Feeding Time {Shantik/V}

[nightblood]

"My family name is not exactly respected in your average community."

"I see."

NightBlood nodded and almost immediately understood. Had she met Mirage in Draviria and his name was known and resented, she probably would have would have killed him on sight. But this was Arnlan.

"The pack members here generally stay out of the squabbles of other packs. You'll find no one who much cares about your family's bad name here. We only kill Sallinians on sight."

That was about the shortest conversation she'd ever been part of if Mirage chose not to go on. She yawned as her tiredness started to sink in and almost laughed at her self for it. Any other wolf would be terrified to be in the presence of such murderous wolves, but Night felt calm and pretty secure at the moment. Perhaps it was Arnlan's spell or perhaps it was her experience of living in a hateful pack before Arnlan. Whatever it was, she sometimes scared herself.

[Shantik]

(I just noticed: Our characters' colors are red, white and blue! ^^ How neat...)

"I see."

Mirage was glad they dropped the subject at that. Even Night seemed ready to leave the past to just that. He didn't sigh in relief or anything, just dipped his head to them both and continued eating. He was beginning to rather like this pack. The members could keep to their secrets, and not have to worry about anyone being too interested. Nice.

"The pack members here generally stay out of the squabbles of other packs. You'll find no one who much cares about your family's bad name here. We only kill Sallinians on sight."

What a comfort. Especially since..."I'm afraid I've never heard of Sallin. Is that a pack nearby?"

Call him crazy or what you'd like, but besides his father's pack and one other besides that...he'd never grown too familiar with the surrounding groups. However, he was, in a way, lying. He'd heard of Sallin, the prime reason he had known that was the name of the pack and not something else that could be derived from 'Sallinians'. But besides their name, he didn't understand why the other packs seemed so eager to dispatch of any members from there. It made him glad he was not among their ranks.

[Electus]

{Neato. Skip me for now, I can't think of anything to say for the life of me. }

[nightblood]

{{*kicks your muse* Work, darn you!... XD J/K *pets muse* ^^;}}

"I'm afraid I've never heard of Sallin. Is that a pack nearby?"

Blood growled at the question, but answered it all the same.

"An evil and vicious pack beyond our southern border." Suddenly the growls stopped and the Sentry took a more respectful posture. "I've heard tales of their wars, but have never had any contact with them. Wether I view them as worthy opponents or not remains to be seen, but I will respect our border until then."

This said, NightBlood turned to Mortil, waiting for his response. She was half sure he'd say something about not fighting them unless absolutely necessary or something to that degree. Perhaps he'd even remain silent, conversing with Umbra about what circumstances made it acceptable to attack them. It was then that she remembered Mirage's suspicious attitude toward fighting. She turned to face him, her face stone hard as she glared at him.

"Don't stir up trouble with them. They've taken down dogs bigger and stronger than you."

[Shantik]

(OOOOOOOoooo, burn! I'll wait for V before Mirage...does something.)

[Electus]

"I've heard tales of their wars, but have never had any contact with them. Wether I view them as worthy opponents or not remains to be seen, but I will respect our border until then."

Mortil laughed, his voice eerily reminiscent of Umbra when he spoke. "HA! Sallin...Such a name. They'll get nothing but scorn from me. Their fighters...cowards! Weak...pathetic idiots who know nothing of the wonderful dance of battle. Sallin? All you must know that every Sallin wolf is cruel, every Sallin wolf is a coward. Rip, tear, slash! They scream, oh yes, the wonderful screams when they die! Then you see how weak they really are! I spit on Sallin and their cowardly dogs!" And spit he did, his one golden eye flashing angrily.

The ash-grey suddenly walked his usual circle around his sitting spot, his movements agitated. "There is nothing more worth hating than Sallin." he said softly.

"Nothing."

[Shantik]

Mirage at first blew off Sallin. They didn't sound very interesting the way NightBlood described them. He sighed, dissapointed, though his head snapped up at her warning. He had to push the retort he'd instantly planned to the back of his mind as he caught Mortil's voice. The small wolf's grin returned, accompanied by a wicked glint in his eyes as he took in every word.

"Really?" He said slowly, grinning even more, to the point that his lips split; revealing his gleaming fangs. "Well, then..." He paused a moment, thinking on his options. But it seemed he would have to go without a little visit to see these dogs; upon re-entering Arnlan grounds, he would probably be slaughtered for the scent on his fur. Tsk...shame. "...what about the other packs around here?" He said, not bothering to hide the dissapointed sigh in his voice.

Since he'd come from the west, a place set apart from Kloteck, he'd scarcly heard of anything within the region. Towns, yes, and some packs he'd caught wind of, but not much explanation. And he rather liked the ones he was getting from these two.

[nightblood]

"There's Synl..." Night began listing after recovering from Mortil's speech. It sounded too much like something Umbra would say. She shuddered at the thought, but went on answering Mirage's question. "That's a dog pack a far south east of here. Hallow is a human village west of us. Rakine Port is beyond that."

Those were the only packs she remembered being mentioned while she'd been in Arnlan or captured by the humans. She wasn't exactly the authority on other packs' information. She protected Arnlan. That was it. She couldn't and did not want to imagine her being anywhere else. This was her home.

"I think Pollux would know more about other packs, though," she said as an afterthought, "You could go ask her when you feel better."

{{I just noticed: Red, White, Blue.... and EVERYONE has ONE eye!! XD }}

[Electus]

"You could go ask her when you feel better."

Mortil stretched carefully, making sure not to agitate his injuries any more. He had met Pollux before his little scuffle with Ultionis, and it was an interesting one. Nothing more, nothing less. He focused his eye on the small wolf again.

"Well...I guess you could. There's not much to be gained from that. The other packs...are of no moment right now really. But if you really wanted to, you could, I guess. Pollux...is an interesting one."

Mortil sighed softly, laying down again. "Damn, I'm bored! I wish I could hunt...."

[Shantik]

Mirage perked his ears at Nightblood, tilting his head. Synl sounded highly interesting, somehow, but decided not to ask after the matter much more. He could find and 'interrogate' this Pollux later, he supposed. That was always a fun activity.

At Mortil's outburst, he grinned, then stretched, rolling onto his back. "Yes, I am too. Much to little to do around here. And this is what I signed up for? Tsk, tsk..."[/color] He flashed a one-eyed, amused grin at Night. "I'm almost starting to regret pledging my allegiance to this pack."[/color] He could've added more, but figured it was enough for now. He didn't want to get killed....too quickly.

(Odd cioncidinc...we should from the one-eye club! xDD)

[Blackfeathr]

((Joinin' as the bear cuz I volunteered.))

Nimble teeth gingerly plucked off the few berries that had grown on the bushes in this short revival of spring. They tasted bitter in the young black bear's mouth and he wished there were more. But it'll do. He'd woke up too late to get a good catch of fish, maybe later in the day he'd forage for a meal in one of the larger rivers.

Grunting, he pulled his body around to lumber from whence he came a few hours earlier, a small cave on the side of a rocky hill. Old leaves and slush crunched under his flat feet as his heavy form clumsily made its way through the tightly woven trees of Arnlan.

Faint voices in conversation reached his ears, a language that was at first unfamiliar to him but then he recognized it as Wolf. There were three of them.
What they were saying was unknown to him, he could not understand Wolf very well, he only knew short words and phrases.

He had a bias against them, though. Once could say he was racist against such species. They had attacked him as a cub and his family when they lived south of the border of this Wolf pack, in a different wolf pack, where the air seemed to be electrified with unease.

But all wolves were the same, right? These wolves will be no different.
Anger coursed through his body with every heartbeat, every feverish step he took, plowing toward these wolves, not caring if he interrupted their conversation of gibberish.
He stopped just short of being in sight of the wolves, peering at them through the trees, a booming growl erupting through his chest and shaking the ground beneath him.

[nightblood]

"Damn, I'm bored! I wish I could hunt...."

"Yes, I am too. Much to little to do around here. And this is what I signed up for? Tsk, tsk..." Mirage flashed a one-eyed, amused grin at her. "I'm almost starting to regret pledging my allegiance to this pack."

NightBlood growled in annoyance. Mirage was pulling on her last nerve.

"You forget, Mirage. You're injured. The best you can hope for when you're injured is some conversation. Wait until you're healed there'll be plenty to do. I think I've said before that the Alphas look down on slackers."

Her eyes traveled over to Mortil and locked on his form, keeping her good eye away from Mirage. She was sure she'd explode if she looked at him for too long.

"Both of you will be healed in no time. Then you can terrorize whatever harmless rabbit or helpless deer that crosses your path..."

It was then that the Sentry heard a deep rumbling coming from the bushes. She jumped up and turned to them in an instant, fearing it was humans. Humans didn't growl, though... Did they? If they did, they surely couldn't be this loud. Her eyes narrowed at the bushes the noise was coming from, tensing her muscles. The fur on her neck and back rose as she prepared herself for a fight.

[Electus]

"Both of you will be healed in no time. Then you can terrorize whatever harmless rabbit or helpless deer that crosses your path..."

Mortil laughed lightly. But he, too, heard the deep growl. He saw Nightblood tense, and he got to his feet, eye glinting. He could feel himself being mentally pushed aside.

"At last! Ha ha ha! Something to break this inane monotony!" Umbra cackled, his fangs bared in an insane grin. The ash-grey killer replied to the deep growl in kind with a deafening roar that pulled back his lips and revealed his deadly canines. Despite his beaten-up appearance, the berserker was spoiling for a fight.

"Come on, whatever you are! My fangs hunger for blood and death!"

Umbra swiveled his eye on Mirage. He arched an eyebrow and grinned. "Well? Don't just sit there! I won't wait for you to take your sweet time! Let us dance the wonderful dance of death together!"

[Shantik]

Mirage had already been glancing in the direction of the growl before it even was uttered, his ears perked and a frown on his face. Not a dog, not a wolf, not a human. And most certainly no rabbit or deer snarled.

He got to his paws, then glanced at Mortil at the invitation. He liked the sound of that. A wicked grin matching the grey wolf's in evil intent but not quite in matter of insanity, Mirage nodded, walking up beside him, ignoring the near-fatal wounds he had received only hours before.

"Sounds good to me."[/color] He agreed, totally ignoring Night for now. All that mattered was him, Mortil, and whatever creature lay in front of them. He hadn't killed in some time. He had started to miss the thrill of it.

(Poor Night...out here with two insane killers...)

[Blackfeathr]

What? Foolish wolves! Turning around and growling and uttering their angry gibberish at the likes of me, the bear thought haughtily to himself. He was easily ten times their weight and girth, every last one of them! Just the thought of them attempting to best him made him angrier.

He exploded through the trees as if they were nothing, coming out into their little clearing. He stood on his back feet, roaring at them. This'll teach them to attack his family! He rose one immense black furred arm into the air and brought it down in a sideswipe, his claws creating a large gash in the nearby trees it made contact with. He continued his path in the air with that deadly force, attempting to knock his wolven enemies out of his way and off of the face of the earth. His lips drew back to show huge teeth that glinted in the sunlight. He expanded his mighty chest and gave a booming roar to the skies, shaking the trees around them.

((Bleh rrgh writers blox))