Big ambition... little paws

Subject: Big ambition... little paws Mon Aug 24, 2009 2:31 am

The last thing she could remember was rain. She had fallen asleep in her mother's jaws. Her tiny brown eyes opened just as she hit the dry earth, wet and shivering. So this was what it must have been like to be born... It was quiet here, warm. Brown optics adjusted to to the darkness of the night around her. It was strange. There were new smells that definitely were not of home. Mom had said that she was going someplace new. She just hadn't been told... where.

"Are we here?" She asked quietly. After not speaking for a few days, her voice sounded strange to her ears. Squeaky. No reply. "Mum?" She waited... silence. She looked up, around, and finally, with fear in the form of a racing heart, behind her. Emptiness. "Mama?" Where could she be? Things didn't feel right. Ususally mom told her when she would be back. But this time... only a nudge on the back. Immediately she did what she learned at home from the pack. When you had to find something, you used your nose. She pressed her tiny black nares to the dirt, following the faint tracks left by her mother's paws. But it was too much. She knew her security was gone. The further she went, the tighter her heart got, and with every little step the tears blinded her eyes. She plopped her rump where it was, barely a yard from where she had started and heaved a devestatingly mournful sob. "Mama!"

The moment the word left her mouth, a flap of large wings erupted over her head. A gasp, and she ran, little pads taking her as fast as she could go. The moment she saw a bush she scurried underneath without thinking twice. Looking out, the little fae could see just dirt, sparse grass, and... a bleached bone carcass. Lovely. Her panting slowed, but only just before a fairly large spider (to her eyes) dropped squarely onto her nose. She squealed and pawed at it until it flew off, biting at it once it hit the ground with razor sharp puppy fangs. It lay still and crumpled between her paws, and she blew it away from her and sighed. Her lip curled, and slowly but surely her attitude returned, though it was far from whole. It was drowned in tears that still hadn't fallen. Her small cranium fested on her forelegs. "Ugh. Stupid crawlies."

Mom always did seem tired around her. And she was just one. She knew from her first day on earth that she was not supposed to be alive. Her mother had committed a terrible crime in her pack, and only the alphas were supposed to have babies. They liked her there though. It seemed as though she was nothing but trouble to mom, though. She didn't remember doing any horrible wrongs, maybe running too far, but only once or twice. In fact, she knew she wasn't any real trouble. Mom just didn't want her, didn't want the persecution. She didn't know why. She was special. She was the only one who lived... and the smallest. Like she was told, she shouldn't have been alive.

Her stomach grumbled. 'Wow, thanks Mom,' Her mind reeled, pounded with frustration, but she shook herself out and made it go away. She could smell other wolves around here. Hopefully they wouldn't see her as a midnight snack. Here eyes caught sight of the skeleton in front of her again, and with a new resolve she snuck out from beneath her bush and crept like some sort of miniature hunter until she reached the ribcage. 'Well, that won't do. Mum said there's only the good stuff in the legs. What was it? Marrow?' She moved down to the front of the body, grabbed a femur, and dragged it back with her. She didn't know how she got it under the bush, knowing it probably weighed as much as her. 'Must've been a moose. Stupid big dumb thing.' She began to gnaw, sinking her tiny fangs into the alabaster bone. The brush-like noise of the fibers pulling and breaking beneath her teeth was a welcome one, though she had a long way to go, and soon gave up. She nudged the bone aside. "I'm not that hungry." She would save it for later, when she wasn't so scared and tired.

Her mind wandered back to her mother, and soon it was all she could do to keep from crying. Someone she had so loved, looked up to as the best thing in her life, she suddenly hated more than anything. And she had only just been born mere weeks ago. A tightness began in her throat. "Roo... r-rrrr..." She had made this noise a couple of times before. Mom usually told her to just shut up and keep quiet. Finally, in a burst of sorrow from this last thought, this last angry memory, her voice came forth in a high-pitched, desperate howl. It barely echoed, and she only huffed and dropped her head. "A fat lot of good that did me." Her eyes searched around. She spoke to the darkness. "My name is Twig. My mom hates me. My best friends are a moose bone and a dead spider. I am homeless." She waited. Listened. No one. Cloudiness took over quickly. She was half asleep, too afraid to go all the way in case someone swallowed her before she could wake up.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Tue Aug 25, 2009 2:08 pm

Was it he who turned his back on his pack, or did they simply abandoned him. Left to die, a useless pup right? Born the runt of the litter, even though he truly wasn’t much smaller then the rest. What did it matter, they were all pathetic to him anyways. What was his last memory? Prayer couldn’t recall, except a face. One that he would learn to hate with a passion, that scarred up and devious smug. Already he felt hate for the face of the male, even though he didn’t remember much about him. Prayer knew it was his father though, giving him that devious look. Prior to that, he had been born normal. Nothing spectacular, except his size differed a bit from his siblings. This meant he was unlikely to survive, try hard as he might. All of this meant nothing to him, mainly because he was to young to understand. A runt of the litter had little chance of surviving. Even though he was kept alive, it was plain as day to the older wolves that he was weaker then the rest. At some point, Prayer’s memory fluttered, he was led by his father out of the main area. That smirk had been etched on the older males face for the entire conversation, which was more or less his father telling him to leave. Threatened with his life, Prayer was more confused then anything. Though when jaws clamped shut loudly, he backed away. That sound echoed in his tiny auds, as he dashed away as fast as he could.

A low growl escaped his tiny maw, as Prayer stalked his prey. Most of the time, since he had been left, he had gone by on squirrels. Instinct kept him alive, and a hard heart and mind. His mind banished the truth about his past, which was only short. He told himself he had been left by the pack, accidently, in a fire. Atleast, he liked to believe that. Tiny claws dug canyons into the soft terra, as his frame lowered to the ground. Within a short distance, a rabbit sat nibbling on some grass. Golden lanterns flicked over its frame. He had been unable to catch a rabbit yet, but he had every intention of getting the one in front of him. He kept back another eager growl, as he crawled his way forward. The last couple rabbits had given him a good chase, which was entertainment for him. Though he had learned it was better to stalk then just suddenly dash and attempt to pounce. Which made him proud, to learn it on his own. Sure, it was a plus when someone taught you, but Prayer felt glad that he could teach himself. A smirk spread across his maw, as he inched closer and closer. Holding his breath, seeing the rabbit perk it’s ears. At that, he knew he was making to much noise. Mentally kicking himself, Prayer waited a bit watching the rabbit move off just a little. He smirked again, as he began stalking once more. His mouth watered at the thought of eating a rabbit, and how close he was to his grand meal. A flick of her tail, and the ears perked again. Though the rabbit’s weren’t the only auds to perk, as a small sound came to Prayer’s ears. He blinked, but shrugged it off; he wouldn’t let a noise interrupt his meal.

Prayer’s tiny heart pumped as he was close to his meal, close enough to land a good pounce. He was excited, but kept his cool. He knew that if he got to excited, he might mess up. Prayer pulled back, and kept the rabbit locked on with his lanterns. The pounce was quick, and he let out a small growl. It startled the rabbit, making it become tense. Prayer’s heart raced as he landed a mitt onto the creature, he felt it squirm. Tiny jaws clamped onto its neck, and ivories pierced its skin. The warm blood making Prayer smile a bit, and he strangled the rabbit. Once it stopped moving, Prayer set it down and jumped with joy. “Yes!” His lyrics poured excitement, his first rabbit kill. Prayer smiled and looked down at the rabbit, licking his chops clean of blood. Auds perked at the sudden sound of a howl, high-pitched and alarming to Prayer. He blinked and looked around, wondering who it was. He didn’t want to lose his meal, he looked around before picking up the rabbit. Curiosity got the better of him though, and his small paws brought him towards the sound. Instinct told him it’d be better to leave, but his mind was set on finding the bearer of the howl. As he padded along through the foliage, auds perked at the sound of a voice. Lanterns swiveled around, trying to find the bearer. Prayer padded onto a small path, gazing about in hopes to find something. Setting down the rabbit, he barked lowly at first. After all, he didn’t want his curiosity to kill him. Once nothing came, another bark escaped, louder this time. Nares flared in attempts to catch a scent, as he continued looking about.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:41 pm

Twig was finally feeling at ease, a good amount of time passing before her tiny lids could no longer hold themselves up. Blackness surrounded her, but just for one lovely, fleeting moment as a tiny bark hit her ears. Her head shot up, and she peeked her head around the bush. No one she could see. But she could smell them. Her brows came together in comical frustration, and she crouched her little body as though hunting something. She moved slowly around her temporary bed, flinching at the second bark. Something that high-pitched couldn't be a grown up. Maybe a fox? No, it had to be another pup. She steeled herself and made a brave leap from cover. She pulled her head back, barely surprised to see she was right. Immediately she let her guard down, happy to see an unthreatening face.

The small femme moved forward a bit, closing the gap between them with a short, rapidly wagging tail. She stopped at a friendly distance. He was a little older than her, she could tell. And he had food! Her stomach made an audible growl, and her expression was abashed for a moment before she smiled and spoke. "Hi, I'm Twig. Who are you?" She had a child's innocence about her, much too happy to see another pup to bother approaching with caution. She didn't even have an attitude this time, as she usually did, trying to be tough around other pups. Everyone always assumed she was so dainty and girly. Hopefully the boy before her wouldn't think the same. Her mother's scent was still around, but faint. Hopefully some adult would come investigate and find her.... but not now. Now she maybe had a friend, and maybe had food - if he had learned how to share.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Wed Aug 26, 2009 3:08 pm

Prayer could tell that the howl he had heard did not come from an elder wolf, far to high-pitched. Even though he had been cautious about approaching the sound. So far nothing came to him, auds perked in attempt to hear anything. Nares flared at the scent of another, and his amber gaze shifted around steadily. Last thing he needed was someone jumping out at him, where he could very well leap in the air from it. Not to say he was jumpy, but the fact that he couldn’t see the other made him a little cautious. Prayer moved forward a bit, till the scent of another reached him. It was strong, so he knew whoever or whatever it was, was close. Tiny claws dug canyons once more, as he had done for the rabbit. All his senses were going crazy, he wanted to find out who was there. One more step brought him to a stop, at the sound of rustling foliage. He crouched down a little, preparing to defend himself. He was expecting everything, a pack of wolves, a family of foxes. Of course he knew neither of those would be the case, unless his nares were failing him. Gripping the rabbit tighter, his eyes locked on the sudden figure. A female. It took a bit of time before Prayer’s own guards went down, and he blinked in confusion.

It was definitely unexpected, and Prayer looked more confused then anything. He rid himself of the guarding appearance, his tail wagging a bit. He had been alone for long enough to be guarded even when he didn’t look the part. Prayer wasn’t about to lose his senses, but he gave off a friendly look. His mind told him that it couldn’t be a coincidence that another pup was wandering about. She must be with someone. Auds flicked at the small growl that came from her, and he smirked a bit. Amber gaze averted from her for a moment, to the dead rabbit beneath his paw. “Ello, Twig. Name’s Prayer.” His lyrics were happy, but he put the cockiness in them. As if it was normal to randomly meet another pup. Amber lanterns gazed about her, she wasn’t much younger then himself. Prayer wondered what she was doing alone in the woods, but decided against asking it. Judging from the growl earlier, he could tell she was hungry. Prayer looked once more to the rabbit, which he knew he could probably eat most of. “Hungry?” Prayer asked, smirking as he took his paw off the rabbit. He’d never shared before, except for with a few birds. Even so suddenly, the fae was the first company he had. Though he would consider quite a few birds company, but that only happened when he caught something. Prayer would take half, and the birds would take the other half. Though that was before he got bigger, now most of the time he took most of the squirrel. Tassel swaying slow, he smiled at the thought of being with another wolf. Normally he avoided them, considering most of them were adults. Prayer had never really interacted with another wolf since he was left.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Thu Aug 27, 2009 12:51 am

The little femme's paws carried her closer to Prayer after he spoke. She wasn't aware of the formalities, the 'nice to meet yous' and the 'how are yous', and offered him a simple "Hi Prayer." Twig recognized the show he put on, hearing the tone in his voice. All the alpha's pups at home acted that way. But it didn't bother her, because not all of them were total jerks either. He seemed really nice, willing to share with her. He even asked if she was hungry... and her eyes widened as she really took the sight in. A pup his size with a rabbit like that? He must have stolen it... She gave him a smile and nodded to his question.

"Mmhmm. I'll only eat a little since it's yours... Did - did you catch that yourself? You must be a really good hunter!" She couldn't help but admire him for it if he really did kill the thing by himself. He was cooler than anyone else she ever knew. All the other pups had been so... sheltered. And they were kind of dumb. They acted like they hated her, but she knew once in a while she got an awestruck look from them when she did something rebellious and cool... like saying no. They were kind of pathetic. But whatever. She kept her attention on the small male, waiting excitedly for the answer.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Thu Aug 27, 2009 1:14 pm

For Prayer, it was half a show, and half of his real personality. He enjoyed acting tough, and in his tiny mind he thought he was. Though being around Twig made him feel like acting up a bit, in attempts to impress her. If only because he didn’t really want to lose the company, it was such a rare thing to stumble upon. He blinked when she came closer, and for a second the acting disappeared. Replaced by curiosity briefly, before he went back to his normal attitude. His gaze shifting to the rabbit, before smiling and looking at her. Noticing the surprise in her lanterns, making Prayer smirk and hold his crania up a bit higher. Though it was partially acting, and partially him actually being proud. After all, it was the first rabbit he ever took down. Something he was very proud of, considering all the other attempts at catching one. He had to learn to stalk, and be as quiet as possible, not just randomly leap at it. Squirrels were a lot more fun, in his eyes, because most of the time he had to chase them. Which was far more entertaining then stalking something, even if it meant a smaller meal.

Prayer nodded to her question, and leaned down to push the rabbit closer to her. “Yup, caught it myself finally.” He would’ve blushed at her compliment, but he held it back. The more Prayer thought about it, the more glad he was left to fend for himself. Even though he was still young, he knew he was much different then the pups that grew up in a pack. Sure, they were taught to hunt, but they never had to teach themselves. Nor did they have to really defend themselves, against would be attackers. No, they had the adults to help. Prayer concealed his anger well; he didn’t want Twig to see it. It seethed through him, but it wasn’t anger directed at anything but the darkness. “I’ve been trying to catch a rabbit for a while now, today was the first time.” Prayer said with a smile, pushing his anger away. A black mitt pushed the rabbit a bit closer to her, smiling. “Eat as much as you’d like, I could always try an catch something else.” Prayer said, looking about the foliage.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Sat Aug 29, 2009 1:00 pm

Twig's ears perked happily as Prayer spoke, and she had an excited smile on her face while she listened. "No way... I've never... ever caught something before. Well - like - a mouse once, but..." Her voice fell away in a little giggle. Her mind was made up. She liked him. For a friend, anyway. He offered up some of his food and she shook her head. "You caught it. You can have as much as you want, I'll wait for the rest." Her crown tilted a bit as she thought up an idea. "Maybe you can teach me how to catch something if there's not enough for both of us." She hinted gingerly at the possibility. She didn't try to push it. It was all up to him.

It occurred to her that no one had even thought of showing her how to hunt. Maybe this Prayer fellow would show her how if he found the muse. In fact, it had slipped her mind altogether that she had been abandoned, that she had no home and no one to love her. She would recall it eventually, but her young mind was easily distracted, and she would much rather be focused on something entertaining than depressing. Twig's miniature shoulders moved back and forth briefly as she sat down. She would let him do what he wished. Anyway, it was all she could do to be polite since he offered her his first rabbit anyway.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:50 am

It was just like him to hold his crania high, and smirk at the praise. He was proud of his kill, the first one he had made on a rabbit. Prayer was generally cocky though, even for a pup. Though he knew when to cut it off, and be normal. At the moment, however, Prayer knew he was awing the fem before him. Which made him proud, that he could impress her. He could never impress the blasted birds, considering little did impress them. Even if he shared a few meals with them, though Prayer didn’t understand their squawking. The ravens could’ve easily been thanking him, but the male wouldn’t have known. The smirk spread just a bit wider at her response of the mouse, which made him remember chasing one. It was more for fun, which he knew was wrong, but he let the creature go. Bringing his tiny maw down, Prayer began tearing one of the hind legs off. By the end of it, his dark maw shone with blood. Normally he wouldn’t have cared who saw, but he felt awkward with Twig around. His attempts at whipping away the blood succeeded in placing it upon his mitts. Prayer’s gaze shifted away from her and back to the rabbit, where he supposed he could finish off the two hind legs himself. Auds pricked at the suggestion of teaching her to hunt.

Prayer smiled briefly, before taking a few bites out of the leg. “Yeah, I can teach you.” Lyrics fell after devouring his meal, he smirked sheepishly. It would be interesting, and he was up for the challenge. Prayer knew he was little older then her, but he assumed she had never been really trained in hunting. Prayer finished the remains of the first hind leg, and smirked feeling slightly filled. He tore the other leg off, and then pushed the body towards her. “There should be some good meat around the ribs.” Prayer said with a smile and a nod. “After, if you would like, I’ll teach you to hunt.” Another smirk played across his tiny maw, as he bit into the second leg. Of anything, Prayer was simply glad to have company. Company that wouldn’t try to kill him, unlike the older wolves that roamed around. Lanterns moved from the leg, and over her. He wondered how long she had been out there, more so why she was even there. His gaze shifted around the foliage, and nares flared to catch any scent. Last thing he wanted was to have her leave. Nothing was around, so their safety was secured for now.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Mon Aug 31, 2009 11:24 pm

The young fae couldn't help a giggle as Prayer tried to clean his maw. Boys and their appearances... they were almost as bad as girls sometimes. He could really put back some meat. Twig figured he could eat the whole thing, but he pushed it forward before she could suggest it. That much? For herself? Her face lit up with a huge grin. "Wow, thanks... If you're still hungry, I'll share this with you too," She said plainly, nosing the rabbit. She sniffed at it and began to pull away at the fur and skin. She loved how easily it gave way beneath her brand new teeth, and soon the meat and blood hit savory and salty on her tongue. Prayer spoke of them hunting together, and she looked up at him with a smile after swallowing down a chunk of rib.

"You'd really teach me? You're really nice." Her demeanor was rapidly changing from the exposure to a better wolf than what she was used to, and she realized it. She licked the blood away from her muzzle and cocked a brow before continuing to eat. "I mean I know a couple things.. but mom ditched me here before bothering to show me anything useful." Her teeth flashed for a moment before she took a few more bites and swallowed them down. "Hopefully I won't be too much trouble for you." She finished as much as she could eat and noticed that there was plenty of food left with the innards and some of the shoulder. "You can have it if you want... or we could hide it. I bet you know best." She performed the same actions he did by wiping her muzzle with her paws until the sanguine hue left her fur. She felt so much better now. Twig's frame perked up, tail wagging with anticipation of getting to hunt with someone her age. There probably weren't a lot of pups her age that got to do something like this. She gave Prayer a cocky grin, deciding to play a bit at his game. "Shall we?"

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:35 pm

Already his small cranium was turning, reflecting over all he had taught himself. Lanterns moved over her as she ate, smiling briefly as his mind wandered elsewhere. He wondered how he might go about teaching another pup, considering he had taught himself. Prayer was well aware that his technique was faulty against an elder wolf, one of experience. Though he knew enough himself, to catch a couple squirrels and now rabbits. While he was still very much a pup, and willing to play around a lot. Chasing his prey rather then truly stalking it, he thoroughly enjoyed chasing a rabbit. While he knew that it wasn’t entirely good to play with his food, or rather play with something he didn’t intend to kill. The thudding of his small heart from the thrill of chasing something was much to fun. Even when he wasn’t physically chasing a rabbit, occasionally his day dreaming was of doing so. Prayer watched her eat for a bit, before gazing the surroundings. Predominately his perception on other wolves wasn’t the greatest, considering he had been left to die. Not to mention no good wolf had bothered to see if he was ok, which probably made him who he was.

His typical attitude was gone, after a short time of being around Twig. Though he did still give off the know-it-all attitude a bit, maybe because he felt he could get away with it. Her compliments fueled him with relative joy, making him smile occasionally. Then, suddenly her words hit his tiny auds, and he blinked in confusion. Ditched. The word rang for a while, before he let it go. Now he was truly interested in knowing her story, if it seemed similar to his. Prayer wasn’t about to ask quickly though, seeing that she wasn’t to pleased about the news. Another blink came at her next words, of him knowing what to do. He seemed to come out of his thoughts, and his black tail wagged slightly. Perhaps praising him wasn’t the greatest, Prayer let it get to his head for a bit. Before chuckling softly, and looking at her. “We can leave it for the birds, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few are around now.” Prayer’s hues looked up to the trees, knowing that the small group of scavenger birds would be near by. He got used to them being around, though at first it filled him with fear. That had been when he was smaller then them though, now it amused him. A flutter of wings caught his eyes, and he nodded. Lanterns returned to Twig, and he saw the cocky look and smirked. “Yeah, let’s see what you got.” Prayer replied, standing and turning around. Mitts brought him forward a bit, before he turned back. “You know how to use that nose of yours right?” He teased, smirking.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:14 am

Twig quickly caught Prayer's looks and decided that he was officially okay in her book. She liked his smile. It was friendly, one she hadn't seen the likes of latey. Her mind rolled over his reasons for being around here. Surely he hadn't come here on a whim. It was too... dead out here. He had to have caught the rabbit before making it out to where she was. Anyway, there was nothing out here... maybe when they got a move on they would get to a much better place to find food. Out in the fields some where.

She was kind of surprised at his decision to leave the rabbits. He must have been their friend or something. His expression changed when she brought up her predicament, and she covered quickly. "Never mind about me. I'd rather not think about it right now." Her roguish grin replaced the flat line of her nonexpressive lips. She wanted to stay away from the subject while something more important to her was on her mind. Twig moved her form next to him, sizing him up from the corner of her eye, noting that she had a bit to go before catching up to his slightly larger size. She looked with him to the trees. Birds didn't scare her, but they did get her to flinch once in a while. Prayer took her up on her word of skill. He moved ahead, and from her place, she watched as he questioned the functioning of her nose. She scoffed with a new cockiness, and pranced forward a couple of light steps. "Uh, yeah," She responded with a dry chuckle, "Wouldn't be a wolf if I didn't."

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Thu Sep 10, 2009 4:31 pm

He might’ve preferred to not discuss her situation, but it made his mind turn on what could’ve happened. Her words rang familiar, which had caused him to give out his expression. Prayer thought that she must’ve wondered about his own background, and how he managed to come out of nowhere. Even he wasn’t inclined to tell his story, which suppressed his urge to know her own. Prayer was interested to know about her, but at the same time knowing her past might make him judge her. As far as he was concerned, he was better off not knowing. As was she, with his own past. Prayer was the here and now type, what little past he had was enough to make him want to forget it. Small mitts continued forward, after she caught up. A smirk crossed his maw as he cast his own glance at her, noticing the size difference. It was clear there was a tiny age gap, and he smirked at being a bit bigger. In his mindset, it immediately clicked that he would be a protector. Should any other carnivore seek to steal their meal.

A loud squawk made Prayer glance up briefly, spotting a couple of scavenger birds. Not the three he was used to, but he’d rather not leave the rabbit to rot, or the birds to starve. A smirk etched across his maw, as two of the three descended to the corpse. Prayer blinked when he spotted Twig bouncing a couple steps ahead, and the smirk remained on his maw. Her own cockiness coming out, which hooked Prayer’s interest. He padded forward and looked at her. “Well, you can’t rely entirely on just your nose.” Prayer said, with a faux matter-of-fact tone. “Got to remember your beautiful eyes, and cute ears.” Though they might’ve seemed like compliments, his tone was different. He had met it both as a compliment, and once more the matter-of-factly tone. The smirk returned, and he crouched with his front, tail raised high. “And your sharp teeth, and claws.” His own tiny claws dug small canyons, and a light chuckle came out of him. Straightening himself, Prayer smirked. Putting on his act of tough pup, raising his maw high. Another chuckle came from within, as he returned to normal.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Sat Sep 19, 2009 12:10 am

OOC: Sorry I missed this one!

Twig followed Prayer's lead. though only mentally. Her body stayed in line with his until he stopped. Heer words caught her as rather off. But not in a bad way. She noted his tone, but still liked to hear what he said. She stayed silent, but her delicate head gave one stiff nod, as though acknowledging him while hiding the flattered girl inside her. He finished speaking, and her front had lowered in tandem with his, although it remained down as he straightened up. "Of course you have to. Why use one asset when you could use them all, right?" She sprang forward just slightly and turned to face her friend.

"So where do we start?" Her eyes were bright, excited to begin her training. She really liked how he could be all cocky but get off it right away. It made him rather amusing and fun to be around. Her irises flashed, and in her mind she began to ready herself. Time to get serious... if he was serious about teaching her anyway. He seemed to be telling the truth, but then again not a lot of wolves had a tendency to keep their word from where she was standing.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:33 am

Prayer smirked, he knew all his words were just playing ones. He knew she wasn’t naïve, that she could easily figure things out for herself. While he was in a playful mood, he was also being serious. He smirked when she lowered herself as he did, and stayed that way even when he rose. “Right, it’d be useless to hunt with just a nose.” Prayer said, padding forward a bit. Hues blinked at her leap, and he smirked. The excitement was clear in her expression, and he felt like toying with it. “We should go further, should be squirrels and chipmunks scurrying about somewhere.” Prayer replied, padding forward and turning back to her. He was to young to believe in fate, he was more confused about it then anything. Fate couldn’t possibly have been the reason he was growing up on his own, but could it be that it was fate to find another pup that was ditched? Prayer wasn’t fully sure why he was left to die, but it seemed worse knowing that Twig had been left to die aswell. The age gap wasn’t the reason, but he just couldn’t understand why any mother or father would do such a thing.

A low growl emitted from him, he didn’t even realize it. Lanterns wandered off to far away thoughts, as his gaze rested on the thicket. Another growl, a bit louder then the last woke him from his stupor. Prayer blinked, and shifted his gaze back to Twig. “Come on, I know a clearing that squirrels cross a lot.” He said, his tone was a normal happy one, though it obviously attempted to cover up anger. Another couple of steps forward, and another squawk caught his auds. A smirk sketched across his maw, as more black clad birds flew to the direction of the rabbit.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Fri Sep 25, 2009 5:59 pm

Twig eagerly continued on with him, pushing back the more serious thoughts in her mind. She would have rather had a fun time than worry about much else, though for Prayer this did not seem to be the case. She stopped suddenly, watching him intently as he growled to himself. Her eyes had narrowed just slightly, head tilted as she felt a bit worried on his behalf.

He snapped out of it though, but she could tell he was overcompensating in his tone. She let him be at first, accepting his lead to the clearing. Soon however, she came up beside him, voice low as if there were others around. "You okay?" She wondered what could have been going through the young bru's mind. He seemed to have some issues. The femme wouldn't pry, but her concern was true, and she didn't want him to get so angsty about nothing right away. An irksome thought played around in her brain. She seemed to be everyone else's problem. Maybe she was his too...

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Tue Sep 29, 2009 11:22 am

Prayer knew he shouldn’t be thinking such serious thoughts, that they were better off with the adult wolves. He’d much rather think of nothing, be care free. Not worry about such trivial issues, but it wasn’t the case. He wasn’t a pup that grew up in a pack, the one that doesn’t have to worry about anything. There were no adult wolves to protect, look after, feed, and train. Not out in the ‘wild’. Prayer didn’t think himself better then those pups, in fact he didn’t think himself better then anything really. Only, he boasted and played the part. He didn’t really know how to act around any other wolf, but his mindset had been to act tough. Otherwise he might get hurt, despite his act Prayer still wasn’t a weak pup. He fended for himself, caught his own meals, protected and trained himself. Prayer probably wouldn’t have ever contemplated anger towards another wolf, but now that he met Twig he directed that anger towards whoever left her. He had gotten over being tossed out by his ‘father’, but knowing a vix like Twig being tossed aswell made him angry.

Mitts were slow to touch the earth, as small pillars brought him forward. Glancing back briefly to make sure Twig was following, he returned to his thoughts. The voice broke it quickly, and he glanced to his side. Twin peaks picked up the real concern, and he smiled a bit. “Yup, we’re almost to the clearing.” Of course it was a lie, he didn’t want her to worry about him. Though it was clear to Prayer that she was, which made him immediately shut away the thoughts. Prayer’s pace slowed, and he smiled to her. “It can be like a highway of squirrels here..” His voice was normal once again, having pushed his concerns away. Prayer lowered and moved forward slowly, nares flared to catch the scent of squirrels, and a couple chipmunks. Sticking his crania forward, lanterns caught the swift movements of the small animals. “Come look.” His lyrics were low, so as not to startle the highway.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Sun Oct 18, 2009 4:29 pm

Twig really wondered about this kid. What was his problem? He seemed to have some kind of inner battle going on, though she was a bit too young to think of it in those terms. Her tiny pads carried her with Prayer, shaking her head in mock dismay at him, but not showing her expression to his face. She grew excited, mind less weighted down at the sight of all the prey.

The rodent highway moved with grey and brown fur, and her eyes searched them anxiously. The femme had to push aside her childish desire to merely pounce and scare them away. This was a hunting lesson, and she wasn't going to screw it up. "Wow... There's so many of them..." Her features broadened with a bright and pointy grin. Their musk filled her miniature nares, and her mind triggered prey immediately. She looked back and forth between the flitting bottlebrush tales and her friend. "So what do we do first?"

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Wed Oct 21, 2009 11:08 am

The flash of color wasn’t new to Prayer, he had seen it many times. The highway of rodents was where he began hunting, finding it hard but easy to pick off one of them. Of course, anytime he did it shattered the highway and the rest of the rodents were scurry off. Not that it mattered, he was able to catch atleast one. Though on occasion, Prayer would find entertainment by attempting to catch the ones running. It wasn’t easy, once scared the rodents were deadly fast. It was entertaining though, and that was more what he looked for. Even though he had hunted them for a while, it didn’t seem like any of the rest of them became cautious. All the better for him, and now Twig. He needed to stop worrying about things that adults did, after all he was still a pup. The highway was exactly what he needed to get his mind of off ‘important’ matters. Adrenaline began pumping through his small frame, and Prayer was getting excited aswell. He too pushed aside the desire to chase them, and smirked at her words. It was understandable why he called it the highway, they all went in different directions at once, and it was a blur of color. Occasionally you could see one or two jump, just to avoid a collision.

Nares flared and caught the scent of their prey, he never really had a set victim. Considering they all moved so quickly, Prayer would more likely find a certain line of them. “First, it’s a matter of picking a line. Two rows ahead, never any farther, unless you want a chase on your paws.” It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t incredibly hard either. “Once you’ve chosen a row, it’s a matter of timing. Count them to five as they go by, and out of that five you chose which number.” Hues scanned the first row, and he showed her by moving his head slowly along with the squirrels running. 1, 2, 3, 4…5. “Once you’ve chosen a number, you count again, and then on that number pounce. It’s usually better if you chose between three, four, and five, one and two is if you’re daring.” A smirk danced across his maw, his gaze shifting over to his companion. At first, he had been taken by the childish urge to chase, and ended up with nothing. It was only after a while of practice that he got a perfect way to catch them, and even then it could be difficult. It was very different then hunting the rabbit, where stalking was the key. Catching a squirrel or chipmunk was more precision and timing, as was the rabbit but it was slightly different. “Think you can do it?” The smirk was still on his maw, but his hues had moved back to the highway.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Wed Nov 04, 2009 4:28 pm

"Think you can do it?" Were the words that struck true in Twig's heart. So many times had she been challenged with those words, boys daring her and underestimating her abilities, just because of her gender. She'd always shown them up, too. The scent filled her nares more fully now, and her talons flexed in the dirt. She watched every last twitch the rodents made, darting to and fro in their roads. She had heard Prayer's instructions well, but now it was time to put them to use. With the devilish smile only a pup in search of mischief could produce, she readied herself.

As soon as he had told her about the counting, she had begun to do so. He posed his question, and with the flick of an ear but no look his way, she growled. "Watch me." A second passed. Another. She mumbled to herself. He would probably think she was crazy. Her mind into the mode of having to prove her worth, and with a burst of air, the words made themselves audible. "...Five. One... Two!" She leapt forward, young, taut muscles poised to spring. Her shadow cast itself over fleeing squirrels, but the one in her sights was far from lucky. Her weight, not much to anyone else but plenty to something less than half her size, came down on the screeching, squirming thing. Twig had trapped it between her paws, and as it scrambled, her ivories came down and silenced it at its neck. For the briefest of moments she felt a pang of guilt, having killed another living creature, but knew it was part of her instincts and thought no more of it. Excitement replaced her sense of worth and urgency, and she loped sort of hyperly back to her friend.

"Look!" She spoke around the body before setting it at his feet with relish. "I did it! I've never..." Twig looked at her own paws in amazement. She had done something important, she knew, but she wondered if it had just been luck. Something like shame took over the look on her face and she sat back. She was used to this part. After doing something well, just getting ridiculed for it. Her right pad rubber her left leg sheepishly. "I bet it just happened by accident. Stupid slow squirrel." They would have to do it again... later. If she could do it a second time, it would be proof enought to drop the guilt trip, and she would be able to tell Prayer that he was a good teacher.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Mon Nov 09, 2009 8:06 am

The chase alone was quite amusing, especially when he had first started trying to catch them. Fast and agile, Prayer recalled losing quite a few meals. Until he had come up with a way to ensure catching one of them, and now he was teaching another pup how to do it. The scattering of little bodies could be distracting, and the panic was usually a good one to catch one of them as well. With so many darting about, trying to get away from the big wolf body. Prayer used to chase them just for fun, because he didn’t have much else to do. Of course he had never attempted to catch one when he was playing, he knew it wasn’t the smartest thing to play with his food. Though it wasn’t like he had a mother to tell him not to, so it didn’t bother him all that much. Prayer had begun counting as well, even though he had no intention of attempting a catch. No, it was Twig’s turn to catch a meal. He smirked a little as he noticed her mumbling, counting. He had done much the same; Prayer blinked and averted his hues after a while of watching her. He shook his head, counting and generally just watching the furry bodies rush by. Her words became audible but by then he saw her leap, and fall on her target. It might’ve been called chaos, with so many tiny bodies rushing about, but they didn’t really matter. Prayer watched as his companion silenced the screeching squirrel, as its buddies ran for their lives.

When she returned, a small smile was on Prayer’s maw, and he sat up. He would appear from far as a dark mark among the green, except for the tiny diamond of white on his chest. He saw the excitement in her features, and it made him smirk. It was the excitement that only a pup could have, the childlike sense of excitement. Though when her features change, Prayer blinked and tilted his crania slightly. She looked as if she was about to be yelled at, which made Prayer slightly confused. A dark paw pushed the squirrel closer to her, and he smirked a bit. “You went on two, that’s not luck, that’s skill.” It was the truth, Prayer had never been able to catch one on one or two. Prayer looked around, and then poked her lightly with a paw. “Common, I want to show you something.” Prayer smirked, and started in the direction of a thick pair of trees. She needed cheering up, and though Prayer wasn’t usually keen on wanting others to find ‘his’ spot, he knew he wouldn’t mind showing her. In fact, he wanted to. It was one place he slept, but not all the time. A relatively small cave, behind a water fall. It wasn’t one of the small falls, no; Prayer had been fascinated by how tall it was. Cascading down into a pool, only to be whisked away on a stream.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Sun Nov 29, 2009 6:18 pm

The small she-she wolf found encouragement in Prayer's words. Still, she felt uneasy about victory. Though she could take out any of the boys at home at just about anything, she always got in trouble for it later, often times for no reason. She had never really been taught to be proud of herself for something done well. Regardless, she cracked a smile and picked up the squirrel in her jaws. This wouldn't go to waste. Her friend beckoned, and she followed.

Eyes wandered every now and again to her surroundings, back to her partner, and off into the wild again. Twig tried to smell her surroundings around the grey rodent beneath her nose, but had no luck so far. All there was was a musky odor. Not bad, but not as great as pine or something else. And then the sound of rushing water came just faintly to her ears. She paused, trying to speak behind the mass of fur. "Whr rr wu gnng?" Was all she could manage, so she was forced to pause and spit the thing out. "Where are we going?" She asked from behind him before quickly retrieving her prey and continuing on. Her eyes glanced between him and infront of her, expecting an answer.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Fri Dec 04, 2009 8:43 am

It would take about ten minutes before the squirrels were daring enough to use their highway, which surprised Prayer at first. He was probably the only one that used the highway as his feeding ground; he doubted an adult would need to, not when they could catch bigger game. Prayer thought that, after his first catch, they would never use the place to run about. Clearly he had been wrong when he scented them all over again. Once, Prayer had stumbled upon bigger game, but it had already been taken down. Naturally curious his gaze had shifted around, but at the same time he knew it was dangerous. He wasn’t hungry then, but knowing there was another wolf, or even a pack, got him curious. After a while though he fled, having heard some noise off to the right a bit. As much as he would’ve enjoyed finding out about the pack, and possibly joining it, he was concerned it might not be a friendly pack.

Prayer looked about as he padded on, giving occasional glances back to his companion. Always showing a smile whenever he did, he bounded forward a bit. The sound of cascading water was close, and he smirked, looking back at Twig. The first attempt at speaking made Prayer chuckle slightly, before he caught her clear lyrics. “My favorite spot, we’re here anyways, so just have a look.” Prayer smirked before pushing through the foliage, disappearing into it. Before emerging out the other end, on to the warm stones that surrounded the pool. Cool mist floated towards him, and Prayer raised his crania high. The sun caught the top of the falls, glinting off the clear water. Hues narrowed slightly, attempting to see the top of the falls through the bright light. Prayer turned back, waiting for his friend to emerge from the foliage, he wanted to see her reaction.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Mon Dec 14, 2009 12:28 am

Twig's chocolate orbs were introduced to the sight of the water fall and her jaw dropped without shame. The squirrel fell, and she was fine with leaving it behind this time. "You found this place? Wow..." she exhaled. "It's amazing... you just come here whenever you want?" Her head peeked out over the mist, a grin plastered on her lips. It was simply spectacular, and she could have never imagined anything like it. She had been expecting something like a meadow or a small grove, nothing compared to this.

Prayer must have been one amazing pup. He could hunt, he had places like this all to himself. She suspected him to be some kind of prince, but knew it wasn't likely. The vix had to pry her eyes from the crystalline cascades to look at here friend. "What do you do here? Just, hang around?" She wasn't sure what else you could do besides sit and admire the beauty of nature. She couldn't even think. Her thoughts disappeared into the fog.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Sat Dec 19, 2009 1:06 am

Perhaps it was their size, but then Prayer knew that even if they were bigger it wouldn’t make a difference. The roar of the falls surrounded them, and the crystalline pool reflected the nature. It was definitely jaw dropping, and he smirked a bit when he noticed the squirrel fall. Perhaps his ego just got bigger, but he felt good, like he was extraordinary. Prayer shook off the thoughts of standing on a high rock, with the sun beaming behind him. He smirked a bit, before shifting his hues over to the falls. “Yup, though it’s not hard to find if you’ve got a good ear.” Prayer’s gaze returned to his companion, and grinned. He was happy to share a place like the falls with her, with any one really. Other then the older wolves, he was still leery of them. It was better having another pup around, and it was even better knowing he could teach. The awe in Twig made him happy; he taught her how to hunt, and now showed her his favorite place. What else was there to do? Prayer smirked and padded closer to the water, lapping it up a bit. It was exactly what it looked like, clean and cool. “Basically, there’s a cave behind the falls. It’s where I sleep usually.” Lanterns swiveled to the falls, and then back to her. “We can stay there tonight; nothing will bother us back there.” Lyrics fell with a reassuring tone, tassel dipped lightly into the cool water. Prayer padded closer to her and grinned deviously, he turned quickly and flicked his tail, sending droplets of water at her. “Always wanted to do that to someone.” Prayer said with a innocent grin, he wondered what she would do about it.

Subject: Re: Big ambition... little paws Tue Dec 29, 2009 1:12 pm

'It's not hard to find if you've got a good ear.' Well now she felt stupid. Of course it wasn't. There was a giant waterfall roaring down, how could you not find it? Twig assured herself that she wasn't the only one who was this stupid. If no one else knew about it either, she could find relief in the fact that there were others out there as oblivious as her. Prayer mentioned sleeping behind the cascade. She peered at the falls and could just make out the cavern past the whitewater. "You stay back there? Cooool..." She just couldn't help her wonder. But Prayer seemed to be lapping it up, so she didn't try to curb herself. The little femme continued to observe her surroundings. And then water hit her face. She caught her friend's grin and after shaking the wet stuff away indignantly, proceeded to dip her paw in the water as far as it would go and flung water heavily back at Prayer. She giggled and gave him a none too innocent look. "So have I."

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