Post by pinta on Dec 17, 2006 17:46:20 GMT -5
Characters involved:
Silver (F Wolf)
Pinta (M Wolf)
Grit (M Wolf)
Shape (M Wolf)
Grit nods and quietly looks to Silver if she's in a mood to introduce herself.
Silver shakes herself, taking a few deep breaths, then turns to look at the young male. "I am Silver...I am the One of our
little pack. You are forgiven, you could not have known. We have only just laid claim to these lands, and have much marking
to do. What brings you?" She's fairly certain it was her scent, at least in her own befuddled mind, as what male wolf could
resist a female in her condition?
Shape collects himself more effectively, having been a bit put off by having to apologize. His posture shifts to a more
acceptably submissive one after Silver introduction. "That's very interesting -- This is a new pack, then? That's rather
impressive, I should say." He considers the question for a moment. "Well, eh, just passing through, aye?" Truth be told, he
was rather aware of the female's scent now that she'd left the water. He coughed distractedly. "Although I was actually
lookin' for a pack, now tha' it's out there."
In Viridian Valley, Pinta howls.
Grit nods to the newcomer. "Where do you come from?" he asks.
Pinta came charging at full speed from the horizon. He had spent his time hunting about for some grouse for the others.
Sadly, there were none to be found! But as soon as he heard Grit's call, it sent him tearing across the valley. He came to a
sharp halt and briefly greeted his packmates. He lifted his tail in presence of the new male. "Good day to you."
Silver looks up sharply at Pinta's arrival. She's not sure whether or not she's relieved, having been having the thoughts she
was about Grit. She whines softly, pacing up and down the snowy streambed.
Shape's eyes flicker self-conciously at the sequential sounds of howling and a bounding wolf. He lets Grit's query hang
unanswered and dips his muzzle toward Pinta, noting his raised tail and furthering his own posture of submission. "An' g'day
to you."
Grit draws his muzzle taut in irritation at his question not having been answered. He lowers his tail from raised high to
straight-out at Pinta's arrival. He stays near Silver just in case, having trouble keeping up with her pacing however.
Pinta cocked his head and eyed the smaller wolf. "Mmm... May I butt in and ask wat's happened?" He was panting lightly as he
spoke. "I ran as fast as I could."
Silver doesn't speak up again, gazing vacantly off down the valley. Another male wants to join the pack...She's not real sure
how she feels about all these stragglers wandering in. She frowns lightly, ears splaying, remembering what she and Grit
talked about earlier. She snorts lightly, thoughts wandering.
Shape eyes Grit for a moment, narrowing his eyes a bit before looking back to Pinta, obviously the wolf in charge. "Naught's
happened, sir, to my knowledge at least. I've just got here, though, so it may be I missed sommat. I do know that I was
hopin' to join what she" -- a nod towards Silver -- "called 'your little pack'. Would tha' be all right?"
Grit hmmms quietly ... this certainly throws a bit of a kink in plans, he hadn't counted on an applicant being present; he
wanted to handle the situation privately, quickly, and honorably so the pack could move forward. It'll have to wait for now,
at least. He looks after the alphess for a moment.
"I'm afraid I don't know enough about you." Pinta replied thoughtfully, then glanced at the others, the turning back. "May I
have your name?"
Silver lowers her head, as though she's staring intently at something down the valley. She twitches, then looks back at
Shape, sniffing lightly, before returning her gaze to Grit. She stares at him, gaze meaningful. It doesn't matter if others
are around.
Shape smiles a bit. "Oh, aye. Name's Shape." He glances again towards Grit, noting his subtle frustration. Hm. His eyes
eventually wander to Silver and he inhales without meaning to. Hm, indeed. Clearing his throat, his gaze returns to a
respectful position just below Pinta's snout. "May I have your's?"
Grit stands quietly, keeping a protective eye on Silver. He notices her looking at him, and he lopes over near her, then
looks over to Pinta and the newcomer. He feels torn between his promise to Silver and not wanting to make a scene in front
of a stranger.
"My name is Pinta," the larger wolf stated thoughtfully. He glanced over at the other two quickly, as if making sure
everything was alright. "As far as joining, Shape... I'll have to know more about you first." He turned and walked so he was
at a short distance from the other two, yet far away enough to where they still had their words between each other only.
After all, every wolf WAS entitled to their privacy, correct? "Come with me, Shape."
Silver remains where she is, hunched down just a bit, feeling quite completely miserable and pathetic. She lets out a long,
low whine, and starts pacing again. This isn't the way it's supposed to be...is it? She didn't know, and that bothers her
almost as much.
Shape lifts his head curiously and nods. It was a reasonable demand, of course. Loners aren't entitled to open arms. With
a inquisitive tilt of his ears he pads over to Pinta, his eyes roaming to Grit and Silver as he goes. It's an interesting
dynamic he's found himself in, that much is for certain. "What is it ye'd like to know, sir?"
Grit keeps his ears perked and directed toward Pinta and Shape. He sighs in frustration and lopes over to Silver, nuzzling
her neck.
Pinta watched the younger wolf quietly. "Alright. First of all, where are you from?" He eyed Shape patiently, but
subconsiously awaitng the answer.
Silver whines softly, turning her head to distractedly return the affection. She's panting faintly, fighting to keep herself
steady. She's having a fight or flight moment, torn between randomly attacking one of these stupidly oblivious males turning
and running like her life depended on it. She trembles lightly, closing her eyes.
Shape swishes his tail absently. "'Bout a fortnight south o' here. Me father's name is Hawthorn -- it's his pack. The
River Glen pack, s'called. Nothing special." He casts a glances sideways towards Silver, his ears perking at her quiet
whine. He shifts his jaw thoughtfully, distracted by her shuffling and uncomfortableness as much as her scent.
Grit tries soothing Silver with licks along her cheek, head and neck. He keeps his ears perked toward Shape and Pinta.
"Ahem," Pinta interjected, attempting to pull Shape's attention from the female in heat. "Alright. Now just what brought you
to leave your pack?"
Silver flops down in the snow with another soft whine, putting her head on her paws. "I don't know how much more of this I
can stand," she murmurs to Grit.
"Well, s'not uncommon, is it? It was a pretty big pack, really. I had six in me own litter, all grown." He tries to heed
Pinta's obvious attempts to keep his attention off the alpha female, but keeps tossing unfortunately conspicuous glances in
that direction. "Ah, um... I'd do me best for the pack, sir. Seeing as yer a pretty small group and all. I'm a good enough
hunter, and, er..." He trails off, his attention elsewhere.
Grit nibbles and licks farther back along Silver's spine massagingly.
Pinta raised a brow quietly. "Understandable," he murmured, with a nod of his head. "Can you work well in a group? And know
where you stand in the ranks? Mortality will become high as it gets colder, the last thing this pack needs, especially due to
its size, is a break in the system."
Silver shudders at the attention, hide twitching. She rolls to flop on her side, cheek smooshed against the snow, and raises
her golden gaze to Grit. Her eyes are slightly glazed over and she's breathing hard. "What's...going on?" she murmurs,
glancing around.
Shape pulls his attention forcibly back to the alpha and gives a brisk, militarian nod. "Aye, sir. Whatever ye ask, I'll
do."
Grit woofs, "Pinta's still busy with the ... guest." He continues his therapeutic grooming, trying to keep her calm.
"I like your answers, Shape," Pinta replied. "How are you in working with teams?" He stood and moved a little closer to the
other two, just to make sure nothing funny was going on.
Silver is very nearly wishing something funny was going on at this point. Whyyyy was everyone so oblivious? She stares past
Grit at Pinta, lip twitching, resisting the urge to go over there and bite.
"I've worked with a team all my life, though I'm a bit out of practice with pack hunting..." he trails off again as he turns
to continue following Pinta and Silver comes back into sight. Shape's muzzle tics and he resists the urge to sniff
conspicuously. He shakes his head to clear it and picks up his speech. "But I'm familiar with the tactics an' all."
Grit nips along Silver's shoulders, trying to bring her back into more of an alert focus. He's the most exposed male to her
pheremones and scent, but he's so committed to the traditional ways, he keeps himself in check ... his recent injury also
helps a bit.
Pinta stayed where he was. "Good in teams? Good, good. We need everybody's cooperation." He looked at Shape intently, though
not threatening. "You seem strong for your size, I have faith in you. Hmm... I'll definitely think about it." He allowed his
tongue to loll slightly, to show that he was a little relaxed, if only slightly.
The female's lip quivers at the nipping, and she rumbles softly, pawing at the snow. She shifts her gaze back to Pinta,
growling softly. "May as well let him stay," she says. "What harm can it do?" Maybe her mind is clouded and preoccupied, but
they could use another. Their lands were suddenly twice as big and there were only three of them.
Shape smiles softly at Pinta's praise. "Thank you, sir." He glances at the two alphas, his tail swishing a bit. His ears
tilt towards Pinta after Silver speaks, a little frown on his muzzle. Her tone was dissettling -- rather, her whole demeanor
was dissettling. She made him uncomfortable, what with the scent and the testy body language. But that was just the way of
it. He shuffles his paws in the snow and glances up at Pinta, wondering how he'll react to her.
Grit continues with the nips and licks, casting a glance toward Pinta. He's encountered bitches in oestrus before, of
course, but this is the first one he's encountered with her first one. He hadn't appreciated how much of an effect it had on
them, though he'd seen nasty fights this time of year between bitches, involving blood more often than happened among males.
"So, Shape, are you the only one? Or have any others followed?" Pinta asked, cocking one ear to the side when he hears
Silver's rumble. Her scent was indeed having its effect on him, but no, he has to speak with the newcomer to their territory.
The pack's future depends on how well he and the others know anyone who enters the border.
Silver heaves a sigh, closing her eyes again. She's sooo glad there aren't any other females around. This is difficult enough
as it is without having to worry about fighting for the right to mate. Just a few more days...just a few more days...
Shape shakes his head distractedly. "No, just me..." The tension between the three wolves was making him more and more
uncomfortable. He almost wants to just walk off and let the two males have their row and finish the thing. He pulls back
his ears and raises his chin, sighing with subtle frustration.
Grit takes to Silver's forechest, nipping and grooming. "You gonna be okay?" he woofs in a whisper.
Pinta allowed a grin to cross his maw, allowing a glance of reassurance toward Shape. "Go ahead and relax, lad. You seem fine
to me. Probably came a long way, and through the snow. You've earned some rest."
Silver whines long and low, tail flopping behind her. "I don't know...maybe? Eventually? hopefully?"
Shape laughs self-conciously and flicks an ear in thanks. He trots off a little ways, upwind from the vexing Silver, and
flops down in a bare patch of brown grass beneath a tree.
Grit does his best to sooth her, moving to focus on the underside of Silve's neck.
Pinta nodded and grinned as the young wolf made himself at home. The least he could do was give Shape some time to rest his
paws. He woofed in the direction of the others. "Everything seems alright now. Thanks for alerting me with the howl, Grit."
Silver closes her eyes, simply enjoying the grooming, focusing on it and trying to forget about everything else. She only
peripherally hears Pinta speaking to Grit.
Grit gives Silver a final nuzzling, then strikes out toward Pinta and Shape, pausing about halfway there to look back at
Silver. He sighs ... guest or no guest, time is short and there's only one way to relieve the tension. He nods greetingly
toward Pinta and Shape, then focuses on Pinta. He looks Pinta in the eye, a not so subtle message that something needs to be
settled. As though it weren't obvious what, he raises his tail.
Shape cocks his head, watching the subtle exchange between the two males. Such a small pack and still the same old
quarrels. He has a quick fantasy of joining in himself but quickly dismisses it, a devious expression on his snout. This
should be interesting, anyway.
Pinta's ears remained forward and instantly recognized the visuals coming from his packmate. He kept his tail up and stared
him square in the eyes. He felt his fur starting to bristle. He held his braced stance, feeling every inch of muscle in his
body coil tight as his lips twitched, ready to curl into a snarl.
Silver blinks up at Grit as he moves off, quirking a brow at his change in stance. She heaves a sigh and murmurs, "Oh thank
Luna..."
Grit returns the snarl, saying only, "I actually howled for you before Shape arrived on scene. Time is short, Silver is in
need, and you have everything it takes to be alpha ... except one thing."
Pinta allowed the snarl to come, and as if on command, his lips peeled back to show two rows of glistening teeth. His face
was now contorted with wrinkled fur and muscle as his fur bristled and he kept his tail raised. A deep, low rumble echoed
from his chest. "What is that?" Muscles coiled tighter as he kept his paws slightly splayed, ready to take any bloe that may
come. Through it all, his tail held high.
Grit answers boldly yet calmly, "Having earned it through so much as a single challenge." With that, the mottled wolf surges
forward, tail raised high but head low as he attempts to prod his muzzle and shoulders under Pinta to flip him over.
Pinta lowered his head. "Good point!" was all he woofed before he dodged out of the way, narrowly missing Grit's strike. He
kept his head low, snapping his jaws in Grit's direction.
Silver hauls herself to her feet, shaking herself off. She groans, ears perking up as she actually pays attention now.
Grit is focused, and keeps his muzzle taut. He rolls in the direction opposite Pinta's dodge to avoid the requisite
counterstrike, but in the process a hindpaw found itself in Pinta's jaw momentarily. He grunts a bit, having a difficult
time taking his mind off the pain from the injuries he received a few days ago, but doesn't let them slow him down as he uses
the crouched stance he finished the roll out of to spring a pounce toward Pinta. Neither Silver nor Shape are noticed nor in
mind; though he does wish Pinta to win, Grit adamantly believes Luna demands he do all he can to defeat Pinta for the
challenge to mean anything.
Shape shuffles further back towards the tree, detatchedly watching the two males fight. From what he'd seen of the two, his
definate favorite was Pinta. He lays his chin on his curled paws and narrows his eyes, spectating silently.
Pinta does at this point admire Grit for willing to challenge him. Better make it worth it! He grunted as he was kicked in
the jaw, though it wasn't a big deal to him, you know? Just like how Grit overlooked his healing neck wound, he paid no heed
to the blow. He swerved to the side and hurled his great mass forward, snarling viciously as he felt himself come into hard
contact with his competition. Pinta wanted this to end with as little bloodshed if he could.
Silver stands stock-still, watching, her mind a-whirl. Who does she want to win? She whimpers softly, tail hanging at her
heels. She has no females to assert dominance over here, and at any rate, it's the last thing on her mind.
Grit's pounce falls short, causing him to hit the ground. He oofs at the impact on his hindlegs, as he is still quite tender
back there. Trying to recover from the missed pounce, he gets barrelled and tumbled over by Pinta, instinctively trying to
snap his muzzle around one of Pinta's hindlegs to slow Pinta down or, at the least, to cling on as Pinta's larger form bowls
over him.
Pinta's teeth bare again as he stumbles a bit in the rough landing. He woofs viciously and snaps in Grit's direction, trying
to get a hold of Grit's shoulder as he keeps himself low and his aim direct.
Grit's shoulder is caught by Pinta's tooth in passing as they collide, tearing out small hunks of his fur and flesh, causing
minor bleeding. It stings, but its not serious and the fight is far from over. Grit's attempt to grapple Pinta's hindleg in
his maw fails, and Grit struggles to turn around to chase Pinta and pounce him from behind. Grit springs his hindlegs hard,
giving himself a powerful blast of pain from his earlier injuries.
Pinta briefly tastes blood as his tooth indeed catches, even if it is minor. And in secret he is glad for it only being
small. Though he whirled about; must /always/ keep your competition in sight, after all. He coiled and lunged for Grit's
midsection, his head down and made for a headbutt.
Grit does his best to anticipate Pinta's turnabout, and manages to drop and turn to the side just a bit to drive his shoulder
(not the injured one) into Pinta's attempted headbutt, hoping to stun the larger male.
Oof! Pinta feels that one! Though he takes a chance and, although he is knocked backward a little, he slays his paws, braces,
and hooks his head to the side, sinking his teeth hard and deep into Grit's attacking shoulder.
Silver yelps in sympathy at the perceived pain she's witnessing. She whimpers, and begins to pace again, watching. She's so
frustrated and confused, she can't figure it all out. Pinta's her friend, but Grit...She whines loudly.
Grit has not vocalized much aside from grunts and pants in this fight, but takes the opportunity to do so now. Knowing it
will cost him a world of pain, Grit intentionally lets Pinta have his shoulder as a sacrifice to try and get his jaw around
Pinta's neck. He carefully avoids landing his teeth anywhere near Pinta's jugular, but nonetheless tries to
neck-bite-wrestle him, even as his shoulder pays the price, Pinta's teeth finding their mark, drawing quite a bit more blood
than the earlier nip to the opposite shoulder.
Pinta snarls merely in a release of energy as he shoves his weight forward, in an attempt to jostle the other male. He
doesn't want to do more damage, but he needs to keep a hold on, which he does. He lurched forward again, avoiding any major
arteries if at all possible.
Grit knows he can't hold out much longer now as his attempts to go for Pinta's neck don't seem to be paying off. The forepaw
that shoulder connects with is already weakened, and Grit tries pulling Pinta's neck toward that side with a bite and tug at
the same time he drops that shoulder, trying desperately to roll Pinta onto his side. Pinta's muzzle by now is soaked in
Grit's blood.
Shape lifts his head in concern as the fight turns a bit more serious. He perks his ears forward as he senses the fight
drawing to a close.
Pinta grunts as he feels the other male get a good hold on his neck. He lunges forward repeatedly, positioning his hind legs
beneath himself and throwing his weight in while as the same time grabbing the other male's shoulder. He knows that his neck
is now streaked with blood, due to Grit's vice-like grip, and his muscles tighten to prevent more damage. Pinta feels himself
choke slightly on Grit's blood and he growls while trying to snort it out.
Grit fights hard to keep from letting his bite slip. He summons all the energy he can, trying to weaken Pinta by throttling
his breath. He droops his front end as much as he can while maintaining the grip to try and drag Pinta down beneath him,
even as his shoulder sears in pain. He adds in his other forepaw -- the one with the minor (not major) bitemark to try and
grapple Pinta down. He isn't trying to draw blood, just pull Pinta down to pin and win. The battle is already a lot
bloodier than he intended -- actually he had hoped the contest would have been completely bloodless, but that line has
already been crossed; the wound to his shoulder is already deeper than the wounds inflicted by that runt invader days
earlier.
Shape blinks, pulling his ears back. He's never seen a fight this violent before -- the ones he was used to were full of
acting and formality. This was much more raw and... frightening.
Pinta thinks the same. He choked again but summoned every ounce of strength to stay up, as he got onto all fours and braced,
staying in that stand. The weakened forepaw grappled elicted a buck from the big wolf as he plows forward, almost like a
bulldozer. He was short on breath so he moved fast and with all his weight. This has to count.
Silver allows herself a moment to fancy that this fierce fight is all about her, but then she comes to her senses and
realizes there's more at stake than just a silly female wolf. It's the leadership of their rapidly growing pack. And it seems
as if the winner of this battle will have more sway than she, since so far she's the only female. She whimpers, pacing, ears
pinned back as she watches, unable to look away.
Grit's energy falters from his bloodloss. At first he slides back from the shove, stiff-legged, but his grip on Pinta's neck
falters and Pinta's larger size becomes unmanageable for him. His front end collapses, this time not tactically, and Pinta's
bulldozing bowls him over onto his side and back. He struggles a few moments, but he knows the fight is over and curls his
tail under himself.
Shape stands once Grit submits, his body stiff with anticipation. Well, then! This was certainly a tough pack he'd found,
for all that it was small. He glances longways at Silver, and then to Pinta. What next?
With a pant, Pinta let go and quickly stood over Grit to assert his dominance. He held his tail high and woofed in exaustion,
then looked down at Grit, ears perked forward. "I apologize for your injuries, Grit. We should get you cleaned up." Despite
terrible exaustion, Pinta looks at Grit with sympathy, but also with a sense of authority about him.
Silver heaves a sigh, sagging a bit once it's over. She should probably go congratulate Pinta, but...she just can't quite
seem to bring herself to do it. She's not sure what she expected, but the entire thing just exhausted her far more than it
should have. Head and tail low, she turns and walks off toward the other side of the valley. She can't look at either of them
anymore.
Grit seems a bit too dazed to respond to Pinta. Worse, his curled tail laxes out from the undercurl into flat along the
ground, his eyes roll back in his head and his tongue pours lifelessly out of his muzzle; the defeated challenger blacks out.
The wound in his shoulder is to the bone and bleeding a bit profusely.
Shape pads forward, his brows furrowed. "What's happened?" he asked nervously, gently prodding the wounded wolf with his
snout. His ears pull back with worry.
Pinta's main concern was Grit. He licked at the blood to clean the wound, then moving to the other wolf's side to roll him
over. Perhaps the chill o the earth will close up the cut? Pinta hopes so, as he attempts to guide Grit's for onto its other
side.
Frustrated, confused, and upset, Silver tips her head back and howls.
In Viridian Valley, Silver howls.
The snow under Grit is already red from his blood pooled under him, visible when Pinta rolls him over. The cleaning of his
wound seems to help stem the bleeding, but he's still quite unconscious and shows no signs of life save for his chest heaving
which shows he is, at least, still breathing.
Pinta sighs. "Hang on, friend. We need you." He licks the other wolf's forehed and lays next to him, keeping his maxx against
Grit's back so the other wolf has some source of heat.
Grit still shows no sign of consciousness. Hopefully, he'll be able to sleep it off.
END
Silver (F Wolf)
Pinta (M Wolf)
Grit (M Wolf)
Shape (M Wolf)
Grit nods and quietly looks to Silver if she's in a mood to introduce herself.
Silver shakes herself, taking a few deep breaths, then turns to look at the young male. "I am Silver...I am the One of our
little pack. You are forgiven, you could not have known. We have only just laid claim to these lands, and have much marking
to do. What brings you?" She's fairly certain it was her scent, at least in her own befuddled mind, as what male wolf could
resist a female in her condition?
Shape collects himself more effectively, having been a bit put off by having to apologize. His posture shifts to a more
acceptably submissive one after Silver introduction. "That's very interesting -- This is a new pack, then? That's rather
impressive, I should say." He considers the question for a moment. "Well, eh, just passing through, aye?" Truth be told, he
was rather aware of the female's scent now that she'd left the water. He coughed distractedly. "Although I was actually
lookin' for a pack, now tha' it's out there."
In Viridian Valley, Pinta howls.
Grit nods to the newcomer. "Where do you come from?" he asks.
Pinta came charging at full speed from the horizon. He had spent his time hunting about for some grouse for the others.
Sadly, there were none to be found! But as soon as he heard Grit's call, it sent him tearing across the valley. He came to a
sharp halt and briefly greeted his packmates. He lifted his tail in presence of the new male. "Good day to you."
Silver looks up sharply at Pinta's arrival. She's not sure whether or not she's relieved, having been having the thoughts she
was about Grit. She whines softly, pacing up and down the snowy streambed.
Shape's eyes flicker self-conciously at the sequential sounds of howling and a bounding wolf. He lets Grit's query hang
unanswered and dips his muzzle toward Pinta, noting his raised tail and furthering his own posture of submission. "An' g'day
to you."
Grit draws his muzzle taut in irritation at his question not having been answered. He lowers his tail from raised high to
straight-out at Pinta's arrival. He stays near Silver just in case, having trouble keeping up with her pacing however.
Pinta cocked his head and eyed the smaller wolf. "Mmm... May I butt in and ask wat's happened?" He was panting lightly as he
spoke. "I ran as fast as I could."
Silver doesn't speak up again, gazing vacantly off down the valley. Another male wants to join the pack...She's not real sure
how she feels about all these stragglers wandering in. She frowns lightly, ears splaying, remembering what she and Grit
talked about earlier. She snorts lightly, thoughts wandering.
Shape eyes Grit for a moment, narrowing his eyes a bit before looking back to Pinta, obviously the wolf in charge. "Naught's
happened, sir, to my knowledge at least. I've just got here, though, so it may be I missed sommat. I do know that I was
hopin' to join what she" -- a nod towards Silver -- "called 'your little pack'. Would tha' be all right?"
Grit hmmms quietly ... this certainly throws a bit of a kink in plans, he hadn't counted on an applicant being present; he
wanted to handle the situation privately, quickly, and honorably so the pack could move forward. It'll have to wait for now,
at least. He looks after the alphess for a moment.
"I'm afraid I don't know enough about you." Pinta replied thoughtfully, then glanced at the others, the turning back. "May I
have your name?"
Silver lowers her head, as though she's staring intently at something down the valley. She twitches, then looks back at
Shape, sniffing lightly, before returning her gaze to Grit. She stares at him, gaze meaningful. It doesn't matter if others
are around.
Shape smiles a bit. "Oh, aye. Name's Shape." He glances again towards Grit, noting his subtle frustration. Hm. His eyes
eventually wander to Silver and he inhales without meaning to. Hm, indeed. Clearing his throat, his gaze returns to a
respectful position just below Pinta's snout. "May I have your's?"
Grit stands quietly, keeping a protective eye on Silver. He notices her looking at him, and he lopes over near her, then
looks over to Pinta and the newcomer. He feels torn between his promise to Silver and not wanting to make a scene in front
of a stranger.
"My name is Pinta," the larger wolf stated thoughtfully. He glanced over at the other two quickly, as if making sure
everything was alright. "As far as joining, Shape... I'll have to know more about you first." He turned and walked so he was
at a short distance from the other two, yet far away enough to where they still had their words between each other only.
After all, every wolf WAS entitled to their privacy, correct? "Come with me, Shape."
Silver remains where she is, hunched down just a bit, feeling quite completely miserable and pathetic. She lets out a long,
low whine, and starts pacing again. This isn't the way it's supposed to be...is it? She didn't know, and that bothers her
almost as much.
Shape lifts his head curiously and nods. It was a reasonable demand, of course. Loners aren't entitled to open arms. With
a inquisitive tilt of his ears he pads over to Pinta, his eyes roaming to Grit and Silver as he goes. It's an interesting
dynamic he's found himself in, that much is for certain. "What is it ye'd like to know, sir?"
Grit keeps his ears perked and directed toward Pinta and Shape. He sighs in frustration and lopes over to Silver, nuzzling
her neck.
Pinta watched the younger wolf quietly. "Alright. First of all, where are you from?" He eyed Shape patiently, but
subconsiously awaitng the answer.
Silver whines softly, turning her head to distractedly return the affection. She's panting faintly, fighting to keep herself
steady. She's having a fight or flight moment, torn between randomly attacking one of these stupidly oblivious males turning
and running like her life depended on it. She trembles lightly, closing her eyes.
Shape swishes his tail absently. "'Bout a fortnight south o' here. Me father's name is Hawthorn -- it's his pack. The
River Glen pack, s'called. Nothing special." He casts a glances sideways towards Silver, his ears perking at her quiet
whine. He shifts his jaw thoughtfully, distracted by her shuffling and uncomfortableness as much as her scent.
Grit tries soothing Silver with licks along her cheek, head and neck. He keeps his ears perked toward Shape and Pinta.
"Ahem," Pinta interjected, attempting to pull Shape's attention from the female in heat. "Alright. Now just what brought you
to leave your pack?"
Silver flops down in the snow with another soft whine, putting her head on her paws. "I don't know how much more of this I
can stand," she murmurs to Grit.
"Well, s'not uncommon, is it? It was a pretty big pack, really. I had six in me own litter, all grown." He tries to heed
Pinta's obvious attempts to keep his attention off the alpha female, but keeps tossing unfortunately conspicuous glances in
that direction. "Ah, um... I'd do me best for the pack, sir. Seeing as yer a pretty small group and all. I'm a good enough
hunter, and, er..." He trails off, his attention elsewhere.
Grit nibbles and licks farther back along Silver's spine massagingly.
Pinta raised a brow quietly. "Understandable," he murmured, with a nod of his head. "Can you work well in a group? And know
where you stand in the ranks? Mortality will become high as it gets colder, the last thing this pack needs, especially due to
its size, is a break in the system."
Silver shudders at the attention, hide twitching. She rolls to flop on her side, cheek smooshed against the snow, and raises
her golden gaze to Grit. Her eyes are slightly glazed over and she's breathing hard. "What's...going on?" she murmurs,
glancing around.
Shape pulls his attention forcibly back to the alpha and gives a brisk, militarian nod. "Aye, sir. Whatever ye ask, I'll
do."
Grit woofs, "Pinta's still busy with the ... guest." He continues his therapeutic grooming, trying to keep her calm.
"I like your answers, Shape," Pinta replied. "How are you in working with teams?" He stood and moved a little closer to the
other two, just to make sure nothing funny was going on.
Silver is very nearly wishing something funny was going on at this point. Whyyyy was everyone so oblivious? She stares past
Grit at Pinta, lip twitching, resisting the urge to go over there and bite.
"I've worked with a team all my life, though I'm a bit out of practice with pack hunting..." he trails off again as he turns
to continue following Pinta and Silver comes back into sight. Shape's muzzle tics and he resists the urge to sniff
conspicuously. He shakes his head to clear it and picks up his speech. "But I'm familiar with the tactics an' all."
Grit nips along Silver's shoulders, trying to bring her back into more of an alert focus. He's the most exposed male to her
pheremones and scent, but he's so committed to the traditional ways, he keeps himself in check ... his recent injury also
helps a bit.
Pinta stayed where he was. "Good in teams? Good, good. We need everybody's cooperation." He looked at Shape intently, though
not threatening. "You seem strong for your size, I have faith in you. Hmm... I'll definitely think about it." He allowed his
tongue to loll slightly, to show that he was a little relaxed, if only slightly.
The female's lip quivers at the nipping, and she rumbles softly, pawing at the snow. She shifts her gaze back to Pinta,
growling softly. "May as well let him stay," she says. "What harm can it do?" Maybe her mind is clouded and preoccupied, but
they could use another. Their lands were suddenly twice as big and there were only three of them.
Shape smiles softly at Pinta's praise. "Thank you, sir." He glances at the two alphas, his tail swishing a bit. His ears
tilt towards Pinta after Silver speaks, a little frown on his muzzle. Her tone was dissettling -- rather, her whole demeanor
was dissettling. She made him uncomfortable, what with the scent and the testy body language. But that was just the way of
it. He shuffles his paws in the snow and glances up at Pinta, wondering how he'll react to her.
Grit continues with the nips and licks, casting a glance toward Pinta. He's encountered bitches in oestrus before, of
course, but this is the first one he's encountered with her first one. He hadn't appreciated how much of an effect it had on
them, though he'd seen nasty fights this time of year between bitches, involving blood more often than happened among males.
"So, Shape, are you the only one? Or have any others followed?" Pinta asked, cocking one ear to the side when he hears
Silver's rumble. Her scent was indeed having its effect on him, but no, he has to speak with the newcomer to their territory.
The pack's future depends on how well he and the others know anyone who enters the border.
Silver heaves a sigh, closing her eyes again. She's sooo glad there aren't any other females around. This is difficult enough
as it is without having to worry about fighting for the right to mate. Just a few more days...just a few more days...
Shape shakes his head distractedly. "No, just me..." The tension between the three wolves was making him more and more
uncomfortable. He almost wants to just walk off and let the two males have their row and finish the thing. He pulls back
his ears and raises his chin, sighing with subtle frustration.
Grit takes to Silver's forechest, nipping and grooming. "You gonna be okay?" he woofs in a whisper.
Pinta allowed a grin to cross his maw, allowing a glance of reassurance toward Shape. "Go ahead and relax, lad. You seem fine
to me. Probably came a long way, and through the snow. You've earned some rest."
Silver whines long and low, tail flopping behind her. "I don't know...maybe? Eventually? hopefully?"
Shape laughs self-conciously and flicks an ear in thanks. He trots off a little ways, upwind from the vexing Silver, and
flops down in a bare patch of brown grass beneath a tree.
Grit does his best to sooth her, moving to focus on the underside of Silve's neck.
Pinta nodded and grinned as the young wolf made himself at home. The least he could do was give Shape some time to rest his
paws. He woofed in the direction of the others. "Everything seems alright now. Thanks for alerting me with the howl, Grit."
Silver closes her eyes, simply enjoying the grooming, focusing on it and trying to forget about everything else. She only
peripherally hears Pinta speaking to Grit.
Grit gives Silver a final nuzzling, then strikes out toward Pinta and Shape, pausing about halfway there to look back at
Silver. He sighs ... guest or no guest, time is short and there's only one way to relieve the tension. He nods greetingly
toward Pinta and Shape, then focuses on Pinta. He looks Pinta in the eye, a not so subtle message that something needs to be
settled. As though it weren't obvious what, he raises his tail.
Shape cocks his head, watching the subtle exchange between the two males. Such a small pack and still the same old
quarrels. He has a quick fantasy of joining in himself but quickly dismisses it, a devious expression on his snout. This
should be interesting, anyway.
Pinta's ears remained forward and instantly recognized the visuals coming from his packmate. He kept his tail up and stared
him square in the eyes. He felt his fur starting to bristle. He held his braced stance, feeling every inch of muscle in his
body coil tight as his lips twitched, ready to curl into a snarl.
Silver blinks up at Grit as he moves off, quirking a brow at his change in stance. She heaves a sigh and murmurs, "Oh thank
Luna..."
Grit returns the snarl, saying only, "I actually howled for you before Shape arrived on scene. Time is short, Silver is in
need, and you have everything it takes to be alpha ... except one thing."
Pinta allowed the snarl to come, and as if on command, his lips peeled back to show two rows of glistening teeth. His face
was now contorted with wrinkled fur and muscle as his fur bristled and he kept his tail raised. A deep, low rumble echoed
from his chest. "What is that?" Muscles coiled tighter as he kept his paws slightly splayed, ready to take any bloe that may
come. Through it all, his tail held high.
Grit answers boldly yet calmly, "Having earned it through so much as a single challenge." With that, the mottled wolf surges
forward, tail raised high but head low as he attempts to prod his muzzle and shoulders under Pinta to flip him over.
Pinta lowered his head. "Good point!" was all he woofed before he dodged out of the way, narrowly missing Grit's strike. He
kept his head low, snapping his jaws in Grit's direction.
Silver hauls herself to her feet, shaking herself off. She groans, ears perking up as she actually pays attention now.
Grit is focused, and keeps his muzzle taut. He rolls in the direction opposite Pinta's dodge to avoid the requisite
counterstrike, but in the process a hindpaw found itself in Pinta's jaw momentarily. He grunts a bit, having a difficult
time taking his mind off the pain from the injuries he received a few days ago, but doesn't let them slow him down as he uses
the crouched stance he finished the roll out of to spring a pounce toward Pinta. Neither Silver nor Shape are noticed nor in
mind; though he does wish Pinta to win, Grit adamantly believes Luna demands he do all he can to defeat Pinta for the
challenge to mean anything.
Shape shuffles further back towards the tree, detatchedly watching the two males fight. From what he'd seen of the two, his
definate favorite was Pinta. He lays his chin on his curled paws and narrows his eyes, spectating silently.
Pinta does at this point admire Grit for willing to challenge him. Better make it worth it! He grunted as he was kicked in
the jaw, though it wasn't a big deal to him, you know? Just like how Grit overlooked his healing neck wound, he paid no heed
to the blow. He swerved to the side and hurled his great mass forward, snarling viciously as he felt himself come into hard
contact with his competition. Pinta wanted this to end with as little bloodshed if he could.
Silver stands stock-still, watching, her mind a-whirl. Who does she want to win? She whimpers softly, tail hanging at her
heels. She has no females to assert dominance over here, and at any rate, it's the last thing on her mind.
Grit's pounce falls short, causing him to hit the ground. He oofs at the impact on his hindlegs, as he is still quite tender
back there. Trying to recover from the missed pounce, he gets barrelled and tumbled over by Pinta, instinctively trying to
snap his muzzle around one of Pinta's hindlegs to slow Pinta down or, at the least, to cling on as Pinta's larger form bowls
over him.
Pinta's teeth bare again as he stumbles a bit in the rough landing. He woofs viciously and snaps in Grit's direction, trying
to get a hold of Grit's shoulder as he keeps himself low and his aim direct.
Grit's shoulder is caught by Pinta's tooth in passing as they collide, tearing out small hunks of his fur and flesh, causing
minor bleeding. It stings, but its not serious and the fight is far from over. Grit's attempt to grapple Pinta's hindleg in
his maw fails, and Grit struggles to turn around to chase Pinta and pounce him from behind. Grit springs his hindlegs hard,
giving himself a powerful blast of pain from his earlier injuries.
Pinta briefly tastes blood as his tooth indeed catches, even if it is minor. And in secret he is glad for it only being
small. Though he whirled about; must /always/ keep your competition in sight, after all. He coiled and lunged for Grit's
midsection, his head down and made for a headbutt.
Grit does his best to anticipate Pinta's turnabout, and manages to drop and turn to the side just a bit to drive his shoulder
(not the injured one) into Pinta's attempted headbutt, hoping to stun the larger male.
Oof! Pinta feels that one! Though he takes a chance and, although he is knocked backward a little, he slays his paws, braces,
and hooks his head to the side, sinking his teeth hard and deep into Grit's attacking shoulder.
Silver yelps in sympathy at the perceived pain she's witnessing. She whimpers, and begins to pace again, watching. She's so
frustrated and confused, she can't figure it all out. Pinta's her friend, but Grit...She whines loudly.
Grit has not vocalized much aside from grunts and pants in this fight, but takes the opportunity to do so now. Knowing it
will cost him a world of pain, Grit intentionally lets Pinta have his shoulder as a sacrifice to try and get his jaw around
Pinta's neck. He carefully avoids landing his teeth anywhere near Pinta's jugular, but nonetheless tries to
neck-bite-wrestle him, even as his shoulder pays the price, Pinta's teeth finding their mark, drawing quite a bit more blood
than the earlier nip to the opposite shoulder.
Pinta snarls merely in a release of energy as he shoves his weight forward, in an attempt to jostle the other male. He
doesn't want to do more damage, but he needs to keep a hold on, which he does. He lurched forward again, avoiding any major
arteries if at all possible.
Grit knows he can't hold out much longer now as his attempts to go for Pinta's neck don't seem to be paying off. The forepaw
that shoulder connects with is already weakened, and Grit tries pulling Pinta's neck toward that side with a bite and tug at
the same time he drops that shoulder, trying desperately to roll Pinta onto his side. Pinta's muzzle by now is soaked in
Grit's blood.
Shape lifts his head in concern as the fight turns a bit more serious. He perks his ears forward as he senses the fight
drawing to a close.
Pinta grunts as he feels the other male get a good hold on his neck. He lunges forward repeatedly, positioning his hind legs
beneath himself and throwing his weight in while as the same time grabbing the other male's shoulder. He knows that his neck
is now streaked with blood, due to Grit's vice-like grip, and his muscles tighten to prevent more damage. Pinta feels himself
choke slightly on Grit's blood and he growls while trying to snort it out.
Grit fights hard to keep from letting his bite slip. He summons all the energy he can, trying to weaken Pinta by throttling
his breath. He droops his front end as much as he can while maintaining the grip to try and drag Pinta down beneath him,
even as his shoulder sears in pain. He adds in his other forepaw -- the one with the minor (not major) bitemark to try and
grapple Pinta down. He isn't trying to draw blood, just pull Pinta down to pin and win. The battle is already a lot
bloodier than he intended -- actually he had hoped the contest would have been completely bloodless, but that line has
already been crossed; the wound to his shoulder is already deeper than the wounds inflicted by that runt invader days
earlier.
Shape blinks, pulling his ears back. He's never seen a fight this violent before -- the ones he was used to were full of
acting and formality. This was much more raw and... frightening.
Pinta thinks the same. He choked again but summoned every ounce of strength to stay up, as he got onto all fours and braced,
staying in that stand. The weakened forepaw grappled elicted a buck from the big wolf as he plows forward, almost like a
bulldozer. He was short on breath so he moved fast and with all his weight. This has to count.
Silver allows herself a moment to fancy that this fierce fight is all about her, but then she comes to her senses and
realizes there's more at stake than just a silly female wolf. It's the leadership of their rapidly growing pack. And it seems
as if the winner of this battle will have more sway than she, since so far she's the only female. She whimpers, pacing, ears
pinned back as she watches, unable to look away.
Grit's energy falters from his bloodloss. At first he slides back from the shove, stiff-legged, but his grip on Pinta's neck
falters and Pinta's larger size becomes unmanageable for him. His front end collapses, this time not tactically, and Pinta's
bulldozing bowls him over onto his side and back. He struggles a few moments, but he knows the fight is over and curls his
tail under himself.
Shape stands once Grit submits, his body stiff with anticipation. Well, then! This was certainly a tough pack he'd found,
for all that it was small. He glances longways at Silver, and then to Pinta. What next?
With a pant, Pinta let go and quickly stood over Grit to assert his dominance. He held his tail high and woofed in exaustion,
then looked down at Grit, ears perked forward. "I apologize for your injuries, Grit. We should get you cleaned up." Despite
terrible exaustion, Pinta looks at Grit with sympathy, but also with a sense of authority about him.
Silver heaves a sigh, sagging a bit once it's over. She should probably go congratulate Pinta, but...she just can't quite
seem to bring herself to do it. She's not sure what she expected, but the entire thing just exhausted her far more than it
should have. Head and tail low, she turns and walks off toward the other side of the valley. She can't look at either of them
anymore.
Grit seems a bit too dazed to respond to Pinta. Worse, his curled tail laxes out from the undercurl into flat along the
ground, his eyes roll back in his head and his tongue pours lifelessly out of his muzzle; the defeated challenger blacks out.
The wound in his shoulder is to the bone and bleeding a bit profusely.
Shape pads forward, his brows furrowed. "What's happened?" he asked nervously, gently prodding the wounded wolf with his
snout. His ears pull back with worry.
Pinta's main concern was Grit. He licked at the blood to clean the wound, then moving to the other wolf's side to roll him
over. Perhaps the chill o the earth will close up the cut? Pinta hopes so, as he attempts to guide Grit's for onto its other
side.
Frustrated, confused, and upset, Silver tips her head back and howls.
In Viridian Valley, Silver howls.
The snow under Grit is already red from his blood pooled under him, visible when Pinta rolls him over. The cleaning of his
wound seems to help stem the bleeding, but he's still quite unconscious and shows no signs of life save for his chest heaving
which shows he is, at least, still breathing.
Pinta sighs. "Hang on, friend. We need you." He licks the other wolf's forehed and lays next to him, keeping his maxx against
Grit's back so the other wolf has some source of heat.
Grit still shows no sign of consciousness. Hopefully, he'll be able to sleep it off.
END