Howling Wolf Village

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A small village in the Land of Wolves, situated atop an empty mountain-top plateau. There is a small river running through the center of the village, along with small fields directly in the center. All houses are built into the stone of the edges and the only way into the village is from the top, making it an ideal place for the village itself as it is easily defensible. The village itself is known for its production of medicinal plants among other goods but the people here belong to the Kouga Clan. An old clan which can become beasts through some unknown means. Once known as the Red Lions these people were fierce hunters and the people of this village have those instincts. A few of the more talented members of this place leave periodically to collect meat and are thus at their most vulnerable when they leave the sanctity of this place.

Late one afternoon, some time before sunset, a tall male with wild, red hair, set foot in the Howling Wolf Village. He was a very barbaric looking individual who stood nearly seven feet tall, with a glasgow smile on only the left side of his face. He wore a simple pair of sandals, a plain tunic, and a dark sash on his shoulder. These basic clothing items were accented by gold epaulets, a golden skirt reminiscent of a gladiator's, and metal shin guards. A large sack was slung over his left shoulder as he walked into the center of the village and looked around the area at the many homes built into holes in the surrounding cliffs. "OI! Meat's right for the pickin'!"

As the man bellowed about meat being ready for the taking many people of the village began rushing out of their houses to find cuts that they desired, smiles on their faces seemingly not frightened completely of the large man who brought them food. Such hunts happened frequently and there was always enough to go around, so no one seemed to be in any real distress about the food going around. Adult people and small children alike all seemed to crowd around the man, one young woman would join him. She was a full foot shorter than him, also dressed in a strange tunic accented by gold plated pieces including a long gauntlet all the way up her right arm but nothing but a linen sleeve on her left. "BAKA!~ Why do you take so long? I'm starving!" she asked, it wasn't her turn to go out for food, so she'd been waiting along with everyone else. As she spoke she flicked her tongue over the piercing in her lower lip, one which was also shared by the man in question.

It did not take long at all for other members of the village to gather around this man. Once enough people were nearby, he lifted the sack over his shoulder, and placed it on the ground to open it. It was then that he heard the words of a woman whom he was more familiar with than others in the village. "Uruse! I went for some variety this time, so it took longer! I'm going back out for more; just dish it out!" he said while another red-haired man, four or so inches shorter than him, approached the pair. This one had long, straight hair, but also possessed the same clothing and lip piercing as these two and a few others in the village. "Good job, Lo'lo'! Everyone line up, kids first, women second, men last! We may as well get this set out of the way before Lo'lo' gets back, yeah? Myron, mind helping me out?"

When the other man joined and demanded that everyone line up. Small children seemed to organize themselves at the front of the line, women soon after and a few remaining men gathered towards the back ready for the handout of the spoils of the day's hunt. Strangely enough, the young woman apparently known as Myron had apparently taken up a spot right between the children and the women while that straight haired man spoke, finding that to be where she belonged to get a bit of food. She had the audacity to look a bit abashed when she was asked for help. "Oh? You mean me?" she said pointing to herself. Of course, because of who this other man was she'd step out of line though she'd look a bit down trodden as she began to help pass out food. "I love how I am only not a child or a woman when it's convenient." she muttered giving a cross glance in the man's direction though she'd help dish out food all the same offering smiles and cuts of meat to the children who approached.

"Back out for me then. I'll be back by midnight this time," said the man named Lo'lo' as he sauntered off. The other male of this group looked toward him as he departed. "Hai hai. We'll make sure everybody gets a fair cut from this one, but since you're making a second round, you'll take the heap from the next one!" he said. Lo'lo' responded to this by raising his right fist to the sky as he walked away. Then, the other man turned his attention back to Myron. "Of course you! Why are you even in line? Our dear brother is working his ass off to get this food, so it wouldn't be right if we ate before him."

"Fine, don't be late," the young woman said, as she busied herself helping pass out food. To her elder brother's question she thought the answer was rather obvious. She gave him a blank look with wide eyes before poking at the piercing in her lip with her tongue while seeming to be amused. "I thought that was obvious. I was in line because I am hungry," she said frowning slightly. After a few seconds though she smiled quite a bit. "Yes, I know, I know. No lectures Muu, you'll make me feel bad," she quipped as they got through all the children except for one who popped up beside the man seeming to have been a bit late to the party. She placed a hand against the side of the long haired man's leg and looked up at him. One small ponytail on the side of her head as she was about leg height to the man with wide red eyes. She had puffy cheeks and seemed to be on the verge of tears as she watched her friends all run off to a nearby fire to begin cooking their food which she couldn't do yet, because she didn't have any.

"I know. I'm hungry too, but we've gotta take care of our own as well." The male of this pair said this as he continued passing out slabs of meat, in what seemed to be very healthy portions. Soon enough, his leg was being tapped by one of the smaller individuals belonging to the clan. He knew this young girl well, and she was certainly one of the smallest of their race. Crouching, he placed his left hand upon this girl's head. "Ended up at the back of the line again, Morgianna? Don't worry. I've got a piece here just for you," he said as his right hand produced a much larger slab of meat than he'd handed out previously. It was big enough that one would expect a large adult such as Lo'lo' to consume, but people in this clan were very large, so he figured he should give such a small girl a large helping, that she might grow into herself like the others. "Cook it well, alright?"

"I know, I know... I just said no lectures. You're making me feel bad," the woman said a slight pout showing on her face as she kept her up her work. The last of the children was being handled by Muu directly so she continued to hand out cuts of meat to the women who'd gathered. Cuts being handed out to the pregnant and those with children too young for meat first. Then the rest of the women who gathered. Surprisingly enough, there was more than enough to go around. The child known as Morgiana looked to Muu who lowered himself to her level and asked about her bout at the end of the line. The young girl shrugged. "It happens a lot, I can't see around the others so they always end up all in front of me, and I don't want to push anyone else out of the way," she explained. Apparently, the girl was rather kind-hearted in addition to being rather small. Soon enough it was explained that there was still a cut for her, and her eyes went wide as it was provided along with a pat on the head from the man. The large cut made the girl eyes widen as she took it in her hand and ran off. "Hai!!~" she seemed to be rather happy and would join her friends in properly cooking her meal provided by the large man.

While all of this occurred a young woman was watching from the distance. She was actually quite high up, over the lip of the mountain and well down wind. She watched as she had been for at least two weeks now. She'd been waiting to see which one of these individuals would be worth the kind of attention she needed to pay them. She pushed white locks out of her face and exhaled ever so slowly and then she moved away. She knew when she saw the man with the Glasgow smile that she was going to be watching him much more closely. She needed to confirm it a bit more, but she was almost certain he was the target she wanted to hunt. It also wasn't lost on her, that he was very similar to her, given his interactions with the other two individuals below. So she'd go and watch him a bit more.