Post by Tyr on Jun 6, 2010 19:25:09 GMT -5
Creek Overhang
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The ground rises here, making a small cliff that hangs a few feet over the river below. The ledge drop-off is wide and sturdy, supported by the packed earth of the riverbank, and able to hold the weight of even the largest of creatures. The overhang is somewhat secluded, making for a peaceful place to just lay in the grass, listen to the singing birds, and watch the trickling creek nearby.
=================================== Exits ========================================
[East] to the Crabapple Tree [South] to the Lawn
[Southeast] to the Hill
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[IC] Anu, female wolf
[IC] Tyr, male wolf
Anu is exhausted, but she won't let herself sleep. Her journey has finally caught up with her. If she rests, she's worried she'll lose Tyr again, or he'll take the opportunity to attack her. Trust is not a luxury she has. The female is fighting her body's will to rest, but it seems the effort has caused her to lose track of her brother. Scenting urgently, she tries to locate him. If he's gone, it's time to chase again.
Oppositely, Tyr has very little care about where his sister is or what she is going to do. He already knows that her unspoken threats that he return with her can't be fulfilled if he doesn't go along and Anu knows that she would be killed on sight without Tyr at her heels. The sun is high and warm, and the dark wolf has rolled to his back in the new spring grass, neck stretched out and belly soaking up the rays. There is a grin on his face as he rests there, ears splayed to either side of his head as he listens, and a fore paw ticks in time with the approaching march, trot trot trot trot, a pace he's familiar with. He doesn't greet his sister, likely the one coming, and instead waits for the inevitable insult.
"Get up. C'mon," Anu demands. Not only does lack of sleep put her in a cranky mood, but the fact that Tyr is so damn carefree all the time really irritates her as well. Her brother is the last creature alive that deserves to be lounging around like this. /He/, a coward, gets to rest. The shewolf sits about a foot away from his splayed form, glaring. She's very close to /making/ him get up. Patience is not a virtue she usually possesses, and it's especially rare when she's this exhausted.
"Naaaae," Tyr groans, prying one eye open and squinting upside down at his litter mate, who is so obviously displeased but dragging from her trip here. At least he took a bit easier than Anu did. "I like it righ'ere, Nu Nu," he groans, stretching his back legs out as much as they will go before leisurely rolling to his belly, bits of grass and dirt stuck to his shaggy pelt. "Why dontcher get sumthin' to'eat? Yer look sick," Tyr sniffs, waving a dismissive front paw.
It's true, she does need to eat. And sleep. It'll have to wait. Anu /needs/ to get Tyr back home. Being so far from pack lands, in such unfamiliar territory makes her a little nervous. Not to mention, the longer she takes, the more displeased Father will be. Her jaws snap at the male's gesturing paw. "And give you a chance to run off again? I don't think so," she growls.
"Y'actually think y'can take me back there, dontcher?" Tyr balks, both eyes snapping open and glaring at his sister as though he could kill her with a single thought. "Or are y'just too scared 'cause y'know y'can't beat me?" he teases, though behind the threat is the knowledge that he can't beat her, either. They could fight from dawn 'til dusk and still be alive and intact by the setting of the sun. Instead, the male snorts, "Give up, Nu Nu, I ain't goin' back nowhere and y'ain't draggin' me there, neither, a'ight?"
Her brother must also realize that she can't beat him, nor can she give up, either. "Why would you want to live /here/? There's no way a pack has taken you in already. No one is going to want you, Tyr," she says earnestly. Ah, sibling affection. It seems she's being honest, though, not cruel. It's almost like she's looking out for him. You know, by trying to convince him to come home so their father can kill him.
"Nae," her brother replies, lifting his head to glance around for just a moment before with a loud grunt pushes himself to a sit. He takes a little time to settle himself, shake the grass and leaves from his long fur, and sit straight like a soldier should. He and Anu often disagree, but they -are- good soldiers. Tyr looks at his sister with his honey eyes, steadily and without hatred in them, before he sighs. "Wot makes yer think I want a pack, Nu?" He curls his ears forward at attention, brows perked expectantly.
Anu's head tilts ever so slightly. "Well, you can't make it on your own. And this place is crawling with other wolves. You can't go ten steps without smelling one," she explains, "You either join them, or they'll kill you." The shewolf notes that he didn't call her 'Nu nu,' and that serves to cheer her up a little. She feels herself relaxing a bit. Her exhaustion is making her sloppy. Sitting here isn't so bad, she thinks. It's...pleasant. Better than chasing after her brother, that's for sure.
"Aye," he confirms, glancing around to the south where it seems that most of Ute's wolves have taken residence, "there are other wolves, s'truth," but Tyr's muzzle warms into a smile at his sister's suspicions. "Yer think all alphas'er like Akh, do yer? I already met the Ute alpha female and -she- didn't think ter'chomp m'head off, less'o'course I tried t'eat her pups. Wouldn't do that, dontcher know, not filling enough." That said, he chuckles, and then slowly stands so as not to startle the sleepy and exhausted Anu. "Think all those other wolves ye'killed woulder done the same t'you?" A long pause as he stares at her. "I don't."
Anu is unconvinced. "What about her mate? I doubt the other alpha would be happy to see a healthy young male hanging around," she points out. Careful, girl, that almost sounds like a compliment. Her muscles tense instinctively as he stands, but it seems to be a benign gesture. She calms down. Just a little. After a moment of thought she adds, "Letting an unknown wolf roam around when there are newborns?" The shewolf snorts and continues, "What a fool you've found. Even /you/ could probably dispose of the alphas yourself." There, that's much more insulting. Much better.
"I think yer a little too tired to think of a good'un, so, why don'tcher rest and we'll try it again this afternoon, a'ight?" Tyr tosses back at her, but to her question she only shrugs. "Mebbe they know they could kill whatever threat showed up, ri'? Or mebbe they know I won't kill'em? Didja' ever think of that?" Sure, he knows damn well that if Akh came this way that they would not have stopped and chatted with Wyanet as he had done, and that the pups hidden nearby would've been found and killed; but he, Tyr, has no desire to do such. "I dun't want their land. Told the alpha m'just passin' through. Haven't talked to 'er bloke yet but if I 'ang round long enough he'll find me." The dark wolf shrugs and paws at his nose in idle thought, "Wotcher say we split lunch, a'ight?"
Anu looks very sceptical. She highly doubts the alpha female could stop someone from their pack. "Tyr, she's /weak/," the female protests. That means she's not fit to lead, he knows that. Why is he rejecting what they've been taught? She doesn't understand. Sighing, she decides to drop it. Her stomach rumbles insistently. Lunch sounds pretty good. "Okay," she agrees, giving herself a shake. "I could use something to eat. Just don't try anything," she warns. He knows she'll follow him if he bolts and fight if he starts something.
Anu's brother doesn't give her the satisfaction of a verbal response, giving her only the hint of a smile knowing that she doesn't understand. She was right about one thing, though, that he has an inability to fit into their pack. "A'ight," Tyr coughs, moving away from the Ute and their pups, wherever his paws begin to lead him. It's spring, and that means new fawns should be close by. As he passes his sister, he tail whips her in the shoulder and bumps his hind quarters against her stomach. No comment to her remarks of weakness; let her make her own conclusions.
Anu nips, trying to catch his side or his tail. She'll show him for bumping her, hmph. The female streeeetches and catches up with her brother. Already, her ears are perked for the sound of prey, her nose sniffing the air for clues. A myriad of scents come to her. She tries not to let the odour of so many wolves distract her. Sifting through, she searches for something that smells like a creature she can eat. All the while, she watches Tyr out of the corner of her eye -- just in case.
A signal, an unspoken tenseness in his shoulder muscles and a slight hunker in his stance, and then his pace changes. It is the quick pace, but steady, not one of a creature trying to flee; Anu's agenda means little to her brother, and even less so now as the subtle hint of a herd catches his nose and starts his tongue salivating. Tyr doesn't look at his pack mate, instead trusting his senses to guide him to their quarry and knowing that Anu will follow because that it was a pack soldier does. There is no weakness on a hunt. Weakness gets a creature killed.
Anu leaps after him, keeping pace despite her aching limbs. She smells the herd as well, and her hunger pushes out suspicious thoughts. Her ears swivel, straining for more hints about their prey. As they near, she searches for the fawns, the sick, the weak. Her own hunger combined with her exhaustion makes her a candidate for mistakes. Mistakes that could cost them their meal. She glances to her brother, trying to read any cues he might be giving. Despite their rivalry, this is going to require absolute teamwork.
Something in the air between them, the sound of a slightly lopsided gait or the time it took her to catch up to him causes Tyr to return to quick sidelong glance at his sister, but only for the shortest of moments before acknowledgement passes between them. He -told- her to -rest-, and now that -she- has been the careless one, -he- will have to make up for it. He will berate her for that later. But then there is a strong scent, of does and fawns, -young- fawns, that drives him onward. Tyr surges ahead, not to escape, but to take point, and begins to move at a shallow diagonal in front of Anu, knowing that somewhere ahead of them the herd lies. He will drive them to her, -she- -will- take one down.
Anu responds in kind, almost automatically. She veers into the proper position, her mind buzzing at the thought of a potential meal. Normally she would be more focused, but she is not entirely herself. Her senses are split between her brother and the deer, waiting anxiously and anticipating their next move with salivating jaws.
They are on the move, but they are not fast enough. As he approaches the smell is overpowering, intoxicating, and as he rushes through the trees he spots a newborn that can't be more than a few days old bounding alongside its mother. Then the herd startles, seeing the lone wolf to the side and the head animal pivots and leads the rest straight toward the oncoming Anu. Tyr can't help but grin, if only for a second; works every time. Now behind the herd, he puts on some extra muscle and charges at the fawn and mother duo, trying to wedge himself between them, nipping at the little one's heels to drive it out and away from the rest. He catches it once, hard on the leg, and it panics, and bolts. But then the mother's legs are rushing by his face, and Tyr peels off and away from the doe and after the fawn. Come on, come on, come on!
Right on time, the thundering of hooves is the most welcome sound Anu can imagine. She spots her brother with the fawn, prepares her tired muscles for one last effort. It's so close...just a little closer, Tyr, come on....now! She leaps, paws and teeth ready to meet the deer. The frightened creature manages a short noise of terror before Anu closes her jaws around its throat and brings it down hard. A quick shift of her grip, a little more pressure, and their prey has become a meal. The female drops the limp fawn from her maw, panting and licking her lips. She knows full well that she wasn't at her best today. For that, she offers Tyr the first taste, though her belly growls in protest.
It wasn't the most difficult hunt ever; the young ones never are, but it also wasn't the best that it could have been. Despite his protests against everything that Akh stands for, his years of training will make it very hard to break that stern way of looking at life. He stops, watching the rest of the herd move on, seeing only for a second as the doe stares sadly behind her before disappearing into the trees. Tyr shakes his head, turning to see his sister drop a now lifeless meal at her paws. The male's breath puffs steadily, in and out, in and out, though when his eyes look up from the carcass and meet Anu's, they are filled with distaste. The only sound from him, a displeased 'tch' of his tongue, and he turns from her. Let his silence be her punishment.; she knows.
Anu's shoulders slump with shame. She's been chasing him for days with barely any rest. She exhausted and starving. But she didn't grow up in a place where excuses were tolerated, and so she doesn't make any. Ears slicking back she noses the warm fawn toward the male with a soft, "Tyr..." Please, just. Take it. He's earned it, and he knows it. She messed up. She has to wait. Or is that his game, she wonders? Making her wait until she begs? The shewolf grimaces at the idea.
Game? If it was a game, he'd be laughing. His back to her, the only sign of his recognition to his name is the brief splaying of his ears before they snap back to attention. The dark wolf is still, narrowed eyes staring off into the dappled trees where yet another mother mourns yet another of their meals; hmph. For a long while there is nothing out of him until he turns, a quick, sharp gesture, and trots over to Anu with purpose. He looks over her, down on her, eyes heavy and cold as they stare at her; he doesn't want her excuses anymore than he wants her to beg. "Eat it," he chuffs at her, gruffly and angry despite himself, then turns away again in disgust and settles himself at the tree line.
Anu flinches just a little at his words, her ears splayed. Does he know how much he looks like their father when he does that? Almost overwhelmed with shame, she does as she's commanded, tearing into the deer and choking down hunks of meat. She eats around the best parts, leaving those for him. She's probably hungry enough to eat the whole thing, but she doubts that's what he had in mind when he told her to eat. The shewolf pauses, licking her bloody jaws. She waits quietly, not wanting to risk another outburst from Tyr.
He's hungry, sure, and now he's tired; but he's gone hungry a couple times before, and at least now there aren't heaps of snow drifting across open plains, an almost impossible scenario to begin a hunt. His anger melts into annoyance, and annoyance at the heat the rises from his body and remains trapped by his thick pelt. Tyr grunts and shakes himself harshly, clouds of his winter coat whirling into the warm air. An ear turns longingly at the sound of the creek, still nearby, and he moves to it and drinks greedily. After a moment of consideration, he jumps with all four paws into the shallow running water, dipping his belly down and digging at the water to splash his pelt with the wonderful coolness. So much unlike their father now, Tyr emerges dripping and shakes again, content to return to a dry patch in the grass, to which he sets about hunting for. Anu and dinner? Forgotten.
With a full stomach, fighting sleep is almost impossible. As her brother splashes in the water, she fidgets on dry land. Finally, veryvery carefully, she drags the tattered remains of the deer closer to the bank, where he might see it. As he emerges from his swim, the female sets herself down a few feet away from the carcass, laying flat on her belly with her ears pinned. She can't believe that she let herself slip like that. The female shivers to think how much worse it would have been back home, with the rest of the pack around. Then again, she reasons, she would have been more rested back home. Less likely to make mistakes.
Tyr glances to the side as he finds himself passing by her, as if he didn't notice her all this time. Is he hungry? Sure. The carcass causes him to salivate, but she obviously didn't eat her fill. As he looks at his sister, his eyes are still dark, and he steps over what's left of their meal and hovers over her a moment, still dripping from the river. Then. A mighty shake sends all that water flying, and with a heavy but also joyful pounce he goes after Anu on the ground, grasping her thick frame with his lanky legs, playfully growling deeply from his chest.
Anu yelps in surprise and twists, teeth gnashing, trying to bite at his paws, legs, face - anything. She recognizes that growl as playful and knows it's safe to fight back. And fight back she does, with thrashing limbs and her own matching growl. Now she's almost as soaked as he is, but for some reason, she's not so happy about it.
Play. He's good at it, but as brother and sister thrash about in the grass, there is something in the action that is far from playful. They're both strong, powerful wolves, and while Anu has the advantage of muscle over her brother, he has his agility over her. Still, though the growl from him is playful, it is also primal and infused with a serious warning. Anu's jaws find his fore paw, and then his leg, and Tyr, in turn, goes for the return snaps and bites at her legs and neck. He tries to keep her pinned, to prove a point, though his success depends on whether or not Anu submits.
Though Anu is more than able to defend herself, the hunt still nags against her. This is her chance to earn back some respect...or a chance to submit, take her punishment for failure, and be done with it. In the end, her competitive nature wins out. Tyr is her brother, not her father. She struggles, squirming, doing her best to work her way free. His teeth against her legs and neck make her snarl in reply, paired with a few more chomps of her own.
Enough. He has had enough. He didn't come all this way only to be tracked down by his sister and dragged back to the desolate lands where they were born and then killed by their father, nor did he come this way to be beaten by the likes of her. His playful nature is gone, the one thing that would have been an apology all but wiped from his mind. A heavy and primal growl rips through his muzzle, and Tyr curls back his lips as far as they will go, and from his vantage point above Anu, goes to grab at the thick scruff at the base of her skull. He will tear her skin off if he has to in order to prove his point. His response to a hard bite to his leg is to shove his body forward, trying to wrestle Anu into submission.
Her gamble for control is lost. Anu's ears flatten, her growl cuts short, and she lies perfectly still. Game over. She is acutely aware of his teeth in her fur, and she can barely breathe because of it. Damn, she's a fool. Tyr has the advantage, and there's nothing she can do at this point. Thank goodness her pack isn't here to witness this humiliation. The male has the opportunity to do some serious damage. She knows what she'd do in his position, and she braces for pain.
He doesn't –want- to be like their father, he doesn't –want- to be like his pack, but with his momentum and at the moment that he has Anu still under him, he clamps down with his jaws, hard, on fur and skin both, and without a moment of hesitation shakes his head side to side with a frightening ferocity. The speed with which it occurs is almost instantaneous, and the anger behind it causes Tyr's growl to approach a shriek. The damage is done quickly and Anu's brother releases his grip on her and turns away, spitting out her fur with extreme distaste, but he doesn't stay away from her for long before he whirls around and faces her with burning eyes. Well?
Anu is wrenched hard, and her yelps are involuntary and loud. It's brief, which is a small mercy, but the shewolf aches nonetheless. Her breathing is shallow from the sudden surge of fear and pain, and she quickly averts her eyes from her brother's, resting her muzzle on the ground. She looks like she wants to burrow into the dirt and disappear. The female doesn't move an inch. Her ears are pinned. Tyr wins, simple as that. She hates it, but what's worse is knowing that he could have hurt her much more. He can't be given that advantage again. Ever.
"Don' make me kill yer next time," he warns her very simply, and though he has a feeling that he should have done more, should have drawn blood, should have made her truly regret what she has done, he cannot. Tyr wished to leave his family behind, and now it seems that they have followed him, regardless, and all of his pack's loathing and hatred seems to have stayed within his sister, and that sickens him. There is an unspoken sorry at the tip of his tongue, but Anu doesn't deserve it, yet, even though his desire to say it is strong. A glance is given to the kill they had made only moments prior, one that he was going to make her eat on her own, at first out of kindness and then again out of irritation. But now. Now without a second glance at his sister, he tears into the young fawn and begins to devour it, planning to leave very little of it behind.
Anu lays there silently, still refusing to move. She feels an unprecedented pang of doubt. Maybe Father sent the wrong one after Tyr. After all, she's done nothing but make mistakes since she found him. He could have killed her if he wanted to. Maybe he should have. Or maybe the shewolf just needs some rest. Her stomach growls at the sound of her brother eating, and she wills it to stop before he hears it. The female's neck aches, and her body is starved of rest. If only she could curl up and sleep - but that's not an option with a brother that could use the opportunity to rip her throat out or run for it. Or both.
It was yet another mistake when he had told her to eat the kill before that she did not. Anu had left the best parts for him, and he eats them quickly, taking no time to actually –enjoy- the meat. At one point he glances over his shoulder and tenses his muscles, spitting at Anu's growling stomach and barking angrily before returning to the task in front of him. Moments go by and the once deer fawn is little more than bones, skin, and a dark stain on the grass below; very little for a satisfying meal. He sniffs around its edges then moves off, licking his chops and willing his anger to disappear. But his face is still dark and his eyes are ablaze with the fire of the north, and he thuds to the ground on his stomach, sphinx-like, eyeing Anu from a short distance.
In her defense, the best of that fawn was a peace offering - something neither her belly nor her brother understands. Anu mimics him, though she licks her jaws longingly instead of with satisfaction. At the sight of the male's anger, she deliberately turns her muzzle to the side, making sure they can't make eye contact. She's ashamed, and it seems it's as persistent as his mood. His expression is just like Father's, and it chills her to see it.
"Do y’think yer goin’ back?" He throws at her, needing to know the answer to the question, yet not wanting to ask it while he is so angry. As he waits for her response, Tyr takes a deep breath and exhales through his nose, shuffling once or twice in the grass to make himself comfortable. If they're going to be together for a while, which he anticipates, he does not want this to occur again. Leave the wastes in the wastes.
Anu looks surprised to hear his voice. "Not without you," she replies after a moment of thought. What does he mean, exactly? She must go home. And soon. Their father is not known for his patience. Or kindness. Or mercy. But the shewolf will be killed on sight if she doesn't bring Tyr, very much alive, with her. She still refuses to look directly at him. Her neck throbs in a painful reminder of the last time she upset him. The male has been challenged enough for one day. She'll lay low.
"Then I don'think you'll be goin’ ‘ome," he says matter-of-factly, though the seriousness behind his eyes doesn't leave, even as she keeps her eyes averted from him. Tyr continues to stare at his sister, unyielding, as he thinks to himself and realizes that even in the weeks of travel to reach this far, he has hardly changed for the better. If anything, Anu's arrival has erased whatever distance he has managed to put between he and his pack and it almost feels as though the two of them could be laying in the snow, surrounded by their siblings and pack mates, as if nothing were different. But the grass is soft here and the sun is warm, and Tyr will have nothing to do with his father ever again.
Anu looks displeased to hear that. Very. It's only an instant, though, before she stifles the expression. "Maybe not today," she admits, though there's an edge in her voice. The female has fought too hard to carve her place in the pack's hierarchy. She's not losing it to babysit her brother for the rest of her days. They /will/ go home.
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The ground rises here, making a small cliff that hangs a few feet over the river below. The ledge drop-off is wide and sturdy, supported by the packed earth of the riverbank, and able to hold the weight of even the largest of creatures. The overhang is somewhat secluded, making for a peaceful place to just lay in the grass, listen to the singing birds, and watch the trickling creek nearby.
=================================== Exits ========================================
[East] to the Crabapple Tree [South] to the Lawn
[Southeast] to the Hill
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[IC] Anu, female wolf
[IC] Tyr, male wolf
Anu is exhausted, but she won't let herself sleep. Her journey has finally caught up with her. If she rests, she's worried she'll lose Tyr again, or he'll take the opportunity to attack her. Trust is not a luxury she has. The female is fighting her body's will to rest, but it seems the effort has caused her to lose track of her brother. Scenting urgently, she tries to locate him. If he's gone, it's time to chase again.
Oppositely, Tyr has very little care about where his sister is or what she is going to do. He already knows that her unspoken threats that he return with her can't be fulfilled if he doesn't go along and Anu knows that she would be killed on sight without Tyr at her heels. The sun is high and warm, and the dark wolf has rolled to his back in the new spring grass, neck stretched out and belly soaking up the rays. There is a grin on his face as he rests there, ears splayed to either side of his head as he listens, and a fore paw ticks in time with the approaching march, trot trot trot trot, a pace he's familiar with. He doesn't greet his sister, likely the one coming, and instead waits for the inevitable insult.
"Get up. C'mon," Anu demands. Not only does lack of sleep put her in a cranky mood, but the fact that Tyr is so damn carefree all the time really irritates her as well. Her brother is the last creature alive that deserves to be lounging around like this. /He/, a coward, gets to rest. The shewolf sits about a foot away from his splayed form, glaring. She's very close to /making/ him get up. Patience is not a virtue she usually possesses, and it's especially rare when she's this exhausted.
"Naaaae," Tyr groans, prying one eye open and squinting upside down at his litter mate, who is so obviously displeased but dragging from her trip here. At least he took a bit easier than Anu did. "I like it righ'ere, Nu Nu," he groans, stretching his back legs out as much as they will go before leisurely rolling to his belly, bits of grass and dirt stuck to his shaggy pelt. "Why dontcher get sumthin' to'eat? Yer look sick," Tyr sniffs, waving a dismissive front paw.
It's true, she does need to eat. And sleep. It'll have to wait. Anu /needs/ to get Tyr back home. Being so far from pack lands, in such unfamiliar territory makes her a little nervous. Not to mention, the longer she takes, the more displeased Father will be. Her jaws snap at the male's gesturing paw. "And give you a chance to run off again? I don't think so," she growls.
"Y'actually think y'can take me back there, dontcher?" Tyr balks, both eyes snapping open and glaring at his sister as though he could kill her with a single thought. "Or are y'just too scared 'cause y'know y'can't beat me?" he teases, though behind the threat is the knowledge that he can't beat her, either. They could fight from dawn 'til dusk and still be alive and intact by the setting of the sun. Instead, the male snorts, "Give up, Nu Nu, I ain't goin' back nowhere and y'ain't draggin' me there, neither, a'ight?"
Her brother must also realize that she can't beat him, nor can she give up, either. "Why would you want to live /here/? There's no way a pack has taken you in already. No one is going to want you, Tyr," she says earnestly. Ah, sibling affection. It seems she's being honest, though, not cruel. It's almost like she's looking out for him. You know, by trying to convince him to come home so their father can kill him.
"Nae," her brother replies, lifting his head to glance around for just a moment before with a loud grunt pushes himself to a sit. He takes a little time to settle himself, shake the grass and leaves from his long fur, and sit straight like a soldier should. He and Anu often disagree, but they -are- good soldiers. Tyr looks at his sister with his honey eyes, steadily and without hatred in them, before he sighs. "Wot makes yer think I want a pack, Nu?" He curls his ears forward at attention, brows perked expectantly.
Anu's head tilts ever so slightly. "Well, you can't make it on your own. And this place is crawling with other wolves. You can't go ten steps without smelling one," she explains, "You either join them, or they'll kill you." The shewolf notes that he didn't call her 'Nu nu,' and that serves to cheer her up a little. She feels herself relaxing a bit. Her exhaustion is making her sloppy. Sitting here isn't so bad, she thinks. It's...pleasant. Better than chasing after her brother, that's for sure.
"Aye," he confirms, glancing around to the south where it seems that most of Ute's wolves have taken residence, "there are other wolves, s'truth," but Tyr's muzzle warms into a smile at his sister's suspicions. "Yer think all alphas'er like Akh, do yer? I already met the Ute alpha female and -she- didn't think ter'chomp m'head off, less'o'course I tried t'eat her pups. Wouldn't do that, dontcher know, not filling enough." That said, he chuckles, and then slowly stands so as not to startle the sleepy and exhausted Anu. "Think all those other wolves ye'killed woulder done the same t'you?" A long pause as he stares at her. "I don't."
Anu is unconvinced. "What about her mate? I doubt the other alpha would be happy to see a healthy young male hanging around," she points out. Careful, girl, that almost sounds like a compliment. Her muscles tense instinctively as he stands, but it seems to be a benign gesture. She calms down. Just a little. After a moment of thought she adds, "Letting an unknown wolf roam around when there are newborns?" The shewolf snorts and continues, "What a fool you've found. Even /you/ could probably dispose of the alphas yourself." There, that's much more insulting. Much better.
"I think yer a little too tired to think of a good'un, so, why don'tcher rest and we'll try it again this afternoon, a'ight?" Tyr tosses back at her, but to her question she only shrugs. "Mebbe they know they could kill whatever threat showed up, ri'? Or mebbe they know I won't kill'em? Didja' ever think of that?" Sure, he knows damn well that if Akh came this way that they would not have stopped and chatted with Wyanet as he had done, and that the pups hidden nearby would've been found and killed; but he, Tyr, has no desire to do such. "I dun't want their land. Told the alpha m'just passin' through. Haven't talked to 'er bloke yet but if I 'ang round long enough he'll find me." The dark wolf shrugs and paws at his nose in idle thought, "Wotcher say we split lunch, a'ight?"
Anu looks very sceptical. She highly doubts the alpha female could stop someone from their pack. "Tyr, she's /weak/," the female protests. That means she's not fit to lead, he knows that. Why is he rejecting what they've been taught? She doesn't understand. Sighing, she decides to drop it. Her stomach rumbles insistently. Lunch sounds pretty good. "Okay," she agrees, giving herself a shake. "I could use something to eat. Just don't try anything," she warns. He knows she'll follow him if he bolts and fight if he starts something.
Anu's brother doesn't give her the satisfaction of a verbal response, giving her only the hint of a smile knowing that she doesn't understand. She was right about one thing, though, that he has an inability to fit into their pack. "A'ight," Tyr coughs, moving away from the Ute and their pups, wherever his paws begin to lead him. It's spring, and that means new fawns should be close by. As he passes his sister, he tail whips her in the shoulder and bumps his hind quarters against her stomach. No comment to her remarks of weakness; let her make her own conclusions.
Anu nips, trying to catch his side or his tail. She'll show him for bumping her, hmph. The female streeeetches and catches up with her brother. Already, her ears are perked for the sound of prey, her nose sniffing the air for clues. A myriad of scents come to her. She tries not to let the odour of so many wolves distract her. Sifting through, she searches for something that smells like a creature she can eat. All the while, she watches Tyr out of the corner of her eye -- just in case.
A signal, an unspoken tenseness in his shoulder muscles and a slight hunker in his stance, and then his pace changes. It is the quick pace, but steady, not one of a creature trying to flee; Anu's agenda means little to her brother, and even less so now as the subtle hint of a herd catches his nose and starts his tongue salivating. Tyr doesn't look at his pack mate, instead trusting his senses to guide him to their quarry and knowing that Anu will follow because that it was a pack soldier does. There is no weakness on a hunt. Weakness gets a creature killed.
Anu leaps after him, keeping pace despite her aching limbs. She smells the herd as well, and her hunger pushes out suspicious thoughts. Her ears swivel, straining for more hints about their prey. As they near, she searches for the fawns, the sick, the weak. Her own hunger combined with her exhaustion makes her a candidate for mistakes. Mistakes that could cost them their meal. She glances to her brother, trying to read any cues he might be giving. Despite their rivalry, this is going to require absolute teamwork.
Something in the air between them, the sound of a slightly lopsided gait or the time it took her to catch up to him causes Tyr to return to quick sidelong glance at his sister, but only for the shortest of moments before acknowledgement passes between them. He -told- her to -rest-, and now that -she- has been the careless one, -he- will have to make up for it. He will berate her for that later. But then there is a strong scent, of does and fawns, -young- fawns, that drives him onward. Tyr surges ahead, not to escape, but to take point, and begins to move at a shallow diagonal in front of Anu, knowing that somewhere ahead of them the herd lies. He will drive them to her, -she- -will- take one down.
Anu responds in kind, almost automatically. She veers into the proper position, her mind buzzing at the thought of a potential meal. Normally she would be more focused, but she is not entirely herself. Her senses are split between her brother and the deer, waiting anxiously and anticipating their next move with salivating jaws.
They are on the move, but they are not fast enough. As he approaches the smell is overpowering, intoxicating, and as he rushes through the trees he spots a newborn that can't be more than a few days old bounding alongside its mother. Then the herd startles, seeing the lone wolf to the side and the head animal pivots and leads the rest straight toward the oncoming Anu. Tyr can't help but grin, if only for a second; works every time. Now behind the herd, he puts on some extra muscle and charges at the fawn and mother duo, trying to wedge himself between them, nipping at the little one's heels to drive it out and away from the rest. He catches it once, hard on the leg, and it panics, and bolts. But then the mother's legs are rushing by his face, and Tyr peels off and away from the doe and after the fawn. Come on, come on, come on!
Right on time, the thundering of hooves is the most welcome sound Anu can imagine. She spots her brother with the fawn, prepares her tired muscles for one last effort. It's so close...just a little closer, Tyr, come on....now! She leaps, paws and teeth ready to meet the deer. The frightened creature manages a short noise of terror before Anu closes her jaws around its throat and brings it down hard. A quick shift of her grip, a little more pressure, and their prey has become a meal. The female drops the limp fawn from her maw, panting and licking her lips. She knows full well that she wasn't at her best today. For that, she offers Tyr the first taste, though her belly growls in protest.
It wasn't the most difficult hunt ever; the young ones never are, but it also wasn't the best that it could have been. Despite his protests against everything that Akh stands for, his years of training will make it very hard to break that stern way of looking at life. He stops, watching the rest of the herd move on, seeing only for a second as the doe stares sadly behind her before disappearing into the trees. Tyr shakes his head, turning to see his sister drop a now lifeless meal at her paws. The male's breath puffs steadily, in and out, in and out, though when his eyes look up from the carcass and meet Anu's, they are filled with distaste. The only sound from him, a displeased 'tch' of his tongue, and he turns from her. Let his silence be her punishment.; she knows.
Anu's shoulders slump with shame. She's been chasing him for days with barely any rest. She exhausted and starving. But she didn't grow up in a place where excuses were tolerated, and so she doesn't make any. Ears slicking back she noses the warm fawn toward the male with a soft, "Tyr..." Please, just. Take it. He's earned it, and he knows it. She messed up. She has to wait. Or is that his game, she wonders? Making her wait until she begs? The shewolf grimaces at the idea.
Game? If it was a game, he'd be laughing. His back to her, the only sign of his recognition to his name is the brief splaying of his ears before they snap back to attention. The dark wolf is still, narrowed eyes staring off into the dappled trees where yet another mother mourns yet another of their meals; hmph. For a long while there is nothing out of him until he turns, a quick, sharp gesture, and trots over to Anu with purpose. He looks over her, down on her, eyes heavy and cold as they stare at her; he doesn't want her excuses anymore than he wants her to beg. "Eat it," he chuffs at her, gruffly and angry despite himself, then turns away again in disgust and settles himself at the tree line.
Anu flinches just a little at his words, her ears splayed. Does he know how much he looks like their father when he does that? Almost overwhelmed with shame, she does as she's commanded, tearing into the deer and choking down hunks of meat. She eats around the best parts, leaving those for him. She's probably hungry enough to eat the whole thing, but she doubts that's what he had in mind when he told her to eat. The shewolf pauses, licking her bloody jaws. She waits quietly, not wanting to risk another outburst from Tyr.
He's hungry, sure, and now he's tired; but he's gone hungry a couple times before, and at least now there aren't heaps of snow drifting across open plains, an almost impossible scenario to begin a hunt. His anger melts into annoyance, and annoyance at the heat the rises from his body and remains trapped by his thick pelt. Tyr grunts and shakes himself harshly, clouds of his winter coat whirling into the warm air. An ear turns longingly at the sound of the creek, still nearby, and he moves to it and drinks greedily. After a moment of consideration, he jumps with all four paws into the shallow running water, dipping his belly down and digging at the water to splash his pelt with the wonderful coolness. So much unlike their father now, Tyr emerges dripping and shakes again, content to return to a dry patch in the grass, to which he sets about hunting for. Anu and dinner? Forgotten.
With a full stomach, fighting sleep is almost impossible. As her brother splashes in the water, she fidgets on dry land. Finally, veryvery carefully, she drags the tattered remains of the deer closer to the bank, where he might see it. As he emerges from his swim, the female sets herself down a few feet away from the carcass, laying flat on her belly with her ears pinned. She can't believe that she let herself slip like that. The female shivers to think how much worse it would have been back home, with the rest of the pack around. Then again, she reasons, she would have been more rested back home. Less likely to make mistakes.
Tyr glances to the side as he finds himself passing by her, as if he didn't notice her all this time. Is he hungry? Sure. The carcass causes him to salivate, but she obviously didn't eat her fill. As he looks at his sister, his eyes are still dark, and he steps over what's left of their meal and hovers over her a moment, still dripping from the river. Then. A mighty shake sends all that water flying, and with a heavy but also joyful pounce he goes after Anu on the ground, grasping her thick frame with his lanky legs, playfully growling deeply from his chest.
Anu yelps in surprise and twists, teeth gnashing, trying to bite at his paws, legs, face - anything. She recognizes that growl as playful and knows it's safe to fight back. And fight back she does, with thrashing limbs and her own matching growl. Now she's almost as soaked as he is, but for some reason, she's not so happy about it.
Play. He's good at it, but as brother and sister thrash about in the grass, there is something in the action that is far from playful. They're both strong, powerful wolves, and while Anu has the advantage of muscle over her brother, he has his agility over her. Still, though the growl from him is playful, it is also primal and infused with a serious warning. Anu's jaws find his fore paw, and then his leg, and Tyr, in turn, goes for the return snaps and bites at her legs and neck. He tries to keep her pinned, to prove a point, though his success depends on whether or not Anu submits.
Though Anu is more than able to defend herself, the hunt still nags against her. This is her chance to earn back some respect...or a chance to submit, take her punishment for failure, and be done with it. In the end, her competitive nature wins out. Tyr is her brother, not her father. She struggles, squirming, doing her best to work her way free. His teeth against her legs and neck make her snarl in reply, paired with a few more chomps of her own.
Enough. He has had enough. He didn't come all this way only to be tracked down by his sister and dragged back to the desolate lands where they were born and then killed by their father, nor did he come this way to be beaten by the likes of her. His playful nature is gone, the one thing that would have been an apology all but wiped from his mind. A heavy and primal growl rips through his muzzle, and Tyr curls back his lips as far as they will go, and from his vantage point above Anu, goes to grab at the thick scruff at the base of her skull. He will tear her skin off if he has to in order to prove his point. His response to a hard bite to his leg is to shove his body forward, trying to wrestle Anu into submission.
Her gamble for control is lost. Anu's ears flatten, her growl cuts short, and she lies perfectly still. Game over. She is acutely aware of his teeth in her fur, and she can barely breathe because of it. Damn, she's a fool. Tyr has the advantage, and there's nothing she can do at this point. Thank goodness her pack isn't here to witness this humiliation. The male has the opportunity to do some serious damage. She knows what she'd do in his position, and she braces for pain.
He doesn't –want- to be like their father, he doesn't –want- to be like his pack, but with his momentum and at the moment that he has Anu still under him, he clamps down with his jaws, hard, on fur and skin both, and without a moment of hesitation shakes his head side to side with a frightening ferocity. The speed with which it occurs is almost instantaneous, and the anger behind it causes Tyr's growl to approach a shriek. The damage is done quickly and Anu's brother releases his grip on her and turns away, spitting out her fur with extreme distaste, but he doesn't stay away from her for long before he whirls around and faces her with burning eyes. Well?
Anu is wrenched hard, and her yelps are involuntary and loud. It's brief, which is a small mercy, but the shewolf aches nonetheless. Her breathing is shallow from the sudden surge of fear and pain, and she quickly averts her eyes from her brother's, resting her muzzle on the ground. She looks like she wants to burrow into the dirt and disappear. The female doesn't move an inch. Her ears are pinned. Tyr wins, simple as that. She hates it, but what's worse is knowing that he could have hurt her much more. He can't be given that advantage again. Ever.
"Don' make me kill yer next time," he warns her very simply, and though he has a feeling that he should have done more, should have drawn blood, should have made her truly regret what she has done, he cannot. Tyr wished to leave his family behind, and now it seems that they have followed him, regardless, and all of his pack's loathing and hatred seems to have stayed within his sister, and that sickens him. There is an unspoken sorry at the tip of his tongue, but Anu doesn't deserve it, yet, even though his desire to say it is strong. A glance is given to the kill they had made only moments prior, one that he was going to make her eat on her own, at first out of kindness and then again out of irritation. But now. Now without a second glance at his sister, he tears into the young fawn and begins to devour it, planning to leave very little of it behind.
Anu lays there silently, still refusing to move. She feels an unprecedented pang of doubt. Maybe Father sent the wrong one after Tyr. After all, she's done nothing but make mistakes since she found him. He could have killed her if he wanted to. Maybe he should have. Or maybe the shewolf just needs some rest. Her stomach growls at the sound of her brother eating, and she wills it to stop before he hears it. The female's neck aches, and her body is starved of rest. If only she could curl up and sleep - but that's not an option with a brother that could use the opportunity to rip her throat out or run for it. Or both.
It was yet another mistake when he had told her to eat the kill before that she did not. Anu had left the best parts for him, and he eats them quickly, taking no time to actually –enjoy- the meat. At one point he glances over his shoulder and tenses his muscles, spitting at Anu's growling stomach and barking angrily before returning to the task in front of him. Moments go by and the once deer fawn is little more than bones, skin, and a dark stain on the grass below; very little for a satisfying meal. He sniffs around its edges then moves off, licking his chops and willing his anger to disappear. But his face is still dark and his eyes are ablaze with the fire of the north, and he thuds to the ground on his stomach, sphinx-like, eyeing Anu from a short distance.
In her defense, the best of that fawn was a peace offering - something neither her belly nor her brother understands. Anu mimics him, though she licks her jaws longingly instead of with satisfaction. At the sight of the male's anger, she deliberately turns her muzzle to the side, making sure they can't make eye contact. She's ashamed, and it seems it's as persistent as his mood. His expression is just like Father's, and it chills her to see it.
"Do y’think yer goin’ back?" He throws at her, needing to know the answer to the question, yet not wanting to ask it while he is so angry. As he waits for her response, Tyr takes a deep breath and exhales through his nose, shuffling once or twice in the grass to make himself comfortable. If they're going to be together for a while, which he anticipates, he does not want this to occur again. Leave the wastes in the wastes.
Anu looks surprised to hear his voice. "Not without you," she replies after a moment of thought. What does he mean, exactly? She must go home. And soon. Their father is not known for his patience. Or kindness. Or mercy. But the shewolf will be killed on sight if she doesn't bring Tyr, very much alive, with her. She still refuses to look directly at him. Her neck throbs in a painful reminder of the last time she upset him. The male has been challenged enough for one day. She'll lay low.
"Then I don'think you'll be goin’ ‘ome," he says matter-of-factly, though the seriousness behind his eyes doesn't leave, even as she keeps her eyes averted from him. Tyr continues to stare at his sister, unyielding, as he thinks to himself and realizes that even in the weeks of travel to reach this far, he has hardly changed for the better. If anything, Anu's arrival has erased whatever distance he has managed to put between he and his pack and it almost feels as though the two of them could be laying in the snow, surrounded by their siblings and pack mates, as if nothing were different. But the grass is soft here and the sun is warm, and Tyr will have nothing to do with his father ever again.
Anu looks displeased to hear that. Very. It's only an instant, though, before she stifles the expression. "Maybe not today," she admits, though there's an edge in her voice. The female has fought too hard to carve her place in the pack's hierarchy. She's not losing it to babysit her brother for the rest of her days. They /will/ go home.