A nod was offered as both greeting and means of answer, and Orren happily slammed his butt against the grass, waiting impatiently for the rest of the pack to join them. Karpos came first, then Kisla, her loving touch prompting her adolescent son to reach up a paw and rub it against his cheek; Though he was beaming back at her as he did so, warmth welling up within his chest. She was soon followed by Inna, and the older brother's grin turned gentle as his dark sister took a seat beside him. Bending down, he gave a small nudge at the base of her ear – quite similar to the one he had just received – mumbling a greeting; "Hi there Lightning-bug. " This was sure to be an interesting experience for her, while the memory of his own first pack hunt was rather hazy, the yearling did remember the immense excitement he had felt, watching the adults. With a crooked smile, he thought of their little adventure in the snow, only days earlier; This will be quite different from tracking rabbits!

Lastly they were joined by another yearling, a female whom Orren couldn't recall seeing before, though she carried the clear scent of the River, and his mother in particular, on her coat. There was no time for introductions though, as Kjors seemed to decide that enough time had passed, starting up the explanation of his game plan. The Baranski prince nodded along, silently agreeing to the given strategy, while he enjoyed the chase, he realized that he was not build for speed the way the slender male and unknown female – "Mojave" Kisla supplied – were. So he settled with the task of taking the caribou down, looking between Karpos and his mother, who had been assigned with him, before turning his eyes to the landscape, searching for efficient cover. Kisla took to Inna, gently explaining that she was to watch today, and as Orren caught sight of a suitable shelter between them and the hill top, he too looked down at his sister. "Watching's fun! Ya' get t' see how everything works." He announced enthusiastically, then looked up as Kjors spoke again. The aspiring hunter gave a solid not to show his understanding, then turned back to the remaining wolves while their chasers stalked off.

Orren naturally looked to his mother, though Karpos was currently of the same rank, it was more natural to follow the long time queen. Motioning to the shrubbery he had noticed earlier, the lad spoke in a voice lower and more serious than before, offering his suggestions: "We can hide over there, should be big enough for the three of us..?" Turning his eyes in the opposite direction, he smiled at the sight of a small rock formation that seemed a safe distance away; "And perhaps Inna could fit between those rocks? Would give 'er a good view of th' take down." He looked at the others, waiting for confirmation before he would hurry to the bushes, knowing that Kjors would expect them to get into position swiftly.

Word count: 512

The yearling did his best not to beam in pride as the adults followed his suggestions, his mother moving to install Inna safely behind the rocks before trotting to the bushes. His tail did fly a little higher than usually, but he kept his head ducked, ears attentively listening for their prey beyond the hill top. He settled in next to Kisla, pressing low against the ground to hide his bright fur as much as possible. While their merry band was not large, the thicket only just offered enough shelter to hide them, and hopefully the caribou would be too terrified to suspect a clump of bushes.

Merely had the thought left him before noise exploded from the hill, the roaring of scared deer and thunder of running hooves loudly announcing that Kjors had initiated the hunt. Orren readied himself, every muscle tensing, eyes zeroing in on the point where he expected their prize to appear. It did not take long. Pushed by the threat to its life, the injured caribou galloped across the hill, eyes bulking and nostrils flaring as it bounded almost straight for the hidden hunters. A few others followed, dispersed along the ridge, fleeing in all directions as the danger appeared behind them. The dragon worked skillfully, as he had on the day of their first hunt together, maneuvering the animal with expert motions; Here we go!

Timing was, of course, of highest importance: jump too early, and the prey would have time to veer off and escape, but too late and you would catch nothing but air. But there was one other key factor: positioning. Where to land in an attempt to trap the beast. As Orren readied himself to jump, he debated his options; Putting himself right in the path of the fleeing creature could be dangerous, not only were the hooves sharp, but at such high speed, the weight could be crushing; However leaving too big an opening could mean the deer would simply barrel right past them, escaping their claws and fangs. He couldn't risk it. Teeth bared in a loud snarl, the young hunter bounded from his hide, skidding into a low, squared position before the animal, snapping up at it. Hopefully his sudden appearance would slow it enough for one of the others to get a hold of it and drag it down, though, just to be safe, the boy readied himself for collision, parting his teeth to latch onto the first and best piece of flesh that met him.

Word count: 420