Running With the Wind

[castor]

The winter had been a harsh one for the small pack that Castor had grown up in. The current count of wolves was down to three with the recent passing of Kohsai that was still heavy in both their hearts and their minds. Castor remembered her as a gentle femme with a soft, kind disposition and a heart of gold. She never liked to fight, even against the disease that had wracked her body. The scarcity of prey hadn't helped either, and in that regard Castor felt a bit like a failure. He was the sole warrior of this pack, meant to provide them all with food, and he couldn't even do that.

Perhaps it was in that thinking that caused him to fall in an odd sort of depression in which he would hunt for days on end, rarely stopping for rest or to take a bite from what he killed. He would simply chase and chase and catch, then take it back to Serenity and Riuk, and resume.

That was what he was doing today, racing through the forest and trying to find stuff he could catch alone. So far today he'd only managed one rabbit, and that alone was a blessing in and of itself. He'd brought it back to the densite and then was off again like a flash, following scents and providing for the two females that were left in his pack aside from him. He had to protect them from the rest of the harsh winter. He wouldn't let them starve and die like they'd all seen Kohsai do.

I will not let it happen again.

[Riuk]

Though the Beta was grief stricken, she pushed her tormented thoughts away and dragged onward. It had been around fifteen minutes since Castor's last round to the camp, dropping a rabbit before darting off again into the forest. She wasn't at all surprised at his behavior. He was the only male, the only warrior, and he wanted to support the small pack as best he could. He felt compelled to run back and forth returning with as much as he could before going back for more. The she-wolf sighed and her warm breath came like a powder before her nose as she walked. She had left to hunt. If she found Castor she would retire him for as long as she could. She needed something to distract her mind, and her pack-mate needed rest.

It wasn't long before she stumbled upon his scent, though she had a hard time distributing the old from the new. The warrior had been through here too many times to count. Riuk groaned in annoyance before following the freshest trail she could find, dashing off in his direction.

((Uhg. Sorry for the shortness. I'm tired and uncreative right now. :[ ))

[castor]

((It's no problem. XD))

Castor lifted his proud head as he caught the scent of something he could catch and kill. Golden orbs flashed brightly and once again his brief stop for a breath was over and he was starting off in the direction the scent came from. It smelled like another rabbit, and if Castor was going to go up against such a fast creature as fatigued as he was he knew he needed to keep quiet and slow, body close to the ground. That's exactly what he did, while keeping all senses alert. Ears were perked, nose twitching as it breathed in the smell of the rabbit so near. He crept through the snow, step by step until he could see the little creature standing in the open, washing itself. Its white fur blended in with its background and had it not been for the movement Castor probably would have never seen it.

That's it...

And just when the rabbit's head jerked up and it stilled, having caught Castor's scent, the Warrior launched himself out of his hiding place and after it. The chase was on.

Castor's powerful legs pumped him after the racing rabbit, eyes completely focused on his quarry. The rabbit led a trail through the territory, and for awhile had the upper hand. It was rested, after all, and Castor wasn't. But Castor had something the rabbit didn't. The strong will to protect and have his pack survive. It clashed with the rabbit's will to live and overpowered it as the large brute made a final lunge and had the creature between his powerful maw, crushing its spine.

When the kill had been made, Castor dropped it to the ground, panting heavily to regain himself. Legs were shaking from the exertion placed on them, and it was then the warrior knew he was going to have to rest before taking this back to the densite.

Flopping down in the snow, Castor tilted his head this way and that, sniffing the air and making sure he wasn't too near to another pack's territory, and when he did he scented Riuk on the nearing wind. For a moment he wondered what the Beta female was doing here, but instead of question it, he let himself stay where he was, laying in the cool snow to calm down and take a bit of a breather before he would get up and head back to the den.

[Riuk]

As the scent of freshly spilt blood permitted the air, Riuk knew that she was nearing on the male. She increased her speed so that she would catch up to him before he took off again. With every pump of her legs her claws dug into the frozen dirt below the snow, propelling her forward through the trees, and her breath came out in massive fogs as it escaped her mouth.

Riuk burst into the open, her chest heaving with her effort to breath. "Castor," she dais, sitting down in the snow to catch her breath. She took her her pack mate on the ground, tired and broken and frowned. "Come on," she said. "We're going back to camp. You need rest." she said, standing up again. She was worried. He had been working nonstop, without food or sleep. "That rabbit is also yours." she said, motioning with her head toward the blood splattered body next to the Warrior.

[castor]

Castor sensed Riuk mere moments before she burst forth from the snowy underbrush to his right. His gaze was calm as it fixed on her, golden orbs taking in her panting form, and offering a small wolf-ish smile for her efforts. It was obvious in her words and her actions that she had been looking for him, however long she'd been searching. His scent was all over the territory. There was no telling how long it had taken her to pinpoint his location and followed it to him here.

"That's very kind, Riuk, but I'm alright. I was just resting for a moment before bringing this back to you and Serenity." It was true that he was exhausted and needed to sleep for awhile and food, but he didn't know how to accept that kind of thing now, while he was doing his obtuse way of grieving for their recently passed on packmate.

Standing to his feet in the same manner as the Beta Female, Castor walked over to the rabbit and picked it up in his maw, bringing it over to drop it before Riuk's paws. "Take this back to the den for me, would you? If you're headed back that way, I mean. If not, I'll be more than happy to." He had to watch over the two femmes as well as he could, and making sure they got a good meal was of the utmost importance right now.

[Riuk]

Riuk watched as Castor got to his paws and picked up the rabbit to move it to her feet. The Femme looked at the crumple body below, then back to the Warrior. She shook her head.

"I'm not going back to camp," she said, setting her jaw stubbornly. "I'm here to retire you. I'll pick up where you left off, just go back and get some rest." The she-wolf wouldn't be backing down. Though it was important to keep the pack fed and hungry, it was also important for it to stay healthy and strong. It Castor kept at the way he was, he would soon grow weak and fatigued. "Please," Riuk said, her tone softened. "You wont be able to take care of us if you aren't well."

The Beta was also worn from the grief of Kohsai's passing, and her normally bright grey orbs were darker than usual, almost flat against the white of her eyes. Even her physical appearance looked off. Where she would have held herself tall with pride and dignity, her shoulders now slumped and her head hung low. It would take long to repair the hurt of death that clung to Amythist like a plague, but the first step was acceptance, something that Riuk had grudgingly done already. There was nothing they could do to change what had already happened, so they would have to move forward and avoid it happening anytime again in the future.

[castor]

Castor could see the grief, the pain hidden and yet oh so obvious in the Beta's eyes and for the briefest of moments he wondered if she was worried for him as well; afraid he would work himself to death. Surely he was headed in that direction, but the Warrior had never so much as given thought to the damage this type of hunting and pushing himself could, and would, cause in him. Yet, at the same time he did not know how other to grieve, and likewise, it shone through his lustrous golden orbs.

Her pleading was what caught him slightly off-guard, but he knew he would not be able to rest fully. Not until the winter had passed and they'd tasted the first bites of a large meal of caribou. Castor's mind was fractured with Kohsai's passing, her lifeless body what pushed him to hunt and hunt and hunt. Though he didn't understand it, he didn't have the mind to question it either.

For a long while he was quiet, and then he seated himself on the snow-covered earth once more, head slightly hung with eyes still focused on the Beta. "I know that, but... I can't stop. It's like instinct... Like I can't fight the need to keep hunting." He replied, letting his feelings be turned into words as well as he could speak them aloud and describe them. "Please let me continue... We can hunt together. Maybe take down larger prey if we can find something." His eyes begged of her to listen, to understand that he was hurting inside, and that the pain would not stop should he rest.

"I'll take it easy after we bring down something big, or have enough for a meal tonight... How about that?" Debating with a higher ranking pack member was not his forte`, nor his usual habits, but Castor felt strongly about this, and he couldn't make himself stop.

[Riuk]

Riuk sighed, ad she knew that she wouldn't be winning this fight. The way he spoke, his words soft though broken had touched her heart. She couldn't deny him this desire. It was the way the warrior was and he couldn't sit back and mourn like Riuk had done not too long ago. He couldn't sit still and let the pain take him, he had to move, fight, kill. He had to be doing something, and that something was to hunt and provide for the pack.

The femme let out another long breath and the warm air twisted and fought with the cold. She looked once again to Castor and took in his appearance, though he looked much better than a few minutes ago when she had first appeared. "Fine..." she said, ignoring what her brain was screaming at her. "But once we catch something, we are heading straight back." A compromise, and she would stick to her word.

[castor]

When Riuk agreed to allow him the chance to hunt just a little more until they brought something else down, a small smile appeared on his maw and he stood. "Agreed." He murmured, before walking a little ways to the side and starting to dig through the drifts of snow, until his paws hit the frozen dirt below. Then he dug a little harder until he could place the rabbit under the hole and cover it up, marking the area in the way he moved the snow around, intent on keeping others from finding the kill, but allowing them to find it later on.

"We'll come back for this later." He spoke, knowing that the Beta female was likely to agree with him that they should leave it here and come back for it, rather than carry it around, or first bring it back to the densite. "....Where's Serenity, by the way?" He questioned, golden eyes gazing at the she-wolf's with curiosity. There was a hunch at the back of his mind that the Alphess was still grieving at Kohsai's grave, but he wouldn't assume things. Maybe she was out hunting too, or sleeping at the den.

[Riuk]

The femme stopped for a moment, her golden brows knitting together. "I actually don't know. After..." she couldn't bring herself to say it, though she was sure Castor understood what she meant. "...I didn't see her even leave, but one second she was there, and the next she was..." she felt odd and unease floated inside of her like caged butterflies. She almost ran to look for the Alpha, even though she didn't know where to even start. The feeling felt like a heavy weight on her shoulders, whispering in her ears to flee, to search. But this time she listened to her brain instead of her heart. Her brain told her that her Alpha was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, while her heart screamed wildly in protest. Go! it cried, but her feet were planted firmly into the snow.

"I'm sure she's fine," Riuk murmured. Then she smiled at the Warrior, her eyes regaining their usual lively spark. She walked passed the brute, brushing her tail along his flank. "Let's go get something big, yes?"

[castor]

A cold feeling pooled in Castor's belly when Riuk explained she didn't know as of this moment where their Alphess was at. It didn't really settle too well with him, and he wasn't sure why that was. Never before had he been this insecure about not knowing a packmate's whereabouts, but for some odd, unknown reason, he wanted to find Serenity and make sure she was okay. On top of that he could tell that Riuk wanted the very same thing. But like the Beta female he hid it under a smile and nodded, turning his head and then his whole body after Riuk brushed him with her tail.

No, certainly Serenity was fine. The pair of them were just on edge after Kohsai's recent passing; afraid for losing another, and yet too proud to admit it to each other. Or maybe they just wanted to reassure each other that everything was going to be okay.

"Yes, let's." Castor agreed, smiling before he bounded off into the snow, purposefully kicking up a little to hit Riuk's chest. It was a good sign that both of them were able to get their mind off of things for a good hunt--and for Castor, a bit of play too. He didn't mind goofing off a little, and he was sure it would be appreciated and returned, as his powerful legs carried him on, head turning to see if his packmate was following behind him in a small game of chase.

[Riuk]

Riuk was perfectly fine with the pace she was at, trotting slowly through the snow with no hurry. It gave her time to think. Serenity hadn't spoken much the last time Riuk had seen her. Just a few words on Kohsai's behalf. Riuk herself hadn't spoken at all, but howled mournful with loss. Perhaps the Alpha just needed time to think, to get away from everything and anyone. The Beta could understand that. When she had seen that Serenity was gone then she herself had slunk away into the pit of the forest and stewed in feelings that had not felt too happy. But no matter how much the femme reassured herself, she could not relieve herself from the tugging sensation that told her to turn tail and run.

Her deep contemplation was interrupted as large chunks of snow pelted the fur of her chest. The Beta looked up in astonishment at the back of Castor as he fled. Her lips turned up into a grin as she darted after him, coasting to the side before she gained. The muscles under her reddish grey fur flexed as she grew closer and closer. The Beta was known greatly for her speed, and in no time at all she was parallel with the warrior. She smirked as he looked back to see if she were making chase. With one last push she flew ahead of him, forgetting entirely about hunting but thinking only about staying in lead.

[castor]

Surprise etched in golden eyes when Castor found himself staring into the face of a smirking Riuk when he turned to see how close to his body she was. Right at his flank was where she was, but not for much longer. The spritely femme was dashing off ahead moments later, leaving him in a cloud of snow. Her longer, leaner legs were accustomed to much greater speed than his loping, shorter, more muscular legs were. Not to mention he was bigger than she was, and a lot more wolf to push through the snow than his female companion.

Not that he would ever give up a game of chase, though. No, never.

A grin appeared on his maw and soon Castor was giving it his all, trying to catch up to Riuk ahead of him. Soon he managed to make it to her hind legs, but in his current state that seemed all he was able to do. So he decided to play a little more, to distract the Beta. Castor brought himself closer to Riuk's side, then he turned his head and nipped at her flank playfully, jumping away and out of reach moments before he was sure she could do anything to return the surprised attack. It was almost amusing in a way, even if his legs were protesting more running. Running for fun was different than running for purpose. He could stop whenever he needed to, and he would, but right now he really didn't need to.

This was a great way to get their minds off of everything that was swirling around in there. The grieving for Kohsai, the worry for Serenity and their future, and the pressing issue of lack of prey. Right now they could play, bound, and chase. Over all things were okay for the pack. The rest of them were healthy and well-kept, and maybe in need of a rest, but that could be had later.

[Riuk]

As the femme totally and irrevocably forgot about her worries, she treaded faster, her claws digging into the ground with the force at which they struck the dirt. She felt the nip from Castor, though she did not return it, nor could she. The warrior had jumped out of reach. But the Beta smiled and slowed so abruptly that she disappeared from the brute's vision. She then went flying to his opposite side, kicking up speed and then tackling him from behind, her maw playfully at his scruff as they went tumbling through the snow.

Her carefree laugh filled the open air as she righted herself, though her puppy-like buzz still rattled her brain. She felt so alive and weightless! It was such an incredible feeling, something she hadn't felt in months. Riuk would soon know later, when she looked back on this day and time, that she had felt happiness. Euphoric with joy. Though the femme wasn't thinking about that here and now. She was thinking of the warrior that was in the snow beside her.

[castor]

Castor barely had the time to turn and look at why Riuk had stopped before the she-wolf was tackling him into the soft snow around them, a careful mouth against the scruff of his furry neck. Laughing, his legs kicked out at her, playfully trying to push her off his larger body. Not that it was truly much of a problem since her weight was nothing on him.

Soon Riuk remedied the action herself and got up, evidently feeling energized with enjoyment and bliss. Those things were hard to come by in these times, but Castor could safely admit that he was feeling the same.

"That was a cheap shot." He grinned, standing to his feet and pawing at her neck, doing a sort of odd hug of sorts as he bit at her muzzle, just barely grazing white fangs along her maw, teasing and playful, light and fun. Castor hadn't played like this in ages, but he suddenly felt very much like a pup again, with the whole wide world to explore and other pups to play with. He would not trade it for the entire lands, or really anything for that matter.