Troy

The two-breed wolven brute stepped into the prairie, light hazel eyes surveying the area. He was at the very edge of it, where the grass just began to take on it's wild colors and grow taller. He tilted his head at it in pure confusion, wondering how such a thing could grow so high. Where he came from, the grass didn't take on such coloration, let alone be so tall. It bewildered him. I wonder... he thought silently to himself, walking slowly into the grass. He watched as it crumpled beneath the weight from his paws, with a small smirk forming at the corners of his maw. He continued inward more and more, watching in amusement as he began making his own little path where the grass folded down where he stepped. "Interesting..." he lightly murmered, looking from side to side behind him. Wow, these places were just so unusual...

Ayjeska

With a heavy sigh, the female flopped down beside a tiny ravine and glanced about her. Silence. Ah well, wasn't much here to entertain herself with. Rising once again to weary paws, Ayjeska lifted her maw to the sky and inhaled deeply, allowing the cool winds to waft by, bringing any scents of others about. Her tail flicked to the side and ears shot forward as someone was, in fact, discovered. A male wolf, somewhere near the edge of this land? Ayjeska became interested all too fast for her own good, and quickly scrambled off in his direction.

True, she was an adult now at three years of age. But she still had that pup spirit in her, that urge to play and have a companion about her. Maybe this male would prove to be a decent playmate? Although she knew it was dangerous to just approach a random stranger, Ayjeska was all too thrilled at hte moment to care. She had been alone for far too long and now, as she approached the male at a quick walk, she became alert and issued a short yip to let him know of her presence. How would he repsond to it? Would he be friendly, or, as Ayjeska suddenly got her common sense back, would he be defensive and possibly even aggressive? She could only wait and watch, wondering how he'd react to her abrupt intrusion.

Troy

The rich honey-colored brute had his hazel eyes set on watching the tall grass as it folded down wherever his large paws happened to step. It was interesting; quite different from the other places he had seen before. With traveling, you got to see all sorts of things, but never had this wolf come across such colorful blades as these.
Although he may not have even looked it, his senses were away at work. While half of his wandering mind was on play, the other was focused entirely on the surroundings-- even if there was nothing much but more tall grass. Yet beyond it, and even within it, there were other animals, and he wasn't about to be taken by surprise.

Only when he turned his head did the soft winds blow a new scent to his nares. He stopped dead in his tracks, and looked back behind the way he had come, with the small path opening not too far behind. The unfamalier scent continued to drift to his flaring nares, as he suddenly grew a bit curious, and decided to check it out.
What in the? he asked himself silently, knowing very well that there was no one to answer him. Best to keep things to himself for now.
His auds pricked, he lumbered away from the end of the fresh trail in the grass, banner low and waving. He knew that nobody would be able to spot him in here, and if they could, not very well, because of his coloration and all. Snorting lightly, he soon came to the entrance of his "tunnel," and that was when the wolfess seemed to come straight at him. He took a quick step back, muscles a bit tense and alert. What was there to fear from such a fae, though? Shaking his dial to relieve an ear itch, his hazel eyes landed upon her form again. He had been on his own for quite a while; ever since leaving his original home to come down here. He had to admit, the weather was a little wierd around these parts, because of it being so warm and intensely sunny with cool refreshing breezes. Even though Troy wasn't about to launch an attack, he stood there ready for anything. To spring or jump away, or to meet her fang to fang. She didn't seem like the kind, though. Just a pup in an adult's body.
"Hey? Who're you?" he asked lightly, still a bit startled from when she suddenly appeared. It was now his turn to see how she'de react to him. After all, what else was there to do around here?

Ayjeska

Well, so the male had noticed her, and rather quickly! Ayjeska grew both excited and anxious as he responded with a question. Her ears pricked and she stared at him with all curiousity, a bit sorry she had startled him in the first place. Hello.. I am Ayjeska. I'm sorry.. if I.. surprised you. She mumbled, suddenly turning a bit shy. She was quite the intricate little female wolf, quick to act on a thought but then not sure what to do afterwards. With her tail lowered so as to appear neutral, she slowly lowered her hind to the ground after the initial feelings of threat had passed and sat, contentedly, glancing at him. So who are you? Perhaps it was not the most graceful way to go about an introduction, and Ayjeska was becoming more and more nervous as each second passed. But she figured if she were to make any sort of friends around here, this would be a possible start.

Ben, Tom, & Pack

After capturing two wolves already and two non-target animals, the hunters changed their agenda. It was time to go for the kills now and continue on with the main goal of the Predator Decimation Program- drastically reduce the number of 'dangerous and problematic' wildlife, as declared by Ben himself when he established the PDP. With so many deaths attributed to the local canine population, there was little opposition to the program by the valley's human residence.

Knowing just how clever many of the wanted wolves had become, Ben and Tom and choosen to travel by truck, where they could take shelter in if things turned for the worse. Crammed in the covered bed of the vehicle were six of his hunting pack. Meservea had been sent back home after getting the nasty gash from Pheral's tusks. But that wasn't too big of a set back, for Meservea wasn't a specialized hound, like most of his others.

The drawback to being in the truck was that they obviously couldn't track any wolves with their hounds shut up in the back. And, of course, their approach was less than quiet. At least they had speed on their side; so long as they didn't run across a hidden ravien or some other obsticle in the plains.

"There- did you see that?" Tom said suddenly, catching movement as they came over the top of a knoll. From there, he could just see the forms of two wolves in the grass, with the help of binocculars.

"Of course I didn't see it; do I have binocculars?" Ben replied irritably, though he did strain his eyes against the distant grasses in hopes of seeing what Tom had. "Well, where too?"

"Straight ahead- and a little to the right." The man replied, trying to confirm that it was indeed a pair of wolves he was seeing, rather than some deer or coyotes. From as far away as they were, it was hard to tell.

Following Tom's guidance, Ben revved the truck up and they shot down the hill, bouncing wildly over uneven terrain and swerving this way and that to miss the little locust sapplings that could easily deflate a tire. Picking up speed, the vehicle tore through the dying grasses as it headed straight for Troy and Ayjeska.... If they were able to get close enough, Ben would try to keep right on their heels and wear them down as long as he could before stopping to release his hunting pack on them.

Aralyn*Psyche

The woman was out riding her horse Psyche, a soft smile on her face. She could see the wolves, she wasn't to far off. Her smile widened slightly and she halted Psyche so that she was about 100 yards away. The mare let out a sharp neigh to the wolves, trying to call them closer for her master. Aralyn was not a hunter as theh men were, but a photographer in training. Suddenly the mares ears pricked and she let out a piercing scream. Psyche could see the truck. Aralyns eyes drifted upwards and she reached behind her where a gun lay. She took it in her hands and shot it, once, twice. Warnings to both the wolves and the men. "GO!" She shouted.

Ben, Tom, & Pack

The truck began to slow once Aralyn and Psyche were spotted, and then the brakes were slammed on when two shots were fired in the air. Kicking up a cloud of dust and debri from a dry stand of grass they were driving over, the vehicle finally came to a stop a few yards from the woman and horse.

Tom rolled down his window and stuck his head out part ways, "Just what in the hell do you think you're doing? Trying to get yourself killed?" He shook his head in aggrivation and turned to talk to Ben, who was watching Aralyn with a less than amused expression. "Some animal rights activist, no doubt." Tom went on to complain.

Ignoring the man, Ben stepped out of the truck and took a few steps towards Aralyn, carrying no visible weapons with him. "Is there a reason why you shot? You know, the wolves around here aren't that... friendly." Compared to Tom, Ben's voice was relax and without anger. As if he were totally nuetral about the whole situation.

Meanwhile, Tom sulked in the truck, flashing frustrated eyes from Aralyn to where the wolves had been. He was certain that they would have fled by now, but in case they didn't, he had a gun ready. And the hunting dogs.

Aralyn*Psyche

A sinister grin crossed her pretty little mouth. She aimed for the mens truck and shot suddenly, hitting the mans hood where the engine would be. "Aye, there is a reason. Do you have proof that it is those two wolves? Why not just hunt those that are posing a threat instead of killing random wolves?" Under different circumstances, the men might have enjoyed Aralyns company. Cool headed and calm, she was enjoyable to be around and was very appealing to the eyes. Raven black hair that appeared to be made of silk slid down her back, its tips reaching the middle. Her skin was pale, nearly ivory in color and she was petite in stature. Her eyes were the coolest of silver blue, an interesting combination as she continued to smirk at the men and their now steaming truck. She placed the rifle behind her, a threat. Knives were hidden on the young girl as well in case they did get near her and Psyche.

Ben, Tom, & Pack

Ben's eyes flared wide as he took a scrambling step back, muscled tensed. Thin-mouthed, he looked fleetingly from the steaming hood and back to Aralyn. "That was highly uncalled for..." He cut off his own sentence as Tom flung his door open, cocking the riffle that he had had laying over his lap during the drive. "Stop, there's no need for that!" Ben stated, giving Tom a hard look before turning back to the girl.

Tom gritted his teeth in anger, but obeyed and lowered the weapon so that the duty-end was facing the ground. "Hit the radiator, looks like. That's just great, what're we going to do now, Ben?" He questioned in a very heated tone, obviously upset with Aralyn, as well as with Ben for keeping him at the sidelines.

"We'll have to wait for it to cool down first, won't we?" Ben retorted with a touch of sarcasm, though he was clearly in much better control of his anger. In fact, he seemed nearly as calm as before the crazy girl shot at his vehicle. "Maybe you should ask the kids why the wolves decided to kill them, instead of some person that more deserved it- say a murderer, for example?" He said in reply to Aralyn's question, speaking on the countless deaths of the town's childeren. His light blue eyes looked intently to Aralyn as he spoke, "We aren't the bad ones here."

In the back of the truck, the seven crammed hounds grew restless. They weren't much for barking, and they knew better than to upset their master. But still, they couldn't help but pace around and whine in anticipation. They knew something was happening.

SPiRiT

The mystical white fae had gone running blindly through the tall grasses, breathing rough and legs reaching out as far as they could go. She just ate up the ground, maybe going a bit over half a mile by now. She could run forever if she put her mind to it, and the fact of loud airplanes flying overhead really added to her speed and power. She plowed through the colorful grass, somewhat blending in because of her whiteness, but the movement of the grass gave her away as it was folded down beneath the weight given to her paws. Although her heart was pounding, and she wanted indeed to escape the area, her motions were still graceful and elegant as always.

Her swift legs carried her light body all over the place, moving blindly through the grass. In truth, she couldn't tell where she was going at all. The grass kept her from seeing anything far ahead of her, so she was indeed lost enough to keep running. The thought of stopping and ducking never passed through her mind.
Finally noticing a glint of light peering between some of the tall blades, she turned and skidded to a halt, finally finding a way out. But, of course, it was almost right in the middle of the truck and the horse. Her auds suddenly became plastered to her skull as she looked around, now with only her head poking out. Maybe they won't see me... she thought to herself, but knew in reality that one of them probably did. She soon lowered onto her belly and continued looking around, making sure that no one came over and discovered her little hideout.

SPiRiT

HERiTAGE;
Arctic Wolf
BLESSED;
Female
HOMELAND;
None
MATE;
no one
KiN;
none

Kanan

When Spirit bolted, Kanan felt obliged to follow after, even when his gut instinct told him to take shelter in the wooded areas. Reluctant to speak, in the fear of raising human attention on him, the wolf simply trailed after the ghostly-hued female that she knew where to go. But as luck would have it, it was the blind leading the blind.

With his body lowered, he could not see about the grasses either, and Spirit's tail and fleeing hindpaws were about the only things in his sight. And then... BOOM BOOM. The all too familiar blasts of a gun nearly caused him to jump out of his skin. He could hear the rumbling of an engine die down, and stop, and shortly after, another gun blast. As his attention was taken, Kanan suddenly found himself stumbling over Spirit as she crouched down in the grass. Stiffling a yelp of surprise, Kanan scooted akwardly to the side and planted himself low to the ground. He could only hope, like Spirit, that the humans hadn't noticed the comotion.

Ben, Tom, & Pack

Though focused on Aralyn and the weapon she carried, Ben caught the motion of the two white wolves from the corner of his eye. "Well now, should we wait and see if these two are 'nice' wolves?" He asked the girl, giving a fleeting look to Spirit and Kanan. He could only see a bit of white fur from the backs, as the rest of their bodies was hidden by the grasses. "I surely hope th-"

BOOM! A riffle shot split the air as Tom fired at the crouching wolves. BOOM BOOM Two more shots, going off within seconds of the first one. Within the truck, the hunting pack grew even more restless and paced about so much that the truck rocked slightly with their movements.

Ben whirled around, his placid face now contorted slightly with surprise and anger. Gritting his teeth and biting back a remark to the other man, he headed for his truck and put his hand on the handle of the driver's side door. Before opening it though, he looked to Aralyn, and this time, there was little calmness to be seen in his raging eyes. Given her previous actions, he was hoping that she wouldn't aim a shot at him.

Aralyn

She had seen the movements of the wolves and had urged Psyche forward to protect him. Just as the mare had, the man shot off his gun. Psyche reared suddenly, as a bullet went through her hind leg. The mare reared high, the other two bullets missing her. As she did, the gun fell off and hit the ground, shooting once more. Psyche took a step backwards and fell just like the gun had, ontop of Aralyn. The woman was crushed into the ground and it felt as if all the breath had been stolen from her. The crack of ribs could be heard and there was a sharp gasp of pain but she did not scream. Psyche rolled in a frenzy and stood, her left hind held up as she looked around her with wild eyes. Aralyn lay on the ground, her head to the side with her eyes closed. From where the men were standing it was impossible to see if she was alive or dead.

Kanan

Kanan flinched as if he had been shot by the first bullet, but it was only a relfexive action to the deafening sound. "We have to get out of here, now!" He barked urgently, flashing his fangs at the horse as she reared up. He did not know that Aralyn had guided Psyche in front of them for their own protection, and in his confused and frantic state of mind, he saw all of them as the enemy. Two more shots rang out, and a searing pain hit halfway down the wolf's tail. With a yelp to accompany the pain, Kanan streaked away from the group, heading for the nearby Galar's Marsh.

Ben, Tom, & Pack

"Got one of them!" Tom shouted, punching a fist into the air in a triumphant gesture after hearing Kanan yelp. He had seen Aralyn fall, but did not honestly care about that, and didn't know that she had been crushed because the tall grasses blocked his view.

"You idiot, you shot the horse!" Ben hissed, wrenching open the door and grabbing a small pistol. "Check the radiator while check on the girl."

"The girl? She's not our problem. If she's hurt, that's her own damn fault." Tom accused, looking to where he had seen Aralyn fall. He was a bit anxious now, realizing that she hadn't gotten up yet.

"Remember what happened last time?" Ben edged, pulled out of the cab and slamming the door close, "And it is our fault, considering you're the one that shot the horse. Now check the radiator while I fix the mess you caused."

Tom wanted to say more, but he didn't dare argue any further with Ben. Resting the riffle against the side of the truck, he eased the hood open and began to inspect the damage done by Aralyn's gun.

Meanwhile, Ben stuffed his pistol in his back pocket and began to walk towards where he last saw Aralyn fall. Walking past Psyche, he paused as he came across the form of the girl, lying motionless on the ground. As if he had done it countless times before, the man knelt down and placed two fingers on her throat, checking for a pulse. Feirce blue eyes, so calculating and stern, watched for any movements from her.

Aralyn*Psyche

There was a pulse, but a very weak one. Psyche had crushed four of her ribs, and broke her collar bone. Her breathing was shallow but slowly her eyes fluttered open and now the man had a clear view of them. With her hair out of her face and in disarray around her, she looked like a child. Which indeed, she was. Aralyn was only sixteen years old. Pale hand slid up to Bens and she said in a hoarse voice "Psyche.....Malon. Need....Find them. Killed..." Her voice was ragged as her breathing and she spoke differently now. "I just wanted to save them as I wasn't saved." Tears streamed down her seemingly porclain face. She looked so fragile, so innocent.

Psyche saw the man near her mistress and she let out a warning snort but in her current condition wasn't about to make any sort of attack. Instead she let out a piercing scream, calling another.

Al Sheratan was near by, and as she heard the call, her ivory head was raised. The mare whinnied shrilly and came cantering forth, a white egyptian arabian minx. Although no one claimed her for their own, she was a pretty sight and worth a very pretty penny with her pure heritage. She came to Psyche and her eyes drifted to Ben and Tom then to the hounds. Her eyes went wide and she snorted but held still next to her friend. "Lean against me, come on now." The mare was miniature compared to the 16 hand high Psyche, but she was strong. Slowly the two began to walk away, heading to the Woodland Farm.

SPiRiT

A loud, shrill yelp escaped the wolfess' gaping maw as she felt a searing pain explode in her left hindleg. She could feel the bullet as it ripped through flesh and became lodged into her leg. Luckily for her, she could still walk, but it was accompanied by a terrible limp.

Gasping as if she had been shot in the lung, she went to make a mad dash after Kanan. She had already been going after him in the first place, but while she turned to follow his fleeing form, she had been struck. Now grinding her sharp teeth together as she trailed after the other white wolf, a nice path of red crimson liquid dripped lightly behind her, and her pure ghostly white pelt was becoming matted with red. Already she could feel herself loosing energy from the loss, but kept moving onward. No way was she going to stop now. She headed to Galar's Marsh, deciding to find Kanan, although she was especially slow with her limp.

Ben, Tom, & Pack

Ben leaned forward more to hear her strained voice, but he could make little sense of what was being said. Names, he would remember those. But the name he really needed was her's. He was now certain that she had been crushed under the mare, and realized that she would indeed have broken bones.

"There's a puncture near the cap-it's not that bad. We can make it back to town without loosing all the fluid." Tom said outloud after analysing the damage to the radiator. Getting no response from Ben, he turned around, "Hey, Benjamin? You hear what I just said?"

Ben just waved a hand in the air, singaling for Tom to shut his mouth. "Where does it hurt?" He asked, speaking to Aralyn. "Can you move your legs?" The man nearly flinched when she touched his hand, but remained where he was, waiting for her answer.

Tom sighed loudly and rested against the truck. He watched as a second mare appeared. He had his eyes on Al, and made a note as to which direction they headed off in.

Aralyn

"Hurt....So much." She took a sharp breath. "Can't....Can't die like them. They...They want that." A look of pure terror hit her eyes and her hand tightened on his. The closest thing to family she had was Conan, a young boy that had come to live at the farm with her. She rested a hand on her ribs and pain shot through her. She let out a whimper but no tears came out of her as she closed her eyes. "Angel....No more. Not Angel anymore. Aralyn." She kept hearing his voice in her head. Come here, Angel. You know what you are little girl. Your daddy's little whore, his little slut. Don't you hide from me, Angel. I will find you. I will kill you like I did that dog of yours. Come here, you little bitch! Another whimper escaped her, but this time it was not from pain. At least not physical.

Ben, Tom, & Pack

"Is she dead or what?" Tom asked impatiently as he turned and slammed the hood down. "I want to trail those horses, anyway. And the wolves. Ought to be simple enough..." Once again, he was shut down by Ben's authoritive voice.

"I said quiet!" Ben wasn't that tall, and not nearly as big as Tom was, yet he was exceptionally clever and persuasive, among other things. He was also younger than Tom, being in his early thirties while Tom was in the later fifties. Ben just had a commanding persona about him, and could keep others in line quite easily. Focus again went to Aralyn as he listened to her rambled speech and made sense of what he could, and again took the names to memory. Something intrigued him, though he looked just as calm and methodical as before. "This is going to hurt." The man said, his voice almost resentful to the fact. Moving quickly but skilfully, he picked the girl up, straining slightly to keep his balance. "Tom, let the pack out. You'll ride in back, and they'll follow us back to Ethan's."

Tom's jaw dropped open as he was given the orders. Clenching his fists, the man snatched up the riffle and stormed to the back of the truck, where he opened the trailer. "Out, all of you!" He ordered, taking out his frustrations on those who could not fight back with words.

Quite happy to be out of the truck at last, Dip jumped enthusiastically out into the grass, followed quickly by the others. With a high-held head, the blue-merle King Hound looked from Ben to Tom, waiting for instructions.

"Over here, open the door- hurry!" Ben barked out more orders as Tom hurried over and opened the passenger door.

"After you." Tom said with a slightly snide undertone as the two exchanged combative looks. It was clear that these two weren't the 'best of buddies'. Returning to the back of the truck, Tom climbed in and pulled the door close after him.

Ben fumbled with a lever to lay the passenger seat back as far as it could go, before he laid Aralyn on it. Easing the door close, he looked briefly to the assembled hunting pack. "Go track." Then he got into the truck and headed for Ethan's cabin house to the northwest.

Dip wagged his tail a bit, hearing the command 'track'. "Lets do it!" He barked encouragement to his fellow pack members before setting off.

Ayjeska

Ayjeska was minding her own business when the stench of humans filled her nostrils. She whined and glanced at the male, ears slicking back as a worried expression overcame her generally soft features. Within moments, the sound of gun shots filtrated through the air and Ayjeska yelped in surprise. What the..?! She darted around, spotted two male humans holding what she knew as a weapon of death, and her eyes widened in fear. Suddenly, she heard another noise in the distant coming closer and shot a terrified glance at Troy. All she had been doing was attempting to move on with her life, and now this! With an urgent growl, she warned Troy to run - now! Springing to the side, Ayjeska bolted off, moving easily through the tall grasses as her body was smaller than average and lithe as well. She hoped to make it to safety.. and hoped the male, Troy, would find shelter as well.

But she was used to travelling long distances so she bounded towards the outer limit of the prairie land, and soon entered a sheltered area of thick trees and brush. But Ayjeska did not, and would not stop running. For she had spotted another two wolves appear shortly after the humans had, and one had been hit and apparently injured. Ayjeska would take no chances. Her small, agile form glided through the brush and she was soon far away from the prairie where her life had almost been taken. She had escaped.. but narrowly. Maybe it was time she found a pack to live in..