Restless Nights

[Seff]

Seff

A canine figure moved silently through the trees. It looked up at the moon through the leaves and sighed heavily. It had been here, in this exact spot, had it not?

Seff fought back a sob. No. She would not cry. She was not a pup anymore. She was a warrior, a lupus proeliator of the Destinian Pack. She was strong, smart. She would not cry, She had mourned his death a long, long time ago. She had never been the same since.

Before her father's death, Seff had been a happy wolf, one that was careless and believed that she would always be protected by her father. Then she saw her father's unmoving body, stained with blood and ripped apart by unforgiving claws and teeth. Seff hated bears.

With another heavy sigh,, Seff collapsed to the ground and stared up at the tree leaves. She had wanted to see the stars when she realized she would not sleep peacefully, but her paws betrayed her and took her to the place that haunted her mind and kept her from that blissful state.

[Sivoncé™]

The young hunter prowled through his native terra, eyes wild and excited with the adrenaline thrill of the hunt. It was not yet chase time, but he was coming to it. Just a few feet in front of him was the cottonball tail of a snowshoe that had strayed this way from the nearby mountain foothills. As he watched the creature go, unknowingly, about his business, he felt his mouth water and his heart thunder in anticipation.
Just a bit farther...
He could hear the animal's tiny heartbeat beating in his ears -- so close, it could've been thumping right next to his own. Each silent, careful pawstep drew him in closer to his prey. His pelt, a combination of grays and browns, served as the perfect camoflauge amongst the fallen leaves; the rabbit wouldn't even know what hit it. And then, finally, his muscles bunched, and he surged forth in a rush of power and captured the creature easily in his jaws. Its life was over a second after, and the predator was victorious once again.
I suppose I should head back; now that winter's coming, they're going to be more strict about sharing your kill.
Etheris straightened, kill held in his jaws, and made in the direction of the Destinian camp. Before he had gotten very far, a rustling in the woods not far from where he stood made him stop in his tracks. It was impossible to take a scent with the delectable scent of rabbit clogging his nostrils. Carefully, he turned and surveyed the brush, and then decided to investigate.
It was not long before his pawsteps took him to a small little clearing in the woodlands. His eyes caught sight of a figure lying on the ground -- a strangely familiar figure. He set the rabbit down and his paws and tried to take a whiff of the air. Only Destinian scent, nothing to worry about...
But something about the she-wolf's aura made him worry nonetheless. Tentatively, the neophyte cleared his throat and called to her, "Hello? Are you all right?"

[Seff]

Seff whipped around, started by the sudden voice. Once identifying the other wolf as a fellow Destinian, she relaxed and mentally scolded herself. She should know by now to never let her guard down outside the camp, especially while she was alone.

"Yes, I am fine." Seff lifted her muzzle toward the sky briefly, then allowed her gaze to drop back down and survey Etheris. "I was just thinking about... past events. But what is in the past should stay in the past." She gave a small dismisive shake of her head.

For the first time, she saw the rabbit. It was fresh, that much she could see. The neophyte must have been hunting. "It can be dangerous for even warriors to hunt here alone, you know. Even experienced wolves have been bested while in a group."

[Sivoncé™]

It didn't take long for the interest to fade from his features. He'd been mildly worried for her, but now he was simply annoyed by her berating him. Her rolled his eyes as she spoke and snorted in indignation. "You're one to talk. Please, save the hypocrisy for someone who'll actually listen. If I'm in so much mortal peril, then why aren't you reliving your past in a group therapy session instead of all alone?"
He scuffed the ground angrily with his paws. He could resist all he wanted now, but sooner or later, someone with real authority would hear about it and confine him to camp. It's stupid -- there's no real danger. If Blood Mist was mounting an attack, I'd smell them -- I'm not and idiot! I swear, adults these days, treating anyone who's a year younger with no respect at all! He shrugged his shoulders casually, and dusted dirt over the rabbit so no other creature would come along and take his prey.
"You know what, I think I'll extend my little hunting expedition."