Sacred Grove time to feed the family

<blockquote>As Ruiko spoke, Volkan silently willed the male to release his almost violent hold on her muzzle. Her eyes were narrowed desperately, having moved from Triell to the ground as she waited for what seemed like an hour to be freed. Finally the dominant wolf broke off, and Volk shook her head quickly in recovery after he turned away. It was very evident for the first time that there was something deeper, some fundamental problem between Ruiko and this guy, and perhaps something that haunted Swift River. It wasn't her place to know, she understood— finding Triell's gaze once again, she experienced a slight pang of regret for him, that he was in the middle of this and seemed not to like it.

What he told her made her scoff, throwing him a light shrug as her icy gaze followed Marsh's retreating form. <b>"Noted,"</b> she responded matter-of-factly, her tone dry. She severely hoped that Marsh was the most aggressive wolf in Swift River; in comparison to Triell, Indru, and even Ruiko, he seemed much more intense. Reminding herself with a sigh that his actions were really just business, though, she gave Triell and Ruiko a final glance before setting off across the river, following Marsh's lead. The past few minutes had made her realize that doing exactly as she was supposed to would be the least volatile course of action. Hopefully they would find prey soon, something to distract her from the apparent politics of this new pack...</blockquote>

<div style="align: center; margin: 0 auto; width: 79px; height: 15px;"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/tygerlily/crc_pride_1.png"></div>

I'm done failing in life, I think. My sincerest apologies on the wait for this, guys. <33

Marsh’s gaze flickered to him, narrowing in clear form to his displeasure at Ruiko’s abrupt behavior. The hefty Tainn bristled in return to the gaze, the idea of locking eyes to be a considerable offense to any wolf. Instantly Ruiko regretted bringing Kinis and Volkan both here, forcing them to submit to wolves they had not truly agreed to follow and in turn, suffer the consequences of the drama that stirred from it. Had the tawny wolf not been hesitant to inflict such uproar to his brother and sister’s pack, the male very well would have taken Marsh’s glance and insulting touch to his she-wolf offensive, and in turn would have challenged the wolf outright.. but it was not about rank. Not this time. It was about the three hungry bellies that had been abandoned by every wolf here, even himself. For that, none of them were any better than the other.

Volkan held herself well, and Ruiko rumbled a low growl of approvement to the poor girl. Marsh gave an abrupt nod to him, and in turn to the wolf’s rank, Ruiko allowed his muzzle to dip lower now in respect to the Second’s wishes. At least for now they were on the same page. With a lash of his tail, the beast prowled forward, though his gait never moved too fast to lose Volkan by his side, though he allowed Triell to come between the two. As far as he was concerned, the two yearlings were good company for one another.

His dark brother gave a brief explanation of the ranked male, and Ruiko grunted in return, not offering any form of acceptance nor disprovement. Just acknowledgement. His eyes softened slightly as they trailed to Triell’s back, as the yearling now loped ahead of he and Volkan. Instead, Ruiko took a leaf from Marsh’s book and fell to silence, waiting for instruction.

<blockquote>Somewhere behind him, Marsh could hear Triell speaking, and though it went against his inclination to take much interest in what they had to say - after all, had they not all communicated quite effectively what they thought of each other just now? - he couldn't help but take note of the gist of it. In the end, though he vaguely knew that the comment was meant to help the others understand, he couldn't help but feel like his disinclination to speak was somehow regarded as a disability.

Snorting, the brute put it out of his mind. They could have their words, and choke on them too.

With all four wolves now in silence, and finally on the same page, Marsh led them away from the pack and in search of any signs of something worth hunting. He should have scouted more heavily beforehand, to better anticipate where potential prey would be, but there was no use in hindsight. Instead, he trusted his allies to put their hunting caps on and keep a suitable eye out for anything worth noting.

The small group had not travelled far when an elk bellowed somewhere in the forest, catching Marsh's attention, his ears snapping towards the sound. Not long after, it was followed by another bull, and the screams were unmistakable; this was rutting season, after all, and it seemed as though there was a nearby group enjoying the festivities. That meant aggressive bulls, but they would be distracted with one another. It also meant cows. Licking his lips in anticipation, Marsh glanced to the rest of the group to gauge their reactions. There were not many of them, but a well-coordinated effort would bring a good chance of success. Besides that, the rut could work in their favour, especially if they waited for the bulls to exhaust and wound each other first.

A hungry glint in his eye, Marsh made to stalk towards the sound, but would stop if anybody protested the idea.</blockquote>

<blockquote>The bugle of a bull elk caught his attention, stalling his pace to a halt. Ears rotated like radar, nostrils quivering with an excitement, while his salivia glands were close to watering. Another battle cry was returned back, and he felt his heart quicken ready to sink his teeth into something. His black lids fluttered over hid topaz colored eyes, and he snapped out of the brief distraction. Quick as he dared he instead he want to Marsh, seeing how ready the chestnust male was. Triell nodded is own approval. This would be the best time to get the large cloven hoofed beasts, and he was rather confident with those in his hunting party. Though it need to be decided which one they would go for. A wounded bull, or the cows who would be in the open while the males battled over the herd.

When Marsh continued, Triell decided he would follow, watching Swift River's second with a keen eye to catch a hint on where he might go, or what he would want the group to do. Hushed breaths, and muffled steps he entered the forest taking his time, looking close for the golden hides of elk, his ears flicking at their snorting breaths. Once he checked to Ruiko, and Volkan, but only briefly saying nothing. Closer he watched from the brush, as a huge sevenpoint bull, who looked to be the reigning king bugled his distate to his competior, the other a smaller five point letting his own scream before they charged together, locking tines. There was a sense of thrill, and terror watching the creatures shoving at each other, and some of the red that had already leaked from their hides. He was caught up in the battle, before realizing he was not here to watch. His eyes found the cows, a little further back away from the noise. He looked to Marsh. <i>Now what?</i> </blockquote>

are you with me through it all?

<blockquote>Following behind Marsh and Triell alongside Ruiko, the token female felt a familiar energy surge through her veins as, right on cue, an elk called from the distance. <i>Too easy,</i> she thought briefly, attempting to exchange a brief glance with Ruiko as another elk replied to the first cry. At least they had their target now, or at least the direction of it, and now maybe they could focus on hunting instead of, oh, growling at each other about hierarchies and loyalty. The pack's stern second heading the small yet strong group, Volkan fell in line behind Triell, head and body lowering as they approached the source of the noise.

Having accompanied her father's hunters on a few occasions, Volkan had been witness to the sheer size of their current prey. The elk were huge— the males much larger than the females, though, and their clashing horns meant there was no way they could be the targets, right? If they went for the bulls, who were already in attack mode, things could get dangerous quick. Her pale eyes swept the scene as she hid concealed with her companions, the odor of blood already tinging the air. The cows of the group were nearby. Defenseless. If they could get one away from the rest, separate her, then it would be over. Four wolves, and not small ones at that, could take down a beast of that size, right?

Even if Volkan didn't particularly <i>like</i> Marsh in that moment, she knew to respect him, as he was the undisputed leader of this hunt. And she could tell that the gears were turning, could see him weaving the plan, just as she had done. She waited, watching him, for the orders, the thudding of colliding elk horns and low grunts thick in her ears.</blockquote>

<div style="align: center; margin: 0 auto; width: 79px; height: 15px;"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/tygerlily/crc_pride_1.png"></div>

The task at hand was what mattered now, and as the four wolves prowled forward in search of a worthy meal to feed the pack, the tawny wolf kept his bright yellow eyes upon the path ahead while his nose lifted through the air to gauge the surrounding scents. His nose was met only with the faded smells of prey long gone and the large male was curious to how Swift River hunting lands had fared since his absence; if the herds were minimal, it would be a rough winter indeed.

Both ears flickered in attentive response as the sudden bellow echoed across the quiet lands. Marsh cast a quick glance to the three companions before prowling forward, making it clear of his intent. Weariness fell upon Ruiko’s shoulders as he followed, uncertain if four adults was enough for such a beast; especially two yearlings who were still honing their skills. Should injury befall his brother or Volkan, Ruiko would make sure Marsh paid the equal price to their pain. Even so, drawing up to the two younger wolves, his eyes cast out upon the two rutting bulls, one fang bared in readiness. The cows were not far off; a relieving sight to the male, for he was loathe to have the two yearlings attempt to tangle with a bull elk encouraged only by breeding and testosterone. “You both be careful,” he warned quietly, waiting instruction from Marsh to which cow they would hunt.

Sorry if I go too fast, and that I make a few assumptions/powerplays, but I figured we might as well get this closer to completion. If any of you protest anything, just let me know! Plus Marsh lends himself to more action than not, so it was easiest this way.

<blockquote>Nobody protested, but had Marsh paid more attention to Ruiko, he would have quicker noticed the wariness there. As it was, the group drew close, hidden from the elk herd as they watched. It was quite magnificent, in its own way, but Marsh wasn't much taken to admiring such wonders. It was the display of strength and power which most impressed him. Any notions of tackling a bull had been fanciful before, but now were completely disregarded. As Ruiko spoke of caution to Volkan and Triell, Marsh took note, aware that both of these yearlings were close to the male. Whilst Volkan meant little to him, especially considering she was yet to be an actual packmember, she had proved herself as a temporary ally, and Marsh had no intentions of letting her befall harm. As for Triell, that went without saying; Marsh was incredibly fond of the boy. As such, the clear eagerness in the black wolf went some way to fuel Marsh's belief that this was a good idea.

He met Triell's gaze, nodding once in solidarity, before glancing to the rest and, with a pointed expression which told them to stay put, he disappeared momentarily, hugging the foliage around the beasts to better assess the herd. He saw no lone female, which was a disappointment, but he did spot a group of three cows hanging back from the rest, on the opposite side to the rutting bulls. One was somewhat smaller than the other two, young, perhaps, or just runtish; either way, survival of the fittest hadn't seemed to apply to her so far, and she was about to be sorely tested. Ideal in all ways. In no time he had returned to the hunting party, and huffed at them to follow. No doubt they would soon all see with their own eyes the same trio of vulnerable cows, with its obvious target, but just in case Marsh made sure to draw their attentions to her upon becoming visible, though she stood out easily enough.

Now it was time to divvy up the tasks, though it was a question easily answered. Moving further about, Marsh led them to a break in the foliage, a narrow continuation of the crude clearing that the elk occupied. It would be an obvious choice for any chased beast to run down, with a little encouragement. Good ambush potential. Looking to Triell and Ruiko, the largest wolves present, Marsh dug once at the ground with a paw, signalling where they should wait. With any luck, he and Volkan - who he glanced at next, jerking his head away in a command to follow him - would be able to separate the smaller elk so that Ruiko and Triell had the single target to be concerned with. Assuming all was well, he would lead Volkan further through the forest, giving their prey a wide berth, until they settled nearly opposite to the path that Ruiko and Triell were tasked to guard.

He looked then to Volkan, to ensure that she was calm and confident. The division had worked out nicely, Marsh felt; this way, he was sure that two powerful wolves could receive the elk, and hopefully it would placate Ruiko to be able to remain with his brother. Volkan, the smallest and least brawny, could thus help with herding the chosen cow into their jaws, and be watched over by Marsh in the process. As the relative wildcard in this situation, it satisfied Marsh to be able to make sure that she was serious about this, and pulling her weight in the meantime.

Pulling out of cover slowly, he looked towards where he knew Triell and Ruiko must be hiding, he waited for some sign of readiness from them and Volkan before launching himself into the clearing silently, forgoing the customary snarls in order to cause the least alarm in the elk herd in general; all he wanted was a reaction from the trio, which was easily obtained. At least it could give them a precious few seconds before the rest of the herd realised what was happening. Shifting to the left, Marsh coordinated with Volkan's actions to best isolate and drive forwards the trio, attempting to cut off the smaller cow in particular.</blockquote>

If Chels could post next to finish the herding, that would be great <3 Also, here's a crude drawing of the layout, in case it's useful: <a href='http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/Sheemaraa/RoW/elkhunt.jpg' target='_blank'>map</a>. Dark green is thicker forest! And Triell/Ruiko's marker just shows the gap that Marsh is hoping to steer the cow towards.

No worries here! :] Also, hope it's okay, I updated the drawing to show the courses of the cows (click here!)
<blockquote>Triell's words echoed in her head as Marsh stole her attention away from the rutting bulls, so majestic and deadly and almost <span class='word'>felonious</span>, before them. <i>Marsh doesn't say. He just does.</i> His burly form had disappeared into the brush without a word, and she realized that his silence was definitely for the better. Stomach pressed nearly to the ground, she blinked at the other two, noting only that Marsh had returned by their reactions to him. It seemed that they were to follow him. Silently she fell in line behind him, the group making a wide circle around their prey, closer to the cows that she was now certain were their target. Her icy eyes narrowed on that group: they were still large, but one of them was markedly smaller than the others, and would be the easiest to take down, she assumed. Just in case, she glanced toward Marsh, who seemed confirm this.

In the next moment, the oldest male signaled to the younger two to stay put, and instantly she tried to ascertain what this would mean. The obvious answer was that Marsh and Volkan would be driving the cows to Ruiko and Triell, that was what he was saying, right? He seemed to be keeping a close eye on her, so she gave him a brief yet swift nod to confirm that she was ready to follow his lead, and kept at his heels when he took off farther around the circle.

As she followed, her heart began to pound in her chest, the adrenaline of the coming hunt coursing through her veins. It caused her lips to draw up in anticipation, teeth aching now to puncture fur and flesh. A real hunt— how long had it been since she had tasted meat from a creature so large? It seemed like a fleeting second to her before she and Marsh had arrived at their apparent destination, and she settled a few wolf-lengths away from him, legs bending, preparing to release like a spring.

In an instant Marsh had shot out of the brush with an impressive display of speed, and Volkan, being quick herself and anticipating his movement, bolted out of the trees without delay. For her it was a glorious moment when her large paws tackled the ground, limbs pumping furiously as she attempted to keep up with Marsh's speed. Her heartbeat became a war drum, thumping in her ears as she glanced sideways to him— he'd veered to the left, and this meant she took the right. Now Marsh was between the cows and their would-be protectors, the bulls— but there was no time to look their way amidst the panic; the cows had caught on to the wolves' presence quickly, and their terrified bellows filled the forest as they hurtled toward the gap in the trees, right on cue—

—But with terror, Volkan realized that only one of the larger cows had isolated herself and circled around toward the bulls for protection. Instead of just the smaller cow heading toward the gap, a larger one was stampeding Triell and Ruiko's way, too. With a fearsome snarl, as by now the bulls had surely caught on, the female tried to steer her course between the two cows, running nearly at the heels of the smaller one, waiting now for the ambush party to make its move...</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Dec 12, 2011, 08:21 PM by Volkan.)

<div style="align: center; margin: 0 auto; width: 79px; height: 15px;"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/tygerlily/crc_pride_1.png"></div>

<blockquote>Upon Ruiko's words, his ears tipped back, and his eyes glided to his brother's face. He nodded, a silent promise he would do his best, hoping they were not going to tangle with the bulls either. Marsh seemed keen on checking other options, and Triell tried to relax in his brief departure. He had not hunted such huge beasts, but wasn't entirely fearful. They were only big deer right? The chestnut male returned he directed to their attention to three females who were slightly apart from the main herd. Sharp eyes he studied each one noting the one who appeared to be the weakest, more easy target the small cow. Yet, somehow he knew this would be anything but easy. A quick breath not to let his head get all muddled he followed keeping his movements fluid.

When they stopped he made a good point to look around the area for any potential problems ,and seeked Ruiko's face wondering what he thought of the hunt. Marsh was once more giving a signal, and Triell couldn't quite hide the surprise on his face. He was going to ambush with Ruiko? <i>Oh boy.</i> His heart felt heavy, but if Marsh thought he was ready for this he could be right? Ruiko by his side helped put his mind at ease, and he watched the silver figure of Volkan disappear with Marsh. Hopefully in this hunt everyone would be left unscathed, but his gut was in a knot of a mixture of both anticipation, and fear.His orange tinted eyes went to Ruiko letting him be the one to show they were ready. Then he stood holding his breath, counting the seconds, watching for the blond and brown mass to dart their way.

His muscles were tight beneath his black hide, and though he heard the rumble of hooves he stood very still as he ever had in his life. He was paying attention from the corner of his eye to his brother's own body langague anticipating when they should move. When the smaller cow came into view he didn't think, or hesitate he launched himself at her shoulder, sinking his teeth into her flesh, and gripping with all the force he could muster.</blockquote>

are you with me through it all?

At Marsh’s huff, the tawny wolf followed after the pack Second, attempting to ignore the worried hesitation he felt for the two youths that traveled with were to hunt such large prey. The clash of rutting bulls did little to ease his worry, yet the regal male kept the façade of a stoical mask carefully upon his features, not wishing to worry either Triell or Volkan.

The lead hunter signaled for the two other males to stay, and as Marsh indicated for Volkan to follow, Ruiko allowed a small glance to the she-wolf before watching her do so – this was not what he had envisioned their temporary stay to be; orders he and his would take easily, but discomfort was never something he had imagined that would be put upon them the way Marsh had earlier to the youthful girl. Still, the peppered female seemed fine as she trailed after the Second, and Ruiko waited in stony silence for the hunt to unfold.

A nod given to Marsh, who was barely in his line of vision now and the wolf leapt forward with fierce determination. His side pressed lightly to Triell for only a split second, having felt the boy’s gaze upon him in an attempt to reveal to the dark youth that he believed fully he was ready for such a hunt; if he was not, Indru would have both Marsh and his head for certain.

Two cows came their way – an unexpected turn of events. Ignoring the larger one, the tawny male silent praised Volkan and Triell who instantly zoned into the weaker of their prey, as was custom for their safety and success. With a sideways leap to avoid the bigger and panicked prey, the male was fast upon Triell’s heels, keeping slightly behind him to ensure he could keep careful watch for any danger that might charge the yearling. As the dark wolf came to contact with the cow’s shoulder, Ruiko cast to the other side of their target, his own fangs ripping up to meet the flesh of its tender side the opposite of his brother.