the beginning

(couldnt think of a better title XD)

Marduk shuffled carfully through the rocks of the riverbend, looking for some fish to eat. He had not had much luck with the deer lately, so he was attempting to catch the salmon during their yearly migration. He listened to the wind rustling between the trees, and the gurgling of the river. The cool water ran over his paws, soothing them after a long run after a young deer that ended in failure. Suddenly, he heard a splash. He looked up and saw several salmon swimming srtaight towards them. He stood still and readied himself to lunge. when one was only inched away from his foot, he lunged and missed, hitting his nose on a submerged rock. at first he felt no pain, but then it began to throb and the scent of blood clogged his nostrils to the point where he could smell nothing else. He sat down in the water and howled his frustration to the world.

Low in the bushes close to the river, a white form crept forward, placing each paw carefully in front of the other. The she-wolf's blue eyes were intent on a gray-and-brown form in front of her; she could see nothing else. The rabbit before her was busying itself on nibbling roots near the base of a tall tree. Little did it know that it's death was approaching it steadily. Kira's ears were flat on her head, and her eyes were wide with anticipation, waiting for the right time to attack. She bunched her muscles and prepared to run for it, but an ear-splitting howl rang in her ears, making her jump too early. The rabbit quickly darted away deeper into the woods, making Kira loose her meal.

"Ahaha! I knew you wouldn't catch it!" Reuk cried from a branch above, clearly enjoying his companion's failure. Kira sneered up at him. "That was your dinner too, you know." That shut him up. "Anyway, what idiot was howling?" she growled. "I swear if I find them..." Reuk interrupted her mumbling. "He's over there," he said without interest. Kira turned her head and wondered how she hadn't seen the wolf before. He was sitting right in the middle of the river, his nose bleeding pitifully, dripping scarlet drops into the clear water. Kira laughed. "Having trouble fishing, bud?" she asked, revealing herself by stepping out of the brush beside the river. Reuk cawed in a sort of laughter as well and landed beside his wolf.

Marduk turned as he heard the other wolf come out of the bushes. He was not expecting anyone to answer his call, and he had not realy wanted anyone to anyways. His anima probably knew what had happened, but she was off somewhere else doing her own things at the moment. He cringed as he experienced the other wolf's hostility, and somehow lowered his tail even more than it already was.

He never seemed to have good luck with meetingother wolves... so far it was always hostile females, and this wolf certainly appeared to continue the trend. As the female addressed him, he felt silly and he wished he hadn't howled. His nose started to hurt a bit more and the water no longer felt refreshing. He just looked away, unable to come up with a response. Maybe the wolf would leave him alone if he didnt answer.

Kira tilted her head slightly as the wolf looked away. He was either embarrassed, nervous, or both. She smirked. She was glad she'd found him; she had been bored before. Maybe she could have some fun with this one. "Not gonna talk to me? I'm not gonna bite," she said teasingly, though her tone was nothing but sarcastic, whish is exactly what you'd expect from the white and black wolfess. She rolled her eyes and sat down in the clear water stubbornly. "Fine then. If you're not gonna talk to me I'm just gonna sit here and wait." and, just as stubborn as she is, she did wait, her crystal-like blue eyes never leaving the male's body. Responce is what fules her to be like the way she is, though if she gets no responce her stubborn nature takes over and she'll wait for one. It is possible for her to get bored and move on, but that doesn't happen very often. What is it with males and ignoring me? she asked her companion who was resting in a branch in the tree overhead that stretched over the river like the arm of a child reaching to the top shelf for the jar of cookies. Reuk grinned and looked down upon the two. Because they all think you're pretty but they're too dumb to say or do anything. Kira huffed. Yeah, THAT'S the reason, she countered in her usual sarcastic manner. This one is shy. I have a way with shy ones; I'll get him to talk sooner or later.

Marduk did not know what to think of the female. He felt like she was just trying to make him feel worse, but she wasnt being as insulting as a wolf that was trying to do that. His nose was still throbbing, and he couldnt think of a reply to what the wolf had said. In order to avoid having to reply to the wolf, he stuck his nose in the water to soothe it and closed his eyes, wondering if the wolf would be gone when he opened them again.

Kira narrowed her eyes as the male ignored her once again and stuck his nose that was more than likely throbbing now into the coolness of the crystal-like water under his paws. So he was stubborn too was he? Well two could play at that game. why he refused to acknowledge her was confusing, but she didn't care anymore. Her stubborn side was taking over now, and she was going to keep to what she said before. She wasn't going to move until he talked. So, just like someone would expect from her, Kira curled her tail around her hind paws and sat. He wasn't going to get rid of her that easily. Reuk cawed once from above. He knew how stubborn Kira was; she'd wait here all day if she could. Times like this got on his nerves, but he always enjoyed seeing the wolf's reaction when Kira refused to move. Of course if it ever ended badly he'd have her covered, but this wolf didn't look like he wanted much to do with the pair, let alone have a conversation.

Marduk opened his eyes, and the wolf was stll there. He did not know why the wolf was still here, even though he was trying to be boring. He took his nose out of the water and took a deep breath, then looked away from the wolf. "what do you want?" he whined, still looking away. This wolf was confusing him greatly.

Kira's light blue eyes opened as the wolf looked up, then narrowed again as he once again turned his head away from her. She let out a frustrated huff, but cut it short when he finally spoke. She grinned to herself. "I already said what I was here for, don't you remember? I asked you a question." Before she could finish, Reuk, like she expected, shimed in from above, finishing her statement. "About fishing," he cried from above. He opened his wings and soared in a spiral downward before creating a small gust with his wings and landing softly on the riverbank beside his counterpart. "and if you haven't already noticed, she's as stubborn as any old wolf is. Not even I can get her away from here right now," he added in a lower voice, as if Kira wouldn't be able to hear it even though she was sitting right beside him. But instead of rebuking her anima, she meerely nodded with some sort of grin on her face as if she agreed completely.

He was still confused by the wolf's personality. One minute she seems like shes insulting him and now she is grinning. He could not remember the question either, and his nose was throbbing again. He sneezed and blood went flying, and he quickly put his nose back in the river. after a few moments he removed his nose from the water and he said "I dont remember whaat your question was..."
He felt a little embarrassed and he hope this wolf didnt continue to torment him

Reuk sighed. He didn't know what Kira saw in this wolf or why she still wanted to stick around, but that didn't mean that he had to stay here too. He's boring. You have your fun, I'm going to go see if I can actually catch something, unlick you with that rabbit, the black raven said mentally to his wolf counterpart. Turning swiftly, his form melted into the shape of a black cat and he disappeared into the brush behind Kira. Hopefully he'll be able to find something before nightfall. As the rustle of leaves disappeared behind the white wolfess, Kira once again urned her attention to the male before her. She knew Reuk was impatient right now, but something about this wolf was different from the ones she'd made contact with before. Her stubborn side was refusing to let her leave until she figured out what that thing was. She shook her head as he spoke. "Forget the question. What's your name?" At least a name would be a start.

He looked up and slowly said "My name is... Marduk"
He tilted his head at the wolf, wondering why she was going from mean to somewhat polite. She was confusing him quite a bit... and he hoped that he could clear up the confusion eventually. "what is your name?" he asked.

Kira tilted her head to one side for a moment, taking in his name. "Marduk?" she echoed, as if confirming herself. At least he was talking now. Perhaps he finally got the message that she wasn't going to give up here. He was prooving to be interesting... Or at least to her. Reuk seemed to have had enough of him already. She could hear his mental blabbering at the back of his mind as he hunted. His question came as a small surprise to her, mostly because it seemed he didn't like to talk much. Perhaps they were finally getting somewhere it seemed. "I'm Kira," she replied easily, her head balancing itself again. Her blue eyes went from the water to his nose, which looked to be slightly swollen from whatever he did to it. shaking herself mentally, she stood up and remembered why she had confronted this wolf in the first place. Her small window of her caring side closed, only to be replaced ith a veil of her usual sarcastic self again. "You made me lose my rabbit earlier," she reminded him matter-of-factly as if he would know, while a small sneer found its way across her maw.

Marduk cringed as Kira sneered. "I am sorry... I didnt know I made you miss your meal..." He said. Tears started to appear in his eyes, He was not used to this kind of treatment. He put his tail between his legs and hoped the wolf did not decide to attack or something next. She was proving to be very predictable so far.

Kira continued her sneer, though when the male cringed against her and she detected the traces of tears welling up, she found herself lost in the past. This happens often with Kira; often random things can and most likely will remind her of her past, and she'll find herself blanking out, lost in the memory of her beloved brother being slain and of the horror that her mother's face held when she looked down upon her lifeless son lying motionless in the snow. "Mother," Kira murmured quietly, her eyes distant and wide. she was staring directly at the wolf before her, but she was completely lost in her own mind. Why must the past torment her? Her ears fell back against her head as the images flitten though her distressed mind. The sneer she previously had on her face was completely nonexistant now, though her pelt was bristling slightly and her muscles were tensed as if she were expecting an attack any moment. A thought broke through her mental nightmare. Kira! You're doing it again, came Reuk's familiar voice, though instead of his usual sarcasm it was filled with concern for his counterpart. Sure the two bickered, but they loved each other like no one would know. Kira shook her head and, as if on its own, her marred paw raised slightly. Looking down at the scarred mess that was left of her paw, she sighed and looked up, her mental nightmare over with... for the moment. "Don't cry," she pleaded. She didn't know how she would handle another one of those flashbacks. "Please don't cry..." She closed her eyes for a moment, forcing herself to push back those feelings for the time being, and opened them again to the canopy of trees above. She had been so caught up with speaking to the wolf that she hadn't noticed the drop in temperature or the fact that the light was lessening by the minute. The moon wouldn't wait forever. She'd need a place to sleep for the night, and, unfortunately, her stubborn nature was still refusing to let her leave the presence of this wolf. Why? She didn't know why herself.

Marduk saw the change come about the wolf. It was very strange to him, ad when she whispered "mother" she seemed very far off and sad. Instead of the attack he expected she was trying to comfort him....
his tail relaxe a bit and the tears stopped. He did not know what to say however. He just looked at Kira and pondered about what had just happened.

Kira's icy gaze swept from the darkening gap between the canopy of leaves of the trees to the male who was still standing in front of her. He looked better now that she wasn't sneering at him. Out of no where she opened her maw and her tongue curled back inside itself as a massive yawn escaped between her teeth, clearly telling her that she needed sleep. She hadn't gotten much the day before, and on an empty stomach it was even worse. Every second seemed to drag energy from every fiber of her being. She tilted her head slightly to the side as the wolf who called himself Marduk remained silent. "You sure are a quiet one, huh?" she murmured sleepily. The leaves behind the white female rustled and opened, giving way to a sleek black cat who's pelt reflected the dimming light. What it held in it's jaws was one perfectly plump mouse. "I was starting to think you forgot about me," Kira spoke to her anima, lowering her head to take the morsel. Reuk instantly grabbed his prize and turned his back on her. "I don't know what you're talking about, this is mine!" he complained, and as if to proove his point took a rather large bite from the limp body in his claws and chewed happily. "Well thanks for catching me something," she muttered, and turned her body so that she was facing downstream. She made her way a few feet, then stopped and looked back. "You don't have a place to stay, do you?" Why was she being like this to him? She'd never done it before to anyone but Reuk. "It gets cold at night by the river unless you know where to stay." She flicked her tail once and began once again down the river bank. "Follow me or not, if you don't have a place to stay for the night you're gonna be sorry." She was too tired to be stubborn anymore. She still wanted to learn more about the olf, but her lack of sleep was prooving too much for her small frame to handle.

Marduk finally realised what time of day it was as Kira yawned. He heard her stomach rumbing, and his did the same. he was tired, cold and hungry, and he barely noticed the other wolf's anima as it appeared. When she offered to show him shelter, he decided to follower. He slowly padded along behind her, even though she had seemed mean earlier. but perhaps this would could turn out to be alreight, and he really didnt have anywhere to go.

Kira glanced once over her shoulder to see that the male actually was following her. Seems he didn't have anywhere to go after all. Overhead, Reuk had finished his small morsel and was soaring just above his wolf's head, once again in his usual raven form. Seeing their destination a little ways down, he flapped his wings to propel him forward and landed in the safety of a thorn bush, being careful about his feathers on his way in. Kira pushed aside a few leaves with her nose and entered what looked to be a small clearing, sheltered from the river by a thin line of brush. A large rock jutted from the ground on one side of the tiny opening, and the top of it looked to be just big enough for a single wolf to lay. Kira took her spot atop the rock, knowing where to place each paw to scramble onto it's surface, and lay down on it's cool face. With the moon rising and the sun draining the world of it's color, the sky was becoming a dark purple and orange color in the distance, while a few early night stars were already shining happily down on the creatures who inhabited the forest below. With her tail hanging limply over one side of the rock, Kira made a motion to the base of the rock, where a small crevass lay between the ground and the boulder, creating a kind of lean-to in shelter of the cool night air. It wasn't big enough for two wolves, but one could fit happily.

Marduk followed Kira sleepily, and he was glad when she finnaly stopped near a rock and some bushes. when she motioned him towards the opening, He gladly crawled inside. A great wave of relief passed through him as he took the pressure off hish ahing legs, and he curled up in a ball with his nose resting comfortably on his flank. It was throbbing a bit less now, and he was starting to regain his sense of smell.
He closed his eyes with a relieved sigh and waited for sleep to take him.

Kira's dreams were strange and scattered, but sleeping under the moonlight always made her feel good. She didn't even try to decipher the meanings of her dreams; they were too faint to do so anyway. But the morning that she was rewarded with when her blue eyes opened was breathtaking.Through the scant brush before her she could detect the shining sunlight of the rays reflecting off of the clear water's surface, as well as hear the bubbling as it scrambled up and over the rocks that made up the riverbed. She stood to her paws atop the rock she'd spent the night on and stretched her forelegs out before her, sticking her rump in the air as she did so. With a quick shake of her white pelt, she jumped from the surface of the boulder onto the soft and spongy ground that was lush with green grass. She parted her jaws in a massive yawn as she turned to see if the male had actually stayed the whole night.

Reuk's black beady eyes blinked open lazily as he stretched and ruffled his feathers on a branch above the wolves' heads. Sleeping with a full belly was something he'd never get tired of. Stretching his wings, he pushed off of the woody surface of the branch and spiraled downward, only to melt into the form of a black rat when he landed on his compainion.

Marduk rolled sleepily as he heard motion above him. He jammed his injurd nose into a rock as he did so, and it started throbbing again. He opened his eyes and saw the other wolf standing near him, but he felt too tired to get up. He rolled back the other way and closed his eyes in an attempt to get a little more rest.

Kira frowned when the wolf looked at her then rolled the other way, obviously wanting more rest. She sighed and turned to face the river. With a flip of her tail, she took a few steps to the water's edge and lowered her head to drink. Once she had finished, her head slowly rose, water dripping from her maw, and she sighed again. Why are you letting your past get to you so much now? Reuk squeaked mentally on her back, his small head tilted oto the side. You've never let it bug you so much before. "Because..." Kira muttered, her voice trailing off. Frustrated at herself for no apparant reason, she finished. "I don't know why, okay?"

Reuk frowned, but stayed put on her back as she advanced a little ways down the river. Dark flashes flitted through the sparkling clear water as she approached, and she instinctively stopped moving and became frozen at the water's edge. Lucky for her the sun was angled just right to where her shadow didn't loom over the water, which would in turn give away her presense to the unsuspecting fish. With time, the little shadows forgot completely about the danger that waited at the shore for them, and drew closer to her. Kira waited for the opportune moment when one of the shadows were to slip up and get too close, and she didn't have to wait long. One broke away from the mass of them, and gradually made their way forward. She took that moment to strike, and her paw flashed in the cool water. Ripping out of the surface quickly, she managed to bat the fish ashore and followed suit with an easy bite to the top of it's head, killing the small creature instantly.