I'm done wandering

[Ember]

I stood there, in the forest, watching, waiting for the mouse that hid in the undergrowth. I was very impatinent, as Auburn was hungry and he wasn't that good of a hunter.

Auburn, his young self, was sitting in the shade currently, watching his mother hunt. I could feel his gaze on me, his amber eyes watching my every movement. That thought brought me close to tears. What could Sage and Crouse be the ones to stand there? Why did I have to leave them.

I shook that thought away. Pretty soon, I will be seeing them. Hopefully, they will be happy and well. And if they aren't....Anakoros will pay. My claws inched.

My breath went out, and went it, a cloud formed. wow, it sure was getting cold here fast. I risked a glanced at Auburn, making sure he was still ok. At that moment, the mouse chose to show itself.

It didn't get far. I pounced, my paws aching to sink into it's neck. They did, and the mouse went down with a thump.

I carried the mouse over to Auburn. His hazel-amber eyes glanced at me and he said, " I'm not hungry, Mother. Your catch, your meal, " I put it down at his feet.

" I spent time hunting it for you, Auburn. You will eat it, " I said, my blue eyes blazing. He did as I asked, bowing his head to take a bite.

Then I heard a rustleing, and looked arround, searching for the cause of the noise, my fur up.

[Thirteenth]

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[atrb=background,http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x30/Silehnce/Valley%20Howls/walkingonaircenter.png] The forest was peaceful as I made my way through the trees, padding lightly along a meandering game trail lightly carved through the snow by tiny paws. Fragile white flakes dusted the underbrush, and the forest glimmered as though encrusted by tiny diamonds. Morning sunlight floated lazily through the barren, snow coated branches above me, glinting against the snow and dappling the landscape with subtle rainbows. My breath glistened in the air with each exhale, clouding about my muzzle before dissipating from view. The forest was pristine this morning, undisturbed…for now. If I had my way, some misfortunate creature would soon scream for the last time, crushed beneath my slender fangs. Several days had passed since my belly felt anything but faint pangs of hunger. Winter was hard on a lone female; especially one like myself, so unused to fending entirely for herself. In the past my natural charm and feminine wiles had always provided me with comfortable means of survival; and the primal thrill of attraction….what some might call falling in love. It was a novel experience, falling in love; fresh every time. I loved the thrill, the electrifying physicality of it all. Then, when the excitement faded and spring brought more favorable climes, I would slip out of the commitment and be on my way. Unfortunately, I was yet to make such an arrangement on Traum, and was on my own…for now. Somewhere ahead a sudden rustle broke the silence, then voices a few moments later; I pricked my ears forward to listen. They were ahead of me; and soon within view through the low foliage. A female and a younger male, mother and son, I judged by their difference in age and what I had heard previously. I floated towards them, smiling demurely as I paused a respectful distance from the hackled female, demurely purring, “Good morning,” as I swished my tail around curvaceous hips. .

[Ember]

Auburn

My mother was on alert, listing to some niose I couldn't hear. Her creamy white fur was bristling, the light ginger fur on her neck was up. I sniffed the air. There was wolf coming, a female if I'm correct.

I was right. A white female, her fur the color of cream, floated to us. She didn't really float, it just seemed like it, she was that graceful. I dipped my head to her.

She was smiling. " Good Morning, " She said, her vioce as soft as silk. I blinked, but then lifted my gaze to her, hoping she didn't notice my moment of weakness at her pretty silky vioce. Her eyes were the color of newborn grass in the spring, a season that felt as it wuld never come in this cold winter.

But it seemed like she brought spring with her, for a felt warm all over. " Hello, madame, " I said, my vioce polite and gruff. My amber eyes looked at her emerald ones.

She shished her tail and I stared. I heard a little vioce in my head say, don't fall foor her, but I ignored it.

Ember just stood there, coldy watching the female from afar.

[Thirteenth]

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[atrb=background,http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x30/Silehnce/Valley%20Howls/walkingonaircenter.png] The female watched me coldly as I approached, remaining stonily silent even after I spoke; her companion, on the other hand, greeted me pleasantly enough, “ Hello madam,” he spoke gruffly, and my smile broadened sweetly. His reactions to my presence did not go unnoticed; I saw the way he blinked while bowing his head in greeting, the way his amber gaze slid over my white, silver dusted fur. I moved closer to the young male, taking a few slow steps and passing the frosty tempered female before I paused again, “ I hope I`m not intruding? ” I asked him serenely, choosing to ignore the icy demeanor of the female he was with, not at all put off by her reception of me. As I had done nothing to merit such treatment I wrote it off; if she wanted to act in such away it was perfectly fine with me. It was her handsome companion I was interested in anyway. And he was a handsome male; he appeared to be strong and fit; a good candidate for a little bit of flirtatious excitement. My nose twitched as I scented the air, taking further measure of him; there was a pleasant musk clinging faintly to his fur. A subtle but strongly masculine smell that was both attractive and arousing. I let my tail sway around my hips again, lifting my forest colored gaze to meet his warmly colored amber eyes. One of my favorite eye colors in a male; subtly reminiscent of molten gold, so much more expressive than plain old brown or blue… .

[Ember]

Auburn

She approached slowly, taking a lot of steps and taking quite a while before she came close to me, passing Ember along the way. She paused when she got there, and then said,

" I hope I`m not intruding? "

I shook my head no, my fur getting slightly ruppled up in the process. Ember stared at the female icily. I glance at her with my warm melting eyes, warning her blue gaze to be friendly.

I switched to look at the females warm forest colored eyes. So pretty, so unlike Ember's blue eyes gaze that could make one freeze in their steps. I don't this pretty female with her sliver-dusted fur could make anyone freeze and shrink back from her gaze; it's just too warm.

Her tail swayed arround her hips. I noticed, but was too distracted by her warm forest-colored gaze, that I much prefered over my mother's deep blue.

Her smell came to me, a nice feminine smell. I half way smiled as I breathed it in, my warm amber eyes closed. Then I opened them. Ember was watching me warily, like i was a rabid dog. She kept switching her gaze from me, a worried glance, to the female, which then her blue eyes would ice up and be a blue fire.

I wagged my tail to the female, wanting to make Ember angry.

[Thirteenth]

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[atrb=background,http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x30/Silehnce/Valley%20Howls/walkingonaircenter.png] The young male shook his head no in response to my question, and a few moments later I saw his tail flicker from side to side. I tilted my head forward once, nodding gently, ears pricking forward for a moment, then swiveling back towards the other female who was now behind me since I had brushed past her, “ Name`s Norther, ” I spoke easily, perfectly relaxed with the situation despite the woman glaring daggers at my back, “ It`s a pleasure to meet you. ” I glanced towards the female when I said this, offering her a brief smile. Despite her obvious ill feelings towards me-for whatever reason-I decided that I was going to be polite. A branch snapped overhead and I glanced up in time to see a squirrel leaping from one branch to another. The narrow length of wood it had broken plummeted to the ground, and I skipped to the side to avoid being struck. The snow that had been piled on the branch was disrupted by the small animal`s passing, and a flurry of white fell towards the earth as I danced out of the way. As it hit the ground I fell still again, shifting lightly on the ground and glancing up to ensure that nothing further would fall. When I was certain that nothing would, I shook myself, flinging flakes of snow away from my slender figure; then I glanced towards the young male again, swishing my tail, “ Well that was close ,” I laughed softly, the musical sound lifting gently into the air as I glanced upward one last time. .

[Ember]

Auburn

Her head tilted forward, nodded. Hers focused on me for a second, and then swivel to face Ember.

Name`s Norther

She said, perfectly relxed even through my mom was glaring daggers at her back. I sighed. What's my mothers problem? Just because I was talking to someone she doesn't know doesn't mean that person gonna do something bad to me.

I nodded, and then spoke, almost gently, for Ember was glaring daggers at her and I felt sorry, " My name is Auburn, and that's " i nodded once, swiftly, where she was, " Ember. "

It`s a pleasure to meet you.

She said this more to Ember than me, but, seeing there was no way she was going to reply, I spoke, " It's nice to meet you, too, " I said swiftly.

I glared at Ember once, and then turnen back to Norther. A branch snapped, as a leaped from it to another. I had just enought time to yell, " Look out! " It fell right where she was. She leaped away her graceful figure falling into the snow.

She shook the snow from her, it whiteness covering her sliver-white fur. I wished she hadn't for it looked good on her, and made her look like a goddness of snow. I sighed deeply.

She laughed, a musical twinkle that lifted my spirits. This time I smiled at her.

[Thirteenth]

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[atrb=background,http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x30/Silehnce/Valley%20Howls/walkingonaircenter.png] Once I was fairly certain nothing further that there were no more tree rodents coming and nothin else was going to plummet towards me I began to relax, flushing excess tension from my body with a soft exhalation, “Auburn,“ I repeated the word softly, testing the sound on my tongue as I committed his name to memory, “I was just on my way to find a place to hunt,” I smiled, speaking with friendly ease and flicking my tail once to the side while jerking my head slightly to indicate my direction, “Would you and Ember care to join me?” I could not have cared less about the sour old female; in fact I would have preferred it if she chose to decline my invitation. I did, however, hope that Auburn would accept. I was interested in him, and a hunt spent chatting flirtatiously would give me an opportunity to further investigate his potential. If the look in his eyes and the way he had taken a moment to glare at his sour companion were anything to go by, the feeling was reciprocated. He had certain qualities that I liked in a male, I could see that already; but I needed to see a little more before I decided whether or not he was really my type. A gentle breeze swept through the trees, ruffling my fur gently. Above us the skeletal branches rustled together until the wind faded. As it did the branches stilled again, and the forest grew quiet save for a few birds chirping in the boughs. I glanced back towards Ember for a moment, checking her reaction to my question, then turned my gaze to Auburn again as I waited for an answer. .

[Ember]

Auburn

" Auburn, " She said, as if testing the sound of the name. She said it again. Oh, I loved it when she said my name.

“I was just on my way to find a place to hunt,” She siad, tail flicking and head turning in the direction. I nodded, my eyes watching her every move.

“Would you and Ember care to join me?”

She asked, hopefullness in her vioce. Once again, I nodded, my molten amber eyes glued to her forest green ones. Then i turned my gaze to Ember's, hoping against hope that she wouldn't come.

Her blue eyes glanced at me for a second, and then flicked towards Norther's green eyes for a split second. Her eyes were wary; she didn't trust Norther.

And then she surprised me. Her tail flicked, and she had a slightly mistrustful exxpression on her face, but she said, " I'd rarther not, "

Woot! I gave Ember a happy glance since she did what I wanted, and then turned back to Norther. My tail wagged happily as I gave her a half-grin. If i were a cat, I would have purred.

Ember gave me a distasteful look at me, as she saw how happy I looked. Then she turned and stalked away, her head and tail high. she head oppisote of where Norther was, as through she wanted to get as far away as possable.

When she was gone, I look at Norther and gave her one of my rare happy-as-I-can-be look.

[Thirteenth]

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[atrb=background,http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x30/Silehnce/Valley%20Howls/walkingonaircenter.png] I was pleased to see Auburn nod in response to my question, and I followed his gaze to the female. For the briefest of moments she made eye contact with me, and I could plainly see the mistrust in her eyes before she let her gaze flicker back towards Auburn, I’d rather not, she spoke. I was thrilled when she chose not to come along; so far things were progressing exactly as I wished for them to. Auburn cast his companion a brief, happy look, then faced me again, tail wagging. With a warm smile I let my fluffy white tail flick once from side to side, ignoring the distasteful look that the other female cast towards him. When she turned and stalked away from us, head held proudly, I turned my head to watch her go. Once she had vanished into the thicket I returned my gaze to Auburn and smiled, pearly white teeth flashing as I spoke, “Great. Let’s get going,” I jerked my head towards the game trail I had been following earlier and took a step forward, brushing his shoulder ever-so-slightly as I passed. Now that I had a partner for the hunt, the chances that it would be a successful one were considerably better; and it would be a lot more fun with the handsome Auburn to talk to along the way. It had been far too long since I had traveled with anyone; in fact my only “friend” (if you could call our relationship a friendship) on the island thus far was a semi-deranged maned wolf. It would be a pleasure to have someone…normal to interact with for a change. .