Waste not, Want not

[✮ErInJaN✮]

Casanova growled. The plump hare he'd been chasing was gone again. It was young, healthy. Harder to catch. He sat on his haunches. He had been steadily moving, tracking Galaryn succesfully, but his need for food had gotten him somewhat off track. The smells and the hare had led him this way. He wished for a pack that could hunt large prey. It seemed to him such a long time since he'd been able to gorge on a deer or an elk. Not since being with his parents. Good ol' Pa, thought the black wolf, always leading good hunts.

He saw a movement nearby in the grass. He froze. He eyed the prize, planning his move. He then darted after it. His jaws clamped shut on its back and he snapped it. He pranced a bit, confident in his skills. Finally, he thought. He carried the hare high and trotted along, looking for a suitable place to sit and eat. He soon came upon two large trees, with huge trunks. He stopped underneath them and looked up. The branches fountained from the trunks looking very elegant. A perfect spot to eat quietly.

He settled beneath them, and held the hare between his white paws, pulling it apart carefully. He gnawed and chewed the meat and sometimes bones. He hacked on one that had not gone down exactly right. He brought it back up, but cracked it with his teeth and swallowed it again. Waste not, want not.

When he had finished he tossed the skin up and caught it a few times. When that began to bore him he found a place near a tree and stretched out for a short nap. It had barely been a few moments, until he caught another scent. An exciting scent.

Another wolf.

"Might as well show yourself." Casanova stated. His purple grey rimmed eyes scanned the area and he saw nothing.

But he knew she was there.

[vanadium !]

Jele wasn't nearly as interested in others as she let on. Her curiosity with others of her species was minimal and yet she forced herself to at least make some form of contact every once in a while with an outsider as she got a little wanky when left alone for too long. The curvy white she-devil rolled over on her bed of leaves, the warm spot beneath her shifting to a cold spot as she rolled a few feet to the side. Last night's sleep had been a wonderful one, and she was refreshed but still in need of her weekly socialization, and as her small waisted stomach grumbled, she realized it was time to eat, too.

Out into the forest she ventured, her long legs pulling her gracefully through the trees with fluid movements not unlike that of a large feline. Her white tail flicked lazily back and forth, waving slowly through the air behind her rump as she stalked through the tree trunks. The scent of a hare caught in her nose, and she was immediately intrigued. Her emerald eyes glittered hungrily, and she began walking towards the scent.

She poked her head out from behind a tree to see the back of a black male gnawing on a carcass. A slight pout crossed her face as she realized her chance at a free meal was gone, already eaten. He must've scented her, as she saw him tense up and speak.

"Right here, darling. No need to worry, the food's already gone and I have no other reason to attack," She drawled, letting out a lazy chuckle. Her curvy body looped around from behind him to his left and in front, her brilliant emerald eyes looking him over.

[✮ErInJaN✮]

Casanova arched his brow as a bleach white she-wolf sauntered out from behind him. She spoke and let out a small laugh. She moved fluidly, almost like a cat. She was thin. Terribly thin. She stood before him, looking him up and down. Her eyes were emerald. Usually a pleasing color, but these eyes were dark and cold.

Casanova had met wolves like her before.

He stood. She was tall for a female. As tall as him. Her white fur, though full, could not hide her scrawny frame. But Casanova admitted to himself that she was beautiful in spite of this. She was confident, obviously not worried or unused to meeting strangers.

"I assure you ma'am, I was not worried." Casanova said and let a smile spread over his black lips.

Food. She had said something about food. An oppurtunity knocked. If she were more fit, Casanova would have been less aprehensive about asking the she-wolf to aid him in a hunt. However, thin as she was, a fat doe would surely be a welcome stroke of luck. By himself, he had little to no chance of hunting even a young deer. But with help, even a little, They just might bring one down. The black male licked his teeth and sat, his front legs splayed apart. He decided introductions should come before hunting proposals.

"I'm called Casanova," He said, putting on a bit of charm. He doubted it made much difference to the she-wolf, but after his loner year, being pleasing had become habit for him.

"Might I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

[vanadium !]

It was males like him that always piqued her interest.

As she entered his area she noted the purple of his eyes, the long black fur that was fluffed about his lean and moderately muscled body. He was medium sized, friendly looking. Jele let a small growl vibrate and rumble through her throat, barely audible but only as an action to herself as she watched him look her over. Her long legs never paused, constantly in motion. No matter how small the movements were, she floated above the ground as she moved around him.

"I assure you ma'am, I was not worried."

Jele chuckled. "I'm sure," She said passively.

"I am called Casanova, might I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

His voice was smooth, friendly. A grin lit his face as he joked a small bit with me, and I nodded my head peacefully to him. "Jele a Beke, sir Casa, if you may allow me to call you so." A teasing grin fluttered across her black lips. She paused her slow foot falls and looked back at him. "Is there any game around?" She asked.

[/quote]

[✮ErInJaN✮]

Casanova watched the she wolf glide about, constantly in motion. She glided, as if in water.

"Jele a Beke, sir Casa, if you may allow me to call you so." she said and the male caught the hint of tease.

"Is there any game around?"

Casanova leisurely shifted his weight onto one haunch, and used his right back leg for a slow scratch under his chin.

"I never liked nick-names much. Casanova's fine, but if its too much for you to say . . ."

He glanced her way, his wolf smile widening and showing his pearly white molars. He was kidding, but he remembered himself, and the type of wolf he was dealing with. He knew his kidding would probably be less tolerated, or insulting to such as her. Not exactly light hearted, or joyful. If she left, his chance at a filling fat doe would be gone. He needed a good filling meal.

"Whatever you prefer." He said bluntly.

He stood up from his scratch and shook all the hairs back into place. He flexed the white toes on his forepaws. He looked down at them. He had always liked the look of his two white paws against his burnt colored coat.

"It is interesting you should ask about prey," Casanova started. "I had the thought of asking you to aid me in a hunt and sharing the kill. If you are willing-"

He swayed his tail and twitched his ears, and suddenly thought of his mission.

"I wondered also, Jele a Beke, if during your recent movements you happened to see a cream colored, patchy coated she wolf?"

[vanadium !]

As Jele began to engage farther into conversation with him, her eyes lit up more brightly and her tail curled around her rump in what would tell someone who was familiar with her that she was interested in what this typical meet-and-greet would bring.

"I never liked nick-names much. Casanova's fine, but if its too much for you to say . . ."

Jele raised a brow, but nodded once. "I suppose. Not too long for me, dear Casanova." Another slight smirk, a pleased smile crossed her lips. He began to scratch himself, and she found herself chuckling at his posture.

"Whatever you prefer."

"No no, it is of course, up to the holder of said name. And so I shall respect it," She said smoothly. The white vixen rose up off her haunches to began pacing again; maybe it had something to do with a low blood sugar level, because she didn't like staying still at this moment. However, she had found it good practice to always be on your feet in the company of strangers. There had been more than one occasion in which she had just escaped by the skin of her teeth; because she hadn't let her rump touch the ground. Although, it also depended on the aura she received off a certain character. With this dark, burly male, she sensed no hostility radiating from him.

"It is interesting you should ask about prey, I had the thought of asking you to aid me in a hunt and sharing the kill. If you are willing-"

She nodded once, slowly and without rush. "Well sure. I could be of some use, I suppose." The white, curvy devil chuckled, giving him a teasing grin. "As small as I may seem, I have more than to meet the eye, dear." A chuckle escaped her lips as she shouldered past him towards the trees. He added on to his last sentence with something that irked her a tad.

"I wondered also, Jele a Beke, if during your recent movements you happened to see a cream colored, patchy coated she wolf?"

She turned to shake her head, looking up at the tree canopy in thought. "Can't say I have. Some sort of relative? A mate?" There was a slight hesitancy in her voice, but she would never admit that to herself.

[✮ErInJaN✮]

Casanova was glad Jele seemed willing to hunt with him. He was quite determined to do so.

But he sighed at her answer to his question about seeing Galaryn. Jele had swished past him and was looking up, into the trees.

"She is . . .neither a relative or a mate. I . . . wronged her, and must make it right."

He stared at the ground. Galaryn would have tried to stay as hidden as possible anyway. He would find her. Eventually.

He shifted his thoughts back to food. He and Jele would first have to find a prospect. In Casanova's experience, a strong jaw clamp around the throat would bring a deer down as long as it was injured enough not to fight or run. To have a chance, they would have to go after a doe. A buck would be too much trouble.

He turned and smelled the wind. There were faint traces of deer. Surely they could hunt one down. They probably came through here, to eat willow shoots. He had passed a creek too, one that deer would likely drink from. He didn't know exactly how skilled the white wolf was at hunting or tracking. Maybe she was very good.

He let his tongue hang and his molars showed again. He swished his tail a bit.

"Shall we track a deer then?"

[✮ErInJaN✮]

Stonewall stopped his constant plodding to look up. It was noon, from the look of the sun. He kept looking at the sky. The clouds were quite interesting. As he watched them his jaw came forward in concentration. He shrugged and continued on. This place was quite beautiful. More pristine than he was used to. He peered down into the creek he had come upon. He watched the placement of his large feet and he made his way down. Stone stood in the cold water, which barely reached his hocks. He lapped noisily, throwing water into his mouth with his tongue.

He turned sharply as something had caught his attention. A murmer. Voices.

He picked a quiet path up the bank of the creek and lay low at the top, glancing around for the source. He moved north of the creek and deduced that the voices were coming from a bit further up, seemingly from under some large willow trees.
He moved in with as much stealth as he could muster, and pushed through some brush to see.

Under the trees were two wolves, talking. Stone scented a male and a female. Mates perhaps. It was not an unfriendly altercation, and he discovered the two seemed to agree to try for a doe. He wouldnt mind joining in himself, if not for the meat, for some socialization. The big beast didnt think twice. He strode out before them, puffing out a bit. His large size had always made Stone confident in his dealings with others, and if it ever came to fighting, he usually welcomed it. Not that he tried to make unesscary trouble. He licked his teeth as the two wolves, understandably surprised, took him in.

"Pardun' me," He chuckled. "Didn't mean to do no eavesdroppin'.

He held his half tail at mid height and raised his brows. His masculine face seemed to look kinder when he did that.

"Name's Stonewall, some folks call me General. Just passin'. Heard ya'll thinkin' about goin' atter a doe. Mind iffa join?"

[✮ErInJaN✮]

Casanova was startled by the stranger, but he didn't seem threatening or menacing. He'd called himself Stonewall. He was much larger than he or Jele and amidst his blue gray fur were various black scars, most visable on his legs. A large scar crossed his nose and one sat over his left eye. His ears looked pointed outward and Casanova noticed he only had half of his tail. The burly male had obviously been around. His speech was quite different than anything Casanova had ever heard, drawling and slanging, but it was understandable.

Casanova looked at Jele, wondering what she thought of the big male, and his unreluctant approach. Casanova was a bit wary, but nevertheless cordial.

"Uh, well...Stonewall, as a matter of fact, I suppose we could use another pair of jaws..."

This Stonewall would make a good addition to any hunting party. Although probably not very fast, the big wolf would take a deer down with much more ease than Jele or himself. By himself, Stonewall wouldnt be able to keep up with a deer.


"What're yore name's?" Stonewall asked, sitting on his haunches. Muscles bulged from his bluish back legs, and Casanova made a note never to anger the male. Stonewall didn't show any teeth, but the corners of his mouth turned a bit. He was trying to be friendly.

"I'm called Casanova." The black wolf said. He was standing and he turned slightly to Jele, who was a few feet behind him.
Stonewall looked to her as well. This time he grinned, his large molars showing and his tongue slightly out. Casanova felt as if the older male was trying to be flirty. But then, some males were that way with all females. Casanova felt a slight twinge of jeolousy, although it was fleeting. It was normal for this 2 to 1 ratio. Stonewall thumped his half tail and spoke again.

"What're you cawled, missy?"

[vanadium !]

"She is . . .neither a relative or a mate. I . . . wronged her, and must make it right."


Jele nodded, chuckling softly to herself. Another moronic male who pissed off a girl. Typical. Perhaps she was no longer his mate, or maybe she was a stranger, or maybe she was a friend. Then again, Jele didn't exactly care.

"Shall we track a deer then?"

The white femora shrugged a bit, nodded once, and looked out in to the trees. "Lead the way," She motioned with her muzzle, but then a new situation came about.

A large gray male strode into the clearing, head held high and tail swishing gently behind him in a non-threatening demeanor. However, Jele was not a fan of such large males; after all, her grandfather, Cesaru, was a massive man, and he was a serial killer/rapist type. Wolves that grew to be that large often took advantage of their size, along with her size. Jele, being the width of a twig and holding hips that would taunt every devil's eye was a sight for sore eyes. Her violently dark green irises kept a close lock on the newcomer; every so often she glanced to make sure Casanova was still in check. She didn't trust either of them, but strangers were always more so on high alert.

As the gray male began talking, Jele held her tongue down to keep from hissing insult at him. She figured Casanova wouldn't appreciate it, being the nice person he was, and she just glowered at the stranger silently.

"Name's Stonewall, some folks call me General. Just passin'. Heard ya'll thinkin' about goin' atter a doe. Mind iffa join?"

Jele's ears twisted at his accent. It was odd, very Southern-y. She took a moment before looking at Casanova, then back at Stonewall. "An odd name. I do believe I, myself, am going to stick with just 'Stonewall.'" No 'General' to me. Pft, to hell if I ever call someone such a thing.

"I do not mind... I myself am going to have a problem with hunting, anyways. I've grown rather weak." Jele said with a slight grimace.

"What're you cawled, missy?"

Her brow raised a bit at the pet name. 'Me llamo esta es Jele a Beke." She said simply in her native tongue.

[✮ErInJaN✮]

[/img]

"Me llamo esta es Jele a Beke."

Stonewall thumped his half tail warmly on the ground, and laughed, his chest making a deep rumbling sound.


"Now, I'll be first t'admit my name's a strange one, but it ain't no worse'n the gibberish you just spouted!"

He laughed again, his big sides heaving. He had noticed the skinny white female's distasteful look as he'd given them his pack nickname of 'General'. It was not exactly his favorite title, and Stonewall was glad they should call him by his real name instead.

"Her name is Jele a Beke." The charcoal male said, looking over at the she wolf.

Jay-lay, Huh?" Stone said, his pronunciation quite off. He looked her over. She was thin and curvy, bleach white, with emerald eyes. He was of course looking for a mate, but he didn't think this female would be interested. She was to scrawny anyway. At least, that's what he told himself.
The dark wolf who had called himself Casanova, suddenly turned from the conversation, focused on something in the trees. He turned back quickly, clearly excited.

"Quiet! Just there!" He said. "There's a deer over there beyond those trees! It's heading for the creek."

Stonewall rose on his big legs, ready to cooperate in order to bring it down. He was silent as Casanova had ordered. He normally would never be so obedient, but he could tell this young male did not have dominance on his mind, only food. He was willing to take a few orders for a meal.

"OK, Jele, you curve around on it's right, try to stay downwind. I'll curve around on it's left. We'll ambush it from the front and chase it right to Stonewall, here. Stonewall, you're big enough to bring it down if you get a throat hold. Think you can do it?"

Stone nodded. "Leave it t'me, son." He winked at the Male, and dipped his head to Jele.

"I think we can pull this off," whispered Casanova as he slunk away through the trees. Stonewall placed himself in a position that the deer would not smell him as it came running. He hoped his aim was as good as it used to be.

[✮ErInJaN✮]

Casanova watched as the doe that he and Jele had flushed leaped right into Stonewall's sights. The brutish solid grey male launched himself for it's throat. His aim was true, and his teeth clamped tight around the doe's soft jugular. Casanova knew the critical part was pulling it down once the throat was grabbed. Stonewall's weight was quite enough to stop the doe in her tracks, but she still stood.

Casanova rushed forward quickly caught the lower part of the neck and yanked with all the had. In several pulls, the doe toppled, and Stonewall lay over her head, his jaws still clenched, suffocating her. As Casanova looked on, his panting heavy, the doe's panting stopped. Stonewall eased himself up from where he lay, his lips bloodly.

"We gotcher doe, son." He said, looking spent. His tongue fell out immediately, his big shoulder's heaving. They both glanced around for Jele, and ended glancing at each other. While Stone rested, Casanova tore the belly open, and took off a leg. He ate well and gave Stonewall space to join. After what only seemed like minutes, he rose from the carcass and picked up the leg. He pulled it free from the body and lay it down.

"Thank you, Stonewall sir, for your help. You're an amazing hunter."

"You leavin'?"

"Yes," Casanova said. "It's time I was going. Give my thanks to Jele, when she shows up."

"Will do. G'luck son," Stonewall nodded at him.

Casanova lifted his deer leg and started off west, toward his earlier quarry.