A beautiful lie. [closed]

[Roslyn]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][bg=a58e54] This place was utterly creepy. Like something manifested straight from someone’s nightmare. Darkness seemed to blanket this place, despite the sun shining in the winter sky. The majority of the trees were charcoal black, and Atara would bet that if she dug until she hit the forest floor, she’d find blackened remains of a once beautiful piece of land. Hell, the place even smelled of the charred remains of the spindly trees that dotted the landscape. Atara loved it! Despite its unwelcoming air, this place was nearly perfect for her. At least she thought so. Why not? She was keen on keeping away from other creatures, and she didn’t smell one speck of wolf here. It was almost like this place was made for her. Not even the calls of birds could be heard here. That little fact gave her pause, but only a seconds worth. She didn’t have to hunt here. There were other places she could hunt outside of this burnt landscape, of that she was sure. Silence would be her companion here; at least that’s what she hoped. That was what accompanied her right now. Even the voice of her mother was quiet in her head, and that pleased her greatly. Her mother’s voice hadn’t entered her head yet once today, and she planned to keep it that way. For as long as she could, at least. Shaking herself from her thoughts, the lanky wolf trudged on, her paw prints marring the beauty of the nearly flawless blanket of snow.

[skye]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,420,true][bg=f3e795] Narrowed eyes peered, snout-deep, into the darkness below, searching for the frightened smaller gray face she had seen just moments ago. Slowly, like venus-fly trap readying itself for it's next victim, her jaws opened, and then lunged towards the back of the dark hole. But her fangs met only the baked earth and a cloud of dust. Her stomach rumbled in protest, silently demanding another try. Waiting until the dust cleared, with her face in the ground and her rear absurdly in mid-air, she lunged once again, but this time a hushed squacking ensued. Her hind legs backed up as her face rose out of the large hole grasping the tiny baby bird. She wasn't sure how it had fallen out of it's nest, but any grounded chick was a free lunch. A rustle caught her attention and her eyes and ears instantly swiveled see. Already in a foul mood from her previous headache, and coupled with her empty stomach, she was not feeling friendly in the slightest. "It's not nice to linger and wait to steal my kill...", she mumbled to it as best as she could with her mouth full, trotting towards the stranger with the limp infant fowl nestled between her teeth.

[Roslyn]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][bg=a58e54] With the silence that accompanied Atara here, she was free to allow her mind to relax in a way she rarely could. Atara was almost always on guard, expecting some creature to emerge from behind corners, or anything big enough to hide a wolf. Running into another wolf in this barren land was the last thing Atara counted on. So when a muffled female voice broke the silence, Atara was completely unprepared for it. "It's not nice to linger and wait to steal my kill..." Atara nearly jumped from her skin and she felt as if her heart would burst from the surprise of the unexpected voice. Dancing away from the threat on stilt-like limbs, Atara’s eyes flicked around, searching for the wolf who had spoken. Atara located the female and watched wearily as she approached carrying a small limp body in her jaws. The maned wolf’s eyes locked on the bird the female had surely spoke around, her own stomach announcing its’ hunger at the sight of a fresh kill. Challenge flashed across the lanky wolf’s mind before she beat it down. No way in hell could she take on her bulkier cousin. For a bite-sized meal, nonetheless. Huffing, Tara grumbled out a response, “’M not looking to steal your kill.” She kept her eyes on this stranger despite wanting to simply turn around and walk off. Or maybe run. She was torn between keeping herself safe by keeping her eyes on the female simply feet from her or turning her back on her and bolting. So she compromised, back peddling to put some distance between herself and this wolf. Notes; Ick; muse ran away. :/

[skye]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,420,true][bg=f3e795] She deposited her mouthful on the ground. "I tell you what, I'm feeling rather generous, but my stomach isn't. How about a little spar to keep us both spry and alive? If you win, I'll give you half of my kill." , she tried to barter. In the back of her mind, she wondered if the other would take up the offer. Remembering the questions she had asked herself upon arrival to these strange parts, she decided to add another offer. "Or, tell me where I am and about all the packs here and any other information you might know and I will give you half. Sorry deary, my stomach won't allow me to part with more than half."

[/color], her paw reached out to take a step, naturally wanting to maintain a speaking distance, but remembering her lunch, she withdrew it and reclined backwards onto her haunches. Her eyes rested on the morsel for a moment, the inside of her jaws quickly becoming wet with anticipation saliva, her stomach excited, and hateful of her offers.

She looked up and focused on the other with her golden eyes, examining the strange and exotic features of the other out of mere curiosity. It's large ears and long legs, and it's strange burnt orange and auburn colors.


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[Roslyn]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][bg=a58e54] Atara wanted absolutely nothing to do with this wolf, or any other for that matter. What she didn’t understand was how they thought she did. It was always the same routine, them approaching her, speaking to her, introducing themselves to her. It was rarely the other way around. Bloody hell, were they daft? Or did they just see her as a challenge of sorts? Befriend the skittish maned wolf and win a prize! A grunt escaped the lanky canine as she retreated even further, attempting to keep a comfortable distance between her and the she-wolf who seemed determined to make Atara uncomfortable. Intentionally or not, it was working. "I tell you what, I'm feeling rather generous, but my stomach isn't. How about a little spar to keep us both spry and alive? If you win, I'll give you half of my kill." Atara watched as the wolf placed her prize upon the snow, Atara’s eyes staying locked on the tiny morsel. She could feel the saliva pooling behind her lips, her stomach protesting its emptiness. For that reason only, she almost accepted the strangers offer; Best me in a spar, and I’ll share my meal. Her senses returned to her then, and she shook her head, another retreating step accompanying the movement. “Don’t need your food.” The wolf grunted, her tone had turned cold, closed off. “Find my own.” She stated, eyes traveling back up to the wolf who had wagered half of her meal. Her sentences were choppy, incomplete, and it probably made her sound like an uneducated creature when in fact she spoke that way on purpose. Who would want to stick around someone who couldn’t form complete sentences? That was her way of thinking; it was just another way to drive off company. "Or, tell me where I am and about all the packs here and any other information you might know and I will give you half. Sorry deary, my stomach won't allow me to part with more than half." The wolf spoke yet again, this time seeking information of the packs that resided on this island. Well, wasn’t that just handy dandy? Atara knew absolutely nothing of the packs, and if things went her way, she’d never have to deal with those wolves. “Dunno ‘nything.” With another step backward, Atara’s eyes shot around, searching for a way she could make a quick escape.

[skye]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,420,true][bg=f3e795] Much to her surprise, the other backed a few steps, rejecting both offers with broken sentences. In fact, it seemed to act a little scared, or much displeased, as if she were some super awful villain, snatching away the souls of wolves in the night. Her state of shock even echoed itself on her face, her mouth ajar and quite unsure of what to say. Naturally, her eyes drifted downward, as if the scent of her hunting prize drawing her nose into a powerful vortex. Unable to resist any longer, and seeing no reason to anymore, with the other eyeballing her meal while declining every offer left and right, she snatched up the limp body in her jaws, and devoured it in two sickening crunches. She licked her maw only once, but the time she spent doing it was twice the amount of seconds it had taken to shove the food down her throat and into her belly as quick as possible. Now, her distraction was gone - as was the only possible thing keeping this strange critter drawn here. Her head cocked, trying to think of what to do or say. "Well... " , she started to say, but her eyes drifted off, drawn into the tantalizing orange color. It was much more bright a color than she was used to on a regular basis. "I am looking after sad wolf who needs company."

[/color], she sounded out the words slowly, letting her eyes drift to those exotic beauties of the other, starting to feel slightly envious. "You have short fur. ", she stated, lifting her right paw above the ground and extending it outwards as if to illustrate an unseen point. All at once, she let gravity take hold and it slapped the sullen layer of snow underfoot, creating a tiny spray of fluffy white millimeters off the ground. "Are you cold."[/color], she half-asked, half-stated, feeling confident that the answer would be a resounding 'yes'.

She wasn't quite sure why she was doing this, and why she simply couldn't let the other simply walk away. Perhaps it was some unseen need for closure, or a feeling that life, and encounters with others in general (with the exception of that Divisia pack) was simply never long enough. Maybe the twinge of feeling bad for the other and her shorter fur (which she thought, regardless of true or not), would make it cold and miserable. Or maybe it was just the inner feeling of greed, wanting to amass others to herself like some sort of prize, currency, or even a helping hand for some future destiny. But in the history that she remembered nothing of, not even her name or children's, she had always had the same problem, not being able to let go, or to leave well enough alone.


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[Roslyn]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][bg=a58e54] The crunch of fragile bones drew Ataras eyes toward the wolf once again and she could do nothing but stand and watch as the female gulped down her meal in what seemed like less than a blink of an eye. So this wolf wasn’t so keen on sharing her meal. Or perhaps she’d finally figured it out that she wouldn’t get much out of Atara. Finally. Grunting, Atara prepared to turn around and march off; deciding that she had no reason to be as fearful of this wolf as she had been. That didn’t mean that she still didn’t want to get the hell away from her though. Just as she’d lifted a paw to begin to turn herself around, her mother’s voice entered her mind, causing Atara to grimace and duck her head. “Such a good little girl you are, Atara, neglecting yourself while I’m not there to do it myself.” The voice cooed, sickeningly sweet. Atara shook her head roughly, almost growling at the voice only she could hear. She was almost grateful when the other wolf spoke again, one word that pulled her back into the here and now and shoved her mothers voice from her mind. Her chocolate orbs locked on the space where the female stood before her, but they were dull, distant. Another rough shake had Atara retreating from both voices; the disembodied as well as the one that actually belonged to someone she could see. "I am looking after sad wolf who needs company." The crimson wolf didn’t even have time to spew out one of her choppy sentences before her long legs betrayed her, tangling themselves in her attempted retreat – the poor girl fell right on her ass. "You have short fur." She ignored the statement as she righted herself, shaking herself when she managed to get her feet under her slim body once again. “My problem, not yours.” Her voice was harsher now, defensive; partly because of her fall and partly because the longer she lingered in this female’s presence, the greater risk she had of actually liking the wolf. And Atara just couldn’t have that. Friends were something she just couldn’t allow herself to have. "Are you cold.” Atara nearly snarled at the statement/question, irritation quickly replacing the embarrassment she’d felt only moments before. “I’m fine!” She barked, not even bothering to keep up her false speech pattern anymore. “Just leave me be.” She spat, turning and moving away without even a glance back. If she’d been someone else, she might have felt bad for being so rude to this stranger. So far, the wolf had been nothing but civil to Atara. But that wasn’t her problem, now was it? She’d made it clear-or at least she thought she had-that she hadn’t wanted company. Muse; Okay, but it's 1am and I'm sleepy. I just hope you can get something outta it.

[skye]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,420,true][bg=f3e795] The other, with a high vocal tone that indicated it was female, grew more and more withdrawn. Although it's muzzle and eyes were pointed at her, it was as if it's soul was simply vacant. It tried to move quickly, but somehow ended on her rear end. No politeness was given to her simple comments, and once again, refused every offer. She watched as it turned and began to go off again, back into the snowy terrain of oblivion where it had come. The way it was unsteady, unhappy, and somehow disconnected, reminded her of a creature. One that refused to eat, and isolated itself, for the good of others, preparing to die an unseen and unheard of martyr. Anput opened her mouth, but her tongue fumbled for words, and unable to find any, quickly shut again. There was no help to be given to one who didn't want them. No goods to be sold to one who isn't buying. Slowly, she rose to her full height, arching her back on the way up, and gripping the earth with her four paws, shook it all off. Tension, awkwardness, and the odd yearning to intervene all dissipated as her fur flung from one side to the other. But she would keep the memories. Turning now herself, she briskly trotted away, eyes and ears wary for another possible meal. --exit Anput--

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