Daily Musing {OPened}

[Artemis»]

Artemis' ivory fur bounced gently in the spring breeze that whipped around the trees. Her white paws bounced as she placed them on the gound, leaving perfect imprints behind. Her long alabaster tail hung down between her back hocks, swaying gently with the motion of her gait. Art let her lower jaw drop, and her salmon pink tongue lolled out , resting over the bottom two canines as she panted slightly.

Above the sky was a battleship grey color, with even darker clouds that drifted across. There was a faint mist snaking its way around the surface of the Echoing plains. What was more, it was starting to drizzle. The tips of her fur was dampened already. Before her, the mist swirled around like some kind of giant hand reaching for anything that dares to pass through. Another breeze teased the trees, causing several dead leaves to flutter to the ground. She paused briefly to watch the leaves before continuing on.

Now that Artemis had claimed some land, she could begin to try and get some pack members. Her nose twitched and she picked up the scent of the earth. It was dampish and earthen smelling...rather relaxing to her. Of course, she was a tough wolf. She didnt take anyones guff. She would open her mouth and let him or her know if they were crossing the line. Artemis could be kind and compassionate when she wanted, but she also had a mean streak the size of the Nile river over in Egypt. Though, she rarely uses this unless it was absolutely necessary.

The grass tickled her ankles as she loped. She found a spot beneath a tree and planted her rump down, letting her tail wrap around her back paws. Her forelegs came aroudn to the front of her chest, keeping her upper body erect. She closed her jaws, stopped panting and just surveyed the land before her, wondering if anyone interesting would come along.

[` ` LinK]

Link ran at a graceful gait through the echoing plains, his midnight black fur glistened in the sun that shone against him. It had been a while since he'd tasted the sun rays outside of the forest. But he couldn't stop and enjoy it now, he'd caught the scent of a she-wolf and mating season was close at hand. His pack had whimpered for him to chose amongst him but he had seem some of them grow up, they were pups to him and he needed to look with fresh eyes. He slowed his gait his nose touching the ground. His ears swiveled and he raised his black muzzle and licked his chops. The scent was getting stronger.

Slowly Link trotted towards the white wolf in the distance. He moved with his head held high and his ears perked, he would not abase himself to her, he was an Alpha and he was to be respected even by wolves not of his pack. He needed a strong alpha-female to keep up with him. He drew his lip back enough to reveal one sharp fang before coming to a stop leaving a nice distance between them. She was sleek and lithe and graceful and Link's eyes slid down her lean body, checking her white coat and snorting with approval.

She was beautiful.

Link's ears swiveled once more as he looked up, his gold eyes momentarily vanishing as a drop of rain forced him to blink. He snorted once more lifting a paw to wipe the water away from his nose. He slowly sat down, his head still up and his ears still perked. He pawed the ground lightly and one might have thought him to be nervous in doing so. Finally his fluffy black tail swayed and curled around him as he lowered his eyes from the sky to stare at her.

"I am Link of the Region Forest Pack. Who are you?"

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[Artemis»]

Artemis raised her head and smiled at the ebony wolf before her. Her tail slowly waved behind her, showing him that she meant him no harm. She lifted her violet lip up and began speaking to him.

"Hello Link. I'm Artemis. What brings you out here?" she asked softly, her amber orbs catching the sunlight making them glow like little jewels. Her nose twitched, picking up his scent.

Her ivory fur stood contrasted against his own darkened fur. But it was a nice contrast anyway. Above the sun finally vanished behind a cloud, briefly engulfing them in semi darkness. While she had claimed the land,it looked as though she would have to fight for it. Artemis felt that was unfair seeing as she probably wont even have the chance to raise a pack of her own. The thought made her hackles raise up slightly, and a low growl formed in her throat but then she quickly stopped it, for fear of Link thinking she was growling at him.

She smiled and lowered her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I wasnt growling at you. I was growling at a situation that had come up that irritates me " she said in an apologetic tone as she waited for Link to respond again.

[` ` LinK]

Link watched her as she spoke his eyes traced the shiver of her throat and the flexing of her muscles as she shifted and growled. His ears swiveled and forward, his right ear tilting slightly showing a small sign of aggression but quickly rose once more when she apologized for the growl. He rose and stepped a little closer, she seemed to offer him no harm and it was about to rain.

"Something troubling you, Artemis?"

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He was famous for calling underlings 'pup' and 'whelp' but he had called her by her name instead of reminding her that she was still just an infant. It was a start. It was better than admitting he'd smelled her and thought of her as a potential mate. He snorted once more the rain was starting to come down now as he felt drip after drip after drip pelting his fur. He rose and stalked towards her taking shelter from the rain beside her under the tree she was located on.

Quietly he lay down his tongue hanging past his fangs and is ears twitching serenely. He was comfortable and in a moments notice he could roll over and swipe her throat out from under her if she tried anything against him. Link was one to always test his options before getting comfortable. The rain came down just a touch harder, he knew they'd be stranded here for a little while which was good enough for him to get to know her a little better.

"If you like I could help you with your problem."

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As was the duty of an alpha to always assist in what he could to help his pack. Link had always had that mentality, so here he was hunting for a mate because his pack had thought it was in their best interest for Link to breed. Strong and wise pups were needed and who better to give them to the pack than Link. Link snorted his ears twisting as he listened to the she-wolf's breathing above him. This would be a long storm.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Artemis»]

Artemis smiled at Links words about helping her with her problem. She felt the rain coming down harder now, her ivory fur soaked now and droplets dripped off the tips of her fur. She stood up and shook her fur, sending more droplets of water flying in all directions. Of course now her fur was poofy looking. She grinned and shook her head.

"No, its alright. I'm probably being pessimistic. It's one of my faults." she said softly. She laid down, letting her forelegs stretch out before her, her hind legs tucked underneath her body.

She blinked and shut her eyes a few times so that the rain water didn't roll into them. She eventually opened one eye and looked at Link. Artemis was the type to take things slowly with a potential mate. She didn't want to be viewed as mainly a puppy maker. She was 3 years old, clearly not a pup but not fully an adult either. The wind made it a little harder because it blew the rain around. She hunkered down against the tree, finding it a rather formidable shelter for now though it didn't provide THAT much of a shelter thoguh. She looked to Link next.

"So Link, tell me a bit about yourself," She said brightly, changing the subject. She began feeling a bit better about everything now and found she was back to her cheerful self. Her tail thumped against the soaked ground, though the mud was now caked on her belly and side, on all four legs up to the knees and a bit on her cheek. Though she didn't care much. Normally she was a clean freak, making sure that her fur was clean at all times, but now, she didn't care. Perhaps it was the slight feeling of lonliness? she wondered to herself silently before blinking and eventually looking at Link with both eyes now opened. She waited.

[` ` LinK]

Link brushed water from his muzzle with his paw, his black fur barely showed the dirt and he was glad for that. But he couldn't help but think the she-wolf beside him looked even cuter covered in mud. He chuckled his tongue lawling past his fangs as he opened his muzzle in a relaxed yawn. He turned and bumped his nose to her neck licking away the mud in a show of friendship. He drew back and snorted his ears swiveling as he listened to the echos of the rain fall and paid attention to their surroundings just in case. He'd heard tale on the wind about a white wolf trying to claim the Swamp territory and wondered if maybe she had lost it.

He stared at her as she shook out her fur and lay his head on his paws ducking under the spray of water. He'd wait to shake himself dry until the rain stopped. It made no sense to do so now when he'd just get wet again. Lifting his muzzle from his paws as she spoke to him once more his left ear swiveled towards her and he stared at her out of regal golden eyes.

"There isn't much to tell. I am the leader of the Region Forest Pack and born a proud hunter with a strong blood line. My pack has sent me out hunting for a mate."

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He would not beat around the bush. If she was in fact already the alpha female of the Swamp Grove pack then there was no point in trying to mate with her. She would be busy with her pack, Link needed to find someone unaffiliated. A beautiful she-wolf with intelligent eyes like his Sage had had. His ears rounded once more and his tail slid along the ground to tuck against his side. He didn't like thinking of Sage, especially when it was raining. He kept seeing her mauled body, kept remembering his three year old self whimpering and snarling, barking and trying to get her to get up and follow him. He remembered laying beside her body for a week waiting for her to get up and she'd never moved. He remembered become vicious for the entire year and driving his pack through fear instead of the love he now corralled them with.

He shook his head and got up his hackles raised. He had aggravated himself and needed to run. His tail swung somewhat violently and his ears twisted rather viciously. He licked his fangs and his lip lifted over his most prominent fang. Angry he'd made himself angry and running through the rain would be good therapy.

His paws flexed and he glanced behind him. A grin twisted his maw and he snapped at Artemis goading her in to running with him. Running was the life of a wolf, it breathed excitement and created bonds. His muzzle touched hers and he growled hopping back in to the rain. He lowered his front and barked at her his rump in the air and his tail wagging. It wasn't unusual for a male wolf to act puppyish to attract a female, it insighted their maternal instincts and instilled a fondness. It was how he'd gotten sage. He snapped at her and playfully trotted off before stopping and waiting for her a happy growl bubbling in his throat.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[Artemis»]

Artemis smiled and picked up his goading to run. She pulled herself up onto all fours and briefly paused to spread her legs out, and shake her body ,sending clumps of mud flying in all directions.

She began chasing him, her forepaws hitting the ground in sync, hind legs being brought up to her abdomen. She playfully nudged him with her nose as she galloped beside him, matching his stride perfectly. She heard him ask about her and began speaking.

"I'm the hopeful lead of the Swamp. Although I dont know yet whats going to happen. But we can be buddies!" Artemis said brightly playfully charging in front of him and stopping, lowering the front half of her body in a bow , leaving her hindquartes up, tail waving in the air behind her. She barked at Link playfully, enticing him to chase her now.

"You're a kind wolf I'm sure you'll find a mate soon." She said kindly as her large amber orbs. Both ears were turned toward Link. Her paws sank into the mud now. From the run, more mud sprayed up onto her already dampened fur. Her long tail continued to wave frantically behind her in the air.

She was certain that he was going to find a mate. He was kind and a handsome wolf.

"Of course, I dont have a mate yet myself," she said sadly as her tail began slowly waving now in memory of that. She waited for him to speak.

[` ` LinK]

Artemis was a tease and Link couldn't help but think that if she lost her pack that she could be his beta. He was confident that no one would be able to steal the pack from him, he was strong and wise, with sharp fangs as sharp as his battle wit. He snorted and leaped easily through the air landing on her tail. His fangs grazed the fur as he caught her tail and tugged lightly. He knew the game well, he'd played it with Sage. The thought stopped him, Sage had been a mahogany colored wolf with eyes of the same amber as Artemis and the thought made his maw quiver. He tugged her tail and let go before circling her at a fast pace then snort barking in her direction before taking off at a high speed.

He leaped and ducked and weaved, bobbing gracefully around her vanishing in plain site and reappearing beside her almost like magic. He bumped his nose to her muzzle and lost himself for a moment, licking her muzzle and nipping at it gently he stepped forward. He was treating her like a potential and that was a little surprising considering their status's clashed far to much for anything to ever work out. He almost wondered what would happen if he did lose his pack, could he go to her? They were both lone wolves without mates, both with packs to return to and obligations to meet and it made him sad to think that she'd be tied down by another wolf soon.

She was beautiful and she made even Link feel young again. He shook out his black fur his tongue hanging out over his fangs as he looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to break through the crowds and the rain was stopping. He bumped his nose to Artemis' muzzle once more and broke off in to a slow trot. A slower gate through the sun would help to dry their wet fur and the shaking would prevent matting. He stopped and stretched his body shaking mud and water free of his glistening black fur before picking up where he'd left off in his gate. His fur glistened with the water beading on his fur and he turned his golden gaze to the sun once more before looking over his shoulder and waiting for Artemis to follow.

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[Artemis»]

Artemis felt happy around him. He was the first wolf she'd met that actually treated her like not a dumb female. Oh yes. She had met those kind. About a year ago, Artemis had been traveling, just after she'd left her father. Things were a much different scenario back then. It was a little bit harder than what it was today. She'd entered this particular are, but not able to remember it. Probably because she'd mentally blocked it out. Anyway, Artemis bumped into his male wolf. He seemed nice and he was handsome. But then, as they started 'dating', Artemis noticed a very bad trend.

He would treat her like she was nothing more than a puppy machine. Basically not allowing her to go on hunts, not allowing her to speak her mind, and not even allowing her to get a drink of water by herself. This was something that doesn't sit well with Artemis in the first place. She's very independent and doesn't like anyone bossing her around or retraining her. She was tough and was able to take care of herself. Eventually Artemis 'dumped' him and told him that if he wants a puppy machine, she suggested heading toward the human area. They have lots of mechanical devices he could 'get it on' with.

Artemis blinked, her momentary flash back vanishing again and she realized she was still with Link. She followed him, her amber orbs catching the little bit of light that was breaking through the clouds.

She reached his side and glanced at him, gently nudging him and giving his shoulder a lick.

"Hehe sorry I tend to daydream...but this daydream was something I'd rather not relive," she said softly and quietly as she waited to see what he would do next.