White Fir Notch A rock and a hard place

RE: Jynx, you have inadvertently angered a bull bison. He has taken offense to your close proximity and is charging. 
@Emrys @Nauja @Ryker @Ambrosia @Ishtar @Salix @Sylva @Hawthorne

May 31st. Late morning. Cloudy. 71*F, 25*C

Just over two weeks had passed since the birth of Elyan and Arwyn, the newest additions to White Fir Notch. Already in such a short span of time, the siblings were developing rapidly and growing stronger by the day. But they were not yet ready to leave the den and meet the pack just yet. Jynx spent most of her time holed up in the shelter of her den, wrapped around her babies lovingly while they nursed, slept and in between, made feeble attempts at crawling or wrestling. Her thoughts were filled with memories, both distant and recent. Last year she had the pleasure of engaging with Luica, Ryker and Aleris. It had been those times that had first brought out her deeply buried, nurturing instinct, even though they were not her own. Back then she had been perfectly content playing pup sitter, teacher or chew toy, settled with the reality that she would never bear children as Raela did. Never would she have imagined in just a years time that little dream would be made real. But it came with the bittersweet price in the absence of her dear friends and their daughters. She often pictured the smiles she knew they would be wearing, of how happy they were for her and Emrys. Hopefully in the future Gent would do good on his word and pay his old home a visit. For now her focus was on the new lives she cared for, while her mate did his best to keep the pack running smoothly. Having inherited the Notch, it was entirely possible that either their son or daughter would take the reigns one day.

A sense of loss still lingered in her heart though. Their third child hadn't made it, and he would never know the wonders and the challenges of the world. As the days passed, the pain eased bit by bit and the tawny female had to resign herself to the fact that this was simply how life was sometimes. She and Emrys had seen to it their lost son wasn't forgotten. Shortly after the birth, she allowed her mate to whisk him away, picking out a tranquil place to rest eternally. Confined in the den for hours on end made the mother restless, and she only ever left the side of her children for short periods of time to relieve herself or grab a meal from a cache. She also made short, quick trips to the graves site of her deceased son, spending no more than ten minutes there. He was buried under a small, lone fir tree, cradled in between two thick roots. Just yards from the river, it was a peaceful place where the gentle rushing of the water would soothe his newly freed spirit. She would have stayed longer, deep in reflective thought, if not for the well being of Elyan and Awryn back in the den, who were surely missing the warmth and warm meals their mother provided. 

With a resigned sigh, the queen lifted herself up out of her seated position. Her yellow eyes lingered wistfully on the mound of fresh soil beneath her paws a moment longer. I'll be back again soon little one... Were her thoughts as she turned away to head back to the nursing den. She had been away from her cubs long enough for one day, and she was loathe to leave them unattended for much longer. The distance between the burial site and that of her own den was only a stones throw. Hurriedly her slender ivory legs set to work in taking her back, easily navigating the same path she had traversed many times over the last two weeks.  This time getting home would not be so uneventful or cut and dry. Grazing in a small clearing, one of many that dotted this region of their territory, was a bull Bison, eagerly making the most of the succulent new grass. With him were two cows and their newborn calves. They had likely splintered away from the main herd for some reason, or had gotten lost. Either way, Jynx had not noticed them earlier, nor did she now. That is, until a deep snort and a stomp of hooves from the big bull made her freeze. Yellow irises widened, her ears pinning back. Shit. She hadn't realized there were a group of bison in the area. And what's worse, was that she was so close. Normally, given the space between predator and prey, they would have ignored each other. But not today. As far as the bull was concerned, this lone wolf was far too close to his females and young for comfort. He wanted her gone, and gone now. With an angry toss of his massive, horned head, he bulldozed his way forward in a full charge. With a defensive, shrill snarl, Jynx gave ground and leapt away, with the bull still hot on her heels. In the heat of the moment of saving her own hide, she only realized at the last second, that it was between her and the den. 

(This post was last modified: Jun 06, 2017, 11:12 PM by Jynx.)

Sorry this took so long, it's been a rough couple if days.

It seemed like only the day before that he'd lost his second born child for the pale leader and he'd yet to visit the grave after burying his son. The moments as the earth crumbled under his paws as he dug the hole for his son's final resting place still played in his mind. A memory he tried to chase away by keeping himself busy, his mind full of pack business, his mate and pups, and Hawthorne. Soon he imagined Elyan and Arwyn would be meeting up with little Hawthorne to play but the son he'd lost would never get the chance to meet his siblings or the dark pup. He'd kept his grief to himself choosing to stay strong for Jynx and their surviving pups. So he started the short journey to where the small fir stood by the river after his duties had been done. He planned to spend some time with his son before checking in in Jynx and their other two children. He knew she would understand​ when he told her why he was late in coming that afternoon.

The trip to his son’s grave still seemed like the longest walk of his life. The pale leader supposed it always would even with the passage of time. He had not known what it was like to lose a child until now and he knew he didn't want to experience it again. He wondered what Jynx would think about telling Elyan and Arwyn about their brother when they were old enough. It was of course something he would have to talk over with her but she felt it was something they should know. Especially if they expected their children to honor him as they had. He'd only just made it to the little fir when it became apparent that he wouldn't be spending ding time with his lost son. A shrill sound reached his ears though somewhat faint it wasn't a sound that he could ignore especially when he thought it had sounded like Jynx. He knew she was in the area because her scent still hung in the air around the grave of their lost son.

The sound had been so disturbing for that he didn't waste anytime heading in the direction it had come from. Bounding in the opposite direction he’d come he soon found his mate facing down and angry bull bison. Emrys was ready to face this brute if it meant saving her from him. He'd lost a son and he wasn't about to lose his mate, she was in no condition to be facing an angry bison. They would need help, quickly as he moved to help Jynx before it became too late for her. The pale healer eanted to put himself between her and the bison. He couldn't as it was in full charge, he wouldn't be any good to her if he was taken out of the fray so soon. his tail waved high over his back and his hackles bristled along his spine. A growl vibrating his throat as he moved to redirect the beast away from his mate and on to him by trying to aim a bite on it's shoulder.

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Nauja was rather disappointed about the cloudy day considering after traveling at a fast pace most of the day before and on into the night all she wanted to do was rest. Sunbath in the warmer weather was what she really had in mind. I had been a long time since she'd felt safe enough to just lay about in the sun and not have to worry about anything. She could even feel the warmth of the sun on her dark coat even though there wasn't a ray of sun to be seen. Sun or no sun she was going to spend the day resting before she returned to her duties the next day. She thought it was well deserved after spending so much time away from the notch in the past weeks.

Since she couldn't lay in the sun she instead opted for a nice soft bed of fir needles that was away from the den. After her journey it felt rather nice and allowed her to doze for a couple of hours. In fact she'd been there most of the morning and wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon. At least that had been the plan into she heard the call of her alpha.

It wasn't his normal call and the calmness that seemed to be his natural state was gone. He was distressed and wanted the packs assistance. That was all she had gotten before it seemed to have been cut short. Immediately Nauja was ip and bounding through the forest in the direction the call had originated from. Whatever was wrong she would soon find out what it was. When she finally arrived she didn't have to be told what her assistance was needed for as she came just as a large bison was charging both her Alpha's. The sea wolf didn't waste any time in jumping in to help them.

The seagull ran up behind the bull bison and started barking while in between the barks she went for his hock, she hoped that by doing that it would distract it from the charge and maybe even off Jynx and Emrys. She hoped the rest of her pack mates would arrive soon to help I'm either chasing the beast away or bringing him down for good.

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Ishtar was out and about on this cloudy day, just getting use to the territory and fighting with her own thoughts. She had kept herself distant from the pack. Alot has happened she she was accepted into the pack with Nauja. So she felt it was best to keep her distance for now until she felt comfortable enough to get close. She was a shy wolf. Though she would try not to show any kind of emotion, she was very quiet and very reserved. Even though she wandered alone most days, she never went very far from the pack or the leaders. She just kept to herself in the shadows. 

As she was investigating a mound of down trees she heard the faint bark, it was Nauja's she could recognize it from anywhere. She knew she wasnt far from her. Ishtar quickly turned her attention to her friend who she could tell was in danger. Her ears also picked up the stress calls of her Alpha's. Any thoughts or feelings Ishtar had quickly faded. Her focus now was her pack, her family. She dug her paws deep into the earth and took off running. With her speed and how close she was she knew she would make it in no time. 

As she came closer to her pack she could smell a faint scent of blood, then she saw them. Nauja, was trying to take down a bison and Emrys Protecting Jynx. She scanned the scene for a quick second and waited for the right opportunity, She waited until the bull turned to his right, exposing his whole right side to her. Thats when she ran. She ran as quick as she could, he paws pounding the earth floor. AS she came close to Bison, she lunged and dug her teeth deep into the right shoulder of the bison making him stumble to ground. With Her and Nauja on this giant beast, Ishtar didnt know if just them two could handle it on their own. The beast maybe stumbling but he was still stronger than the two of them. 

(This post was last modified: Jun 08, 2017, 03:46 AM by Ishtar.)

It was mostly serendipity that had Ambrosia on the right side of the borders, instead of being on the opposite side as his ears perked up at the sounds of his packmates growling and barking - along with the angry sounds of a bison. That wasn't good. Instantly, he shot off towards the commotion, scanning the area in order to figure out how best to help. A deep black wolf was hanging off the beast's right shoulder, with Emrys nearby and another female at its hocks. He didn't question why it looked like Jynx was in the way, apart from a quick thought of must have gotten too close .

Racing up to the bison, Ambrosia joined the black woman on the same side, teeth bared as he lunged for its throat as it stumbled. His teeth just missed and stumbling a bit, Ambrosia caught himself and ducked away as the bull went to swipe at him with its horns. He did not need the other half of his face taken off, thank you very much!

Instead of trying for the throat again, Ambrosia dropped back a bit and went for its ribs, managing to latch on there and hoping his added weight would cause it to fall all the way down.

(This post was last modified: Jun 08, 2017, 03:06 AM by Ambrosia.)

The ebony healer had been out to relieve herself when she had heard the faint sounds of fighting, barking and...something large, her ears perked, angling toward the commotion, whatever it was, she knew it couldn’t be good, @Jynx’s den was nearby...if something had been trying to get her pups, a faint snarl pulled at the dark furred wolf’s muzzle, the thought and horror of something trying to take innocent life brought her thoughts to her own daughter, safely asleep while she went about a quick expedition, though it seemed that it wouldn’t be quick for long, HER family was in danger, she quickly rushed through the brush toward the ensuing fight.

As she came upon the scene, Sylva honestly wasn’t that much surprised at what she had found, it seemed that @Gent and @Raela had found the perfect territory where every large predator seemed to hunt, she had been keeping count and the pack had already chased away at least two bears, what was a bison, except another example of their strength. She might night have been on the best, or even favorable terms with her alphas, but she and Jynx had faced a lot together, and she wasn't going to let her pack face it alone.

Adding her own snarl and bark into the mix, the small wolf scrambled toward the behemoth of a beast, circling quickly while looking for an opening, she darted in, lunging with her fangs aiming for the creature’s flank.

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Next round. Jynx will not actively be trying to take the bison down. No posting order.

Her call of distress had not gone unheard. In fact, most of the pack seemed to have been alerted to the threat facing her and her children. Not surprisingly, the first to barge in on the scene was Emrys, the father of their children. The flash of his white coat stood out easily against the browns and greens of the trees as he placed himself between her and the angry bison. A trickle of relief seeped through her, only to be replaced by the common sense of her inner hunter. Two wolves against one bull bison were nothing but pests, easily swatted to the side. And their opponent seemed to know this, as he swung his horns round to Emrys when he neared his exposed shoulder.

Luck was with them as Nauja and Ishtar arrived next, taking no hesitation in facing down the bull. A glimmer of a smile worked it's way into her yellow eyes, pleased at their responsiveness. The newest wolves of the Notch were steadily proving themselves. Ambrosia, though scarcely seen, was an ever present, reliable force in the ranks, proving as such now upon his arrival. Sylva was not far behind, also throwing herself valiantly into the confrontation. As her mate and subordinates dealt with the bull, aiming with nips of their teeth at his sides and legs, Jynx looked on. The animal was both a threat and an opportunity for a much needed meal, should they be able to bring him down. Her rust ears flattened, a thin frown pulling at her lips. As a new mother with infants awaiting her return at the den, she would have to sit this one out. The lives of her children took more priority over her participation in a hunt. 

Peeling her lips back in a grimacing snarl, she skirted around the bison and the wolves mobbing it. Once she was in the clear and had a direct beeline back in the direction of her den, she set off. But as a mother as well as a leader, she didn't go to far. She placed a healthy distance between herself and the fray, looking back over her shoulder more than once. When the exposed roots that made up the outer structure of her den were just within sight, she stopped. Here she would observe from a distance, while craning her head around to offer a soft, reassuring chuff to her children inside. She would unite with them soon, but she also wanted to make sure the others would be able to handle the bull. 

When he arrived and saw that the mother of his children, his mate was in danger of being harmed it worse by the bull bison he didn't hesitate to put himself in harm's way for her. She was strong and more than capable of taking care of herself Emrys would never deny her that opportunity but things were different now. The day he asked her to be his mate he'd also made a promise to protect her. With no thought to his own safety he faced the bison going for it's exposed shoulder hoping to draw it's attention from Jynx. For a moment it worked the bison had turned its anger on the pale leader.

He was relieved when he saw flashes of his subordinates arriving on the scene and jumping right in. However, it was not before the bison managed to head butt him in the shoulder knocking him back with a yelp. Pain shot through his shoulder blade and down his leg as he hit the ground on his side. Thankfully the attacks of his other packmates drew the bison's attention from him long enough he could recover his feet with a shake of his head. Emrys ignored the pain in his shoulder as he entered back into the fray pausing long enough to see that Jynx had found safety away from the scene that was turning more dangerous by the moment. It was a relief to the pale leader but there was still the angry bison. Emrys recognized how much bringing the creature down would help the pack.

“We're not just driving this one off,” he called to his pack mates, “We are aiming to bring him down by any means necessary.” With the animal being as big as it was it could take them awhile to weaken it to the point that they could end it's life. With his orders given Emrys went again for the shoulder while keeping an eye on the Bison's head, he did not want a repeat. His teeth soon found purchase and blood filled his mouth, hopefully that would help to weaken the animal. He held on for dear life as the bison moved to charge one of the other wolves. His weight coupled by the blood loss had some effect, he could tell as the bull moved. He could only hope the others got the same idea even if they could only hold on for a moment. The bull Bison’s head swung in his direction forcing him to let go before he dropped back to the ground ready for another go.

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It was a situation she'd never been in before, facing a bull bison because it was threatening members if her pack. Back at home in Bella Coola this would never happen and never had in all the times she'd been there before she woke up in the lore. The sea wolf was uncertain of how to proceed in doing what needed to be done but only at first. Through what she'd learned during her time in the lore she knew what she should which made it so she didn't have to hesitate. Any extra moments to decide what to do could be detrimental to both Jynx and Emrys. She couldn't let anything happen to them when they had little ones in the den. What would happen to the pups if something happened to their parents, Nauja didn't know and she didn't want to find out.

The yelp rang in her ears just as she arrived and was going for the beasts hock. She didn't know if the yelp came from Emrys or Jynx until she the the flash of white fur hit the ground. Seeing and hearing Emrys only helped her resolve to help her Alpha's and protect her pack. The sea wolf was happy when she saw the black fur of her friend appear and soon after Ambrosia and Sylva joined them. Nauja thought the Bison didn't stand a chance with five wolves fighting it but she didn't want to get her hopes up just then./p>

She heard Emrys’ voice once more over the sounds of her packmates and the Bison giving the order to bring the beast down. Part of her knew it would come to this for the bull bison was a danger to the pack and especially the new pups. They had to make sure nothing happened to the youngsters of the pack, Nauja was more than ready to do her part. With her leaders words still at the forefront of her mind she stopped her assult on the beasts hock. Instead going for a more damaging attack to the back of his leg, her jaws crunching down on the bones and tendons that gave movement to his leg.

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