Heartleaf Creek I thought I had you figured out

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

Seri would remain there, bustling energy barely capped off by his own ability to stay calm… even as a child arrived which seemed to be less than ideal based on the way Mr. Vayko tensed up. He offered a smile to Sage, a gentle shoulder bump in greeting to the girl who had quickly become a dear friend of his throughout their travels. He really did need to be better about catching up with her, ensuring that she stayed involved and that she did feel truly welcomed.

Eros would arrive and he would offer his friend a grin, a few thumps of his tail as a way to greet him, waiting patiently for the hunt to start. It was then that Viorel would speak and he would light up, nodding though he would not speak. It appeared no one else was speaking so he assumed there was a reason for it, likely to do with the hunt but he did not truly know himself why there was silence.

He would move to line up with Sage, a hushed voice allowing him to speak. “That buck… he’s got a limp. He won’t be as fast as the others. If we can pin ourselves between him and the rest of the herd we can separate them and drive them towards the others.” He would offer softly, though he would not wait for permission before he launched forward, having noticed the others in position already, rushing towards the creature just as he had pointed out to Sage.

some fairy tales are more than true

She remained quiet, spare for the soft chewing. Viorel was addressing the pup that'd shown up, and telling someone she wasn't too sure she'd met yet to tend to him. She watched, taking in the appearance of the elder and stowing it to memory. She recognized his scent from living here as long as she had. By now she'd been here close to half a year. She still didn't feel that she belonged, but the feeling of being invisible half the time was better than home. Better than being alone. This thought was reassured by a gentle bump and smile from her friend. Her tail wagged in response, a soft grin on her muzzle.

Her head snapped to attention at the sound of her name, intently listening to what was spoken. Whoa. This felt...huge. Sage was tasked with helping start the hunt. Her success or failure could make or break everything. Panic started to rise within her, her heart pounding at the thought of screwing up. Her breathing picked up in pace. She didn't want to fail them. She let out a shaky breath of air at the alpha's gesture to begin. The yearling dropped the chewed-up lavender from her mouth and focused her attention to Seri as he spoke. She could do this with him here, she just had to be able to, they were depending on her.

She nodded at her friend's words, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. They were depending on them. She wasn't alone in this and he had an idea of where to start. Green eyes studied the injured buck, this couldn't be too hard, right? She shook her pelt to release tension from her muscles. Before she could answer him in agreement with his decision, Seri was off. Briefly, she hesitated before sprinting after him. Paws outstretched to cover the ground as she ran alongside him toward their chosen target. We can do this. We can do this...together.

"She speaks" She walks She thinks

Dead Empress Backwater

Eros merely glanced at his small cousin when he was addressed, not having expected much different. One day all too soon, Jacynth and the others would get their chance. When he was told his own role, he gave a nod of acknowledgement, and when the group broke apart, he wordlessly pursued a position that would serve him and the others well.

Colors marked who was who through the scattering of vegetation that kept him out of sight, and he watched as his friends broke cover, officially engaging the previously-unsuspecting herd. They panicked and their hooves drummed against the ground as they ran, white tails flagging high into the air. A deep grunting sound could be heard from within some of their chests. Seri and Sage worked on forcing apart one buck in particular, an injury clear in one of his legs but his antlers also swinging dangerously in retaliation.

The herd was quick to abandon him. Eros made his entrance raucously, serving a dual purpose of ensuring the rest of the whitetails would keep fleeing while also jarring the already-frightened target into dodging toward where Viorel and Vayko lie in wait...

(This post was last modified: Aug 11, 2023, 02:36 AM by Magg.)

He looked at Viorel as the wolf spoke, merely grunting in response with a dip of his head to show his acknowledgement. Rochus wasn't particularly disgruntled at being told to sit out and babysit; in fact he quite liked the idea of sitting back and watching the action happen. His body wasn't as young as it used to be, and some days he felt it more strongly than others.

Moving over to stand beside @Jacynth, he watched idly as Viorel explained the plan and the rest of the group dispersed to follow it. He sat back on his haunches, half focused on watching the pup, prepared to physically stop the boy from trying to join the others if he had to, and half focused on the hunt going on.

"Look how Seri and Sage are working together to separate that injured buck from the others," he said to the boy, wanting him to at least gain something worthwhile out of the situation. Though valiantly trying, the buck was unable to keep up with the rest of the herd.  "And now Eros will join in to push the buck towards Viorel and Vayko so they can all take it down as a group. Wolves hunt best together than alone."

Final round! Thread will be faded and archived August 30th. No post order.

The hunt started shortly after Viorel and Vayko had reached their hiding place. His heart began to thrum with adrenaline and for a few short minutes everything that had been going on fell away and he was fully focused on the prey. Dark claws dug into the soft earth below him and muscles rippled dangerously below his pelt. Tensions may be high but he tossed his cousin a hungry sort of grin as soon as Eros joined in the fray.

Hooves thundered down towards them, and the man had to rely on this more than usual given how smoky the area was. It veiled everything until later than he would have liked and by the time the leader leapt out their timing was not the usual clockwork mechanism that it usually was. The buck swung his rack, catching Viorel off guard. He had to jump out of the way and was only able to latch onto the hind quarters rather than the neck where he would have liked to.

Jaws sank deliciously into the deer’s rump, distracting the prey and causing it to buck wildly. He could only hope that Vayko had the front end covered and would hold on as long as he could.

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

Adrenaline coursed through the boy has his part in the hunt became successful, separating the creature from the rest as the more adultier adults came in for the kill, Seri nipping where he could to further agitate the deer, encouraging more distance from the rest of it’s herd. It was empowering and invigorating to think about, bringing down the kill, helping the pack in such a huge way.

He wished his ma and pa were there to see it… in many ways it felt like the beginning of becoming a man, a pack member… his ma would not have approved but he liked to believe that his father would have been proud of him for what he accomplished.

He would wrestle with such feelings of longing later. All he could do right now was focus on the task at his paws.

He’d latch into a leg as the creature began to stumble and tumble, a kick to the shoulder though thankfully nothing the boy could not shake off.

Your toxic I'm slipping under

With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride

Silence would linger, his jaws mashing lightly as his brother gave him something of a hungry grin… admittedly, the expression was one that Vayko was relieved to see as they launched from their bushes, the rack of the deer nearly catching Vayko though he managed to reposition past second. He would launch onto the back, sinking his teeth in towards the neck, able to step in away from the rack as the deer became distracted from Viorel’s teeth in it’s hind.

He would make a ripping motion, aiming to pull the deer’s throat so it might stumble, fall, and find itself taken down, leaving quite the meal and trophy for those involved. He made a mental note to ask Clover if she had any use for a deer rack, to see if the antlers might somehow have healing properties, which just showed how little he knew of healing.

The struggle didn’t last long before Vayko had succeeded in bringing the buck down to where it could no longer fight. The salt and pepper Valle released his latch on the deer’s haunches and stumbled backwards a few steps. Adrenaline and bloodlust surged through his veins and instinctively he lifted his muzzle and called out their success to any pack members who may have been close enough to hear.

Then he took his rightful place as the first one to eat. Gorging himself greedily before ripping off a large portion to bring home to the cubs and possibly Clover if there was any left. Then he stepped back to allow the pecking order to take place, licking lazily at his chops, ready to return home with their prize and fall into a happy slumber somewhere.

FADE