Broken Solitude

[Gaunt]

He had eaten only the day past... a small rabbit that wasn't paying very much attention to the grey face that was resting right above it's refuge. It was a difficult trick to play, requiring a huge amount of aptience, but the old wolf had that in spades and more... it also didn't take much energy, so aiting on the meal wasn't difficult.

Still... it was only one small rabbit, and now his stomach was angry once more, demanding food and threatening to try and eat his liver if he didn't come upon something worthwhile. Gaunt sighed, ignoring the rumble and continuing on, soft pads barely making any noise on the soft moss and dead leaves as he moved. The deep forest was a place of peace to him.. he had been here for almost a year now, and while it could be dangerous at times, the wise old wolf had either managed to avoid it or think of a way to get through it... one in particular involving some ignoble wolf of uncertain origin required some show of teeth and a bit of blood being drawn before he could be left alone... but such was the wya of the wild. Gaunt didn't mind the occasional break in his quiet reflection... sometimes he even welcomed it, for at times the memories of a decade past would creep up on him, and he would be tormented by them for days on end, unable to eat or sleep, for when he ate all he could taste would be his brother's flesh, and when he slept all he would see would be the bodies of his kin... and their specters...

The old wolf paused, shaking his head from side to side slowly, clearing his mind of the images... they weren't real of cours,e but something in him had snapped after the incident, and now sometimes he would see the form of one of his brothers, or the sister that had died for his pride.

Gaunt grunted softly and started to trot, greying fur waving in the soft breeze that carried through the trees. It felt good to move, to be alive, to be alone today... Perhaps he could find something better for his stomach in the nearby reaches...

[RANDOMNESS]

Emerald green eyes moved over the doe as she kept getting up and down in the shelter of the trees. The sound of gushing water landing on the ground perked her attention as she waited patently for the doe to give birth.

Tiny legs appeared, followed shortly by a head and the rest of the fawn's body. It fell to the ground with a thud and the new mother quickly went to lick and feed on the pinkish membrane on the fawn's struggling body for its nutrients. The baby gave a meep as it was licked constantly and spread out its legs to get up.

The hybrid watched all this but she knew what she would have to do. Her stomach growled and that was when she jumps out and barked at them. The mother fled without hesitating but the fawn was left wobbling on its thin legs. Karinek landed on the young deer and clamped her jaw shut on its neck to kill it quickly. She knew only too well what it was like to fear everything around her and she wouldn't let the young fawn to feel that terror if she could help it.

I'm sorry... She thought to the baby deer and looked away from her meal before her stomach growled in anger, she dove into the still warm body and slowly ate.

[Gaunt]

Gaunt trotted along the game path, eyes half-shut and nose raised up a little, enjoying the pleasent scent of the deep woods... Just the lush green smell of living plants as they breathed and sighed in the breeze, filling the world with whispers as leaves twisted and hissed in the wind. It was almost paradise, if it wasn't for his gurgling stomach.

The old wolf rounded a large tree and continued on his way, showing a little bounce in his step. It was a pretty good day... and from the smell of it, it might just get better. He slowed to a stop, nose raised high into the air, taking in long, slow breaths, studying the interesting breeze that he had just come upon. Deer, perhaps... and from the interesting red twinge to it, it was wounded... or perhaps, in this season, giving birth.

The idea of an easy meal spurred him onwards, and he quickly changed course and entered the bush, following his nose to the source of what he hopes is a quick meal... but as he nears it, the sound of a sharp bark stalls him. 'Wild dog...? Here...?' he stays stock still for a long moment, listening and sniffing, trying to catch a sign of the barker and where it came from... unfortunately, he was certain it was just ahead. Gaunt sighed, starting to move once more, but more cautiously this time. He moved low to the ground, only his paws moving, head held low, slipping through the bush silently and easily, almost as if he were a greased snake.

He saw the bright white tail of the doe in the distance through the trees as she fled her attacker, too far away for the old wolf to give chase. He was disapointed at that; the doe would have made for a very good line of meals for the next few days. Frowning to himself, he continued forward, now interested in the other set of counds, the unmistakable sound and scent of ripping flesh and clicking teeth.

Gaunt crept forward, until he could get a clear view of the one who stole his supper... Or, at least, what he was hoping would have been his supper. Technically, now it was HER supper and not his as she got there first... but just for spite Gaunt felt annoyed. He was relieved as Karinek was a wolf and not a dog, though... which meant there might be room for talk should his next action be taken the wrong way...

Gaunt rose to his full hight and pressed his way out of the foliage, a goodly distance away from Karinek. He stopped when he was clear of the bushes, promptly sitting down onto his haunches and watching Karinek eat (with just a little bit of jealousy,) and waited for her to acknowledge him. He had no interest in approaching a wolf with a fresh meal in it's jaws... He know HE didn't like it when others approached his meals, and so he offered the courtesy. He wasn't trying to hide, either, pretty much just walking right out of the brush directly ahead of Karinek, and taking a seat. Wise old blue eyes stared at her, a small, polite grin on his lips.

"Hello..."

[RANDOMNESS]

The brown and grey fae stopped abruptly from her meal and stared transfixed on the old brute who sat before her. A piece of still warm meat dropped from her mouth and she lowered her head, her ears lay down and her tail tucked in a bit as she backed away from the fawn carass. Her emerald green eyes shown with a mix of anxiety and fear. The fae's body quivered a bit and she looked as if she was either ready to bolt from the scene or fall.

"I... I'm so...sorry for intruding. I... I'm not familiar wi...with the Aryian packlands." Her voice shook but had a sense of genuine sincerity despite the circumstances she now faced. She was so used to being resented and attacked by others for what she was, an Aryian/Whiteback hybrid, that she was easily intimidated by others.

[Gaunt]

Gaunt's old head bobbed backwards in surprise... he certainly wasn't expecting THAT sort of reaction. Barred teeth and a throaty growl certainly; a wary look and silence laced with tension so thick one could bite it and eat it sure... but the stuttering and the look of utter terror, definitely not.

Gaunt blinked and shook his head slightly, brow furrowing. "Um... I'm sorry... I did not mean to frighten you. Please, do not be alarmed...." his voice is deep and soft and carrying with it the shadow of years lived and experience. It almost sounds sad, though the old wolf is showing a small smile. Bright cobalt blue eyes watch Karinek, sharp and clear... he gives the brown and white fae a quick looking-over from where he sits, then returns to watching her eyes. "I can see how you might be alarmed... you certainly look like you would need to run and hide from others or taste their fangs." Gaunt smiles just slightly more, eyes half-closing, ears resting at normal, his once-proud tail idly swaying from side to side beside him through the soft moss. He is relaxed, his body-posture showing that he isn't offering any sort of threat.

"Whiteback and Aryian must certainly hate you... though for what reason I cannot fathom beyond simple lineage. Fear not though, young one... you are well out of both Aryian and Whiteback territory, resting in the generally peacefull Deep Forest." He smiles a little more, trying to look friendly, though his painfully thin appearance would seem more in proper place with a ravening lone wolf. "Neutral land... and what you kill is your own." He nods towards the half-eaten fawn.

[RANDOMNESS]

Her eyes glanced back to the fawn sympatheticly but her posture still suggested that she was frozen to the spot with either fear or terror. She shook her head from side to side in disagreement.

"The fawn belonged to the doe and I killed it. I don't dare claim it for nothing stays mine for very long anyway and to think like such would only grant me teeth and claws. Help yourself if you want, its too much for me to carry back and the others wouldn't like it even if I did..."

The brown and grey fae moved away from the kill and offered it to him while keeping her distance. No matter where she went, Karinek would always be loathed and rejected. It was only pure chance she would find a nice beta in the Aryian pack who accepted her into the ranks for some protection against others, especially of Bloodbacks and Chicotahs, the ones who usually tormented her on her lonely travels.

[Gaunt]

The old grey wolf norts and shakes his head a bit, "I saw the doe flee off into the woods to the west. I can guarantee you that she will not be returning for her fawn, and even if she does, what will she do with a corpse? If you leave it here, I will not eat it, for it is not mine... and so therefor, you will be wasting a kill and leaving your own stomach empty." Gaunt eyes Karinek in a slightly disapproving fashion, "Certainly not proper actions for a wolf, no matter whom you might be part of... and, certainly not if you stand by your Aryian side..."

Cobalt blue eyes watch Karinek carefully, sharp and clear compared to his old body. While he is tall, her certainly isn't a 'brute' per say... his body is thin, fur a bit dischevelled, and no doubt at all that he is old.

"However... if you fear that if you claim it, someone might steal it from you... what if I Stood watch and ensured none try to take it from you...?"

The old wolf knew his words would sound suspicious, however he had no othe rreal option in his mind... no better way to put it. He saw by Karinek's actions that was not a normal wolf... she was frightened, terrified even of this one old and thin wanderer... it certainly stood to say that anyone whoa ctually looked fierce would likely make her wet herself. Gaunt didn't like the idea of Karinek wandering life in fear... and he had an ide athat perhaps he could strengthen her backbone a little... Aryians were noble and the whitebacks strong. This one had a beautiful lineage she could draw upon for strength, but it looks like it would take some deep digging to unearth it...

"I offer this to you, then. I will stand here and watch the woods beyond against any interlopers... and you may claim you kill as you own, as a true wolf should." And with that, the old wolf nodded to Karinek, stood up... and turned. He faced away from Karinek, his old grey back to her, head held high and ears alert, watching the forests...

[RANDOMNESS]

Her striped ears rotated on her head so that they perked forwards. Hesitantly she inched towards the fawn carcass and dove into it slowly, all the time eyeing the old grey. If he so much as flinched she would jump away from the kill with the fleetfulness of a springbuck.

She continued to eat until her belly was satisfied, but not full, and clutched the last of the remains in her mouth. There was still plenty of meat left and a bit of the liver hung in her jaws, but she moved towards the old, skinny brute carefully. Dropping the rest of the kill beside him, Karinek backed away. Only a flicker of fear still visible in her green eyes.

"You may have the rest... I can't eat it all." It wasn't entirely true, she could eat more but she thought the old one deserved something for his troubles and he didn't look like he could go much longer without any food in his stomach.

[Gaunt]

(( Pardon for the time it took, was rather busy over the weekend. ))

Gaunt turned his head and smiled to the younger wolf, it was a kindly old smile, not a trace of contempt or disgust within it. He rose his his four paws, turning and stretching a little, nodding to Karinek, "Thank you very much for offering a share in your kill... It is the way of the true pack to do so, and for that I feel rather honoured." Gaunt smiled warmly, sharp blue eyes lowering as he quickly tucked into the offered meal.

He ate quickly, yellowed teeth snapping and ripping with the ease of someone who knows just how to twist and pull when eating in order to make the best use of time... He eats like one who had to worry about time when he finally had something to eat.

Much like how Karinek herself must have had to eat at times, being an outcast.

He finished in record time, licking his jaws and running a paw over his face as he stood up. "Thank you very much, again..." Once he had settled down, he gave Karinek a looking over with his wise old blue eyes, as if trying to read her once again. It isn't a disturbing feeling, it's much more like he is simply curious about such an odd mix of heritages.

"You've been alone a long time...?"

[RANDOMNESS]

The she-wolf watched Gaunt eat almost as quickly as she usually did. Her emerald eyes looked over the old grey. He didn't look like one to attack a lone female, then again most others didn't and she still remained wary of everyone. Even her own packmates made her uneasy. But then she hadn't stayed long enough near the pack to learn their individual personalities. Karinek was still so absorbed in protecting herself and staying out of other wolven's ways that she never ook the time to know someone. Rouch was the only one to make some kind of break in her routine by allowing her to join the Aryian pack.

"All my life until I had joined the pack, but even then I don't stay with them at all times." Karinek shifted her weight on one leg and sat down on her haunches. She didn't sit to be comfortable, she forced herself to stay instead of running back to the pack lands. Her tail thumped against the ground every few seconds and her ears poised themselves forward, attention drawn to the old male. At times they would turn away when a change in the wind brought new sounds to her.

[Gaunt]

Gaunt watches Karinek's movements, gauging her... A very wary fae, alert and cautious; good things to be when the world seems to be howling at your very heels, ravening for your blood. The old one grinned a bit, tilting his head slightly, ears skewing, "Then I wouldn't say you were actually a member of the pack... just an acquaintance. Why don't you enjoy being around the others?"

His greying tail flicks slightly at his side, the tip swaying back and forth, brushing over the earth at his feet. He doesn't seem overly concerned with danger in the forest at the moment. Though he had been completely alert when watching out as Karinek ate, he now seemed at ease, ears still skewed on his head, eyes only for Karinek, devoting his attention to her. If anything, he was relaxed, even serene.

"Ahh, please don't take my words as harsh... I can understand the uneasiness of being around other wolves, I can assure you. It has been a long time since I myself have been with a pack, or even around other wolves for that matter. The thought of it alone is uncomfortable..."

[RANDOMNESS]

"I'm not very... trusting... of others."

Green hues turned from staring straight at the old wolf to glancing at him from time to time. Staring was considered rude and often brought her a few nips to show who was boss. Force of habit brought her to where she was now, a nervous and cautious fae who submits to any wolf's will need it be to protect herself from harm. Though it works most of the time, it didn't mean they couldn't do anything later just for the hell of it.

[Gaunt]

((Aaargh, work is annoying.. to tired and out of mind to post the last few days, sorry.))

Gaunt nodded kniwngly, bowing his old head, "Ahh, I see..." His head tilted, ears and eyes focusing on Karinek and nothing else, "Perhaps because they are not very trusting of you...? Your bloodline heritage is certainly interesting and would confuse others who bite before they bark..."

"Is it presumptuous of me to ask who your parents were...?"

[RANDOMNESS]

"Seems nearly everyone I meet bites before they bark, as you say. I'm afraid I don't remember much about my parents. It was a long while ago and they fell to a terrible and unknown disease. I've been on my own ever since until the beta had accepted me somewhat into the Aryian pack."

The striking marked fae moved a few steps around to get some feeling back in her legs. She had stayed in one spot for too long, and not a very comfortable one to be sure.