Trying to survive

[Arellia]

Listening to one sound in the woods takes experience and patients.  Every other creature in the forest is chattering about and going on with their day. Then you have the insects that chirp away and the sound of others crawling on the forest dirt floor. It can all be very distracting when you're trying to pin point one animal through all the noise. Smell does help when tracking. If you know the right smell to track. Every animal and insect have their own smell, but Arellia was looking for one smell in particular. Rabbit. She hadn't eaten in days and was willing to go for small game. Her reason behind not eating for so long, her pack had been wiped out in one night. Or, so it felt like. Thankfully she escaped the bloodshed and hid in a small borrow that had an angry fox in it.

Later on she went back only to see horror. Seeing the after math and knowing that everyone was gone. Arellia felt sick and it was like she couldn't breath. After losing her dinner, she ran from home to never return. That is why she hadn't eaten in days and that she was alone. She couldn't catch anything big to chow down on. The depression she was in didn't help her hunting skills either. Arellia had almost caught two rabbits and one bird. But, she had given up in mid hunt. She hadn't slept in days either. Nightmares were to bad, plus she was scared of something sneaking up on her in the middle of the night.  

But, now all she wanted to do was eat. Her instincts had overridden how she felt for her pack in order to survive. She sniffed the air and the the ground a few feet. She jumped down on her front paws and pushed off into a full run. She had the scent for the rabbit and she was going to catch it. She ran through the under brush of the forest and dodged trees as she wove in and out of them. Nothing was going to stop her from getting a meal.  Finally she heard the movements of a rabbit and she pounced into a brush. The rabbit jumped out and ran, Arellia was on full pursuit.

[Dorath]

The sun was warm and bright and the air felt heavy. His thick, black fur wasn't helping keep him cool. As he wandered through the forest, his tongue stuck out as he was panting. The large male was on a mission to find any remaining members of his pack. A few days ago he returned from a late evening hunt. The scene he found was horrific and he couldn't get some of the images from his mind. He noticed that not all had perished in what seemed like a malicious attack on the Dorcas Tribe. Dorath hoped that the remaining wolves had scattered in order to save themselves. He had spent the past few days searching for any pack members, but had no luck so far. He was beginning to fear the worst, that he really did lose all of them.

His paws carried him through the trees, over roots and fallen branches. He stopped at a small stream to lap up some refreshing water, taking a moment to rest. His thoughts wandered to his pack. He lost his parents long before this recent attack. Dorath's father was killed during a hunt when he was only a year. Two years later his mother passed away because of an illness. He only had a little sister, but she was among the wolves killed recently. It hurt him to think that he couldn't protect her, but it pushed his determination to find the remaining wolves. Taking another drink of water, he splashed through the stream, continuing on his search.

A few paces later, Dorath was stopped in his tracks. A small rabbit darted out of a bush in front of him, when it saw him, it took off into another bush. It seemed terrified, as if it were about to lose its life. The black wolf seemed a little surprised by the small rodent, it caught him off guard. Knowing that rabbits were easily spooked, he thought nothing of what might be chasing it.  Dorath would soon find out though. Before he was able to take another step a white wolf barreled out of the bush. Dorath jumped back in surprise before he was knocked into. He crouched down, growling and showing his teeth. His ears were pressed against his head and he was ready to defend himself. 

He was a good fighter, easily defending his pack for a while now. Up until recently that is. It only took a few seconds before he realized the wolf before him was a pack member. Straightening his stance, he let his lips cover his teeth and his ears perked back up. His eyes, which had hardened at the threat of attack, were now soft again. He let out a sigh of relief. "Arellia... I'm so glad to see you!" Dorath said, genuinely happy to come in contact with someone after days of searching.

[Arellia]

The rabbit kept jumping in and out of bushes trying to lose Arellia. It was frustrating her because she had to stop a dead run each time to pounce into a bush. And, some of the bushes the rabbit jumped in were not friendly. Arellia had some sticky burrs on her white coat that would get pulled whenever she'd jump into another bush. She was so upset that one little rabbit had evaded her for so long. Or, at least it seemed like forever. She was hot, hungry, and panting like crazy. She felt like she was going to collapse soon. But, first, she would have the damn rabbit.

Twice now she almost ran into a tree. Dodging, pouncing, and zig zagging through the woods like a mad creature. Any other wolf would have gave up by now, but not Arellia. Her stubbornness always seem to come out at the worse times. The rabbit dived into a burrow and she chased after it. Only to end up with a thorn in her right paw, but that didn't stop her. She was so hungry it felt as if her stomach was touching her backbone. Her ears flatten as frustration disappeared into anger. She dug her front paws into the somewhat soft dirt of the forest floor to give herself a extra push toward the rabbit.

The rabbit jumped into a bush and Arellia again followed blinding after it. When the rabbit jumped out of the bush she noticed it got even more startled and jumped dodged away from whatever had scared the poor thing even more. Arellia was in mid air when she witnessed this and then crashed landed into something black and furry. Knocked to the ground she slowly got up and heard growling. She didn't want to open her eyes, but she slowly turned to the growling with her ears still flat and opened her eyes. She couldn't believe it. It was Dorath! Apparently, he took notice of her too because his ears perked up. She heard him speak, but it was as if they went in one ear and out the other. Arellia's ears perked up as well and her tail started to wag. She jumped up and ran over to him only to try and give him a friendly headbutt. "I can't believe you're okay!"

She was so excited to see him! Then she remembered what happened to the pack and her playfulness stopped. She sat down in front of Dorath. Her ears folded back on her head softly. "I'm sorry about what happened." Her head went down till her chin was almost touching her chest. "I was a coward and because of that...." The wound of losing everyone was ripped open again. She could only think what Dorath felt about her. He had every right to be angry at her for not fighting and protecting the pack. The shame she wore on her heart now seemed as if she wore it on her white coat.

[Dorath]

The condition of the female wolf could have reason for concern. Her fur was sticking out in places and she had some burrs scattered throughout her fur. She looked about as overheated as Dorath felt. And her face had a look of exhaustion and desperation on it. He watched as she slowly stood up, with her ears pressed against her head. The moment she realized who it was her stance changed completely, just as his did. She nearly cut his sentence off, as she excitedly ran over to him. I can't believe you're okay! To see her be her playful self was like a breath of fresh air. Letting out a chuckle, he nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. A lot better now that you're here though. I wasn't sure when I'd run into someone. I've been searching for days with no luck." His voice was soft and had a hint of sadness. He knew she wasn't in danger, she was unharmed, and simply excited to see him. Dorath gladly accepted Arellia's headbutt and returned it, along with a soft nuzzle to her shoulder.

The loneliness the male wolf had been feeling the past few days was starting to dissipate. Being in the company of another was comforting, especially since it was one of his own kind. He was worried he would come across someone from another tribe, before finding someone he knew. Arellia began to speak again and broke him from his thoughts. I'm sorry about what happened. I was a coward and because of that... Dorath shook his head before she finished.

"None of that was your fault. I'm just glad you're okay. Something tells me whoever attacked our pack, would've done so no matter what. It was so unprovoked and I still have no idea who is to blame. I only arrived after everything happened. Everyone was gone, the ones left had already perished. I've felt helpless about the whole thing, but we can't blame ourselves. It won't get us anywhere." He spoke in a serious tone, knowing that Arellia felt extremely guilty about the ordeal. But he was right, it was not their fault. The female wolf, and others who ran, only did so to protect themselves. They saw what their end would be and took the only way they saw out. Pointing blame at each other wouldn't help anyone at this point.

He tried to redirect their conversation, hoping to take her mind away from her feelings."You haven't come across anyone else yet, have you?" He asked softly, wishing there was a way to soften the blow of the loss they'd suffered. "Do you know if the others ran or if they were taken?" Dorath couldn't help but think of all the possibilities of what might have happened to the others.

[Arellia]

Arellia was happy to have Dorath return the headbutt. Finally, she felt safe and hopeful. She listened as he spoke. Some of her didn't want to hear his word, but she knew he was right. They couldn't blame themselves for this horribleness. She sighed and nodded. I don't know what to do. I ran before I really saw anything. Thinking back now. She wished she would have stayed a bit longer to see who was fighting the others.

She laid down out of breathe from running and hopping after the rabbit. She looked up at him and wondered what they would do now. His question about if she saw anyone else came across her ears. "I haven't seen anyone except you. I've been looking for food. I haven't eaten in days." And, like it was right on cue her stomach made a funny loud noise. Shaking her head to Dorath's other question. "No. Well, I did see a few pups run to the south. I think one of the beta's made another borrow somewhere by the tree that was stuck by lightening. So, they could dig and practice pouncing on each other. I haven't had the strength to check it out. What if they're..., she cut herself short. Not waiting to think of what could have happened to them.

[Dorath]

Even though Dorath was hopeful that the two would find other members of their pack, his heart still ached. He understood how Arellia was feeling and knew there was nothing he could to do comfort her and make her feel the way she did before the attack. None of them would be the same after this tragedy. It was unfortunate that their happiness had been snatched away without an inkling of warning. And to be unprovoked.. He shook his head, sighing lightly. Then Arellia's voice broke into his thoughts. I don't know what to do. I ran before I really saw anything. "That's alright, we'll figure it out. As long as your safe. We should continue looking for the others, hopefully one of them will know what actually happened." He said, knowing that if Arellia had seen anything she would've voiced it.

When she answered his first question, it was on cue that her stomach growled. I haven't seen anyone except you. I've been looking for food. I haven't eaten in days. Dorath nodded. "That'll be our top priority then. I could use a meal myself." He added, thinking about how hungry she probably was. He was lucky enough to have caught a few rabbits and other rodents throughout the past few days, even though his appetite wasn't the greatest. He could only think about finding the others. Of course he knew that he needed his strength to keep going, so he would force himself to eat. Dorath thought about it for a moment and hoped they could find a fawn in the area. They would be able to share it and could take it down easily.

Before he could mention finding a fawn, Arellia answered his second question. No. Well, I did see a few pups run to the south. I think one of the beta's made another borrow somewhere by the tree that was stuck by lightening. So, they could dig and practice pouncing on each other. I haven't had the strength to check it out. What if they're... Dorath nodded his head, deciding they should head south. "Alright, well I think it'd be best to go south then, we need to find the others. I don't know if any of them were injured and got away or what. I'm really concerned for their safety. As for the burrow.. We can double back after hunting and I'll check it out." He said, an empty feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want to find anyone in there. Unless they were alive and safe, but it needed to be checked out. "Should we try and catch a fawn, ya think?" He asked, his paws itching to get moving.

[Arellia]

She couldn't believe Dorath. He was being so kind after everything he had lost. Everything they both have lost. She sighed and her ears lowered more in sadness. Thoughts of how the others would view her came running into her mind. Hopefully they would be as forgiving as Dorath had been. She listened as Dorath took control of their situation. She could only nod as he speak of what they were going to do. She was never good at taking charge. No wonder her job in the pack was taking care of the pups. Heh, she couldn't even do that right. Making herself feel worse she decided to perk her ears up to really listen to Dorath.

She heard him mention food and she was all for that thought. Her tail began to wag, "Yes, lets." She sounded excited about hunting. Even though her limbs were exhausted and her sides felt like sharp thorns had pieced them. She was ready to catch some food. Her mind trailed back to what he said before. About the borrow and doubling back. She wondered what he'd find there. Hopefully, it was a happy out come. She'd like to see the pups again and tease them. Mostly, she wanted to apology for abandoning them when the chaos broke out.

She stood up and waited for Dorath to lead the way. She was hardly the hunter, but she would try and do her part. Now the challenge was to find a fawn. Plus, she hoped he would let them find shelter from the heat. They could look for the borrow when it was cool. Then again, if the pups were there. They would need food and water probably right away. Putting these thing in the back of her mind. She looked at Dorath. "Lead the way.", she said in a upbeat voice.

[Dorath]

His head shook slowly, watching the female's ears drop lower. He wished he could bring back those lost, but it was impossible. He understood how she was feeling and wished there was a way to comfort her. But there were tasks at hand that needed to be done. It would take a while for everyone to get over the attacks. Dorath was focused though and he would have time to properly grieve after he found the others. He felt like it was all on his shoulders at this point.

Hearing Arellia's excitement about hunting realized they had something to look forward to. His stomach was starting to feel a little empty and he could use a meal. His mouth began to water just thinking about it. "Alright, let's go then." He said, stretching before following the path he was on before coming across Arellia. Her voice seemed to pick up with the thought of food. She must be starving if she hasn't eaten in days. Dorath picked up his pace, hoping to actually come across a fawn or at least something bigger than a rodent.

Every so often he would check to make sure Arellia was still there. He knew it was hot out and she wasn't at her strongest now. He didn't want her to overheat or something worse. A breeze stopped him in his tracks as it blew a trace of an elk herd through his nose. It wasn't a fawn, but perhaps there would be an elk calf in the herd. He motioned for Arellia to keep quiet and follow him.

He ventured almost silently around the bushes that were the cover for the elk. They hadn't sensed the wolves yet, so Dorath was able to assess the situation. There were two large males and they were the farthest from them. Three females were standing near two calves and there was one calf bouncing around a good distance from the safety of the adults. Dorath motioned for for Arellia to move back out of sight.

He followed and kept his voice low. "Alright, if we go around the bushes on the other side, that one calf isn't as close as the others. We can separate it from the rest and take it down. Sound good?" He asked, hoping she'd agree. Maybe she'd even add some input about the hunt.