Nomads Pass Beating of the Drum

Silent now, he moved into position to follow the tawny brute that was Tenzin. There didn't need to be anymore words- this would be their first test of teamwork and they each had a job to do. Today, they would find out just how skilled this team of riff-raff Naira had found were and whether they deserved their place in this pack. After all, they didn't set their standards so high only to be ignored. Failure was not an option. For any of them.

With tingling tastebuds, he waited patiently for the two teams to form. It would be the last time they saw each other before they would split up. He would not give assistance to his team leader, Tenzin was on trial here and he would not only have to track the herd before they reached the mouth of the pass into the valley unknown, but he would also have to direct his team of misfits in order to charge the group and turn them around to meet the jaws of their fellow pack mates - no pressure, he mused silently as he shifted his wait between his paws, eager to get started and enjoy the run- something he had not done for sometime.

@Mapplethorpe then @Rais? Moving this right along, chasers chase, attackers attack and we can be done (because I hate hunt threads).

Happy to be on the team that didn’t have to suffer the presence of Naira, Valiant trailed towards the back of the crew as they headed down the pass, happy to leave the leading to Tenzin. After all, he was simply here for muscle. A few sideways glances at Rhysis showed the male was completely focused on the task at hand, and even with their previous scheming, he found it hard to believe the dark wolf was happy to simply hand over control to another. He guessed that time would tell. As the ground grew more level, the fresh scent of prey came to his nose, still blunter than many others but sharp enough to suffice. Catching a glance here and there of the flash of grey and brown coats moving through the trees on the other side of the Pass he was happy to note they were roughly keeping pace, despite the speed difference between the leader of the chasers, and the leader of the hunters. Slowing once their quarry came into sight, eventually the party reached a pause to wait and see where the chasers would position themselves so they could adjust accordingly. It was just a waiting game now, only so long until their teeth sunk into the warm flesh of their quarry and they all enjoyed a feast.

code by bryony

Blegh, sorry for the hold up! x( Hunting threads aren't particularly my favorite either.

mapplethorpe

epulis accumbere divum

The thin, half-starved brute continued to listen attentively as the other volunteer spoke up. Mapplethorpe glanced at him from the corner of his vision, taking in the mottled coat and bulky frame of the man who could have been considered a healthier version of himself. Eager eyes scanned around one more time before settling on the sable king's shoulder, waiting for him to move and lead them to where they wait for the chase to begin. The words following Tenzin's venture were lost but he did pick up that he was to follow him, as well as Rhysis, Rais, and Valiant. When Rhysis' orders came filtering back into his ears his tail grew still. They were take what they could, injure whatever beasts they could so that they could come back for them. Rather than opting for the size of one or two kills, quantity was paramount; the wolves of the Pass would need whatever they could get in order to survive the last months of winter.

Rhysis' pale eyes bore into each and every face of the subjects before him and Mapplethorpe's masked face hardened. "Any questions? Ask now, because if you fuck up later, you will suffer the consequences." He was ready; and, when it seemed that everyone else had reached that same point, Rais made to get a move on. Obediently, Thorpe mirrored Tenzin's movements, watching as the yearling and his team departed. He eventually found his place at Rhysis' flank, eyes peeled and head low as he constantly scanned the hunting grounds around them.

His lips curled upward and the unkempt fur at his hackles rose. His tongue slithered forward and draped down the front of his nostrils. The longer he could keep himself in check, the sooner he - and they - would feast.

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Slightly PPing Romanis cuz she poofed
Click for map of chasers' route

While his heart fluttered with the beginnings of excitement, Rais kept up a calm, steady pace down and out of the pass, towards the forested foothills where their prey awaited. At first he followed along the migratory path, following the telltale signs of tracks and scat the herd had left behind. With a sense of what direction the herd was heading, he lifted his black-brushed snout, mouth hanging open as he scented the wind. A northerly breeze brushed his nose, and lowering his head again he glanced back to the fellow chasers at his back. They would have to start their ambush from the South if they hoped to avoid detection by scent. Deciding this was where he would veer off the hoof-beaten path, Rais began to lead the small group to the Southeast.

With an excited flick of his tail Rais broke into a run, hoping to surpass the herd and loop around to cut them off. A wide stretch of trees separated the chasers from their prey, the deer only detectable by the musky scent the wind pushed the wolves way. Once Rais was confident they'd come ahead of the herd, he looped back Northwards, where he had predicted the herd was headed towards. At this point he stopped, panting with the small exertion as he waited for those with him to both catch up and catch their breath as well. They still had a bit of work ahead of them. In a hushed voice he hurriedly laid out his plan, "We'll split. Romanis and I to the south, Naira and Adonis to the north. We'll run to the herd, pinch them in from going north or south, and give them no choice but to go west and hopefully back up the pass towards the others."

Rais looked to the others, Naira especially, to see if there were any protests to his plan. Given none of these, he set off with Romanis at a run, expecting Naira and Adonis to mirror their movements.

(This post was last modified: Mar 20, 2013, 09:04 PM by Rais.)

OK if we could wrap it up in this round I will love you all long time.

A nod of understanding was given to the sooty pelted hunt leader as she turned to give Adonis a quick bump of encouragement and an excited smile. The scent of prey was fresh in her nostrils and adrenalin was coursing through her veins. As the smaller two wolves moved off, she set out too, trusting that her son would be hot on her heels as they drew closer to the prey. In her mind she knew there was always a chance they could bring down more than one of the panicked beast, two was achievable, if they stuck to their groups as they currently stood.

They were closing in quickly and the concerned bellows of the deer scouts were like music to her ears. The clatter of cloven hooves dancing over snow and stone set her heart racing as the attacking party came into view. Practiced eyes singled out a doe, a little older than the rest, a little slower. She altered her course to single the doe out, and drive it closer to the larger waiting wolves. They would eat well tonight, whether they managed to bring down one deer or more.

I say we fade to black after we each make our moves, so this will be Rhys out. <3
Post in any order and let's wrap this up! It's long over due. x_x;

The two groups separated, each wolf with determination plastered on their faces and at that moment he could ask for nothing more from each of the scallywags in his new pack. Without a glance to the others as they left, he moved to follow the tawny wolf who would lead them to victory of his own exile. It was natural to feel some challenging from the other males in the pack, he had escaped the scrutiny at the lake because there were no males of worth within their midst, as the females liked to say they had been a "lady-gang" which had caused him very little competition- things were different now. Tenzin was slightly younger than himself, though he wasn't exactly ready for a rocking chair yet, and there was an air of challenge between them. For now, they needed to work as a team but he was sure that one day they would come to blows. Testosterone could be a bitch.

In silence they moved, his nose working over time whilst his thick leather pads consumed the terrain with ease. The landscape changed from rock and stone to forest. The ground was moist, recent floods left puddles of mud here and there but he welcomed the cool ground beneath him to soothe his calloused paws, thanks to spending so much time upon the hard floor of the mountains. He was a forest wolf at heart, but the mountains provided him with an almost impenetrable fortress which he could not scoff at.

Time slipped by until at last he caught whiff of the herd. They had been in the area recently and moved on towards the far and of the terrain, no doubt moving away from the valley and the waiting packs that lived there. This would be the last chance they would have to cut them off from reaching their escape hatch.
He branched away rom the group when signalled, each making their way to get ahead of the ground without being noticed. It was tricky, but he found the challenging thrilling rather than difficult - it felt good to do something that required some skill. Finally he took his position, his grey eyes had a clear view of the herd as they grazed. They were a medium size, two males who stood watch whilst the females ate their fill for the journey down into the unknown. With any luck they would pull this off without a hitch...

The signal came and he kicked off the terrain, the muscles beneath his dark fur bunched as he ploughed from his hiding spot and threw himself noisily towards the group of now panicking animals who turned and fled - just as they had hoped.Though he couldn't see the catchers, he knew they would be waiting and well if they weren't ready they would be moving out before sunset. Snapping and barking loudly, he herded the group further into their terrain towards the more dense forest. His job was done for the moment, but he would not let his guard down until they had an ample feast.

(This post was last modified: Apr 02, 2013, 05:17 PM by Rhysis.)

@Rais & @Mapplethorpe if you want to post an exit each? Then we can archive. If not, I'll get this moved on 13th April.

Chaos ensued as the chasers and the attackers converged. Moving with a single minded purpose, her sights were honed on the pale rump of a fleeing doe. Pushing herself harder, the animal balked as the attackers approached and she took her chance, teeth piercing the delicate flesh around the does thighs, blanketing the snow with blood. She pulled back with all her might as she tried to ham-string the doe, barking with triumph as the beast stumbled and slumped.

Moving in to make a killing blow she knew they would not go hungry tonight and pride swelled in her chest. All around her the sound of the hunt continued.

Erf, cuttin' it close on the deadline there, sorriez! x(

mapplethorpe

epulis accumbere divum

Closer and closer they crept, and the longer the males went without a word, the more Mapplethorpe was starting to feel the hunger pangs in his gut. Then the signal came he prowled to a spot he found advantageous, somewhere off to Rhysis' side. A huffing sound came from his nostrils, alerting some of the nearby targets but most went back to carelessly grazing. The few who had grown wary of their surroundings were in for a surprise... Just after it had become way to quiet, the dark king broke into the open, raising hell with the sound of adrenaline and instinct.

Mapplethorpe was close on his heels for a time, only to branch out a few feet away, his amber eyes trained on an apparently inexperienced young buck. A snap of his jaws and the sound of his teeth clicking through the air had his target fleeing towards where Rhysis was herding his own group into the forest where Naira and her team laid in wait. Once the buck had escaped his grasp with a mighty leap, the rugged man watched as it unknowingly went in Rais' direction.

Something behind him stomped lightly at the ground, approaching closer within a few seconds. Teeth bared and a snarl flying from his throat, he turned and twisted about just in time to synchronize his gait to those of a frightened old doe. His heart pumped furiously in his chest and it proved once more that the old man still had the strength and drive needed to survive. All his months scraping by had not been in vain, he had been saving what little energy he had for this... Rather than trying to join the rest of the pack, he pursued his new target, snapping once, twice... three times at her ankle until he made her improvise her path through the trees into the heart of attack.

Those who might have doubted Mapplethorpe's abilities were now surely and sorely mistaken.

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