Larkcall Lowlands be seen to be believed

From her place next to her mother Inna peered at the rest of her pack mates many of which had shown up and she also noted which weren’t there. She was most keen about the fact that her sister wasn’t there and wondered where she might be. Soon enough Kjors was relaying his plan for the hunt to them so that everyone would understand what was going to happen. The inner workings of how a pack hunt worked was something that Inna wasn’t privy to but she felt that it was something that she needed to learn so that she could help the pack when she was bigger. That was especially important to prepare for the winter months, she understood how important it was for them to be successful in this hunt if they were to get through the winter months, something that had been worrying her very much since she had witnessed the first signs that it was almost upon them.

The prey they were going after was Caribou which was something she’d hadn’t had the opportunity to see which made this experience that much more exciting. As he spoke about one of them having an injured leg and that being the one that they wanted. She felt that made sense to go after the one that couldn’t move as well as the others. He spoke to the new comer whose name she had yet to learn giving her instruction, this would be her chance to help the pack and show them that they had made a good decision. He next spoke to her mother, Orren, and Karpos giving them their instructions, she looked between her mother and brother to see their reactions. She also had questions but she felt that it wasn’t the time just then with the plan being formed so she decided to wait for the hunt to begin.

~Table by Mimi

(This post was last modified: Nov 27, 2015, 02:52 PM by Inna.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

 

Kjors greeting was warm, and she felt the curl of her lips at the trace of a gentle smile before she fell to attention of the others about her -- none of who displayed the outward submission and warmth that the dragon did.  It was of little concern to the she-wolf for now, though the query hinted at the back of her mind -- did her pack no longer respect her?

Inna came forward, taking a place beside her mother. Her eyes were warm as they studied her swarthy daughter, and no thought to lecture her on straying from home found tis way to her lips. The girl had been summoned, after all, like them all.. and at six months of age, it was time she began to join the hunts of the pack and begin to hone her skills.  Nudging the girl, Kisla's attention was then drawn to Mojave, who she offered a gentle nod of acknowledgement -- the girl was only weeks within the pack, and already she was proving to be more useful than the other newer member she had accepted. Davin, was it?

Kjors laid their plan out, and the honeyed Baranski gave a gentle nod in the direction of the yearling Kjors referred to as part of his team. "Mojave," she offered gingerly, casting the girl a small smile. With the thought of caribou, a small trill of excitement flickered at her heart. Nudging Inna, the regal side-stepped, her gaze considering her daughter. "This is your first hunt, love," she murmured, feeling a smell swell of pride at how much her daughter had grown. "It is best you watch from the sidelines for now -- see how it is done. Soon, you and your sister will be trained further." Her voice was soft, meant only for Inna, though certainly not trying to be discreet. With a nod to the cub, the mother moved forward then a pace or two, her eyes drifting to catch upon Orren and Karpos as she quietly agreed to Kjors plan of action.

sparking up my heart

The general consensus seemed to be a positive one, and Kjors gave a slow nod, glancing around at the gathered group once more. While it was not the entire pack, it was a decent turnout – Maksim was laid up and Lachesis tended to the former alpha as was his duty. Karina he did not expect, but he had hoped Davin would have turned up while he was giving instructions, simply far from the call, or perhaps in the midst of something. He would have to have a word with the yearling he had recruited in the early autumn. While the boy clearly needed help, the dragon did not endorse free rides. If the young knight wished to stay for the winter, he would have to pull his weight.

But ‘lo, such things would have to wait until the pack filled their caches.

Straightening up, he turned to @Kisla and bobbed his head once more. “Tha’s th’ plan, then. Y’ll keep an eye on @Inna? We’ll be sure t’ chase th’ caribou away from ‘er.” It was an excellent learning opportunity, the Queen was correct, and the dragon had no intention of putting the young princess into harm’s way – he did care about her, after all, as he cared for all the Baranski kin. With that settled, he turned to @Mojave and addressed the newest addition to the River wolves with a soft rumble. “Off, then. We find our mark, an’ then we wait. Let th’ others a chance t’ find a place t’ hide.”

And with that, he nudged the young female before wheeling off, swarthy frame low as he moved with a wide, swinging gait. Assuming his partner was behind him, he swept over the hill and out of sight, quickly locating scrub brush to slink behind. There, he turned to Mojave once more. “See ‘em? Towards the edge of th’ pack. Draggin’ ‘is right hind.”

The moment she had heard Kisla speak her name, her attention snapped away, only to realize that she had forgotten to offer it up. Whoops. Nevertheless, that attention was just as rapt to return to Kjors, taking in information even if it didn't particularly pertain to her. Sooner than later, he was addressing her directly and she set off with him, quietly passing through the group to follow in the path he opted to choose for them. Her tail swayed lightly behind her as they departed, only stilling when their pace picked up to push them into the cover of the foliage and survey the herd that emerged onto the change of scenery.

She quivered for a moment though hardly from fear; she was excited.

Slinking low through what could have potentially been a noisy shrub to settle sphinx-like, she picked up on Kjors' movements as he brought his gaze around to her. His prompt gave her reason to give the herd another once-over and though it took her a moment, she spied out the limping ungulate. "I see it," she answered in a breathy whisper, teeth setting evenly. Considering the lumbering gait it had dragging what she guessed was a fractured or broken leg, it wouldn't take too terribly much to separate it from the group. Or at least that was her best guess of it – Mojave would have not been one so keen to admit she knew a whole lot about corralling such a creature.

"How long do we wait?" she asked, only glancing to the older male. She didn't dare take her eyes off the herd, not this late in the game. It was as though she expected the herd to up and disappear into the surrounding countryside, lost forever in the dense forestry to the wolves that hungered so.

Orren's here! sorry for spacing out on the last round guys ^^;

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 ”Speech" Thoughts

FurLined @DA

(This post was last modified: Dec 13, 2015, 11:41 PM by Orren.)

PLOT WITH ME!

Inna smiled at her brother when he offered her a greeting using the nickname that he had given her and called her for as long as she could remember. “Hi Ori,” she replied in greeting glad to see that her brother had been able to make it to the pack hunt. She thought that it would be great to see him in action and maybe she could learn a few things too. Then he mother spoke to her Inna giving a nod as Kisla acknowledged that this was her first pack hunt. She was however disappointed to learn that her mother only wanted her to watch this time and that she and Lekalta would have training in hunting soon which She had that to look forward to. “Yes mother,” she stated obediently knowing that her mother was only looking out for her wellbeing, “I promise to just watch this time.”

Inna also knew that it could be dangerous and she didn’t want to be the reason that one of her pack mates got hurt so she would do as her mother said. All she had to do was find a place where she could watch all of the action without being in the way. She listened to the rest of the orders being given out by Kjors. She nodded once more and smiled when her brother told her that watching was fun, “I’m sure your right,” she agreed with him. After all Ori knew a lot and perhaps this was part of the lesson that she needed to learn. All of her questions about where she could hide were put on hold as Orren made a suggestion. Inna looked at the rocks that he spoke of before looking back to her mother to see if that was where she was to go to stay out of the way.

~Table by Mimi

(This post was last modified: Dec 16, 2015, 12:54 PM by Inna.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

 

Kisla’s attention remained upon the one-eyed dragon as he spoke, her gaze drifting to regard her daughter with gentle worry and affection. She was growing so fast – and yet it was stolen moments such as this that the mother was reminded at just how young her daughter was.

Orren made to greet his sister with comforting words, and her gaze warmed upon him. The boy had truly grown in to himself since Aleksei’s departure, and while she wished her other son was home where he belonged.. it was hard not to feel a sense of pride at the wolf Orren was becoming partly due to the fact his confidence was now seeming to grow.

Orren found a decent spot for the youngest River princess, and with Inna tucked in an area that offered both her safety and within the line of sight for the hunt, Kisla’s attention turned to the task at hand, offering her swarthy daughter a small wink before doing so. Her tail gave a content flick through the air as her ears cupped forward in interest as she made her way quietly to where her son had mentioned. Karpos was silent for now, and her eyes would shift toward the direction of Kjors and Mojave, awaiting them to bring the herd to them.

sparking up my heart

@Kisla @Inna @Mojave @Orren -- Please punt me the next time I take so long! Let's take the prey down this round or the next so we can close up and get a move on. (:

“Jes’ til we can surprise ‘em,” Kjors told the yearling, ears cupped forward as they studied the herd. They were grazing comfortably, unaware of the predators downwind. As soon as their chosen prize moved a bit further away and they could cut him off, they would run. But first, some instruction.

Head dipped towards Mojave, he turned his head enough to make sure the empty socket was quite visible. “Ah’m gonna lead, aright? Y’follow m’lead. We’ll take the path ‘tween that one and th’ rest of his herd. Ah’m gonna keep m’ eye t’him, yeah? We want t’ drive him away. Ah can’t see y’outside me, so stay behind, ‘er t’ me inside. Savvy?”

All they needed was to collide into one another and the animal limp away before the rest of the pack so much as saw a hair on its hide. Once the words had sunk in, he turned his attention back to the caribou, rump swaying a bit as he waited. It had wandered several lengths away. “Le’s go,” he hissed, surging forward a moment later, trusting the young woman would follow after him. As they approached, snarls and barks ripped free from the male, throwing nips and sharp teeth towards the animal’s heels as he tried to force it away, away from himself and from the herd, right over the hill.

Kjors and Mojave are going to chase the buck over the hill towards the others!

In the interest of moving this along... We should be able to kill it off in this round.

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 ”Speech" Thoughts

FurLined @DA

PLOT WITH ME!

His instructions were direct and brief, and Mojave managed to contain her eagerness for the time being until it was time for them to move into action. That too, came quickly, and before she realized it fully they were propelled forward but hardly in sync for a few fleeting beats. She stayed to the side Kjors had asked of her, trailing him by a few paces to better ascertain what the herd would do as they drew near. Of course they naturally scattered together, but by then the wolves had singled out their quarry and now moved to draw it away.

She mirrored his ferocity, snapping away at the hooves that came near her but smart enough to stay out of their fearful range. Separating the weakling from the herd hadn't been difficult in her eyes, though it was certainly trying to return to the safety of the fold it had been stolen away from. No matter -- they would keep it in check. The rise of the hill was coming before them and beyond it, she hoped to see the rest of the pack springing to action.

And on the other side, they were there and waiting; all that came afterward was in a blur to her as rational thought left her and pure instinct took over.