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Post by nightblood on Mar 4, 2008 22:45:06 GMT -5
NightBlood barreled through the underbrush as fast as she possibly could with her bum leg. A dead duck was held tightly in her jaws, it's head flopping around as she moved. She swerved to avoid trees and boulders, nearly hitting one or two as she ran. It was getting dark now. Umbra would have probably expected his meal to be served to him an hour ago. She wasn't looking forward to toying with an irate and hungry Umbra. No sir.
If luck would have it, however, Umbra had already gotten tired of Mirage and had taken the liberty of putting him out of his misery and devouring the carcass. The fight was something she didn't want to miss. Maybe she would get there in time to see the final blow. After all, it was she that took the joy of ripping off the head of his last opponent. Perhaps his need for vengeance would be taken out on the gray and blue wolf. Her tail wagged at the thought.
Swerving to miss a bush, she recounted her laps around the territory. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and she was sure she had run across Crow's paw prints. The border would be fine for as long as it took to deliver Umbra's meal. And perhaps she MIGHT have time to catch a mouse for Mirage.
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Shantik
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Post by Shantik on Mar 5, 2008 14:35:35 GMT -5
(A mouse! How nice and considerate, NB...)
However, she would be sourly dissapointed. Severly. Yes, Mirage was (sadly) alive and well. Or as well as he could be with his muscles screaming from a full-on stiffen caused by the wounds he'd received earlier. The blood had stopped flowing some time ago, however, and that was always a good (/bad) thing. This did no stop his stomach from crying out for food, maybe, but he was used to not eating and didn't expect to anyway. Not tonight.
The small wolf looked up drowsily from his log-den, having caught NightBlood's faint scent on the breeze. Along with food. This did little to cheer him, though. He knew the duck was for the much larger Umbra. Who knows? He might think it not enough and come after him. Oh, yeah, like his tiny form would feed much.
His sick, bored little mind would not let him go ignored right now, though, so he decided to go meet up with her. Getting to his paws and slipping from the log, stretching to get his muscles working again, he was rotating one shoulder-blade when she came in sight. "Welcome back, Night." He greeted. Surprise, surprise. No deadly comment. No afterthought. Just a 'welcome back'. See? He could have his semi-nice times too....
Besides, her initial dissapointment that he was still alive would be enough for him right now anyways.
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Electus
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Post by Electus on Mar 5, 2008 16:47:17 GMT -5
"Welcome back, Night."
Mortil opened his eye, blinking twice. He sniffed experimentally at the air, and discovered that indeed, Nightblood had returned. He yawned stiffly, stretching his limbs as much as his still healing injuries would allow.
"It's probably not good for you to be moving around so much, Mirage." the ash-grey wolf said absently. He wondered if his sudden gentle tone of voice would surprise the small wolf. Probably not. He was a sharp fellow, and Mortil had taken a slight liking to him, as Umbra did.
"So, Nightblood, catch anything?" Mortil asked casually, without any real desire to know. He was simply filling in conversation. There was something nervous in the air, but he couldn't quite place it. "And are you going to find a healer for Mirage?"
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Post by nightblood on Mar 5, 2008 18:17:22 GMT -5
"Welcome back, Night."
"Damf..." NightBlood growled under her breath and through the feathers. She really hoped she'd walk in on a fight. She needed some adrenaline... even after the recent battle she'd gone through. Perhaps the fight then had not been great enough to satisfy her need for war. It was probably the Dravirian blood in her that needed it. Oh well. She -did- get to rip off the wolf's head. That would be enough.
"Hai, Merodge."
"It's probably not good for you to be moving around so much, Mirage."
"Mortul!"
Her eyes widened in surprise as she turned to greet the gray wolf, tail wagging to show her mood.
"So, Nightblood, catch anything?"
"Yush!" That said, she tossed the dead duck at his feet. "There you go."
"And are you going to find a healer for Mirage?"
"I haven't seen Cota around anywhere and I'm not sure where to find that maniac, RavenShard," she said, turning away from Mirage to face Mortil. "I don't know much about healing... Do you?"
Her ears lowered at her own question. It was like asking a pup why the sun rose. Asking a warrior with a hardened killer inside him if he knew anything about healing injuries instead of causing them...
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Shantik
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Post by Shantik on Mar 5, 2008 18:27:02 GMT -5
Mirage grinned at the word he heard muttered under Night's breath. Now that wasn't very appropriete...He found it immensely amusing. Turning, his eyes locked on Mortil, and he blinked slowly. Something was wrong here. Horribly wrong. Had he bumped his head really hard within the past moments or something? Kind of reaction, but not shown as obviously as most would expect.
Mirage folded his haunches under him, sitting silently as he watched the two, keeping semi-quiet. He flicked his ears at NightBlood's broad question. He knew a bit about some herb, but not much. Mostly just for mundane...wait, had Mortil just...
Again, a single midnight eye flashed to the ash-grey wolf, slowly moving his face away from him, twitching slightly. Something was most certainly off. And he wasn't about to let it go unaddressed. "Who are you and what've you done with that blood-sucking creature I was acquainted with earlier?"
He supposed he had some sense of humor, and he wondered if the two would just laugh and not give a good explanation. His ears were folded back and he was looking at Mortil with a look like the duck he'd been thrown had four legs.
"As for healing..." He flinched again, still wondering how a murderous wolf had brought the subject up. "...you have a healer?" He'd never heard of a healer in a pack before. Creepy, eh?
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Electus
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Post by Electus on Mar 5, 2008 18:47:51 GMT -5
"I haven't seen Cota around anywhere and I'm not sure where to find that maniac, RavenShard," she said, turning away from Mirage to face Mortil. "I don't know much about healing... Do you?"
"Not exactly, no."
"Who are you and what've you done with that blood-sucking creature I was acquainted with earlier?"
Mortil turned to the face the small wolf, his face half-amused. "The name is Mortil. And as for Umbra, he is sleeping. What, do you wish to speak with him? I'm sure I could wake him up, but he's quite the foul one when forced out of sleep for no reason but to converse. Although...he may make an exception in your case. You are a pack member after all." He grinned. "However...in case you haven't yet figured it out, I am two wolves. In one body. Quite a simple description for the case, but clear enough, I suppose."[/color] He looked down at the duck. He wasn't really hungry, he had eaten earlier. He caught the bird in his jaws and threw it at Mirage.
"Thanks all the same Nightblood, but I'm not exactly hungry. I'm sure Umbra neglected to mention that. But this way, you don't have to go hunting again..."
"...you have a healer?"
"We do indeed. Two, in fact...Nightblood hates one, the others crazy. In that order."
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Post by nightblood on Mar 5, 2008 19:06:48 GMT -5
NightBlood frowned at the answer, though she had expected it.
"Who are you and what've you done with that blood-sucking creature I was acquainted with earlier?"
Blood had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the question. They really needed to have a meeting with the whole pack to discuss Mortil's... condition... so that it could be explained to everyone. The Sentry sat down and yawned as Mortilitas Umbra explained the situation to the new member, growling a little for the wasted time.
NightBlood's eyes widened in shock when Mortil tossed the bird to Mirage. She looked at the gray wolf with a questioning expression and growled softly at his explanation.
"Thanks all the same Nightblood, but I'm not exactly hungry. I'm sure Umbra neglected to mention that. But this way, you don't have to go hunting again..."
"... Fine..."
Agitation began to build up in that back of her mind. She had meant that bird to be for Mortilias Umbra. She owed him for the fish he'd caught before they met Will, the river otter. Sure, she didn't have to go hunting for Mirage now, but that still left her steamed. She tried to remind herself that it really didn't matter and attempted to forget it, but the fact that Umbra hadn't told her he wasn't hungry really irked her for some reason.
"...you have a healer?"
"We do indeed. Two, in fact...Nightblood hates one, the others crazy. In that order."
"I don't hate Cota... per say..." NightBlood retaliated innocently as she looked off in the distance at some unknown, but quite interesting object, "I just hate the fact that she gave birth to that piece of cowardly trash..."
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Shantik
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Post by Shantik on Mar 5, 2008 19:22:07 GMT -5
Mirage blinked, taking a step back when the bird was thrown his way. He looked down at it a moment, looking back up at Mortil, then to Night. The sentry seemed pretty miffed about the new arrangement, but Mortil didn't seem to mind one bit.
Shrugging, he leaned down, carefully plucking the feathers from the belly of the bird, keeping his ears focused on the other two as he worked carefully. The explanation about who exactly Mortilias Umbra was made...some sense. Oddly enough, he'd met some split-personality wolves before. Ok, so maybe just one, but he wasn't as surprised now that he knew what they were like.
"The name is Mortil. And as for Umbra, he is sleeping. What, do you wish to speak with him? I'm sure I could wake him up, but he's quite the foul one when forced out of sleep for no reason but to converse. Although...he may make an exception in your case. You are a pack member after all."
Mirage chuckled dryly. "No, thanks. I'd rather keep the fur on my bones, thank you." After finally plucking the last feather from the small section, he hesitation. It felt a little selfish, to be eating this when it had been caught for Mortil. He sighed slightly, looking up at the two-minded wolf. "Sure you don't want any?"
He sat on the cold ground again, paying attention to the healers, their description. He let a wry smile cross his lips. Whenever it seemed someone's pedigree was to blame for someone's distaste for another, it made him feel like he was the one the were pointing fingers at. He ignored the feeling for now, though.
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Electus
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Post by Electus on Mar 5, 2008 19:35:28 GMT -5
"Sure you don't want any?"
Mortil nodded. "Really, I'm okay." The ash-grey wolf caught the miffed look on Nightblood's face. "I'm really sorry Nightblood" he said, sitting down on his haunches. "But you know how Umbra is..."[/color]
The gentle male then looked to Mirage, his face curious. "What kind of scuffle did you get into, anyways?"[/color] he asked, circling his sitting spot once and then sitting down again. He watched the small wolf absently, his single golden staring balefully into the trees of Arnlan.
(( Argh...not much to say.))
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Post by nightblood on Mar 5, 2008 19:58:34 GMT -5
"I'm really sorry Nightblood" he said, sitting down on his haunches. "But you know how Umbra is..."
"Well, I don't expect an apology from him, but next time he's awake, tell him that was really low."
It was a rare occurrence for NightBlood to be eager to please anyone, especially a wolf such as Umbra. Perhaps she simply wanted a bit of praise from the murderer, but she didn't exactly know why she expected to get any. He was Umbra, after all.
"What kind of scuffle did you get into, anyways?"
NightBlood looked at Mirage with a hawklike gaze. She had wondered about this as well, but had neglected to ask. Now that they had time to kill, it seemed like a good conversation to listen to.
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Shantik
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Post by Shantik on Mar 5, 2008 20:05:50 GMT -5
Mirage nodded to him, then reached down and took a small bite from the meal, keeping his eiree blue-black eyes on them as they spoke. He'd never had duck before, and it had a unique taste, he discovered. Much different from rabbit or elk.
At Mortil's question, he flicked his ears, not entirly sure what he meant. Scuffle with Umbra? But when he saw Night's gaze, and leaned down to take another bite, being rewarded another muscle-scream from his shoulder wound, he understood. Oh...that scuffle.
Licking the blood from his lips, he looked up at them, feeling slightly uneasy with both of them looking at him. "Why do you want to know?" He asked. He figured with this much nicer side of the grey wolf, he wouldn't really have a reason; just curious. Night might want to strangle the answer out o him, but he was used to that.
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Electus
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Post by Electus on Mar 5, 2008 20:29:32 GMT -5
"Well, I don't expect an apology from him, but next time he's awake, tell him that was really low."
Mortil nodded. "Okay. But he'll probably just laugh...oh well."[/color]
He looked then to Mirage, who was just then finishing off the duck.
"Why do you want to know?"
The ash-grey male shrugged. "Well, you know, there wasn't really much else to do. You seem to be taking this pretty calmly, all things considered."[/color] he said, referring to the battered state he himself was in. His injuries still protested every time he moved, and he winced inwardly. He wouldn't be fighting at full strength any time soon.
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Post by nightblood on Mar 5, 2008 20:41:32 GMT -5
"Okay. But he'll probably just laugh...oh well."
"I don't doubt that," she answered, a bit coldly.
"Why do you want to know?"
The ash-grey male shrugged. "Well, you know, there wasn't really much else to do. You seem to be taking this pretty calmly, all things considered."
Blood's gaze went to Mortil's battle scars. Her ears folded at the sight of them. It was she who had taken much of the victory he so rightly deserved. At the moment, she didn't really care for anyone else's wounds but his. Strange how her loyalty to her friends outweighed most of her regard for her own safety. True, she would never allow her friends to mooch off of her when they were too lazy to do anything, but she was not at all selfish when it came to putting her life on the line for them. This said, it would be a long time before Night would feel the impulse to protect Mirage with her life. She snorted at the thought and laid down, making herself comfortable before the story began.
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Shantik
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Post by Shantik on Mar 5, 2008 20:55:03 GMT -5
Mirage shrugged, sprawling out to lay on his side. He flicked his tail often as he thought of a way, if any, to explain the rough time he usually had with packs familiar with his name. His mind was coming up with little more than excuses for the numerous gouges and bloody marks that marred his fur now. But they wanted to hear...
"My family name is not exactly rescected in your average community." He explained simply, cutting the explanation short. If they wanted more detail, fine. He'd tell all about his ruthless father, his blind mother - blinded, by-the-way, by his father - and his spoiled sister. Not that he and his sister were on bad terms; in fact, they were very close. Their father just raised them so differently...it would just be hard to explain it all.
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Electus
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Post by Electus on Mar 5, 2008 21:11:31 GMT -5
"My family name is not exactly respected in your average community."
"I see." Mortil said simply, lapsing into a taciturn silence. He half regretted prying; he of all people should have known that Mirage was more complicated than he had looked. It seemed that Arnlan had a knack for drawing in dejected wolves. He smiled slightly. He was certainly one of them.
He decided to let the matter drop. Nightblood could question Mirage if she wanted to, but the ash-grey male would not. He was getting accustomed to being in a pack again, and once again he was slowly becoming the gentle (albeit fierce warrior) wolf that he once was. Which wasn't to mean he was going to go soft on anyone. No...he simply was kinder to his packmates, that was all.
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