Resin-Alpha Female- 30 summers
Again she yawned against her will, shaking her head once she was finished. Exhaustion was setting in and it would only get worse before it got better. Ash was coming with her, it seemed. Part of her was thankful, the other part wished to keep him here and keep him safe. When Attican used their nickname, Resin chortled softly, rolled her eyes, and shook her head gently. A silly but apt name for the siblings. When hunting or fighting, their minds turned off everything but killing.
She looked to Xani. "If you have enough energy left to hunt, you can take a few of the stronger wolves and try to find something. If you have to go too far away from the wall, however, just wait until we return so things are better guarded. Don't push yourself. If you're tired, sleep." It wouldn't do well to send out the strong wolves and leave the young, old, and meek to their demise. They wouldn't die of starvation tonight, so they would be able to wait.
Ash had moved off before the dark female had a chance. Ahote's words made her laugh lightly and she nuzzled under his chin, flicking his muzzle lightly with her tail as she walked away. "I'm a big girl, Ahote. It'll take more than some brute to take me down." The afterthought of her actions made the alpha wince inwardly. She used to do the same thing to her mate; run her body along his and end with a muzzle tail flick. Little things reminded her of him and her heart still ached.
She wasn't quite ready to run yet. Her paws were sore and her eyes burned from being open for so long. She would walk until she got her second wind. Luckily Ash seemed to be in the same boat. Speeding up just a bit, they began to walk side by side. The fur upon their shoulders brushed periodically. They walked close to share as much heat as they could. Who knew how long they'd be walking.
"We should let the old one know that we're coming." A howl was released, informing them that help was on the way. Soon, they received a return howl from that same feeble voice. Resin mused. A wolf would have to be very old indeed to have a voice like that. She was curious to meet this wolf.
Ash- Beta Male- 30 Summers
Ahote's words caused Ash to roll his eyes good-heartedly. "Don't worry. My life for my Alpha," he said sarcastically, although he meant it. He would keep her safe whether she liked it or not. If they met up with this silly brute, Ash would take him out before Resin even got her paws dirty. It was a brother's duty to look after his little sister, right? Not that she was any younger than him, but he had been born first, so he referred to himself as the 'older brother' which she hated.
The pair looked odd walking side by side in the moonlight. The massive white males coat shone brightly in the moonlight whereas his sister's dark coat made it easy for her to blend into the shadows, not that there were many out here on the tundra. They'd made good time. Already the scattered trees had gone from scattered to non-existent.
Retracing their steps was easy. The moonlight illuminated the path of paw prints that they followed. Tonight the sky was bright and cloudless. The dark expanse above glittered with endless numbers of stars. Ash found himself looking up towards them often. The sky had always fascinated him. As a child he believed that the sky was a second sea and the stars were bright shining fish. He had been afraid that the water would fall upon them and they would all die, but Attican had assured him with stories that this was not the case.
Turning his attention back to their trek, Ash spotted something in the distance; a dark, shambling dot zigzagging through the snow. "I think we've found our old wolf, sister."
As the pair padded forward, it was confirmed. The shambling speck turned into a small, emaciated, mostly toothless old grey wolf. Ash was surprised that someone this old could make it so far on her own, but he soon found out that, rather than being a weak old timer, this wolf was full of piss and vinegar.
Pipaluk-Straggler-97 Summers
Huffing and puffing, she kept on moving. If she laid down now, she could be asleep for hours, days, or forever. Every time she fell asleep she expected to never wake up again. Much to her chagrin, she always woke up. Periodically her eyes would close while she was running and, thanks to Nanuq being a loud mouth, she would have to snap back to it and rouse herself. "I'm doing the best that I can with this old body. You're lucky. You're dead. You don't have to worry about the aches and pains of starving and freezing." Pipa shrieked aloud at her mate's words. "You have to worry about listenin' to me complain? You can leave at any time, you coot! No one's keepin' you here!"
Mumbling and grumbling, Pipaluk chewed on her gums and held her head low as she continued on her way. Though insanely irritating, she would be quite upset if Nanuq disappeared. If he was gone, then she really would start talking to thin air. Turning her head to the side, she shot the dark wolf a look out of the corner of her good eye. "I'm sorry too," she said softly. They continued on in silence for a while.
Hearing a nearby howl caught her attention. They were coming for her? But who was coming for them? She howled in return, letting them know where she was. She picked up her pace to meet them sooner. By the time they came into view, she was panting and wheezing. Due to her lack of teeth, her mouth had the tendency to whistle when she was breathing heavily.
"It's about damn time. Youngin's these days..." was her greeting. She spoke in that typical, slightly garbled speech that the elderly and toothless have perfected. "Someone is going to die." Whistle, wheeze, whistle. "There's a wolf coming for you and he's aiming for one of your pack in particular. A female." Her eyes rested upon the dark and light pair of wolves. "Could be you, but I think it's someone else." Turning to the side, she wrinkled her nose and spoke to the air. "I know that sounded cryptic. I can't just tell them that I saw death in a vision. That sounds crazy!"
)
