ooc: sorry, for some reason i never got the first tag. Gent had done what he could when the pack's new homestead had finally been decided upon. Spreading out along with the rest of his comrades, he took up a dominating posture and searched for both unwelcome company and any trace of prey. Little time was given for his search before Sagacity beat him to the punch, however. There had been mild hope within his chest that he would be the first to track down food; like anything with the boy, he wanted to be number one, no matter whether the situation be judged by timeliness or ability. However, he was more so glad that such a discovery had come so quickly, and opportunity still existed for him to not waste the day without personal accomplishment. Within a short amount of time he joined those that were gathering, all now familiar faces to him even though he did not know every name with which to pair them. This would be remedied soon enough, as he planned to swiftly acquaint himself with each pack mate once the territory was established and secured, and they were all fed and rested. As he closed in to their proximity, the sounds of starving herbivores entered his ears and caused him to salivate in anticipation. Surely, even with their strength so drained, they would be enough in numbers to catch a meal large enough to satisfy each of their neglected stomachs. Gent had thrown away his aggressive demeanor and instead donned humility, taking his place as lowest on the totem pole with the display of keeping his head low and his tail tucked as he approached. His senses all focused on the herd nearby, blue eyes scanning the distance as he awaited Naira's lead.

Everyone was bearing the scars of their trip form the mountain, however no one could show it. There were more important things to worry about than one's selfish exhaustion. If losing sleep meant betterment of the pack, then by all means Veronika would work herself to death.

Ears orbiting like satellites, awaiting the sound of any intruders picked up something off. Closing in on the sound she was hit with the scent of a heard, and a stranger. It was enough to make her mouth water, and with the pack's precarious hunger situation she immediately went on the defensive. This stranger had crossed into the wrong territory at the wrong time. The harsh reactions of her pack mates did not surprise her, and were in fact well justified. The female was lucky to get away with her life, as just her presence was a threat to the well being of the young ones.

With the threat now gone, as the silver woman had without a doubt made sure of, it was time to think of more important matters. It was not the first time she had hunted with their alpha female, therefore this time should prove to be easier. Lowering her posture in a clear indication of her position, she moved behind their lead female. Hunger could turn even the lightest of gestures into an all out war, and no one had the strength for that, not when food was so close.

With the others, who slowly trickled in, Sagacity waited, eyes and ears on the alert for both any sign of quick movements from the deer or the return of the female who'd been since marked for killing. Fortunately, it seemed as though she'd quietly crept off, hopefully never to bother them again. She kept her mention of Crowe's name in the back of her mind, but with the prospect of a hunt looming in front of her, it drifted from her memory bit by bit every minute. She paid attention to those who joined, not surprised by who showed up- Naira, Mapplethorpe, the new one- Gent-, Veronika, Chulyin, the new pup and Crowe. The only ones who were missing were Taima, Aponi and Faol, but she knew not everyone could simply abandon what they were doing and join in the hunt. Their borders still needed to be tended to.

Once they were all gathered, Mapplethorpe hushed those who'd spoken into silence, for which Sage was grateful. She didn't want anything standing in the way between herself and a full meal, and she was concentrating too much on the deer to be distracted by the task of hushing the wolves. Mapplethorpe came up with a plan which had her as the one to start the chase; a task she silently accepted without even needing to nod- her gaze was still fixed ahead, narrowed as she concentrated mostly on her sense of smell and hearing. With the small gesture from Mapplethorpe as her direction, she moved off without a word, moving with practiced ease toward the herd and away from the group until she could see neither.

She stayed far enough from the herd to avoid being detected, though she could tell they were nervous. It was a part of their disposition, to fear, even without having a reason to do so. She moved so that she was on the far side of the herd, which was much smaller than what she'd hoped, with very few options- two does, both decent in size, and a buck whose antlers had already dropped. He looked young, but if he'd won these two does in the Fall rut, he hadn't done bad- this hinted, to Sage, that he might be a fighter. He might be dangerous- but they wouldn't know until the deer were in motion. The does looked sound- though one had a line of white fur along one shoulder- a healed scar. She hoped it belonged to an injury which would slow it down when it was forced into a run.

She thought she saw a flash of light-coloured fur off to one side, which signalled to her that the others had moved into position. There'd be no other way for her to tell, but to trust in her packmates- she drew in a breath, and moved from her position, purposefully moving into the pack's line of sight for just a moment- a flash of silver and glimpse of two bright amber eyes- to tell them she was ready- and with a bark, she surged forward, a pewter streak dashing through the snow and sending all three deer off in different directions. , purposefully driving herself directly toward them to separate them further so as to make it easier for her packmates to single them out.

<b style="font-family:georgia; color:#8182A3;"> Karpos was content in listening to what was being said by Mr. Aponi's father. He shushed them and Karpos kept his muzzle shut. His eyes filled with a rather unease. How would he do? Would he be a good hunter, or at least beneficial to the pack in the hunt? Surely he would, he had to. When the man said something that Karpos didn't understand, he was about to ask what it meant, but he thought about it and judging by how Mr. Aponi's father had shushed him earlier, he shouldn't say anything at all. Two of the wolves were sent off and then there was an order given specifically to him. He was to follow Aponi's father. It wasn't until then that Karpos realized Aponi wasn't there. He was about to say something about it when Mapplethorpe headed off and he knew better to keep his mouth shut. He pursued him through the snow banks, which compared to the mountains they had escaped from, weren't too deep. As he awaited further commands and followed Mr. Aponi's father, he began to wonder what had happened to the princess of the pass.... or was it princess of the keep now? It was princess of the keep. Calm down Karp, you can do this. Just follow your orders and try to copy what was done at that one hunt for Pitch Pine Trail. Your not alone. Your not the only pup who is hunting. You can do this, you can do this. Truthfully he had been scared at the thought of being in a hunt, but he was really just syked out about nothing. It took Karpos a little while to realize what they were doing. They were in heading towards the blind spots that belong to the deer, and the trees gave them further camouflage. Yea you can do this. He told himself once more. Then the signal was given and it was pure instinct from there. He rushed forward, he went after one of the does and attempted to get it near where he knew two wolves were waiting.

With each arrival, Mercy became more and more optimistic about the prospect of their hunt being a successful one. They had a good group gathered- with his mother, Naira and Mapplethorpe alone they would have had a good chance, but they had gathered more than that- Chulyin and Crowe had come as well, along with Veronika and Gent who would certainly help them in number. The new guy- Karpos- showed up too. A hasty glare was given to the dark pup when he showed up. He'd been quiet, but didn't he know that you weren't supposed to talk unless it was necessary? Mapplethorpe saw to the task of quieting the group, and Mercy remained quiet, even though it was a struggle keeping himself from whining. Nova and Aponi hadn't come- but he knew they'd be fed. He did feel some concern for Faol, as he hadn't shown- and Taima. But he supposed they could get whatever leftovers there were, though he doubted there'd be much.

Mapplethorpe gave a few instructions, but didn't mention him in his plans. He didn't make eye contact or any gestures, which left the boy grappling for answers. But given that Sagacity had gone to spook the herd, and Veronika, Chulyin, Crowe and Gent were split up, he figured it would be best to go with Mapplethorpe, and would make further movements based on what the others did. He kept Karpos in his line of sight so that he could avoid having the boy in his path, if he decided to make a sudden turn to herd the deer. Young and proud, and the aspiring hunter of the pack, Mercy assumed he was more experienced than Karpos, and thus, did not give him much credit, even though he was perfectly willing to work with him. Once they had moved into position, he gave another glance to the boy- one which finally revealed Mercy's excitement. He gave a short nod to Karpos, a gesture of good-will to wish him luck, and focused his eyes on the task at hand, and it was in that moment that he caught a glimpse of silver, only moments before his mother set the herd into motion.

The signal from his mother had come just soon enough- the deer hadn't seen her at first, but Mercy did, and as she moved forward the deer split up. Mercy's reaction was lightning-quick, and he knew instantly what his task was to do. He was too young and small to go at the deer, but even his presence would send them off in another direction. So, having moved only a fraction of a second later than his mother, he bolted forward, heading directly toward her and the deer, aiming himself not at the gap between the two does and the buck, but at one of the does who had gone in the direction of Crowe, who he assumed was laying in wait. As long as he could put himself between her and the other two deer, he would accomplish his task; to help separate one deer from the herd so that the others could move in for the kill.