Serpent Plains

Karabela's life had been going at a break-neck pace.  She'd barely had a chance to settle into Abaven before the siege happened and all hell broke lose… or should she say Hellstrom?  Well, either way they'd been victorious and Raba had gotten her first real taste of battle.  She was content for the first time in a long time that she'd made her mother proud and it was great to see her old packmates again, especially Hati and Atreides.  

However, in all the excitement she hadn't gotten a chance to really explore Abaven so now was the time to correct that.  This place was called the Serpent's Plains right?  Well, time to go find herself a snake.  Trotting along the winding river that curved through the land Karabela paused as she noticed a large hole just…. there, in the middle of a patch of earth that was less adorned by the dying vegetation of autumn.  Curiously she strode over to go take a look.

"Speech"

"Speech"

He had been exploring the new territory, the one that had been added to Abaven's current domain as a successful result of the siege. The siege - Tinaro didn't even want to think about it. As of lately, he had been trying to shove those stressing thoughts aside and forget all about it. His quiet and uneventful border patrol had brought him back to the plains as he planned to trace the entire outline of the three claimed regions. Boring indeed, though it was the best way to relax and calm his mind.

Not long after patrolling the plains did he catch the scent of one of his pack-mates, an unfamiliar scent. Curious, he veered away from the borders, following the scent until he found a taller female examining what appeared to be a snake hole. In his own couple years, he hadn't ever encountered the slithery creatures in a dangerous situation, though he had seen and observed them. They preyed on mice and occasionally birds, and the hunts themselves weren't so pleasant to watch. Some were relatively harmless and others not so merciful. From afar, he called out to her as he swiftly approached. "I wouldn't go near that if I was you."

Karabela peered at the large hole, golden eyes glinting mischievously. Just as she was about to stick her nose where it almost certainly didn't belong a voice interrupted and she turned to see an earth colored male about her age. She tried to place a name to his face but ultimately she came up short. By his scent she could tell he was an Abaven wolf but not one she'd managed to meet yet. Karabela winked at the man. "Well… good thing you're not me huh? Come on it's just a little bit of fun!" She chuckled and pranced around the hole once before trotting back over to the man. "I'm Karabela Thyre but you can call me Raba. What's your name?"

"Speech"

"Speech"

As she responded to his warning, commenting that it was all for fun, he visibly relaxed and eased. He would still keep a safe distance away from the hole, remaining not entirely convinced it was harmless. Eying the conspicuous anomaly occasionally, he met her golden gaze as she approached him, introducing herself in a lively manner. Definitely someone he hadn't yet met, though now he was meeting her, fortunately. "Tinaro Lastic," he exchanged with a polite smile, for once sharing his family name. Not that anyone would know or remember his father but everyone seemed to have a second name, so it was best if did as well. There was no point in hiding it. "You can call me Tinaro."

Karabela bounced lightly from paw to paw, full of pent up energy and she made a note to start exploring lands outside Abaven if the chance arose. Maybe some good travel would help release her energy. Or she could just comb every inch of the Serpent Plains… yea! The man introduced himself as Tinaro Lastic. "Nice to meet you Tinaro! So what's your rank? You look like you'd be a good fighter."

Raba's ears flicked back at a subtle scratching noise and she turned back to the hole with a wicked grin on her face. "It's alliiiivveee….." trotting back over to the hole, hackles raised she sniffted around the entrance before batting a paw sharply down on the top to send dirt cascading down into the hole.

A foreign snarl met her ears then as an angry badger blasted out of the hole, teeth narrowly missing Raba's left foreleg as she scrambled back with a shriek of joy, skittering away from the badger and back over by Tinaro. The badger filled up the whole entrance to the hole, glaring violently at the wolves as it made it's bizzare growly noises. "I wonder if you can eat those things."

"Speech"

"Speech"

He never really thought about his rank; or future for that matter. Sometimes he just didn't care if he got promoted or not, and somewhere inside he knew that wasn't the right mindset to be in. Maybe the slack side of his personality was starting to reemerge to the surface. He had tried to push it into the depths by consulting the Azat and even sparring him to prove his abilities though it hadn't turned out to be worthwhile. "I guess you're right," he replied with a nonchalant shrug. Well, the 'good' part he begged to differ. "I'm a Mruni. What about you?" He wouldn't be surprised if she was two tiers ahead of him.

Ash-tipped ears perked at the faint scratching coming from the hole. Alright, so it wasn't a snake though that didn't eliminate much - it could be a vole or a hare. Staying where he was, he watched the female trot over to the den, and of course, she had to kick dirt into it. Biggest mistake. That would definitely aggravate whatever was in that hole. "I wouldn't-" He was cut off by a startling snarl, and momentarily a small black creature hopped into his view. She bounded back to him, unharmed. "I've never tried badger," he admitted with a grin. "Wanna find out?"

Karabela skirted away from the badger as it charged forward a foot hissing his strange battle cry. Man they were weird creatures. She paced lightly, eyeing the furious rodent…. thing….. Her right ear flicked. "A Mruni huh? Nice! That's where I started at I'm a Bjuni now, ripe to keep moving up the ranks but I don't know how far I want to go. Bjuni suits me just fine, not sure I'm responsible enough to be running the fighters." She laughed at the thought but it was somewhat tempting. It would be what her mother would do. Her mother was the leader warrior for a number of packs, wise, fierce, stern but with a zest for life that was unrivaled despite her love of war and pain… and perhaps even of death.

Karabela felt a spike of pride and mischievousness as Tinaro grinned at her, stating he'd never tried badger. "You bet I do… " She moved a foot to the left of the creature, sizing it up. "This should be interesting, it's hardly got a neck but if we can get ahold and shake it I bet we can kill it. I'll draw it's attention, you get the jump on him."

Carefully Raba snuck toward the badger, reaching out a paw she made as if to slap it, quickly redrawing her paw as it charged a few feet to try and bit her before scurrying back to stand in front of its hole. Raba made to try the move again. "That's right buddy… eyes on me."

"Speech"

"Speech"

A Bjuni. Huh. That totally wasn't where he wanted to be. Not at all. Well....maybe it was. Jealously burned in his mind, tinged with embarrassment, though he hid that envy behind a straight face. Wow, he really needed to pull his act together if younger wolves were thwarting him in the ranks. At this rate he was going to grow old and die as a Mruni. No, that won't happen, he told herself sternly, returning his attention to the badger. She too wanted to try it, though getting past its vicious exterior proved to be an obstacle for the two. Indeed it didn't have much of a neck and its teeth looked nasty - nothing like a little planning couldn't harm. The female was to divert its attention whilst he pounced on it. He accepted the plan with a small nod of approval, watching as she slithered towards the creature, drawing and redrawing a paw to distract it. Waiting a few moments, he slowly made his way towards the badger, placing each step quietly. That's right, keep your attention on her. A few careful steps later, he was within range, ensuring he was out of the badger's peripheral vision. In a swift strike, his jaws clamped around what neck the animal had - not tight enough to kill it. Instinctively, a claw struck his chestnut cheek as the badger flailed, fighting for its breath. The male winced against the pain, though held his grip as he raised the creature into the air, observing its fidgeting movements that grew slower with every passing moment, life ebbing from its body. He raised a brow to the female, as if asking, What do you want to do with it?

Karabela continued to dart forward, holding the badgers focus as her tail waved behind her, the movement serving to assist her in being the focus of attention. She snarled, barking at the hissing creature. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tinaro move into position. Oh this was exciting! He leapt onto the badger in a tussle, jaws snapping over the creatures neck. Soon the beast strangled to death. Raba grinned and bounced over the male. "Woo! Nice work Tinaro. You'll make Bjuni in no time!" She reached out to sniff at it. "Well, shall we go ahead and sample it?"

"Speech"

"Speech"

Although he was rarely given praise, he brushed her words of encouragement aside. He'd be a Bjuni in no time? He'd like to believe that; he truly wanted to. If only it was that simple.

He could feel the badger thrash and spasm, each movement growing weaker with every passing movement. If he listened carefully, he could feel the slowing pounds of its heart until it bet its final beat. The creature slacked and went limp, lifelessly dangling from his jaws. Sample time it was. Gently, he set the striped animal down by the female's paws in a gentlemanly manner. "Ladies first," he offered with a bow, a grin tugging at his lips.

Karabela grinned and dove in for the creature's belly, ripping into the flesh. She made a face as she chewed and swallowed before she looked at Tinaro and shrugged, licking her lips. "It's tough, a bit chewy, but not terrible." Karabela worked to pull off one of the legs for herself to eat leaving the majority of the kill for Tinaro. She really just wanted to try it and Tinaro was the one who delivered the killing blow.

Karabela devoured the badger leg, gnawing happily on the little bones before she began to clean the blood off her face. "Mmm… that was excellent. Thanks for the assistance, that was fun, but I better get back to patrolling. You take care of yourself. See you around Tinaro." She grinned at the man before getting to her feet and padding off to finish her patrol.

-exit-

"Speech"

"Speech"

Green eyes watched her tear into the creature's belly, chewing and swallowing bites. Momentarily, an unsatisfied look moulded into her features, which disappointed the male. He had been hoping for it to taste delicious, though everyone's tastes varied so it looked like he'd have to try it for himself. After she had taken her smaller portion of the animal, he chewed at the remaining legs, finding that the meat truly was tough to chew, not that it wouldn't satisfy his hunger. The female soon made her leave, bidding him farewell as she planned to continue on with her patrol. "Bye Karabela," he said with a wag of his chestnut tail, watching her taller form until it was out of sight.

-end thread-