A hare

The forest was cool, and Savas was revelling in the weather. He disliked great heat, and asked himself for the millionth time why he hadn’t stayed in the cold north. Still, the game here was good…

The hare hadn’t seen him. He was downwind and well hidden, and the little ball of brown fur had no idea it was being watched. It glanced too and fro, ever vigilant, but now luck was on Savas’s side. Finally he thought to himself. Three times today he had tried and failed to catch himself a meal. Maybe now would be different.

He shifted his weight slightly, and that was the turning point - a tiny movement that the hare managed to spot. Time slowed down in the next second. Savas met eyes with the little creature, as it calculated it’s fate. It’s whole life boiling down to one instinct, held for all time. Run. The hare raced away, it’s powerful hind legs propelling it at amazing speed. Savas exploded out of the under brush where he was hiding. Stealth was no longer important – this was all about power and skill and luck. All things the wolf had in spades. Perhaps today his luck would be enough.

The two darted back and forward, weaving in and out of trees. Savas started to tire – he would need a miracle to keep up with the little furred rocket. That miracle came in the form of a tree root uprisen from the ground. The hare stumbled a moment and it was enough, Savas was on him, powerful jaws effortlessly crushing the fragile body. There was blood everywhere. Savas took a moment to breathe, and realised his chase had brought him towards a wolf. Two wolves actually. He sniffed again. Two she-wolves, both quite young. He looked at his catch, and decided to hide it. Once it was properly buried, he went in search of the new wolves. A quick howl to announce himself – he didn’t intend for anyone to get killed – and he was off.

Aster had been patrolling the borders again, this time with Tala. Aster had veered slightly away from the other female and could no longer see her, but could still smell her.
The rabbits were out in a force tonight and Aster decided that she would go hunting after the first patrol, maybe even invite Tala to go with her. She liked the company.

Aster had veered even farther away and could no longer hear Tala, but she still knew that she was there by the scent. Sniffing, Aster smelled something new. Another wolf. And blood. Another wolf hunting in her territory, hmm? Aster thought amusedly. That wasn't always entirely safe. Lucky for him, there was plenty of prey around and she didn't really mind it. As long as he turned out to be a loner. If he was a member of any of the other packs, she would make him pay for the stolen prey.

Pausing, Aster lifted her ears as a howl tore through the sky. It told her where exactly he was, and that he didn't mean any harm. But she was still cautious as any wolf with half a brain would be. Very aware of how young she still was, Aster made sure to keep herself in line, her eyes hard, her tail straight, and her head back. If anything was her weakness, it was not her age. She gave two short yips, letting Tala know where she was going and acknowledging the male. With that, she headed toward the source of the noise until she saw the other wolf.

She stopped about thirty feet away, remaining cautious but unafraid. "Hello. I am Aster." She greeted him. "Who are you and how may I help you?" She asked, asking why he was here in a polite way. Glancing him up and down and sniffing, she was thinking again of what a nice addition to her pack he could be. He looked strong and bright, and from what she could tell friendly as well. She held her ground with a stiff tail and her head back, not showing weakness. She could still smell the blood from the hare but could not see it. She decided that he must have buried it somewhere.

Savas continued through the woods towards the scent, with it grower stronger with every step. He had certainly been heard - one of the she-wolves was heading right for him. Where is the other one?[/i] He wondered to himself. Perhaps it was a trap. Savas slowed himself down to re-evaluate. The odds may have changed for him, perhaps he should be more wary.

Very soon the wolf searching for him arrived. He was right - she was young, but she held herself with a stature larger than her years. She was a mix of grey and white, with dark brown eyes that stared right at him with no fear. She had to be the alpha. [/color]

"Hello. I am Aster. Who are you and how may I help you?" The she-wolf introduced herself. She seemed confident. Was that perhaps due to another hidden wolf? Or perhaps not.

"Hello. My name is Savas" he said with a deep rich accent. He kept his tail straight behind him - he wasn't letting down his guard yet. His ears though were down as a sign of respect. No need to anger an alpha. "Sorry to take a kill on your land, I seemed to have chased a hare into your border. Tell me, where is your sister?" He hadn't answered her question yet. His safety had to come first.


[OOC - short lame post is lame Sorry]

Aster did not know where Tala had gone, but hoped that the young wolf had not wandered off and gotten into trouble without her.
"Hello Savas. You do not smell like any of the other packs. Are you a loner?" She questioned, curious. She liked meeting with loners. Most of them seemed more mature, having gone through more hardships, and far stronger both mentally and physically having fended for themselves alone. Aster had only been a loner for a little while but knew even that short time had had a big impact on her character. At the same time Aster came a little closer to catch a better smell of his scent, wanting to know it better and to see what it told her.

"I do not mind if you are a loner." Aster said, referring to the apolagy about the hard. "As long as you do not share our imformation for other packs to use against us." So far it didn't seem as if he wanted to join them. She vaugely wondered if she should invite him to join herself, or wait and see if he made any reference to joining them.

"Tala seems to have gotten separated from me when I came to find you." Aster said with a hint of amusement flaring in her eyes. She should probably go find her soon, but didn't want to leave just yet. Aster had been alone for what seemed like a long time in her short life before Tala came, and now that Tala was here Aster remembered what it was like to have company and she had become rather attached to it.

(OOC- Haha, thats fine. same here.)

Savas stood at attention – he looked stiff; he was sure of it. Every sense he body possessed was focused intently on the landscape around him. He couldn’t hear, see or smell anything aside from the grey and white female in front of him. If he were a more easy going wolf, he would relax. But Savas came from a place where a wolf would offer you a kill and then just as quickly tear your throat out in the night. Easy going was not in his vocabulary.

"Hello Savas. You do not smell like any of the other packs. Are you a loner? I do not mind if you are a loner. As long as you do not share our imformation for other packs to use against us." Savas was taken aback. This she wolf was so calm, so unassuming. It seemed she didn’t see Savas as a threat at all. That shook him a little. It had been a long time since he had been seen as unthreatening. “Yes, I am a loner Aster” he said, using her name. Aster, he liked the sound of it. In fact, he liked this wolf the more he thought of it. Such a strange way to handle things, to him anyway. But still he liked it. “I am however looking for a place to rest. Are these beautiful lands yours?

"Tala seems to have gotten separated from me when I came to find you." Hmm. The other wolf. Savas had not forgotten about her. The more time he spent with Aster the less he believed she would be setting a trap for him. But still, old habits die hard. His vigilance had saved him countless times before. “I will be glad to meet her.” He said with a smile. Yet he was still tense. Still alert. Still ready for an attack.

Aster kept her body relaxed, noting how stiff Savas stayed. She did not know if this was because he felt intimidated by something, or if their was actually something that she should be cautious about. She lay one ear flat against her head, friendly. He was a pretty big wolf, and he seemed strong. His seriousness and cautiousness made him even more interesting, at least in her mind. He was one wolf that she wouldn't mind getting to know.

Aster swelled slightly with pride, her lands being referred to as beautiful, and nodded. "Yes they are my lands, and if you would like to spend however much time with us you would like, we would be willing to allow you shelter. You could also tell us your story on how you came to here." She said, and quickly assuming that he would be okay with that she turned back toward the clearing that was her camp.

Glancing back over her shoulder at his remarks about Tala, Aster smiled. "Yes, she is a very interesting wolf. Only a year younger than myself, still very young."Aster liked Tala as any alphess liked her pack members, and hoped that her blunt and almost puppyish way of holding her bearing would not throw the gray male off. But even if it did, Aster knew that Tala would be the first to stay while the other wolf left. She had already accepted Tala into Lightning Pack and it was beyond her pride to throw her out to please another wolf. But hopefully it would not come to that.