[DotW] Black Bear and Brown Bear

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Wildfire-Tama said the following:

Alcatraz stalked into the main den site of Aryn. His pack was very new, with only Athena, Charaka, Seaver, himself, and little Riley. But there was a newcomer in their midst. A newcomer her still did not trust… Raghaalr. Alcatraz was very distrustful of loners now that he was part of a pack again, as if he had forgotten that everyone who made up the pack were very recently loners themselves. But Alcatraz didn’t think of them as loners. He thought of them all as friends. And now this new wolf had come, a wolf he didn’t know at all, and a wolf who was not his friend, just a loner. Alcatraz would not have his history repeating itself…

He came across the dark she-wolf. ”Raghaalr!” He barked, ”Come hunting with me. The pack needs more food.” Alcatraz knew that the only way to get to know her was to spend time with her. This time would either reveal that she was okay, or (more likely in Alcatraz’s current state of mind) she was an evil vagabond waiting for the right time to strike!

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Zoketi said the following:

Red-eyes had been laying on her own, splayed out on the forest floor enjoying the remnants of warmth that filtered through the trees. She had her gaze half-shut, lazy and content. She'd gotten quite comfortable despite her newness to this land, but she'd always be on guard, with one ear cocked up. It was habit, anyway. When she was snapped from her thoughts by a commanding bark, she jolted slightly and swung her head around to study the speaker. Ah, grizzly-bear. Raghaalr rolled her massive build and slowly got to her paws. "Certainly," she retorted with a nod to the dark brown male. She shook out her own dark fur and paced closer to him, though kept a polite distance.

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Wildfire-Tama said the following:

Alcatraz eyed her as she agreeably heaved herself to her paws and padded toward him at a respectful distance. Alright… so far so good… for now. He held her red-eyed gaze for a moment before turning and making his way wordlessly through the trees, heading out into the depths of the forest.

Alcatraz was silent, not saying a word to her as he lead the way quickly through the territory. He did not want to talk to her, but he could constantly hear the soft sound of her paws as she kept pace at his flank. Finally Alcatraz slowed, having caught the scent of prey. He glanced at the dark she-wolf, who he assumed was right behind him. ”How well can you hunt?” Alcatraz asked lowly, keeping his voice quiet.

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Zoketi said the following:

The silence didn't bother her, though it was a bit of a tense atmosphere between the two, and she was slightly on edge because of that. However, she concentrated on her pawsteps and where she was walking rather than the stiff silence between the two of them. When Alcatraz finally did speak, Ragha had also caught the scent of possible prey, and licked her jaws in anticipation.

"Well enough to keep myself alive." she replied brusquely, also in a quiet tone. She wasn't the most amazing of huntresses, but she'd been able to pull off enough to survive whilst on her own. She'd always found her strength to be more in conflict between other wolves rather than tackling prey, even though some of the techniques were similar.

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Wildfire-Tama said the following:

Alcatraz grunted critically at her comment, ”Let’s hope that is enough to keep us all alive.” he growled, clearly taking a jab at her word choice. But Alcatraz didn’t care if he wasn’t being entirely fair. This was his second pack and he swore on his life it would be his last. And he didn’t like Raghaalr. He didn’t trust her. ”You go that way. I’ll prepare an ambush and then when I reach position you drive them toward me. Got it?” The dark male did not bother to wait for her answer as he turned and stalked away, moving slowly and carefully with his yellow eyes narrowed.

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Zoketi said the following:

She gave him a stiff look but said nothing in response, only turning back to sniff the air and gaze cautiously around the nearby surrounding trees. When the other  wolf spoke  up again she twitched an ear and gave a grunt of acknowledgement. She watched him skulk in the opposite direction before turning and pacing her own way, head lowered in mild irritation. He'd been decent before, but now he seemed to be in a mood. Or he just didn't like her. Ragha shrugged.

As she padded on, she didn't see the small ditch that lay ahead, nearly invisible with the muddy leaves and shrubs around it. As she pushed forwards, her forelegs sank into the belly-high hole and a loud snap echoed out from a stick that had broken beneath her paw. She herself made a half-stifled yelp, for it had jabbed into her paw-pad in a painful way. Ears flying back, she frantically scrabbled backwards to free herself, and realized she'd made a critical error. The sound of thundering steps meant the prey was fleeing...out of reach.

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Wildfire-Tama said the following:

Alcatraz was zoning in on the prey. It felt almost like he was a loner again, a young free soul ready to take down a full grown elk on his own… well, he had help this time, which was nice, but the excitement was the same. His ears were perked forward and he could hear only the sound of his own heartbeat pounding beneath his dark chest…

Suddenly the silence was broken with a loud snap and a yelp. Alcatraz’s heart leaped into his throat as the prey looked up in alarm and bolted. He plunged forward with a desperate snarl, flying only a few paces before skidding to a halt, snorting angrily as their chance for a meal galloped away. And who was to blame…?

His pale yellow eyes were livid as they shifted to the dark female who lurked in the bushes. He descended upon her in a heartbeat, tail raised and bristled and lips drawn back in a full snarl. With his entire mane for fur fluffed out to its full length, he looked almost more like a bear than a wolf. ”What was that you clumsy fool?” he spat, rounding on her in fury, “Are you trying to starve us all?” his eyes were two clips of smoldering embers as he glared down at her. He knew it! She had done that on purpose! She was trying to infiltrate his pack from the inside out, ensuring all their hunts went unsuccessfully and weakening them until… until… until whatever evil deed she had planned! ”I knew you could not be trusted! I can see right through you!” The dark wolf went on, his tail tip twitching. Would he attack her? ...no. She was still a pack mate, and Lady Athena would have his head for that… but boy was she going to get a good tongue lashing! Perhaps she would even attack him. That would get her kicked out for sure! And it would be only those he loves and trusts in Aryn!

He felt a tinge of guilt as such thoughts crossed his mind, even if it didn’t show at all in his continuously furious posture toward the female. After all… what if he was wrong… what if she really was just a poor she-wolf down on her luck and trying to find a new start…? And he wasn’t even giving her a chance… in fact, he was antagonizing her with hopes of her getting herself banished? Now that wasn’t right at all… the gears in his mind were turning rapidly as he tried to decide what to do in the heat of the moment, whether he could turn back on his actions and take back his harsh words… but that would mean he would have to admit to her he was wrong… oh that didn’t sound too appealing either… urgh… he’d just wait for her response! And then he would decide what to do.

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Zoketi said the following:

Gritting her teeth, she shuffled from the ditch and hopped to her paws, holding the injured one up. After a quick inspection she deemed it just a scratch, and lowered it back to the soil. However, that wasn't what worried her. She knew she'd have a reckoning to deal with. It wasn't long before pounding paws announce Alcatraz's arrival, and by the spirits did he look mad.

Raghaalr sunk down, against her will. Knowing that being defiant would not help, she reverted to a submissive posture. It irked her, but she did it anyway. She was not planning on messing things up anymore than she already had. She'd wanted this pack to be a new place, a new beginning. As he barked out furious questions at her, she remained still, tense and irate. Mostly at herself. She'd gone and messed things up.  Way to go. At a crucial moment. Especially in front of this bear of a wolf. Raghaalr thought of herself as black-bear, but sadly black bears were not as formidable as grizzlies. Alcatraz would be a fine bear. Realizing her thoughts were going off-track, which was surprising with how much anger surrounded her, she twitched an ear and lifted her chin, exposing here throat.

"You are too quick to judge, grizzly-bear." she rumbled out in a dull, almost weary tone. "You cannot see through me, instead you are blind." she closed her eyes, and her tongue flicked out to lick her maw, the only sign of her mild nervousness. "I took a fall and spooked the deer on accident. Burden me with punishment, I will take it. I apologize greatly for the mishap." she went on stiffly, before lowering her head slightly so she could look at him through wary red eyes.

Her gaze softened before it lowered once more, and she thought of her daughter, as she often did when needing to calm herself. Pallysa's cheery face swam before her, and she exhaled.

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Wildfire-Tama said the following:

Alcatraz’s eyes narrowed as she explained herself. He bristled as she called her blind, a growl forming deep in his chest, but he kept his maw closed for once, waiting for her to explain herself further. Took a fall! You look fine to me. He thought to himself, only just stopping himself from saying it as he looked down and saw the fresh scratch on her paw. Alright… Alcatraz supposed the evidence was leaning in her favor… He snorted, glancing into the forest to his side and trying to come to terms with the fact that she may be right, and he may have been mistaken…

He decided to not comment on her initial insults to his pride. After all… perhaps she had a point… ”Hmph… well… don’t let it happen again!” he snapped. He paused for another moment; a tense, awkward moment as he stood there motionless, not moving but not speaking either yet looking deliberate, as if he were about to do something but didn’t really know how or what. Finally he resorted to grumbling, ”Are you injured?”

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Zoketi said the following:

Despite herself, she was somewhat satisfied to see him falter, and she drew herself up a little, holding the injured paw carefully. It wasn't enough to cause her much strife, but she was glad at least it had been obvious. His slow, annoyed response nearly made her grin, but she held her expression serious and stiff. With the drawn-out silence, she only shifted and directed her gaze elsewhere for a moment, until he spoke up again. Her red gaze flicked towards her paw, and she wrinkled her nose slightly.

"It's just a scratch." she replied, lifting her paw higher and inspecting it. Nothing time wouldn't heal up real fast. She straightened, pulling herself back up to her paws to stand at her true height, from which she shook out her thick black fur, letting the leaves and dust scatter. Directing her eyes towards Alcatraz again, she bowed her head respectfully. "Next time I shall tread more carefully." she added with a huff.

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Wildfire-Tama said the following:

Alcatraz nodded assertively, ”Yes, I expect you will,” he said, happy that her head was still low and respectful despite his moment of faltering control. Good. She still knew who was boss. He turned around, ”Alright, Raghaalr. Let’s give it another go somewhere else.” He said as he stalked in a different direction in hopes of finding food for the new pack of Aryn.