No. Triell had appeared, and Marsh had been ready to double-strike the sow, overwhelm her, bring her down with minimal fuss. The boy had lunged, taking a good hold, but when the Second had gone in to clamp down on her throat, she had jerked away at just the wrong time, sabotaging Triell's grip and Marsh's attempts to reinforce it. The sow lashed out at him but then did the unexpected - turning on Triell rather than him, and though Marsh snapped at her heels and tried to tear at her thighs, she all but ignored him, intent on charging Triell instead.

No! This was not how it was meant to go. Images of what could happen to the Tainn flashed through his head as Marsh lunged forwards, beside the sow, snapping at her shoulder and even barging her once, but she was a stubborn, nasty creature hell-bent on her target; she swung her tusks at Marsh as a precursory warning, and to force him to flinch away, but that was all, and it was not enough, because this was not how the plan had been laid out.

With a guttural snarl, the sow made to lay into Triell properly, and out of desperation Marsh leapt forwards, sacrificing his own defences to protect Triell. He slammed bodily into the sow, finally redirecting her attention - if partially through sheer force - and she shrieked, slobber flying, twisting about and catching her tusk on the copper brute's side, opening his skin up from hip to elbow, her tusk catching and ripping a deeper wound around his ribcage.

Snarling with unadulterated rage and the damage done - he had been too close, but it was too late now, they were going to be tangled for a few seconds unless one of them broke away - Marsh fought on, the pain dulled by adrenaline and his natural resistance to it. Hoping that he had given Triell time to get out of harm's way and make a more successful attack this time, Marsh clamped his jaws down either side of the sow's spine near her hips, and though she squealed and kicked and swung again, this time puncturing his thigh, he simply refused to let go.

Either Triell would deal the killing blow or call it off, and Marsh wasn't going to relinquish his grip until that decision had been made.

He knew he lacked prowness to thoroughly strike at her front, and Marsh became a blur at the sow's side jarring her once, and distracting her enough that Triell could lunge back out of her reach. But she kept coming, did she sense his uncertainty? It was probably tangible to her, a weakness she could take, and her will to live easily outbesting him. Just when he thought she was going to have him, Marsh leapt, slamming her with such force she turned on him instead. It was in that instance he saw her tusk catch into the chesnut coat, ripping into his friend.

Black lips curved up, and his hackles bristled upon his back. A deep growl began building in his throat, watching as Marsh and the sow became an entangled mess and Triell had to be the one to undo it. He hesitated if for a second, the sow squealed eagerly trying to get away as Marsh dug dip at her back. It was now or never.

Before another heart beat he came from behind her, and lunged at the side of her nape, close to her shoulder. His mouth was opened, and he bit into her thick mass. What strength he had he pulled downward, then in a swift motion jerked back spraying blood against his face, and what once was unspoiled ground. The boar's cries were horrible in his ears, but they appeared so distance as she tried to once more strike him, but could not get him because Marsh's weight was against her. He snapped again, closer to her neck bone, and he clamped hard, sending another squirt of blood, all while trying to force her head down.

More blood pooled into his mouth, and her struggles were slowly became less of a rough pull, and more of a helpless tug. Using his weight against her, he leaned back with all his might, ripping some of her hide. He released it, and made another snap by her other wounds. Once more he pulled, and gripped feeling his own limbs starting to quiver from both adrenline, and mild exhaustion.

Fenru felt his sister against him, but he ignored her for the time being. His eyes were glued to the scene being carried out in the glade. Mum and Dad vigorously worked together to get one sow down, Uncle Marsh and Uncle Triell were growling up a storm as they fought with their boar, and Uncle Ruiko showed off his aggressive side as he intimidated his target with the snapping of his jowls. The squealing had disturbed him at first, but it was only a matter of seconds before his ears were cupped forward again in interest.

He exchanged a look with Kisla before returning his gaze back to the adults. In the back of his mind, his head went over how Dad and Uncle Triell had taught him to growl and bark, to hone his communication skills and build up confidence. Only now did he realize why those lessons were valuable; it was apparent that Mum, Dad, and the Uncles were showing those monstrous squealing beasts who's in charge.

After some time, when he looked back at how his parents were doing, he noticed that the boar was on its side. His head tilted slightly and he cautiously poked his nose through the tall grass to get a better look. Mum and Dad had grown still but their fur remained bristled as the pig began to grow motionless. Had they done it? It sure seemed like it, and Fen could not help but to be completely amazed at he leaders' feat.

Heart pumping wildly, Kinis matched Ruiko's strikes best he could, ripping the sow's flesh with a jerk of his head before twitching backwards, out of the way as the pig flailed. He made ready for another assault as he watched the sow nick his brother, but there was no time to assess the damage, and he had only Ruiko's reaction to judge from - and seeing his brother clamp down on her muzzle, firmly resisting her struggles, Kinis knew that it was the perfect opportunity to end this.

Down went the pig, unable to fight against Ruiko's weight, and with a quiet thrill Kinis darted around to the back of her to avoid her kicking and flailing legs - though she did catch him as he manoeuvred his way around, it did no more than to unbalance him for a moment - and then he practically leapt on her, adding his weight to Ruiko's as his head went down, already bloodied jaws flashing, and he ripped into her belly and chest with ruthless fervour. The sow's cries were at their most intense level before finally waning, her chance for victory lost, and Kinis took advantage of her weakness by daring to come closer to her throat. Her kicks were little threat now, and he clamped down on her throat and tugged back, ruining her windpipe and spilling yet more blood, the thrill still thumping heavily in his ears.

Warmth trickled down Indru's throat in a steadily growing stream as he fought mercilessly with the sow—her continued powerful, aggressive shaking was opening his wound further still, but his tough grip was slowly suffocating her equally and he couldn't help think that it was worth his now blood drenched throat. Fiery eyes opened rapidly as he sought out Corinna, relief trickling through him when he realised she had just lost her grip on the boar in the tussle rather than something more sinister being the cause of the sudden lack of weight he could help pulling on the sow with him. But quickly she was back and with the combined effort of the two of them the board toppled—and the pair darted forward immediately, in synchronism, neither wishing to waste the chance. As Corinna dived for the boars stomach and tore at it Indru did the same with her throat; a growl of satisfaction escaping him as he felt his teeth crush the boars windpipe and finally signify her death, a gasping rattle escaping her. Not wishing to risk it Indru held her throat for a moment longer until he could feel no more movement from her and only then did he finally allow himself to turn to Corinna, an exhausted smile on his face as he relished in their victory, before he winced in sudden pain as it finally kicked in as his adrenaline dropped slightly.

His wound was deep but Indru could not help a glance towards the pups, satisfied when he could just make them all out still hidden, and a quick survey of the progress of the pack before thinking about tending it. His eyes fell on Ruiko and Kinis first out of chance and he could see that success did not seem to far from the pair and once satisfied her turned to Marsh and Triell expecting to see the same—but his hackles rose in instinctive outrage at the sight of boar causing extreme damage to his second. Without a seconds thought he rushed towards them, a snarl escaping him as he closed in on the hunting pair and their sow, Triell had lunged for the sows neck and not wanting to get in the way and hinder either of their attacks there he instead went between Marsh and the boar and pushed against the sow with his weight, snapping at her shoulder and snarling throatily as he did so, trying to tilt her at such an angle it made Triell's path to her throat, and thus the killing blow, clearer.

As soon as it had started, it was all over, and Rihael watched wide-eyed, head blatantly sticking out through the grass as he stared at all the action taking place before him. Mom and Dad had taken down their boar with fearsome skill, the roaring growls of the wolves drowning out the desperate squealing of their prey. The cacophony made the eldest Tainn pup's ears flatten, but he couldn't look away; each adult had thick, dark blood on them somewhere. He watched as Ruiko and Kinis took theirs down, and held his breath as Indru, having left his own kill with Mom, charged to Marsh and Uncle Triell's aid. He recorded that mentally, reasoning that the leader of the pack might have the authority to deviate from the plan once things were under control. Or did he sense danger, were Marsh and Triell having a problem with their boar? Nobody was hurt, were they?

Rihael scanned the field, straining to see whether or not anyone had been injured. But amidst the prey's blood it was difficult to tell, and he fought back a concerned whine, remembering that he had to remain silent until everything was over, once and for all. Urgently he cast a sideways glance at his siblings to see if they'd caught something he missed, but they seemed transfixed on what was going on, and he tried to put his worries aside, shifting his weight uncomfortably. He'd really underestimated how dangerous these hunts could be, and his guilt for having felt excluded before made him hang his head slightly as he waited for the final outcome of the hunt.

Kinis went in for a perfect kill – the sow’s squeals slowly dying as the life drained from her. Blood spilt the ground, but it only further excited the male as a low snarl of satisfaction erupted from his muzzle – Kinis had done well, and had killed his first boar. Finally, with his younger brother seeking the windpipe to end it, as the creature stilled Ruiko finally released his hold on her, aching from her violent attacks on him but not showing this to Kinis.


Licking the blood from his lips, the regal male gave a wag of contentment, dipping his muzzle down to nudge his younger brother in pride and congratulations. But their victory was short, and as Indru whipped past him, the bright amber eyes of the Tainn wolf followed the leader. Blinking, the wolf’s lip’s curled back as he realized Marsh was injured. While Ruiko held no love for the wolf, it was apparent the male had taken blows to keep Triell safe, and while bristling, Ruiko took a step forward.


Indru had grabbed the beast though, and their dark brother had the perfect chance of delivering a final blow. Pausing now and waiting, lest his presence be needed, Ruiko kept his worried gaze on Triell now.

It was all too much for the girl – her breath hitched in her throat as she witnessed the terrorizing of Marsh and a low whimper escaped her sweet muzzle. Pushing herself closer to Rihael now, seeking her stronger brother for support, KIsla’s green eyes sought his, though he was far too entranced by the hunt to notice.


Indru was quick on the scene – a bolt of fury that Kisla believed would ignite fear in any animal. She felt a sense of pride as her father pulled back on the sow, knowing he had given uncle Triell an opportunity to seize the beast and end the hunt finally. Kisla had already grown close to her father – perhaps not in the way she was with her mother, for Corinna could comfort her like no other, yet in that very instant Indru Tainn had become Kisla’s hero.

Adrenaline coursed through Kinis' body as he dealt the final blows, taking a vicious delight in the kill. Once her windpipe was broken, it was the end; Kinis stepped back, waiting for the dying creature to catch up with her fate, letting Ruiko be the one to hold her down in her slowing death throes. It was over, he didn't need to do anything anymore. Pleasantly surprised by how little he had been hurt - in fact, apart from the ache where she had kicked him, and a general need for air, he felt completely fine - and as such, the idea that the other two groups might not be having such a smooth time of it didn't really cross his mind until Indru raced past.

Blinking, Kinis' eyes moved with Ruiko's in unison, and he quickly came to realise that he perhaps shouldn't have felt so confident. The boar had been a dangerous foe, and Kinis and Ruiko had come off virtually unscathed, but it seemed that Triell and Marsh hadn't been so lucky. Ears flicking back as he watched the three wolves battle with the sole pig, he hoped that the glimpse of bloodied flesh he had seen on the pack's Second was more from the sow than the wolf, but he wasn't so sure about that.

Coming to stand next to Ruiko, his joy turned to anxiety, he readied himself to help, if it became necessary.

Mercifully, Triell did not hesitate to rejoin the party. Marsh held on, his grip on the sow's lower spine tightening as his partner tore and tugged. Maybe it was just his close proximity to it, but Marsh was sure that their sow was screaming the loudest - but then that's all that filled his head, along with his own throaty growls and the sound of Triell moving and hurting. When the sow tried to strike out at Triell, Marsh twisted his weight and incapacitated her for a moment, letting Triell get the bite on her neck, pulling her down.

Finally he felt the boar's strength begin to wane, but when he experimented with letting loose his grip in order to help attack her stomach, she kicked and threatened to do yet more damage - so with a low snarl he clamped down harder, deciding that it would be easiest to just hold her down and let Triell finish her off.

That's when Indru arrived. Though his presence was a shock to the system for a moment, the relief of back-up was a warming one, though Marsh was more pleased for Triell's safety than his own; after all, he had already taken his wounds, what was the point in being too precious about more? Instinctively Marsh understood Indru's intentions, and with a heave he tugged at the sow in the same direction, hoping to topple her and allow Triell easier access to her throat.