The autumn rush for food was in full swing. Snow was here now; perhaps not in the deep drifts it would be later on, but here all the same. Winter was breathing down their necks. There would have to be a decent-sized kill soon; and the reality had kept the matriarch on her feet for a few days now. Now if there was hunger; it was her fault. She had to provide for them as a leader, and that she would. The lowlands to the north of their mountain home seemed like the obvious choice for tracking down any sizable game; but even this had proved to be a little more difficult than she would have liked. The herds were moving as the snows came in stronger and stronger. It took a couple days to find a clear sign of what she was looking for; but when she finally did it was a blessing. Bison; the biggest and most hearty meal of all. With gusto she'd bolted back toward the pines; edging in just close enough to sound her call and to draw out every one of her subordinates she possibly could. 

They would feast; or at least that was the plan. No doubt that the group was a bit hungry by now; and hopefully that would add to their eagerness to answer her rallying cry. Bison was no easy meal. When the team had gathered she turned tail; leading them all back to the tundra and over the long grasses now buckling under a measly couple of inches of snow. There would be much more in the days to come. It was not enough to garner them any major advantage against the much heavier and bulkier prey animals just yet; but it was a boon to the tracker. Footprints were easily visible on this clear evening; and the pack moved east with the golden glow of the falling sun to their backs. Anticipation had Raela's nerves on edge; this was the biggest endeavor she'd undertaken since assuming the role of Alpha. 

The nervousness only compounded as the herd came into view. Their many round bodies clumped over the flat land; still distant and oblivious. She paused; nailing down the herd with her stare so that the others might also take note. The weak or sick would have to be picked out; whether through observation or brief chase; and probably both. With a deep breath she turned to look at her subordinates. Now was time for the plan... 

The king was swift to answer his  queen's call, eager for the thrill of a pack hunt. As he joined the converging group, following Raela's lead as he walked neck and neck with her, he felt a twinge of sadness. Hunting had always been Minka's specialty, and the last time the Crest had gathered to take down prey together, the late alpha had been the one to lead them. Yet to complete this, to have this done and behind them, would erase such notion altogether. One more 'the last time this happened...' to strike from their minds, to further themselves from the tragedy that had struck them and help them to return to normality.

When their quary was at last within sight, he regarded them with a wry smile. This would certainly be a thrill, a challenge, and that was a thing which Gent was beginning to crave once more as he pulled himself up out of his grief. The looks of shock and apprehension were noticed by the beast, and he was reminded that they had not been present for the Caribou hunt. He had to wonder what was the largest prey they had taken down, if they'd even seen Bison before relocating to the Crest. Were they ready for this? He hoped dearly that they would be able to pull together.

"This is gonna be delicious," he hummed as his gaze settled upon Raela, patiently awaiting her command, subconsciously falling into the pattern he had exhibited before when he had relented control to Minka.

Her eyes fell to look upon those that had gathered; finding the team of four more adults at her back; though some of their gazes were more nervousness than excitement. Her own was somewhat anxious as well, but she tried her best to meet their eyes with reassurance. She was buzzing with words to say to them; with where to begin and how to proceed, but Gent's slow hum drew her attention away from such things. He was oozing nothing but anticipation, and confidence as well. Raela smiled back; grateful for the relief that came from his towering presence. She offered a quiet chuff of a chuckle and turned her gaze back to the rest of them. Her pack might have been a gang of morally deprived beasts; but they were quite adept with Bison. She had participated in a hunt or two; running ahead of the beefier and slower muscle-bound members of the pack to keep the Buffalo moving. She was a herder; and not once had she ever been given the opportunity to bring one of the creatures down by force as her family had. 

They had also possessed greater numbers, but she still had enough wolves before her now to have a chance at success. The chance of one of them getting injured was always there; nagging away; but if they passed up this opportunity they might be as good as dead anyway. This was much needed food; and it would last a long time. The Queen exhaled sharply; her eyes passing once more over each wolf. Some were obvious choices for their post, others she had mulled over for a moment or two on the way here, but now it was clear enough. "Moraxia and Gent, you guys have to be our takedown team," The words were a harsh reminder of the time the pack had taken on the Caribou to the east, when Minka had spoken them, and they left a reminiscent taste in her mouth; but she kept going. "The rest of us will be the chasers, we have to get them moving and pick out one that's really young, old, sick or injured. These things are too much to take on when they're healthy," she grinned, dipping her head for emphasis. It was in response to their stunned looks when they'd first arrived, but it was a fact they could probably easily guess. A combination of things would probably be best.  

Then her eyes moved between the larger two. "You should split off from us and try to swing wide," she began, now going into the more detailed part. "We should be able to move one around until you can cut it off, but we might be running for a while until it gets tired enough to attack. Don't go in too early," She cautioned, knowing full well just how easily Bison trampled or gored wolves in self-defense. Even when the mob of Asurns converged upon them all at once they could still kill. She couldn't bear the idea of seeing someone wind up like Tolas; especially not when it would be her fault. There was some part of her that was glad that the children had not come to participate in this one; though the experience was valuable. "We'll try to signal you," she finished, quickly, now focused on the other chasers. She would have told them to hide; but there was no cover to be found on the snow-dusted tundra. 

With that taken care of she had realized that likely neither of her teammates would be as fast as her; and even less likely that they had experience dodging large animals when they so often lost their temper and charged. She had to assign herself the hardest job. "We have to get them into a run, and break one off that we can handle. Bison get defensive so if it turns on you run." There was only seriousness on this matter. It was life or death. "Otherwise keep it moving and don't let it back into the herd. I'll do most of the steering." That was by far the hardest part; for it involved more confrontation than standard chasing. She was the most likely to be charged, but also the fastest. Rae hoped it would equal out the odds. With that the discussion was over, and they were ready to move. "Alright, let's go," she said lightly; shaking her pelt a little before parting ways with Gent and Moraxia.

She was still nervous during the approach. Using the tension in her muscles felt better as they crossed out onto the vast plains at an easy lope, but there was still nagging worry. The shapes got bigger and bigger; finally lifting their heads and taking note of the wolves that were steadily heading toward them. Thankfully the prey's first reaction was to flee in a disorderly mob, and as soon as they started to Raela pushed her pace up into a harder run. This only frightened the dumb things more; and tricked them into using more of their own energy as she fell back toward her teammates at an easier jog. Already her eyes were passing over them all, looking for limps at the back of the pack. It was frightening just how quickly the hulking creatures were moving; kicking up snow and even bits of the dirt beneath in their frenzy. If one was not singled out soon they might gain the courage to retaliate, and that just could not happen.  

After a bit of this dogged pursuit she had narrowed her targets. The young were plentiful enough but that would draw the wrath of the mothers, and eventually the herd if they weren't careful. Much more preferable was an old, seemingly arthritic female who struggled along behind most. The cold was cruel in that way. Raela loped on for a few moments; trying to be sure before she voiced her decision to the others. "That one! The limp!" She yelled, keeping her eyes locked on the animal so that the others might better understand. She was not truly limping, but it got the points across. The time was now. "Be careful!" She barked to the side; kicking her legs into a hard sprint to reach the female and separate her as quickly as possible. She would go in ahead of them at the height of her speed. Hopefully it would be the only flat out sprint needed today and the Matriarch could conserve the rest of her energy for the chase. First there was the task of angling away a smaller group by charging ahead at an angle. A handful of the bison pulled away in terror; suddenly realizing that the predator was now getting dangerously close to the herd. She remained far enough away to be safe from the pounding hooves and sharpened horns; still keeping careful tabs on the elder. Some swung back in, but by a stroke of luck the old one didn't.

The herd was branching now; with these few splitting off to flee the wolf. Further, she had to get them further. The more she pushed the more individuals seemed to realize their mistake and turn off to the right; back to the safety of numbers. At long last it was only these few, and she had to move up. Hopefully the other chasers were close by now and ready to help. With the pressure on, the rest of the splinter bolted; curving to follow the ones that had gone before; even the old one. The others were faster than her; leaving a small window of opportunity to get between the target and her safety. With a growl to herself Raela shot forward; darting just behind the heels of the others to cut off the old cow and get her moving back in the other direction. Her presence alone should have been enough to frighten it into changing its mind; but the presence of Cal and Danica was an even better bet. 

Takedown. Excellent. The king's gaze slid toward Moraxia as she was named his partner before returning to Raela to take in the rest of her plan. As trusted, it seemed the queen had all of her bases covered, and he was satisfied enough with what had been said to proceed without a word further on the matter. When they  broke away from each other, to pursue the fugacious positioning, he jogged neck and neck with Moraxia, pale eyes constantly panning from prey to pack mates. In an instant he was prepared to abandon the hunt and rush to the rescue of any who found themselves on the wrong end of any bison, especially when it was two of his favorite women so close to the danger.

They continued on at a distance, their speed varying as did the chasing team's, maintaining a space enough to remain undetected while keep a sharp enough eye on every detail as it played out before them. In a way he envied those on Raela's side of things, able now to be expending their energy proactively, while he and Moraxia hung back in suspense. He watched as one by two by one the splintered group thinned, until there was only one beast left, failing in its attempts to return to the safety of its herd. The pathetic thing let out a bleating call for help, but it seemed they had already condemned her, as not a single hooved soul turned her way. Perfect.

Her ears buried themselves in the woman's neck as she rushed forward at speed. Her golden eyes flicked upward to lock onto the massive animal's face in the hopes of intimidating it and adding all the more credence to her challenge. To get back to the herd it would have to go through her and her compatriots first. She was close now; dashing alongside it and reaching forward more and more to lengthen her strides and cut it off. The cow cried for help, but a quick glance at her herd assured the wolves that she would get nothing more than a couple glances her way as they continued to stampede across the tundra. However, if the old girl kept heading toward them there was a good chance that they might change their minds. With a couple good bounds over the snowy ground the matriarch was in a much better position. Still the creature tried to keep running; desperately reaching toward the family that was sprinting away in fear. 

Adrenaline's icy grip flowed across Raela's spine. It still had not given up and changed direction. If they didn't do something now... Her jaws parted in a hasty reaction; striking forward towards the bison's front leg and bringing the wolf much too close to be safe. The attack seemed to startle the prey and she stopped; swinging her gigantic horned head back to gouge the assailant at her flank. Rae had been expecting as much, and was already retreating, feeling nothing but a soft brushing of something against her tail before she was out of range. The touch sent a shockwave up to bristle the hair on her neck – it was a dangerous and risky move; but it might yet pay off. She whirled to face the halted animal once more, darting to the side and attempting to position herself at its head. Go the other way, she commanded internally with a tinge of frustration. 

The female seemed to lower her head as if to charge and threaten the predator further if they did not move, but the others were still with her. The cow's eyes rolled between them; the fanged demons at her feet. She had a decision to make. Raela on the other hand, was very interested in making that decision for her. She lunged forward again; but this time with no intention of grabbing flesh. Her jaws clacked together on open air closer to the giant's face. Again the cow retaliated by rushing and grinding her front feet into the ground as the wolf spun to the side. Raela's body was practically shaking from the adrenaline and the close calls. It was a very old feeling; but a familiar one. She had miles to go yet, as soon as this insolent beast complied. 

The bison had turned; following the predator with her head as it dashed to the side. She was at least facing the right way now. Raela turned back as if to prod her once again, but the bison was ready. She'd had enough of these antics. Before the Crest Queen could even show her teeth the mountain of brown fur and muscle was moving, head lowered and horns ready to defend. Raela's expression turned reflexively to fear. There were few who could match her speed, and it would save her now just as it always had. Her claws dug into the shallow snowpack and she lurched away with her tail tucked. A split second's thought had her leading the prey in the direction it was actually supposed to be going; away from the safety of numbers and back toward something nearer to Gent and Moraxia.

Rae's eyes; wide and intense, sought out the other women as she ran. Chase, they said; for if they could put even more pressure on the animal from behind and keep it running, Raela could peel off and join them the second the cow lost interest in goring their alpha. They would be running after it for a good distance if it had this much energy left somewhere deep down. Still, the bison was weak for one of her kind, and that was only good for the pack. Her eyes returned to the distant, pinprick forms of her other pack mates as she galloped on. They'd have to get moving soon too to be able to keep pace with the runners as they drove the cow and wore it out.