by Hopeflower » Wed Oct 13, 2010 10:22 pm
The tan wolf staggered on, his pelt dappled with the shadows cast by the jungle canopy. His head was held low with exhaustion. How long had it been...? Days? Weeks? He didn't know. The cycle of night and day had blurred together after a while, and he'd lost count of how many days he'd just been walking. He pricked his ears warily as a distant howl reached him. Another male, letting all the wolves around know that he was strong enough to fend off challengers. Mahu flicked his tail impatiently and padded on. His mouth and throat were dry...and his stomach was completely empty. He could smell tapir, and blood, and his mouth watered. A meal he didn't often come by...but he could also smell other wolves, and some kind of big cat he hadn't encountered before. He tipped his head to one side. The scent was like jaguar and leopard, but not quite the same. Though his stomach complained, common sense won out. He couldn't risk moving in to steal a few bites of tapir when there were unknown predators around. And it smelled like there were more than enough of them to kill him before he could even get close to the kill. He started to turn away, but something made him stop. The wolf scents he could smell...were both female. He looked back. His whole life was ahead of him, and he had so much to give...just no one to give it to. Was it worth it...? He'd have to mull that over as he got a drink and hunted. He headed for the stream, veering away from the scents.
Night's blue eyes flickered open. The white wolf lifted her head and stretched with a long sigh. She could smell the kills, but she wasn't really hungry. She was too focused on the dream she'd just had...of herself, and a male who seemed to keep changing as the dream went on, and a few pups running around the place. She didn't need to get a good look at them; the emotions she'd cycled through in the dream, strange and somehow disconnected from her, were enough to tell her that she had dreamed of having a family for the first time since...well, since she had decided to stay among the cliffs when her family had moved on. She'd wanted to be a lone wolf...never having a family or pack. But now...she caught herself thinking of Sharpclaw. She hadn't seen him in a while...but instead of a feeling of loss, she found she was glad to be rid of him. The male hadn't a scrap of common sense or intelligence. He'd stuck himself to her like moss to a stone, proving to be nothing more than an annoyance. She found her gaze straying to Uzuri and Nguvu. They were lucky to be so compatible. The love they had, aside from complications with Amani, was easy and unconditional. Now her blue eyes settled on Lusa. She cared for the black pup like Lusa was her own daughter, but it wasn't the same as raising pups alongside a kind, gentle mate. Night let out a quiet sigh. Now that it had been unearthed, her longing to find a mate was a dull ache in her chest. She rested her chin on her paws, staring at the cave wall. What were the odds now? No male would come close to a group of big cats, unless he had a death wish. And Lusa wouldn't want to leave her friends. Night found her ears flattening sadly. If she was to have a mate...would she have to become a loner again?
"Gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come."
"Talent is a pursued interest. In other words, anything that you're willing to practice, you can do." ~ Bob Ross
"The future is always uncertain and painful but it must be lived." ~ Unknown