Sands of time....(Kodi)

[<3Kodi]

Raja let out a snort and padded out from behind Mirage as Soul relaxed just a little, still glaring daggers at the healer. "Oh don't worry miss, he'll never thank me. Still too proud Soul?" Raja barked, a bit of acid creeping into his tone as he sat back on his haunches between Mirage and Soul. "Last time it was chasing a bear and now you're fighting cougars? Do you never learn?"

Soul was seething though it was only visible through his eyes and the fact that his hackles were rising. "Well at least I fought the bear! That's more then I can say for your pack" Soul snapped icily before laying his head on his paws and looking sadly like a brooding teenager. It was almost comical but Raja wasn't laughing. Instead the healer rolled his eyes and looked over at Mirage with amusement in his pale gold eyes and a chuckle building in his voice.

"Our packs were close together, I'm his younger cousin Raja. I helped him once after he got in a fight with a bear. Didn't thank me then either, almost ripped my ears off." Raja chuckled and let his front legs slide forward so he was laying in a sphinx-like position. "So miss, Mirage was it? How did you come to be in his rather bitter company?"

Soul snorted and glared at Raja but didn't say anything. Raja was indeed his younger cousin. Their packs had been fairly close together and he'd gotten caught by a bear that had wandered from Raja's territory to Soul's. Soul's pack had opted to let it leave but Soul swore he had just been hunting mountain goats when the bear had attacked him. It hadn't been intentional. He claimed that but really it had been wholeheartedly intentional. He'd been stupid back then but...he didn't regret it. After all, he wasn't dead but that was probably thanks to Raja whom had still been an apprentice healer back then.

[$*CrazyHick*$]

Well she could certainly say mister Soul here was getting more and more interesting by the moment which intrigued her. She couldnt help but grine ear to ear he was such a grouch jeeez. Raja wasnt exactly happy either what cousinly love. She snickered she couldnt help it it was so hard not to. "ha believe it or not this ol grouch raised me when he found me when I was a young pup" she said getting up coming to Souls side licking his cheek in affection letting her tail pat the ground playfully even though she knew Soul was in no condition to play with her. She carefully watched the brute Raja even though he was Souls cousin she grinnned "should have seen me I scared the crap out of him" she said with a snicker looking at Raja with a large grin on her features.

[<3Kodi]

Soul snorted and growled low in his chest at Raja. "Come over here mutt and I'll show you some of our finer family traits" Soul barked sourly, his eyes icy as he flashed his fangs. Raja sighed and sat back on his haunches giving Soul an incredulous look. Some cousins never changed. It seemed time hadn't helped Soul at all, not that Raja was that surprised. He knew Soul's story. They had come together about a year ago but Soul had never mentioned Mirage. Perhaps he had been hunting on his own or something but in any case Raja had learned the bitter ending to one side of his family and had pitied Soul for the loss of his brother and promised to keep an ear open for Howl. Apparently over the years his personality had soured like milk.

"You stop that" Raja barked back at Soul. "If you've got a thorn in your paw pull it out and stop snarling. You're going to just make yourself worse you keep getting mad like you do. Honestly Mirage, I don't know how you stand him, angry as he is." Raja's tone was light and he didn't sound ruffled at Soul's threats.

Soul flattened his ears and made as if to rise before heaving a sigh and flopping down looking like a deflated balloon. "Why are you even here Raja other then stalking me?"

"I smelled cat blood" Raja barked, flicking his tail at the dead cougar. "Saw you and thought you were dead. That moon mark will give you away everytime dear cousin. Besides, I wanted to see if you had any additions to your tale, and you do. You know I keep track of that sort of thing."

The white brute let out a grumbled growl. "Storyteller. Another word for stalker."

Raja rolled his eyes and looked at Mirage. "What is your secret?" he asked honestly. "It seems he gets more bitter every year!"

[$*CrazyHick*$]

Mirage watched the two bickering back and forth and Soul not even looking at her. Her own hackles rose in response and she grabbed his hark and snatched it hard to get his attention and gave him a mighty glare that showed him she was meaning business. She wasnt playing "behave here you are talking about me being rude and now look at you at your own family I atleast had a reason she was a wolf I didnt know" she snapped rudely at Soul. She was waiting for his response she was itching for an argument. "Well I guess because him and me are so alike that well I can read him like a book" she said looking at Raja. She growled low in her throat and couldnt help but turn her eyes in Souls direction.

[<3Kodi]

Raja chuckled and Soul rolled his eyes, laying his head on his paws. Raja cast an amused glance at Soul before turning his gaze to Mirage. The little wolfess sure was something, brimming with energy that at the moment seemed hostilely directed at his elder cousin. Her dark brown eyes glimmered with life but something about her posture toward Soul told him things had recently been sour between the pair and possibly they weren't off the thin ice yet. Raja turned his gaze to Soul and the white brute met his pale gaze. Defiant and reserved as ever.

"Well it's no good for him to be a hermit. Not good for anybody really" Raja barked at last, rasping his tongue over one of his paws and still tasting the bitter herbs he'd used to patch up the pair. "I meet a lot of wolves out of choice. Soul's nothing but a bitter old hermit."

"Say that again and you'll be missing some fur you fluffed up windbag" Soul snapped irritably. Looking over at Mirage he flicked his ears up. "I can talk to Raja like this because I know him. Being rude to strangers for no reason, that's your problem."

"That and I know his threats are completely harmless. He wouldn't touch me" Raja barked, resting his head on his paws and looking quite content, like an old dog laying in front of a fire. "I'm the last of his family."

"You are not" Soul snapped, the snarl rising back in his voice.

Raja's eyes saddened. "Soul. Enough."

Like a whelp, Soul snapped his jaws shut and shifted so his back was to Raja, facing into the trees. Raja looked over at Mirage. "Would you mind helping me get some meat from that old kill of yours in the meadow? It'll do both of you some good." The mahogany and gold wolf got to his paws and waited for Mirage to follow. He wanted to talk to her away from his currently irritated cousin.

[$*CrazyHick*$]

She growled low in her thoat that old ornery fool. She stood up about to snatch on his senile old harks again when Raja spoke. "I had a reason" she said "and for right now Soul it seems he is the last of your family." Mirage sighed "sure" she said softly padding over to Raja giving Soul a very very ugly look. If he wanted to act like a brooding teenager let him she wasnt going to hold his hand wasnt like he wasnt old enough to do that. She made a hmph noise and stuck her nose in the air and padded off with an air of a very haughty obnoxious attitude. Like she cared right now he could very well rot he had gotten on her last nerve she had protected him and now look he was back to his grouch of himself and that pist her off so damn much. She slowed down some and her movement were jerky from Raja point of view she was gritting her teeth so hard with anger rising but she counted to ten and the threat to go back and drag Soul for a good while made her calm down and go back to wishful thinking.

[<3Kodi]

Raja padded over to Soul and touched his muzzle against the back of Soul's ear. The white wolf didn't move but Raja didn't expect him to. He knew what his cousin was thinking. Turning, Raja padded after the haughty little wolfess, at ease with her attitude and the tension between her and Soul. Once they were out of earshot of Raja's cousin, Raja lengthened his stride so he was walking beside the irritated femme. His pale honey gaze was relaxed, his stride easy and his overall posture relaxed. He had no problem with Soul's temperment and to outsider eyes looked happy about Soul's anger. Now, why would a peaceful wolf be happy about anger? Raja had his reasons.

"I don't know what you've done to him, Mirage but thank you" Raja barked finally, looking over at the sandy wolfess. "He's got life in him now, his old bite and fight, like he's ready to brawl. I haven't seen him like that since the massacre. When I met him a year ago he was ready to give up, on his brother and on himself. You got him to fight again and it's good to see."

Yes, the storyteller was thanking Mirage for making Soul mad, for making him snarl and snap. Raja had known his cousin of and on as a pup and young apprentice. He had always known Soul as the rough, stubborn, headstrong young wolf that would fight anyone given the chance. He had known Soul as the protective brother with a little grey shadow. A year ago, Raja had seen Soul without his fire, the spark gone from his eyes and he had looked so old Raja had felt heavily saddened at his cousin's sudden darkness. Now however, he had more fight in him. Whatever had happened had riled up Soul and gotten him back to his old ways, at least for a little while.

[$*CrazyHick*$]

"I didnt do anything to him just gave him a taste of his own medicine and i guess my spunk" she said with a laugh. "Hes always had a bad temper" she said "well except the daY I met him he was entirely to nice to me" she said. She padded along her merry way and sniffed out the deer coming to its side. "So why is it you brought me out here away from Soul" she asked curiously wondering why. She couldnt help it she was a nosy rosy it just happened to come out like that isnt that was pups were like. She techinically wasnt a pup she was grown she was two now that meant something right. She smiled he was up to something or merely wanted to know more about her or Soul or both she didnt know she barely even knew this wolf and he didnt make her uneasy if he tried to pull something she would snap at him that was for damn sure. So she sat upon her haunches her deep brown pools watching is with piqued interest.

[<3Kodi]

Raja chuckled as the pair came upon the remains of Mirage's earlier kill. Dipping his head the brown and gold male sniffed the meat. Still fresh enough to taste good to the wounded. Looking up innocently at Mirage's question he flicked his ears. "What do you mean? I brought you hear to get your belly full and take some meat to Soul of course." The big wolf grabbed one of the deer's legs in his strong jaws and braced his legs. Pulling back, Raja pulled the leg from the socket with a rather sickening popping crack. Putting it aside, Raja sat back on his haunches and waited for Mirage to eat. He would take the leg back for Soul to eat if Soul was even awake when they got back. From the sound of it the pair had had an exciting day.

Looking off into the trees, Raja's mind wandered a little, remembering his first encounter with his bitter-tempered cousin. He'd been young and rather stupid and had been gathering herbs when he'd seen Soul fighting off a young grizzly. Now that he thought about it, Raja was thankful the bear had been young otherwise it was likely he would have been watching his cousin's death. It had been one of the few times Raja had known Soul to be without Howl in his shadow.

Shaking his head, Raja looked over at Mirage. "Tell me, has he found anything about Howl?" Raja asked. "I promised to keep my ears open but maybe he's found something I haven't? I wouldn't dare ask him, he'd tear my throat out regardless of my relation to him. He doesn't like mentions of Howl, fears his brother's memory as much as he loves it and needs it."

[$*CrazyHick*$]

"Mhm I'll believe that when a pigs can fly" she said even though she had no idea what a pig was but he got the idea. She grabbed a piece of meat she wasnt hungry but she would take it with her. "Um I didnt even know who Howl was until today" she said very calmly. She gritted her teeth he always failed to mention stuff to her like she didnt know what he was plannning next. She groaned and dropped the piece of meat "by the way he spoke I doubt he foiund anythign because eh sounded so depressed when I asked him about Howl since he was murmuring the name in his unconcious state" she said. He cant possibly tear your throat out in his position besides if he tried I give him a good tongue lashing" she said rather haughtily and picked up her meat heading back to where Soul was.

[<3Kodi]

Raja chuckled. "Really now? Good to know someone can keep him in line but don't underestimate your guardian Mirage, he was highly respected between his family and mine from the way my kin spoke of him at times. His father was always highly displeased with him but Soul was his own wolf back then. Now he's just another drone walking in the shadows holding on to what he had." Raja sighed and shrugged, it was a sad story and he'd heard it happen to hundreds of other wolves. Soul wouldn't let go of Howl or, when Raja thought about it, Soul wouldn't let him alone either. He knew full well that if he ever needed his cousin, Soul would be there which was good to know because despite his size Raja was far from a fighter. Bloodshed and death weren't high on his list of likes.

The big brute glanced toward the trees where Soul was waiting and heaved a sigh. "Well, its time I get going I suppose. I've heard faint whispers and I should keep chasing my stories. Take this back to Soul and just leave it near him. He'll probably be in one of his moods again but I hope you know how to handle that."

Standing up the storyteller picked up the meat he'd pulled off the deer and tossed it to land next to Mirage. He didn't tell Mirage what the whispers were he'd been hearing because she'd tell Soul and he didn't want to get his cousin's hopes up when Raja knew it might just be another myth or he had misheard someone. Several nights ago he had heard a destinct howl that had echoed from his memory, that was why he had looked for Soul in the first place, not just randomly bumped into him. Apparently Soul hadn't heard it and now it was time Raja find out if it was who he thought it was.

[$*CrazyHick*$]

"That may be so but I wont allow him to trample all over my mood with his" she said. "Soul is always highly displeased with me im a big trouble maker according to him but he loves it I keep him young" she grinned. She thought Raja was one to many short of some light bulbs him talking about whispers and such. She grinned well maybe that was what was wrong with Soul he was nuts. "Oh I can handle it" she grinned "been doing it for over two year" she said. She continued over the Soul saying a quick goodbye to Soul before laying down on her tummy watching Soul he seemed asleep but then again looks can always seem decieving. She watched him it would take forever for him to heal but maybe not so she decided just to chill and wait for morning because it was super dark out not even the moon was shining tonight the rains were coming soon.