Bad Company {Kerr}

[timber]

Alder watched from a fair distance as a surge of water shot from the ground. The droplets caught the light from the sunrise and glittered like stars as they shot up and then fell back to the ground. It was a sight to see, not that Alder had any appreciation for the natural phenomenon occurring in front of him. The geysers had been interesting the first time he had seen them but the novelty wore off fast, he wasn’t the type of brute to stop and smell the roses. There were better things to do than spend time admiring the landscape, that being said the brute was not feeling himself that morning.

After spending the better part of his four and a half year long life as a loner, it was difficult to tie one’s self down to one place and call it home, even a place as beautiful as this. He wasn’t unhappy; he just needed something to keep him occupied. He hoped that his position as the commander for the wolverine regiment of Raekerin’s army would soon prove to be an outlet but so far life had been uneventful. In the short amount of time he had been a member of the pack he had already explored the territory to death, he knew every inch of it now. He had a job here, he had been given a good rank and he was determined to do his alphess and the pack proud. When he committed himself to something he stuck to it. He was to bull headed and proud to give in, if he was becoming wrestles here he would just have to work harder to keep himself occupied, there were others counting on him now.

The ebon and rust colored male got to his feet and looked behind him in the direction of the den area. He couldn’t help but wonder where his fellow pack members were, he hadn’t seen a soul yet that morning. The brute shrugged his muscular shoulders and began to walk in the opposite direction of the dens. He didn’t have any destination in mind and he didn’t intend to wonder far, he was built for strength rather than speed and if anything happened he wanted to be close to home. His thick winter coat covered a body that was bulky and full of muscle. He was a tall male covered in heavy muscle, a formidable opponent in close combat, he may not have been fast but he had survived by knowing how to use size and strength in combined with a surprising intellect. There were many big strong males but many of them were quite dumb and relied only on strength to get by, it was a trait that Alder didn’t care for in other wolves. He had no reserves about letting stupid wolves know exactly what he thought of them. It took more than brute strength to survive as a loner, not that strength didn’t help.

A small black figure on the snow ahead caught the yellow eyed male’s attention. He continued forward in hopes that it was an animal he could make a meal of. Much to his dismay the figure spread its wings and took to the air before landing a short distance away. Right away any thoughts of trying to catch the bird left his mind. Birds weren’t worth the energy it took to catch them, not crows anyway. They were all bone and little meat, not nearly enough to sustain a wolf of his size. The crow hopped along the snow, coming within ten feet of the wolf. Alder growled in irritation and grunted under his breath something about damn birds being to bold for their own good. The wolf began walking again only to have the crow follow from a safe distance; the brute was in no mood to be followed by scavengers. He turned and looked at the blank expression on the birds face as it examined him. He growled in a low tone before taking a quick lunge in the bird’s direction “Get lost!” he snapped his jaws. The crow cawed in alarm before taking to the sky and circling above, leaving a few jet black feathers laying in the snow. The male huffed ‘ you know your board when you start talking to the birds’ he thought to himself.

[kerr]

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[atrb=background,http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae183/sigathkerr/Tables/kerrighortablemid-1.png] normal - "talking" - 'thoughts' ____________________ His breath misted thickly in front of him as he panted. The chilled air was in contrast with the warm ground against his paws and he gave a small wish that soon spring would break the frigid hold winter had on the land. For now, though, he just had to deal. Not hard with all his fur, but one would always wish for what one doesn't have. The wind rushed into his eyes and he squinted, allowing it to roll over him. The geyser area was not the best place to be, he decided. He honestly didn't like this section of the land. The den area was on the edge of it, but out in the field of them? Unpleasant. A stream of water shot into the air to his left and he lifted his muzzle to watch the top of the spray reach the sky. He gave a bemused smile and shook his head. Okay, not totally unpleasant. The geysers were beautiful if one stopped to look and didn't worry about the ground underfoot. He had become used to the view in the days since joining. The sounds lulled him to sleep at night and whispered through the dens during the day. It could be an annoying sound if a wolf let it be, but Kerr preferred to take it as it was. A gentle sound, not unlike the ripple of frog croaks in a marsh he'd once wandered through or the chirps of crickets when night falls. His breath hitched as he yawned. A high pitched whine left his throat as the muscles stretched. His teeth clicked closed. He looked around briefly, checking for any wolves from the pack - or intruding loners as the case may be. That accomplished, he leaned down to pick up the snake he’d killed. It was thin, darkly colored and was clearly one of the Adders that made their homes in the geysers. Kerrighor grimaced, not pleased with this particular catch. But a wolf couldn’t afford to be picky during winter so he picked his way toward a safer location to devour his meal. It was true he could have gone farther away and hunted a rabbit up, or expended effort attempting to catch a bird, but the snake had crawled into his den. Wasting meat wasn’t an intelligent move. His jaws tightened as he jumped over a small bush, flopping behind it and dropping the scaly animal on his forelegs. He dug in as heartily as he could; unsatisfied by it but hoping it would fill his stomach a bit. As he ate a flurry of motion caught his attention. He looked up, licking his muzzle. His ears flattened against his skull as the crows collected, hopping nearer and nearer. A growl worked out of his chest, but he turned back to his small prize. He may not particularly like snake, but it was his. He wolfed it down faster, crunching the tiny bones and skin. The bloody, slightly chewed head was left alone. The venom plus sharp teeth combination was not something he felt like dealing with. The meat-less tail was also ignored. Finished, he rose to his paws, kicking the remains to the beady eyes scavengers. Winter never seemed to stop them from coming around. If anything they thrived more. With all the fatalities from cold and hunger driving the death rates they got free meals often. If only the wolves of the pack had more deer in their territory to die from frost, but the deer moved farther south during the winter and only ventured into their border on the warmer days. Anything that was found or caught that was of good size was announced to the pack so it was rare to come back with a full stomach. Not that he regretted the sharing. His stomach was none-to-pleased with its hollow feeling but Kerr appreciated the pack life more than being a glutton. He had nearly forgotten the feeling of being needed and relied upon. It amazed him that he’d forgotten he even liked having a part in a pack. Loner life hadn’t been a bucket of fun, to be honest. Even in winter he got more food in a week then he ever had in summer alone. He gave himself a shake, clearing his mind a moment as the throb of another geyser shooting skyward echoed in his ears. He licked his muzzle, slightly stained with the blood of the snake. The crows were squawking over the small bits of food but he barely gave them another look. He had to patrol now. No more time wasting. He’d patrolled last night too, at the order of Zat. She wasn’t a hard taskmaster, but her orders were meant to be followed. Anyway, being out and about kept him strong and fit. He was a large male, a bit taller than most and made up of hefty muscle. He wasn’t the largest wolf one would find, but no one would say he was a weakling. His green eyes looked around him as he trotted forward; retracing his steps back to camp so he could take the easier route out of the Geysers and into the rest of the pack territory. A few crows, apparently finished with their meal, flew overhead hopefully. Ragged caws left their beaks. He kept his gaze firmly forward, nose working to catch any unusually scents. Not that he’d know a supposedly ‘familiar’ scent. He was new and had barely met everyone. They all held the pack scent on their fur, so he recognized them as not-enemies, but he didn’t know all the names and faces that made up Raekerin. He was sure he’d meet the lot of them soon. Wandering around the woods and sleeping in camp was a good hint that he’d run into quite a few wolves. And he already knew some. Zatenya, of course, Abyssal, Giselle, and Artemis were the ones he knew the names of. He didn’t know the name of the white male at his acceptance. They hadn’t met up. He slowed abruptly, nostrils flaring as he caught another scent. Male. Pack. Kerrighor pricked his ears, tail rising slightly from its relaxed position as he turned a small rise in the land and spotted the male. He was black, like the crows messing with him, and unfamiliar to Kerr. Kerr’s eyes narrowed, but he let out a brief bark of greeting before approaching with no small amount of confidence. He didn’t act as a higher rank to the other wolf, but the familiarity one wolf showed another in a pack. He stopped feet away and tilted his head, eyes sharp and intelligent, a wary friendliness in them. ”Packmate,” he greeted, ears twitching slightly as the wind blew. ____________________ ooc - hope it's okay. word count - 1128

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