The silence across the land is deafening — the familiar thud of soft paws falling to the earth is no more, for there is nothing to give chase to. The birds have migrated to the southern regions, and spare for the sparse cry of a raven every so often, there is nothing to be heard.


Dark grey clouds roll above, signifying that mother nature has yet another storm to set loose upon Relic Lore. The sky could erupt at any moment, and if the beasts walking upon her land were intelligent, they would seek shelter as the sharp wind whistles past.


Yet something moves across the quiet lands. The gentle crunch of snow can be heard as hooves sink through the icy terrain, and a grunt emits from the creature. A bull elk has drifted back in to the Lore, separated from its herd and confused. The wind whips past once more, stirring a deep grunt from the beast as it tosses its head. Its scent trails across the lands now.. perhaps in the very direction of a near starving group of wolves.

everything that kills me makes me feel alive

Karpos felt the hunger gnaw at his stomach constantly as the silent pup patrolled the borders in search for anything. He wanted food and he would find some before he retreated doing so or he would die trying. He heard the call from Chuylin and a new spark lit up his eyes as a grin grew on his muzzle. He bolted towards where the man had called him. Hopefully it would be their for the taking. As soon as he arrived, his tail lowered below the second in commands and he dipped his head. He waited in silence as he remembered the last hunt he had gone through. Talking was bad and could scare away prey. It was important to stay silent until it was necessary to talk.

The shadow pup caught the scent of the bull elk caught his nose and he licked his lips. He was so hungry. So so hungry and so was the rest of Hollowheart Keep. It would fill their stomachs and they would all survive throughout the winter. The idea of it made him smile. Everyone needed to muster their strength to take it down, that was for sure. The pup waited for the arrival of the others as he sat quietly in thought about.... well, about life in general. He realized something a while ago that just strove him to be more than his parents had been. He knew that his father had enemies because he had left his pack without a word because he had gotten Karp's mom pregnant or whatever. But Karpos could not imagine just leaving wolves who were suppose to be family.

Gracefully the trotted through the snow coated fields, though he was not stupid enough to think he would find food here. No, what Orken was after were memories, memories of the sweet berries and joyous spring time. This winter had been so hard on him that he found it was essential that he take some time off to smell the roses and think about the simpler times. And that, my friends, is why Orken Fitzwilliam, Privateer of the Third Brigade of Oleif, found himself exposed on the open field, not a single thing to hide himself behind for miles save the lone tree up on the hill behind him. Not that Orken, being a bull of such stature, would ever be so cowardly as to turn tail and head for the hills. Even as he heard the howls rise up from the edge of the forest about three kilometers away, he felt himself giddy with excitement.

"Bring it on," he declared to no one in particular. Whether it was courageous or foolhardy, Orken never shied from a challenge. He thought only of the possibilities, the look of awe on his herdmate's faces — and in particular all the ladies— as he told them this harrowing tale. And he would reap the benefits in the form of many sons for seasons to come. He could be a legend!

Shivering with intensity, Orken pawed at the snow with a frighteningly sharp hoof and readied his antlers.

Chulyin's howl did not go unnoticed. While out perusing the area for any sign of her son, who she had not seen since the shenanigans involved during their botched hunting attempt (which she credited to the wolves of Cut Rock River) she found herself drawn toward the male who shared her rank instead, knowing that it would do her no good to continue to worry about her son if she herself starved to death. She could only hope that in time, her son would return home. He and Aponi had disappeared together, and they were both old enough to be able to hunt, and would have better chances if they stayed together. She could only hope, then, that Mercy and Aponi would use the mountain as their compass and follow its peak North to their home in Ghastly woodlands.

The elk was still a fair distance off- but she found Chulyin and Karpos not long after he called out. She sniffed the air and licked her lips. She continued to test the air, hoping that no others would show up for the hunt, unless they were of Hollowheart Keep, of course. Her sense of smell was still a bit off, as she still found herself recovering from her cold, so she did not notice Iopah's scent on the air. So with a feeling of optimism, she looked at the two males and nodded. "We'd best get at it before the scavengers show up," She said, and with her head low, not far above the snow where the elk had left tracks behind, she pushed forward. Their endurance and strength would be needed to bring down an elk, so they could not afford to charge in its direction as soon as they scented it- hunting took time, concentration and effort.

Five minutes past. Nothing happened.

Orken raised his antlers and snorted in the direction of the trees. The wolves had come up lacking, cowardly. Somewhere in the woods they were trembling probably, wondering how they might ever attempt to kill and capture the Fearsome Orken. Weaklings. It was surprising that they had lasted so long when this winter had been so unforgiving. There probably weren't even enough of those currs left to take him on. The bull rocked back onto his hind legs and reared up, making a display of his valor and splendor to the dogs.

But Orken, being the well respected privateer he was, could not just stand here waiting for the wolves to come for him when they sounded so brave yet appeared so hesitant. He shook his antlers, trying to clear his head, to get his head in the game. There was only one thing to do: if they weren't going to bring the fight to him, then he was going to have to bring it to them. A smile stretched across his face as he lowered his thrice-a-day sharpened tines for his charge. His breath bursted from his nostrils like smoke from a dragon's maw.

You will be made immortal in by history!

Without delaying another moment, he exploded from his stance, racing towards the treeline towards the direction of the noise those dreadful whiners had made. He would have liked to been able to lower his antlers in front of him like a shield-sword combo, but he wasn't stupid enough to think that kind of tactic might work once he reached the forest. It would be hard to see where he was going and would likely run into a tree. Instead, Orken ran with his head proudly raised. He was going to challenge death. He felt that victory was surely on his side.