Small Beginnings

[slimestone]

The sun beat down heavily on the wide expanse of land, the yellow grass contrasted spectacularly against the bright blue sky above. Rain had not fallen for months, the preceding spring and winter oddly dry. Most of the prey animals had long since gone, unable to thrive in the difficult conditions. Still, some smaller animals like rabbits and birds had stayed around, able to find nutrition in places the larger animals could not. Without a single cloud in the sky, it did not seem that this situation would change any time soon.
````Qaniit lay on her side, unable to muster enough energy to do much more. She was tired and hungry, but it was just too hot to hunt right now; she would wait for nightfall, when it was cooler. The dry grass felt coarse under her as she rolled over, he stomach raised to the sun. She normally liked the feeling of the sun's heat on her belly, but it had just been so hot lately for so long that she wanted to swim in a river of ice instead. Unfortunately, there was little cover on the plains except for a few trees speckled here and there, and it was not exactly covered in water either. She had only settled in the plain recently, her travels finally having brought her to a land she could claim. Had she known the drought would last this long, she would have kept searching. As it was, she had gotten herself settled in and was not about to move on.
````Qaniit yawned, bored. She had not seen another wolf since she had split ways with her sister almost a year ago. She felt so bored and alone without anyone to talk to, something she took badly due to her sociable nature. Her intelligent brain had not been stimulated in a long time, and she yearned for a pack to lead and call her own. Not that she had not tried finding others; there were many times when she would sit and howl for hours, but her calls always went unanswered. It just seemed as though she was the only wolf left alive in the world, although she could not imagine what had happened to everyone else. The drought could have driven them out, she supposed, following the large game they relied on. At the same time, however, she had seen evidence of deer in the forests to the east still, so that was not necessarily the reason. But then, where was everyone?
````Qaniit sneezed as some dust entered her nose, making her whole body shake. She stood up and shook herself, dirt spraying out in all directions, leaving her white coat dusted brown. Settling herself, her dark brown eyes scanned the horizon. Nothing. Not that she expected much, but she still held hope in her heart that someone, something - anything! - would turn up. She sighed and sat down, her tail swishing from side to side. She had no idea what to do with herself, and the sun was not going to set for hours still. She tipped her nose to the sky, letting a long howl escape her jaws. "I'm here, are you?" Not that she thought she would get a reply, but what else was there to do? It could not hurt, anyway.

[Ash]

Water. The life-blood of the earth. Without it life would die and come to an end. With no sight, sound or smell of rain upon the horizon Ashton doubted he would find another of his kind here. Then again he had been wrong before. He had entered the land during the night, and was scouting it would when the scent of a female came to his nose. The smell, the scent made his nose twitch and as he inhaled he found the scent to be that of a female. He wanted her. The greedy male, was sure that she could do with a big strong male such as himself in her life. Oh, dear Ashton was so full of himself. Strutting along the landscape his pride dripped off of him, and as those brown eyes scanned the golden landscape he spotted her.

Slowly he allowed his paws to carry him towards the she-wolf. His eyes taken in every inch of her, and the land she was on. Was he really after her? Or was he after her land? Who really knew surely not him. If his brothers where here they would be fighting over the fact of who saw her first, but seeing as they went Ashton was rather smug with himself. "Hey pretty lady." He said to the she-wolf. His voice was full of charm and confidence as he stood around four feet away on her left side. His chin was tucked over his throat just in case, but other then that he stood with pride. His tail was out behind him, and curled up slightly, as he took a wide stance.

It might have been quiet hot, but he shoved that to the side as he did his best to show off for the female. Her scent was all around this place. Clearly she was the alpha here, but with the fact that he couldn't smell anyone else her pack must not have been very big.

[slimestone]

Her howl at an end, Qaniit sighed in resignation. Another unanswered call. She was starting to give up hope; maybe she should leave the land, like all the wolves before her had. Maybe there was something she did not know about, like some kind of sickness or infertility in the soil that caused things to die. However, it had taken her so long to find a territory she could claim and call her own that she was very reluctant to just let it go. She was starting to give up hope of starting a new life here where she could lead the pack she had yearned for for so long.
````A rustling to her left caught her attention and dragged it away from her melancholy thoughts. Her head shot around in the direction of the noise, the sight startling her beyond words. There, in front of her very eyes, stood a wolf. A wolf! Had she not been so surprised by his sudden appearance, Qaniit would have been overjoyed. As it was, however, she forgot to speak; to do anything! An awkward moment of silence hung in the air between the two wolves before Qaniit regained her senses and the stranger's words finally registered in her head. Pretty lady. It was not something she was used to being called. She had never really been much to look at, and his compliment made her giddy and embarrassed. He was, however, much more striking, standing taller than her with a large frame and scar across his face.
````Starting to calm down from the initial shock, Qaniit decided he must have been downwind of her to startle her like that, without her knowing of his presence at all. She also decided that it was awfully rude of him to creep up and surprise an alpha wolf like that, and she felt herself grow cross. She stood up, her tail held erect, the hot feeling of anger coursing through her body. She kept her composure, however, and with a controlled voice said, "My name is Qaniit, and you would do well to use it." She was appalled by his body language, his powerful, dominant stance inappropriate in the face of her authority. Who did he think he was, traipsing onto her land and into her presence like this? She puffed out her chest and raised her tail higher, her legs stiff and ears erect and alert. He did not seem like he was there to cause trouble, but she could not take any chances - he was, after all, larger than her and, by the looks of it, stronger.
````"What is your business here?" she commanded, her voice strong. "I suppose you could start off by telling me your name." She hoped he would respond to her dominance and submit, his arrogant attitude getting on her nerves. If she were going to lead a harmonious wolf pack, she would have to ensure everyone knew who was boss.

[ink]

Ink's amber colored eyes scanned the barren plains he was in, a sigh escaped his throat and he continued forward head low to the ground. He had been traveling for quite a while and he hadn't eaten in days, so his frame was much thinner compared to his normal muscular body. He paused, raising his head with ears perked as he heard a howl in the distance. A few moments after the howl had stopped he lifted his head and howled a response. "Im here! Is what the message had said. He stood there panting softly before he suddenly broke out into a sprint heading towards where he had heard the howl. Ink slowed down to a slow trot his nose twitching as he picked up the scents of another wolf, female to be exact. The scent marking told him that the territory was claimed, and he stood there wondering if he should venture farther. He slowly padded farther into the territory and soon he saw two other figures. His pure white pelt made him stand out against the scenery so they where bound to see him. As he was within mere feet of them he could see one was a male and ther other was a female. By her scent Ink could tell it was the female who's scent markings marked this territory, meaning she was probably the alphas of these lands. He walked with his head lowered but his tail wagging, a more submissive stance. "Hello." He said quietly. "I am Ink, and I was wondering, who the alpha is of these lands?" He asked his tone polite.

[slimestone]

(I think we should pretend that Ashton left, as Ash hasn't logged in since the start of July)

Qaniit snorted in pleasure as the large male stalked off. Her display of dominance had worked, but unfortunately he had decided to leave instead. A shame, but not one she could do anything about. Who knew how long it would take for her to find another wolf. The day was still young, however, and there was still a long time before night would fall.
````Qaniit was just about to head off and find somewhere shady to relax, when a sound drifted on the wind toward her. Her ears swivelled in its direction and she realised it was a wolf howling, answering her call. She grew excited, her tail wagging. Two wolves in one day! It was amazing, given she had seen no sign of wolves for many weeks. She tipped her nose to the sky once more, and howled back, "Over here!" she called, hoping the wolf would still come to her. She quickly realised she had had no need to, as she saw the new wolf padding slowly towards her. She turned away to watch the arrogant male walk off, and sighed inwardly. She would have to do better with the stranger wolf.
````Returning her attention to the newcomer, Qaniit let her eyes drift over his physique, taking him in. She could tell he was a male, given his scent, and he walked on long legs. His coat was a very pale white, and his eyes were bright. He was big, but so was she; it should not be a problem if their confrontation broke down to tooth and claw. She was usually not worried about fights, but after her encounter with the rude male, she was on her guard. As he drew closer, the wolf introduced himself. Qaniit nodded, her tail held out straight behind her and her head held high. "Hello, Ink," she said, her eyes bright in greeting, "I am the alpha of these lands. My name is Qaniit." She kept her calm, and hoped she came off as fair but not too friendly. She did not want to scare Ink off, but did not want to come off as a pushover either.