The Witching Hour

Apollo turned his head to face Ronon more directly once he heard him speak. He smirked at the Shinlai's apparent confusion in his voice. Of course, most anyone would be confused when woken by a strange face. Apollo was mildly surprised to hear that the stranger knew Denali, in such a large woods it was surprising to come across anyone- let alone a familiar face.

"And who are you? I think we don't know. Good morning to you too."

"Apollo of Light." Apollo wondered what Ronon looked like. He got the sense that he was taller, he just seemed to have that "air" about him, but other than that Apollo knew nothing.

(Apollo doesn't use his last name- he refers to himself as Apollo of Light- his element) (I might actually boost Apollo up to 10'5 sometime - I feel bad he's so short x3 )

Denali walked closer to Ronon, nuzzling her friend's neck.
"What are you doing way out here?"

The glow of the fireflies had gradually died off with the coming of morning.

(Short fail post sorry... xD)

Ronon was watching Apollo. It was interesting for him to see how Apollo respond to his voice.
"Nice to meet you, Apollo. You seem to be boy okay! I'm sure we will understand each other."

Then he directed attention to Denali. "I was looking for something beautiful and my legs brought me here." He cooed a bit.
"Then i saw you and i knew why I am here..."
If he put his mask down at that moment, you will see he blushed....But he didn't put it off so nobody could know it.
"No, that was just joke, in fact, I was looking for something to eat."

"I was looking for something beautiful, and my legs brought me here," Ronon chimed smoothly.
Denali's already pinkish face turned a darker shade underneath her mask, her eyes looking away as she smiled.

"No, that was just joke, in fact, I was looking for something to eat."
"Oh, Apollo and I were about to do the same. He smelled a few deer off that way," She quickly blurted, gesturing with her paw to the direction the light Shinlai had scented them.
"...If we havent scared them off yet with all our chattering, that is!" She giggled softly.

Ronon started to laugh.
"Whoops... Maybe i was too loud. But if not, let's continue with what we've stopped! My stomach is singing because it is hungry!!!" He looked at Apollo. "I guess that you have better senses than we, so, are there any cupcakes with antlers which we can eat?"

Then he tried to hear something, his sight was great, so he also tried to rummage surroundings and see something tasty.
"Maybe we will find something. It is morning and animals are going to drink..."
Then Ronon walked a bit away and stood calmly on that place. Looked straight on front of him.

Apollo tilted his head at Ronon. He had increased senses, particularly in hearing. He wasn't able to understand Ronon's cupcake joke though. "I'm afraid I don't understand...."

But Apollo felt Ronon walk away. The Shinlai snorted scornfully. Whatever. Apollo walked past Ronon, letting his senses wander for any sound. He coudn't listen around other Shinlai as keenly as he would alone. The large hearts of Shinlai beat just loud enough that Apollo could pick them up. Sometimes he mistook them for something else, like the breath of some large animal.

He listened intensely as he walked ahead, turning his head to better catch sound. There was heavy breathing up ahead, scuffling of hooves on soft ground. Apollo called softly to Denali and Ronon, "Up ahead there's a heard of ellk." He jerked his head, motioning to them. "Good luck," he grinned.

The dark amythest sky rippled with lacey strips of cloud, which the early sunlight began to filter through, dappling the woodland in patterns of light. When it hit the dew, the trees and grass were speckled with miniscule diamonds, it was quite a sight. While the sun was just begining to peak over the horizon,
Ronon was right, the elk herd would be at the water.
"Good luck," Apollo simpered, motioning to the distant cluster of elk.
Denali crouched a bit lower beside Ronon, and started to channel her element.

The air around them started to curl away and back; it seeped between their legs, fur and behind them,
thus their scent was swept downwind and the elk wouldnt smell them.
Slowly she started to edge forward, eyes fixed on the mouth of the clearing up ahead.

She looked back at them,
"Ready?"

"I knew it! I knew that you'll hear something Apollo! Elk sounds good."
Ronon was quite happy.
"And... don't matter... that joke. I think different country, different humor." He knew he has problems with integration into society because of his origin.

He wasn't sure what to do with his element. A little orb of fire flew around him, propelled by air from Denali. He was excited, but also a bit nervous. He crouched like Denali and dug his claws into loam.
"Ready."

A ball of flame floated beside Ronon as he was poised for attack. His claws sunk into the dirt as he readied himself.

Denali crept closer and closer to the edge of the clearing, remaining hidden in the shadow of the trees, spying on the herd of elk. A tall male elk stood in the center of a small group of females. Their brownish fur ruffled in the breeze, and Denali drank in their scent, her mouth watering at the thought of fresh elk.

Fixing her lime-green eyes on the large male, she positioned her legs, ready to spring. The elk didnt seem to notice he was being pursued, and as he descened his head down for a drink, Denali flung herself into the small meadow, propelled even faster by her own wind.

The elk heard something, his whole body engulfed by her shadow as she jumped above him. Turning its head behind it to look up at the ravenous air Shinlai, which landed right on top of him, paws forward and claws extended. She ripped at his flesh, leaning lurching forward to crush his windpipe with her massive jaws. The warm blood rolled into her mouth and onto her tongue.

It's legs buckled under her weight and he swung his antlers at her neck and face. If her mask hadnt been on, he would have scarred her up pretty badly.
It was dead after a moment of thrashing, and Denali licked the blood from her mouth and mask. Turning her head around, she tried quickly to spot Ronon.

Ron was almost ready to smash in when Denali started to run. He noticed that Denali fixed on male elk so he chose one female elk standing close to border of the herd. The female elk seemed to be big and strong.

His moment of surprise was away so he had to sprint a lot. Elk were running away and his target was fast. Ronon was running very very fast, he didn't hear anything, only his heart. And his eyes were fixed on one of running elks.

But he realized that his victim was too fast and far away from him, so he had to choose another one. He reached elks and one seemed to be great choise. It was young male elk, without antlers, but grown enough.
He turned straightly to the left and became closer and closer to his new victim. One big jump and he was running next to it and second jump was directed at it. They both fell on the left side and loam and mud splashed them. The elk was trying to stand up and escape but Ronon was laying on him, he scratched the elk with his sharp claws and after he got into great pose, he bit the elk in its neck. The animal screamed, but flowing blood from his mouth prevented him from it.

After few seconds young elk died. Ronon took its head into his mouth and tried to tow it out of dirty loam. When he towed dead elk on grass, almost all loam was wiped. Then he cleaned himself from blood and loam.

"Nice choise!" he said when he saw what Denali's catched.

(OMG that's long :D hufffff)

She watched as Ronon began to chase a speedy, strong female. He trailed her futilely, but her pace was faster than his and he veered off, letting the elk escape into the deep woods.

Now he focused on bringing down a younger buck, it's antlers were yet to appear. He sprinted at top speed, and Denali could hear his paws slamming against the grassy floor. He took a great leap, gaining on the elk then jumping again, landing atop it's back and knocking it over. They both landed in a writhing heap, muddy water and dust rising into the air.
The male elk struggled to get back to its feet, but Ronon held him down, flaying the elk's skin before snappling its neck in a flash. The hooved creature flailed its back legs wildly, it's eyes clouding over as the life of it faded away. With one final screech, which ended up only being a blood-soaked gurgle, the elk went limp in Ronon's mouth.

He stood, shaking his fur clean of any grass or mud, then lifted the elk off the ground by its head. He brushed the mud and grass from the elk, too, then trotted over to Denali with a proud grin.

"Nice choice!"
Ronon praised her through clenched, elk-bearing teeth. She snickered and chimed,
"Hehe, thanks! You didnt do so bad yourself!"
The cream and brown female turned her head back up at the forest they had exited.
"Hey Apollo! Come check this out," She shouted in his direction while picking back up her elk, starting back to where he was.
"Come on," She called back gleefully to Ronon.

(Before i start to continue, i must say, that you wrote it prfectly!!! I didn't have enough time to write what i wanted - and you can guess how much time this took me to write it XD - but your version is just...amazing ahhh) :)

Ronon was still a bit out of breath, because he had to run for longer time than Denali, so he wheezed and went closer to Denali.
"I used to hunted from a backup... Ehhhh.... But you were faster...ehhh..." He tried to laugh.

He really used to hunted alone, so he always tried to sneak up as was possible and then only while of running and one jump was enough to catch something. But when Denali started to run, he was surprised and he let pass his chance.

"Never mind. Come on, Apollo, this is enough for all of us i think."

The air smelled like fresh blood and nature was silent. Everybody saw recent hunt and they were scared and hidden. That was beautiful silence. Only one thing you could hear was breath of three shinlais.

(Sorry for taking so long! I was away for the week :P )

Apollo may not have been able to see what was going on and the hunt of his two companions, but he could hear, smell, taste the very air. Even to his blind sight, it was rather an impressive hunt.

Denali subtly shifted the wind. He could tell by the sudden strength of the scent coming from ahead. He would have smelled it before if the wind had been blowing that way. Almost confirming his guess, a stray breeze whistled through the trees and brushed over Apollo's un-masked face. A gentle smile played on the corners of his mouth and his nostrils flared, taking in the scent of grass, running water, and the must of elk.

He listened to the eager whisper of the Shinlai's hearts as they gathered their muscles, preparing for the chase. And chase they did! Paws pounded against the ground in pursue of fleeting hooves, the nimble step of the elk nearly out running the sheer speed of a Shinlai at full stride. A muffled cry of shock and a short struggle of leaves announced one elk down. The metallic scent of blood tainted the crisp air.

But it seemed Ronon's chase was harder. Apollo cocked his head towards the commotion curiously. He had picked a young buck and it nearly proved to quick for the large Shinlai. He heard a break in Ronon's sprint, followed by the elk's scream and what sounded like an impressive crash. Ronon must have made a last ditch effort to pounce on the creature before it got to far away.

The hunter's complimented eachother and called Apollo over. He approached, his gait more sure than usual, as he used the heavy scent of the elks' lifeblood to guide him. "Hail the hunters!" He teased, his normally lifeless eyes laughing. "I'm truly impressed, that was quite the chase."

(Naw its fine! :D Hope you had an awesome week off lol, welcome back!)

"Hail the hunters!"
Apollo's cheery voice joked as he approached them easily. The thick, rust-like smell of blood hovered about.

The sun, which hardly clung to the edge of the earth, beat down on the glossy coats of the Shinlais, warming the clearing and painting it in inviting colors of green and gold. It was mid morning now, and a few birds whistled melodies in the canopy overhead. Vibrant feathers streaked and darted from branch to branch, taking advantage of the early morning's warmth.

"I'm truly impressed, that was quite the chase."
Denali grinned, adding, "Thanks muchly, but honestly it was totally worth it, I havent had elk in forever! Im so used to munching on rabbits, it'll be nice for a change," She mused

She removed her wooden mask, setting it aside carefully on the ground, away from the kill. She never ate with her mask on, because she didnt want the blood to stain it too bad. The empty mask lay quietly on a patch of plush grass, reflecting sulight from it's milky white surface.

Apollo came next to Ronon and Denali, hailing his friends.

Ronon was so excited, because he's never seen Denali without mask.
He usually didn't put his mask down, only when the meal was extremelly bloody.
He looked at the dead elk and then put his mask down, his creamy white face wasn't wont to sunshine. Ron's fur was bright, almost white, only around his light blue eyes it was darker.
His mask was made of wood too, but it had thick layer of white paint and it was smooth and hard.

"Oh, that's interesting feeling..." He made small grin on his face and then he bit into meat.

(sorry for short, nothing saying post)

"Oh, that's interesting feeling..."
Denali giggled softly and nodded, studying the fire Shinlai's bare, furred face. His icy blue eyes really stood out like jems against the bone white fur. He actually almost looked like her in the face, except that she had greenish eyes, and russet markings.

A few black-and-chocolate flecks daintily freckled the end of her nose, while a large brown patch lay on the right half of her face. The pinkish color started at the tip of her nose and slowly faded to white further up her snout.

Well, by this time though her snout was mostly red. xD
She tucked into the shoulder of one deer, crunching into it happily before swallowing a mouthful of the warm muscle and sinew.

Ronon started to eat. The meat was warm and his fur got red of blood.

For a while nothing happened. They all only were eating.

Munching noises, ripping and occasionally cracking bones.

"I'm getting full." said Ron and then he stopped with eating. He lay on his back, he stretched his legs and then turned to his belly.

From distance away, Young Reza was hunting for her own food for once, but for a wile she has no luck. For hours her tummy starting to growl even longer. "I'm so hungry! Where are you food!" She cried until she can smell blood and other shinlai. Reza started to go in that discretion towards the smell, Then she sees a deer and a few shinlai eating it. Reza tilted her head and starting to approach them slowly. "Hello." Said Reza as she starting to wag her tail.

Denali tittered quietly as Ronon rolled over onto his back, then onto his belly. She prodded him with a fluffy paw in the side softly, a playful grin decked out on her face.

Out of the undergrowth a little Shinlai pup emerged, tenatively stepping towards them and saying, "Hello."
Her brown and whitish fur blended in well with the dusty, grassy earth.

"Oh, hello there!" Denali called cheerfully, tilting her head and wondering what a stray pup was doing there... being without parents in these large, labrynth-like woods could get you into a heap of trouble.

"Oh, hello there!" Denali called cheerfully

Reza started to wag her tail some more and started to curl it like a dog. "Hi, well..." Reza couldn't finished her sentence as she approaches the stranger with a few wags. She just looks at the bloody deer as it slowly disappears. "C-can I have some? I have been trying to hunt for my self but so far I couldn't catch anything." Said Reza as she looks at Denali with a little smile.


((well... lets just say Reza is a little older and she dusent have her mask yet, she still have her ears but soon she will have her mask someday?... sheesh... I don't think that makes sense D:))

Ronon reached for his mask and put it on his face.

When Denali prodded him, he yelped and then started to laugh. "Noooo, I'm a bit ticklish!" He grinned and hurled himself at her. He pushed into her a few times and the he tumbled to the ground again, next to her.

Then he saw Reza, staying there lonely. She looked hungry and when Denny greeted her, Ronon continued and greeted her too.
"Heya Reza! What are you doing here alone? "
Then Reza asked if she can have some meat.
"Sure, I'm full and something remained. You can take it."

He breathed and then rolled over onto his back again - when he was moving, he repeatedly nudged Denali, he gently pushed her with his back leg. But he acted, like it was coincidence - and put his paws on his belly.

"Im pretty full too, but there appears to be enough left for a meal." She grinned at Reza again, nodding towards the somewhat demolished carcass.

Ronon tickled her with one of his paws and pretended not to notice. "I saw that," She laughed and jumped up. Then, nipping him playfully on the cheek, she cocked her head to the side.

A butterdfly listlessly wandered by, landing near Reza. It's irridescent, almost clear wings unclasped, displaying its glassy wings.

-------------------------------

The small gathering of Shinlai was being watched.

A gnarled, splinter-y grin painted on an army green face, camoflauged into the surroundings noislessly. Swiftly he moved, his muscles rippling in the patched light. His large body remained unseen as he passed between trees, having circled the group three times now.
His descision was made.

The delicate butterfly wings suddenly split open, and little bug-guts soaked into the soil. A massive white and brown paw rested nonchalantly on the mutilated butterfly. Taggerung narrowed his eyes to slits, then chuckled darkly, closing his eyes.
"Well, hello everyone."

He opened his eyes again, the lime-green optics locking onto Reza's.

(WOOT I brought in Tagger, I couldnt help it...)

"Heya Reza! What are you doing here alone? " Ask Ronon.

"I wanted to catch my own food for once with out my mother." Said Reza.

"Sure, I'm full and something remained. You can take it." Said Rondon as he messes with Denali.

"Oh thank you guys" Said Reza. Rez walks up to the carcass and takes a big bite out of it then she sits and starts waging her tail really fast.

"Well, hello everyone." Said an unfamiliar voice.

Reza's tail stops wagging and she slowly turns her head around. She can see a big brown Shinlai behind her. Reza swallows that chunk of meat as it slowlys gos down her throat. "Oh, hello there." she said with excitement.

(I changed Apollo's name to Volpe, can I pretend it was just Volpe all along :Da ? )

Volpe raised his bloody muzzle from the carcass. He had paid no more than an instinctive glance towards the pup, his blank eyes staring for a moment before he returned to tearing the slab of meat he had to shreads, only vaguely listening to the conversation.

Volpe tilted his head while he ate. He heard a rustling in the woods. He shrugged it off, not bothering to listen any harder. He assumed it was a soft stepping deer, dashing away from his fallen bretheren. However, the rustling grew more into heavy footsteps as they got closer, far too heavy for any deer. Volpe's fur rose along his back and he lifted his head slowly, listening intently. He was looking directly at Taggerung before he stepped into the clearing. The blood from the carcass directly under his nose covered the Shinlai's scent with a more metallic smell- which proved why Volpe's keen sense of smell couldn't alert him to Taggerung.

"Well, hello everyone."

La Volpe fought to curl his lip and snarl at the new arrival. He could never be too careful with how he treated unfamiliar Lai. They could be of use to him. However, Volpe sensed a hostility in him. He glanced towards Denali and Ronon before focusing back on Taggerung, flashing a charming grin. "Greetings," He said smoothly.

(yay, we can continue!)
________________________________________

"I wanted to catch my own food for once with out my mother." Said reza.
"Oh, well, that's great! It is important to try it! Hope next time you'll have more luck!" He was smiling, Reza was in his eyes capable and he felt he likes this shinlai girl. He remembered that when he was young, it was very dangerous to try catch something in mountains alone. He didn't know the terrain well and it could be fateful to get lost there or fall down from some escarpment. He was proud to Reza.

"I saw that!" Said Denali. "What? I didn't saw anything..." He smiled.
Then Denali jumped up and started to nip him on the cheek.
"Hey!" Ronon tried to dodge and then when she leaned her head, he nudged hed cheek with his muzzle.
Then he heckled her for a while, before the heared steps...

"Well, hello everyone." Tagger said mysteriously, narrowing his eyes.

Ronon felt that he will not be best friend with this guy. Something "bad" emanated from him and Ron wasn't so happy of stranger's visit.
"Errr, hello." He said tersely.
His senses were strained. He looked at Volpe - he seemed to feel the same about Taggerung.

Ronon narrowed his pale blue eyes and gaze hung on Tagger and Reza.


(WOOOT! this will be awesome! )