Whiteback Life

[Sugha]

The sun was peeking over the crest of the neighbouring mountain within the Whiteback territory, casting bright light across the cold earth inhabited by the even colder wolves who lived here. One prowled through the lands, prey already clasped firmly in her strong jaws, dull amber eyes shining somewhat with satisfaction aswell as catching the first rays of light from the sun. The wolfess was mostly pelted a smokey grey with pattterns along her back and legs much similar to whisps of smoke. Blood marked her muzzle for the time being as a deceased hare hung limply from her jowls, flopping about as she trotted back toward the direction of her den.

Sugha had awoken early before the sun to a dream that had infected her reality. Instead of her old family being taken away from her, Vidarok was being taken by the cold grasps of winter and snow. She had only just settled into living close to her new companion and of course this dream reflected her subconscious fear of this comfortable feeling being taken away... again. She had decided to do something constructive with her time, as no matter how many times she pressed closer into Vidarok's strangely soft and creamy pelt, she would never fall back into slumber.

Carrying her catch into the den, ducking her head a little to clear the hole, Sugha placed the prey close to the sleeping Vidarok's nose. Perhaps he would wake up with a small amount of approval of his life at least with breakfast sitting right there infront of him. Sugha lay with a long exhale close to him, but infront of her partner to watch him awaken. She wasn't hungry and would watch him contently devour her constructive work before they would enter the everyday life of the Whiteback wolves once again at the breaking of this new day.

[Vidarok]

The night had fallen swiftly, leaving two ghostly figures to travel the rest of the way back to their 'den' in the darkness. Both Vidarok and Sugha had been on their paws for the better part of the day, if not the entire thing, and as a result, both had begun to feel the tell-tale signs of fatigue. So, both had bedded down upon reaching familiar territory. Sugha had been the first to fall asleep, as always. Vidarok made certain of that. It had been pitch black when burning orange eyes had finally closed and let sleep claim the mind behind them.

Now though, as the first few tendrils of scent from a fresh kill wafted past his nose, the sun had started its rise into the sky, still setting low in its continual arch. The sun outside the den glowed a firey orange, which only set to life the warm hues in the male's eyes as they snapped open rather suddenly. He was bristling slightly, his ears laid back against his skull as he looked to the side where he'd last seen Sugha. He smelled blood, and his first instinct? To check his one companion.

Of course, it took the wolf only a short time to realize that the she-wolf had not been attacked while they both slept, and instead had returned from some early morning venture with breakfast. A very delicious looking breakfast at that, Vidarok decided as he unpinned his ears, his fur settling back to normal. Orange eyes lifted from the freshly caught hair to look at the female, an appreciative grin crossing his maw. Sometimes, he could swear she took better care of him than he did.

"Morning." The greeting was friendly, in its own, barbaric sort of way. It was friendly for Vidarok, by any means, especially when both his mind and stomach were so focused on the tantalizing smell of a meal set directly in front of him. Without waiting for a response, the male laid one paw over the top of the carcass to begin stripping it of meat, staining his muzzle and the floor a dark red as he sat in Sugha's company.

[Sugha]

Sugha watched quietly as her companion stirred from sleep, and flaming eyes snapped open quite suddenly. Her own black auds pinned back with confusion as he looked quite flustered at the smell placed before his nose, looking to his side where she had been curled up before leaving. She relaxed as he did, raising an eyebrow at the behaviour but soon returning a small smile at the look of approval he gave toward his meal and herself.

"Goodmorning. I woke up early for once, so thought I'd do something useful," she snorted slightly and smirked, lowering her head to rest after her hunt, but still kept her attention alert and on Vidarok. He seemed to be enjoying the fresh kill and Sugha felt herself puff up slightly with pride, watching his muzzle stain with blood to match her own.
She was tempted to lick the wolf's mouth clean like one would do to a pup but she would never take such an action. Vidarok would either snap at her for doing so or just become confused by her gentle actions. It was alot easier to do nothing.
Sugha waited for him to be almost finsihed before raising her body and stretching her legs. Tanned paws, only her left forepaw socked white, took the wolfess out of the den to shake off her pelt and wait for her companion to join her. She would wash her pelt in the stream with him rather than smother each other in sickly kisses. Such an idea made her sneer; the Whiteback clan did not hold such actions of bold affection in high regard.

[Vidarok]

Tongue running acrossthe fur of his muzzle, Vidarok licked away the remnants of blood that lingered upon his snout. That had been a nice way to wake up, despite his first initial wave of concern for Sugha. A breakfast in bed sort of thing, not something Vidarok was treated to often, as he nearly always woke before the wolfess. Today was a welcome change, however, as it had taken him quite some time to finally fall asleep.

The make gave a short nod to Sugha at her greeting, a look of faint approval still on his face. Something useful indeed. He wouldn't have to eat until either late that night, or some time the next day. She'd saved him a good amount of time, energy and effort to hunt something for them both. "You did well."

No thanks were given, not verbally. A praise from the male was enough of a thanks, as he did not hand out compliments lightly. No, Sugha knew he appreciated the effort on her part by the fact that he eat what was set before him, and the fact that he complimented her kill. Both were not usual for the male, around anyone else. Vidarok had a deep streak of pride, and would usually refuse to eat another's kill, as if they thought him incapable. He knew it was not the case with Sugha. She'd just grown bored.

Standing slowly, the creamy pelted male grunted, lowering his front half as he stretched both his leg and back muscles. Eyes squeezed shut for a long moment as he stretched, only to flicker open again as he stood, and land upon the remainder of his breakfast. With a soft snort, Vidarok took hold of the pile of bones and tossed them towards the wall of the den, kicking the last parts idly with a forepaw until they were out of the way.

With a satisfied huff, he started out of the cave after his partner, orange, flaming eyes watching her retreating form as she made her way out of the mouth of the cave. Stepping outside into the sunlight, Vidarok's ears swiveled about, ears and eyes both searching for any signs of other wolves, or prey beasts. Finding nothing for the moment, the wolf gave Sugha a mot subtle nod; it was safe, the land was barren of others for now. Their usual fun would have to be sought out elsewhere, after they finished cleaning.

[Sugha]

Sugha's dark nose turned in different directions, trying to pick up scents of others from the wind. She couldn't detect anything except scents a day old, and neither could Vidarok it seemed as she noted his nod as he came to stand beside her. Looking up at the impressive wolf, Sugha was reminded why their den was kept so peaceful. Their partnership was well known and the two strong wolves paired together were quite a force to be reckoned with in these packlands. And the two enjoyed such a reputation. It was an easier life to intimidate others with their strength and 'double act' than be by oneself and fight for dominance over other omegas everyday.

Sugha found herself smirking knowingly up at Vidarok during her thoughts. He would want to travel about the territory like he did most days, looking for others to make aware of his presence. Aswell as his partner's. Sugha was the one in the shaodws most of the time, and although no one could see her, they knew she was there. No sensible wolf challenged Vidarok. Sugha was sure he could stand alone in a fight however and be the victor, but it never hurt to have some security in these lands.

Turning her head away from Vidarok's form, Sugha's black auds perked forward as she began to walk in the direction of the scent of water. The stream trickled near by their cosey den and was a good place to wash and hunt as it attracted prey whom wanted to drink. Upon arriving at the stream after a non-eventful and conversationless walk, the grey wolfess dipped her blood stained maw in the water to drink and then shortly after, begin grooming herself by the water's edge.

The tranquility of the land was quite soothing to her and she made no hurry in the routine, even laying down once she had finished, lazily watching Vidarok in his activities. It wasn't long before she caught scent of other packmates within the area and her ears swivelled in the direction of voices before long. Dull amber eyes flicked to Vidarok, asking with her eyes what he would like to do today.

[Zoarta]

*Dispite her sleep, the 'watchfull eye' remained wide open...*

*Zoarta slept peacefully most of the time now, but no matter how peaceful she felt, she still looked frightening. Her right eye, long blinded by an injury in battle, has swollen to the pink and grey mass so large that her eyelid could no longer close over it. So even as the Whiteback Slept, she always gave the impression of watching....*

*Her bannered tail whisps swung gently in the morning breeze while the old maid slept soundly by the creekbed. There was little peace left in Zoarta's life, due to her cronic pain, the war, and Lord knows what else was thrown at her, so the Whiteback slept while she could, dreaming of her days past as a warrior of warriors...scents dispurded her sleep, Zoarta groaned and shifted slightly. Her other, turquiose eye proceeded to open. She spoted Sugha imediatly...and that meant...yup...Vidarok was close by. These were a younger pair in the group, but acted like they have loved each other for centuries. Zoarta rolled herself into a upright position while still laying down., her turquiose ears flicking softly back*

Mind announcing yourself next time...

*Zoarta was the oldest wolf in the pack, and previously a prized member, and that made her, in her eyes, worthy of respect...*

[Vidarok]

The feel of frigid water on his paws and snout snatched away any remnant of sleep that his breakfast had not managed to banish. Vidarok let out a soft huff at the bite of the water, his taile wagging fractionally in an almost pleased fashion as he waded out into the stream a few more steps. Lowering his head, the male lapped up a few decent drinks, burning eyes always aimed upward, towards the shore and never remaining still for very long. Always watchful, Vidarok had yet to find himself ambushed.

Snuck up on, yes, but never ambushed. There was an extreme difference between the two. And that came into play for yet another time as a voice rose up just beyond the wolf's line of vision. The tone had a definite familiarity to it, and was lacking any out-right aggression... for the time being. Even so, the fur along Vidarok's spine rose as he quickly lifted his head from the stream to glance towards the source of the sound.

Orange eyes remained vivid as they locked upon the familiary blind eye of the resident 'old woman' in Whiteback territories, Zoarta. Despite Vidarok's own pride and self-image, the male did indeed know his place. The fur along his back ceased it's prickling, and he even went as far as to offer a respectful bow of his head to the she-wolf.

"If we were to announce our presence, it would have been likely to only irritate you further..." The reply was still laced with a definite respect, and the male offered a small, slightly sarcastic grin to the wolfess. He could be pushing his luck, he knew that... It was always hard to tell the mood of the old maid, but there was truth in his words. He knew he would have been irritated if a pair of packmates poked their head into his resting place to announce that they were passing by.

[Sugha]

Her questioning gaze was cut short when a voice closer than expected pierced the serenity. Sugha had not seen nor scented the elder female in their area of leisure and so needless to say, was surprised. Her muscles tensed and she was on her feet in an instant, ears drawn forward with alertness. Amber eyes always held her partner within range and noticed his initial hostile behaviour settle. She mimicked him and shrank a little behind him. She did not wish to engage in conflict with the wise warrior today.

Sugha slinked past Vidarok's solid form, a movement in his background, as if reminding the old wofess that there was two of them and one of her. Still, she disguised her defensive behaviour with a curt bow of her head toward her.
"I trust we did not disturb your activities Zoarta."
Sugha made slow and relaxed steps to sidle up to Vidarok in an attempt to keep a peaceful atmosphere. The balance within the Whiteback pack was delicate and ever changing, aswell as a dangerous thing to mess with. Sugha did not feel like upsetting that teetering balance today and hoped this encounter would be reasonably stress free. The smokey pelted wolfess gave a short whine to Vidarok, subtle enough for only him to notice, and be aware that she was beside him and alert.

[Zoarta]

((Ran out of time, promise to write tomarrow))