Post by Pavane on May 1, 2012 12:21:52 GMT -5
The snow outside the den is beaten down by many paws; too many to track, from all the many comings and goings of wolves.
It's also covered in blood. So much blood; red like a sky at sunset. Red like a forest-fire. The scent of slick copper. The scent of fear. The scent of blood, everywhere.
Everywhere.
The dogs must have gotten here. Althaea. Hadir. Their scent, and mingled with it the overwhelming stench of blood and fear. Ikuna slows to search - surely they can't all be dead. There must be some-
As Ikuna slows, Chua lunges in, just a hair ahead of Grim. It was the detour for the bunny that did it. The red-furred mutt snaps at Ikuna's tail and catches it. The bite could have been worse - thank Grim for that - but it's still enough to bring a jolt of pain along the broken bone, yanking it further from its proper position.
Ikuna yelps, tugging his tail away with an involuntary whimper. There's a tuft of fur and flesh left behind in Chua's jaws, and Ikuna starts to turn. If here is his fight, so be it -
Of course, Chua isn't alone. There's a whole pack of these dogs, and one - two other wolves. Neither of them his pack. Both seem quite capable of taking care of themselves, but even three wolves are still outnumbered more than two to one by the dogs.
Toby snarls as Grim charges toward him, and bares his teeth to fight - only to find the leggy wolf leaping straight over him. He snaps up at Grim, but he's already in the wrong position, not to mention his general loopiness at the moment. What now? Huh? Grrrrr! Crazy beast. He snarls, trotting along in the wolf's wake with only a bit of wobble. Slow, yes, but he's comin' for his revenge.
Ghast, knocked back by Ahiga and robbed of his intended prize, curls up his lip at Tala's taunt. "You'll learn," he mutters. For now, with those odds turned fair, he holds off on his chase. There will be other chances; let the girl think on things for now. She'll come to wish she'd taken his offer, oh yes. He'll see to that, sooner or later.
Rask continues his slow-motion chase of Grim. Er. Grim and Ikuna, now. Hrm. He starts to veer off, but then he catches a death-glare from Toby that makes him pick up the pace and actually start chasing Grim again. Just... not so fast as to actually go and catch up.
Bone is no philosopher. He cares nothing for Brutal's questions. His focus now is on the attack. The mastiff's jaws snap again, aimed for the side of the wolf's neck - but catch mid-bite against Brutal's. Not the quite the angle the wolf had intended, but a bite nonetheless. Bone growls, and a second later his own jaws clamp down, teeth piercing the top of Brutal's muzzle, both in a bite and to try and prevent that vicious, jaw-breaking jerk; putting his strength against that of the wolf, paws braced as he tugs his muzzle and his jaws clench down.
For a fierce battle, it's remarkably static. Strength against strength; like arm-wrestling. Jaw-wrestling.
Rayna hesitates for a moment, but only a moment. This is her duty, and this is what she was born and traine to do. She is a wolfhound; she hunts wolves. The quarry is before her, and she leaps to it; her teeth go for Brutal's neck, catching there with the instincts that tell her to drag the beast to ground; to hold him, until the hunter can arrive. Her weight, to Brutal, is less than might be hoped, but still she strives, clenching down her teeth and pulling for so long as she has the chance.
All this, Ikuna sees, spread around Ute's hilltop home. He would fight for his pack's escape. He'd give his life for it.
What pack? The blood by the den tells a sad story. Somehow, he must have missed one of the dogs; must have let it go by when he was focused on Chua. He let his anger distract him, and now? They're dead. All of them, dead.
It's his fault. He should have paid more attention, should have been more careful. How did these dogs even get here? He's failed in his patrols, failed his pack, failed his niece and nephew... failed Chewy.
Maybe he should stay and fight. He'll die, of course, but what does it matter? He's failed. All he can hope for now is to take some of these dogs down with him.
He turns further, readying himself, and his ears perk to the sound of a howl.
Weak. Faltering. The voice is rasping and damaged, near impossible to identify - but unmistakably a wolf.
There's someone out there, still alive.
He's failed, but at least there's someone not yet dead. Some wolf who's escaped this dogpack's cruel jaws.
There's Tala, too. Ahiga. They're still alive.
And if they're going to stay that way...
They might need his help. If he dies now, he fails them as well.
Ikuna lets out a deep, gruff bay. Not a howl; not the sound of community that has made this hill a home. This is a warning-call; the bay of a wolf before a greater hunter. Stay away. It's not safe. Such is his message, the young wolf's voice powerful but rough with sorrow.
With that... Ikuna turns, and races away; past the blood-soaked den, away from Ute's defeat. Away from his failures. Chua's call of triumph makes his ears flatten against his head; not having seen the disappearing alpha and pups, it seems to Ikuna the dog rejoices at their deaths.
His strides lengthen, forcing tired and injured legs in motion. Away from the sound of that voice, away from where Tala and Ahiga fled - at least until Chua has abandoned chasing him, until he's muddied and hidden his trail. If his voice was heard and heeded, the others will stay away. It's not safe. Not anymore.
It's also covered in blood. So much blood; red like a sky at sunset. Red like a forest-fire. The scent of slick copper. The scent of fear. The scent of blood, everywhere.
Everywhere.
The dogs must have gotten here. Althaea. Hadir. Their scent, and mingled with it the overwhelming stench of blood and fear. Ikuna slows to search - surely they can't all be dead. There must be some-
As Ikuna slows, Chua lunges in, just a hair ahead of Grim. It was the detour for the bunny that did it. The red-furred mutt snaps at Ikuna's tail and catches it. The bite could have been worse - thank Grim for that - but it's still enough to bring a jolt of pain along the broken bone, yanking it further from its proper position.
Ikuna yelps, tugging his tail away with an involuntary whimper. There's a tuft of fur and flesh left behind in Chua's jaws, and Ikuna starts to turn. If here is his fight, so be it -
Of course, Chua isn't alone. There's a whole pack of these dogs, and one - two other wolves. Neither of them his pack. Both seem quite capable of taking care of themselves, but even three wolves are still outnumbered more than two to one by the dogs.
Toby snarls as Grim charges toward him, and bares his teeth to fight - only to find the leggy wolf leaping straight over him. He snaps up at Grim, but he's already in the wrong position, not to mention his general loopiness at the moment. What now? Huh? Grrrrr! Crazy beast. He snarls, trotting along in the wolf's wake with only a bit of wobble. Slow, yes, but he's comin' for his revenge.
Ghast, knocked back by Ahiga and robbed of his intended prize, curls up his lip at Tala's taunt. "You'll learn," he mutters. For now, with those odds turned fair, he holds off on his chase. There will be other chances; let the girl think on things for now. She'll come to wish she'd taken his offer, oh yes. He'll see to that, sooner or later.
Rask continues his slow-motion chase of Grim. Er. Grim and Ikuna, now. Hrm. He starts to veer off, but then he catches a death-glare from Toby that makes him pick up the pace and actually start chasing Grim again. Just... not so fast as to actually go and catch up.
Bone is no philosopher. He cares nothing for Brutal's questions. His focus now is on the attack. The mastiff's jaws snap again, aimed for the side of the wolf's neck - but catch mid-bite against Brutal's. Not the quite the angle the wolf had intended, but a bite nonetheless. Bone growls, and a second later his own jaws clamp down, teeth piercing the top of Brutal's muzzle, both in a bite and to try and prevent that vicious, jaw-breaking jerk; putting his strength against that of the wolf, paws braced as he tugs his muzzle and his jaws clench down.
For a fierce battle, it's remarkably static. Strength against strength; like arm-wrestling. Jaw-wrestling.
Rayna hesitates for a moment, but only a moment. This is her duty, and this is what she was born and traine to do. She is a wolfhound; she hunts wolves. The quarry is before her, and she leaps to it; her teeth go for Brutal's neck, catching there with the instincts that tell her to drag the beast to ground; to hold him, until the hunter can arrive. Her weight, to Brutal, is less than might be hoped, but still she strives, clenching down her teeth and pulling for so long as she has the chance.
All this, Ikuna sees, spread around Ute's hilltop home. He would fight for his pack's escape. He'd give his life for it.
What pack? The blood by the den tells a sad story. Somehow, he must have missed one of the dogs; must have let it go by when he was focused on Chua. He let his anger distract him, and now? They're dead. All of them, dead.
It's his fault. He should have paid more attention, should have been more careful. How did these dogs even get here? He's failed in his patrols, failed his pack, failed his niece and nephew... failed Chewy.
Maybe he should stay and fight. He'll die, of course, but what does it matter? He's failed. All he can hope for now is to take some of these dogs down with him.
He turns further, readying himself, and his ears perk to the sound of a howl.
Weak. Faltering. The voice is rasping and damaged, near impossible to identify - but unmistakably a wolf.
There's someone out there, still alive.
He's failed, but at least there's someone not yet dead. Some wolf who's escaped this dogpack's cruel jaws.
There's Tala, too. Ahiga. They're still alive.
And if they're going to stay that way...
They might need his help. If he dies now, he fails them as well.
Ikuna lets out a deep, gruff bay. Not a howl; not the sound of community that has made this hill a home. This is a warning-call; the bay of a wolf before a greater hunter. Stay away. It's not safe. Such is his message, the young wolf's voice powerful but rough with sorrow.
With that... Ikuna turns, and races away; past the blood-soaked den, away from Ute's defeat. Away from his failures. Chua's call of triumph makes his ears flatten against his head; not having seen the disappearing alpha and pups, it seems to Ikuna the dog rejoices at their deaths.
His strides lengthen, forcing tired and injured legs in motion. Away from the sound of that voice, away from where Tala and Ahiga fled - at least until Chua has abandoned chasing him, until he's muddied and hidden his trail. If his voice was heard and heeded, the others will stay away. It's not safe. Not anymore.