That pre-dawn light (open)

[bloodmoonwolf]

Stillness settled over the land as the sun began to fight its way to the sky. Atop a small hill Kauss sat and watched the damp grass sway around him and marveled as time itself seemed to stop. This was one of his favorite times of the day the point where the stars and the sun battled for dominance and cast the world in a glowing standstill.

Peaceful that's what it was, his stomach was full to contentment and so far he had avoided all pack wolves in the area. In addition to that the night had been surprisingly warm bringing rain rather than the bitter snow he was accustomed to. Still though restlessness tugged at his chest he had not heard a new story in a while and he had encountered little excitement himself since leaving the hot springs. Even the birds had nothing for him lately.

Kauss sighed, his orange eyes glimmering fiercely in the pre-dawn light how…boring. Suddenly a thought hit him wasn't he the one who once said if you can't find a story make one? He smirked; the moment of stillness was passing and with it his quiet tranquility.

Slowly he raised his muzzle to the sky black neck fur rippling as a throaty howl escaped his lips and resonated down the slope searching for open ears.

[talonair]

Manegarm perked his ears up as he heard the howl. "What is it this time?" He got up, tugging on his left paw as the bone got stuck in the ground, and started walking. "Probably some fool looking for trouble. Well, if he wants a fight, he's going to be in for a nasty surprise." he thought back to his fight with the hell hound, but grew sad as he remembered the cause of the fight. "I will never forgive myself for that." he muttered, anguish entering his soul. he reached the bottom of the hill and climbed it, staying low to the ground. He spotted the wolf at the top of the hill and moved round so he was out of its sight. He climbed to the top of the hill. "Who are you?"

[bloodmoonwolf]

At the sound of another voice Kass fell silent, truthfully he had not expected a response at all or so quick for that matter. Swiveling toward the source he set his eyes upon a fierce looking wolf clad in armor and scars. 'Hmm...interesting'

"Who me?" he replied cheerily, casually shaking loose grass from his pelt, "I am a number of things, but i suppose it depends on who you are..." slowly he cocked his head to the side, this one looked a bit dangerous, and sounded more so, he would have to be careful.

After a moment of silence he continued, "You must not be from around here i suppose, after all there aren't many winged ones in this region."

[talonair]

Manegarm took a second to look over the wolf in front of hum, sizing him up. "My name is Manegarm. I am a rouge demon wolf, and you are right, I am not from around here." Manegarm paused. 'How much should I tell him?' He thought. "Again, who are you?"

[bloodmoonwolf]

Kauss grinned at the larger wolf's response, quick and to the point he left little room to poke further into his identity. "Manegarm eh? Quite the name if i say so myself. As for me, my name if Kauss a decent but less assertive name if you think about it."

Suddenly he was on his feet,circling the winged male from a safe distance curiously admiring the metal armor.It was finely made where did this rouge get such a thing? "You are rogue you said, then i must be one too don't you think?" he added returning to his original spot and flopping onto his haunches to scratch his ear.

[talonair]

Manegarm watched Kauss the whole time. 'What does this wolf want?' He thought. 'Ah hell, I'll just ask him.' "Why did you call the wolves around here?" He asked, glancing around. No other wolves, good. If there was a fight, the other wolves would fight him. They all saw him as a demon, nothing more. The exposed bones on his body didn't help his cause, nor did the armour, his solid red right eye and the rag covering his left. Anyone could think he was some demonic creature or an undead.

[bloodmoonwolf]

Kauss frowned at Manegarm's question, "To tell you honestly i wasn't calling anyone in particular and as you can clearly tell only you came running" he stated with a sweep of his tail,"and as for why..." he paused, what was his reason? Well he had been tired of solitude and had wanted a new story to tell for one, but such an excuse would mostly likely not sound plausible to most, it hardly sounded like a good excuse to him 'I was bored and thought I'd call in some potentially dangerous strangers in a territory i hardly know to cheer myself up.'

Yeah that would go over real well.Slipping out of his thoughts he stared into the other wolf's fiery eye his voice now mellowed rather than flamboyantly chipper as before "my reasons hold little importance, i called to see who would come and come you did. So, if i might ask in return why did you answer my call do you have a story to tell?....... if not i must wait for someone who does so that i might tell mine."

[talonair]

Manegarm sighed at the wolf's responce. "So, you decided to call any random stranger, in a territory you don't know, to try and cheer yourself up? What would you have done if a hellhound, or a couple of unfriendly demons came running?" Manegarm sighed again. "And as for my story. You wish to hear my story? My story of loss, anguish and revenge? Of hopelessness and eternal misery?" Manegarm observed the wolf before him. "Fine. Make yourself comfortable."

[bloodmoonwolf]

Kauss chuckled as he settled in to the grass, "While the risks of my actions are great the reward is greater i think.Stories are precious but if mine were to end today then i wouldn't mind to much after all, all stories must have an ending. Besides while i may not be the greatest fighter im no push over either."

This winged wolf claimed his story was a tragic one and Kauss believed it so still all stories were worth hearing tragic or not unfortunately there were few that were not. Content by his little victory he rested his head on his paws staring fiercely at Manegarm and waited for the tale to begin.

[talonair]

Manegarm sighed. "I was born into a litter of four pups. I was the only demon amoungst them, and as soon as my parents discovered this, they ran me out of the pack. I had to fend for myself during that time, hunting, fighting off the demons that seemed to follow me wherever I went. After several years of this endless torment and drudgery, my luck finally changed. I met a lone she-wolf by the name of Jessika. She was one of the sweetest, most beautiful wolves on this world. We became close, and I learnt she had control over earth and healing. As we grew closer and closer, she discovered that I could control shadow and fire. She began to train me. One night, we were attacked by a hell hound. We managed to fight it off, but not before it took my eye and a lot of the flesh on that side of my face. Afterwards, so I wouldn't be so badly injured again, Jess made armour for me from the metal in the ground. Shortly after, we became mates. It seemed my luck had finally become good, but it was not to be. A hell hound attacked us one moon before Jess would give birth, the same hell hound from before. It clawed Jess' belly open, and her organs spilled out. I was enraged, and attacked the hell hound. During that fight I lost the missing flesh on my legs, and the chunk in my side. Ever since then, nothing has gone well for me"

[bloodmoonwolf]

Once Manegarm had finished his tale Kauss dipped his head in silence the wolf's story was a bitter one but a good one all the same. He supposed he should have expected a tragedy such is the case with most loners but this one was a bit more severe than most.

"Your story is indeed a tragic one especially when life is lost before it begins...." Kauss fell silent no doubt with an appearance like that this wolf would not find easy company a shame though to fend off a hellhound twice would make him quite the fighter a valuable asset would any pack accept him.

"Tell me though your fight is over but what is it you do now?" he ventured cocking his head to the side

[talonair]

Manegarm sighed. "Now, I wander from area to area, helping to avert tragedies happening for others like they happened for me. But other than that, I don't do a lot." He snorted. "I guess part of me still hopes that Jess is still alive somewhere."

[bloodmoonwolf]

"oh? Well that's rather noble of you going around helping those in need. Though these lands have been peaceful lately the struggle never really ends." He chirped, stretching his limbs lazily
"As for your lost mate....we all want what we cant have even more so the farther its out of our reach." Kauss grunted and nibbled absently at one of his toes trying to get rid of a throbbing itch. It was strange how only one wolf had appeared considering he was deep into pack lands but maybe it was fortunate packy's usually dont like intruders and while Kauss had become decently skilled at playing a harmless, lost loner somehow he doubted Manegarm easily shared his ability.

[talonair]

Manegarm shrugged. "It's the one hope that's kept me going for all these years, that one little hope." He sighed. "It's stupid, but if it weren't for that hope, I would have killed myself years ago."

Jessika, however, was far from dead. Her ear twitched as the sound of a wolf's howl reached her. She still held hope that she would see Manegarm again, so she got up and ran for the sound

[bloodmoonwolf]

Kauss chuckled softly "well if that is the drive that keeps you going it is a good one." Suddenly a shadow passed overhead as a raven swooped down and landed on a nearby branch eying the half hidden remains of a rabbit carcass he had earlier killed. He watched the bird sadly for a moment this wolf had a purpose even i f it was skewed by grief and while he had a minor goal of his own Kauss couldn't find anything that supported his drive.

Shaking off his brooding thoughts he nodded at the raven who dipped its head politely and pounced on the measly scraps. "you said you had hoped she was alive does that mean you never found her remains?" he asked carefully.