[IC] Werewolf Roleplay - OPEN

[The Muse of Eru]

April 13th, 2014
7:00 PM
Odessa, Colorado

In the mountains, winter still holds sway. The snow is deeper in April than it was in January or February, and Odessa is nearly buried by it – but the residents here can handle winter. The werewolves thrive in the snow, capable of exploring further while mere humans are tucked away in their homes. The moon is two days short of full and rides heavy in the sky, casting an ethereal glow over the white landscape of the mountains. Despite the fact that wild wolves are not thought to live in Colorado, the people of Odessa are not unfamiliar with howling in the night, especially during the winter months.

Rumors have finally made their way to the mountains about a northern pack by the name of Vail. If they're true, it means the Vail pack was recently taken down, supposedly by the largest pack in Denver – a pack of unsavory individuals selected by a rather ambitious Ulfric who only goes by the name Adam. Most packs don't fight Adam and readily submit, but that doesn't stop them from being slaughtered, resulting in little opposition to his steady takeover. Many large cities are home to such packs, though none have yet shown such similar brutality.

Something rides the wind, though whether it is a hint of spring or a different kind of change for the werewolves within and near Odessa is yet to be seen. A howl shivers upward, weaving through wind and snow in a timeless effort to strike the moon. The time of the werewolf approaches.

[AcaciaMalikov]

Acacia 'Ace' Malikov

Trudged through the thickness of the white weather, slender yet sturdy limbs tipped with hefty paws drew on as the sound of gentle puffing could be heard. Trailed by the marks of every step, conjoined by dragging toes patterned the mold-able landscape. The large frame shook out it's head and glanced about, the mountains her home as she headed in search of a place to hunker down.

Ears twitching forward and back at every sound picked up, head lowly hung as she listened to the echoing sounds of others. The small critters were, by now, hibernating and tucked away from the cold and any threats that may have been about. Acacia would then merely grunted as she found herself slowing as she ascended parts of the mountain. She held onto her thick oddly tinged pelt over the flesh of her human self, somehow finding comfort in the ability to remain outdoors and free from the struggles of being human.

Unsure of who else lurked through the mountains and it's coverage, Acacia moved almost silently, tail low and dragging through the icy sheets of terrain, undoubtedly leaving a trail for any to follow. Hues of muddled emerald and sapphire shifting relentlessly as she allowed the pink slither of flesh to emerge her maw, slapping the frozen nasal that topped her muzzle with a new warmth.

Eventually she'd find an uncovered rock pressed against a tree's stump and protected from the ivory particles, it's upper surface almost flat, making it a perfect resting spot. As she cast a quick glance around she'd quickly leap upon it's surface and turn to face her surroundings, rump lightly lowering as hind legs tucked themselves under the figure to prop it up. Front limbs merely standing upright before slowly one after the other pacing forwards, elbows eventually colliding with the hard object. Laying upon her stomach and chest now she emit a gentle sigh, white clouds emerging both passages with the heated breath.

The female secluding herself from the pack she called family, her nature to wander and be alone drawing her to the isolated locations in the mountains, a loner by heart it would seem to those who may have seen her actions.

Once comfortable, she couldn't help but think to herself, wondering what else their was to the world, what she was supposed to do with herself and why she ended up the way she was. She'd lose herself to thought and eventually lower her head to rest upon those thick paws, eyes drifting about as her lids half closed themselves.

[Spybuster]

William jolted awake from his sleep, breathing heavily, in his motel room. It was that same terrible damned dream that plagued his rest every few nights. With a groan, the man checked his watch, noting that it was 7:06 PM in the world outside his motel room. "Damn.." William thought to himself. "I've been asleep for almost the whole day." For the vagrant hunter, it had been quite a while for him since he last slept in a bed. It felt like a luxury these days.

With another groan, he propped himself up on his bed, staring at his own reflection in the television screen. The hunter frowned, it was obvious that he'd been on the road for quite sometime. His face looked poorly groomed, his facial hair had grown to be very bushy and untrimmed. Disappointed in his appearance, he grabbed the remote and pressed the power button. The room lit up with an array of colors as the television came to life, the sound of a news reporter trailing on about the weather and recent events began to come from the device. All these details the man spoke were once of interest to William, but now they all felt like they were a thousand miles away from his current reality.

For a while longer, he stared blankly at the television screen before deciding he should get up and look around. It was someplace new for the vagrant hunter, and on his way into the town, he admired the snowy woodlands that surrounded him. Having put on his holsters with his revolvers, he reached for his warm, leather duster coat and slid it over his body. He glanced over at his round shield and gave a grin at the marvelous tool. The heavy steel shield had a finely painted image of the head of a decapitated werewolf, a symbol of his family's pride in werewolf hunting. It had protected his father and him for as long as he could remember. He knelt down beside his shield, attaching the mechanism to his left arm, and placing the shield over his back. A chain connected the device to the shield, and it dangled along his arm up to his shoulder where it met the shield. The hunter reached for his hat before leaving, and opened the door to the cold winter winds that met him outside.

William always enjoyed the outdoors, even when the weather was against him. He wandered along the roads on the edge of town, taking in his surroundings, and not before long did he find himself at a trail leading off into the wilderness. The hunter felt a hike through the snowy woods would make for a good exercise, and he proceeded down the path with his hands in his pockets. He was unsure of what the woods around Odessa housed, but he felt confident that the local wildlife were probably not much of a threat.

[The Muse of Eru]

Sam Carroway

Cave near Pack House.

A growl tore free of her furred throat, grounding down to a threatening bass as she stared at the younger wolf. Her fur lifted along her body, making her appear even larger than the other and as the moon was caught and held in her gleaming eyes, Sam took one slow, aggressive step forward. Her muzzle wrinkled back further, exposing long and deadly canines. Tension tightened around the two wolves, with a few other pack members slinking back by degrees. Sam's ongoing growl shifted briefly into a snarl, causing the other wolf to whine and drop his body to the ground. As he grovelled, Sam remained stiff and growling for several more seconds, pinning him with her glare.

When he finally crept forward, keeping his belly to the floor and eyes rolled up to anxiously watch her, Sam relaxed and let the growling taper off. Ready to appease, the other wolf lifted up and licked at her lower jaw in submission, ceasing only when Sam emitted a quick, sharp growl. Settling back onto her haunches, Sam watched the newer werewolf slink off, aware of others of the pack watching her cautiously. The tension ebbed, allowing the pack members to resume their previous engagements. Shaking out her fur, Sam paced to the mouth of the cave and peered out into the coming night. A couple wolves came up to her and rubbed their furred sides against hers in a show of solidarity, adding another of many touches the were shared amongst the werewolves of Odessa – shifters were a fairly touchy sort, expressing a host of things through physical touches.

Tired of the cold against her paws, Sam left the cave and angled towards the house, taking the quickest route. Her ears shifted by minute degrees as new sounds came to her, feet whispering along the snow. With her black coat, Sam stood out rather bluntly against the snow, but as the night deepened around her, she became a deeper shadow weaving around thick tree trunks. Springing up the steps of the deck that spilled from the back of the house, Sam moved towards the portion that had some shelter from the elements. A rather large cabinet with dozens of small, square drawers was tucked against the house and was the object of Sam's attention. She shivered, breath pluming into the cold air, and let the heat of the change overwhelm her form. Shifting was always slightly painful and quite uncomfortable as the fur slide away and bones rearranged themselves, but Sam had the benefit of having more mastery over it than some werewolves.

Rising to her feet, Sam pulled out a drawer near the center and removed some clothing. Briskly tugging on jeans and a long-sleeve shirt, she padded barefoot up to the rear doors and made her way into the warm, inviting depths of the pack house.

[CLIW]

A puff of pale, frosty breath dissipated into the cold air from a pair of wet- and very cold- nostrils. His nose and his slightly-chilly ears, though, were the only parts of Aldo that truly felt the cold: his dark winter coat kept him nice and toasty despite the unpleasantly nippy weather. He was enjoying his new ability to shift, enjoying the fact that he didn't need snowshoes to travel swiftly across the deep snow because his paws were the snowshoes. A brief flash of grief tugged at his heart when he wished that his friend were alive to see him learning how to find his footing among the Odessa Pack.

For the majority of the day, Aldo had been curled up comfortably under thick covers like any sane human on their day off work, reading a book. Now, though, he'd decided that it would be impolite to not go and hang out with the pack, maybe do something nice for them. That was the story of why there was a wolf trotting briskly but cautiously along a small road with a plastic grocery bag in its mouth; it contained hot chocolate powder and teabags as well as a couple of boxes of cookies and some cake mix. It also had his clothes in it. Aldo wasn't sure if werewolves, like dogs and probably wolves, had bad reactions to chocolate. That was why he'd make a point of trying out some of the stuff first. Or just doing the easy thing and asking, like he'd been meaning to.

The warm, inviting lights of the pack house encouraged the no-doubt strange looking wolf to walk faster, his tail lifting into the air slightly as he looked forward to the warmth of the house and hot chocolate. He snuck into a thick clump of bushes, quietly set down the bag, took a couple of minutes to shift (he hadn't quite gotten the hang of it, yet), pulled on his clothes and walked into the house with the bag of delicious goodies in tow. Aldo shivered slightly when the cold caught up to him after the loss of his luxurious fur. He could smell that the Geri was here, and since this made him nervous, he moved slowly and quietly, not sure where she was. He put some water on the stove to boil with a cookie in his mouth. So far so good, he thought on the subject of chocolate.

[WhenBooksFly101]

How long had she been wandering? Days, Weeks?......Vashti didn’t know anymore.

Walking through the almost silent world of winter her brown and golden fur stood on end to protect her against the cold. Moisture clung to her less protected areas where her fur was not as thick.

Limping along the wolf trudged through the snow at a painfully slow pace. There was no destination and no path…..just the world ahead, and the hope that she would find something or someone to request sanctuary.

Stopping a moment to gather the surroundings Vashti lifted her head with tired brown eyes. They drifted over the bleak forest surrounding her, and returned to the ground when she saw nothing but shadows in the fading light of evening. A sigh escaped her amidst heavy steam.

It hadn’t been much time since she had fled from her home pack, and she had come so far; yet found nothing. She was cold, exhausted, and in a great deal of pain.

Shifting her weight over her front legs she held her left hind leg suspended in the air to avoid the ache of walking. After traveling for so long the weak tendons had seized up and refused to take the pressure; wounds from a recent battle still proving problematic.

Shaking the beadlets of snow from her body Vashti moved into a walk once again. The snow crunching softly under the pads of her paws as she continued on.

Suddenly, dark eyes going wide she raised her head and froze. Her muzzle quivered and her ears flicked back and forth for a moment, before lowering against the back of her skull. A gentle growl emanated from her chest as a scent reached her senses.

Wolves……but not the regular kind.

Curiosity spiking Vashti limped foreword over what she could see was a small hill in the distance. Although the light was fading and night threatened to fall, her wolf eyesight gifted her easy vision.

A gentle wind brushed overhead as she topped the bank. Immediately she spotted a large dark object in the distance; across a small expanse of trees and resting at the base of a small ridge. It was a large house; built to easily hide in the rough terrain of the mountain. The home of werewolves.

Vashti listened intently, then snorted and moved to walk down the slope. She wanted to get a closer look and see just how many resided here. Some might have called her crazy.

Vashti sometimes agreed.

[BlackCat]

Dracul sat on her roof, looking up at the moon, a thermos of tea in her hand. Almost a full moon. Not that that really matters. Her legs swung slightly, their black clad feet swishing through air. Dracul was wearing a pair of black jeans, black combat boots, and a navy blue hoodie over a navi blue shirt. After all, navy blue was harder too see at night than black.

Dracul reached and touched the crossbow strapped to her leg, and the silver tipped bolts strapped on her other leg. Dracul could be called old fashioned, but this weapon was the best for her ability. She was a fast woman, not a string one. She was designed to be nimble and flexible. To be a lurker not to be in head on combat.

Dracul thought back to when she had become a hunter. She had been sixteen. It was eight years ago. After she had finally let someone slip through the shell around her heart. The shrill forged by an accident that had left Dracul with her trust issues and hydrophobia. She had finally gotten a true friend, one that wouldn't betray her. After a few years of edging and help, Dracul had let her become a friend. But that was over. She was dead now. Six years ago on a beautiful night like this one.

Dracul sighed. Memories were a burden to all living things. But no one could escape their past. In some way or another one's past would haunt them one way or another. But for now, Dracul would try to enjoy such a beautiful night.

[The Muse of Eru]

Marrec Olivier

A loud, grating snore startled the large man awake, his dark eyes flicking blearily around to locate the source of the noise. Belatedly, Marrec realized he was the one that had made the noise, since the den was otherwise deserted. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he allowed his sensitive ears to notice several moving bodies around the house, though the sounds were faint, given that the individuals were werewolves. Well, except that one fellow... he tended to stomp around like he was testing the ground for faulty spots. Marrec had never understood what went into heavy footfalls, especially when they were from relatively small women who seemed the shake the ground in their passing. Density, maybe. Chortling at his own thoughts, the man moved so that he was sprawled across the gargantuan couch, his skin given an orange cast from the nearby blazing hearth. His dark eyes were heavily hooded, slivers gleaming forth to catch the play of shadows along the walls.

I should probably be with the packer leader, he thought drowsily. Except the other enforcer was, since they tended to take turns while in the house. No need to have two hulking shadows in such an enclosed space, in Marrec's opinion. Dozing on the couch wasn't likely to help his status as a shoddy enforcer, but the man wasn't inclined to care much – he could do his job, with or without the criticisms. Besides, nobody had openly snarked in his direction since the last fight. Except the Geri, who showed clear distrust of his abilities whenever they were in the same room together. Harrumphing rather loudly, Marrec fluffed the pillows behind his head. By the trail of stronger scents wafting through the house, his strongest critic was currently nearby. Luckily it was mostly silent glares and less nagging, because he was starting to fall asleep again and didn't relish the idea of being forced awake for a berating by the Geri, who outranked him for dominance and would until he decided to fight for a different status.

Mouth slowly opening as he fell back asleep, Marrec's body loosened with unconsciousness, sending one arm flopping off the end of the couch and light snores to once more begin. If he dreamed, if was likely of brownies or steaks, maybe a few white-tailed deers.

[The Emperors Blade]

This was the kind of weather Markus lived for. It was the best times for hunting since everything was so scarce, it made the hunts that much more exciting. Markus stepped out of the bathroom wearing a towel hanging from his waist to his knees. Steam billowed from his body as he grabbed a tumbler and a bottle of whiskey from his night stand. With a simple pour he filled the glass halfway before stepping out onto the balcony the cold wind blowing across his still damp but warm skin. He brings the tumbler up to his lips and takes a sip before leaning against the rail of his balcony and looking out over the woods.

Markus head slowly turned and looked back into the bedroom that his balcony was connected to and images of the last night in his bed flashed through his mind which only brought a smile to his face. He turned back to the forest and sniffed the air several times and then wrinkled his nose a bit as he took another sip of whiskey. In a rough voice he spoke aloud to himself. “Humans… Some of my kin, one I don’t know…” his lips twisted into a scowl as the images of the night before fled from his mind. “A hunt might very well be on the agenda tonight…”

The tumbler lifted back to his lips finishing the whiskey inside before tossing the glass off the balcony into the trees below… He turns around and yanks the towel off and tosses it onto a chair where it drapes over the back of it before pulling on some jeans and heading back out to the balcony grabbing his pistol as he went. He stood there for a moment before firing off two rounds into the sky over the woods. Any humans that were hikers would likely clear out at the gunshots, and game hunters would be more discouraged by the fact that someone else was hunting, while any were hunters would likely continue to investigate. This would narrow things down possibly for later. “Never a dull day is it…”

[WhenBooksFly101]

Vashti was walking slowly along; feet padding softly through the snow as she navigated through the trees. Always keeping the strange house to her right she circled around towards the backside of the building. Although a distance away, she could smell others of her kind.

There were quite many of them......and for a moment Vashti doubted moving closer. But then she thought of the consequences if she didn't approach. No, she needed to check it out.

Moving slowly and taking her time, occasionally stopping, Vashti was allowing her back leg to loosen. The pain was not as noticeable but she did not yet walk upon it. No matter how hard it was to walk through the snow.

Suddenly, two shots rang through the air and the she-wolf yelped, jumping in surprise with all four legs spread out beneath her. Her ears pricked forward and her breath quickened. A hunter? Had one of the other wolves spotted her?

Moments passed of pure silence before Vashti's body relaxed. Her leg gave a sharp protest of pain and she relieved it of the weight, before moving foreword again. This time she made sure to remain stealthy and vigilant; the shots had been very close, yet she did not know their reason for being fired.

Now, the building could be seen ahead through the trees. Lights shone in some of the windows and the scent of fellow wolves hung heavy on the air. Vashti pressed foreword until she was at the treeline; dangerously close.

Standing there, she just watched and examined every detail. She could not see anyone yet......they were probably indoors.

[BlackCat]

Dracul slid off her roof, returning to the warmth of her home. She put her thermos down on her table before grabbing a few silver daggers and more arrows. She wanted to go hunting. Red hair tucked into her hood, Dracul headed out.

Her boots made footprints in the snow, but Dracul made very little noise herself. She was at the edge of the forest, moon above her in the distance, werewolves deeper into the woods. But the ground wasn't Dracul's strong point. The trees were. And so Dracul climbed into the sturdy branches above. Out of sight, clambering from one tree to another.

The gunshots that sounded did not scare Dracul. Her prey would not be stolen that easily. She was been doing this for a while. Her crossbow would mean the death of the werewolves. The death of as many as she could get.

Arrack had clamber across a few trees before stumbling upon two people. Well, not really stumbled, they were still quite unaware of their predator. The death lurking in the trees. Dracul strained her ears to hear the conversation.

"Come on Ted, we need to head back."
"We'll be fine. We're not that far away. Stop complaining, Susanna."

Dracul loaded a bolt into her crossbow. Aiming for the male, presumably Ted. She fired. The bolt pierced his neck, it's silver tip protruding from the other side of Ted's neck as he crumpled to the ground, blood spilling, the life in his eyes faded and gone.

Dracul had used her stealth for one surprise attack. She assumed that Ted would be the stronger. But she still had to fight Susanna. Dracul threw a dagger at the werewolf who was steadily approaching her hideout, prowling, now in wolf form. The dagger hit her arm, halting her momentarily. Giving Dracul just enough time to load another bolt. And enough time to kill the female. Leaving her lifeless body next the male. Retrieving her bolts and dagger. They must have been low level werewolves. It was too easy. Then again, Dracul had had surprise on her side.

[AcaciaMalikov]

As the sudden sound of two bullets echoed over the mountains ranges, bright eyes suddenly flashed open, velveteen nasals racing as their side panels pulled inwards and outwards with every breath drawn.

I must have dozed, damnit! Acacia thought to herself, those gun shots were something she'd heard before, the Ulfric, shaking the waters of the forest by sending hunters on their way, with little game on the table it wasn't worth hunting with others already out.

At this point the chill in the air barely bothered her, the puffy fur lining her body bristled lightly with a gentle shiver. Slowly she arose to all fours once more, chest dipping as front legs extended in a cat like stretch, jaws parting as she yawned.

I guess it's time to head back, was her last thought, with an ungrateful puff of breath her haunches all tensed eventually sprung, launching the bright ball of fluff forward as decently sized paws sunk into the ivory sheeting, powering forward at a full gallop she grunted lightly, leaping over a fallen tree here and there as she barely slowed down.

Upon the collection of herself, she'd listen lightly to her surroundings, she'd only slow after realizing she was a tad further away than anticipated, tail low as she paced herself at a trotting speed. Fine tuned ears picked up almost every sound around her and for a decent distance, while observant eyes sensed even the slightest movement. She was a well aware creature, then again, she needed to be if she wanted to keep herself safe.

Briskly moving through the chilled terrain, Acacia tried to recall exactly how far she'd wandered this time, it seemed to be a habit to mindlessly wander through the surrounds of her home territory, she'd been told numerous times by many of her higher ranking pack members that she should stay near, but, she never listened.

[Spybuster]

Two loud cracks rang out through the woods. William came to a sudden halt, listening, trying to locate the source of the sounds. "Gun shots.." he thought to himself. He assumed it could be from a hunter, who'd been stalking his prey for quite some time and finally had the chance to bag their animal. If that was the case, William had a lot of respect for the hunter who was willing to trudge through the snow for the spirit of the hunt. Still, he wandered the woods without much reason other than curiosity.

The gunshots had caught his attention, and he wanted to investigate, but it would be rude to go looking for someone who is busy partaking in the sport. Rather than head directly in the direction of the sound, he decided to wander in the general direction where he thinks the shots rang out from. William didn't care where he ended up, he was enjoying himself out here. Taking in a deep breath of fresh air he hiked on through the snow, humming a country tune to himself, unaware of the presence of werewolves still in the area.

[The Muse of Eru]

Sasha

The woman was at first hard to see, the darkness of her skin and clothes blending into the shadows she naturally gravitated towards. Much like a shadow, she moved when Marcus moved, though initially she was simply lounging outside his quarters, appearing much like the dozing Marrec downstairs. Unlike the other enforcer, Sasha was alert. Her loose limbs and closed eyes were a facade for sharp senses and a waiting, bristling energy that lurked just below the surface. She didn't stir when she heard movements in the bedroom, but the sudden crack of the first gun shot had her leaping to her feet and moving towards the door that separated them, her hand settling on the doorknob before the second shot rang out. As she shoved open the door, Sasha slid into a crouch and brought forth her own gun, sighting down the barrel of an M1911 before the thick cornrows that swayed nearly to her waist had settled.

A grunt crawled past her lips as Sasha realized Markus was just warning off potential threats. Standing up with a grace that suggested muscles in places more akin to her wolf form than her human form, Sasha placed her gun back in its holster. The movement of her loose sweater hinted at a large, fixed blade on her hip, but the remainder of her weapons were more discreetly placed.

“Warning would be nice sometimes,” she complained lightly, moving through the room and out onto the balcony to stand beside the Ulfric. The smell of his gun was thick on the air, but as another gun owner, Sasha was accustomed to the smell. “What's going on?” Black eyes roamed over the expansive view before them, nostrils flaring as she took in the more subtle scents that lay beneath the gun powder and smoke.

[WhenBooksFly101]

Some time passed, and Vashti stood frozen on the tree line.
Brown eyes flashing over every section of the house she made a small whine and shifted. She wanted to get closer......to investigate.

Glancing around one last time she made a small snort. It wasn't a very safe plan.....but since when did she live by the rules of safety?

Hearing the most distant of voices, located on the other side of the house, Vashti's ears pricked foreword and she stood up. lured by the sound her muzzle began to quiver, then she moved. There was no stopping her now.

Without giving a second thought Vashti's foreleg reached out into the clan snow, followed by the other. It wasn't long before she stood completely free of the trees, then gradually, she picked up the pace and slinked over the clearing separating the house from the forest. Her eyes fixed on the building's closest wall; filled with curiosity and an underlying tinge of excitement. Her heart pumped in her chest and her body went rigid.

Stealthily the she-wolf reached the far wall of the 'manor', pressing against the wood and glancing around to check for any danger. Once confident of her safety, Vashti edged foreword along the wall towards a sliding glass door. She hesitated at it's corner, before inching foreword and peeking in through the glass.

[AcaciaMalikov]

As she gently puffed, Acacia allowed her nasals to draw in deep breaths, slowly approaching that familiar location after a decent bit of travel, every scent trail that lingered in the frigid weather about it was depicted one by one, until she came to a halt, a strange scent danced upon every nerve in her nostrils before she grunted.

Paws pacing one after the other collected to a trot as her hackles began to raise upon her neck trailing down over her shoulders and along her spine, muscles tensed as she attempted to make herself look larger than she was, and, well braver too. She'd approached from behind the house unknowing which direction she'd wandered she could have ended up anywhere around the building. As she edged towards the edge of the forest's cover she'd halt for a mere moment, the moonlight illuminating those mix toned orbs.

Having a small spike of courage, her vocals began to rub, a rumble rose from the depths of her chest and up through her maw, nasal bridge rippling as she dipped her head, ears forward and tail low yet stiff as she stuck only her nose out of the forests line. Barely visible except the coloring of her sights as she made herself audible to the lurking wolf peeking through a glass door.

As she slowly began to take another step out of her hiding place she'd eventually realize what she was doing, the sudden shift of courage to uncertainty was visible in her eyes and in the motion of ears falling backwards, then forwards quickly along with the almost immediate silence. She prayed that the Ulfric had heard her, or at least, that the other wasn't quite as interested in her.

Acacia stood stiffly, fur still raised as she watched the other werewolf, puffing hefty breaths as she watched every movement of the other closely.

[WhenBooksFly101]

Vashti was gazing with interested eyes at the dim room inside, the shadows of furniture and the light of a fireplace in the corner. It was a very nice place......

Suddenly, she heard the short yet unmistakable sound of a huffing wolf; the deep threatening rumble of threat. Crap.....she hadn't heard them coming.

Body going stiff the hair along Vashti's shoulders bristled and the skin of her muzzle curled upwards. She turned, ever so slowly, towards the sound of the hostile bark and saw a wolf in the distance. Her lips lifted and her canines bared in a low snarl, before she turned to fully face it.

Shoulders rolling foreword and ears pinning against her skull Vashti hesitated. She didn't want to hurt anyone.....she was intruding upon their land after all......but she was prepared to defend herself.

Throat still rumbling with a defensive growl Vashti stared at the opposing wolf. She weighed the options and pondered her strategy.....but noticed a change in her new acquaintance's stance.
It was as if this wolf wasn't as confident as it tried leading her to believe. Vashti could smell the underlying worry.

At this she raised her head, lips lowering slightly but her growl remaining strong.

[CLIW]

Aldo had made quick work of the first chocolate chip cookie and grabbed another when he casually looked toward the sliding glass door and did a double-take when he saw a werewolf he didn't know peeking through the glass and then switching her focus to someone else, who he couldn't see. All he could feel was total certainty that this werewolf was not part of the Odessa Pack. After all, he'd known them before becoming a werewolf. Through the glass, he could hear a very clear growl, making his muscles go rigid and the second cookie disappear in his now-tight jaws. He noticed that the stranger's leg looked injured, and a tiny bit of pity ran through him, but it passed quickly: all that meant was an easier fight for him.

He tapped on the glass to get the wolf's attention. He didn't feel much like he had the energy to shift again, but keeping his eye on the possible hostile he grabbed yet another cookie. Even as a human, his lip lifted in a warning snarl. This didn't make it easy for him to eat the cookie, and in fact it probably made him look pretty stupid, but he wouldn't back down. His heart was thudding; he didn't want to go outside and pick a fight and he very much hoped that one of the enforcers would come along and take control of the situation but he knew that someone was out there who was part of the pack.

[WhenBooksFly101]

It was at the sound of a sharp tap, that Vashti's attention was drawn to the glass doors behind her. Turning her snarl intensitfied and she whirled to face the glass, but who she saw inside made her blink.
Head raising she made a small sound of surprise and she tilted her head to one side; all expression of hostility gone in the one moment her curiosity won over. Was that a cookie in the man's mouth?

At the thought of food her stomach protested from the long days of traveling, unable to hunt because of the stiffness in her leg. Man...any food sounded good right about now....human meals or prey.

Although, staring at the figure in the glass Vashti also saw the aggression in his eyes. Even dim behind the door she heard his threatening snarl.
Going rigid she shook the surprised look on her face and growled. She had wolves on both sides now.

Canines bared and nose wrinkled Vashti began to sidestep; heading for the side of the building. Past that wall was open space and eventually the forests. She could at least gain a better hold out there and face her foes head on.

Truth be told she didn't want to leave.....it had been months since she could get this close to a pack. Maybe she could reason with them...rather than fight and spill more blood upon the ground then their needed to be.

Snorting Vashti kept her brown eyes fixed on the man in the glass, before turning and darting along the building's wall. Her gait was broken with the occasional limp but she ran swiftly.

[Spybuster]

The forest felt calm. The snow, although heavy, was only slowing him slightly as he pushed on through the woodlands. It was nice being away from society. He could be who he was, and not have to dodge around questions or make up lies and excuses. William was a free soul out here. The wild however was no place for common man though, and something he'd come to learn very fast as a young hunter. Man was not always the top predator, and that was especially apparent when were-creatures were involved. They had the wits of a human, with the instincts of a beast combined together. For some, they were even more beast than man..

William came to a stop, and leaned against a tree. A short rest was in order for the hunter who had been hiking for quite sometime now. He reached into his coat, and pulled out a small metal flask. Removing the cap, he poured its contents into his mouth, feeling the burn of whiskey as it went down his throat. With a sigh, he slid his flask into his coat and continued onward. It wasn't long however before he came to another halt. Beside his foot, there appeared to be indentations in the snow. The hunter knelt down beside them, giving them a closer look. They were tracks alright, but not just any tracks. Wolf tracks. The hunter grumbled, looking up from the prints, and examining his surroundings further. It was possible they could just be from wolves, but years of hunting were beasts had made him wary of doubting his worst expectations.

The hunter marched onward, following the path these wolf tracks had left for him. Cautiously he scanned his surroundings, and kept a hand on one of his holstered revolvers just in case. He crept through the woods, although not that silently. The chain from his shield still rattled with each move he made, his feet crunching with every step through the snow. Eventually he came to a clearing, stopping right at the edge of the woods, where he saw a house. He couldn't see much from his side of the house, but the tracks had lead him there. He knelt down with a grunt and began to watch the structure.