Larkcall Lowlands down to one last breath

Kajika’s skills at catching such animals as hares and rabbits had greatly improved over the past months since they had become the staple of his diet for the majority of that time.  They weren’t so big he couldn’t take them sown by himself or so small that they really weren’t the effort that it took to catch them.  That effort was great because they were fast and unpredictable being able to change direction as quickly as the wind. So in order to catch them one had to develop the skill to do the same not to mention the stealth that it required to get close enough that the distance was shortened greatly giving them less chance to escape. The plan was for him to chase them into Erebos’s waiting grasp which Kajika thought it best for the older male to wait for the hare’s then to have to do the chasing.  To be honest being the one to do all of the work didn’t really bother Kajika that much though he did hope the effort would pay off.  He had done his best to stay hidden till the last possible moment before making his move and when he did it was perfectly executed if he did say so himself. Multiple hare’s ran directly at the place where his hunting companion was waiting.  From his position behind the creatures Kajika saw as the older male took the front hare down easily but the second got away and which left the grey wolf chasing after them. Kajika was gaining on the place where Erebos had waited for their prey and soon he had over taken it and pushing himself a little harder he was starting to gain on the small animals.  They would need at least one more hare if they were both to eat that night.  Kajika didn’t really fancy doing all of this work to end up with an empty stomach but he would if he could help the older male get the meal that he needed.

~Table by Ace

(This post was last modified: Aug 12, 2015, 02:00 AM by Kajika.)

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Erebos pressed his muscles harder and harder, straining them all he could to make his legs move faster. Kajika had been helpful thus far, seeming like a good, altruistic lad, but none of it could be trusted. No one could be, no matter how genuine they seemed at first. If he didn't catch this second rabbit, and certainly after expending all this energy to do so, it was very possible Kajika's nature would flip like fickle spring weather and leave Erebos with not a single scrap of food. This would put him in a far worst situation than that which he'd started in, even hungrier and thoroughly exhausted without hope of recovering.

This negative thinking, while possibly owning a good chunk of the blame for why he was out here, alone without a single friend in the world, was working its magic to spur him onward. As he saw it, this was life or death, in such situations, creatures happened to become what they needed to be in order to survive. Perhaps he was tapping into the skill he had possessed in his younger years, perhaps a greater power was taking pity upon him, or perhaps it was all the fickle hand of luck, but Erebos dipped left just as the hare he was pursuing did, and caught the wily vermin between his teeth.

His legs nearly collapsed beneath him, mid stride, in relief. The man came to a sliding, faltering stop, and closed his jaws down hard upon the squirming body betwixt them until its life faded. Only once the deed was finished did he lower himself abruptly to the ground, chest heaving and muscles squirming.

One hare had been caught and was not waiting for them but they still needed to catch another so that each of them could have a meal that day.   From his position behind the hare that he’d been chasing he had seen the first taken down and he’d seen the older male go after the second.  He did have to admit that as he watched Erebos run the hare down he was a little worried about him putting in that much physical effort.  He didn’t think that it could be easy for the male to be doing so at his age especially after the way his hunting companion had acted when they had first met.  However watching the male Kajika learned an important lesson.  It was possible to do something that seemed impossible when it was important to do so.  He also felt that this showed the older male was fair because he could have just taken the hare that he had already taken down and ran with it leaving Kajika with nothing.  He would then have to start the whole process over again after he had expended so much energy on this time.  When he realized that he had lost the chance to catch another hare for them he watched and waited near the one that had already caught to see if the older male would catch the hare he was chasing. Kajika didn’t have to wait long for the results of the chase.  With luck Erebos managed to take the second animal down however almost as soon as he did the older male collapsed to the ground.  Worried Kajika scooped the first into his mouth and headed over to where his hunting companion had fallen.  “Are you alright? That was some chase,” he asked after he had reached the male and dropped the hare he’d been carrying to the ground.  Kajika sat back on his haunches to wait for Erebos to catch his breath, he wouldn’t leave the male until he was sure that he was going to be alright.

~Table by Ace

(This post was last modified: Aug 16, 2015, 05:59 PM by Kajika.)

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So just one more from you & me and we can wrap this up, but it all depends on what Kajika does. I'm perfectly fine with this going beyond 15 posts if Kajika wants to stick around. c:

As Kajika approached him, Erebos didn't bother to look up. The hare's carcass had been expelled from his mouth, allowing him to take bigger breaths. His tongue lolled out from the side of his mouth as his sides heaved in and out. Given a few moments, this all calmed, and while he was still out of breath, his lungs were no longer aflame and he did not feel as though every drop of blood within his body was rushing to his head and crushing his brain. Eventually, those pallid embers sought their company.

"m'fine," he managed, allowing his muscles to rest a few moments longer before attempting to sit up. His forelimbs managed to hold the weight, although shakily, and he scanned the ground to count their bounty. The man was a little disappointed to see that those he'd caught were the only that had been slain, but it only made his exertion all the more worth it.

"Take yers," Erebos told him. After all, now that the hunt was finished, weren't they done with each other? It didn't cross his mind that Kajika might want to hang around, and anyways it couldn't be assumed that was what the Argyris man wanted.

Kajika was glad the chasing part of the hunt was over, all that was left was to enjoy their spoils.  Though he did worry about the older male and the physical exertion that he had put himself through in order to catch the two hares for their dinner.  After reaching the place Erebos had finally stopped after catching the second of their prey he sat back on his haunches waiting for the male and to hear how he was doing.  “That’s good to hear, I wouldn’t want you to be unable to enjoy this meal,” he stated as he looked the man over to ensure that he was indeed alright.  Then Erebos told him to take the hare that would be his dinner.  Kajika wasn’t really sure if he meant for him to take his and go but he had no intention of leaving the male until he was sure that he was going to be alright.  So he picked the hare up that he had brought over and moved to a more comfortable position in order to have his meal.  “I’ll stay a little longer and have my meal with you if that is alright?” he said as more of a question in case the older male had an objection.  Kajika didn’t think that it would be right to help Erebos catch his dinner and then abandon him when he was still recovering from the chase.

~Table by Ace

(This post was last modified: Aug 17, 2015, 09:47 PM by Kajika.)

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I'm thinking we can fade with your post?

Legs still trembling mildly under his weight, Erebos watched the other man through shielded eyes as he claimed his meal and settled down to partake right then and there. Part of him had been dearly hoping the kid would've just taken his half and scrammed, but another more meek piece of the old man was appreciative of the company, even if he would never admit it to himself much less Kajika.

The younger man's question was answered with an inaudible grumbling that, while indiscernible was still not a no, as Erebos settled back down onto his stomach, reaching a creamy paw forward to claim the untouched kill. He pulled it through the dirt into his grasp, and began picking away at it. His teeth, perhaps the only things still as useful to him now as they had been when he was younger, pierced the skin and pulled it away to give access to the still-warm meat underneath. After a few morsels were swallowed and his aching stomach was soothed, he lifted his once-vibrant eyes and watched his company almost suspiciously.

"... thanks," he finally said after moments of silence, "fer yer help."

If it weren't for the boy's kindness, Erebos would still be stuck high and dry and quite possibly, if no other opportunities had come along to favor him, might have been on the road to starvation. While he had been the only one to actually kill a rabbit, a fact stuck in is stubborn head, he knew that it was Kajika who had made such a feat possible at all and thus he figured that he could at least verbally thank him.

Erebos was the first wolf that he had actually been able to help since he had left his birth pack and it made him feel in his heart that he had made the right choice when he had decided to leave.  With the hunt over and Kajika having ensure that Erebos was okay he settled down near the older male in order to tuck into the hare that was his meal for the day.  He wasn’t sure if the elder wanted his company while he ate or not so he’d asked to be sure.  The response he was given was one that didn’t say yes or no to the question so Kajika took that as the male didn’t care either way. While Erebos started on his share of the spoils Kajika did the same.  He had been looking forward to this meal since it had been agreed that he would help to catch it.  Having been on his own for quite some time Kajika had learned to enjoy every bite of the food that he was able to catch since there was no telling when the next time he would be able to eat.  With those thoughts in mind he slowly pulled the meat from the bones of the hare hoping that the longer it took him to eat it the longer it would last in his stomach. Kajika glanced up at his hunting companion when he heard the man speak.  “It was my pleasure,” he stated with a nod when he was thanked for the help that he had been given.  It was something that he hadn’t expected but it was nice to receive the appreciation.   He most certainly didn’t think that he deserved a whole lot of it after what he had been forced to due before he had made the decision to leave his birth pack.

~Table by Ace

(This post was last modified: Aug 24, 2015, 08:55 PM by Kajika.)

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