meme police
Characters : Antkit, Dipperkit
Clan/Rank : ThunderClan/kit, ShadowClan/kit
 
Number of posts : 1976
Age : 22
 | | Subject: An Odd Friendship Sat 25 May 2013 - 16:25 | |
| An Odd Friendship
An Odd Friendship
Rumour sat on the cold, brittle grass of the plains, watching the empty den. All five wolves in her pack sat, waiting for Centaurus to move. After a little while, he got up and set a brisk pace south-west. The pack followed, and Rumour dropped back until she stood next to Cepheus. They padded on side by side, until the pack sat down. Cepheus abruptly turned and ran, and Rumour bolted after him, staying at his flank. The ran through the forest until the sun reached it’s highest peak at noon, and they collapsed, panting. They had ran scent spaces. They both looked at each other, blue eyes meeting blue. They gave each other a smile. Cepheus turned, stood, then bolted. Rumour scrambled to her feet and bolted as fast as she could after him, but soon he was lost, his black pelt gone like mist in the shadows. Suddenly, Rumour heard her stomach roaring at her, and she padded off, following a caribou scent trail.
Rumour sank her teeth into the caribou’s side, ripping out a chunk and chewing. She continued to eat like this until she bit bone. A rib bone. She ripped it out and set it down next to her. Then she continued her feast, until she was full. It was half way between noon and night. So, Rumour padded on, towards water, her mouth scorched. And after a long, fourteen scent space walk, she saw a small pond, and she leaped forward, and bent down, her chin getting soaked, and began guzzling down water. When she was content, she flopped down and realized she could smell wolf. She sat up and padded in the direction of the scent until she saw Cepheus, but just barely, padding towards her. “Cepheus, you old coot, you abandoned me!” she laughed, watching him padding towards the pond. He bent down, lapping up water gently, and stood up after a bit, chin dripping. Then, the pair started laughing for some reason, and they lay down, curling up together. A chill wind blew over them and they pressed closer together, then fell asleep as the night unfurled around them.
The morning sun rose, bringing with it a soft heat. Cepheus awoke, then, stirred by his movement, Rumour did too. She let out a long, beautiful, good morning howl and two wolves replied with a cheerful “Good morning!” Rumour wagged her tail, looking to Cepheus. She sighed and sat down next to him, entwining her tail with his. “Don’t you wish you could be Alpha, Cepheus?” she asked. He turned, tilting his head, then nodded. They both sighed, sad that he couldn’t, and they knew they had to face the truth- Centaurus was Alpha, and no one could beat Centaurus. Rumour sadly nuzzled Cepheus, wishing he could be her mate, and knew he wished the same. Rumour yawned and lay back down, falling into a light sleep. When she woke, she saw Cepheus padding off and she followed after him. She nuzzled the Omega’s shoulder and then lay back down, falling asleep again.Then she sprung right back to her paws when he started padding off again. Then he stopped, standing rigid, staring north-east. Rumour tilted her head, then started wondering where the rest of the pack was. Her mate, Centaurus, and the betas, Lucan and Naomi. She missed them all, but she was happy to be with Cepheus. She sighed, and looked to the sky, watching the sun in the blue sea with white puffs floating all around.
Time passed and the sky flushed a beautiful rosy pink, and Rumour was leaning on Cepheus’s shoulder. He licked her muzzle, and then got up and padded off. Rumour quickly scrambled after, and she could scent earth, and water. She looked around, and then realized she could smell something else-wolf. But it was stale. She then saw the small pond looking so familiar. Then she raced off to the right, and saw the abandoned fox-hole that was the pack’s den. She howled with glee, then went to get a drink, and gave Cepheus a good night lick before curling up next to him. Then, after a quick little sleep, Rumour stood, the moon beams seeming to put stars in her pelt. She looked at the sleeping Cepheus and whimpered, then padded off, following her nose. The scent of wolf was strong in the direction she was headed. She continued on, determined to find her pack.
Rumour opened her eyes and wimpered. Cepheus was behind. She had left him last night, and had found the pack. But, there was no Cepheus. She felt horrible. She turned, seeing Centaurus padding over. “Sweetie, what’s wrong?” he whined, sitting down. “Nothing, I…I just wonder where Cepheus is.” she murmured in response, her blue eyes dull. This infuriated Centaurus. She lashed out snapping jaws towards Rumour’s throat, but Naomi lunged in front of Rumour and got his powerful jaws to the shoulder. She yelped loudly, then limped to the shadows. Rumoru shot a steely, rage-powered glare at her mate. He whined and padded off. Rumour could smell wolf walking towards them, but instead of following it, she followed the pack down southwards. They padded on and on, and Lucan and Naomi started complaining about their paws aching. Soon, they came to a small pond, where they all drank and rested, tired, but hungry. Then, Rumour scented the wolf from before, only a scent space away. Rumour stood, and padded towards it. Then she saw the frail black figure, silver lining his muzzle, with dull blue eyes. “Cehpeus!” she cried with joy, making the gap between them gone in one easy bound. “I’m so sorry I left you, really, I just wanted to find the pack, and I didn’t want to wake you, but I missed you, and I-” she was cut off by Cepheus, who silenced her with a flick of his bushy, silver tinged tail. “I’m not mad. I was just worried. I followed my nose and found the other three, but my heart and found you.” he said quietly. Rumour’s face flushed red and she smiled. She sat with him, and he waited until the rest were gone until he sipped from the pond, quenching his thirst.
Centaurus was sleeping, tail brushing Rumour’s flank, and Rumour was sleeping, not even noticing his brown bushy tail on her flank. Cepheus slept next to the pond. They all dreamed of different things. Cepheus, his dream was being alpha, Rumour’s mate, father of her pups. Centaurus, banishing Cepheus and Lucan so if he was in a state of weakness there was no competition for his spot. Rumour, hunting everything she could find successfully, bringing it down sing pawed. And they sat, breathing slowed, all night, their dreams prancing in their heads.
Morning sun began rising, and Rumour sat up with a yawn, and Cepheus rose too. Rumour looked to her mate, Centaurus, he insisted on sleeping longer. Then Rumour gave him a firm shove and he jumped up, growling. “Who was that? Who did that?” Centaurus barked, and Rumour and Cepheus fell over laughing. Centaurus scowled, then stomped north, the back crowding and following behind. They, like every day, turned every which way, and Centaurus couldn’t decide which direction to walk in his aimless travels. “Why don’t we head back to the den?” Rumour suggested. She got a disapproving bark from Centaurus, even though the other three barked agreement. Of course, Centaurus’s word was final. So, they headed off in aimless directions.
~Auto Play; I was eating Breakfast~
The moon was slowly rising up in the sky, bathing Rumour’s fur in silver and stars. The rest of her pack was already sleeping, so she laid down far away from everyone and fell asleep. Then the large sun rose over the land, washing everything in hues of pinks and reds. They all woke up, stretched, barked, and even played a little. So, as always, Centaurus walked off with the rest of the pack mingling behind. They were headed solely in one direct; north east. Like Centaurus had a specific place in mind to go. And everyone obediently followed. And, after a while, they all stopped. Rumour perked her ears. Then everyone else. A terrible roaring was rining through the plains. Rumour figured it out first. “The Steel Bird!” she yelped, and they all broke into a swift run; even Cepheus was keeping up the pace. The all ran through the sun-basked plains, and eventually the roaring died away, but they kept running for as long as they could for good measure. Then, as Centaursu stopped, flopping down, panting, Rumour barked, swished her tail, then howled, and sat, waiting. Her lithe, agile figure had allowed her to run that great distance at that great speed without getting tired like everyone else.
Rumour swerved around one of the Hay Huts, and padded south east. Soon , the sound of water bathed their ears, then they saw the so familiar pond. Rumour bent down and took a drink first, then Centaurus and Naomi drank together, then Lucan, and last of all Cepheus came over from the shadows and drank. It was afternoon, and the pack was sleeping. Rumour wasn’t. She was standing rigid, alert, listening for danger. Then she padded forward and saw the abandoned fox-hole that was her pack’s den. She lay in front of it, the pack still visible, then swished her tail and stood, walking back over, waiting for them all to wake up. Then she too fell asleep.
Rumour followed Cepheus through the shadows and folds of night,. She wanted to sleep, but was by his side through and through. They padded on and on, later found Centaurus and Lucan, and, at the middle of night, finally fell asleep.
As the morning sun rose, Rumour realized she was parched. She hadn’t a drink in two days. She lifted her nose to the sky. The scent of the den faintly drift on the wind. Hm…Ten scentspaces away.. I can make that before I die of dehydration. She thought, then pounded off, and ten scentspaces later, with a scorched mouth, loped up to the den, past it, and to the pond, where she crouched and guzzled down as much water as she needed to refresh herself from the dehydration. Then, the evening sun washing her silver coat a rosy-ish pink, Rumour perked her ears and her nose twitched. Caribou! She thought, the scent of, around, three Caribou bolting through her nose. And then, that’s all she focused on. She began trotting south, and soon two Caribou came into site. She crouched low. Then, she observed. The Caribous’ ears perked and then they both started fleeing. But on, the one to her left, caught her attention. It wasn’t running like it’s herd-mate. It was limping. Rumour quickly lunged out of the dry grass, pursuing the injured creature with such grace, speed, and agility, nothing could stop her. With a growl, she lunged forward and got onto it’s back, sinking fangs into the back of it’s neck. The Caribou let out a horrible noise, and dropped to the ground, dead.
It had been two days since Rumour had killed the injured Caribou, and her life was fine. Except.. She hadn’t seen Cehpeus in three days. She missed him and the rest of her pack so. But, there was nothing she could do except wait for their return. Or…New plan. Rumour thought, her nose twitching. Wolf. Two scentspaces away. So, Rumour pushed off the ground and began bounding northwest, towards the scent, and, after a scentspace, veered north. Soon, a red-pelted male wolf came into sight. “Centaurus!” Rumour said, running over to him. Centaurus looked at her, then, with a yip of joy, nuzzled the top of her head. She smiled and nuzzled his cheek, and together, fur brushing, they began walking on. Rumour had completely forgotten Cepheus.
The two Alphas had kept pace through the day and now night was washing over them. As they walked together, the sight of two more pack mates; the Betas, Lucan and Naomi, made them both smile. Then, all four curled up and slept through the rest of the night. But, all night, even in Rumour’s dreams, she kept vaguely remembering a black wolf; a wolf she loved. And she worried for him. But, she had forgotten him so well, she couldn’t remember his name anymore.
As Rumour slept under the stars, her silver fur bright with moonlight, she woke to the sound of an animal. A large animal. Game. She couldn’t tell which one, but she could tell one thing. She was alone. The scent, sight, or sound of wolf eluded her. Then she caught the scent of dirt and meat. A cache. But, she hadn’t buried any meat for a long time, not since she was a loner, just searching for a pack. This was some other wolves cache. But, her stomach growled at her, as if ordering her to go to it. Two scentspaces away and hard to place when she got there, but she eventually found, after digging ten barren, empty holes, she got it. The meat. The succulent meat of caribou was there, right there. And, a little dirt wasn’t a problem. So, hauling it out of the hole, mouth watering, she began ripping into it. The tastes and flavors of caribou burst and popped around her mouth. Caribou wasn’t her favorite meat. It was good, but not her favorite. Elk and moose. She loved getting her paws and fangs one elk and moose. To her, elk and moose was the best meat. Then caribou. She’d never had bison meat before. Rabbits and beavers ranked somewhere at the bottom.
After her meal of buried caribou meat, she licked her lips and closed her eyes, silently thanking the wolf that had buried that meat. then rose to her paws just as the sun washed over the horizon, spraying everything shades of rosy pinks and purples and oranges. She even caught a little reds and a bit of yellow splashed onto the canvas that was her home. She knew one thing. She had to find water and other wolves. Not just any other wolves. Other wolves of her pack. She could feel her lips starting to dry out, her tongue too. If she heard anything that made her fur bristle but it was really just a rabbit or the wind, her fur stayed up to long after it should’ve gone flat. She knew she was dehydrated. She knew she needed water. The den was only four scentspaces away. But, Rumour didn’t know if she could keep going. Pain racked her head, and she seemed to be hallucinating. She passed out a few times, and, after a while of illusions and passing out, couldn’t even walk. She had to drag herself, but, as the cool breeze brought with it a little moisture, she spotted the den. And the small pool that was next to it. She drug herself the rest of the way over there, splashing her whole face in, just to get it wet. Then she yanked it back out, wheezing for air, then began lapping the cool blue water.
As she lay down in the cool late-morning sun, she still caught no scent of wolf. She knew this was weird. Wolves always stayed within fifteen scent spaces of the den. Always. So, she headed north about ten scentspaces, and, as if a miracle, she caught sight of red pelt before scent. Her mate, Centaurus, looking weak and exhausted, forced through the underbrush. He saw her and wagged his tail weakly, just as Naomi and Lucan pushed out behind him. They looked thicker and stronger, though. Just a little. And then there was that black wolf. That black wolf in back. Rumour couldn’t place his name, but his rank was fresh. Omega. Then, memories of sitting with that old black wolf with the gray muzzle and matching blue eyes flooded her mind, corrupting it. She couldn’t think of anything else. Then, something just came over her. She saw the desperate sadness, the hope draining from his eyes, and she knew they loved each other. That way he looked at her, with loss of hope, desperate sadness, he knew she forgot. But, know she remembered. “Cepheus!” she cried, and his ears perked. She ran over, brushing her muzzle against his cheek. He nuzzled her back, licking away the bitter tear that rolled down her face. “Don’t cry..” he whispered in his old, in his old, rasping voice, that Rumour found calming and loved so much.
“Which mate did you miss? Centaurus or Cepheus?”
“Yea, Rumour, is Centaurus if your mate, or just a decoy while you hide in the shadows with Cepheus?”
“Huh? Well, what is it, O’ Great Alpha Rumour? Alpha or Omega? You plan on killing me and Centaurus so Cepheus will be Alpha by mating season, Rumour?”
Naomi and Lucan yipped. This was new. Teasing Rumour about her love choices. Pfft. After more teasing, Rumour got furious. She bared her teeth and let out a deep, straight-from-the-chest growl. “Shut up, you idiots” she snapped, and they whimpered, flattening themselves to the ground and lowering their ears. “W.. We’re sorry Rumour..” Lucan whined, and Naomi jumped in with the pathetic whining and apologies. “Fine. Just.. Don’t do it again, caribou-brains.” she said, her voice a little less angry and more teasing this time.
The pack was heading north-west, Rumour in the pack, behind even Cepheus. She knew she should be up front with her mate, but she didn’t want to be. She wanted to be back here, watching the back from the back and sides to make sure nothing attacked them. No one ever watched the sides except Cepheus. The others just danced and played around while the headed on, except Rumour of course. But, Rumour hung back, checking the back often, same with the sides. She wasn’t letting her pack disappear without a chance. Not even Lucan or Naomi watched the sides, and they were as old as Cepheus. After traveling this way for a while, they came to a small pond that looked like the one near the den. But the den was eleven scentspaces away. Oh well. Then they started heading north-east after everyone had gotten a long drink. They traveled this way for only a short time, then everyone sat down. Then Rumour became greatly disturbed. The scent of hunter was on the breeze, and it was but a mere five scentspaces away. She barked a warning, her muzzle pointing north in the direction of the hunter’s scent. But, night had fallen and all were asleep. She continued to bark though. But, the hunter remained five scentspaces away. But, Rumour wouldn’t sleep. No. Not until her pack was safe. She sniffed again. Her pack was safe. The scent of hunter was gone and replaced by beaver seven scentspaces away. Rumour sighed with relief and lay down next to Cepheus, falling asleep.
When Rumour woke up at dawn, she guessed Naomi and Cepheus had run off sometime at night for thirst or hunger because they were gone. But Centaurus wasn’t about to wait for them. He and Lucan along with Rumour got to their paws instantly and started heading east. Rumour kept this way with him for a few minutes, then sniffed. Hunter, six scentspaces away, coming from the north-east. Rumour flinched, but didn’t bark. Her packed wouldn’t listen anyway. But, if the hunter got any closer, five or less, she would bark and bark until her pack was safe. Sacrifice her self if she had to.. Then Rumour heard her stomach growling. She raced off and chased a rabbit, but she instantly tired out. She knew this wasn’t hunting for her this time. It was scavenging. So, she found the nearest carcass, a cow carcass, three scentspaces away, and ripped meat off of it. The den was near, and the hunter. She couldn’t smell her pack through the blood of the cow while she was eating. She would find them when she was done with the cow carcass. But, she had to wonder.. What stupid wolf would kill a cow? It didn’t mater. The wolf was probably a loner, and long dead by now. Or.. Could it have been… Rumour swallowed hard. Could it have been Cepheus?
Rumour pushed the thought away and headed to the den for a drink, where, she curled up next to the pond and fell asleep in the afternoon sun. And, when she woke, everything was.. Different. She sniffed and caught her own breath. The scent of cow meat on her breath was stale.. Two days, and one night stale, to be exact. Rumour’s mouth was dry. She wasn’t terribly hungry, though.. But she had been asleep for two days and a night. Any horrible thing could’ve happened while she was asleep. Where was her pack? Where was Cepheus? Were there any hunters around? But, Rumour’s jumbled mind couldn’t think. She was too dehydrated. But, she forced herself onto stiff, pained legs and hobbled over to the pond. She took an extremely long drink then sat down, and began sorting out questions and giving answers if she could. She sniffed. No. No hunters around. One question answered. She sniffed again, then again. No wolf scent. No old wolf scent. No dead wolf scent. That was a start, atlas no pack members were dead. But, that wasn’t finding her pack. She stretched then stood tall, pointing her muzzle, and let out a long, graceful howl. She was answered with the lonely, mournful howl of a loner, then the familiar howl of a pack wolf. And no other pack was in the Plains except her own. She ran and ran to the west, where the pack howl had come from. After ten scentspaces, she howled again. Same replies. She ran about, two more scentspaces, and sniffed. A wolf was one scentspace away, south-west. She bolted south-west, and was greeted by.. Centaurus? The greeting wasn’t really a greeting, but Centaurus dashing past her. What’s he running from? Or what’s he running after? Rumour thought. Then she got it. The pack always followed the Alpha male, but if the alpha female howled, they followed her. She smiled and began running back to the den, the rest of the pack following.
(Sorry, Autoplay. No paragraph/small paragraph here.)
Mating season had come and gone, and Rumour was ten months old now, and her abdomen was only slightly distended. But enough for others to see. The young silver she wolf was tired and distraught. Cepheus had been avoiding her a littler over a month, for her mating with Centaurus. She could’ve just.. Left the pack. But, if any pack members were to leave or.. Die.. No pups would be a high disadvantage to the pack. They’d be vulnerable and small to fight any trespassing loners. But, Rumour shook the thoughts from her head and lay down next to Lucan, of whom had become one of her best friends after mating season had gone. While Centaurus was leading the pack, Cepheus and Lucan would help Rumour get along. And Naomi, the subordinate.. She was shy, and just hung back. It came to Rumour just before she fell asleep that the small brown she-wolf.. Rumour had never heard her say a word except for when she was teasing Rumour a few months ago.
Night had gone and Rumour woke up, Cepheus and Lucan at her side first, easing her onto her paws. Rumour walked over to Centaurus. He was still asleep. She knew he liked sleeping late, but he never slept late when important days were coming. Like when he knew the pack needed food and had found a good hunting spot and planned a hunting mission, he was always one of the first to wake up during a day for hunting or far traveling. But, he slept. And slept. And slept. Then, after dawn had breached the horizon, but it was still fairly early, his tail tipped twitched. He scrambled to his paws, slipping in the sheet of ice that had devolved over night and the snow that was falling when the others woke up. Rumour licked his ear for comfort while Naomi and Lucan and Cepheus laughed at their Alpha, then the pack set off. South-west. Rumour didn’t like it. She always wanted to be at the den, and more so now that she was pregnant. But, Centaurus refused. He would get her to the den before she gave birth. He had told Rumour that, but Centaurus forgets things sometimes..
(Autoplay, I’m just keeping tabs on Rumour)Night had come and Rumour was racing southward to a musk-ox. She leaped onto it, going for the kill, but just as she was to sink her teeth in, the heavy animal twirled and flung her off. She rolled in the snow, the powder white fluff turning her silver pelt into a ghostly white and flying up as she rolled, painting the air above her white with a little brown. She stood up. She had hurt a leg badly, and she had a limp to her gait. She had no clue why she had done that. Her hunger was sated, but Centaurus wasn’t so lucky. Rumour had lost track of him a while ago when the sun set and he went a different direction. But she had yet to know if he had found food or if he was slowly starving in the powdery white snow that ruled the ground.
But, Rumour limped on eastward, then veered south-east. She eventually came across Centaurus, who was heading north-east, but he didn’t stop. He just kept going. And Rumour kept her slowed gait south-east. Then, after a long while heading south-east, when the moon reached it’s highest peak and glistened down on the land, Rumour’s eyes sparkled. She looked at her leg, matted with dry blood and dirt. Not even the moon’s beautiful light could turn her damaged leg a little beautiful. She sighed and turned east and headed that way for only a few pawsteps, where she lay down and instantly fell asleep.
When Rumour woke, snow was falling hard. She shook herself gently, but snow had instantly replaced itself with other snowflakes. Soon, Rumour was once again turned white and she was freezing. Her teeth were chattering and she thought for a moment her claws were turning blue. Her leg looked a little better, but she still had a limp. After these observations and such, Rumour licked a few snowflakes right out of the air, her tongue like a snake, snatching it’s prey. After a little of this, Rumour bent down and drank from some of the partially melted partially packed snow that was starting to encrust the ground. When Rumour dug, she was greeted with ice. A thin ice layer had developed and she couldn’t even reach the dirt. But, when she was fully awake, she headed north east.
~Autoplay~
Rumour was so bored. She was eleven months, and the next month she would have her pups. Her first litter. She was worried and excited. But bored. It was boring at the den all the time, only leaving for food or drink. So, Rumour stumbled to her paws, her stomach thickly swollen, and let out a loud, short howl. Replied with a loner south-east and pack wolves south-west. Rumour sniffed. The pack wolves.. Eight scentspaces away. She looked at her stomach. “Sorry, guys.” she whispered, and leaped off, straining herself to hurry. Not too long after, she was greeted with Centaurus and the other three. They were waiting for her to do something. So, she padded off, north-west. Then she paused, sniffing. A herd of caribou, zero scentspaces away. Rumour strained, but lunged forward, and forced herself to run after the fleeing animals. Three caribou let out bleating-type sounds and ran. Just like, months before, Rumour picked out one. The one that was closest to them. By the looks of it, it was old, maybe eight years. It had a few gray hairs along it’s huge body, and it was female. One of it’s legs were actually missing. This would be easy prey. Rumour barked, alerting the caribou even more of the packs presence, but the pack of which caribou to go for. And, with confident barks and growls, the other two caribou fled away, running as fast as they could with wide eyes, but the old one. She limped, struggling to hurry. Rumour nipped it’s knees, and Centaurus made a kill-rush forward. He leaped about a foot, and his teeth buried themselves into the caribou’s thick fur. The caribou let out a strangled bleat, and collapsed. Every wolf celebrated, the scent of adrenaline and work fighting to claim the air as the scents of dawn and freshness washed over them. The beautiful morning sun rose, and Rumour just realized the soft, wet dew under her paws. She sighed happily, then lay down, exhausted from the hunt, though she’d done hardly anything.
~Autoplay~
Rumour’s mouth was drier than bone. It felt like if she touched it, it would falter and melt into dust. She was severely dehydrated, though her hunger was sated. The den was twelve scentspaces away. Twelve! Rumour didn’t know if she could make it. But, she had to try. So, she started off running, but quickly reduced to a trot, drained of energy. Alternating paces, she eventually got to the pond near the den towards the end of night. She began lapping water, and stayed, drinking, for about five minutes, pausing only for a breath. Then, with fully sated thirst and hunger, she curled up next to the den and slept.
Rumour slept for the small remainder of the night, all through the next day and that night, and the next day woke afternoon. She was thirsty, so the first thing she did was drink from the pond. Then she padded off, and, after nine scentspaces, found a beaver. She decided to toy with her lunch. So, she followed it at a slow trot, and watched the fat animal, trying to scurry fast. But, beavers were terribly slow and easy prey. So, Rumour followed it for a scentspace, and when she got bored, just walked up to it and leaned down, sinking her teeth into it’s neck. She then grabbed it’s tail and carried it back to her den, where she ate the plump, rat-like animal. It sated her hunger, for it was plump. She could tell by the fat animals juicy, meaty meal that spring was trying to creep over the plains. But, winter had forced it to wait in the corners of the land until it got the last laugh, then would let the creatures endure warmth and new life. And, this spring was especially special. Rumour’s pups.
~Autoplay~
Rumour trotted up to the den from the south, and was surprised to see the whole pack there. Centaurus, Lucan, Naomi, and Cepheus, all gathered around the den. So, with a smile, Rumour laid down, slightly away from the others, and fell asleep. One night closer to spring.
The hot afternoon sun bore down on Rumour and Centaurus as a loud rumble shook the air. It was the Steel Bird. A death trap to every wolf that got in its shadow. Rumour forced herself to run, though it was exhausting and hard. Centaurus.. He left her behind. He kept running. And Rumour, her agility and grace gone, replaced with exhaustion and clumsiness, she couldn’t run fast, or dodge bushes as fast. Then, she saw the large, dark shadow and the great, silver death trap rumbling through the sky. Rumour was just feet away from the shadow. She didn’t know if she could make it. Could she turn in time? Could she get her grace and agility, just for a second, and escape this? Could she survive? Yes. She had to. Rumour refused to get a bullet through her head and rot on the dirt. She had lives to keep. Hers, her unborn pups’. And.. The pack. She was close friends with everyone in the pack except Naomi. What would Cepheus do if Rumour wasn’t there? And Centaurus? What would he do. Rumour shook the thoughts away and veered south. Yes! She escaped, and, after a scentspace, the rumbling started heading away, faltering. She was safe. And, after trotting for a while, she found Centaurus by a moose that was grazing, though he seemed not to care.
Centaurus had stopped doing his job. Just.. Stopped. No. His pack stopped doing it’s job. They didn’t follow him anymore. Like packs should. Like.. He wasn’t alpha anymore, although he was. It was strange for the pack not to do this. Did the pack insist on staying close to the den, for Rumour’s sake? It was a question unanswered.
Night had just fallen, and Rumour had elft Centaurus behind where they found the moose. But.. By time she got to the den, he, and the rest of the pack, were there. Cepheus, sleeping a few feet south of the pond. Centaurus and Lucan, curled up together tightly, tails brushing each others flank. Naomi, a ways north west of the pond. Rumour took a drink from the pool, then laid down, falling asleep.
When Rumour woke in the morning, she was hungry, Centaurus still lay asleep, and the Steel Bird’s echoing rumble shook through her ears. She could even slightly see it in the sky. She was scared. Would anyone get shot? She hoped not. But, she hoped her pack would also run, because right now, they sat near the pond waiting for Lazy Centaurus to wake up. But, Centaurus woke up and started leading the pack- well, atleast the pack is following him again- towards the rumble, but as soon as they started off, the rumble faltered and was replaced by the sound of Rumour’s stomach. She needed to find food. Maybe take her pack on a hunting mission? Yes.
It had been days since the pack found a plentiful carcass and ripped their fill off of it, and Rumour was becoming more and more.. Restful by the minute. She would sleep all night and through the morning, or even for days, until hunger or thirst woke her up. And, she had just been woken from thirst, so, she loped over to the pool next to the den, drank, then fell asleep, until afternoon, when she rose from hunger. Sniffing, she started heading for a carcass, four scentspaces away. And, after a little while, got there. The carcass had not much meat on it. For Rumour to eat and tear meat off, that would leave the carcass… It would leave the carcass just a pile of bones. But, Rumour ate, ripped some meat off, and started home.
(Fast-timed to a cache, it was actually a trap, but I’m not counting hat as dead. Darn. Ohwell. I saved a few minutes before the trap wound, so.. I’ll just reload. The above still happened, though.)
Rumour watched her pups scampering around outside the den. They weren’t even close to a month, and this was their first time out. Rumour had had two pups, a brown male named Emmit with gray eyes, and a black female named MiChelle with brown eyes. Rumour loved them both, and she was determined to keep them safe.
Rumour looked at her pups. Emmit and MiChelle. As they rolled around play-fighting, dust swarming into the air, Rumour sighed. She would be leaving them along. Not really for the first time, but.. She didn’t want to leave them three scentpsaces away. She usually only went one away. Sometimes not even one. It was easy for her to eat the beavers, but she had grown hungry when she fed her pups most of the meat she got from a beaver. But, she padded away, north-east, and soon came to the carcass of a bull. The white and black carcass was small, smaller compared to Rumour’s usual diet of caribou or rarely a red deer. But, Rumour bent down and devoured as much meat off of it as she could. The night was peeking, and Rumour was getting worried just as she swallowed the last scrap of meat and turned, kicking some of the bones in the pile. Rumour ran home, and was relieved to see her pups safe and sleeping, their soft breathing soothing her. Getting a drink, Rumour lay down, wrapping her tail around her pups, and fell asleep.______________________________________  Art credit to Grey. |
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