Post by jage on Jun 17, 2008 4:55:26 GMT -5
Characters:
Hinto, male wolf
Jage, female dog
Human boy
Human adult
Rippling Stream
================================================================================
The lush land starts a gentle downward slope along this area of the stream, a gentle bubbling noise coming from the cool water as it cascades its way over and down tiny waterfalls constructed by outcroppings of smooth rocks in the streambed itself. There is a slight drop on either side where the land is before the water, creating a sudden bank instead of a more gradual change. The trees around the stream create a shady overhang, making this spot more than comfortable.
================================================================================
The days are getting warmer, warm enough that the breeze blowing through the area feels good. Though, /anything/ would feel better than sitting in a stuffy room, listening to someone drone on about something that doesn't matter at all. The boy, around 11 years old, has enjoyed this trip immensely. His father is off doing... Whatever his father is off doing, and the boy is sitting by the bank of the stream, holding a crude fishing rod and soaking his bare feet in the water. His clothes are ragged. The trousers are ridiculously short, held up by stretched-out suspenders, and the shirt that is tucked into them is loose and dirty. A worn straw hat completes the outfit, and it would seem this young human has not a care in the world, besides maybe the chance of a snapping turtle making lunch of one of his toes. That's why he keeps his attention focused on the water, not the land behind him.
Not truly aware of the newcomer to the land is Hinto. He has, yet again, answered the call of wanderlust. He cannot stay away. It's an impossibility for him. The area is too nice to tether ones self down for so long. The wolf continues down a familiar path along the stream. And its not a bad idea, as far as he is concerned. Water is important after all, to life. And that's just what Hinto does, that is, he walks down to the water's edge and takes a drink.
The closer one gets to the boy fishing in the stream, the stronger the scent of the fish he has already caught, which are currently hanging from a stick, and the more clearly his whistling can be heard. He would be having even more fun if some of his friends from back home were here, but this isn't bad. He wouldn't mind if his father decides they're going to stay here for a while. Between the sounds of the stream and his own whistling, he can't hear the sounds of the nearby wolf.
The scent of fish does indeed reach Hinto at last. After hydrating some, his eyes wander in the direction of the smell. Its not helping things that he hasn't had luck on hunting the past few days. He decides to go investigate. Food without expenditure of energy is good food, after all! He is, unfortunately, oblivious to the fact there's a Man child at the food, otherwise he might rethink his position.
Moments later, the boy feels another tugging on the crude rod, and he sits upright quickly, scrambling for the nearby net while pulling the rod closer carefully to avoid snapping the thin, strained line. The wolf may not be having much luck, but having been out here all day, the boy has had a great day. If he catches any more, his mother won't know what to do with it all, but he doesn't want to leave and go searching for his father or back to camp just yet.
Hinto walks just a little bit longer when he sees the source of the smell fish. And why the smell is so pungent: Man. Hinto freezes in his tracks and stares. Has it seen him, can he hide from it? What should he do? Is it dangerous like all the rumors claim?
Luckily for Hinto, this miniaturized version of Man has no weapons, except any rocks he might find. He hasn't noticed the wolf yet, though. Not yet. First he has to remove the hook from the fish, which he deems large enough to keep, gut it with a pocket knife barely sufficient to scratch any larger animals, and grab a section of string to hang it up with what he has caught already. Only then does he look up to his prior catches and spot the wolf. Oh yes, he knows the difference between a wolf and dog at any distance... And though a bit of fear grips him, he also knows his family won't be pleased if he allows the animal to take what he has spent all day catching. Still kneeling on the ground, he stares at the wild animal, uncertain what he should do.
Hinto is also uncertain. This thing that had the delicious food the wolf could certainly get behind is not one that a wolf would be smart to cause trouble with. But... there's food! Hinto feels the hunger even more now that such easy food is in reach. Hinto weighs his needs and decides he'll take his chances, and advances on the fish. Maybe he can grab the fish and run. How fast can a human run, anyway?
Not terribly fast, but he can throw a lot faster than he can run. The boy breaks eye contact with Hinto just long enough to look for a rock of a suitable size, a little smaller than his fist. That done, he looks back to the wolf and begins shouting and draws his hand back to throw the rock as hard as his young arm can manage. It won't land hard enough to break skin or bone, if it hits the wolf at all, but back home, where humans are much more common than wild animals, even mild violence like that is usually sufficient to warn off anything except a bear. If Hinto were a bear, yeah, the boy would be all to happy to abandon his day's work.
Hinto stops when the boy starts yelling and... grabbing rocks and throwing them. Hinto takes a few steps back, then looks longingly at the fish. Then at the boy. He knew humans could be dangerous, but strange like this? Hunto starts walking toward the boy again, trying to ignore the rocks that manage to pelt him, only to turn away again. Despite the fact they aren't breaking anything, those rocks *hurt!*
Jage is thirsty. The elkhound's been away from water for far too long, and she's finally been forced to abandon her charge to seek out the stream. It isn't for very long, she comforts herself as she lopes towards the stream. A quick dash to the water, a drink, and she'll head right back. After all, what could stop her? Weaving amongst the trees and brush, Jage isn't attempting to keep her approach secret, but as she approaches even she can't ignore the sounds of some sort of commotion. Wonderful. Hopefully whatever it is won't involve her. The wind isn't working in her favour, and she has no idea what she's about to trot into.
When the wolf turns away, the boy still grabs another rock, but he doesn't throw it just yet. He /does/ continue to make as much noise as possible, though, and he takes the opportunity to stand up. If he's lucky, maybe his father will hear him and come to help. If that wolf gets close enough to grab the fish, it could easily cause him some serious hurt, and if he has no choice whatsoever, he'll try to make a break for the closest tree, to try to climb it and get away from the dangerous animal, but he still doesn't want to have to abandon tonight's supper if he has any other choice.
Hinto is relieved that the rocks have stopped! He turns to look over at the fish. He's so hungry, but he doesn't like getting hit so much with the rocks. He'll have to outwit the human if he wants that food! He tries to listen to the human, but he doesn't understand it. Maybe he should just play the part of the hostile aggressor, take more rocks, and reach the fish? There's an idea!
Close enough now to hear the commotion clearly, Jage stops short for a moment. These sounds...she -knows- these sounds. She's missed these sounds! Thirst forgotten, the dog plows her way through the undergrowth with single-minded vigour, eager to find the source. She begins to discern the tone of the boy's shouts and breaks into a run, forgetting herself for a moment and letting out excited barks. It's been too long, and -any- human is better than no human at all!
The boy is about to take a step closer to the wolf, to try to scare him off, though he keeps the rock in his hand, when the nearby barking grabs his attention and causes him to stop shouting. Wolves don't bark like that, do they? But this particular boy doesn't have any dogs, and so the sounds are not as comforting as they might be. Not terrifying, but not comforting either. At least if the dog came out here with another man who came here for the same reason his father did, the dog or the man doubtlessly following the dog might help him, but if the as of yet unseen dog is as wild as this wolf?
The human is distracted! Go go go! Hinto starts running straight for the fish! He can't wait to get his claws and teeth into the food! Let the human deal with the dog. Hinto always felt that dogs were never very subtle creatures, anyway.
Jage doesn't have much time to assess what's going on as she reaches the action. She sees a little human, unmoving, and a wolf launching himself forward. Jage doesn't even notice the fish; the wolf must be trying to attack the little one! Years of living with humans and hunting wolves bring her to a logical but ultimately false conclusion, and the elkhound doesn't even try to slow down. Coming in from the side, she barely has time to turn her head aside to protect it as she changes direction ever so slightly in an attempt to bull into the wolf, to push him off course and rescue the child from his no doubt vicious and unprovoked attack.
Man doesn't even notice the wolf rushing towards him until he spots the dog and follows her as she races towards the wolf. When the boy realizes how much closer that wolf is, he lets out a startled cry and takes several frantic steps backward before tripping and falling backwards, catching himself with his hands, and cringing as the rock he was holding cuts into the right one, so at least his back and head don't hit the ground. No one ever said humans were graceful.
Hinto is knocked down by the dog plowing into him, and it takes him a moment to get back on his feet. He looks at Jage and growls angrily, low: "Traitor." How could this dog defend the human's food? The humans are a blight, aren't they? "You're in the way of me getting my food, traitor!"
Jage's own momentum carries her too far and she rolls over the wolf. For a moment she's terrified of going headlong into the water, and scrabbles frantically to stop it from happening. She regains her footing and notices, fearfully, that the wolf is now between her and the boy. She can smell the blood from the cut, and tries her best to keep the wolf distracted. The elkhound raises her hackles and lays her ears back, baring her own teeth and making sure Hinto can see her spiked collar. Traitor, is she? "Back where you came from, wolf! You will not make a meal of this human cub while I am here."
The boy doesn't think to look for the human who must own this dog. He can't manage to take his eyes off of the dog and wolf, listening to the growling. He /ought/ to get up, take what he has caught, and run, but what if that wolf hurts the nearby dog? And where /is/ the dog's owner? He should be hear by now, with a firearm to help protect the domesticated canine from the wolf. The boy certainly can't do anything. He's still trying to get his wits back about him and get back to his feet.
"Are you that stupid, traitor! I have no interest in eating unnatural demon-meat!" Hinto snarls. "I'm after the fish! Out of my way, or you'll be my meal!" Hinto eyes the dog carefully. "I am willing to bet you'd be more of a meal than some fish! Move, traitor!" Hinto tries brushing past the dog to get at the fish at that last bit.
A fish? What fish? Jage doesn't dare turn around to check on the presence of said fish, but something does smell a bit fishy. Literally. If there's a fish behind her, she'd much rather the wolf get away with it than to start a fight with a male wolf. As Hinto tries to move past her, she backs up a couple of steps and circles around the wolf, still rumbling aggressively deep in her throat to keep him at bay. "Take it and leave then, wolf!" With any luck, the wolf won't notice she's trying to put herself between him and the boy. "But if you try to make a meal of me, then you will will pay dearly for it!"
The boy, being ignorant to the conversation between the two animals, has no idea that the female dog is giving the wolf permission to make off with the fish he caught today. He has, at least, gotten his feet back under him, and his right hand is pressed against his trousers to help stop the bleeding. The wound is minor, and he'll be all right, but it does prevent him from using his right hand just this moment, which means he's still of no use to the nearby dog as it stares down the wolf.
Hinto growls at the dog. "Don't tempt me." Hinto says. "Any creature who serves *Man* is already lost in my book!" Hinto steps past the doggy and walks over to the fish and takes a bite out of one of them.
Poor Jage. You wear one eensy little collar and the whole world hates you. Okay, one big spiky collar. And go around defending humans. But still! Jage has finally managed to put herself between the two and she begins backing up towards the child. Not exactly a victory, really, but at least the wolf isn't -currently- trying to maul them both. She snaps her jaws a couple of times at Hinto in warning. "You have your fish. Take it from here and leave before I see you off!"
No! As the boy watches the wolf bite at one of the fish, he rushes forward a couple steps, but he's not about to run right up to the wild creature, and he no longer has anything he could throw. This really rather wasn't how he'd hoped it would play out, but with no armed adult anywhere in sight, it's probably the best he could have hoped for. That doesn't keep the human child from being unhappy. Stupid, lazy, wild beasts.
Hinto has eaten one of the fish, but when the dog tells him what to do, the wolf snarls and turns to the dog. Growling low, Hinto says, "No... you shall do the leaving. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a wolf, you're a traitorous dog. Its not much of a match, traitor!" He keeps facing the dog and growling.
Jage flicks her glance sideways at the child as it starts forward, and she too advances a step or two to keep ahead. Not ideal, but better than letting the human leap at that wolf for the sake of a few fish. The wolf's words rankle her, and she lowers her head with eyes blazing. "Thief! Leave and take your scavenged carcass with you! I have been killing wolves stronger and smarter than you since I can remember! I shall allow you one last chance to go without bloodshed, and then we shall see who is a match for whom!"
Were it not for the cut in his hand, the boy would be tempted to start pelting the wolf with rocks again. Heck, he's /still/ tempted, and he looks to the ground to see if there are any more nearby. He doesn't even try to say anything to the dog over all the noise she and the wolf are making. After all, she isn't his dog. But he does wonder, for the second time, where her (nonexistant) owner is. This would all be over already if that human would just get here!
Hinto growls at the dog. "Oh, you're scaring me. Was that with your demonic master, the humans?" Hinto says. "I fully intend to leave the Man child alone, but now that you''re starting to piss me off, you aren't going to be so lucky!"
"I don't need a human at my back to put a scavenging wolf in his place," the elkie snarls, but inwardly she's having second thoughts. Can she really afford to fight a big male wolf right now? Ordinarily, she wouldn't back down from it, but she has others to take care of now and if she gets injured or killed...but how about the child? She risks a glance back at him, taking her eyes off Hinto for a second. She can't just take off now. For all she knows, that wolf is lying about leaving it alone. Perhaps if she can get the child to follow her somehow...but how?
When the dog looks back at him, the boy turns to begin shouting again, this time louder than before. He is no longer shouting at the wolf, though. Rather, he hopes to bring either his father or the dog's owner here, and he's hopinh desperately that one of them is close enough to hear him. His shouts aren't exactly frantic, but he's beginning to doubt that either he or the dog will be safe until someone with a gun gets here. After all, the wolf has the fish, and the young boy can't help that. Why is the wolf still here?
"Big words for a Man servant!" Hinto says and then runs after the dog and leaps for a pounce. With luck, he'll make this quick.
Jage regrets taking her eyes off the wolf for that moment. Sneaky! She turns back to see the wolf coming for her and bares her teeth, growling wordlessly. Strength she may have lost, but she still has agility and guile to fall back on. None of this matters, of course, if her adversary manages to pin her. Too late to dodge, Jage braces her hind legs and half-leaps from the ground to meet the wolf with snapping jaws, fighting fire with fire.
Shortly after the boy begins shouting, there is renewed growling and snapping near him. He jerks his head back to see the wolf and dog fighting, and entirely too close to him! He takes a hurried step back and when he begins shouting again, his tone has a new air of desperation, encouraging his armed father to break into a run as he gets closer, to see what all of the fuss is about. Seconds later, the older human comes into sight of the boy and the two fighting creatures near him.
Hinto bites at the dog's muzzle in the hopes of teaching her a lesson. Despite his posturing, he has no reason to actually kill the dog. He snarls as he attacks, trying to bite the dog!
Focused as she is on the fight, Jage doesn't notice the change in the boy's cries, nor the arrival of the father and what she would be bound to recognise as a gun. She snarls back as teeth scrape along her muzzle and draws her head back. She can't afford to lock jaws with the wolf, she isn't strong enough to overpower him. Instead she bulls forward and snaps around his face, trying to get him to back off by threatening his eyes and ears.
She may not be able to see the man with the gun, but she could no doubt recognize the sound that cuts through the area seconds after the man sees his boy and the two animals fighting. If not for the look he got at the dog and the glimpse of the worn collar he saw, he might have stepped to the side to avoid hitting his son and shot directly into the brawl, but the last thing he wants is to explain to some other man why his dog is dead, or pay for said dog. As such, the shotgun is fired off to the side, across the water, as he hopes to break it up and scare one or both animals off, but he immediately readies his firearm to shoot again. The boy, upon the arrival of his father, is quick to scramble close to the stream, away from the dogs and out of the line of fire. Nothing is said between the man and his son, for the time being.
Hinto is about to fight off the dog when the shot is fired. Loud! The wolf backs up and whines and then looks and sees... oh no. A big one. What should he do? Take the fish or flee? Hinto decides to test this, daringly, by making a few steps toward the fish.
Jage may be used to that sound, but not when she doesn't expect it. She leaps away from the wolf as he backs up and stands with her legs splayed a little, too surprised to even pant. Her ears curved sideways, she too turns to look at this new arrival. To humans, her expression and stance probably says something like, "Why'd you do that? We were just messing around." But Jage is staring at the gun, looking between it and the wolf. Why hasn't he used its magic to make the wolf dead yet? He's going to take the fish again! But Jage dares not make any sudden moves. A dog she may be, but who knows what the big human to do when it thinks the little one is in danger?
By the time the dog and wolf have seperated, the shotgun is ready and his boy is out of the way. When the wolf takes a step toward the fish, the man aims his shotgun towards the wild creature. He isn't out here to feed the local wild population or to have them threaten his son, but he is not a hunter. He has no use for a dead wolf, and he'll give the creature a chance to back off, if it's intelligent enough to do so, before he pulls the trigger again. The younger human is quiet, waiting for this to play itself out.
Hinto wonders just how dangerous this man would be, if he would really stop the wolf from taking this food. Does he really think he hadn't earned it after putting up with the dog just now? Hinto turns his head to look back at the boy, and the man carrying the thunder stick. He has few options, but he is really hungry and he's already invested a considerable amount of energy in this. Hinto decides maybe a little intimidation is in order. The wolf stands right in front of the fish and looks as dangerous as he can growling low at the humans. My food now, go back from whence you came, you ugly... pink... hairless things.
Jage can't believe the audacity of this wolf! In another circumstance, she might think him truly brave, but with all that's gone on she can't do anything but shake her head in disbelief. She backs up a step or two, but she doesn't try to warn Hinto of his impending doom. As far as she's concerned, if the wolf doesn't back off now, he deserves everything that's coming to him.
The boy might be scared at that kind of display, but the adult human is not about to be warned off my some wolf who is not nearly frightened enough of humans. Shortly after the growling starts, the man fires his shotgun. He is no longer aiming to scare the beast off. There is a fair enough distance between him and Hinto that there is no guarantee he'll hit, given the limits of his firearm's accuracy, but he'll at least get close.
Hinto has no time to react. In fact, he has no time to even think. He was at a good enough distance to avoid getting killed, thankfully, but the blast from the shotgun is more than enough to do some real damage. Hinto feels all sorts of extreme pain, yelping loudly when hit by the blast and knocked a little ways onto his back, whining. It hurts! Oh, how it hurts. Hinto spends some time writhing in pain *away* from the fish. Make it stop!
Letting out an involuntary yelp of her own as the shotgun fires, Jage leaps away like a jack-in-the-box and retreats a short distance along the streambank, her usually tightly curled tail drooping low. She's far enough away from Hinto to escape the blast, but the gun is still aiming in her general direction and when it's fired, she can't stop herself from reacting. After bouncing a short distance, Jage turns around again to see the wolf on the ground, obviously wounded. This is what humans are meant to do! She watches tensely, wondering if this human, like her old master, will finish the wolf off while it can.
The actual threat removed, the adult human lowers the shotgun to aim at the ground about five feet in front of him. He's not quite as hurried with readying his shotgun to be fired again, but he does keep his eyes on the wolf ahead, just in case the stupid animal tries to come for him or his boy when, or if, it gets to its feet. Were he a hunter, skin trader, or more compassionate, he'd probably try to put the beast out of its misery now. As it stands, though, he fully intends to let this wolf slink off to die, or heal, in solitude, as long as it doesn't present itself as a threat again.
Hinto closes his eyes tightly, he can feel blood. Its more painful, what those thunder sticks can do! Hinto has a few decisions. He can get back up and be stupid and attack, get up and be smart and try to get away with his injuries, or he can pass out and worry about what happened a little later. Choosing option number three, Hinto finally falls limp and unconscious. He'll be okay, but he doesn't plan on moving much right now.
Jage leans forward towards Hinto as if trying to sniff him all the way from where she is. She can't, of course, but she looks like she's trying anyway. Is he dead? She stares for a long moment until she catches the slight movement of his breathing, and frowns. Either he's playing dead to fool the humans, or he really has blacked out. She takes a tentative step or two forward, but checks herself, looking over at where the humans are standing. She doesn't want to be in the way if the man decides to take another shot.
As the whining stops, the man speaks for the first time since arriving. Whatever he says causes the younger human to stand, a little stiffly, and move just slightly closer to the wolf, to gather up the stuff he brought out here and the fish he managed to catch. The boy is more afraid than his father, eyes darting to the wolf occasionally as he grabs the crude rod, net, and the remaining fish. His father is much more still, keeping his eyes on the animal, but the shotgun remains pointed at the ground.
Taking her cue from the humans, Jage gains confidence and begins to approach the unconscious wolf too. The human won't shoot with its child nearby, and Jage feels reasonably sure she won't be shot at. After all, she's wearing a collar, isn't she? She tried to save the child, didn't she? And she's a dog. Humans like dogs. She snuffles forward, taking her time, showing no interest in either the child or the items belonging to the humans. She's more intent on investigating Hinto's condition.
After grabbing his stuff, the boy returns to his father's side and relaxes some as there is some distance between himself and the wolf. The older human nods and turns. He had to get here rather abruptly, so there is still much more to be carried, which means it's time to head back down the stream to where he had set up for the day. Without another glance to the wolf or the dog near the wolf, the older human turns to walk away, expecting his son to follow along close behind. He doesn't know who the dog belongs to, and he doesn't care, isn't about to waste more of the day by searching for the animal's owner or waiting for him to show up. He has what belongs to him.
After a passing inspection, Jage satisfies herself that the wolf is not faking his injuries. Sounds catch her attention, and she looks up to see the humans leaving. Before she can stop herself, she begins to follow them. It's not just her instinct, it's her want - to have a master again, just like in her halcyon days. She's followed them a short way, catching up slowly, before she stops short. She's torn - she can follow these humans and have a chance of finding another master, become a real dog again...at the cost of forgetting her charges back in the wild. She's already been gone too long already, but it's an impossible choice.
A choice the older human might help make a little less impossible. After a moment, he glances back to make sure that he is being followed. As it turns out, he is, and not just by his son. Frowning, he turns to face the dog. He doesn't aim the gun at her or do anything he might do with a wild animal. Rather, he talks to her, and when he does, his voice is raised, unpleasant. "Go on. Git!" Sure, he made sure she was reasonably safe before firing at the wolf, but even that wasn't out of any sort of compassion for this animal. He's got no use for a dog back home, and he doesn't need the extra mouth to feed. When his father turns around, so does the boy, and though he looks a little regretful that they'll have to leave the dog who saved him behind, he doesn't say anything.
Jage gives a hopeful wiggle of her tail as the human turns around, but it doesn't last long. She raises her head and tilts it, listening as intently as possible to the man. The words and tone are familiar to her - she's been told off by other humans before, and she knows what it sounds like. Her ears and tail droop, and she lowers her head, the picture of doggy disappointment. Well, she really shouldn't have expected much, but...it just would have been nice. She turns a pleading look on the boy, hoping that at least her aid would have melted his heart, but as he turns away as well Jage realises she doesn't have a chance. She doesn't attempt to follow, but she stands still, watching them go until they are out of sight.
Hinto, male wolf
Jage, female dog
Human boy
Human adult
Rippling Stream
================================================================================
The lush land starts a gentle downward slope along this area of the stream, a gentle bubbling noise coming from the cool water as it cascades its way over and down tiny waterfalls constructed by outcroppings of smooth rocks in the streambed itself. There is a slight drop on either side where the land is before the water, creating a sudden bank instead of a more gradual change. The trees around the stream create a shady overhang, making this spot more than comfortable.
================================================================================
The days are getting warmer, warm enough that the breeze blowing through the area feels good. Though, /anything/ would feel better than sitting in a stuffy room, listening to someone drone on about something that doesn't matter at all. The boy, around 11 years old, has enjoyed this trip immensely. His father is off doing... Whatever his father is off doing, and the boy is sitting by the bank of the stream, holding a crude fishing rod and soaking his bare feet in the water. His clothes are ragged. The trousers are ridiculously short, held up by stretched-out suspenders, and the shirt that is tucked into them is loose and dirty. A worn straw hat completes the outfit, and it would seem this young human has not a care in the world, besides maybe the chance of a snapping turtle making lunch of one of his toes. That's why he keeps his attention focused on the water, not the land behind him.
Not truly aware of the newcomer to the land is Hinto. He has, yet again, answered the call of wanderlust. He cannot stay away. It's an impossibility for him. The area is too nice to tether ones self down for so long. The wolf continues down a familiar path along the stream. And its not a bad idea, as far as he is concerned. Water is important after all, to life. And that's just what Hinto does, that is, he walks down to the water's edge and takes a drink.
The closer one gets to the boy fishing in the stream, the stronger the scent of the fish he has already caught, which are currently hanging from a stick, and the more clearly his whistling can be heard. He would be having even more fun if some of his friends from back home were here, but this isn't bad. He wouldn't mind if his father decides they're going to stay here for a while. Between the sounds of the stream and his own whistling, he can't hear the sounds of the nearby wolf.
The scent of fish does indeed reach Hinto at last. After hydrating some, his eyes wander in the direction of the smell. Its not helping things that he hasn't had luck on hunting the past few days. He decides to go investigate. Food without expenditure of energy is good food, after all! He is, unfortunately, oblivious to the fact there's a Man child at the food, otherwise he might rethink his position.
Moments later, the boy feels another tugging on the crude rod, and he sits upright quickly, scrambling for the nearby net while pulling the rod closer carefully to avoid snapping the thin, strained line. The wolf may not be having much luck, but having been out here all day, the boy has had a great day. If he catches any more, his mother won't know what to do with it all, but he doesn't want to leave and go searching for his father or back to camp just yet.
Hinto walks just a little bit longer when he sees the source of the smell fish. And why the smell is so pungent: Man. Hinto freezes in his tracks and stares. Has it seen him, can he hide from it? What should he do? Is it dangerous like all the rumors claim?
Luckily for Hinto, this miniaturized version of Man has no weapons, except any rocks he might find. He hasn't noticed the wolf yet, though. Not yet. First he has to remove the hook from the fish, which he deems large enough to keep, gut it with a pocket knife barely sufficient to scratch any larger animals, and grab a section of string to hang it up with what he has caught already. Only then does he look up to his prior catches and spot the wolf. Oh yes, he knows the difference between a wolf and dog at any distance... And though a bit of fear grips him, he also knows his family won't be pleased if he allows the animal to take what he has spent all day catching. Still kneeling on the ground, he stares at the wild animal, uncertain what he should do.
Hinto is also uncertain. This thing that had the delicious food the wolf could certainly get behind is not one that a wolf would be smart to cause trouble with. But... there's food! Hinto feels the hunger even more now that such easy food is in reach. Hinto weighs his needs and decides he'll take his chances, and advances on the fish. Maybe he can grab the fish and run. How fast can a human run, anyway?
Not terribly fast, but he can throw a lot faster than he can run. The boy breaks eye contact with Hinto just long enough to look for a rock of a suitable size, a little smaller than his fist. That done, he looks back to the wolf and begins shouting and draws his hand back to throw the rock as hard as his young arm can manage. It won't land hard enough to break skin or bone, if it hits the wolf at all, but back home, where humans are much more common than wild animals, even mild violence like that is usually sufficient to warn off anything except a bear. If Hinto were a bear, yeah, the boy would be all to happy to abandon his day's work.
Hinto stops when the boy starts yelling and... grabbing rocks and throwing them. Hinto takes a few steps back, then looks longingly at the fish. Then at the boy. He knew humans could be dangerous, but strange like this? Hunto starts walking toward the boy again, trying to ignore the rocks that manage to pelt him, only to turn away again. Despite the fact they aren't breaking anything, those rocks *hurt!*
Jage is thirsty. The elkhound's been away from water for far too long, and she's finally been forced to abandon her charge to seek out the stream. It isn't for very long, she comforts herself as she lopes towards the stream. A quick dash to the water, a drink, and she'll head right back. After all, what could stop her? Weaving amongst the trees and brush, Jage isn't attempting to keep her approach secret, but as she approaches even she can't ignore the sounds of some sort of commotion. Wonderful. Hopefully whatever it is won't involve her. The wind isn't working in her favour, and she has no idea what she's about to trot into.
When the wolf turns away, the boy still grabs another rock, but he doesn't throw it just yet. He /does/ continue to make as much noise as possible, though, and he takes the opportunity to stand up. If he's lucky, maybe his father will hear him and come to help. If that wolf gets close enough to grab the fish, it could easily cause him some serious hurt, and if he has no choice whatsoever, he'll try to make a break for the closest tree, to try to climb it and get away from the dangerous animal, but he still doesn't want to have to abandon tonight's supper if he has any other choice.
Hinto is relieved that the rocks have stopped! He turns to look over at the fish. He's so hungry, but he doesn't like getting hit so much with the rocks. He'll have to outwit the human if he wants that food! He tries to listen to the human, but he doesn't understand it. Maybe he should just play the part of the hostile aggressor, take more rocks, and reach the fish? There's an idea!
Close enough now to hear the commotion clearly, Jage stops short for a moment. These sounds...she -knows- these sounds. She's missed these sounds! Thirst forgotten, the dog plows her way through the undergrowth with single-minded vigour, eager to find the source. She begins to discern the tone of the boy's shouts and breaks into a run, forgetting herself for a moment and letting out excited barks. It's been too long, and -any- human is better than no human at all!
The boy is about to take a step closer to the wolf, to try to scare him off, though he keeps the rock in his hand, when the nearby barking grabs his attention and causes him to stop shouting. Wolves don't bark like that, do they? But this particular boy doesn't have any dogs, and so the sounds are not as comforting as they might be. Not terrifying, but not comforting either. At least if the dog came out here with another man who came here for the same reason his father did, the dog or the man doubtlessly following the dog might help him, but if the as of yet unseen dog is as wild as this wolf?
The human is distracted! Go go go! Hinto starts running straight for the fish! He can't wait to get his claws and teeth into the food! Let the human deal with the dog. Hinto always felt that dogs were never very subtle creatures, anyway.
Jage doesn't have much time to assess what's going on as she reaches the action. She sees a little human, unmoving, and a wolf launching himself forward. Jage doesn't even notice the fish; the wolf must be trying to attack the little one! Years of living with humans and hunting wolves bring her to a logical but ultimately false conclusion, and the elkhound doesn't even try to slow down. Coming in from the side, she barely has time to turn her head aside to protect it as she changes direction ever so slightly in an attempt to bull into the wolf, to push him off course and rescue the child from his no doubt vicious and unprovoked attack.
Man doesn't even notice the wolf rushing towards him until he spots the dog and follows her as she races towards the wolf. When the boy realizes how much closer that wolf is, he lets out a startled cry and takes several frantic steps backward before tripping and falling backwards, catching himself with his hands, and cringing as the rock he was holding cuts into the right one, so at least his back and head don't hit the ground. No one ever said humans were graceful.
Hinto is knocked down by the dog plowing into him, and it takes him a moment to get back on his feet. He looks at Jage and growls angrily, low: "Traitor." How could this dog defend the human's food? The humans are a blight, aren't they? "You're in the way of me getting my food, traitor!"
Jage's own momentum carries her too far and she rolls over the wolf. For a moment she's terrified of going headlong into the water, and scrabbles frantically to stop it from happening. She regains her footing and notices, fearfully, that the wolf is now between her and the boy. She can smell the blood from the cut, and tries her best to keep the wolf distracted. The elkhound raises her hackles and lays her ears back, baring her own teeth and making sure Hinto can see her spiked collar. Traitor, is she? "Back where you came from, wolf! You will not make a meal of this human cub while I am here."
The boy doesn't think to look for the human who must own this dog. He can't manage to take his eyes off of the dog and wolf, listening to the growling. He /ought/ to get up, take what he has caught, and run, but what if that wolf hurts the nearby dog? And where /is/ the dog's owner? He should be hear by now, with a firearm to help protect the domesticated canine from the wolf. The boy certainly can't do anything. He's still trying to get his wits back about him and get back to his feet.
"Are you that stupid, traitor! I have no interest in eating unnatural demon-meat!" Hinto snarls. "I'm after the fish! Out of my way, or you'll be my meal!" Hinto eyes the dog carefully. "I am willing to bet you'd be more of a meal than some fish! Move, traitor!" Hinto tries brushing past the dog to get at the fish at that last bit.
A fish? What fish? Jage doesn't dare turn around to check on the presence of said fish, but something does smell a bit fishy. Literally. If there's a fish behind her, she'd much rather the wolf get away with it than to start a fight with a male wolf. As Hinto tries to move past her, she backs up a couple of steps and circles around the wolf, still rumbling aggressively deep in her throat to keep him at bay. "Take it and leave then, wolf!" With any luck, the wolf won't notice she's trying to put herself between him and the boy. "But if you try to make a meal of me, then you will will pay dearly for it!"
The boy, being ignorant to the conversation between the two animals, has no idea that the female dog is giving the wolf permission to make off with the fish he caught today. He has, at least, gotten his feet back under him, and his right hand is pressed against his trousers to help stop the bleeding. The wound is minor, and he'll be all right, but it does prevent him from using his right hand just this moment, which means he's still of no use to the nearby dog as it stares down the wolf.
Hinto growls at the dog. "Don't tempt me." Hinto says. "Any creature who serves *Man* is already lost in my book!" Hinto steps past the doggy and walks over to the fish and takes a bite out of one of them.
Poor Jage. You wear one eensy little collar and the whole world hates you. Okay, one big spiky collar. And go around defending humans. But still! Jage has finally managed to put herself between the two and she begins backing up towards the child. Not exactly a victory, really, but at least the wolf isn't -currently- trying to maul them both. She snaps her jaws a couple of times at Hinto in warning. "You have your fish. Take it from here and leave before I see you off!"
No! As the boy watches the wolf bite at one of the fish, he rushes forward a couple steps, but he's not about to run right up to the wild creature, and he no longer has anything he could throw. This really rather wasn't how he'd hoped it would play out, but with no armed adult anywhere in sight, it's probably the best he could have hoped for. That doesn't keep the human child from being unhappy. Stupid, lazy, wild beasts.
Hinto has eaten one of the fish, but when the dog tells him what to do, the wolf snarls and turns to the dog. Growling low, Hinto says, "No... you shall do the leaving. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a wolf, you're a traitorous dog. Its not much of a match, traitor!" He keeps facing the dog and growling.
Jage flicks her glance sideways at the child as it starts forward, and she too advances a step or two to keep ahead. Not ideal, but better than letting the human leap at that wolf for the sake of a few fish. The wolf's words rankle her, and she lowers her head with eyes blazing. "Thief! Leave and take your scavenged carcass with you! I have been killing wolves stronger and smarter than you since I can remember! I shall allow you one last chance to go without bloodshed, and then we shall see who is a match for whom!"
Were it not for the cut in his hand, the boy would be tempted to start pelting the wolf with rocks again. Heck, he's /still/ tempted, and he looks to the ground to see if there are any more nearby. He doesn't even try to say anything to the dog over all the noise she and the wolf are making. After all, she isn't his dog. But he does wonder, for the second time, where her (nonexistant) owner is. This would all be over already if that human would just get here!
Hinto growls at the dog. "Oh, you're scaring me. Was that with your demonic master, the humans?" Hinto says. "I fully intend to leave the Man child alone, but now that you''re starting to piss me off, you aren't going to be so lucky!"
"I don't need a human at my back to put a scavenging wolf in his place," the elkie snarls, but inwardly she's having second thoughts. Can she really afford to fight a big male wolf right now? Ordinarily, she wouldn't back down from it, but she has others to take care of now and if she gets injured or killed...but how about the child? She risks a glance back at him, taking her eyes off Hinto for a second. She can't just take off now. For all she knows, that wolf is lying about leaving it alone. Perhaps if she can get the child to follow her somehow...but how?
When the dog looks back at him, the boy turns to begin shouting again, this time louder than before. He is no longer shouting at the wolf, though. Rather, he hopes to bring either his father or the dog's owner here, and he's hopinh desperately that one of them is close enough to hear him. His shouts aren't exactly frantic, but he's beginning to doubt that either he or the dog will be safe until someone with a gun gets here. After all, the wolf has the fish, and the young boy can't help that. Why is the wolf still here?
"Big words for a Man servant!" Hinto says and then runs after the dog and leaps for a pounce. With luck, he'll make this quick.
Jage regrets taking her eyes off the wolf for that moment. Sneaky! She turns back to see the wolf coming for her and bares her teeth, growling wordlessly. Strength she may have lost, but she still has agility and guile to fall back on. None of this matters, of course, if her adversary manages to pin her. Too late to dodge, Jage braces her hind legs and half-leaps from the ground to meet the wolf with snapping jaws, fighting fire with fire.
Shortly after the boy begins shouting, there is renewed growling and snapping near him. He jerks his head back to see the wolf and dog fighting, and entirely too close to him! He takes a hurried step back and when he begins shouting again, his tone has a new air of desperation, encouraging his armed father to break into a run as he gets closer, to see what all of the fuss is about. Seconds later, the older human comes into sight of the boy and the two fighting creatures near him.
Hinto bites at the dog's muzzle in the hopes of teaching her a lesson. Despite his posturing, he has no reason to actually kill the dog. He snarls as he attacks, trying to bite the dog!
Focused as she is on the fight, Jage doesn't notice the change in the boy's cries, nor the arrival of the father and what she would be bound to recognise as a gun. She snarls back as teeth scrape along her muzzle and draws her head back. She can't afford to lock jaws with the wolf, she isn't strong enough to overpower him. Instead she bulls forward and snaps around his face, trying to get him to back off by threatening his eyes and ears.
She may not be able to see the man with the gun, but she could no doubt recognize the sound that cuts through the area seconds after the man sees his boy and the two animals fighting. If not for the look he got at the dog and the glimpse of the worn collar he saw, he might have stepped to the side to avoid hitting his son and shot directly into the brawl, but the last thing he wants is to explain to some other man why his dog is dead, or pay for said dog. As such, the shotgun is fired off to the side, across the water, as he hopes to break it up and scare one or both animals off, but he immediately readies his firearm to shoot again. The boy, upon the arrival of his father, is quick to scramble close to the stream, away from the dogs and out of the line of fire. Nothing is said between the man and his son, for the time being.
Hinto is about to fight off the dog when the shot is fired. Loud! The wolf backs up and whines and then looks and sees... oh no. A big one. What should he do? Take the fish or flee? Hinto decides to test this, daringly, by making a few steps toward the fish.
Jage may be used to that sound, but not when she doesn't expect it. She leaps away from the wolf as he backs up and stands with her legs splayed a little, too surprised to even pant. Her ears curved sideways, she too turns to look at this new arrival. To humans, her expression and stance probably says something like, "Why'd you do that? We were just messing around." But Jage is staring at the gun, looking between it and the wolf. Why hasn't he used its magic to make the wolf dead yet? He's going to take the fish again! But Jage dares not make any sudden moves. A dog she may be, but who knows what the big human to do when it thinks the little one is in danger?
By the time the dog and wolf have seperated, the shotgun is ready and his boy is out of the way. When the wolf takes a step toward the fish, the man aims his shotgun towards the wild creature. He isn't out here to feed the local wild population or to have them threaten his son, but he is not a hunter. He has no use for a dead wolf, and he'll give the creature a chance to back off, if it's intelligent enough to do so, before he pulls the trigger again. The younger human is quiet, waiting for this to play itself out.
Hinto wonders just how dangerous this man would be, if he would really stop the wolf from taking this food. Does he really think he hadn't earned it after putting up with the dog just now? Hinto turns his head to look back at the boy, and the man carrying the thunder stick. He has few options, but he is really hungry and he's already invested a considerable amount of energy in this. Hinto decides maybe a little intimidation is in order. The wolf stands right in front of the fish and looks as dangerous as he can growling low at the humans. My food now, go back from whence you came, you ugly... pink... hairless things.
Jage can't believe the audacity of this wolf! In another circumstance, she might think him truly brave, but with all that's gone on she can't do anything but shake her head in disbelief. She backs up a step or two, but she doesn't try to warn Hinto of his impending doom. As far as she's concerned, if the wolf doesn't back off now, he deserves everything that's coming to him.
The boy might be scared at that kind of display, but the adult human is not about to be warned off my some wolf who is not nearly frightened enough of humans. Shortly after the growling starts, the man fires his shotgun. He is no longer aiming to scare the beast off. There is a fair enough distance between him and Hinto that there is no guarantee he'll hit, given the limits of his firearm's accuracy, but he'll at least get close.
Hinto has no time to react. In fact, he has no time to even think. He was at a good enough distance to avoid getting killed, thankfully, but the blast from the shotgun is more than enough to do some real damage. Hinto feels all sorts of extreme pain, yelping loudly when hit by the blast and knocked a little ways onto his back, whining. It hurts! Oh, how it hurts. Hinto spends some time writhing in pain *away* from the fish. Make it stop!
Letting out an involuntary yelp of her own as the shotgun fires, Jage leaps away like a jack-in-the-box and retreats a short distance along the streambank, her usually tightly curled tail drooping low. She's far enough away from Hinto to escape the blast, but the gun is still aiming in her general direction and when it's fired, she can't stop herself from reacting. After bouncing a short distance, Jage turns around again to see the wolf on the ground, obviously wounded. This is what humans are meant to do! She watches tensely, wondering if this human, like her old master, will finish the wolf off while it can.
The actual threat removed, the adult human lowers the shotgun to aim at the ground about five feet in front of him. He's not quite as hurried with readying his shotgun to be fired again, but he does keep his eyes on the wolf ahead, just in case the stupid animal tries to come for him or his boy when, or if, it gets to its feet. Were he a hunter, skin trader, or more compassionate, he'd probably try to put the beast out of its misery now. As it stands, though, he fully intends to let this wolf slink off to die, or heal, in solitude, as long as it doesn't present itself as a threat again.
Hinto closes his eyes tightly, he can feel blood. Its more painful, what those thunder sticks can do! Hinto has a few decisions. He can get back up and be stupid and attack, get up and be smart and try to get away with his injuries, or he can pass out and worry about what happened a little later. Choosing option number three, Hinto finally falls limp and unconscious. He'll be okay, but he doesn't plan on moving much right now.
Jage leans forward towards Hinto as if trying to sniff him all the way from where she is. She can't, of course, but she looks like she's trying anyway. Is he dead? She stares for a long moment until she catches the slight movement of his breathing, and frowns. Either he's playing dead to fool the humans, or he really has blacked out. She takes a tentative step or two forward, but checks herself, looking over at where the humans are standing. She doesn't want to be in the way if the man decides to take another shot.
As the whining stops, the man speaks for the first time since arriving. Whatever he says causes the younger human to stand, a little stiffly, and move just slightly closer to the wolf, to gather up the stuff he brought out here and the fish he managed to catch. The boy is more afraid than his father, eyes darting to the wolf occasionally as he grabs the crude rod, net, and the remaining fish. His father is much more still, keeping his eyes on the animal, but the shotgun remains pointed at the ground.
Taking her cue from the humans, Jage gains confidence and begins to approach the unconscious wolf too. The human won't shoot with its child nearby, and Jage feels reasonably sure she won't be shot at. After all, she's wearing a collar, isn't she? She tried to save the child, didn't she? And she's a dog. Humans like dogs. She snuffles forward, taking her time, showing no interest in either the child or the items belonging to the humans. She's more intent on investigating Hinto's condition.
After grabbing his stuff, the boy returns to his father's side and relaxes some as there is some distance between himself and the wolf. The older human nods and turns. He had to get here rather abruptly, so there is still much more to be carried, which means it's time to head back down the stream to where he had set up for the day. Without another glance to the wolf or the dog near the wolf, the older human turns to walk away, expecting his son to follow along close behind. He doesn't know who the dog belongs to, and he doesn't care, isn't about to waste more of the day by searching for the animal's owner or waiting for him to show up. He has what belongs to him.
After a passing inspection, Jage satisfies herself that the wolf is not faking his injuries. Sounds catch her attention, and she looks up to see the humans leaving. Before she can stop herself, she begins to follow them. It's not just her instinct, it's her want - to have a master again, just like in her halcyon days. She's followed them a short way, catching up slowly, before she stops short. She's torn - she can follow these humans and have a chance of finding another master, become a real dog again...at the cost of forgetting her charges back in the wild. She's already been gone too long already, but it's an impossible choice.
A choice the older human might help make a little less impossible. After a moment, he glances back to make sure that he is being followed. As it turns out, he is, and not just by his son. Frowning, he turns to face the dog. He doesn't aim the gun at her or do anything he might do with a wild animal. Rather, he talks to her, and when he does, his voice is raised, unpleasant. "Go on. Git!" Sure, he made sure she was reasonably safe before firing at the wolf, but even that wasn't out of any sort of compassion for this animal. He's got no use for a dog back home, and he doesn't need the extra mouth to feed. When his father turns around, so does the boy, and though he looks a little regretful that they'll have to leave the dog who saved him behind, he doesn't say anything.
Jage gives a hopeful wiggle of her tail as the human turns around, but it doesn't last long. She raises her head and tilts it, listening as intently as possible to the man. The words and tone are familiar to her - she's been told off by other humans before, and she knows what it sounds like. Her ears and tail droop, and she lowers her head, the picture of doggy disappointment. Well, she really shouldn't have expected much, but...it just would have been nice. She turns a pleading look on the boy, hoping that at least her aid would have melted his heart, but as he turns away as well Jage realises she doesn't have a chance. She doesn't attempt to follow, but she stands still, watching them go until they are out of sight.