GAZING DOWN FROM HIS perch high up on the rocky outcropping outside his den, the brute was restless. The first timid winds of autumn had begin to slither into the deep crater over the past week, and the few remaining jackals and scrawny deer seemed to have abandoned the territory. He was in a bind. Pack too weak and numbers too few to hunt again over borders, but hunger from the few remaining wolves so high that tempers were past the breaking point. Oak let out s small growl as he shoved himself to his paws and stalked down the narrow path into the main clearing below.
The mid-day sun shone over the lip of the volcano's rim as he reached the base and glanced around. The usually bustling clearing was all but vacant, save for the few lucky enough or cowardly enough to have escaped the slaughter months before. Defeated - an easy enough word to describe the tone of the stronghold. With a soft snort, the massive alpha lifted his head.
Some time had passed since I had sworn my loyalty to Fleshspark. It was an odd feeling, having two packs and two leaders to answer to. In one pack, I was the primary co-alpha but in the other, I was no more than a mere soldier. I hated the downgrading, but Fleshspark's word was law; but so was Oakspark's.
I laid myself down in a shallow dip in the packed earth, and rolled around while scraping at the sides with my talons, bringing more dust particles into the dusting bowl. I kept my feathers fluffed up as I rolled, making sure that the dust completely covered each feather down to where they grew from my skin and kicking clouds of dust into the air over me. These dust baths of mine happened on a pretty much weekly basis. Its' purpose was to remove dead skin cells and any parasites that might've been crawling around under my feathers. Once I was sure that I was completely 'clean', I rolled over and stood up on all four talons. I ruffled my feathers again before giving my body and head a good shake, sending a final cloud of earth particles into the air.ah, that sure did feel nice. I thought. Time for a quick sna- my thoughts were cut off when my two toned beams fell on the empty prey spot. EMPTY?! an annoyed, disappointed growl slipped from between my bared metal fangs. Oakspark needed to know about this and let me take a wolf or two with me to hunt.
It wasn't long before I spotted the brown marbled leader in the clearing. I approached him, stopping once I was at his right side. "The prey clearing is as barren as our territory in the middle of Winter. Another fruitless day, I presume?" I noted flatly with a disappointed sigh. "Oakspark, I believe that you are aware of the approaching cold months and the extreme lack of food that comes with them." I paused and the decible level of my voice dropped down a bit. "But if our remaining wolves are going to survive the bitter cold, we will have to sneak into other territories and pilifer some of the prey animals." I threw a quick side glance at the alpha. "I know that our numbers are lower than the other packs as it currently stands due to...some losses that we have recently suffered, but we need the food if we want to avoid losing any more." I sat down upon the hard packed earth of my pack's stronghold and allowed my eyes to drift over our members. "If you'd like for me to do so, I can arrange for at least one other wolf to go with me to hunt...I will hold myself responsible for the life of whomever I take with me. If an enemy wolf gets between us and a kill, you know that I can handle myself quite well." I turned my head to fully look at my alpha. "What do you wish for me to do, Oakspark? It's up to you."
At the voice of his second reached his ears, the large brute shifted his attention. SIlverfire. Unlike most others, she'd been one of the few who had survived the battle by skill rather than luck - making her an obvious choice in the reorganization of ranks. However, he had to admit: her... enthusiasm when it came to action was something he would have preferred be kept in check. Nevertheless, the winged warrior was certainly a force Oakspark was pleased to have on his side.
"But if our remaining wolves are going to survive the bitter cold, we will have to sneak into other territories and pilfer some of the prey animals," she had been saying, keeping herself with a professional air. She had a faint scent of dry dirt on her pelt; he assumed the still drifting particles of dust that danced through the rays of sunlight had been her doing. "If an enemy wolf gets between us and a kill, you know that I can handle myself quite well. What do you wish for me to do, Oakspark? It's up to you."
He raised a brow, head cocked, as she raised the question toward him. Sneak into the other territories? Under more favorable circumstances, he would have simply insisted he and his amble onto enemy ground as if it were part of the stronghold. However...
The Eastern alpha reflected on the hostile chat he'd undergone with Winterspark. The packs would be expecting retaliation - revenge, as the Southern alpha had snarled. No, he wouldn't make the same mistakes as his predecessors. Fighting this war with tooth and claw had never been a viable course of action, and provoking these battle-weathered packs yet again was - to put it simply - idiotic.
Oakspark chuckled softly. "Take your wolves, but do not cross the border," he instructed. "What fun would it be to give our neighbors what they expect to see?" The male flicked his ears toward the camp's narrow entrance, his chin lifted. "Our old games just won't do anymore, my dear."
"Take your wolves, but do not cross the border," my alpha had ordered me. "What fun would it be to give our neighbors what they expect to see?" he added as his ears flicked in the direction of our stronghold's entrance. "Our old games just won't do anymore, my dear." I mulled over his words before I dipped my head in understanding. "Of course, Oakspark. It's not fun when one's attack is expected."Like the rise of the Night Minions. I thought to myself.
My celadon and ice hued marbles drifted lazily over the pathetic remains of my pack before they came to rest on three wolves. Stormrunner, Atwood, and Duskshadow. I inwardly groaned, as none of them would suit my needs. Atwood had quite the mouth on her and was a repeated offender when it came to arguing with me and just downright refusing to do as she was told in general. She was a very lucky girl, as I had yet to give her fur a good singe with my second tail or rake one of my talons across that face of hers. Though, there were times that I had come very close to doing such things. Then, there was Stormrunner. A wolf with a few good traits, but she was impulsive and had a tendency to act on instinct over logic. So, if an enemy wolf was to encounter us, she'd probably attack them. Duskshadow. Like Stormrunner, he was a good choice, but he was also quite stubborn and seemed a little... power-hungry. Ugh.
After tumbling their names around in my head, I made up my mind over who I was going to bring. "Stormrunner and Duskshadow." I called. "Come with me. We're going to go out and hunt." I turned away from the wolves and started to make my way over to the stronghold's entrance.
Atwood who had hardly been paying attention at all, growled a little at Silverfire when she heard she would not be participating in the hunt. This she wolf had been rubbing her titles around everywhere ever since she got it. Atwood couldn't understand why anyone would give such an ignorant pup a title such as alpha. The she wolf had no right to Atwood, and Atwood would show her in her place if she ever tried anything. Of course, Atwood being herself wouldn't attack first, she would wait until she angered Silverfire, so that the blame of the fight would be on her. Though, Oakspark would probably just let her free without any punishment. Atwood cursed under her breath at the thoughts. If it was anyone who deserved the right to push people around, it should have been Atwood. Not this, "mutt", Atwood thought, finishing the last part out loud.
OOC: sorry for the short post! also, Atalita , please don't take any of what I said the wrong way. this is all IC!
As I made my way to the stronghold's exit, I caught Atwood glaring at me with hatred. I heard, "mutt" leave her jaws. I did not look at her, but I merely flicked my twin tail tips and reshuffled my wings in a dismissive 'I could care less about your opinion, mange pelt' manner.
She was just jealous that I had the fortune of being a better fighter, not to mention the fact that I was far prettier than she ever would be. I also enjoyed smearing my new title in her face, knowing that if she'd attack me, she'd get a good lashing from Oakspark.
Welcome to Compass Ross Packs territories. These wolves are... different than those of Earth. They live in a different realm, and the only way in or out is through the Transport wolves.
What are these wolves, you ask? These wolves have magic on their fur and the elements in their blood. These wolves have power. But will they use them for good, or for evil? That is up to you.
Compass Rose was created by Sentinel. Content is copyrighted to Compass Rose unless otherwise stated. The skin is created by Wolf of Gangnam Style. The board and thread remodel is by Kagney.
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