Only when she was several feet away from Dusty did she stop, a growl rattling her throat. The distinctive nick on the wretch's ear was visible, a disappointing reminder of their first meeting and fight.
"Why hello. I never thought I'd see you here- looking for some handouts, eh? she mocked, tail swishing.


WORD COUNT:598
NOTES:
Awesome manip there for Dusty. It's so adorable! -hugs Dusty-

And don't worry about the chase-the-prey hunting thing, it's the best there is. -nodnod-

[Dusty]

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Dusty's pink pads and her claws scraped the opening to the hole frantically. Her shoulders flexed with every dig she made, paws becoming covered with dirt and some drying mud. She pushed away from the hole, bending down and sticking her muzzle in once again. She sniffed. All she smelled was the musky scent of earth and faint but fresh scent of rabbit. This hole probably linked to another one. Dusty let out a sigh and leaned away, starting up her digging again. It'd be easier just to find more prey, and probably safer to head back to her own lands.

A small bird, probably the size of a sparrow, chirped somewhere off in the distance. A small and quick summer breeze followed, rustling the leaves. Dusty's ears flicked at the sound. The calm trickling sound of water against rocks was disturbed by a small lapping. Dusty lifted her head, ears perked up. She probably held the look of a deer in headlights, afraid she had been caught. Dusty's golden eyes scanned the forest, a bit thicker than her own thinned-out forest home. She had to admit, this place was beautiful in its own way. Every part of nature was beautiful, truly. But the way the sunlight played with the edges of the leaves, shined off the river and sparkled, gave the blades of grass a fluorescent light. It was pretty, Dusty admitted. She scanned the forest once more, deciding nothing important was there. Probably larger prey, maybe a fox, Dusty told herself, turning back to the rabbit hole.

She stuck her muzzle back into the hole, but only before she got a whiff of Sousepack. Of course, all of the lands around her smelled like Sousepack...but this scent was more distinct. Dusty lowered herself to the ground slightly, pulling her muzzle slowly out of the den. She paused, staying in her crouching position as she heard a rustle, her ears flicking. A growl rumbled out from the comforting silence of the forest around her like faraway thunder. But she knew this was a growl of a wolf, not thunder. Dusty straightened herself up as the voice spoke, a voice all too familiar. She knew this voice, she knew this wolf.

It had a mocking tone to it, along with that mocking scent. The female wolf, her red pelt sleek and glistening in the sunlight today, stood with her head dipped, tail swishing back and forth. She held an air of annoyance, but at the same time an air that she had caught a thief. A thief? Dusty? Really, it made Dusty want to laugh. She hadn't even gotten her claws on the stupid rabbit! The stupid rabbit that had to favor Souselands because of a stupid drought.

Dusty just wanted to call everything stupid, that's what she was in the mood for. She stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating, flattening her ears back. She remembered the anger she had felt around Siyl, an anger that was stirred up from within just by the littlest of things Siyl had done or said. Her golden gaze scanned over Siyl, finding a small part in her fur around her shoulders. I'm not the only one with decorations, Dusty thought, her nicked ear flicking absentmindedly.

A sigh escaped Dusty's muzzle. "Well, it must be my lucky day. How wonderful it is to see, you, Siyl," Dusty muttered without much enthusiasm. "As for handouts, I didn't even get to dig my claws in the darn rodent." Dusty stepped away from the rabbit hole, shaking herself free of any dirt.

[patronize]

siyl

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Standing a few feet away from Dusty in an overly-confident, snarky stance, Siyl observed the wolf. Although she would like to say otherwise, Siyl was intrigued by Dusty. Being unable to shake the fragmented memories of their last fight, she simply embraced them, letting her recollections remind her of her distaste for the wretch. The details of the quarrel they had she couldn't remember clearly, yet she did recall with excellent clarity Dusty's bloody fur near the end of the fight, seeping over her pelt, dying it from sepia to red. She remembered Dusty's torn ear, the taste of flesh between her teeth, the metallic smell of the blood. Quickly the memories regained their novelty, like opening up an old photo album. Siyl remembered everything, yet it all seemed new to her. She quivered, remembering the sharp stabs of pain in her shoulder shortly after the fight began.

Show no fear, Siyl reminded herself quietly, stiffening as she watched Dusty. Bent over, paws furiously delving in the earth and tossing up bits of soil, the wretch was immersed in her digging. Her head was shoved nearly completely in the hole, making Siyl smirk. Humorously speculating, Siyl pretended to herself Dusty was trying to 'hide' from her.

Edging a bit closer to Dusty to see more of her digging frenzy, she frowned as she noticed the size of the whole. Roughly twice the size of a normal rabbit hole, it tarnished the serene lands of Kolenya. In the depths of the forest, between trees and brush, there would be an ugly hole breaking up the tranquility by the time the pest was done. That meager hole tainted the whole of Sousepack, and vehemently Siyl glared at Dusty.

Finally noting her presence, Dusty lifted her soil-covered head from the hole she dug. Beginning her words with a sigh, Dusty greeted her in a tone sounding lifeless and disappointed. It struck Siyl as odd to see the wolf not insulting her- or, at least not to her face. The tawny-colored wolf really was a soft-heartened wimp, not even willing enough to taunt the wolf that bit into her ear and flank, spat into her eye, among other things.

But Dusty's reluctance to retaliate her verbal attacks was alright. Siyl would only try harder.
"So that's what's persuading the Dustpuff to get her wittle fur all dirty," Siyl said, grimacing as Dusty shook off the bits of earth clinging to her coat. Timidly she stepped back close to the hole, wary of getting that filth on her.
"Wow, you call this...what was it, a hole? Looks more like a crater to me. Have you ever even hunted before, Dusty? Aimless digging won't get you anywhere. Neither will trespassing...but I suppose we can let that slide, eh?"

Siyl peered down at the hole, twitching as she realized what a mess the wolf had made.
"What kind of animal were you digging for, anyway?" she asked curiously.

WORD COUNT: 489
NOTES:
I love this post. xD I can so imagine Siyl being like "Psh, I can catch a rabbit!" and then getting outsmarted by it. Loool.

Dusty, you are the genius when it comes to making good ideas for threads.

[Dusty]

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The red wolf in front of her grimaced as some of the dirt flew off of Dusty's head and pelt and in her direction. Dusty watched as Siyl stepped back, away from the sailing dust particles as if it were mites about to latch to her fur. Dusty smirked slightly. Poor little Siyl couldn't get dirty, eh? That was slightly amusing.

Her paws itched to move as Siyl stepped closer warily and took a peek into the rabbit hole. Dusty wanted to move away from the Sousewolf, but she stood her ground. Dusty followed Siyl's gaze, rather curiously. She couldn't help it, acting like a pup some times. Siyl was right, the hole was no longer really...a hole. More like an oversized blob in the ground with dirt scattered everywhere from Dusty's digging.

The hole...or blob...kind of clashed with the surroundings of Souselands. The trees were green, covered with some moss.

Everything was flourishing, with flowers scattered here and there and everything blooming. The scattered dirt from the otherwise natural hole, or what had been natural until Dusty had gone and dug it up, did not fit into the scene before her. Dusty grimaced, and ignored the nickname as she answered Siyl.

"Yes it was a hole," Dusty snapped at Siyl's stupid comment. What else could it have been? Even if Dusty had dug it up, she could still tell of what it naturally was. Dusty glared at Siyl from the corner of her eye, smirking and giving her fur another shake before Siyl decided to back away, more dirt that had been hidden in her pelt shaking off. "And of course I've hunted. I'm a hunter in Torridpack, one of the best. Unlike you, who obviously thinks this rabbit hole is a crater. And what of it if I was trespassing? No prey stolen, nothing gained - we should let this slide."


Notes: Haha, I hadn't realized I was so great at posts [this one isn't so great, unfortunately. I'm being sidetracked - sorry!] Anyways, thanks!

And your post above ^^ is hilarious, as mentioned before!

[patronize]

siyl

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Siyl was skeptical of what that Dusty could be digging for. She wasn't positive if there were any burrows at the spot before Dusty demolished the area, neither was she sure that Dusty was hunting. Was if the wolf was hiding food or something? Or the hole could be a landmark for Torridpack to meet. Considering it her duty to see what Dusty was really doing, Siyl inched closer to the hole.

There was little evidence of it previously being a burrow, considering how marred the land was after the digging. Lowering her head timidly, wary of an attack from Dusty, Siyl bent down close to the hole. The odor of rabbit was strong, meaning it was a mere rodent the wretch was trying to catch. But even if it really was a rabbit Dusty attempted to kill, it was still prey...Sousepack's prey.

Rising from the hole, Siyl stared at Dusty as Dusty stared at her. Their eyes were locked, hers filling with distrust, Dusty's eyes...she couldn't really tell. If her assumption of the wolf being dense was true, then there would be so little happening in the wolf's mind her eyes couldn't give clue to what it might be.
Then after a moment of staring, Dusty answered, her tone in a gruff bark.

"A hole...," Siyl said slowly, testing out the word and then peering at the crater Dusty dug.

Just to pester her, Dusty smirked and shook her pelt. Siyl was about to growl and turn away, but it was too late. Fragments of the dirt flew and landed on Siyl's face and neck, some on her back.

"Bah!" Siyl hissed, shaking her head furiously. Most of the dirt fell off, but it left her fuming at the wolf. It wouldn't be surprising if Dusty had a bad flea problem or something...
Parasites typically enjoyed the company of wretches.

With a glare following her words, Siyl spoke.
"Have you considered you're one of the only hunters in Torridpack? No wonder the wolves praise the ground you walk on- they have no choice! Further more, I'd be rethinking your statement, wretch. If you still believe this is a hole," she paused momentarily, kicking a back leg to the crater in question, "then I pity you.

Siyl sat down, tail swishing ardently.
"Very true, little Dustpuff. Nothing was gained. But surely was lost when you tarnished our territory with your scent and defaced our land with an ugly blemish of a hole. I doubt you've even caught a rabbit before. Even in the time of drought, when all animals are unnaturally skittish, I could catch the rabbit with ease. And you say you're the best hunter!" she scoffed.

WORD COUNT: 438
NOTES:
Not my best post. However, it did get some action going on. -evil cackle-
My idea was to get Siyl bragging and then have her attempt to catch the rabbit and fail miserably.

[Dusty]

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Dusty smirked as the dirt she shook of sailed through the air and landed on Siyl, who shook her head, afraid of a little dirt. She rolled her golden eyes. Siyl didn't even seem to know what a hole was, either. She said it as if she were unsure, or as if it were a question. She sure thought she was smart, but that didn't seem to be the case.

She backed away from her hole, which did take the form of a crater now, and gave her pelt one last shake. Underneath her pelt, the heat of the sun was starting to get to her as it rose higher and higher into the sky. Soon it would be mid day. There went her plan to sneak out earlier in the morning and bask in the cool air before it got too hot. She'd just have to leave the pack again in the evening, when it was cooler again.

Golden eyes darted around at the trees again, waiting for some more intruders of such to appear out of nowhere. She had fought with Siyl, and right now it was pretty mutual for the two of them, seeing as they hated each other, but that didn't mean she trusted Siyl with her life or anything. Dusty flicked her ears. Siyl was rambling on about something unimportant again, calling her the stupid petname she had picked up. Dustpuff. Where the heck did she get that from? Although, it didn't really matter. Siyl's main good point was pestering and jabbing at others. That seemed to be her only personality trait, so Dusty would just ignore it and let it go. Didn't matter one bit to her.

Her lips curled over her teeth, showing white canines. "Of course I know I'm the only hunter, or are you that idiotic to think I don't know how many are in my pack? And as for your territory, I don't care much for it. I can't even see the freedom of the sky, so I do believe my little blemish will add a little personality to your perfect little home," Dusty sneered, a little sarcastically. Her ears flicked and she stretched her neck forward, coming nose-to-nose with Siyl. "You can catch a rabbit, Siyl? I had no idea! Let me see you try," she retorted, leaning away and stepping back from her hole.

[Maromi]

ROOKA

Had it really become such a bad thing? To age, to grow? My goodness, wasn't death something to be respected? Not something feared? Had he really been so stupid as to even think of such things? His mind had been caught in the rut all day, back and forth through his mind, constantly thinking back to the scenerio played back in his head.
'Doctor! Doctor! You see? I've a sickness! A sickness only death can cure. Death only a shaman can give! What do I do? What do I take? I want to sleep peacefully...'
His crazy old mind had strange ways of thinking up such disorienting fantasys. Little day dreams that deeply disturbed him and almost always felt so real.

He had been walking and had stumbled across the river, unknowingly ofcourse. When the sound of creeping water flicked his ears forward, he stared about to regain his conciousness. He looked forward and looked intently to the area around him. He could hear gentle talk and then arguments over...a rabbit?

"Such a pity to be snapping over rabbits!" Rooka strolled out and smiled at his pack mates, bowing his head gently and respectfully to Siyl and Dusty.
"Good afternoon, children." He had a calm and melodic look to him. His eyelids shifted half way over his orbs, but his old face didn't put off as threatening.
"You want to cure hunger? Mulberries are good for such pains! But only eat a few," He warned, shaking his head, "Eating a few cures hunger, but eating too many will turn your stomach."