hide-and-seek [open;briar]

[Radi]

An emotionless dark line smeared across his maw, he wandered, restless for the hunt. A mystical atmosphere engulfed him as his large creamy paws sunk within the grainy sand. How the small particles seemed to easily be pulled away from each other. This area somewhat reminded him of himself. However, that was enough time thinking about sand. He lift his head up so his path was in view. This was his getaway and his escape from the rest of his packmates for the late evening. There was time before the sun would set and an adventurous spirit dared him to find the hidden river before nightfall. The sky was currently a darkening blue and few white puffs draped along the heavenly sea.

The brute smirked to himself, determined but his hopes not set high. He padded on, sand scrapping his paw pads. He tried to use all of his senses to find the river but to no avail, it couldn't be found for what had seemed like miles. He huffed, stopping in his tracks to scent the air for any prey. There was a faint smell of rabbit. He probably wouldn't come across it. He quickly sighed, frowning. Alert, he swore he heard some movement behind him, he hurriedly turned back to see a small, apparently starving rabbit meters away from where he stood. Well, he was defiantly wrong about not coming across it. He slowed his breathing, his light blue eyes focusing.

Ronan debated. Debated whether he should take it's life now or leave it be. Besides, what if that skinniness was caused by some disease. It wouldn't be much of a chase. It wasn't worth it. It could barely feed itself much less a growing pack. The male decided to leave it and drifted forward, further in his direction. This was a drag. Ronan busted into a sudden run, the opposite direction of the poor rabbit who he could've obviously smelled the death off of. It wasn't until he tripped over something and went tumbling. It was awkward but he tumbled with grace. Still was a pretty funny sight to see no doubt. He sprinted back, not thinking about the little pain coming from his left front leg nor the sand covering his ashen colors. Sticking out of the ground was a piece of metal. The male observed it. Most likely debris... Not an uncommon or unusual find anymore. His left leg was bleeding, bringing it up to squint and see the red liquid trickling down onto the sand. "Oh! Goody... I love the part where I bleed."

[|The March Hare|]

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[atrb=background,http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/4140/briarmidcopy.png] The strange atmosphere of Ophelia was one that many tended to avoid. Not the hunter who was strange herself. The hunter who enjoyed having solitude. The hunter named Briar who had a coat as dull as the scenery itself. The dismal area made her feel more at home than any other place and she let out a deep sigh. No one would be here, it was a dangerous place if you didn't know where you were going which Briar, of course, did know. She visited the area enough to know every little rock and sand grain intimately. The tiny wolf was moving at a trot across the sand, her body was like that of a wraith, making no sound and due to her coloring she was little more than a shadow across the background. Just how she liked it. She was sure that even her scent was masked. Why? She had made sure to make it that way by rolling in a patch of moss before she'd left the pack camp. Others following her was not wanted today. The only shadow she wanted with her was her own. The river was her destination, she hadn't planned any stops until she got there. That was until a scent hit her nose... Well, two actually. The first was a rabbit and the other was the scent of blood. She saw the tiny herbivore and expected for it to be dead but this was not the case, for now. The poor creature was obviously starving to death and was not far from death. However, the scent that clung to the herbivore was that of sickness and Briar did not want to be sick... Especially not with the accursed sickness that plagued the mutated wolves so she left the tiny rabbit be. Not bothering to quicken its path to the dark trail with a bite. Well... if the rabbit wasn't bleeding then what was? She inhaled deeply and she knew it was that of a wolf. Why was an Aserio wolf bleeding in the middle of its own territory? There was no scent of mutated wolves or larger predators. The dull wolf got her answer when she walked forward a few more feet. She saw another hunter, one she had seen a few times but never really bothered to talk to. What was his name? Rose? Roavin? Or... Ronan! That was it, she was sure it was but why was he bleeding? A piece of a metal contraption sticking out of the ground provided her answer. Her dull eyes rolled as she thought of how the other wolf had tripped over the metal. Hunters were supposed to be graceful. Not clumsy. Leave that to the over-sized guardians. Still, she needed to get by the other hunter so she could travel to the river. Her path would be quickest in a straight line so she decided to edge quietly around the male. So, she made sure to get her front paws over the metal piece when she started forward again but what she failed to do was make sure her rear paws were over it. Thunk! Her left rear paw struck the fiendish metal piece and kicked it forward a few feet, right in front of Ronan. Dammit! She shouldn't have been so cocky... She should have just gone around! Now the other wolf would see her. So she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and waited for the other to speak because she wouldn't do it first. Her eyes were lowered so that the slight flicker of annoyance wouldn't show. "Listen to my words." Behold, I think. Tags: Ronan, open Notes: Tsk tsk, Briar, karma gets everyone... My muse just exploded on this post X3 Muse: 7/10 Words: 609

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[Radi]

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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/30c3jvn.png] [scrolly:h(181),w(260),sy] While running, he hadn't seen the metal in his way, so, he must have kicked it up one way or another when he had tripped over it. Ronan was sitting, licking his small wound that stung with annoyance. The dark red liquid was coppery tasting and repulsive but he rejected the idea of bleeding all over the sand and making a trail back to the campsite of Aserio. He heard a thunk and finally noticed the smaller she-wolf. She was moving so gracefully until she finally hit her rear paw. He had to bite back an amused chuckle. "Great" The brute thought, standing back on his feet and watching the other wolf with evaluating eyes. His alone time was now put to an end and he had to hassle with female company. Female. The only female he knew how to handle was his sister and he didn't even really handle her well. She smelled of moss and a slight detectable scent of Aserio, which relieved him to an extent. A loner would be a fool to wander so freely in pack territory. He had no clue as to who she was in the pack, almost like he never seen her before in his life. Then again, he might of never have. She was rather well camouflaged with the surroundings. No wonder. It wasn't like he talked to anybody anyway. For whatever weird reason, he found her silvery grey eyes attractive. For this, he looked away from her with his senses still alert. "We're like magnets" Ronan spoke, his voice gliding off his tongue smoothly. He was referring to the both of them hitting the metal which he wasn't aware of where it was from. "You're of Aserio, right? And let me guess... A hunter too..." The male already thought he said too much. Her movements were like water, and she was small. No way she'd be suited as an guardian. Also, the female appeared quiet. And oh, boy did he like quiet. [/scrolly]

[|The March Hare|]

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[atrb=background,http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/4140/briarmidcopy.png] Quite against her own will the female's eyes roved up and locked onto the male. His eyes were a startling blue, a blue that reminded her of her brother's. Her brother who had looked exactly like her except his beautiful, vibrant blue eyes. Briar shivered inwardly and looked away from Ronan once more, she was shaken but refused to show it. Briar couldn't hold onto her brother's death forever... This wolf probably hadn't even known Blackberry and it was silly to be so affected by his (reasonably beautiful) eyes. "We're like magnets" Magnets? For a moment the wolfess was confused and thought he was speaking of them being attracted to each other. Then her eyes found the dreaded piece of man-material and she realized what he meant. She gave a tiny sneeze of amusement then her head nodded once in assent. Indeed they were like magnets. "Clumsy hunter magnets." Her voice was a mumble as she was almost speaking to herself instead of him. Her ears perked at the next question though she didn't lift her eyes to his, instead she looked at a piece of ground close to his paws. "Yes. Am Briar." She figured it was obvious that she was a hunter by her less-than-large body but maybe the wolf was trying to make conversation. Who knew? Maybe she should oblige him and further carry on their conference. "You are... Ronan, yes?" Her lame question was barely contributing but what could she do? Briar wasn't exactly the best at speaking nor was she the best in conversations. Just like her dull coat she usually faded into the background when other wolves were speaking, only making comments when she absolutely needed to. Truth be told she was a little uncomfortable. The wolf's gaze was a little too bright, too luring and attractive for what she was used to. Sure, he wasn't looking at her or at least she didn't think so but that didn't help. How she wished to be at the river in that moment. The waters would help clear her mind and it was always peaceful just sitting there next to the edge, letting her paws dangle in the shallows. The she-wolf really loved water... It could soothe a raging mind and calm fears as well as nervousness. "Listen to my words." Behold, I think. Tags: Ronan, open Notes: --- Muse: 6/10 Words: 404

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[Radi]

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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/30c3jvn.png] [scrolly:h(181),w(260),sy] His left front leg still stung, far from pain that would send him writhing in agony. It was still an injury that he had to worry over because anything could seem to lead to infection these days. Maybe he'd have a healer slap something on it later but then again, all it seemed like was a scratch. Their eyes never happened to meet each other. The brute frowned and looked at the sky to see the sun was pretty close to setting. He sighed and turned his alluring light blue gaze on the female. He wasn't sure right now as to what to think or actually feel. Watching as she nodded, he could sense a hint of amusement from her. The she-wolf then mumbled something and it took him some time to register it into something he could actually understand. "Clumsy hunter magnets." He kept his observing orbs on her. "Clumsy... maybe." Ronan wandered Ophelia with one desire in mind: getting to the river. Maybe the female had the same desire and he could probably talk her into showing him the way. Briar finally spoke her and his name, however, this time he could hear her better. Her voice was overly soft and somehow feminine and he strangely enjoyed it. Usually it wasn't so hard to read another of his kind but this proved difficult... and rather awkward. Perhaps this was because she gave him a weird feeling he never felt before, it was defiantly a feeling he couldn't understand. Ronan stood staring into space, overwhelmed by this new feeling. Damn. The man should have gotten out more. He suddenly remembered she was there and stumbled over his words for a bit. Not the first time today he stumbled. "Uh... Yes Briar... It's Ronan." He spoke, slightly nodding at her, hoping she'd look back at him. Right now, he preferred to be buried in the sand because of these feelings he couldn't fathom. He liked her name. Briar. It wasn't anything too fancy but it was still nice and unique. The brute's assumptions were left as assumptions, he couldn't be sure who she was and yet she seemed to know him. Ronan wanted solid facts about her but those would have to wait. It'd probably satisfy him and make these feelings go away. Now. Time to get down to business. "Am I the only one who doesn't know where the river is?" He huffed, his ashen colors still tainted with sand. [/scrolly]

[|The March Hare|]

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[atrb=background,http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/4140/briarmidcopy.png] Not fulfilling the wolf's silent request her eyes remained elusive, locked on the ground; she wasn't quite brave enough to meet his gaze again. Now she actually had something to look at though, a tiny little beetle that was scuffling across the sand. A barely noticeable little creature, it reminded her of herself, a barely noticeable wolf in a pack but perhaps it was better that way. "Am I the only one who doesn't know where the river is?"

[/i] He didn't know where the river was? She thought everyone in Aserio knew, or at least the wolves who had been born in Aserio did. Perhaps he wasn't pack-born, she knew his name and his rank but that was it. Well, she could possibly guess his age too but that was just through observation and anyone could guess an age. It wasn't rocket-science.

His huffy voice was a little too much for Briar though and she nearly laughed at him. She managed to curb the sound and her eyes merely twinkled while her tongue lolled out in silent mirth. The she-wolf's gaze traveled up briefly to his own before lowering again. How should she answer his question? Seriously? No. She didn't feel as if he was the completely serious type, after all he had made the "magnet" comment earlier. Besides, she never really got to joke much with others. They were either put off by her quietness or they felt the need to protect her too much so joking was generally left out of the equation.

"Probably are." Her still quiet voice held a note of teasing in it. Something that it hardly ever held for she hardly ever teased anyone.

Now she was thinking, should she take the wolf with her to the river? He hadn't said much so far so maybe he wasn't the talkative type, which Briar liked, if a wolf was going to be around her for any period of time anyway. If her assumption was correct then perhaps he wouldn't be bad company to have at the river..."Will show you the way, if you like." She would risk it.

With that, the she-wolf took several steps forward and looked back at Ronan. "Follow." She took off at a quick lope, if he was any sort of hunter he should be able to keep up all the way to the river without any trouble. Her pace was one that a guardian wouldn't be able to follow for very long but hunters were expected to have good endurance.

Briar smiled, it had been a while since she'd had a good run just for the heck of it. She had forgotten the pleasure of being free to run where one pleased. She would have to do it more often. The wind blew her short fur and laid her ears flat but all too soon the run was over for they reached the river.

She stopped only when she had reached the edge of the water. She lay down next to it and dangled her paws into the liquid, relishing the relaxing feel. Now she felt confident enough to raise her eyes to the vibrant gaze of the male and she did so for a few moments. "Is nice." She was speaking of the water that she loved so much but she ended up lowering her gaze again. A nervous feeling creeping into her gut... Why did his eyes have to remind her so much of Blackberry? That was her problem wasn't it? That his eyes looked like her brother's? She blinked and stared down at the liquid, watching as a fish swam by.

---

"Listen to my words."
Behold, I think.

Tags: Ronan, open
Notes: ---
Muse: 6/10
Words: 604

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[Radi]

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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/30c3jvn.png] [scrolly:h(181),w(260),sy] He had to focus on his goal, to find the river, not on trying to figure out some she-wolf. He rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself. As he pulled himself out of one mindset and into another one. This was taking too long for his taste. Hell, it was his fault, striking up a conversation with someone during his alone time. Who was he? His sister? A sudden pain of guilt clashed his heart and he made a face like he was in pain. He turned his head away quickly realizing Briar was still there. Well, she might have not seen his face. The she-wolf didn't always bother to look at him. He couldn't blame her, he was ugly. In the end, they were similarly silent. He could have left Briar be and she would be on her way and she would probably be a lot happier 'cause she sure hell seemed to not be in need of his company. Anyway, he wasn't so happy with himself. He talked to the female and now he decided to stick with her. Who knows? Maybe she'd be nice company. Not like she talked too much. This wasn't going like he wanted. The male eyed her, watched. Briar might have thought she was hiding it really well but he could see some amusement off her and he smiled inside with returned amusement. Perhaps he was on his way to understanding her. Or not. "Probably are." He frowned and tried to think. "I'm not surprised." Since he was an idiot. Waiting, he stood quiet, looking at the ground. Hoping she would lead him to the river soon. "Will show you the way, if you like." Ronan nodded once more and as she told him to fallow her, he did, racing alongside her. While running, he kept up with her, noticing how pleasant she appeared. He spotted a smile on her pretty maw. Frowning he looked away and enjoyed the fresh air running through his fibers and knocking the sand loose. Once they made it to their destination, the river, his glance preyed on it and took in it's beauty. "Didn't trip that time." He spoke in a quiet tone. He laid down next to her, feet away, paws dipping into the cooling and refreshing liquid. "Is nice." As she faced him he actually smiled yet it wasn't until he caught himself that he turned away from her and stopped. "Is nice indeed." Ronan mumbled to himself. For the rest of the time, the two of them laid down silent until Ronan caught notice of the fish and wanted to dive into the river to catch some. [/scrolly]

[|The March Hare|]

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[atrb=background,http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/4140/briarmidcopy.png] Ronan said nothing as they were lying there, which suited her just fine. She enjoyed silence and that was initially what she had come for so it was only fair that she got to enjoy the quietness, or rather the sound of water rushing over the rocks and the birds with their faraway chirping. It was serene and the she-wolf's eyes closed halfway with pleasure. A tickle on her pawpad made her eye the strange thing that had touched her. It was a tiny black fish that decided to nibble on her paw, the fish had no teeth though so it caused no harm, Briar let it be. There was no need to disturb the peace, it wasn't like the little water-creature was a piranha or anything. Briar's plain gray eyes rose to the sky to watch the sun fall below the horizon, it cast a series of pink and blue shades across the sky. Quite appealing to the young huntress and she admired it with the tiniest of smiles on her face, showing a side that others seldom saw. After a few minutes the sun finally sank below the horizon and the stars along with the moon came out for their turn in the sky. Briar eyed the sky for a few moments before lowering her head to lay on the ground. Her eyes remained open as she lazily followed the haphazard motions of the fish. She wondered what they tasted like? Right on cue her stomach gave a low rumble. "Sorry... A little hungry." Her stomach had to be the thing that disturbed the peace. Her flicked slightly with annoyance at her own self, she should have eaten before now but no... Her last meal had been that morning, a rather small mouse. A sharp pain on her paw caused her to jerk it out of the water, sending a small bit of it splashing. She yipped a little in surpise but apologized quickly for the noise and also in case she'd splashed Ronan by accident, "Sorry." She inspected her paw and fortunately it was not bleeding, whatever had bitten her had not broken the skin. Curiously she leaned over the water to peer in, her vision wasn't nearly as good as a cat's at night but she could see good enough. What had bitten her was a large brown fish, probably nothing more than a curios bite from the finned animal. Briar turned a mischievous look to Ronan, "A paw-biter. We should bite it back, yes?" A fish that size could offer both of them a little sustenance and the wolfess was up to a little revenge anyway. "Listen to my words." Behold, I think. Tags: Ronan, open Notes: --- Muse: 6/10 Words: 441

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[Radi]

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[atrb=background,http://i47.tinypic.com/30c3jvn.png] [scrolly:h(181),w(260),sy] Ronan's orbs stayed on the flowing river for quite some time. He tried to clear his mind in the silence. All he could hear was nature's sounds now, the rushing of the water below him, and the song of birds from somewhere. It was actually pleasant. Looking at the fish, he watched with careful eyes as they nibbled on his large paws. Surprisingly, he had nearly forgotten he was with Briar when he laid his grey head on his legs, which quickly popped back up to look at the sky. The brute couldn't afford to let his guard down around anyone. Ronan tried to heighten his senses. The sun finally disappeared in varied hues of pink and blue and the moon came out to take it's place. He could hear the chirping of crickets. Frogs were out also, the male mostly noticed when a single and small frog quickly jumped away from him once it realized where it was starting to settle itself. He quietly huffed to himself. A cool breeze blew past him, running through his ashen strands. Mixed with the temperature of the water, it was so ever refreshing. The moment was tranquil, and he took back his thoughts of diving into the water to catch a few fish. Then, he heard a rumble from a few feet away, he slowly turned to face the female. "Sorry... A little hungry." He just stared at her and watched her from a distance. He wasn't sure if she should be apologizing but he just stayed silent. Then his stomach began rumbling aswell. He sighed, not being able to recall the last time he had ate. Rising to his feet, he eyed the fish underwater, his hunger growing. He heard a sudden yip as he was splashed with water, and was about to spring to the she-wolf's aid until he heard her apologizing once again. Ronan wanted to ask her if she was alright but he couldn't bring himself to actually ask. It was but a brown fish, though its size seemed formidable. "A paw-biter. We should bite it back, yes?" The male didn't see why not so he nodded in reply, slowly crouching over to her, bodies almost touching. He noticed Brair's warmth and tried not to fall fast asleep. He could smell moss and still a hint of Aserio off her. "You're warm." He impulsively whispered in her ear. He wasn't aware if she was uncomfortable with the closeness. Alert and ready to catch the fish. Ronan was better at hunting prey on land than in water, however they were both hungry so he'd have to try his best for the two of them. After awhile, he moved over, having almost drifting off in Briar's body heat. This would give them more space to work with anyway. He grew a bit impatient and tried to strike the fish out of the water, only to have his attempt end in failure. ”Damn!” He was kind of embarrassed. At least the fish swam below Briar now, hoping she'd have a better time than him. [/scrolly]

[|The March Hare|]

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[atrb=background,http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/4140/briarmidcopy.png] The wolfess had risen to her paws and now stood crouched next to the water, gray eyes locked onto its reflective surface; locked right onto the large fish beneath the waters. Then she felt the male next to her, almost touching his coat against hers. Her instincts rebelled at being to close to another creature, she was a huntress and not someone to lie to close to another. However, she decided to ignore her instincts and not tell Ronan to back off, the fish was closer to where she had been lying anyway. "You're warm." The voice was close in her ear and she tensed. The fur on the back of her neck rose, in what was a tingling sensation that was not unpleasant, but it was unfamiliar to the young hunter. It was also distracting. She stared at the water trying her hardest not to think about the warmth and closeness of the other wolf. She held her breath and continued to stare at the water. Fish. Fish. Paw-biting-fish. Think about the fish... She intoned this over and over in her mind but even if the fish had leaped up and smacked her on the nose she would have been too distracted to catch it. After a bit of time Ronan moved away, causing the distraction that had been clouding her mind to dissipate. The she-wolf shook her head and nearly sighed with relief but held it in. Now she could concentrate on catching the large fish. She held completely still and stared at the water, fishing was a waiting game and you had to strike at the correct moment. Or, so she thought. Briar had never actually fished before... A splash made her look over to her companion who held a look of embarrassment. She didn't make it worse by laughing at him but instead kept her eyes on the water. Besides, she may not do much better. As the fish swam below her she formulated a strategy. At first she was going to swipe at the water like Ronan had done but she changed her mind. Perhaps she would do something different, using her whole body so that her fast speed would be put to the best advantage. So, as the fish swam the she-wolf bunched the muscles in her rear legs and prepared to leap. Finally when she had built up her energy and was ready to strike she pushed off with her rear legs and rocketed forward straight towards the fish. Her jowls were open and she caught the fish by its middle, she also managed to catch a nose-full of water. She threw her head back and tossed the fish back towards the shore. For a moment her paws were swept from underneath her and she plunged underneath the surf. She struggled in blind panic before managing to get onto land where she collapsed into a tiny, soggy heap. She sneezed and coughed, water streaming from her nose and mouth. Finally she just lay with her head on the sand as the cool night winds sliced through her wet fur. "Plan went better in head..." She gave a half-hearted smile as her eyes landed on the fish, still flopping around. At least her labor had borne fruit. "But got fish." "Listen to my words." Behold, I think. Tags: Ronan, open Notes: Silly Briar and your half-thought up plans. Muse: 7/10 Words: 569

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