Stormrunner

Stormrunner jogged along a well-worn deer trail, flowing around the trees and dense shrubbery like water through a stream. Two years had taught him a lot about life, and unlike the fateful trip that had seen half of his cousins and siblings perish in the cold two ears ago, the winter weather today didn't slow him down an ounce. At one-hundred and thirty pounds, with a dense coat of assorted gray, Stormrunner was in prime condition to handle the elements, and whatever else life had to throw at him.

At one point, Storm came across the rodent-gnawed remains of a young moose shed, and stopped to give it a few chomps himself. The antler easily defied his teeth, but excited by his find, the wolf happily hefted the sun-bleached rack between his jaws and began to carry it along with him.

Dawnstride

Dawn watched the young wolf from where she lay, too ill and weakened to move from the tangle of brambles she'd crawled under two days before. A growl wanted to rise in her throat when Stormrunner started ignorantly in her direction, following the old deer trail that would lead him within feet of her makeshift nest. She was too tired though, and her throat too parched to muster the desired sound. So instead, the small ligress flattened her ears and narrowed her honey-brown eyes, and tried to keep herself still and silent, hoping to evade Storm's detection. And with a coat of gray, streaked lightly in complimentary brown stripes, Dawnstride blended in well with her surroundings.

Stormrunner

Stormrunner had stopped. Not because he saw Dawnstride resting beneath the prickly vines, but because the antler he was carrying was starting to make his jaws ache. He sat it down and contemplated his trophy, a small whine escaping his vocals as he thought about leaving it behind, and not showcasing it to Hawk when he got back home. 'I'm sure I could find another one closer to home. But.. those are mostly whitetail antlers. Not as cool as you.' He placed a paw on the palmate shed, and was in the process of picking it back up when a scent hit him.

Immediately Storm's fur went on end, expanding his size as alarm bells began to toll in his mind. Where Dawn was too well camouflaged for his eyes to pick up immediately, her scent had permeated the area, and a brisk wind had brought that odor to his sensitive nares. His heart began to thrum, and the antler was forgotten about as he gaze a wild glance about, trying to locate the source of the scent. "I can smell you." The young wolf growled out loud, hoping his preemptive comment might stop the ambush he was expecting.

Dawnstride

Dawn tried to flatten herself further against the ground, but her strength was gone, and laying still there beneath the brambles was as good as it was going to get. The big cat blinked slowly and weighed her options, wondering if it would be better to remain still and hoped he just left, or raise her voice and try to hurry that process along. Right quickly, her decision came down to what was more cost effective - the threats and insults she wanted to levy at the young wolf remained quietly in her own thoughts, but were vicious all the same, 'Carry on, you flea-rideen oaf!'

Stormrunner

All that answered Stormrunner was that lingering stench of cat. He turned his head this way and that, ears swiveling to the slightest sound as he prepared to fight or flee this imminent threat. A squirrel, dashing from one tree to the next, caused enough ruckus that Storm almost jumped out of his skin as he wheeled around to face the threat. Some distance from that, a bluejay dropped a foraged nut from its perch, and again the wolf spun around, eyes wide and muscles taut.

Still, nothing happened. Slowly, gingerly, the young wolf took a few steps forward, not quite sure where the scent was originating from, and wanting to get away from its source. "I'm warning you, I know you're here." His heart was thumping like a hammer, and his paws felt tingly with the adrenaline. Without realizing it, Storm moved closer to the brambles, and didn't realize his mistake until a bit of filtered sun glinted on Dawn's rising and falling sides. It caught his attention just enough that he turned to look down, and a moment afterwards, his startled brain figured out just what he was looking it. His fur bristled higher and he froze dead in his tracks, to afraid to move...

Dawnstride

'Just go, you stupid cur!' Dawn raged internally, feeling more and more exhausted just by the effort of mentally fighting with this ignorant wolf. Of course, the idiot canine came closer to her, and she felt her lips pulling back. Another step, and then a strong breeze sent the canopy above into a tizzy of movement. A thousand little spots of sunshine danced along the forest floor in response, and one of those happened to highlight her dark, tawny coat.

'Shit.' She saw the moment his eyes followed the stray length of light to her side, and finally a audible growl came out. "What are you looking at, mongrel?" Her voice picked up, and her shoulders flexed... then promptly relaxed again. She had no energy to rise, and all she could manage was to raise her head and flash her brilliant ivories at the wolf, "Go on, scat! Leave me to my sleep." The effort of this snarling all but winded the cat, leaving her panting, and her pinned ears sagging just a little.

Stormrunner

Stormrunner's eyes looked as large as the moon when she raised her head and flashed her fangs, causing him to scramble back and give a startled squeak when he bumped into a tree. "I'm not looking for a fight!" He exclaimed, just waiting for her to spring forward. He dared to glance behind himself, trying to calculate the best route of escape, and wondering just how fast a cat could run.

When he turned back to Dawnstride, he was surprised to find her still prone on the ground, muscles now relaxed, and sides rising and falling rather rapidly. "...you're hurt?" The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could really think on them. His own muscles didn't relax, but some of that fear began a cautious retreat. "Or are you sick?" Yes, he could see it now - something was very wrong with this big cat, enough so that she couldn't even stand up to defend herself.

Dawnstride

The fear that Stormrunner showed allayed some of Dawn's own anxiety. The wolf looked to be on the young side too, another swing in her favor. She let a pitched growl ride with her words, wanting to instill as much trepidation as she could in the lupine. "I'm not interested in wolf meat today, luckily for you." The naive wolf persisted though, clinging to the scene despite his fright, and being so bold as to ask her if she were sick!

Dawnstride flashed her fangs again, "I'm merely resting, you worm-riddled dolt! And you are seriously pressing your luck by interrupting my nap." She put more force into her words, only to to find herself waning towards the end of the short spiel, panting harder and feeling absolutely drained from this little effort. Her head came down once more, pale chin resting on flattened brown leaves and stray clumps of her own fur that had fallen out. Her honey-brown eyes though, fierce and determined, never left Stormrunner.

Stormrunner

More and more, Stormrunner was beginning to realize this cat was not the threat he'd initially thought it was. His ears had come up fully, and his head tilted ever so subtly to the side, like a dog listening with great attention to what their human was trying to say. "I'm sorry if I interrupted you, I was just out exploring." Her threats and insults now rolled off his stormy-gray coat, and despite himself, he felt a small pang of sympathy for this would-be predator.

"What if I get you some food? It's the least I can do, for disturbing your rest." His tail loosened and swayed as he was now coming full circle from the initial fright, with ideas beginning to bounce around in his skull. Yes, he could recruit Raven and Eagle, even Hawk might want to join in! His tail gained momentum, "Don't worry, you just keep resting. I'll be back by nightfall with my cousins." No longer fearful of an attack, Stormrunner turned his back on the prone cat and loped back down the trail and headed for home.