Everytime We Touch :: Annushka

[sparta]

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[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/x5w65i.jpg] Sparta crouched at the edge of the clearing, blue eyes trained intently before him. In the clearing there was a small flock of Synesingers were meandering around, pecking at the ground. Some were on lookout, he could tell. Another walked up to the pool and dipped it's beak in the water, drinking. No idiot, Sparta knew what they could do. It had always been a challenge sneaking up on one- Sparta's stile wasn't very sneaky. He was a big, bulky wolf with horns. Not that hard to spot. So when he came close, they'd see him and conjure up some illusion and escape. Oh, he hated those illusions. But now, he had a trick of his own on his side. Shadows really did help those who could use them. As far as Sparta knew, that was only himself. He crept up as silently as possible through the shadows the bushes and trees cast. Soon, he was only a few feet away from them. Fat and plump in the summer, they looked healthy. Crouching, he lunged, dropping on top of one and grabbing another in his teeth. Both were killed quickly. The others were startled into the sky as they cried out loud alarms and trills, and soon illusions were around him. But he didn't care- he'd gotten his prize. Soon it passed and he gathered up the two dead Synesingers and lay near the edge of the pool. He began plucking the feathers from them and setting them in a growing pile. Oh yes, he quest for the most comfortable den was well on it's way. Plus, he now had two dead birds! Food! Finally, some good in this gods-forsaken jungle. But, of course, it was just his usual stubborn thinking.

[Annushka Аня]

you say it best
WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL
А н у ш к а
*** & ***

The sharp scent of blood brought Annushka out of comforting sleep. It was a good smell and reminded her just how much her stomach pined for food at the moment. She had little sustenance for a pack wolf because the Mafia felt more like a group of loners all to one goal more than a pack to her at times. Still, they shared their food, but she almost felt it was begrudgingly. Most, if not all the wolves in the pack were more able than her when it came to life and it made her just a little depressed that she was the beggar in the pack.

Still, her keen nose detected the metaphorical dinner bell in the smell of a fresh kill and she knew that it was necessary for her to arrive before the wolf that had hunted devoured every morsel. The tired female rose by setting up her long forelegs and then pushing up her shorter hindlegs. Her sloped body gave her an easy trot toward the source of the scent. Her powerful nose could sift the origin easily, her hybridization had made her a considerably skilled tracker. And Anya’s blindness only amplified her reliance on her natural ability.

She could feel the dark of shadows around and was confused. It was just like the day when Sparta and her had made the connection. Daylight one minute, darkness the next. The sudden shadows made Anya feel slightly disorientated. Though blind, she could still detect the difference between light and dark, and see the basic shapes of things around her.

Annushka neared the scent and the familiar give and take touched into her mind. She named it, called for him. “Sparta.” Thoughts between them were slowly losing their secrecy, like stones being turned.

Orangey, but foggy eyes turned toward the Yagi, in lingering habit that revealed that once she was a sighted wolf. Her feet had memorized this place. She picked up her leg to avoid tripping over a thick root across her path. She pushed her face through the leaves. The pool of water had a fresh smell and she could hear Sparta working on the feathers. The soft pluckpluck of feathers were interesting sounds and she neared the Yagi. She could smell two birds, dead.

She smiled that smirking smile of hers and silently thought out in strong words. “A bird in maw is worth two in the bush. What are two birds in maw worth to you?”

[sparta]

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[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/x5w65i.jpg] He heard her coming before he saw her, and Sparta looked up from his plucking, a flight feather in his mouth. He'd heard his name. Well, supposed he thought it. Thinking for a moment at her riddle, he shoved the first Synesinger, now entirely plucked, towards her. "Hm... One for me and one for you?" Well, it rhymed anyway. That was good enough for him. The gift he'd given her was a bit more size able then a jackalope, and for that he was thankful. A good 30 pounds of avian meat would do them both good. Sparta began plucking the last of the feathers from his own. "So," He mumbled over a feather. "I hope it's substantial." Sparta was referring to the Synesinger. Sparta was focused mostly on his own food right now- He was a rather large Yagi, and needed a good solid diet to keep him fueled. After the last of the feathers were gone, he tore into it's flesh, savoring each bite. It was taking all his willpower not to inhale the avian prey.

[nero]

you say it best
WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL
А н у ш к а
*** & ***

Anya was grateful that his first thought was to share. She gratefully received the bird. Her teeth flashed as her crushing jaws cut the bird in half neatly, powerfully. She chomped the food, raw bones having a hard, but yielding feel in her mouth as she sliced her food. It slid down her maw with a swallow and she continued her tasty feast. While eating, her mind spoke.

“Isn’t it a shame? I can no longer hunt for myself.”

Her large, rounded ears were held backwards. Her soft, semi-curly fur looked almost beautiful in the snatch of light where she was eating. The rainbows and grays played in the sunlight, dappled by the canopy. Annushka herself was hunched over Sparta’s gift to her, finishing the last morsel of the bird. It was tasty and she needed to share no thoughts to convey that. She merely licked her chops with eagerness glowing in her blind eyes.

Annushka lifted her body and then rocked backward into a sit. Her body shape seemed perfect for a guard-like sit: straight-backed and with a proud posture. Anya sniffed for Sparta, and faced his way, but was a bit off in angle.

“I’d consider us friends; do you think?”

Her words were blunt, but it had been so long since she had a wolf to sit and talk with—or at least her version of talking. Sparta was an outlet for her thoughts. She had been so alone with her thoughts that she began to doubt the existence of her own mind. But Sparta could now speak and understand her. Annushka tilted her head. The question was important to her. She wanted to be friends with him. But she had never learned how.

[sparta]

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[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/x5w65i.jpg] Sparta thoroughly enjoyed his meal and was licking his lips by the time he finished- which didn't take long. Annushka was still eating hers, he observed. But she could multitask- she was talking to him- Impressive, He thought, I could never do that without sounding like a glutton. But anyway, towards the little bit of info she'd given him. "Maybe if you tried harder, or learned some new techniques, you'd be able to hunt." He suggested, beginning to wonder how he'd be able to carry these feathers back to his den without looking like an idiot. If he stuffed them all in his mouth, he surely would. Perhaps if he stuck them in his fur- No, wrong. He did not want to look like he was turning into a bird. Hm, well it seemed there was no way out of that situation. Then Annushka asked him if they were friends, in a roundabout sort of way. He looked at her and tilted his head, thinking a bit on it. He gave his answer. "Well, you don't seem to annoy me as much as other wolves, and considering I just willingly shared food with you, I'd say yes." Oh yes, it was a rare day indeed when Sparta shared his sustenance with others. It was a sure sign that this female had escalated higher on his list of opinions. Most were still in the "nuisance" or "tolerant" zone. Annushka had made her way up to the "friend" zone. Maybe something more... Maybe. The Yagi was lost in thought for a moment, before standing up and shaking himself and stretching. He looked at her. "I could probably help you find a way to hunt, if you'd like." He said, bringing up their earlier conversation. "There seems to be plenty of unfortunate critters in the general vicinity to practice on."

[Annushka Аня]

you say it best
WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL
А н у ш к а
*** & ***

Anya could feel his thoughts. She could feel them like a river in her mind, so close and if she could lean into that river, she could read them, she was sure. It would be how she opened her mind to him. The effect wasn’t surprising, but interesting. She never had gotten so close to a wolf to hear more than the murmur that they were thinking. Than to see foggy pictures of things they had seen and were seeing.

When she heard that Sparta accepted their friendship, she eased herself, felt her heart melt a little for him. “I would like that.” Her mind felt warmer in Sparta’s mind. Annushka pricked her large round ears, listening for the sounds of animals. Her sensitive nose could track an old trail better than most wolves and could sift the scents of the jungle as well.

She licked her chops, cleaning her maw somewhat from the mess of eating. Her mouth revealed her crushing teeth. There was something dangerous and powerful about her jaws. If she was an able hunter, she would have been the wolf to end the life with by grabbing the jugular. Such power—it was as if she was made to kill by breaking bones. She had never been a hunter, only a slave. Either a slave to other wolves, or to her disabilities. Anya got up.

“Tell me what would be good prey to find. I can find the prey to practice upon.”