Meeting New Faces [Ratt]

[swifty]

The sound of the waterfall pounded in her ears, as if it were right next to her. Swifty carefuly made her way into the little cave, avoiding the issue of slipping, and easily going around puddles that could mean a slippery mistake. She usually wasn't this cautious, but with the idea of falling to her very painful doom, and the fact that she has accidental pups in her stomach, just made her way more protective and aware of her suroundings than ever. Finally finding a comfortable spot, she let a sigh escape her fox-like maw, and looked down, glancing at her stomach. She was getting bigger. It made her almost angry, but the tiny flame of fury in her eyes faded to a sparkly, lovey look, then she shook her head.

She couldn't love these pups. Well, she could, but they were accidental, by another wolf of a different species, a different pack, and by a complete stranger. She let fury take its place in her eyes again as she thought of the Yaga who had raped her, giving her these pups, these pups that she hadn't told her Alpha's about yet. She had too sometime though. She knew she would. She knew she had too. Suddenly, a scent passed her nose, made her gaurd furs raise, made her stand up protectively. It belonged to that of another male, but a pack member, but she had grown less trusting of males ever since then, so she remained in her hostile position, a low, short growl erupted from her throat. She'd be on her best gaurd this time, no matter what.

[rattinger]

A waterfall? Really? The dens had to hide behind a waterfall? While it was a clever idea, Rattinger wasn't very fond of it. It meant he couldn't fly right in, which would have been preferred. Doing so would result in having to get his wings wet. Considering he had enough trouble getting off the ground as is, he didn't need a second hindrance.

Thus, his lazy glide ended with some flapping that brought him to the ledge several feet from the cavern. Once back on the ground, he stretched his back and limbs, folding dark feathered appendages over his back and sides. Feathery tail dusted along the ground as his bobbing walk brought him closer to the dens. Sure, he wasn't quite an official member yet, having not had that pesky joining fight. He was glad to put that off though. It meant he had some time to figure out how to win such an event. Being anything but the victor would not sit well with him. Unfortunately, the male wasn't exactly known for being a fighter. He was a scavenger by nature, always letting others do the dirty work. The defenses he had at his disposal weren't exactly conventional either...

But he would have to dwell on that later. Peeking his hairless head into the cavern, he was met with a rather interesting sight. A female was curled back like a cat, hair standing on end and a snarl on her face. She was a little on the plump side of well, which was probably the cause for such actions. Mothers with pups were always defensive. Lucky for her, he wasn't really interested in mates or children. It would take a real beauty to love a beast like him, and his personality wasn't exactly on a list of desires either.

Raising a brow, he nodded his head in a curt greeting, cold smile twisting up his maw. "No need to be afraid of me, Miss. I'd be more interested if you were dead." The laugh that accompanied his words revealed his dark humor. But it was true. Death meant food. The only thing the living provided him was a means to get food. Unless she planned on dropping dead in the next few minutes, thus providing him with a nice meal, the only thing he found her good for was a bit of idle conversation.

[Gypsy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true]

[atrb=background,http://i50.tinypic.com/34z0jf9.jpg] Gypsy did not find herself near the dens all that often. She preferred to avoid communal sleeping arrangements and had several sleeping holes throughout the canyon that she fancied from time to time. Today was different though, ever since the pack meeting she had felt...off. Many of the members she had to fight to allow in had disappeared, it was frustrating more than anything. Maybe she had to reconsider her social approach to pack life. She liked to keep to herself, but maybe it could not hurt to....mingle now and again. Of course those were superficial reasons for coming to the dens today. She had sensed a rough storm coming from the south and did not want to potentially drown in her sleeping holes that were near the river, lest the rains turned torential. Once they arrived of course.... So she made her way up the sloping path that lead toward the booming waterfall, she caught a few scents on the way up. However she assumed that they were nothing to worry about, it was a frequented path. Part of this excursion was also to...'hang out' with the pack. She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. Really. Why did she care? Maybe the thought of moving up in the ranks had given her some motivation to assimilate a little better. As callous as she was, she wanted to earn her rights or ranks. That was the proper way of doing things after all. She came near the mouth of the den and noticed movement at the top. Her velvety ears perked forward and her antenna waggled a little in curiosoty. What...who was that? She shifted her position enough to peer with her icy eyes. Oh. It was that...thing. Her nose wrinkled in distaste , who was he talking to? She lifted her chin up and kept walking, entering the shroud of the den. Swifty. She was on the defensive. Gypsy could not blame her. She had not heard what the myou had said, but she glared up at him nonetheless.

[swifty]

As the hairless head poked through the entrance, she let her fur raise more, baring her teeth, then he spoke. "No need to be afraid of me, Miss. I'd be more interested if you were dead." She let her fur lie flat, and she stopped baring her teeth, although she stayed on gaurd. "Hm. Well, I guess thats good to know." She opened her mouth to speak more, but a familiar Sennyo had entered, and Swifty straightened up her back, feeling a bit better knowing that a wolf she knew was here. Sure, Gypsy and her weren't the best of friends, but they knew eachother, and this made Swifty feel better. "Hello, Gypsy." She dipped her head in greeting, not taking her icy blue eyes off of either of them, not knowing how unpredictable the stranger could be, and just the fact that Gypsy wasn't a big fan of her.

Tail still curled around her stomach protectively, she turned here attention back to the Myou. "And you. You are?" She didn't bother to introduce herself first, for she usually never did. From the time she had joined, her personality had gotten a bit harsher, more protective, colder possibly. Looks like the cruel world has taken its toll on her.

[rattinger]

His brow quirked as the female settled down just a smidgen. She didn't quite believe him, though that was probably not without good reason. And his appearance never helped matters. Rattinger had a rather intimidating, foreboding presence. He was ugly as sin with beady eyes and his words often rubbed others the wrong way. Truthfully, he was used to others cringing away from him. That's just how life was. They'd go out of their way to avoid him, and then, once they dropped dead, he'd swoop in and devour their carcasses out of selfish need for nourishment. He was far from being a picky eater, and when others learned of his rather off kilter diet that only added to their negative opinions.

But the cold glare he received from the new arrival to the den site was far from expected. It was the other dark painted Sennyo. Briefly he mused at what luck this pack had, being home to not one but two rare beauties such as these females. It made him feel a bit out of place. They were ancient, beautiful, delicate. He, on the other hand, had all the beauty and grace of a vulture. He was hardy, yes, but essentially he was a troll in the presence of the king's fair daughters. The wings on his back shifty slightly with discomfort. Then he did what he always did in less than pleasant situations. He opened his big mouth and said something snobbish.

"What's with the cold eyes, Princess? Have your manners frozen over?" The rough croak of his voice was accompanied by a sneer. The expression only worsened his face. He wouldn't blame them if now both females went on the defensive; it was the sort of reaction he often elicited. What as ironic was that out of all three of them he was probably the least threatening, physically, at least. Looks were deceiving, in this pack especially. The fair Sennyo had earned rank in a fighter's lands despite their delicate features. And he... He had yet to earn his place and was truthfully much softer than he appeared. The secrets of his nature, buried so deeply within the recesses of his heart and mind, painted the picture of a weakling who could not even hunt on his own. As he glanced between the pair of them, a small voice questioned how exactly he was supposed to measure up. Maybe it was good that his ego did not reflect his train of thought.

Fluffing his feathers and puffing out his chest, he struck a noble pose at the inquiry. It wasn't really a display of dominance, considering only his head rose in self-pride. It was simply the most regal he could appear despite his other facets, and he so loved to look as superior as he often thought he was. "My name is Rattinger. I'd say it's a pleasure, but why worsen a second impression with lies?" The full black female, the one called Gypsy, had shown her instant distaste for him at the pack meeting. The other had been too wrapped up in her own thoughts to take much notice of the others, but judging by her initial reaction to his showing up in the den he could only assume she was less than pleased to meet him as well.

Relaxing a fraction, he watched the ladies with curiosity. Even at what he predicted to be the disadvantage, he still seemed more comfortable than either of them. Then again, he'd only been around four years. The things in life that left him bitter were probably minuscule compared to them. He would never have the same life experiences; there were just to many surface differences between the females and himself to make that so.

[Gypsy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true]

[atrb=background,http://i50.tinypic.com/34z0jf9.jpg] Her white tipped tail was really the only color contrast to her dark pelt, and it bobbed and weaved in the wake of the air resistance from the waterfall. She did not change her expression as her eyes seemed to bore into the strange male. Maybe she could see through his ruse, maybe she just had an envenomed gaze. It was hard to tell these days. His reaction to her mad her tut slightly though, "Tch, manners and niceties only go to those that deserve it." Her voice was laced with ice and poison. Swifty addressed her by name, her cold glare shifted to the younger sennyo. The myou had not deserved the privilege of knowing her name, yet naive little Swifty ruined that reward. Oh well. Pack life had that effect. One person learns your name...then the rest soon follow. She did give a curt nod of greeting, acknowledging at least that she knew the younger and accepted her as an ...acquaintance at this point in time. That social grace aside she turned her attention back to the myou as he introduced himself. All she did was snort a little in disdain. She had no reason to have her guard up against the likes of him, he had not shown any strength aside his ego in the short time she had known him. "Lies honey deception, which is a pleasure to the deciver." She smirked a little, though there was little humor in it. Maybe she had finally gotten over her bitter phase and was ready to....play once more. Though bitter or not she was still cold and callous.

[rattinger]

He chose to let the first comment die, ruffling his neck scruff a little. If that's how she wanted to play, so be it. He was above her manners; any civil niceties she could have bestowed upon him just wouldn't be nice enough. The ironic thing was, that was probably true. Even if he thought the female was capable of the smallest scrap of civility, it probably would still be barbed with poison. Life had left her bitter. Bitter creatures always made for such poor companions (or so he rationalized).

Letting the females sort out their greeting, he watched with more interest than was probably necessary. The plump one seemed to calm in the presence of a familiar face, even if surface impressions did not peg the pair of Sennyo as friends. Once she was settled down and lost to her own thoughts, it was just the harsher one he had to deal with. His own beady eyes bore into Gypsy the same way her eyes fixed on him. Except, he was looking at her, not through her. He could see every fiber of hair that adorned her features, every flaw on her pretty face. It was a hard, calculating stare that could picture a future where she was dead and he feasted himself on her innards. It was a pity Sennyo lived so long. That could have been a fun day for him, having the last laugh and being one of very few creatures that could stomach that pungent, repulsive air she gave off. Really, no sane creature should have wanted to be within a ten foot radius of the blackened female. Her body language alone warned others to keep their distance.

But then there was that smirk. It was a twisted, sneering sort of expression that wrinkled her face in all the wrong ways. With eyes that could pick up every crease of her skin, he noted how unflattering the turn of her lips could become. "I hope you don't smile like that very often, Princess. Your face might get stuck like that, and it'd be such a pity to see your good looks ruined permanently. Those wrinkles make your face more gnarled than my own."

A sneering grin wrinkled the flesh of his own face, deepening the visible creases of his hairless muzzle. He knew he was no looker, and while his words a bit of a subtle dig at himself it would be worth it to see her reaction. To openly state that she could be more ugly than Rattinger himself would surely get under her skin, and since he built his own superiority by tearing others down he was excited to see just how far he could make her fall. She'd already shown she didn't want to play nice; Ratt was just enjoying the benefits of her sour disposition.

[Gypsy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true]

[atrb=background,http://i50.tinypic.com/34z0jf9.jpg] Now she turned to face him full on, his statement took her off gaurd. She bristled as her vanity was bismirched. Her tail lashed out as the smirk left her face and was replaced with a snarl. Her pearly teeth glistened in the pale light of the cave. Her temper did flare, but, oddly enough she was not one to yell. Instead her voice dropped to a lower octave and the frigidness of her voice even froze the venom "Lucky for you I don't smile often. And even if I did, no one can ever hope to match that putrid face of yours." She took a step toward him, as if to examine his features closer, critically. She scrutinized every feature making sure that her eyes moved from flaw to flaw so he could count them. "Yes, in all my years of being alive. Never have I seen anyone quite as disgusting."

[rattinger]

Darkness seemed to cloud the Sennyo's expression as his words hit home, morphing her into a rather frighting beauty. Ratt couldn't contain his low, throaty chuckle. As she stepped forward, he held his ground, intently watching as she took some moments to scrutinize his form. Then he puffed out his chest just a little more, holding his wings open to give a clear view of their silvery-grey undersides. With a bit of a lope he turned himself in a circle, making sure she had a nice view of his feathery tail as well. Scathing insults were turned to complements, a smug sense of superiority displaying itself as pride.

"It is rather awful, is it not? I must say, I'm certainly a head turner. It's all natural, too! Most fools would have to work right hard to achieve such a unique appearance. I find the baldness to be especially fetching. Keeps others away from my favorite meals, and I must say, I do so hate sharing." He cackled again, throwing Gypsy a wink as his wings settled back to his sides. The ball was back in her court now. Rattinger was finding this female to be great fun. How next would she open herself to verbal abuse when her own attacks struck nothing but air?

[Gypsy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true]

[atrb=background,http://i50.tinypic.com/34z0jf9.jpg] As he hopped and turned her eyes went past him and judged the distance between the cliff edge and his position. Maybe if she tackled him....she could throw him out of the den and into the river bellow. That thought made her feel better. At least enough to get a game plan. He heard what he was saying, but her cold face remained unchanged. She was angry at him, she did not like this male. He was not pretty enough to play with, yet his tongue and lack of self-respect was enough to get her attention. She could play a different game with him. Not one of sexual frustrations and ill-placed affections. No. It was a game of wit and poison. He was obviously full of himself. Maybe she could use his want of attention against him. "Oh, I don't think it would be that hard to singe your head in a dragon's mouth." Her anger was back in conrtol, now she was giving him a cold shoulder. Giving him just enough to let him know she did hear him. But not enough to give him bait to lash back at her. Her white-tipped tail twitched. She looked past him, as if loosing interest in this sport. "Then again, I guess a kieyou with mange would not satisfy a dragon." She looked back at him, "Is that why it spit you out?"

[rattinger]

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, watching her disinterested form turn away. His smirk twitched into a sneer, the fur of his hackles ruffling ever so slightly. While there were certain comments that could be easily spun, Ratt was not immune to insults. For the bitch to consider him no better than the carrion he often dined on was appalling. He could feel the bile rising in the back of his throat, the acids burning an already gnarled larynx.

Thankfully, her last comment left her so unexpectedly wide open that he was able to settle down before vomiting. That superior glint was back in his eyes as he locked her in his gaze. It was a very shrewd look, the vulture in him eying the Sennyo as if she was going to be his next meal. The look probably didn't help the case against his looks, but what did he care? What he was about to sink his fangs into was far juicier than vanity.

"My my, Princess, and here I was thinking you actually had some semblance of intelligence. A Keiyou? Really? Your brain must be rotting with old age. Even a pup knows that Keiyou don't have feathery tails. Or are your eyes failing you as well? Given your earlier look of intense admiration, I would have thought you could tell the difference between the Keiyou and a Vulture Myou." He was back to looking smug, eying her with an arched brow that dared her to refute him. She had probably been praising herself for being "so clever." It was a pity how one, single comment had given him access to her intelligence, age, vision, and let him twist a previous action in on itself. Rattinger could be merciless when it came to the art of bringing others down.

Almost as an afterthought, the harsh tones of his voice softened. Maybe it was telling of his scavenger ways, but being called a bad lunch had not sat well with him at all. As a creature who made many a meal out of another's bad lunch, he did not like the idea of potentially being devoured by only his own kind (own kind being fellow vultures, not his fellow wolves). By the way, dragon meet is quite a delicacy, in case you were wondering. One of the most palatable creatures I've eaten." It was a little more snide and a little more subtle than his previous insults, hinting that even if a dragon would not eat him, he had no qualms with eating the mighty dragon. Of course, the one he'd had the chance of sampling was a few days past its due date... Gypsy didn't need to know that little detail though.

[Gypsy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true]

[atrb=background,http://i50.tinypic.com/34z0jf9.jpg] Her ears flattened and she clicked her tongue at herself, looking away from the myou with nose turned up. Damnit all, he used it against her. She did not voice fury though, as vain as she was she knew when she set herself up. She could only be angry at herself for that one. Now, all she had to do was turn it around back at him. She rolled her eyes at his last comment. She rarely ate meat, so why would she care what a dragon tasted like. She had to redeem herself, maybe she could write it off as a simple mistake? Make the difference between the two so insignificant anyone could confuse the species."Oh, I suppose I overlooked your tail. Seems to be the only thing separating you from the keiyou." She moved a few paces to be parallel to him, getting a better angle for her next trick. "I'm intelligent enough to know that what a myou lacks in, well... " She eyed his sexual organ with disinterest, "...presence. He makes up for in talk." She pondered that for a moment, "Hmm....sorry, I guess I should have seen the differences when you walked in" She tried very hard to keep her cool in all this. She hated being insulted, but he seemed to live for ridiculing others. If she didn't give him anything, maybe he would admit defeat. She knew that males of any species did not like having their 'prowess' attacked. And she was well versed in belittling manhood.

[rattinger]

A gruff chuckle escaped him. He would be kind and let the species comparison go. It was easy enough to tell that the female was desperately trying to cover her tracks. Keiyou weren't exactly bald, after all, nor did their patterns mimic the creatures of their wings.

Instead his eyes followed her as she walked about, aligning her body with his while maintaining her distance. What exactly was she... Was she checking him out?! Rattinger's eyes widened slightly beneath her disinterested gaze. He didn't like the feeling of her eyes down there; it was something he'd never experienced before. After all, why would a female be interested in the likes of him? Even when he came across one in heat there was distant kept between them. Looks meant a lot to shallow creatures, and the few that were lowly enough to vaguely glance his way were the ones he considered too lowly to mate. So to have one size him up and dismiss him so quickly was discomfiting at best.

His voice cracked as he gave a retort, betraying the effect she'd just had on him. "Can't judge what you'll never have, Princess. Canine species don't have relatives called Cocks." It wasn't his best retort, and his vulture half wasn't all that closely related to roosters, but he wasn't going to give in. He couldn't concede defeat. Doing so would confirm his inferiority as a male, a Myou, and a sleazebag. He may not have been a stand up guy, but Ratt had his reasons. Just because she took a cheap shot that caused him to align more with his second soul (which he tended to do more often anyways so really wasn't all that big of a deal for him) did not mean he was going to let her win.

[Gypsy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true]

[atrb=background,http://i50.tinypic.com/34z0jf9.jpg] She watched his reaction with a calculating gaze, she hit home it seemed. Too bad she had not thought of that sooner, oh well, now she at least knew a way to get to him. She stepped closer, but just to turn herself back around in a slight pirouette. Her wings and antenna bobbed a little as he spoke. "Oh sweetie..." She almost whispered, her voice like crystallized honey, "I've had myou, it's not that great." Her nose wrinkled a little as she walked past him, heading back for the entrance. Her plume of a tail brushed under his chin as she moved easily past him. Once she was a few feet away she looked over her shoulder, "I doubt you would be any differnt." Sure it was a lowblow. And to be honest the last myou she 'had', raped her. To say she disliked myou would be an understatment. But the Ratt, didn't have to know that. The myou in question had once been a part of the pack, though that was after the deed.

[rattinger]

He recoiled slightly as her tail tickled his chin, lips twitching at the strange sensation. Contact wasn't exactly something he was used to. It made him shiver. Worst part was, he couldn't even identify the feeling as good or bad. All he could do was ruffle his wings in discomfort as she started to walk away.

Thankfully, his brain had finally managed to override his body (to an extent). Rattinger tilted his head ever so slightly to one side. It was easier to think when she wasn't staring him down. Sure his next comment was a bit of a gamble, but in his experience it was one worth making. Predators were big animals most of the time, and he did not know of many Myou sporting big second souls. Aside from the lucky ones whom were birds like himself, many were paired with-- "What do you expect when you sleep with prey? Kill it for dinner and you'd have been fucked by a corpse."

Rattinger really wasn't like most Myou. Many of them tried to identify with their canine soul, calling themselves wolves and sometimes trying to pass themselves off as other species. But he... He embraced the vulture within. Or maybe it was the vulture that was his true soul with a wolf just born along side it. Who or what, exactly, was Rattinger? Was he the wolf, or was he the bird? Viewing other Myou as their second soul rather than their first really wasn't telling in terms of such thoughts. For him, predators and prey were equally food. It was only natural he make light of eating another wolf when he feasted upon their carcasses regularly.