Into the Mirror [Open]

[lyta]

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[atrb=background,http://i54.tinypic.com/jaf9rq.png] Lyta wandered into the meadow, relatively at peace. She was almost free of the rather depressing trains of thought she normally rode on, shoving the few sad thoughts she had to the back of her mind. She had come here to relax because she felt she needed it. She fully intended to. Reaching the river, she looked down. Her reflection rippled and shone back at her in the river as light reflected onto the moving water. She sighed and shook her head at the watery mirror, and suddenly she was in a bad mood again. Why don't I see me? All she saw was a smallish red wolf with green eyes. She couldn't connect that to the wandering little raincloud that occasionally shot out some lightning bolts that she half-knew she was inside. She sighed again. She really couldn't see how all the other wolves she met got to have such solid, confident senses of self. They all knew who they were and what they wanted to do, be, become. Lyta had none of that. She was just a wandering little raincloud, off to rain on somebody again. She sighed and stepped forwards to view the reflection more clearly, and suddenly her paw slipped in a patch of mud she hadn't seen before. The river clutched at her fur and suddenly she was plunged into the water, into the river. Lyta instantly panicked. She couldn't swim at all, and she was helpless as the water, slow-moving as it was, carried her down and towards the centre of the stream. Flailing her paws, she let out a short howl which was quickly shut off as water swirled into her mouth and she coughed several times, feeling her body jerk as it hung limp in the water. She went under, kicking, and came up again. She tried to howl again, but she could feel her strength fading. Desperately, she hang on. If only she could reach the banks...

[Somatra]

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[bg=FFFFFF] Somatra had been lazing under the comforting shade of a tree, the crisp air of a spring a delight to her senses. Stretched out she rested her head on her paws, deciding a little nap couldn't do much harm. After all, she thought, I've already been out patrolling, I'm sure Reynard wouldn't mind me snoozing, just for a few minutes. Suddenly, the breeze brought her a rather familiar smell, one that had been a source of stress. Lifting her head she frowned out at the meadow amber eyes scrunched up in dislike of the memory. Sure as it can be, the wind had not lied and there across the meadow was the shape of the smaller red wolf whom had escorted her out of her pack's territory. Well well, she mused, what has brought her all the way out here? Som sat up in alert, spying on the other wolf while she gazed into the water. Suddenly, she watched her fall and land into the water. Well that out to teach her for being so mean, she laughed. Som was an adept swimmer herself, so she fully expected the red wolf to come out any second. However, when she did not, Som began to worry. True, the other wolf was not from her pack, but the Guardian in her demanded that she do something. Swiftly she bounded across the meadow and upon not seeing the wolf in the water swimming she dove in, the cold water a rude awakening. Pushing against the current she used her muscles to propel her forwards. She sunk her teeth into a mass of fur and pull, kicking fervently with her limbs. She made it onto the bank, though Som was not sure how she had managed since she was not that big of a lupuse herself. Sputtering she coughed up a bunch of water. Turning to the red wolf she pulled her red ears with her teeth to try to get some response, barking loudly to try to get her to wake up. Come on, she yelled to herself, be alive!

[lyta]

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[atrb=background,http://i54.tinypic.com/jaf9rq.png] Lyta felt teeth sink into her fur, not piercing the skin. She tried to help her unknown saviour, weakly kicking against the current, as she was pulled to the bank. She was barely conscious and incredibly tired for such a short time spent in the water, and could not summon up the energy to respond to the wolf as it pulled her ears and barked in her face. Slowly she began to stir, dragging up the last of her reserve, the strength that had been pounded into her when she was young. Suddenly she recognised the face in front of her. "Oh," she murmured weakly, "you." Then she shook her head, attempting to yank herself onto her feet. She failed, slipping again, and flopped back onto the ground. She was not entirely sure how to react; she now owed the wolf for saving her life. Some form of thanks was probably the polite response. However, it really burned in Lyta's heart to have to be saved by another wolf, especially a wolf from another pack with a history of trespassing. "Thanks," she got out eventually, then closed her eyes again. She really was very tired.

[Somatra]

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[bg=FFFFFF] When the red wolf finally showed signs of life Somatra relaxed visibly. Feeling rather tired herself she plopped down on the ground, her dense fur weighing her down considerably more then before. She let her pink tongue hang out as she panted and thought that perhaps she had best do some more swimming training in the future if others made it a habit of falling in. It was obvious that the other wolf was exhausted, and leaving while she was such a target would defeat the point of pulling her out of the water. No point in saving someone if they were just going to be eaten. Therefore the best option was to stay and keep guard, perhaps having her life saved would make the tyrant more friendly, hoped Som. Never hurt to have friends after all. However, just to play it safe she inched away a little, perhaps to give the red wolf some space, or to move herself out of harm's way. She may be smaller, thought Som, but she has bite. Looking at the wet mass of fur Som asked in a kind voice, "Are you ok? You took quite a dip there, I take it you don't go swimming very often?" The pool of water on the ground was becoming muddy, and Som looked at it in disgust as it stained her underbelly brown. "I could teach you some swimming techniques if you want, it's not that hard once you get the hang of it." She kept a weary eye on her fellow soaked wolf, looking for any signs of shock.

[lyta]

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[atrb=background,http://i54.tinypic.com/jaf9rq.png] Lyta faintly saw the wolf edge away, giving her some space, and was grateful for it. She hated being this weak. Somatra asked if she went swimming often. "Well, of course not. Where I was born, there were hardly any rivers. Besides, I don't understand those who would deliberately plunge themselves into an ice-cold river or lake or whatever and put themselves in danger of the worst death possible, drowning.... for fun." She shook her head. "The world is crazy enough without me going swimming often, thanks." When the wolf made her next comment Lyta eyed her rather suspicious. "You'd have to be crazy. I'm not going back in there," she retorted, gesturing to the river. She pulled herself wearily onto her paws, almost recovered now and fuelled by annoyance. Then she calmed down. This wolf just saved my life and I'm going to go growling at her just because I disagree with her about swimming? "Sorry," she said reluctantly, acknowledging her conscience. "I shouldn't be rude. You, uh, helped a lot back there," Lyta added. "Thanks. I owe you one."

[Somatra]

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[bg=FFFFFF] Surprised at the wolf softening in tone, Somatra chuckled, "Not a bit, needed a refresher anyways. I'd do it for fun anytime, wakes the soul up, cleans the fur, cools me down, gives great exercise without the annoying heat...and if I fall in I won't drown." She eyed the wolf and chuckled, water wasn't for everyone. "However, if you don't want to learn can't say I blame you, such experiences could make even the best swimmer leery of going back in." Som was starting to get used the the red wolf's hot and cold mannerism, the change keeping her on her toes. It worked out well that she enjoyed changes as it would seem one second talking to her was never like another. " By the way, I never caught your name last time we met, my is Somatra and I am a Guardian from the Children." She sat up tall, proud of her pack and her position. The trust instilled in her by others was quite a responsibility, but worth every second. Looking down at her fur she eyed the annoying flecks of dirt and grass tarnishing her white fur. Sighing she proceeded to quickly lick of the worst of it before shacking out, her coat once again shiny. "Say, are you hungry? I know I could use something to eat, I'm starved. That's another great thing about swimming, gives you a great appetite." She gave a slight grin, sniffing at the air for any prey close by.

[lyta]

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[atrb=background,http://i54.tinypic.com/jaf9rq.png] Lyta smiled, beginning to like the wolf despite her initial reluctance to befriend a former trespasser. The other wolf spoke of such experiences making even the best swimmer leery of going back in. Lyta chuckled. "If you'd ever seen the stream that went past my camp in the place I grew up, you'd be leery of ever going into water ever again." She shuddered slightly as she remembered the mountain brook that had plunged down the mountain, sweeping past rocks and rocketing down waterfall after waterfall with swift, strong currents able to pull even the best under. Once, when it had flooded, a cub had slipped and dipped just the merest paw in. The river had snatched the paw from under her and sent her tumbling in, where she was instantly sucked under, bashed against the rocks and then thrown a few hundred metres onto jagged rocks by the force of the waterfall. After that, Lyta had vowed she'd never, ever even try to swim. The wolf mentioned not catching her name... then said she was a Guardian from the Children. Lyta rocked back on her heels, shocked for a second into being mute, then gathered herself. Of course. Guardian was a common enough name for a rank; of course one of the packs near here would have used it. Of course. There was nothing unusual about that; the only reason she hadn't come into contact with it before was that she harboured an instinctive grudge against the Children for judging wolves by their gender. She shook her head, sending the thoughts tumbling from her mind. Stop being so utterly stupid. "I'm Lyta, a Subordinate of the Cadre," she said, disliking the rank. She noticed now how the wolf sat up straight as she named her position. Lyta sighed; she felt the opposite way about hers. She liked the Cadre, but being a Subordinate was... gruelling. She hated submitting to others. Somatra licked the dirt from her fur and then offered to hunt. Lyta made one of her flash instinctive decisions that she liked this wolf; might even come to trust her. "Excellent idea. Hunting sounds brilliant," she said happily. She tested her limbs; she thought she was strong enough now to hunt, though she'd have to take it easy on herself. "But we'd better be careful to stay on the outskirts. I smell a new pack here, and they won't be happy if we chase any prey into their territory."

[Somatra]

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[bg=FFFFFF] So Lyta was the spirited red wolf's name, it was short but quite nice. Upon hearing Lyta agree to a hunt Som smiled, it was always one of her favorite things to meet other wolves and develop connections. She stood up and shook her fur out, stretching her back as her claws dug into the ground. She was not aware that there was a new pack in the area, this had always been her neutral ground to meet other wolves from different packs without fear of trespassing. Oh well, perhaps this would be an opportunity to forge new alliances with wolves in other areas. Still, it was a trifle bothersome having to venture further from her pack territory now. She gave the air a sniff and picked up faint traces of a deer near by. If they headed upstream, she could use the wind to keep the other animal from smelling them, giving them a rather useful advantage over the deer. Rolling her shoulders she said, "Excellent, if my nose is correct there should be a deer nearby, if we head upstream we may have the advantage of surprise. With both of us hunting this should be a snap." With a flick of her tail she slinked ahead crouched lower to the ground, eyes geared for any sign of the deer.

[lyta]

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[atrb=background,http://i54.tinypic.com/jaf9rq.png] Lyta grinned and slid into position, lifting her nose and scenting. She pinpointed the deer by scent and carefully advanced through the long grass, flat against the ground. She looked back at Somatra and gestured with her nose for the other wolf to approach it straight on while Lyta went at it from the side. Quietly she scented again, keeping the deer scent clear in her mind, then moved forwards until she could see it. It was young and naive, like Lyta herself; simply standing there grazing. Lyta's teeth showed. This will be easy. She looked back to see if Somatra was following, ready now to spring out and chase it straight into the blue wolf, who could hopefully then take it down.

[Somatra]

ooc: sorry for the short post, figured since it was an action sort of thing that too many words would mess it up.

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[bg=FFFFFF] Som moved into position, from what she could tell Lyta was aiming to send it her way. The deer was young, and still completely oblivious to their presence as it grazed on the new grass. She watched the red wolf move silently through the brush, marveling at her fluid movements. Som was a bit big, therefor moving quietly took a lot of effort. Narrowing her eyes she surveyed the deer, breathing in its scent and could not wait to taste the fresh blood; it had been a while since she'd had deer to eat. She nodded her head slightly at Lyta to let her now she was ready. Game on!

[lyta]

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[atrb=background,http://i54.tinypic.com/jaf9rq.png] Lyta noticed Somatra's nod out of the corner of her eye. She did not acknowledge it, ignoring the blue wolf completely. She was focused on the prey, the blue sky and cool touch of the long grass completely unseen and unfelt to her mind as she cut out the rest of the world, her strong Lyxxus vision centred absolutely on her prey. Then she exploded, a ball of red fur and flashing claws with only one purpose- or at least, very few. She flashed straight towards the deer, which had clearly seen her and was running like there was no tomorrow. She leapt for it, a few huge bounds taking her almost in range. The sky flashed past her, the grass hot under her paws as she gave a short bark to Somatra. Go!

(OOC: Do we need staff to play the deer? If so I'll modify the deer outta my post. I thought it was only loners that had to hunt regular non-mythical prey against the creature account, but maybe we should check, especially since we're from different packs.)