Wolves of a Desecrated Earth (Dark Huntress and Julie)

[Carl]

Dingy white fur reflected back at him from the puddle. A black patch of fur between the ears. Dull red eyes. And the war paint. Two bright crimson lines beneath each eye. A paw print of the same blood red on each side. The wolf barely noticed his reflection as he quickly lapped at the dirty water in the dip in the sidewalk of the back alley he was in. He knew what he looked like, and there wasn't the time to stand around in the open admiring one's own visage. Times were dangerous, especially in the human cities.

It wasn't like he had a choice of whether or not to be here though. He was a lone wolf, and winter was coming on quick. It was hard enough to hunt in the wilderness of this post-Earth hellhole they were all stuck in with a pack, much less on one's own, and winters got so unbearably harsh that many prey animals fled into human settlements this time of year.

Pack hunting was detrimental in the cities often times, as humans are always weary of large canines on account of strays and other wild dogs stealing their food and ravaging their dwellings and other structures. One could not stay in one place for long, not in the open. Not if one was a canine.

His thirst appeased for now, the white wolf rose up and darted away, his paws splashing through the puddle he'd just drank from. He moved around buildings expertly and stopped moving only when he reached the building with the torn sign that read in the human writing system "DO NOT ENTER." He pushed the broken boards aside and slipped into the building. It was his personal hideout here in the city he called home, the city the humans called Anglekia. Human cities were few and far between these days, and their numbers had dwindled according to the legends older creatures told at least. This wolf had not been alive at the Time of Death. He had been born after that, much after. After the creatures of this planet had begun to adapt.

The legends said that it was thanks to the humans that anything on the earth could survive in Post-Earth, but he wasn't sure he believed any of that. This world had always been like this, for a very long time. Why should he believe that those cruel and destructive creatures had preserved a fragment of a once prosperous and wonderful world? It seemed immensely preposterous to him, and so he disregarded it as myth.

What the wolf knew to be fact was this: most humans rarely stayed outdoors more than necessary. Any building that was boarded up, they would forsake altogether. Armed humans patrolled the city, dealing with any disturbances with force, sometimes deadly. Humans considered all canines to be a plague upon Post-Earth, and would kill them if possible. He knew that one had to be sneaky and clever to survive, and he managed that by spending his time in this building when he didn't need to leave for something. It got lonely, especially when he thought of past, but it was the only way to live.

He shook out his fur as he walked into the darkness of his abode, wondering how to get food tonight. Would he raid the trash cans? Or would it be better to slip into the back of a restaurant or a meat house and snatch some discards? Or should he search for birds or smaller prey animals seeking refuge within the city? He shrugged and kicked a rock away from himself as he pondered. Maybe he should just go out and roam the streets already, and see what he could find. He was already very hungry.

His mind made up, the dingy white wolf climbed up the tilted ladder to the second floor of his home and walked made his way over to the busted out window. The humans had boarded it up, but the boards had fallen down, and now provided an excellent bridge over onto the roof of the neighboring building. He stepped out across it and set off in search of a meal.

[Dark Huntress]

Times were hard everywhere, the choked atmosphere and annihilated species had ensured that, but the phrase rang quite true for Marrok's small pack of young wolves. Before the The End, wolf packs usually had at least ten, and could be up to fifty, wolves strong, now their tiny pack of five was pushing the limits when it came to finding food.

Marrok was the Alpha and imposing, though not the largest nor the strongest, but he was a good leader. His authority showed in his thin, stringily muscled build and soot black, silver striped and socked coat.

The largest and strongest of the pack was Fäol, a large dark brown wolf striped with black, and Fäol's brother, Eyolf was nearly so strong and large as his brother. His coloring resembled that of his younger brother's though in more subdued tones.

Tala and Ona were two of the very few female wolves that remained, the females being more fragile and often unprotected by the males. They were very fine specimens of the fairer sex, if one could see past the dirty, matted fur and protruding ribs. Ona was white, though the dirt and ashes had stained her a little brown, and she had pretty ice-blue eyes. Tala was rather small and thundercloud grey with glowing yellow eyes. Both had tufts on the foreheads, the latter's being stained bloodred from a head injury and the lack of rain never washing it off till it was dried and set into her fur.

There had once been an Omega, but he'd fallen behind long ago and the humans had killed him, as they did to many unfortunate canines. They hunted mercilessly, repleting the already small numbers of prey. There were far too many predators left and too few prey, some animals that were herbivores before The End had even resorted to eating each other, something the wolves found wholly repugnant. There had even been a time when the humans had fallen upon each other.

Now the small pack was cautiously emerging from the battered and broken forest that they often attempted to hunt in. They crept across the flattened plain, then into an alley. They were going a little slower than normal, as to ensure Ona, who'd developed a limp from being cut from her shoulder down by a knife an angry lady had hurled at them, did not fall behind.

Marrok gestured for the others to halt as he scampered forward and listened for humans. Often humans made the mistake of underestimating canines and their brainpower, many loners and packs had learned the humans' language to survive, something the humans thought would be quite impossible.

Hearing nothing, they continued forward until they reached a large sort of alleyway intersection where Marrok sent Ona and Fäol down the passage to their left, Tala and Eyulf down the one to their right, and continued straight himself.

Though she was injured, there was no holding Ona down as she pulled herself up a rusted fire escape. Once atop the tall, blocky building with Fäol behind her, she scanned the area for movement and continued cautiously forward.

They found a loaf of moldy bread that had probably been left up there then rained on, but it was too moldy and probably would've made them sick. They slunk across the rooftops and terraces until the sun was nearing the west horizon and they were nearly exhausted.

"We should go back," Fäol said pantingly. "The others might've found something."

"But they may not've," Ona said sadly, "We've gotta keep going."

She was not far off. The others had merely gained a few bruises and, in Tala's case, a small bite of rotting bird. Fortunately, not long after they continued, Ona and Fäol happened up on a sort of large chicken or something that seemed to have been pecked to death, and recently too.

They joyfully snatched it up and continued down the nearest combination of board ramps and rusty metal as they headed for the ground.

Fäol reached the ground safely and caught the fowl Ona dropped for him to grab. There was a loud crash though as the oxidized metal gave way underneath the slender wolfess and she slipped and fell to the ground.

[Carl]

Just as he was about to leap at the unsuspecting raccoon, a loud crash startled him and the smaller animal. The dingy white wolf's ears perked up as he turned his head around and glanced in that direction. He groaned, snatched up the scrap of fish he'd found already and bounded back up onto the rooftops. He stopped briefly at the top of the roof he'd reached to gulp down his rather insignificant prize and then moved around in search of the cause of the sound. He stopped at the sight of two wolves below him carrying a deceased bird.

Well that was odd. It was rare that he saw other wolves around here, and even rarer still that they would be in a group. A new pack must be in town. He stifled a growl and shook away the bad memories of what packs were likeㅡ a pack of wolves had cost him everything. He slipped into the shadows, tailing these two as he remembered the happiness he'd lost on account of a pack's actions.

Warmth. The feeling of soft fur against his face. A cozy fire nearby. The one decent human he'd ever met laying nearby, a hand tangled in the tuft of fur on his head. The feeling of being clean, of being loved. The scent of his favorite creature to be around, the tickling of her short brown fur against his eyes. The image of her beautiful green eyes. So beautiful.

Then, the news on the television. The angry people approaching. "We didn't know you had one of those things in there!" "Kill it!" "Burn the house down!" "We can't keep them that way!" Bright lights, darkness. Pain. Fear. Sorrow. Confusion. Running. Ever running. The shadows of his kind on the streets, the lingering scents. That putrid odor. Gone. Gone. Everything was gone. And he was alone.

Lost in the wilds. The safe.

Bilkiba. Bilkiba!

Lights, through the trees. Tall buildings. A city. The city? No. A new one. A source of food, sanctuary... and one of darkness, sorrow, and hatred. Anglekia, his new home. Away from them. Away from her. All alone. Alone and despised. Hated for what he was.

He shook his head to clear it of the memories that haunted him, and looked on curiously as the wolves he'd been tailing met up with some others. He had no idea how long he'd been following them. It seemed like such a short time, but the darkness in the city suggested otherwise. He crouched on the roof he was on now, watching the small pack for a little while. He couldn't make out any words exchanged between them, and couldn't tell much of what they were doing from this distance. He tried anyway. The longer he remained though, the more impatient and frustrated he became.

At last, he stood upright, hoping his piercing crimson eyes peering at them from the darkness would intimidate them, and addressed them.

"Hey! What are you doing here?!" he shouted, a scowl on his muzzle as he put in effort not to growl outright at these intruders.

[Dark Huntress]

Fäol stepped protectively in front of Ona, his mass paling her in shadow. "Hunting," he replied slowly, emerald eyes examining the stranger. "What are you doing here?" As if to second his question, Ona came up abreast him, the mangled chicken in her mouth. Her blue eyes darted suspiciously over the alien wolf.

*£*

Eyulf and Tala sighed as they took cover behind a fallen scaffold, hiding from the few children who were chasing them and throwing things at them. Their coats were broken and showed blood in a few places and they felt bruised, but they were fine other than that and their mental anguish of being unable to find any food.

Tala sighed. "We're gonna starve," she wailed quietly, then paused and poked her velvety black nose out into the open. Eyes darting left then right, she sprinted forward and jumped against a heavy, metal garbage can, sending its putrid contents across the cobblestone square. She nosed through it. "There's nothing! Even in here!" She looked a little downtrodden.

Eyulf shook his head at her. "C'mon, we can't give up."

[Carl]

Bilkiba scoffed as he stared down at the intruders, anger welling within him. 'They'll lead the humans straight to me. They'll get me driven from another home. Or worse they'll get me killed...'

"Me? I live here," he shot back at them, "And you clumsy woodland hunters need to get lost before the humans show up. You're making too much noise and scaring off what little food there is to be found."

He dropped down onto a balcony before him so as to get a better look at them. They were starving, he could tell, and he felt sorry for them on some level, but their very presence threatened his existence. He shook his head, trying to clear the mixing thoughts. These strangers weren't worth it, he should just move to another part of town.. After what felt like an eternity he sighed and jumped over to another roof that was lower than even the balcony he'd been on.

"It's not safe here, and the more wolves are around the more dangerous it becomes for us all. For your own good, and mine, please go back to wherever it is you came from," he said, his voice still coming off as rough. He could tell by looking at them that they wouldn't just turn around and go back home, and that angered him and frustrated him.

Why did packs always think they were more important than a lone wolf? Why did they always think they had the right to come into his home and take what they wanted? It made him sick. He'd never go into a forest and expect to be able to encroach on a pack's hunting grounds and home, but whenever the weather became harsh, packs expected that they'd just be allowed to take whatever they wanted from a loner's territory. Like they thought he was trash.

Like he deserved to die or something. Although actually, he wasn't entirely sure what the point of living even was. Maybe he did deserve to die. Maybe things would be better that way. There wouldn't be any pain anymore at least...

He shook his head again. No. He wouldn't let down those he'd lost. He had to fight and stay strong. For them. For her.

[Dark Huntress]

Ona gave the strange wolf a sheepish smile. "Yeah...sorry about the noise. I'm kinda clumsy since an...incident." She preferred not to speak about the specifics of her injury.

Fäol gave him a little glower. "Ever thought we might already be lost?" he growled, the hair on the back of his neck starting to stand. Ona knocked into his side playfully.

"Lay off! You don't have to be defensive. Let's just get what we found and get outta here. We'll find another city or whatever."

Fäol sighed as she began to walk off. She looked pitiful, their entire pack did. It was sad; they all looked as if they could be crushed so easily. He shrugged and started to follow the white wolfess, knowing she liked to lead, even if she was a little slower than usual. "Enjoy your meal," he shot at the wolf, a little accusingly.

*£*

Marrok watched the exchange between his two pack members and the strangers from a rooftop above. He was glad Fäol hadn't gotten in a fight, something he did often, despite his rather cool demeanor. He shook his coal black man and began his descent to meet the others. He knew Tala and Eyulf were near, he could hear them. As much as he regretted it, his pack wasn't the most discreet of packs.

[Carl]

For some reason, the dingy white wolf made his way back up to the higher rooftops and followed the other two wolves some more. It was true that being a lone wolf got kind of... well, lonely after all. It was so odd to see another creature that he could be sympathetic towards. He padded along silently and out of sight, his ears paying attention to where the others went when his eyes could not afford to. He carefully ghosted across some boards and into a window, following them from within a building.

That's when he heard it. Faint. Not far. A sound he knew well. The sound of a human patrol officer's bike. It was a very low sound right now, but it was getting closer. He recalled noticing the she-wolf's slow and awkward movements. She was hurt. And no matter how pompous pack wolves were, he didn't have it in him to let these two potentially get killed when they'd no doubt come here in search of sanctuary.

He raced forward to the nearest window and looked out it. He caught a glimpse of one of the wolves he'd be tailing around a corner. The motor bike's sounds were getting closer. There was no time to lose. He sprang from the window and landed in a puddle on the ground, even as a snowflake dropped to his nose. The human's bike came round the bend and put the patrol officer on the street Bilkiba stood on. He didn't look to his side to see where the other wolves were, he just stared at the human before letting out a long warning howl.

Then he turned and raced away in the other direction, drawing the patrol officer's attention. He could hear the human shouting, but over the sounds of the machine couldn't make out the words. He fled, his paws striking stone and grime, doing his best to lure the human away from the injured wolf. Why was he doing this? There wasn't anything appealing about those strangers. This was reckless and stupid, and he was liable to get himself killed like this.

Bilkiba quickly sprang into an alley to his left and darted up onto a fire escape. Humans were slower without their machines, and no bike could go up stairs or ladders. The wolf clambered up, doing his best to keep the human's attention for just a little longer. He needed to give those others some time. After all, at this point, if they didn't get away, he'd wasted his time, and maybe his life, trying to help pack wolves. He actually barked a laugh at himself just thinking about it.

Suddenly the patrol officer's vehicle was silent, and the wolf glanced down to see the human making his way up the fire escape as well. He gritted his teeth and pulled himself up onto the next landing, scrabbling through a crack in the door and slipping into the darkness of the building. Something told him this building wasn't abandoned though, and so he tread carefully, low to the ground, searching for a getaway.

[Dark Huntress]

Ona grunted as Fäol shoved her aside, hiding her begind some rubble. "Stay and, uh," he paused, "guard the food." With that sad attempt to make her feel useful he darted of after the human and what appeared to be their new ally. He followe his nose till he saw the policemen climbing a fire escape. Fäol scrambled after him and caught up just as he sighted the white wolf. With a savage snap! he brought his jaws down on the humans arm, then as the policeman howled, he tripped him into a window.

He darted away from his enraged victim, down a series of rotting boards then safely to the ground. He was a little relieved he found the stranger close behind. "Fäol," he panted in introduction.

[Carl]

"I guess that's your name," the dingy white wolf breathed, "Mine's Bilkiba." At the sound of what he knew to be an approaching human, he moved past Fäol quickly.

"This is the time for introductions, though. Why didn't you run when you had the chance?" he demanded. These wolves really were rookies on the streets. Had they never been in a city before? Didn't they know you run from humans and not towards them? "The girl, is she safe?" he asked as the officer rounded the corner.

"Damn canines... always scavenging our food and barging into our homes. I'll make sure to kill ya both before this night is through!" he raged, pulling a gun from his pocket. Eyes widening, Bilkiba lunged at the human and sank his teeth into his neck, blood spurting freely from the wound. As the heavy wolf fell away from the human, the officer put his hands to his throat and reached for something else. Not wanting to know what he was going for next, Bilkiba turned to the other wolf and shouted a quick command before turning tail and fleeing.

"Come on!"

[Dark Huntress]

"Because," Fäol answered. "We're wolves, we're family. Family doesn't betray eachother for heir own good. And I made her hide." He didn't add that he seriously doubted she would stay hidden for long, but he hoped that wasn't too important.

As Bilkiba attacked the human, Fäol stood by, watching for more danger then followed the pale wolf as he led him down an intricate knot of alleyways. Then Tala and Eyulf collided heavily with Fäol. "Ah!" He groaned and shoved Eyulf off of him. "Watch where you're going, meathead."

Eyulf stuck his crimson tongue out at his younger brother. "Dung mound," he said simply, eliciting a glare from Fäol and irritated noises from both Tala and Bilkiba.