Running With the Wind

[Riuk]

The femme smiled, budging him with her muzzle and nipping at his ears. "Never did play fair, even as a pup." she said, and then boldly ran her pink tongue up his furry cheek with a lick. Riuk had, from day one, felt a special connection between her and the warrior. She cared more for him than the others in her pack, though she had never really questioned why. She had thought perhaps that because he looked so much like her father, or that Castor, in return, had treated her with such respect. But now she was looking at the wolf in a new light, something that she was still unknown as to why.

She studied the warrior with a dazzling smile on her face, that is, before the smell floating into her nose. She froze. It was familiar, and she knew exactly what it was. But why did the smell of blood just now lift into her nasal cavity? The possibility was that she was too distracted with the brute before her to really pay attention. Riuk stood with the odd, disbelieving look on her face. It was close, and she could tell by the smell that the blood had already gone cold.

[castor]

Laughing a little at her words, Castor jumped down from his position with paws around her neck and kicked out a furry front paw at her face, pushing her away after that tongue had grazed his cheek. Too affectionate for his tastes, though that was said only out of playfulness. Kind of like a child that didn't feel much like a bath from their mother's warm tongue.

Just the same as Riuk seemed to sense a connection with him, the brute too felt like there was some sort of fate tying the pair of them together. It was like they were meant to be in each other's presence, and Castor had believed that it was only because they got along so well, and accented each other in perfect light, but here and now playing with her so carefree, something in him seemed to shift, and in his eyes she became a new wolf. One to charm, to care for more studiously than the others.

The change was so abrupt that it made Castor stop his play for a moment to sit back, observing the Beta's beautiful smile with confusion in his eyes. His thought processes had only began to link to one another when he too scented blood nearby. His nose twitched and head swiveled in a different direction than his companion, something else coming into his mind rather than the pressing matter of trying to figure out what Riuk meant to him, and why he was feeling strangely for her all of a sudden.

"Did you smell that?" The warrior questioned, turning his eyes back on Riuk, seeing the disbelieving, unsure expression she too held. "What do you believe it was?"

[Riuk]

For a brief moment, fear racked through her body, ravaging her insides like a harmful plague. Her limbs grew stiff as she turned her body toward the smell mechanically.

"I smell it," she murmured. She followed the trail of scents, but all she could smell was her and Castor's passing. She lifted her nose in the air, scenting the breeze. The salty smell of the old blood had vanished completely, and the odd change was enough to draw her hackles on end. With a bristling mane the Beta frantically scented the air, moving from one spot to another. It angered her that this mysterious smell had evaded her so quickly.

"I don't know what it was, but it's..." and then as the wind blew it hit her like a battering ram, the scent that would have once set her stomach in a snarl of hunger if she were not in such a frantic state. She couldn't tell the blood apart from others as she would have if it were fresh. It could be from anyone, even a pack-mate, and that's what worried her.

And then she ran;as fast as if hot coals were thrust under her tender pads. She weaved her way through the snow, avoiding trees and other foliage when needed. Castor was temporarily forgotten as she pounded on, her lungs stinging from the chilled air, her muscles burning from her exertion. Though to her it didn't seem fast enough even though everything flew by with a blur. The scent was growing stronger with every lopping step, and with every lopping step she came closer to the inevitable.

With a yelp of surprise she rocked back on her heels, stopping abruptly in front of the tree before her. It was a sight. Such a sight that Riuk was frozen were she stood, unable to speak or alert Castor of her presence.

[castor]

Castor watched Riuk as she moved this way and that, muzzle in the air high above, trying to scent what it was that they had both caught a whiff of. He waited a mere moment before he too was scenting the air, the franticness seeping from the Beta and to him, and with it came the wave of fear and worry that crashed over him like a tidal wave. What was the smell and why had it come and gone so quickly?

Then it seemed like Riuk caught it before he did and she was off, not even asking him to follow. It didn't bother him further than continuing to make him worry for what the femme was smelling or running to. It could be anything that she was headed for. A battle scene, an injured packmate, anything. Castor didn't want her to go alone, even though his every instinct told him to butt out and that this shouldn't, and wouldn't concern him. He couldn't shake the thought that it might, however, and so off he was after the female, darting through the trees and underbrush.

Snow kicked up around him as he tried to catch up with the Beta, but he hardly stood a chance in his tired state. He fell behind soon enough, Riuk was running too fast. It was evident that she was fraught with worry.

"Riuk, wait!" He called on a panting breath, but she didn't hear him. All he could do was follow her scent trail to where it led. Soon enough he saw Riuk in the distance, stopped, standing stock still. It seemed as though she had stopped too quickly for her own good and nearly toppled over herself, but for what? The warrior stopped next to her, panting and looking at her in confusion. "What's the matter?" Slowly he turned his head to where she was looking and a gasp escaped his muzzle.

[Riuk]

The Beta had seen many dead animals, many times before. She had seen some of the most gruesome things, in some of the most gruesome of times. But she had never seen so many dead bodies before. The worry no longer tugged at her skin like an infected wound, but she was still cautious as to what could have done such a thing.

Jet black feather strewn the ground, and blood dotted the tousled white snow like splattered paint. The darkness of the red told that it was indeed not fresh, though the smell was just as strong, though it was stale and less sharp as if it had just been spilled. With her grey orbs she probed the landscape. Lifeless, black ravens were left crumpled with blood matting the black feathers that were still left on the body. Their beady eyes stared off into nothing. Some were stuck between he notches of the tree, though red blood ran down the trunk when the body had drained completely of it's blood.

The Beta shivered, taking a step back closer to Castor. It wasn't the fact that they were dead that she drew back with her tail slightly tucked between her legs. It was that they birds had been killed for another purpose than to be eaten. Their main arteries had been ripped open, but everything else had been left intact. Their meat still clung to the bone.

Riuk looked up into the outreaching branches above her. A raven hung partly from a large limb, his throat ripped open, his talon still curled around the branch even in death. He rocked gently back in forth like a hypnotist would with his pocket watch. His body was hardened with death, and he seemed to be missing an eye. The Beta, showing more weakness than she should, whined softly and turned away from the horrible sight.

[castor]

Nothing in his life would have ever, or could have ever, helped train Castor to be ready for the gruesome massacre that himself and Riuk had the misfortune of running into here. The warrior believed he'd never seen so many dead animals in one place, so many bodies killed for a purpose less than food. Feathers were strewn everywhere, the black like darkness covering the snow they laid upon. Dark blood was everywhere, also tainting the white pureness of the icy snow. He didn't understand it. His mind spun as it tried to figure a reason for this. But there was nothing. No reason for such brutal slaughter of nearly harmless creatures.

The only thing to shake him from these thoughts was the shivering of the Beta female as she took those few steps back, seeming even less ready for this kind of a sight than he. Instinctively he turned his head back, trying to use his neck as a sort of shield between the dead ravens and the fearful femme at his side. His own body shook with unsureness, fear, and more, but he would care for her first and foremost.

Castor's tail drooped and curled between powerful, trembling back legs, and he closed his eyes a moment to compose himself before opening them again, looking to Riuk, completely lost and sure that she felt the same. "Should we find Serenity and tell her about this?" He didn't understand this, but perhaps their Alphess knew more and could shed some light on what they were seeing here. Then again, he didn't want to subject her to the horrors if she knew not of them.

Gently, Castor nosed at Riuk's muzzle, attempting to get her to turn back, to turn away completely from what she was seeing. A small whimper escaped his throat, hopefully calming, convincing that it was in her best interest to just turn and forget she ever saw it. This was too much of a shock right after Kohsai's death, despite the fact they had been beginning to feel better moments before the scent of this had caught onto them and they had foolishly followed it.

[Riuk]

Riuk met eyes with Castor, hers shining with unshed tears. She nodded her head, looking more like a scared puppy than a strong Beta. It would be childish not to tell their Alpha about what they found, dead birds, black feathers, and red blood dotting the snow, so they would have no choice but to tell Serenity.

While stepping forward she pressed her face into the fur of the warrior's shoulder, seeking the comfort she needed at that moment in time. It seemed odd that the death of birds could get to her this way, but that's what it did. Despite the act the Beta put on, she had a gentle soul, easily bruised like the surface of fruit.

"Can we please leave?" she mumbled, refusing to remove her head from Castor's shoulder. Why would she? It was safe there, warm, soft, and it hid the massacre that was only a few fox lengths away.

[castor]

Castor's emotions steeled when the Beta revealed herself as emotional and gentle as she truly was. His mind was set on easing her, giving her comfort even in the wake of such a horrible disaster. Who would ever do such a thing, and for what purpose, is what the Warrior wondered. As such an avid hunter himself, he'd never even come close to doing such a large kill of birds without the prospect of eating them in the near future. These ravens weren't even buried for food later, and scavengers seemed not to want to touch them. It went beyond the unusual.

"Come on..." He allowed her the comfort of his neck, to shield herself from the terror, but he knew they had to get out just as she was asking of him. Whoever, or whatever, did this may still be lingered in the woods around here, watching for its next prey. Castor certainly didn't want to come face to face with this murderer.

Nudging her back the way they came, Castor didn't start his trot until he was sure that Riuk was right at his side. And then when she finally seemed to gather herself and come after him he broke into a run, though keeping her right at his flank. Every now and again his tail would brush her side, or he would look back, just to make sure she was there and wasn't paralyzed with the want to hide, or to go a different direction. All hunting was called off now, and the only purpose in Castor's mind--that kept his tired legs running--was the need to find Serenity for the two of them to report to.

[Riuk]

Riuk was not slow as to turning around and leaving with Castor. She wanted more than anything to leave where they were now. She followed Castor and broke into a ran by his side, not able to bring herself to run ahead of him as she did before.

"We need to tell Serenity," she murmured. Her plan was to first go to the beach, to where she had last seen the Alpha. Then they would check the caverns. Once she told Serenity, then she would most likely have to return to the awful place and show her the massacre. She dreaded it, but it was her duty as Beta. She needed to keep her pack safe.

"We should try the beach first. She may still be mourning for Kohsai."

[castor]

What Riuk said about finding Serenity was already firmly planted in the Warrior's brain, so he said nothing to it. Instead he concentrated on running, on keeping his legs from giving out under him. It wasn't as hard a task as he would have believed prior to now, because as always he had a purpose for pushing himself like this, and when desperate times were the present he felt like he could do just about anything for the safety of his friends, and his pack. In some ways he almost felt like a guardian rather than the pack's hunter, but that was not something he thought about often.

"The beach it is." He replied when she suggested a place that Serenity most likely was. This too was the last place he had known her to be, and with any luck she would still be there, mourning the buried body of their beloved packmate Kohsai who now roamed the heavens and the stars, watching down on all of them through these disasters.

Maybe, Castor began to think, this was why Kohsai had passed on so quickly. The Gods above knew she couldn't handle such a sight that was almost too much for Castor himself and the gentle-hearted Beta currently at his side. The soft, kind Kohsai would not be able to bear such a thing, and for once since her death, Castor was almost glad she was not around to see it. He knew that her heart could never ever take such a sight of gruesome bloodshed and death.