Goats, Bears, and a Whole Lot More...//Tarmalo//

[Sabla]

All was quiet. The morning mist from the great Carpathian Mountains settled down onto the outcrop. It rolled silently as Fenris' rays sent golden morning light across the mountain's silhouette. Shadows were gray and hazy from sleep's fatigue as the world seemed to be blended together.

Soft, white bumps drifted through the mist, like moving clouds themselves, barely visible in the haze. They lowed softly, the mothers comforting the young after a rough night's sleep, for the golden morning was welcomed as yet another day was granted to the herd of mountain goats.

They grazed, some yawning as they did so, blinking the sleep from their eyes. The grass was just right- cool from the night and covered with mountain dew. The handsome lead billy goat raised his burly head, gazing amongst the mist, his kingdom. His horns were massive, curling about his skull as evidence of his power. They gleamed golden in the coming light. The goat, satisfied with his surveyal that proved no predators were sneaking about, snorted, his breath like smoke from his nostrils. He lowered his head and continued to graze.

A wolf, cunning and nearly matching the golden atmosphere with her auburn coat, lied crouched, hiding under the mist. The femme's eyes were bright green, reflecting like jade as the morning light streamed through the lands. They were fixated, watching the herd of mountain goats from a distance, as she had been doing the late night, just waiting for the morning air to set in. She had found the perfect prey, now she had targeted it and was patiently waiting for the right moment. A wolf must be wise if hunting alone, or else walk off with an empty stomach.

Her paws twitched anxiously, needing the rocky dirt beneath her as she circled around swiftly, keeping her eyes focused on each goat as she passed it. She had singled out a hind with a lame leg, although she lyed in the midst of the herd. Sabla's lip twitched in frustration. This was going to be tricky. She must draw out the hind without alerting the pack and the lead billy goats, armed with strong, sharp horns.

Sabla held her head low, skulking along the outside of the herd. She would just have to hold her patience. Her stomach gurgled slightly as she slipped up a pass to watch from above.

[Tarmalo]

^{[[lol hows this?]]}

The moon illuminated the sky and the stars blended with the clouds as their edges were slowly kindled to flame by the rising sun behind the mountains. Its rays not quite bright enough to bring its rays upon the animals of the land. The mountain peaks glowed like burning embers in a fire as the sun slowly crept up its backside, yet both the moon and the suns light mingled and created a blue twilight among the heavens and the earth. While on earth a gentle breeze slunk its way through the forests of the Carpathians bringing a slow dense mourning fog to roll beneath their bows. The misty fog left a layer of thin filmy water on the grass and the leaflets of the forest as it passed, while hiding those who crept beneath the blanket of mist. One such creature passed was in that blanket. He crept as the mist crept, silent and vanishes as the fog does when a wind passes through it. A wolf.

Tarmalo kept with the mist as he moved down the mountain side, he mostly ran along the old deer trails that the herd no longer used. He was about halfway down the mountain side when he stopped and gazed outward down the mountain side, he thought he saw some some movement about a little ways down. He decided to keep his guard up for he was entering back into the land of wolves and not all would welcome his presence. His black frosty coat shimmered as the dew reflected of the twilight of the sky his eyes a deep shade of oaken brown with a steel flaw that swam around in his right eye. His eyes returned to the deer trail after one last scanning glance of the landscape. He quickened his pace down the trail, he moved like a black ghost darting to and fro silently down the landscape. He wanted to close the gap a fast as possible between whatever was down there and himself while he was yet undiscovered. He stopped and crept down by a large tree trunk and waited for the morning mist to catch up with him, his eyes scanned the landscape again.

Ahead of him lay a herd of mountain goats; their heads sunk low to the ground as they chewed on the morning grass. Careless in the morning time for the they knew that most animals were sleeping still waiting for the suns ray to shine down on them. Just then, the small meadow glowed auburn as the head of the sun poked his face over the Carpathians, the mountain goats were bathed in auburn light, but in the shadows Tarmalo wasn't blinded by the light and in the distance he saw a figure moving around the goats. Its fur was the same color as the suns ray shining down on the goats. he remained hidden and watched. He watched the wolf stalk around the goats and then crept down to the herd. He knew which one it was after, the one in the middle with the bad leg. But there was one thing wrong with the wolfs plan, and it knew not of his presence.

Tarmalo decided that he wouldn't help this wolf with its meal, he didn't wan to spend the energy chasing anything. He was however hungry so he decided to wait for the auburn wolf to catch it meal then he would sneak up on the wolf while it was eating and kill it then eat its meal.

[Sabla]

//Ha ha. You cheater! You're totally gonna steal my meal! Hmm... reminds you of something? Our first thread, perhaps? //

Her stomach gurgled again, chops drooling slightly at the mere thought of her meal. But she stopped and waited, her ears slightly sticking out from the morning fog as she watched with keen, bright green eyes with every movement of the billy goat. She eyed his horns warily, for if she was struck by one of the deadly points she could be injured to the point of starvation. Even if she had someone to hunt food down for her and take care of her, an infection alone from a deep gash would kill her, if her blood loss didn't.

The billy goat had watched over his herd, but now had become lazy and slack in his job, munching on and forming his daily cud. His jaw moved in a comical and awkward way, grinding the tender grass into mush.

Sabla tucked her head back down under the golden mist and back under her camoflouge. This was her time, if any. She readjusted her footing, swishing her tail in an uncommon way that was her distinct habit before she made her kill, flashing its black tip high.

Then she took off, slipping only slightly on the dewey grass in her chase. Her sudden bolt charged a massive explosion of energy in the mountain goat herd. They began a rampant stampede, eyes flashing in fear and hoofs kicking back in defense. The varg snarled, this was not what she had intended, but it was working, nonetheless. The billy goat was a coward, leading the stampede out and away from the putnar instead of fending for the herd. The injured hind lagged far behind the rest.

Sabla growled, snapping at its kicking hooves and limping legs and seperated it from the herd. She didn't notice the sheer cliff beneath the rocky pass she was chasing the goat, nor the ebon wolf that had been watching her whole hunt.

[Tarmalo]

^{[[[lol ur right!!! lol i didnt even realize until u told me. *faceplam*]]]
=P}

Tarmalo sighed, taking a deep breath as the morning fog rolled past him into the clearing ahead. The fresh moist morning air brought Tarmalo a sense of hope and determination as it moved back and forth through his lungs. The rising sun brought the new day to the land, marking the ending of one rotation and the dawn of another. Tarmalo thought of the irony of the goats situation, that as the day's rotation starts the goats life rotation ends. He chuckled at the thought as he refocused his thoughts toward the wayward he would soon kill and rob began its surprise attack on the goats.

Then at the last moment something caught his attention just before it moved. What did that remind him of? To late, the wolf took off towards the goats, and as expected they transformed from lazy goats munching carelessly in the morning sun to demoralized prey fearfully scrambling for their lives as they desperately kicked back in the air hoping to rid themselves of their enemy. The goats fled like the autumn leaves in the harsh winter wind, but the auburn wolf closely pursued as the jaws of death came down upon the goat that lagged behind because of its weakness.

Tarmalo followed closely behind hidden in the shadows cast by the trees in the morning light. He saw from the clearing, the ledge that the herd closed in on and sizing the distances he knew that both the wolf and the goats would hurl over the ledge if he didn't do anything. He considered giving up and leaving them to their fate, but that would also result in the loss of his meal, and the gurgling in his stomach told him that if he failed the resulting night would be unpleasant. He did the first thing that popped into his head.

Quickly, he jumped out from the shadows of the trees and charged ahead with the force of a storm hoping to flank the goats before they fell over the cliffs careening towards their death. He snapped his jaws at the front corner of the herd and they fell back in fear to running to the left swinging past the ledge but too late his efforts were in vain as the goats fell off the cliff, spiraling to towards their doom. In desperation Tarmalo leaped in the air hoping to tackle one of the goats, killing it before it falls to its death.

He collided with the auburn wolf and the weakling goat as she in the last moment, closed in on her prey, saving the life of the goat and the wolf. He felt his his teeth sink into fur, tasting the warm coppery taste of goat blood. He rolled as he hit the ground letting go of the goat as it bled to death. He scrambled back to his feet facing to kill his next opponent but as he turned around he gazed into the eyes and face of the last person he expected to see let alone try to kill.

[Sabla]

She snarled loudly, in the blood lust as she chased the herd through the gorge. Her bright green eyes narrowed and focused on the injured hind that lagged behind the others, bleating in panic. Sabla felt her muscles push and pull her legs, felt it ripple beneath her fur smoothly. She was a well-oiled machine, putnar atop of the food chain and on the hunt. This is what she is designed to do.

Gaining on the hind, she snapped at its back legs, snaking her way between the kicks of its sharp hooves and making her way to its side for the kill. With a toothy grin, she leaped into the air, maw agape, and paws extended, for her kill.

Suddenly, a black shadow was seen from the corner of her eye, heading right toward her. Before she could react, it slammed into her. She rolled across the ground, caught off guard by the unexpected and angered at the interruption of her meal. How could a shadow suddenly become palpable? A mix of fear and agitation flared up inside her as she sprung to her feet. She dashed to the goat, grabbing it by the throat and killing it instantly, as it was only injured by the shadow's attack and she feared it would get away.

With shaded eyes and the mountain goat in her mouth, she looked up and locked her bright green eyes with his muddy brown eyes. Both filled with shock, the goat fell from her bloody jaws.

"Tarmalo?" she breathed, not believing her eyes.

[Tarmalo]

Tarmalo shook his head to make sure he wasn’t sleeping. Why would Sabla of all people, be here in the mountains so far away from the pack? The reality of the situation literally knocked him speechless. All he could manage to say was…

“Sabla?” asked Tarmalo. “Is…is that really you?” He exhaled softly and sat down. He couldn’t believe she was standing on front of him. Then in one single fell swoop a wave of guilt overcame him, it hit him like a tsunami wiping out almost all of his emotions save his happiness that he was with Sabla again. What was wrong with him? What was wrong with her?! He could’ve killed her! And the sad fact is it wouldn’t have been the first time he tried to.

He tried to regain his composure, but the fact that she was here utterly overwhelmed him with happiness but his guilt stayed his hand. But then something, clicked in Tarmalo’s mind. He had saved Sabla from falling to her death and if he hadn’t reacted so quickly she wouldn’t be sitting in front of him with that classic look of surprise she always gave him, and this situation, although under different circumstances was no different. His guilt melted away, allowing his happiness and surprise to bubble up under his fur.

“Sabla!” exclaimed Tarmalo. “It’s really you!” He jumped up and pounced her licking her as if he hadn’t seen her in centuries.

“I missed you so much Sabla.” He wondered what she could possibly be thinking. It reminded him of how they first met.

[Sabla]

All of her anger and fear melted away as she recognized those muddy brown eyes she trusted so much. The ones she had yearned to see for so long. For never would she imagine seeing her ebon mann here. It had been so long since they had been together, seperated by each other's absences. So much had happened, yet nothing had changed. There was so many things to talk about, but none seemed to matter.

For her Tarmalo was back.

With a wide grin, she leaped over the fallen hind carelessly, nearly tripping over its horns and rushed to join her mate. She licked him affectionately, tail wagging so hard, her whole butt wiggled. A warm rush filled her, a euphony of emotions, as always did when she was with him. "Oh, Tarmalo. It IS you! I've missed you so much."

She nuzzled him, sitting close and leaning against him. She could detect his faint scent, something she could never identify as anything but Tarmalo, no matter how much she strived to. Felt his warm black fur beneath her auburn coat.

Now all was right with the world. Even if the dead goat lay uneaten next to the two lovers. Even though they both were far in the mountains, miles away from their pack. Even though their dragga had been murdered in cold blood recently, sparking a war between their pack and the most brutal in the lands, the Balkar. But all was politics, tendrils of thoughts that were blown away in a light wind.

She had her priorities. ^^

[Tarmalo]

^{HAPPY THANKSGIVING SABLA!! =P
food, food, food!! Shall we enjoy our thanksgiving meal? mmm!}

The many euphoric emotions of happiness, acceptance, and love swam through his body rising up like a great ocean wave. Time stopped, the sun ceased to shine, the wind halted its movements, and the trees froze as he bundled himself into Sabla’s fur, feeling her warmth as the environment around him drained away until all that was left around him was his love for Sabla. His love for her burned like a raging inferno, and his passion was hotter than the earth’s inner fires.

It had been too long since their last meeting, yet when he tried to gauge the distance it felt to him, like yesterday. So many questions he wanted to ask her; where had she gone, what happened, and the most important, why hadn’t she asked him to come with him. But as he nudged closer to Sabla inhaling her sweet intoxicating scent, his doubts drifted away like leaves on the autumn breeze. He opened his eyes looking upon Sabla’s auburn fur and he gazed into her bright green eyes and said to her in a soft voice.

“Are you hungry,” he asked. “Because I know I am.” Tarmalo lifted his muzzle and motioned towards the goat’s lifeless form behind his mate. “And that goat looks awfully delicious from my point of view,” he added.

That being said Tarmalo rose and moved to the goat, but as he moved his senses opened up again taking in a myriad sounds, sights, and tastes. They blended in his mind like an artist’s portrait of a masterpiece, as if he had never seen, smelled, or tasted the things around him before. His reunion with Sabla had refreshed Tarmalo’s vision of the world, and as he sunk his teeth into his teeth into the goats lifeless husk, never had tasted blood so fresh, nor meat so tender.

[Sabla]

//Happy Thanksgiving!! We shall feast! Haha. //

"Are you hungry? Because I know I am." He voiced aloud, voice warm.

She sighed, reluctant to pull away from feeling his warm fur against hers. It was like fire between them as they touched, burning hotly and fiercly. So many things she wanted to blurt out, like an ocean barely held back by a dam. But Tarmalo was right, she was hungry as well, her stomach gurgling uncomfortably. There was always time to talk. But now was time to feast and celebrate their meeting, to give thanks for simply having each other.

She hopped over the goat to take the other side as her ebon mann helped himself. For she knew that though their love may be tried and true, the blood lust of the putnar could overtake their better thinking.

Her senses rushed to her as she ripped into the warm flesh of the kill, ripping through the thick hide easily and into the tender loin. The sweet smell of blood intoxicated her, it was so delicious. Like never before. She wasn't sure whether it was simply the hind, or the fact she was reunited with Tamalo. They feasted, wolfing down their meal quickly and hungerly, both maws tainted red with blood, bellies filling quickly. The meat was so good. So warm. She hummed softly, between swallows.

A sudden roar shattered her aura of warmth and happiness. With a startled look, her green eyes snapped to her beloved, for this was not the first time that the blood lust had overtaken his self-control. But it wasn't him. Her heart faltered and sped up, breath caught in her throat, then let out a yell, "Tarmalo!!"

A gigantic bear, the beast of the mountains had nosed out their meal and now beared down on the vargs. He stood on his hind legs, towering high above them. His claws shined sharp in the sunlight, threatening them with death as they glinted. His eyes flashed red, lolling in their sockets. Lips hung loose from his great maw, teeth stuck out like an ivory forest. They flashed with malice, a roar shaking the very air and filling it with fear.

"RUN!!"

[Tarmalo]

^{lol I had time to think out this one
lol thanks for the avie Sabla!!!! *super grin*
>>>>shadow> read your PM's this is a private thread}

Tarmalo’s teeth dug into the goat’s lifeless form with a passion that seldom came to him anymore. The blood lust was upon him as he ate, yet to a degree his thoughts remain his own. He was so busy that when Sabla came to join him in their feast, he hardly even registered her presence until he heard the sound of snapping bones and the tearing of meat. A pang of regret rose in his stomach as he thought of how much goat meat lay wasted at the bottom of the ravine, his small feelings of regret turned to greed as he thought of how he would be able to hoard the meat for Sabla and himself and share with no one else. Tarmalo’s mind then turned to Sabla and as he thought about her, his thoughts of greed and regret subsided; abating into the abyss of his mind as peacefulness rose to take its place.

He continued eating as daydreams danced about in his mind of what he and Sabla should do after they finished their meal. He was thinking about his thoughts so much that he hardly even registered the sound of a bears roar in the distance or the sound of Sabla screaming his name. His bloodlust had betrayed him, blocking out all other senses that would otherwise scream in warning of the approaching bear. His mind was still groggy and hazy with the bloodlust as he lifted his muddy brown eyes and locked them with Sabla’s emerald specs as they widened to saucers in her obvious state of fear. The huge gigantic bear stood towering over the two lovers as it cast of a shadow of fear and doubt that seemed to overwhelm the very sun above them.

“Run,” screamed Sabla. His mind suddenly kicked into gear wiping the hazy grogginess that the bloodlust brought upon his mind. Adrenaline pumped through his veins activating his fight-or-flight responses and sharpening his senses to a keen edge. Time around him seemed to slow to varying degrees as the bear brought back its huge giant-like paws as it made for its strike against the two wolves.

This was it; Tarmalo would have to do something, anything; for this was his chance to prove himself as Sabla’s mate or forever be stuck with the haunting shame of his past actions that brought her to harm’s way. As the bear bore down his attack upon the two wolves, Tarmalo snarled jumping in the air, attacking the bear in retaliation. The two clashing forces of the bear and the wolf met like hurricane waves crashing into steep sea mountain cliffs. Tarmalo dug his teeth into the side of the bear’s broad face, reaching past flesh, fur, and muscle. He heard the sound of bone crunching beneath his jaws and Tarmalo instinctively knew that he had pierced the bear’s facial bones. Fatal or not, his defensive attack had created an opening and the time needed for Sabla to get to safety, but before Tarmalo could make his next move, the bear had made his, swiping at the side of Tarmalo’s face knocking him several yards from the bear and landing with a sickening thud. He laid for what seemed a second and rebounded quickly to his paws, looking around to see if Sabla had made it to safety. He scanned the area quickly and she wasn’t around the dead goat carcass or the bear.

“She must’ve made for the forest,” gasped Tarmalo. And with that said he retreated to the forest, forsaking the goat and disappeared like a phantom under the canopy of the forest. Hardly noticing the three large gashes on his muzzle, Tarmalo bent down to the forest floor and waited for Sabla to return to his side.

[Sabla]

Instinct took over and pumped her legs to carry her fast and far away. She was a rustic streak against the scraggly grass and rough rocks. Sabla dashed quickly out of the way of the bear and safely into the pine forest, spinning around to find in horror that Tarmalo didn't heed her warning and lagged behind. She ran back to the edge of the forest, looking around desperately for him.

Her heart stuttered as she watched her mate attack at the enormous beast, for every wolf knows a fight with an angry grizzly would end in disaster for the wolf. It takes half a pack that seamlessly cooperates to bring a bear down without mortal injury. With a snarl, Tarmalo leapt at the bear, gnashing at the beast's face. Blinded by blood and even more enraged at its attacker , the bear roared and swept at Tarmalo before he could recover.

Breath caught in her throat as she heard the sickening thud as he crashed into a rock a distance away. She couldn't move, but was frozen to the spot in fear. By the time she got her mind in gear to move her limbs, Tarmalo had hopped up from his horrid landing, looking around a little daze.

Just leave the bear, Tarmalo. Just leave it alone! she thought desperately, unable to call to him so far away. And seeming to hear her thoughts, he turned and ran into the pine forest. Sabla hesitated, now that he was safe, and looked back at the bear with bitter resentment and fear. It began to feast on their meal, greedily tearing into the carcass as the bones snapped and echoed like thunder. She growled at the scene and slipped back into the woods, trotting to find Tarmalo and see how badly injured he was.

She looked between the trees with her keen eyes, afraid to make too much sound and give the grizzly a reason to return to the forest for a second course. She nosed the air, hoping to find him by scent alone, and swished her black-tipped tail against every branch that reached out to her. She hoped he was doing the same, for her nose never was all that strong.