and im just fine | so go on by

@Cyprin

For the briefest of moments, the constant pain of hunger simply… vanished.

The eight month old had become a true puppy again, and it was not the waning fog but the presence of the sea that saw light appear in those often sad eyes. The air tasted of salt, the foam from the churning against the rocks danced in the wind, and the slightest tail wag would be awarded to the rising waves as he vaguely recalled a memory lost somewhere to time… fish, of course, was out of the question. Though Zentaro knew how to swim the darkness of the sea was intimidating, and thus it fell to the sparse, damp and dead looking forest to provide something to keep him coming for the following days.

The crooked branches bore no berries, and when they were chewed, produced very little in the way of… well, anything. There had been a strange sort of brown cocoon that had been snatched up and chewed thoroughly despite its bitter taste, but whatever laid within hadn’t granted much sustenance. Recalling that the base of trees often held mice awaiting the cool nighttime, the lanky boy began to dig at the roots with as much energy that could be afforded, but all that could be found was the moist, dark earth and the scattering of tiny things that were not worth the effort.

There was only one thing left to do.

Sea birds were crafty foes with eyes that saw in every direction and powerful wings to lift them into the heavens, but he would be faster. Smarter. When they donned the rocks afar close to the water’s edge, he would sneak up behind them and snap their necks in a single bite…! How his mouth watered at the prospect of warm meat as Taro tiptoed awkwardly about in the decaying mist, shifting from area to area, waiting for the damned things to land. They would have to. Eventually. Any moment now…………..

the staff team luvs u

And she barked. 

The fluttering of the sea-birds hearing her so and squawking away. She approached in the midst, seeing someone within it's shadows of a bonethick fog. Watching his creep through in an attempted hunt upon the lands of Dragonford's hunting grounds, and within that right, she barked them in an alert. Away, did they go, as she too prowled forward before meeting this boy in the midst of it all. An eye to him, lanky, too thin where surely he needed the bird.

"It's polite to ask before hunting in another's packs ground," her hide high and tail waving in a banner ; the intimidating and audacity only an Alpha could do, or someone with too much confidence within their stride. A coy smile was upon her face, a great knowing to what she did and — and uncaring bit, for she wouldn't want any strangers thinking it was alright to hunt upon the beach that the ford needs.

the staff team luvs u

The bark startled him-- he hadn’t heard her coming-- but when the youth whipped around her appearance startled him more-so. It… it couldn’t be him. Aggressive sniffing and wide eyes, no, this female looked like him but the pup had seen the life fade from his eyes and had chewed apart the corpse himself… an imitator. A nobody. A bastard who had scared away his hunting target, their lofty forms floating off into the blue blue abyss.

“You bitch.”

Just like that the boys demeanor changed, a voice too young for his body, the lifting of his muzzle as he began to snarl with sharp eyes and a puffed tail; he did not understand her body language. Having never been part of a pack her clear signals of authority were ghosted and challenged by the young ones own as Zentaro drew a patchy growl from his throat,

“Why the hell would you do that?? I don’t care about stupid pack laws, they don’t care about me, so I’m sure they won’t miss one fucking bird!” The pissed of yapping of the blue boy was pitched, voice cracking as his claws dug angrily at the mixture of soft sand and earth underfoot.

“Mind your own goddamn business, hag!!”

the staff team luvs u

Though big as they were, they were still young in tone and physique. Boyish, and angry as she chuckled with an amusement as her eyes narrowed to such insults following. He held same tones as her, as another that once was near the land and she wondered if perhaps one way or another, they were related in another life. The hue of them were a rarity, as she so assumed — even Jun's was slightly differed as if it touched the grim of stone. She stepped forward, snapped her jaw at him.

"Watch yourself," the wolf said, "in other lands you're blood will be spilled by the call of other pack members. It's fortunate we do not attack on sight." There had been times, but that was only toward enemies. Normally Dragonford would warn and wave them off for another day, maybe a hunt in another land altogether — but they weren't so bloodthirsty to chase every one off with fangs and teeth.

But the one before her reacted, and she too snapped once before raising her head, a look upon him more calmly within the matter, "you may not care for pack laws, but many would say otherwise." Her claws curled on the beach, just a bit.. Did his body overlap with the view of Ynness.. Reminding herself not to repeat so — there is not an honor no more within these lands of the slaying, especially of young blood.

She breathed inhaled deeply, before exhaling to relieve an anger of such an attitude.

the staff team luvs u

Taro took her snapping lightly, only reinforcing her assessment-- his next words were childish indeed, filled with ignorance, lacking in any sort of recollection of how the world worked. One who hadn’t been raised… one who had been left to fend for himself, never hearing the wolven tales of the lands, their ways and their culture. This absolute unknowing-ness would perhaps get him killed at some stage. The wolf didn’t really care.

“I don’t care if I die at all. ” In Zen’s mind he sounded ‘cool’ as he lifted his head, voice aloof, pacing to and fro a measure away from her slowly. “Death on the battlefield is the greatest death, after all. There is nothing more honorable. I’m a wolf-killer, after all. ”

There was a heavy arrogance in the eight month olds tone as he spared her a mocking, wide smile with his paw adorning his breast, looking extremely pleased with himself.

“I killed my dad, and I ate him, too. I am powerful and strong. You can send your stupid weak pack, and they might kill me, but I might kill them, too. Either way, I win, don’t I, girl?!”

Suddenly, in some kind of ‘sneak attack’, he used his claws to dig up a chunk of earth to throw in her direction!! Of course it missed. By a wide margin, in fact. It landed softly to her side, followed by growling as he fell into a ‘play bow’, but the language was confused and with every tooth in his mouth showing… it seemed that the boy was challenging her. Daring her to come fight, with that skinny, threadbare body of his and eyes dim with energy lost from lonely wanderings… it didn’t matter. It would be an honor.

An honor.

the staff team luvs u

Another one on a death mission. He reminded her so much of Ynness, but the difference that her words held a bit more elegance, and less talking. She saw him someone drunk on blood, killed one and now thinks he is like the God among men, and she only stared at him with an utter silence, awaiting his words for her snapping did nothing, and rather seemed to encourage the boy. 

He spoke with an arrogance, a smile that deemed him like a man of lies. Only trying to appear stronger then he was — Vendrussel didn't believe him, even if it was the truth. She knew family members can commit atrocities and though it was heard of wolvers slaughtering their givers ; he, did not seem of one. He seemed too smug — and imagined he would meet someone even worse then himself. There was beasts in the tundra, and he seemed like a fool who would turn and fight then flee and fight for another day, with others.

Her threw sand at her, and she side-stepped it with a narrowed view upon him. She wasn't a fan of the disrespect, and if he was older — the dragoness would be at his throat. But it couldn't be denied she was nervous facing another near-yearling, but she wouldn't make that mistake again. She would make sure of it..

But she would drag his ass out of her land.

With a lung did she fly, her fangs and claws out in a quick dash toward him. Her aim was at his scruff, though large as he may be, he still had the muscles of someone who yet to even hit their year. She would attempt pull and throw him out of this very beach, any thoughts of keeping such an unruly boy was out of the question. There was enough fire within the ford already, and most of all, didn't care for those who disrespected her.

the staff team luvs u

The charge was to be expected.

Wolves loved rising to the challenge, didn’t they? Though they saw themselves as beasts of grace, forming their oh so lovely little packs to play pretend that they had some sort of hold above the animals that roamed alone… when really, all any wolf ever wanted was blood. The fight. The feeling of getting the better of something else, be it mouse or deer or their so called ‘kin’ of pelt or blood. The dancing in his eyes did not carry to his limbs or fur or spine, that pleasure within worthless in the current situation. To live, to fight, to kill, to die…

That is all that mattered to animals like them.

As the she-wolf charge he too would storm forward, far slower than her, far more clumsily, as he used the wetness of the sand to send himself into a short and low skid in an attempt to grab a leg from underneath the pouncing Vendrussel-- his teeth would meet no bone nor flesh, just the tips of her fur… and if he had landed such an attack, if he was stronger and if the boy was faster, such a stunt might have been somewhat impressive. Instead, all it did was leave his scruff wide open and his own jaws empty!

the staff team luvs u

Though Vendrussel thrusted her paw forward, willingly letting the boy grab at her limbs. His bark was worse then his bite, and the moment to grab as her own moment to strike. She thought it was a small sacrifice to willingly grab at his scruff, and if she would, the dragoness would exert pressure onto him to be pressed to the ground itself.

He could be a fine warrior, the Alpha thought — but a wild beast. She care not for his whims of challenges, though would always willingly take such a challenge. Rather she would rather throw him out : to not see again and fend him to the wilds itself. She would hope someone else would try to take such a beast, but at the moment there was already too many children to try and help ; Vendrussel didn't have the energy to cater one of so much arrogance.

the staff team luvs u

The feeling of teeth digging into his scruff was not a feeling that was foreign to him; when his father demanded he do something, oft would the big wolf snatch his son by the scruff and drag him all the way to their destination, no matter what lay upon the ground, no matter how muddied or haggard it made him. A free spirit. Those words had meant so very little when his mother had uttered them in their times of respite, but she had spoken it so gently that Zentaro had taken to wearing those words with pride; a shield, a mantra, testimony to his own stubbornness and unwillingness to simply lay down.

And so, for this alpha, he would not put his belly to the ground like he had done so many times before.

Even when his resistance caused Vendrussel’s teeth harder against his flesh, no matter what tiny saplings of blood sprung from that heavy coat, the youngling locked his legs and stood mere inches upon all fours in defiance as her weight came down to bear upon him. Muscles shook. The furling of his claws were begging to keep their grip upon the slipping earth.

“Do you want me to kneel?” Came his snide remark in a harsh bark; he could not move. If even a single paw was lifted he knew he would falter; this was a deadlock. “I’m not like your pups. I have had to fend for myself. I have never known protection. I am not defenseless… even like this.”

And he began to push back. Shoulders squaring, those thin limbs rattled even more as he tried with fiery eyes to push himself up from the earth with every lick of strength he had… but the earth was giving more and more. Pupils flickered to the treacherous ground; oh well. If his words ended up not staying true and this similarly colored she wolf decided to switch her grip, he had either a split second to move or his throat would surely be grabbed.

Taro was the kind of wolf to bet on the 2% chance.

the staff team luvs u

She didn't listen to him. As he already threw sand at her and was itching for a fight, she wasn't risking it. She felt if she let go of his nap he would try and turn the tables dirtly, and at this point he spoke a lot but showed little to 'being tough,' and resorts to more menal efforts simply to try and win. But there wasn't a win here, she didn't see this as a brawl, only a child angry at everything around, and her, trying not to let the past repeat itself.

They were in a stale-mate, neither leaving and her not even speaking. She simply kept pushing, and pushing, to try and drag his ass out of here. Far too chaotic to keep around, for even if she wanted to help ; he.. He was too much like Ynness, a bomb at everyone around him. The only few moments till' death she knew of the girl, she was angry at her, and even her family who didn't seem to tell her anything.

But this one? Claimed to have killed him, and though she didn't believe.. Drag his ass out into the tundra where the ice and snow can shape him better.

the staff team luvs u

She had something he didn’t; time. Time, weight, strength, and the patience to see him flattened like a pancake against the ground; at first her lack of reply had been taken, in his own delusional mind, as a sign that the alpha was worried. Worried that he really would spring up like a flame renewed to toss her into the sea in a spurt of strength, and the youth lacked the sense to know any difference. It became clear however that as the silence interspersed between their heavy breathing grew longer and longer that though he could not see those ocean eyes the other had, they were most likely filled with a determination that would have sickened him to his stomach.

And so she won the battle. Not the war.

In a huff and a flurry of dirt the young wolf collapsed underneath her with the slightest hint of a yip, as if Zentaro was surprised by his very own faltering. This was not the end. Sides heaving from the effort and lips still peeled back in a snarl,

“I’m not submitting. I’m not submitting. I don’t give a damn, you don’t get to boss me around!”

… So he began the wiggling. Like a literal milk-hungry pup beneath a mother he began to thrash his paws around, trying to kick hers out from under her, exactly like the stubborn child he was. Though the protest was weak and would essentially do no harm, it was certainly annoying. That little strength he had was used unwisely, put into talking, that voice of his cracking over and over as the furious wiggles continued--

“You should have killed me!! I’ll keep trying, I don’t give up, ‘cuz I’m a wolf of the real wild!”

the staff team luvs u

She was more amused by him now that he was beneath her, squirming and screaming out of all the anger that was within his very soul. He would move and tear and use every ounce of his energy to try and move as she held firmly down. Trained by the oceans itself, she was well suited within stamina and simply treading in dangerous waters. An annoyance, to say the least, and she was not within pain being inflicted to her legs.

Vendrussel craned her neck down to him, "Long ago," did she start as he tantruming on, "I had slain someone a few months over a year. On this same beach. With the same temper as you." Although that wouldn't scare him she imagined, he'd simply call her a liar or otherwise deem 'I am not afraid!' she relayed her story regardless. Maybe part of it was to relieve some of her guilt, telling someone who was young as well and even more. To warn such actions had consequences ; and there was far bad wolves with her, or those who were similar in trying to prove themselves in a quick haste like she did.

"But I won't repeat that," and she smiled, lunging for the anything near his neck and shoulders, "rather, I will take take you out of this beach."

the staff team luvs u