lost and hungry(open)

[dizzi]

Frostheart was wandering through the forest when he stumbled upon the meadow. He hadn’t eaten in a few days and was in a rather bitter mood. His paws were sloshing through the water grounds of the meadow until he was able to find a higher dry spot. His collar made a clink noise when he lay across a strangely formed rock to bask in the mid day sun. His stomach made gurgle noises every so often as he looked blankly on at the scene before him.
”I wish father could have at least given me an idea of where his sister is.”
He started to growl in agreement with his thoughts when he heard a movement not far from where he was resting. He stood up on the stone with his teeth bared and claws at the ready.

[CrazyYellowJacket]

Snarling, Rikue struggled in the grasp of the thicket. Thorns cut into his hide and paws, letting little spots of blood show everywhere. He bared his fangs at it, as if that would make the stubborn flora back away from him. When it didn't, he whipped around best as he could, but it only made the grasp tigher on his body. Finally, he sighed and stopped struggling, blue eyes looking towards the brute ahead of him, nearly pleading for help.

He didn't expect this. He had just followed a scent that came from upwind, a scent of another wolf. Curious Rikue found the brute as he stayed downwind to study the beast. He was large and strong, would most likely win a fight against Rikue. Rikue looked mighty scrawny in comparison, but he wouldn't let that keep him from defending himself if needed. The brute's scent flew towards him with yet another breeze, and Rikue inched closer. When he was sure he wanted to greet this wolf, he stood and trotted towards him, not minding the thorn bush ahead of him...

It wasn't like Rikue to ignore things like this, which was why he was so dumbfounded. Now, as he looked up, he tried his best to ask for help without pleading. No doubt the brute had spotted him by now. Waiting for the impending doom was the worst part of it.

[dizzi]

He slowly stepped down from the stone formation and walked toward the strange noise. His defense dropped slightly when he saw it was an injured wolf looking close to his age. His steps were placed lightly even for his size as he came within three feet of the strange new wolf. He relaxed his lips from a snarl but still held a defensive formation as he spoke.
”who are you and what pack are you from?”
His tone was somewhat raspy with his thirst and hunger messing with his mind. He held his body in a more weary form with his stomach seeming to tare holes in itself. His legs even seemed to weaken with his hunger, but he fought on the keep himself a threat and strong before this unknown wolf. He began to move closer with his face cold as stone as he stared his pink eyes into his just as strange green ones.

[CrazyYellowJacket]

He stood not far away from Rikue, and now the large wolf was easier to examine. He had strange eyes... pink in colour. Rikue himself had eyes of another uncommon colour, but that was another story. The chains and accessories on this brute told him he must of been a slave to humans. Just like me...

Nervous and somewhat shy, Rikue replied, "My name is Rikue... and I don't have a pack..." Once more he tugged at the thorns, and they enclosed a little tighter on his body. He glanced up at the brute pleadingly. "Uh... a little help... please?"

[dizzi]

He looked over the wolf carefully when he noticed he had an arm warmer on his left foreleg. He lined up his eyes with Rikue. He gave a somewhat displeased grunt as he began to tare through the thorn bush savagely. He had his own blood drip onto the ground with the remains of the plant. He backed off and cleaned his hut nose and lips. He moved back to the stone he was basking on as he seemed to let his guard down completely.
”Name’s Frostheart, son of Paleface.”
He grunted once the bleeding stopped. He gave a grave look to Rikue before rasping out.
”when did you get loose.”
His eyes seemed to frost over as did his heart turned back to stone. He began to rake his claws upon the rock to sharpen them, making sure this new comer knew what he was dealing with.

[CrazyYellowJacket]

Finally out of the bush, Rikue thanked the brute and cleaned his wounds. Though they were small, they stung like fire. There were probably ants in the roots...

Frostheart, huh? Rikue wasn't sure why he had added his father's name in... he must have been important. Whoever this Paleface was, he sure didn't know him. At his question, Rikue was reminded of Frostheart eyeing his armwarmer--something he had overlooked when leaving the human nest. Now looking at it, he didn't feel like taking it off. He didn't know why, but there was something that made him keep it. He looked back up to Frostheart, who was sharpening his nails. Apparently, this meant to scare him out of a fight. Rikue wouldn't dare make a fight now, though the brute seemed weak.

"It's been a year since," he echoed, gazing off towards the horizon. His inner eye saw that day, the chaos he had created, and he grinned. Those poor souls never saw it coming..

[dizzi]

He gave a simple nod to Rikue before stopping his sharpening. He looked around the meadow to see if any stray animals were running around. He stepped off and looked the wolf over once more. He padded around him calmly, seeing if they had done heavy damage to him. He was confused at seeing that he didn’t have scars , nothing but the cuts from the thorns.
”were you a pet? I see no metal caused scars.” he questioned.
He started question this young one’s appearance, he had never seen a wolf not having wounds once they escaped from human prisons.

[CrazyYellowJacket]

Rikue gazed down at his armwarmer, something he had neglected to take off in his escape. The humans liked dressing him up... and he harted it. For some reason unknown to himself, Rikue had not removed this piece of clothing. It was a nuisance at times and sometimes made him itchy, but it was there evermore. Looking back to Frostheart, he nodded meekly.

"I was taken from my parents at a young age... We were free then..." he echoed off as the blurry, scratchy images jumped to his mind. The crack of a rifle rang in his ears today. With a shudder that hopefully signified he didn't want to continue on the subject, Rikue looked away from the pink-eyed brute. A question then came to mind and he turned back to him.

"And you? You weren't born with those..." he said, glancing at the similar armwarmers and leather collar. The broken chains on such ornaments told him further that Frostheart was a force to be reckoned with. Yet, there was something about him that made the wolf seem... frail. A sixth sense told Rikue that something was wrong with the wolf, either physically or psychologically or emotionally. This made him even more wary--a proud, strong yet wavering brute could mean danger. Rikue was on eggshells, he realized.

[dizzi]

Frostheart stopped his walking when he heard Rikue’s answer. He finally let out a sigh that showed just how weak he had gotten. His ribs showed through his fur and his stance was even as if he was ready to crumble under his own weight. He looked back with his now dull pink eyes.
My whole pack was captured when I was only two summers old. They made us fight anything that tried to enter what seemed to be their den. We were stuck eating buzzard food until I couldn’t take it anymore and tore loose of my prison. Everyone was able to cut loose as I did once they saw my actions. Those monsters didn’t see it coming.”
he seemed to chuckle his last words before turning his back to Rikue. He didn’t want to mention the rest of his tale for the fear of crying out for his father still stung deep in his heart. His whole stance seemed to change as a white-tailed doe stood just within the high grounds. He swiftly switched to a stalking formation, his body returning back to his fearsome appearance. He stepped forward with light paws. He used his tail to signal Rikue into joining him if he wished to, but didn’t pay much mind to it. He wasn’t very far from his pray now as he laid his body in the wet grass. He was ready to jump at any second, hunger turning him into a powerful hunter.

[CrazyYellowJacket]

The story didn't seem real, though it gave proof to Rikue why such had happened. He looked down at his paws, feeling ashamed. He thought he had it tough...

The flicker of something moving caught the corner of Rikue's eye. He looked up toward Frostheart and followed his gaze to the beast beyond them. The breeze had changed directions, bringing the doe's scent towards them and their own scent away from the hoofed creature. It grazed placidly, not noticing them at all. It was probably a rare stupid beast, but Frostheart's stance was what made Rikue tense. He might have been frail, but Frostheart was a beast at heart. When he was hungry, and there was food, there was nothing stopping him from reaching his goal.

Frostheart had signaled Rikue, asking if he would join. He considered his options for a moment... What options were there? With a grin, Rikue snuck beside Frostheartn waiting for directions. The though of food made his mouth water. He wasn't particularly hungry, having dined on some carrion and berries earlier, but fresh meat in his belly would work much better that cold leftovers.

[dizzi]

He steadily crept through the grass, just noticing Rikue join his side. He seemed to smile a twisted grin at the doe before quietly whispering to Rikue.
”when I bark, jump at its neck and I’ll pin it down.”
He started to raise his body off the ground and folded his ears back in a defensive manner. He suddenly jumped up at the creature with a loud, echoing bark that would stun any creature that heard it. He landed with a loud thud on the confused and frightened doe. He snarled and stopped the flailing his pray was making once he was able to sink his teeth along the spine of the animal. He was about ready to tare open the animal, with or without Rikue ending the poor creature’s pain.

[CrazyYellowJacket]

Rikue nodded in reply to the instructions. He crept up towards the beast, following Frostheart. Without warning he had sped towards his prey, leaving Rikue blindsided for a moment. He jumped to follow.

Frostheart let out an echoing bark, that made him nearly stop at his feet, but this was a signal for him to do as told. He noticed the doe stop, paralyzed with fear. He could understand its fear--Frostheart's bark would have made him stop stock still as well.

Two more bounds in the grass and Rikue leaped at the doe, terror evident in its eyes. In Rikue's peripheral vision, he saw Frostheart tearing into it already. He would eat it alive if he had to. The beast would flail and eventually die--he wondered if Frostheart and eaten anything else in such a way. Might as well end it for the poor beast.

In a flash, Rikue's bared fangs sunk into the jungular, clamping down hard. It flailed, yet it was no match for a powerful wolf like Frostheart already on top of it and Rikue slowly draining its pitiful life away. He tugged at the throat, pulling the last bits of it's life away from the body. In seconds, it breathed its last, eyes glazing over. The taste of fresh, warm blood made Rikue connect with his wild roots, and the need to feed was strong. Without warning, Rikue sunk his bloodstained fangs back into the doe, tearing away the hide. In his fenzy, he didn't think how Frostheart might have felt about it. Usually, alphas ate first, Rikue knew. But did he care? No. This was a food he had been waiting for, a meal he had awaited for a long time. Leftovers and berries had supressed the beast inside.

[dizzi]

Frostheart seemed to relax as the animal stopped its pointless movements. He didn’t seem surprised to see Rikue start tarring into the pray before him. He started to tare at the animal as well, his muzzle being splashed with blood. He tore a massive bite from the plump animal, mouth savoring the taste. He missed the taste of fresh hunt in comparison to the rotten pig he was given in his prison. He started to clean his muzzle once he had his fill, which is surprisingly not much. He padded away from the doe, making sure no one was coming to try and take any of the prey until Rikue was finished. He kept his scenes alert as he spoke his now less harsh voice to Rikue.
”how many summers old are you? Your hunting skills aren’t bad for once being a pet.”
He didn’t wish to offend the male, but he wanted to give him some credit with hearing part of his tale of his human prison. He began to pad around the area with a somewhat cool manner, yet still ready to attack anyone wanting to steal their kill.

[CrazyYellowJacket]

A few more gulps and Rikue could sate his thirst for blood. He hadn't eaten this well in a long time, but he knew to keep his head and not become a glutton. It was dangerous to overeat in a place like this.

At Frostheart's question, Rikue raised his head and looked towards the brute. He thought about it for a moment, ears turning in the breeze, and replied, "Four summers, but three winters if you want to get technical... After I had escaped, I found a small pack who would help me recuperate with the wild." He paused before returning to his meal, remembering the haggard old wolf who had taken him in and showed him the world. Now the old friend was... Age had caught up with him. There was nothing more to do about him now.