for your entertainment {mission/crow}

[Thirteen]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width:388px; height: 597px; background-image: url(http://i50.tinypic.com/2ywwqis.jpg)] "Speech."

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It was a little before midnight. The forest had taken on its usual look for the time of day; pitch black, with barely any light cast upon the trees as the crescent moon shone down upon the world. It was a view Jana had gotten used to since she had joined the Scarlet forest pack, and one she happily welcomed. Darkness meant it was her time to wake, her time to work and to be in her element. She'd always been happiest in the shadows, wandering alone and working over her thoughts. While sometimes it was rather spooky, the majority of the time, it remained uneventful. The night shift was one that had commonly been placed upon her shoulders in other packs, maybe because most knew she would be alright alone, with her bulk to protect her.

The pudgy wolf gave a yawn, jaws extending as wide as she could manage to suck in the fresh, crisp air that had found it's way through the pack den's tiny entrance. Her short limbs reached forwards, rump pushing back and up as she stretched herself out, allowing her bones to click and crunch back into place. It was time to get to work; it was time to patrol the borders. Buried in the blackness of the den lay her new packmates, their gentle snores echoing off the hard soil. She only counted two distinct noises, but the third of her companions could simply have been a silent sleeper tonight. That, or they were already out on duty.

It obviously hadn't been too long since one of them had returned, for as she squeezed herself through the den entrance, the wolf was greeted by a relatively fresh set of paw prints, heading in her direction. However, they were also joined by another set, heading out into the clearing. As she passed each print, she scraped it away, clearing her own as she went with a soft swipe of her tail. Anyone could find them if they left trails back home. And at night, while everyone was soundly sleeping, that was the last thing that they all wanted.

Picking up the pace, she headed for the closest point of the border. While time wasn't necessary of the essence, Jana took pride in her thorough attitude towards her duty. She liked to inspect each section of the border carefully before moving on, ensuring it was caked in the scent of the pack and that no trespassers had come that way since. During a single sitting, she repeated herself several times a night, constantly going around in circles. She didn't mind it though.

The little beast worked quickly through her route, covering a quarter of it before taking the briefest break to rest her paws and scratch a persistent itch. In all fairness, she wasn't tired. Many and most who met her merely mistook her for an overweight creature who gorged herself on meals and left nothing for the rest of the pack. Though that was hardly the truth. True, she enjoyed her food (especially when she was rewarding with a juicy cut of the kill, which wouldn't be for some time now that she'd joined Scarlet) but she didn't eat and eat till the world was gone. Yes, there was fat on her, but the majority was pure muscle. She was a mammoth, built to protect and care. There wasn't often much need for her to run, or to run off what she had on her, but it didn't mean she was exhausted whenever she walked.

Once the itch was gone, she shook the snow from her coat and continued her patrol. It seemed it was going to be a quiet night.

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[CROW. █]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width:387px; height: 550px; background-image: url(http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/269/0/6/zealot_by_looserfaceman-d5fz6mk.jpg)] It had been so long since she had seen any of her pack that Zealot had begun to think that they had abandoned her. She would never force them to stay in the pack territory, nor to seek her out every day, but their scent had all but faded from the pack den. Not knowing what else to do, Zealot herself had left her own territory. She had wandered aimlessly for miles, trying to run from her problems, trying to convince herself that her pack had simply needed some alone time. Somehow she'd made it as far as hidden paradise before she finally came to a stop, staring down an old, rotting, fallen tree as if it held all the answers. The wolf couldn't say how long she'd stood there, looking but not seeing that log. Long enough for her limbs to become weak, sending her body to the ground. At least... that was where she woke now. The alpha female of the Scarlet Pack lay on her side, muzzle buried in a pile of dead leaves that had somehow escaped the winter's snow. She blinked, her silver gaze trying to adjust to the morning light. Zealot didn't bother asking why she was on the ground in unfamiliar territory, it was just another question that would go unanswered. The black and tan wolf rolled to her stomach, rising on shaky limbs. The log lay before her, just as it had the day before, silent, unmoving. Before she might have thought about crossing it. Now all she wanted was to go home. Zealot turned, taking a deep breath to steady herself, and started back toward her territory. It was midnight by the time Zealot returned to the Scarlet Forest. The crescent moon cast little light through the canopy of the woods, dappling the snow here and there where it could. There was a slight mist in the trees, highlighting shafts of moonlight as though they were searchlights, scanning for intruders. She hadn't thought about what she would do when she returned to her territory, though the journey back from the hidden paradise had taken many hours, and it was the fear of returning to an empty den that pushed her to start the midnight patrol. The wolf trudged through the trees, not bothering to avoid the moon's rays where they fell, not bothering to conceal her presence. This was her territory, she feared nothing here... except that her pack had deserted her. Zealot had finished only a quarter of her round when a familiar scent drifted to her: Jana. She paused. This couldn't be true. It had to be an old scent she was picking up, her mind was playing tricks on her. The female resumed up her trudging. She hadn't gone far when Jana's scent drifted to her once more, this time stronger. Zealot felt a tightening in her chest. She dared allow herself a glimmer of hope that Jana had returned. Picking up a trot, Zealot put all thoughts of the patrol out of her mind, heading straight into the scent. If Jana had come back then the others might too. Zorn might have returned. Vivian might be at the den as well. The last thought kicked Zealot into a lope, jaws parted, tongue hanging out as she weaved through the trees. Oh, please, please. Please, let Jana have returned! And there she was. The short pudgy wolf was traveling the border-path, obviously having taken it upon herself to do the midnight patrol. Zealot didn't know how to react. The wolf paused in the foliage. Should she be ecstatic? Run to Jana and confess her fears? Or should she pretend she was never afraid to begin with? Zealot whined, taking a step back. Her paw snapped a twig clean in half with a loud crack. NOTES. finished! <3

[Thirteen]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width:388px; height: 597px; background-image: url(http://i50.tinypic.com/2ywwqis.jpg)] "Speech."

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She plodded along through the silence, her chunky crushing the snow, filling the quiet with a soft crunch. Being alone out in the forest, she liked it. She was constantly surrounded by nature; the eerie mist, the fresh white frost, the crinkled trees that stood like silent sentries in the darkness. Yes, it was all beautiful. Certainly far better than anything the city had offered to her. Broken building with burnt out frames, surrounded by broken glass from shattered windows. Litter covered the floors, joined by abandoned vehicles in the roads and creatures that had slowly been left to rot. It was no paradise, no heaven that she'd enjoyed living in. No, the city had been pure hell. Even the animals there had mimicked their surrounding; damaged beings with cracked minds, dirtier than the ground they walked on. She didn't envy them, living there. But she did feel a slight empathy for them.

With over half her patrol completed, the pudgy wolf halted herself. A particularly large tree, with a gnarled, twisting trunk and spindly, finger like branches lay before her. It marked the half way point of her duty. Since coming to the pack, this tree had always been one she'd favoured. It was the spookiest looking thing she'd ever seen, but Jana had no doubt it was a beauty in the summer; thick with the reddest leaves she'd most likely ever see. Well, she guessed red at least. Surely they wouldn't be green. This was the Scarlet forest, after all. It wouldn't make sense to her if the leaves weren't at least some shade of red. With that thought in mind, she went about her normal business, pressing herself up against the bark and rubbing her scent - and that of the packs, which was surely fading - all over it.

This might have been her new home, but sometimes, it didn't feel like it. She'd not been here that long, but already the pack seemed in shambles. There were too few of them within it, too many independent souls who wandered off constantly. It's not like she was the innocent party though, but her reasons for wandering had been different. For the last week or so, she'd been wandering the entirety of the territory, working out the best places to hunt or take pups - should any ever appear. And after that, she'd made a brief break to the city, on the hunt for fresh wolf blood to up the numbers. While the first part of her travels had been reasonable successful, the latter had not.

Dogs didn't like seeing her around in their territories. Wolves scared them. They panicked at the idea of something large and wild heading there way, and in all fairness, she wasn't too keen on the dogs herself. Sure, she wasn't against them, but they confused her completely, just as they had when she'd joined them in past packs. Their social rankings were similar, but harder to differentiate. Wolves went on smells, specifically focusing on who ate what to work out who was in a certain position. But dogs just ate anything. Her nose was scrambled and confused, and any wolves in the area had been eating the same rubbish, or even the dogs' scraps, so their scents had been lost in the fray.

As a result of being away, she'd not seen much of her pack since her first few days within the forest and even on her return, there had been no sign of Zealot. She'd expected the pretty alpha to be in the den, or at least to have her scent somewhere close, but it was an old, stale smell that clung to the territory. It was disappointing, to say the least. But then again, the female could have been doing the same thing she had done for the last few days - hunting new blood. Either way, she hoped the other female would reappear. She was eager to impress her, to show her worth and determination to help the pack become stronger. Alongside that, she couldn't deny that she wanted to get better acquainted, because her alpha was certain a pretty thing.

With a final push, she left her mark on the bark, a strong warning to any who came close that this was their land. Standing upwind from Zealot, she didn't really notice her presence, even though she was in clear view. Jana was too trapped in her own thoughts to even notice her, right up until she announced herself with the crunch of a twig. Her concentrate broke rapidly and the shorter wolf's head shot upwards, ears perked. For a brief moment, her eyes seemed to pass over her alpha. Her colouring allowed her to blend so easily with the darkness of the forest that she was near impossible to see, but with the moon's aid, Zealot's form became clear.

Jana was thrilled! In an almost pup like fashion, she bounded forwards on her stumpy legs, tail tugged down between her legs but still wagging furiously as she came to greet her. She crouched before her, reaching her muzzle upwards to gently lick at her alpha's chin, obviously ecstatic to her.

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[CROW. █]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width:387px; height: 550px; background-image: url(http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/269/0/6/zealot_by_looserfaceman-d5fz6mk.jpg)] Zealot's breath caught as the stick beneath her cracked, every muscle of her body frozen. A thrill of fear ran through her form, wrapping its icy grip around her heart and squeezing mercilessly. Would Jana even remember her? She saw a glint as the wolf's eyes ran over Zealot's location. The alpha's anxiety increased. Then suddenly Jana came forward, bounding. The black and tan wolf found her limbs stuck to the ground, unable to move, to get out of the way of the attack. Her heart hammered insider her ribcage, pounding against the bone so loud that Zealot was sure the forest could ear. Blood roared in her ears. This was how it would end. Brought down by her own pack. Silver eyes clamped shut. She felt a tongue on her chin. Zealot opened her eyes, looking down at the very submissive and excited Jana that eagerly licked at her muzzle. How could she ever think that Jana would hurt her? Zealot lowered her muzzle, her body releasing its tension and fear immediately. She planted one giant slobbery lick on the bridge of Jana's nose, laughed, and lept to the side. She danced a few feet away, silver eyes shining brightly with mischief. The alpha dropped her chest, front paws slapping the ground in a gesture that screamed "let's play!" This was not how an alpha was supposed to behave, but Zealot didn't care. She was too happy to care. With a yip Zealot came forward at Jana, tail wagging so fast it seemed to propel her. She aimed another lick at the short wolf's muzzle--this time with less drool--and danced away once again. Zealot whined, dropping into a play bow as she wriggled her lifted rear end. She was going to play with this wolf and, in doing so, release every stress and worry that had built up over the last few days. How could she have ever thought her pack had deserted her! It was simply preposterous! NOTES. xDDD