The Rain

Dagik flopped over a sturdy branch a pretty good distance up in the tree. He grasped it with his paws and steadily crawled up the branch, his belly fur and tail brushing the oak until he reached his favorite branch and sprawled out on it. He could see and and hear a great distance around the tree from here and it was quite comfortable. As the rain showered down through the leaves, chills dashed down his back. He watched a tree branch of dead leaves tumble out some high place in one of the pines. Looking like it has been dead for a long while now, it landed with a deep thump on the grass. Dagik bared his teeth in anger. He should have never let that trespasser depart without a punishment. Next time, for sure, he would make sure they had a fight with him before they crawled back to their camp. He shook the regret away and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeble rain pour while it lasted.

Spirit trotted up, his tail high when he spotted Dagik in the tree. He curled his lip as he did not know the wolf. He ran and jumped onto the tree and knocked him off the branch and then he jumped down and glared at Dagik on the ground, "Who are you?" He snarled in his face.

Dagik landed on his paws swiftly and snarled with rage at the guest.
"What are you doing on Panther turf!?" He spat in anger. He circled around the ookami. He couldn't be sure that it was not a loner. He raised his tail and snarled deeply.

Spirit snarled back at him. "I was going to ask you the same thing. I am a member of Panther pack. Who are you." He bared his teeth at him and held his head and tail high.

Dagik raised his head and sat down.
"Well then," He spat. "that changes things." He glanced around, watching live prey scuttle away in the pine straw. "I myself, am a member." He muttered quietly. "Next time you should think twice before disturbing me. You would have been wounded severely if you weren't my pack-mate." He turned and flicked his tail, stalking back towards the tree. At the base, Dagik vaulted up onto the lowest branch, and bounded up each one until he was at the previous location. He narrowed his eyes back down to the other Panther member.
"Iriesh is our alpha. I suggest you speak to her before bothering the other members." He growled.

Olive felt a chill race down his spine he sensed fighting, He leaped in the scene baring his teeth. "Where did you come from?" he asked the unfamiliar ookami

He snorted at Dagik then padded over to Iriesh. He lowered his head slightly but his tail was still high. "I would like to join Panther pack. That is with your permission." He then slightly lowered his tail and stood tall to the Alpha.

Iriesh looked down at the wolf, "And what do you have to offer to my pack? Not just anyone can join at their will. They must show me enough value for me to want to keep them around." She didn't wear any certain expression but cold bitter emotions lurked in her eyes, even against her own will.

Spirit replies "I can fight very well and I am loyal to my pack. Though I can't show you unless you let me prove myself by fighting." He sits and looks Iriesh right in the eyes.

Iriesh sighed and looked at Dagik, to her he was her prize member. The only one she cared to ask if he minded, "Would you mind fighting with him? I want to see if he has any skills. Loyalty is not enough for me. Words, are not enough for me. You never know if they are truthful."

Spirit grinned and faced Dagik. He knew Dagik wouldn't even hesitate for a fight.

Dagik nodded. "Very well." He turned to Spirit. "We shall see."
He bared his teeth raising his head and tail. Then he darted forward, and catapult on top of Spirit and clenched his teeth deep in his skin until his fangs touched through the flesh. He placed his paw on his chest, raking his claws through the fur.

Spirit winced in pain as Dagik's teeth met his neck and then he jump and flipped onto his back, crushing Dagik, managing to get him off. Spirit lept to his paws as Dagik was on the ground and lept onto him and bit his neck fur, but with his free claw he slashes it across Dagiks face, making a long cut with a bit of blood.

Iriesh sat by, watching the fight. She did her best to sit still and keep watching. It was hard to sit by while her star pack member was in a fight. She almost regret having put him up to the fight rather than fighting herself.

Dagik roared and slashed both paws down Spirits shoulders then batted his belly furiously with his legs. Kicking Spirit off he Stood up and rolled his shoulders. He lunged forward to Spirit and gripped the ookami's scruff in his jaws then shook and yanked vigorously with the loos skin.

Spirit's eyes glinted with mixed emotions; Rage, pain, power, and ambition. Spirit kicked out his back legs, sending Dagik off of him and onto the grass. While Dagik was dazed Spirit jumped to his paws and launched himself at Dagik and bit down on his back leg hard. With his paws he swatted him across the face several times, making long scratches on both sides of his face.

Iriesh could see the emotions, and most of the times emotion caried one too far, "I've seen enough, now stop fighting."

Spirit reluctantly got off of Dagik then looked at Iriesh. "So?" He asked Iriesh as he cleaned his small wounds and sat down.

"I will make a decision, but only after i get my pack's opinion. Not something usual for this but the time has come for me to do so. After all, such emotions cannot always be condemned so quickly. Your emotions could kill more than just our enemies." Iriesh said as she stood to walk away.

Spirits eyes go uncertain as she said that. He hoped they would accept him but he thought of what she said and he resented it. He watched her as she walked away but he sat and looked at the camp.

Iriesh laid down in front of a bush, "A ticking time bomb...can i trust that in my pack? For once i need more than one opinion."

Spirit sighed and padded into the forest where he met Dagik and he layed under a tree as the sun shined on his black & white fur.

Dagik huffed. "I was getting to the good part." He muttered to himself. I could have taken him down easily." He clawed up the oak tree back to his sleeping spot, because he couldn't call it a "den" seeing as it was on a tree but whatever. He sprawled out and licked the blood clean from his wounds. Wounds like these were hardly rare. They were scratches and wouldn't cause him very much pain plus they would vanish soon and become shallow scars. As he watched the sun as it set, he folded his paws and closed his eyes; not hardly near sleep. His ears twitched hastily to follow every sound he heard which was hardly possible because of the quantity of them.

Spirit yawned. He trotted out from the pine tree on the other side of the forest. He looked at the members of Panther Pack and wondered if he would get accepted as one of them.

Iriesh had vanished to go call her meeting. She needed to have a decision sooner rather than later.