Why, hello again

[★Ryuujin★]

The sun was just beginning to set over Futago Pass as the Koga alpha made his way down the mountain into the valley below. He had been here, in the legendary territory known as Ohu, but never gave much thought to its past as they had once shunned his packs history. That was then, this is now, and he couldn't help but to wonder what the new alpha would think of his pack. Would he look at the new reformed state of Koga and welcome them as an ally? Or would they shun them simply because of their horrible past?

In truth, it was something Zehel was not proud of. That was why, when he took the pack from his father, he swore to change it, and, with the help of Fai and Kurogane, he had successfully done so. Thinking about the two betas, Zehel silently wondered how they and the pack were doing. He had been gone for only a week, but he knew it was long enough to make the two beta's worry for his safety. The once in a blue moon smile made its way onto Zehel's maw as he thought of them - they really did worry too much about him. But, that was the kind of relationship they had, he supposed. Not only an Alpha-Beta one, but one of a strong friendship, built over years.

Stepping into a creek to cross it, he shivered. It was mid-spring, and the snow was nearly gone, the temperatures were rising with the changing of the seasons, but it was still cool enough to make the creeks freezing cold. Stepping out on the other side, he made his way up a small hill and, to his surprise, caught a scent that brought back a rather strange memory.

Only a couple weeks ago, at the turning of winter to spring, he had run into a rather strange female when on an assassination run. What the hell? He wrinkled his nose with a snort and laid his ears back. The scent smelled of the same female, but he knew it couldn't be, what the hell would she be doing all the way out here from the alps?

Stepping atop the hill, Zehel looked around in the twilight glow. Forgetting the memory with a twinge of his nose as another scent reached his maw. Deer. The scent reminded both him and his stomach that he hadn't eaten in awhile, and, he figured, that for the better, he should do some hunting.

Quietly sprinting down the hill, He slid to a stop under a thick brush, gazing out from under the leaves at the small herd of deer that his nose had so keenly pointed out to him. Running his tongue over his maw, he crouched down, tail contently flicking back and forth as he slowly and skillfully made his way through the brush, paws instinctively making their way around anything that could make a noise to scare his prey away. Rolling his shoulders, he spotted the one he would take down and took a deep breath, calming his being with a whisper. "May god be with you..."

[littlekitsune1]

Elk's lungs were on fire. This chase was quickly ripping the air from her chest, leaving it to batter her eyes in icy puffs as she ran. She nearly snarled in frustration at the bobbing fluffy tail of her quarry. If she didn't know better, she would swear that the young hare was mocking her, disappearing and reappearing into the scenery with his coat still half white from winter's chill.

Her furry friend took an exceptionally high leap in it's arrogance, and she thought she might be able to close some distance, until her foot made contact with a patch of conveniently placed slush. All at once, her feet were thrown violently out from under her and she lurched onto her side --legs flailing-- before skidding into a half-melted snow drift. The Shepherd's head popped up and snorted the ice out of her nose, turning just in time to see the hare give a frisky kick, and vanish from her sight. Cursing this snowy region for the umpteenth time, she scrabbled to get out from under the icy mud and debris.

Warmth was slow to seep back into her paws as she licked them, and she winced as her stomach let loose an impatient growl. She was getting a bit thin... She'd been out here on her own for a while now, and was quickly finding that her father's forest had spoiled her. Animals there were fat and had few predators, while the creatures of this mountain were alert from their harsh environment. Hard to sneak up on. And the snow! It was finally thawing, but she had never had to navigate snow before her time here. Scents were so easily lost, and she had no idea how the residents kept their footing while running.

When her paws were picked clean of gravel and ice, she was thinking of napping when the wind carried a welcome scent to her nose. Deer! Excited, she rose to her feet and inhaled greedily. There seemed to be more than one. Perfect. Hoofed animals were worse in the cold and ice than she was, and if she could get even one of them into a good area she'd have a chance! With hope rekindled, she forced her weary legs into a steady lope, towards the herd.

It didn't take as long as she thought to reach the lightly babbling creek, where the animals were grazing. Crouching into the golden grass, her eyes scanned the herd while her nose twitched anxiously, making her mouth water with the rich smell. Her gaze finally landed on a single deer, it seemed to be the weakest.

'My chances are probably best with that one...'

Not wanting to wait out her element of surprise, she leaped...

(OOC: HAH! I told you it'd be bad, Phantom dear. XD)

[★Ryuujin★]

[... *Thwacks* 3< It was fiiiiiiine! :3 Better than my crappily written sped drabbled piece of crap... >.>]

The fawn that stood before the fat male deer that had caught Zehel's eyes finally moved toward his mother, leaving him with a straight shot toward the kill. Rolling his shoulders, he crouched closer to the ground and dug his claws into the damp soil. The deer were grazing, completely unaware to the coming danger. Good.

One step forward.
Two steps forward.
Three ste-...

What the hell?

In the instant before he was about to make his move on his prey, something, no, someone else. "Damn!" Rushing forward out of the bushes as the herd scattered from the other canine that had leaped in their midst, Zehel skillfully made his way through the flurry of hooves toward the male who reared in preparation not only to fight the other dog, but to deliver a rather painful stop if they didn't move. Digging his paws into the ground, he slid through the mud next to Elk with a soft growl, "MOVE!"

Pushing her out of the way, Zehel leaped in the other direction as the hooves came down in between the two, spraying mud. Shaking the mud from his face, Zehel gathered his paws below him and pushed on, dashing around the male, nipping at his feet. With each nip, The buck moved back and swing his head with hopes of hitting Zehel with his antlers. The assassin knew that if one of those antlers hit him just right, he would be punctured by the sharp ends and more likely than not, killed. That wouldn't make for a good day, now would it?

Sliding to a stop behind the male, he leaped up and over its back, landing between its shoulders, maw wide open and dug his fangs deep into the flesh of its neck. The deer released a horrible screeching noise as Zehel shifted his weight to the side, using both his own and the deers weight against it, causing the two to topple over.

On the ground, the deer struggled and made movements similar to bucking in attempt to gather its hooves under it. Zehel knew that at this point, the buck wouldn't bother to fight back if it were released, it would simply flee. He couldn't let that happen. He was too far into this to let that happen now, he had done too much to simply let his desired meal to get away so easily. Pulling his trapped paw out from underneath the male, Zehel managed to stand up and pin the buck, stomping on its eye with a hind paw to blind the creature as he moved his maw from the vertebra to the most precious part of the neck - the jugular.

Sinking his teeth in deep, he continued to squeeze until a satisfying popping noise filled his ears and a warm liquid filled his maw. Releasing the now motionless creature, he swallowed the blood and ran a tongue over his maw, wiping away any evidence that it was he who had slain the buck.

With all the other deer now gone and the small valley silent, Zehel stepped off of his prize and turned to face the other canine who had caused this now minor inconvenience. What he saw, wasnt what he expected at all. Matter of fact... It was you I smelled! Elk... why are you here... Regaining his prideful composure, Zehel huffed, to his surprise, a highly unusual teasing edge colored his tone, "Well well, look who I found. Trying to ruin my dinner by chasing it off now, are we?"

[littlekitsune1]

(*thwacked* >_< *yelps* T_T)

'Perhaps I shouldn't have let my belly think this one through for me...' the Shepherd mused too late, as her hasty entrance caused the deer to scatter. The object of her interest turned out to be far less slow than she'd hoped, tearing away with a frightened cry, and leaving her teeth to click together in the empty space where it's throat had been.

'Damn it all!'

She gave chase, knowing full well how low her chances were sinking. Her paws and throat still ached from her earlier exploits, but desperation had taken over logic. It was eat soon, or die. She didn't see the buck until it was almost to late, and the polished spikes of it's antlers lay between her and her quarry. The bewildered dog sunk her claws into the mud, lurching to a halt just as the beast snorted and raised it's legs to strike.

"MOVE!" The voice was close to her ear, and Elk grunted as she was roughly shoved to the side. Not a heartbeat later, mud erupted from the impact site, spattering her coat a dirty shade. Time seemed to suspend the earthy shower while her eyes picked through the air-born debris for her savior. A flashing shadow was all she caught, before he was gone, after the buck. There was something familiar about that scent... Before she could contemplate it further, her eyes landed on the swollen hoof marks.

'Gods... That could've been my head,' she thought in horror. The revelation must have mesmerized her, because the next thing she knew, the sounds of a brief scuffle and a sickening crack had her turning back to face a very unexpected surprise. 'You!'

Standing over the deer with a deadly grace she recognized instantly, was a dog she'd never have thought to meet again. As she stared, blue eyes sparked back at her with irritated amusement. "Well well, look who I found. Trying to ruin my dinner by chasing it off now, are we?" His tone reflected his eyes, and she let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, rising to her feet. It wasn't until that moment that Elk realized how alone she'd felt out here in the wilderness, and how much she'd missed the company of another. Her tail danced back and forth of it's own accord, and her face lit up with a relieved smile.

"Zehel-kun! So we meet again! I was just... well..." she had the good graces to look sheepish, "Fast food's never been my thing..."

The bantered excuse sounded lame, even to her ears. But with her body so sluggish, and her mind so frazzled, she couldn't think of another way to answer him.

[★Ryuujin★]

[*licks and pets soothingly* Just as long as you stop INSULTING YOUR WORK... *ahem* I won't thwack you again ^^]

Turning away from Elk slightly, Zehel lowered his head toward the kill, deeply breathing in the warm, coppery scent of its blood. He could almost taste it, and it made his maw start to water, his heart quickened its pace at the thought of the meal. Running his tongue over his maw again, he bared his teeth and sunk them deep into the side of the deer, tearing away the skin. As he did so, he could feel the heat of the meat, like any other fresh kill. It teased his his senses, taste, eyes, smell... and more-so, his stomach.

"Zehel-kun! So we meet again! I was just... well..."

Tearing his eyes away from his meal, he shifted his body to look at elk, blood dripping from his maw. His ears twitched slightly as he lowered his head, focusing on her. She really was interesting, which Zehel found odd. He was never interested in many canines unless he thought they had the prowess to be in his pack. So, what was it about this one he found so... different?

"Fast food's never been my thing..."

At this, Zehel couldn't help but sigh softly. So she was here, looking for a meal as well, it couldn't be helped though, everyone got hungry. He just found it extremely.... odd, to say the least, that she had her eyes on the exact thing he had chosen. Some may call it fate. Zehel thought of it as sheer stupid luck. Fate was nothing. Fate wasn't set in stone, one made their own fate.

Raising his head again, He moved to the far side of the deer from Elk, licking the blood from his maw as he stood himself tall, blue eyes gazing at her, unwavering. "I see..."Oh yeah, nice response buddy. Don't be an ass, invite her over. He mentally argued with himself. It wasn't like him to feed someone who wasn't in Koga, but seeing as he had previously met the canine, he couldn't bring himself to turn her away. Hell, he was going soft.

"Listen. It's too big for me to eat alone, and my pack's too far away to take the leftovers home like I usually would so..." He looked back down at the deer as his voice trailed off. It felt strange, being so nice, warm... inviting. Shaking his head slightly at the thought, he focused his gaze up at her, head still down, maw pointed at the opening in the meat. A sudden smirk touched the corner of his maw as he waved his paw over the deer. "Care to Join me?"

[littlekitsune1]

(*grumbles and shuts up* >_>)

Elk thought her eyes might pop out of her head at his request. She had honestly not been expecting that. The assassin had never been anything but civil to her, but he carried the aura of one who looked after his own well-being, not scrawny little lost girls.

"I..." Her stomach once again made itself very clear about what it thought she should do. "I wouldn't want to..." Her weary muscles throbbed. She was sure a claw or two had broken as well, she could smell the thin traces of her blood. Giving in to her body's demands, she heaved a shuddering sigh before approaching the kill. "I... Thank you," she breathed. Keeping a respectful distance from Zehel, she tore at one of the holes in the deer's hide, stretching it to accommodate her muzzle. She couldn't stop her mouth from watering from the heady scent that wafted out of the meat, and dug in with gusto.

Once she'd gulped down the first bite, she found she couldn't stop if she wanted to. Her last meal had been days ago, and even before then she'd been subsisting on small mammals or the occasional stray fawn. Her belly thrummed with happiness as she ate her fill for the first time in weeks.

[Kai]

Hit or miss, fuck or fight
It's time to live your life
Go ahead, I know I'm right
I'm gonna lay it on the line

Kesshi

A lone canine walked through the woods of Ohu, head held high and ears perked for anything. His white fur glistened in the filtering sunlight as his red mohawk became more pronounced. Scars covered his lean, well muscular body, the signs of a rough and well fought life. The male walked at a slow pace, enjoying the scents of the air and the images of the scenery that played across his mind. For, as one could easily tell, this dog was as blind as a bat, but, he was far from helpless. The shikoku-ken used his mind's eye to move about, seeing the energy of the things around him within his mind.

Kesshi had come to this land to view the battles of the past... To sight-see in other words. He was old, around seven years, and at this point, lacked a student to train. So in order to keep himself from growing bored, he had began to travel, going from place to place and learning the fighting skills of the past. And how did he do that, well that his is little secret that one would learn if they had him for a teacher. For he does not go about telling his secrets to strangers, now he would surely be senile if he did that.

The loner stopped suddenly and sniffed the air; Deer blood... he thought, turning his head to the direction of the smell. With his mind's eye he looked and noticed two other canines, one of which was eating the fallen deer. Suddenly Kesshi was pained, he wanted to approached the others, but he had to "see" Gajou. He growled softly as he thought of what to do and eventually one side won and he started to move again.

Slowly he walked toward the fellow canines, making sure not to make a sound, just in case these creature were violent. He did not sense violence from them, but that meant nothing until he was closer and could tell their motives. He stopped several yards away and his body froze accept for his ears, they twitched left and right, searching for the location of a sound. Then in a quick leap, he opened his jaws and clamped down on the body of a passing bird. Kesshi landed gracefully with the bird in his jaws, limp and lifeless. He smiled and continued his approach to the others; "Mind if I join you?"

Put yourself in my shoes
Would you stand up for your rights
Line em up and knock em down
I'm not running scared tonight

[ooc: Mind if I join? If you do, I'll just delete this]
[song: Stop Looking Start Seeing; by Papa Roach]

[★Ryuujin★]

[Of course not Kai :3 Rather glad to have you join, actually]

Watching her as her mind seemed to wrap around the idea with careful eyes, Zehel sat down next to the offered carcass. It smelled good, amazingly so to his overly hungry being, causing his stomach to growl inaudibly. Although unheard, he definitely felt it, and it made him grimace slightly.

"I..."

Oh? Why was she fumbling now? What was wrong with taking offered food? It wasn't like she was stealing it now...

"I wouldn't want to..."

Go on... you know you can't refuse the offer. It's too tempting. Much too tempting. Fresh, warm meat. Zehel didn't know a dog alive that would turn down such an offer.

"I... Thank you,"

There you go. "See, that wasnt too hard, was it?" Zehel teased her as he smiled softly. Lowering his head back to the spot he tore open, the ninja gently licked some of the freshly flowing blood from the top before bearing his fangs and sinking them in deep, easily tearing away a chunk to pull it in his mouth and devour it. Swallowing, he reveled in the feeling of something filling his stomach as he licked the blood from his maw before moving in to take another bite.

It hadn't been too long after the two had started eating that something caught Zehel's attention, causing his head to snap up, ears fully erect. His left ear twitched and he looked in that direction, eyes keenly peeled at the bushes surrounding them. He had heard something, he knew he had. It had been slight, but he knew he heard it! Licking the remaining blood from his maw, Zehel carefully stood up, his whole body tense with alertness, ready to pounce at the first sign of trouble.

There was a quick flutter of wings and a sudden rustling in the bushes, which caused the fur on Zehel's back to rise, his upper lip curling back in a silent snarl. Narrowing his blue eyes, he stepped before the deer, scanning the landscape in the direction he had heard the noise come from. As the cause of the noise landed before his eyes, Zehel felt himself relax some, his lip falling back down, head lifting in a less offensive stance. It was simply another canine, one hunting nonetheless, nothing harmful. Not at the time being, at least.

The fur on his back laid itself back down as he shook his pelt gently. Despite his offensive being fading away, Zehel still didn't let his guard down, he couldn't. What if this canine meant them harm, though, he highly doubted it. He had hardly heard the canine approach, and it made him shutter with the thought. If this newcomer really wanted to, he could've easily attacked and gotten the better of them.

"Mind if I join you?"

Zehel shook his head softly as he turned to move back to his previous spot. No, this newcomer didn't mean them any harm, simply wanted some company to eat with. Who would want to eat alone when you had someone so close to you, right? Laying his ears back, he took a seat next to the deer once again, staring down at the hole he had already made before looking back at the other male. "So, stranger. What brings you here? You a part of that pack of Ohu warriors?"

[littlekitsune1]

(I don't have a problem with it, either. ^^ The more, the merrier.)

Her companion's teasing words vaguely registered, so engrossed was Elk in stuffing her gut. She could have wept, it felt so good to feel meat in her stomach again! However, her trance was broken when she heard Zehel shifting away from the kill. Taking in his posture immediately set her on edge, and she strained her senses.

Said straining got her nowhere, as it quickly become obvious she could not hear or sense what he could. 'Must be an assassin thing...' she deduced. 'But still, he looks intense. I wonder what--' The sudden emergence of the older looking dog caused her to jump back in shock, her own hackles rising with trepidation. His breed was unfamiliar to her, but he had a certain similarity to Zehel... Perhaps they knew each other?

"Mind if I join you?"

Aforementioned assassin relaxed, and so she did, too. Maybe they knew each other, after all. With that thought in mind, she smiled warmly at the newcomer and settled back into her spot.

"So, stranger..." Well, that blew that theory. "What brings you here? You a part of that pack of Ohu warriors?" Wait... Ohu? But she'd never been able to find any Ohu! Intrigued, she waited for the dog's answer.

[Kai]

Hit or miss, fuck or fight
It's time to live your life
Go ahead, I know I'm right
I'm gonna lay it on the line

Kesshi

As he approached the strangers, he sensed the tension rise in the larger of the two. The other one began tense also as he continued to come closer; maybe it wasn't the best idea to be all stealth-ninja-like, but that was just how he was. Kesshi was a warrior through and through, a fighter, a trained master in fighting in almost all art forms. So it was his nature to be quiet, to listen to what was around him and to gather information. Especially since he was blind.

Once in front of the others, he placed the bird at his paws and smiled a friendly smile. Through his mind's eye he could make out that one was now male, and the other was female. A pair? Perhaps, but he was not going to make assumptions. Guessing about this was only could if you knew you were right in the end; he had learned that the hard way years ago. He sighed as he thought about his past, oh how loved it was to be young and full of energy... And to see.

"So, stranger. What brings you here? You a part of that pack of Ohu warriors?"

Kesshi lowered his head and took a bite of his kill, then crewed it slowly as he thought of what to say. He swallowed, then chuckled; "No, I am not from the Ohu warriors." He took another bite of his bird, then sat down and began to relax, chewing slowly, wondering how he would explain his reason for being here. "Well," he started, "I'm here to learn, so to say. Learn about the fighting moves of the past, for you see, I am a teacher in the art of fighting. I have learned almost every art of fighting and... Well... I lack a student and I have nothing else to do, so I'm just here to expand my knowledge."

He grinned and laughed; "But enough about me, what are you two doing here, may I ask?" He faced the male, then the female. He cocked his head slightly as he awaited their answers.

Put yourself in my shoes
Would you stand up for your rights
Line em up and knock em down
I'm not running scared tonight

[ooc: Yay :3]
[song: Stop Looking Start Seeing; by Papa Roach]