Bramble Falls If Only, If Only

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. It seemed that the notion of a hunt appealed to Jess, for she hopped forward and barreled playfully into him - he hadn't been prepared though, and braced himself with a yelp. Melodia took her leave, and Ice's face fell slightly, but they'd make do without her. Two was enough to hunt small deer, and with it still being summer, most had young ones. And they were certainly smaller. Still, it was sad to loose the wolf. She'd seemed a happy sort, and about as weird as he was, so he wouldn't have minded having her around. Life was full of losses and he'd learned to not get too attached, so he just shrugged it off and turned to Jess, resting his muzzle against hers for a moment. "Not rabbits," was out of his mouth before he realized it, and he gave her a sheepish grin. As a loner he'd survived on lemmings and other small arctic animals, but rabbits, they eluded him. It was a surefire thing, they just sent him running in circles or into trees or.. other things. Fortunately they weren't fond of crossing streams so he was spared that, but he might've preferred traipsing through a river to tripping over his own paws. Motioning with his head for her to follow he started to travel down the beaten path towards the lower grounds. More prey resided in the Wildwood itself than up here, and if they just kept their noses alert they'd come across a trail sooner or later. "I prefer to hunt deer, actually," he told her, keeping his head low and tail high, swaying gently behind him. While they weren't tracking anything yet he didn't want to miss a likely trail, so he kept his attention on what he was doing. It made him ramble less, but he could still converse. "I'm not very good at smaller prey, and I don't think we should try for something larger with only the two of us. A shame that Melodia wasn't interested," he said, turning his head to give her a small smile. So far, he was liking her a lot more than her sister, but it was true that Cali had shaped up a lot since joining Swift River. She'd grown bolder, better, and didn't speak all backwards anymore - at least not around him. Perhaps she'd learned to say what was on her mind instead of fawn at the leaders. At least Ice preferred a wolf with a bit of go in it, instead of someone who wanted only to please; they did not live for themselves, but for others. Ice wouldn't mind giving his life for the pack, but while he still drew breath, what he did was of his own desires and decisions. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/JessieTable.png); background-position:bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 290px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px;">When Ice spoke to her, a large smile made its way onto her face. This pack mate of hers seemed to be right up her alley. He didn’t ask too many questions and did not beat around the bush like others seemed to do so much. He did tend to ramble too much, but it wasn’t something Jessie minded. She tended to ramble too much at times as well. When the white male’s muzzle reached out to touch hers briefly she licked his cheek affectionately with a small smile. Hopefully, the two of them would definitely find something to catch sooner or later. When her pack mate started moving so did she. Tracking was something that had been drilled into her at a young age. She was born to track and hunt. Her ears were soon twitching with the knowledge she was getting about the other wolf, and she felt welcomed enough. Much more welcomed then she had when she had been introduced to Marsh. She hadn’t wanted to see queer in front of her. Her maw soon opened and satisfaction filled her voice, “I am sure we will get along fine then, considering your hunting choices.”

There was a slight tease in Jessie’s voice, making it obvious that she was joking about it just being his hunting choices that she liked about him. More conversation was going to have to wait with Jessie though, her task was to find a trail so that the two of them could find something to possibly bring back to Corinna and Indru’s children. Her head was close to the ground and her tail was wagging slightly behind her as her nose worked for any scent trails. And it seemed that today the winds would be going for them. It wasn’t much. . .but with a slight twitch of her nose, her body lurched forward, the slight scent of deer was blowing towards her and two more paw steps forward brought her to a stop. She soon looked back towards Ice, giving him a questioning look. Was he ready for a hunt?

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. He chuckled; sharing a taste in dinner certainly made pack life easier. How would it be, if every member of the pack wanted to hunt nothing but a single species? It'd be a good recipe for chaos and starvation. Smiling to himself, Ice's tail began to wag when Jess fell in beside him. He was a Guardian - he was large, decent at fighting, protective, and mildly stupid at times. He could track, but when it came to hunts, he was more brawn than brains. He pushed, he herded, but he didn't plan the thing. And so, he was actually content to let Jess take a measure of control over the situation, following her and smelling both ground and wind. Eventually, it blew deer toward them, and Ice's absentminded smile widened into a predatory grin. His pack mate scrambled forward and then stopped. Ice did too, silver head tilted to the side, and when their eyes met he nodded. Of course he was ready. On large but silent paws Ice drifted forward, concentration stilling his tail's movements and darkening his eyes somewhat. He stepped carefully, avoiding things that made noise; dry twigs and rustling grasses, skirting around them instead. His nose was twitching, drinking in what the breeze told him. He lost himself in the simple task of tracking, falling into the hunting mindset, and with his eyes on the horizon he went - side by side, sometimes close, sometimes apart, sometimes one drifting forward or falling behind for a moment. They were ghosts in the forest. Eventually the forest opened up to a small clearing, and while still a good distance away from it he paused, sidling past a tree to get a better view. He relied on scent more than sight, and had stopped quite far away, not wanting to scare their dinner off. Unless his nose had become all messed up, a few white-tailed deer mothers and their young were busy grazing or resting in the glade. It was ideal for hunting, and he could only hope one of them had an old injury or somesuch to slow it down. Grinning in the shadows, he turned to Jessie. He gave her the chance to take the lead, partly to test her, but mostly because he was sure to botch it otherwise. Behind him, his tail stirred in excitement, but he made no sound, not wanting to give their position away. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/JessieTable.png); background-position:bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 290px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px;">Her own tail wagged in excitement at the older man’s answer and soon the two were once again in the mode of things. Jessie didn’t even have to think about what she was doing, she automatically did it. Dodging any leaves and branches on the ground and following the scent trails carefully. It was as if she were hunting with Brenton once again, the two of them in sync, no need for her to pay any attention to him at the moment and no need for him to pay any attention to her. They were on a hunt. . .but Jessie knew she had to remind herself distinctly that this was Ice she was hunting with, not her old friend. . .and instead to put one eighth of her concentration on the silver male. And soon the two of them were in front of a large herd and the gray girl’s eyes scanned the area with shining emerald eyes quietly.

Her eyes evaluated each one of the deer. . .their scent washing over her nostrils in a luring manner. Her tail wagged slowly in excitement as her eyes took in one of the mothers. One of her legs was twisted awkwardly, an easy sign that she would have a problem running. She was royally satisfied with this information. Her tail wagged comfortably and a small nudge to Ice’s shoulder got her moving. Her muzzle then jutted out towards the injured mother in question to see if it was too big or not. She didn’t want to go after an animal that was too big for the both of them to handle. . .even if it was injured.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. They stood there, watching, waiting, and Ice spotted the injured deer, too. It was moving, and whatever injury it had had had obviously healed, long enough for it to be used to moving in such a fashion. But, the fact remained that she would be fatally slower than the rest of her herd, but that suited the two hunters just fine. Jessie was a small wolf, but she looked slender enough, with strong, clean legs. She'd be fast, and hopefully able to keep up the speed for a longer period of time. Ice, on the other hand, wasn't so fast, but strong. If he could just catch up with the deer, and avoid being kicked in the head, he would have no problems bringing it down. His partner had begun to drift forward again, nudging his shoulder in passing, and he trailed her gaze, knowing that she pointed at the injured mother. In silence he nodded, slipping through the sun-dappled foliage. She would have to startle the herd into motion, for he would likely have to rely far too much on luck if he wanted to catch up with their target from behind, while he guessed she'd have a chance of actually doing it. They were far too few to circle around the entire herd and hem the individual in, so they'd have to do a hit and run. Either they caught her, or she got away. Leaving her behind, he drifted off to their right, keeping downwind of the herd so as to not give them away. He hoped Jessie would go the other way and send the herd running, so Ice could barrel in from the side and separate their target. Quietly he slunk through the shadows, tail still now that focus had overcome him completely. Instincts pushed his bouncy mind aside, and he was nothing but a gray shadow moving swiftly across the earth. The only thing which broke his stride was a brook, which he took a small leap over, before continuing to advance on the animals, waiting for them to scatter when Jessie made herself known. .ice aesir

That's the first time I've had to put three "had"s in a row xD

let the stars above shine in your soul

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/JessieTable.png); background-position:bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 290px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px;">When she received a nod of affirmative, Jessie was pleased with her choice, though it was not time to dwell on her own thoughts. Ice was already making his way towards where his spot was going to be at and it was time for Jess to take up her own position. Her paws started to move rapidly on the forest floor, as silent as a deadly cheetah, until she made her way towards a large shadowed area. Her plan was formulated in her head accordingly as she stepped silently into the shadows. It breath was calm and even as her paw steps came closer and closer to the small light that would shine through the trees. Only when her paw finally emerged in the light did she know Ice was ready and a vicious snarl erupted from her mouth. Her body lurched forward, glad to see that chaos was now in session.

Her eyes zoned in on her prey and her body once again chased after it. Unfortunately others were around it, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. Her jaws snapped from both sides, trying to get the other deer away from their prey so it would be easier for Ice to have access to the female doe. She could only hope the others would filter away as her pace quickened slightly to catch up with the female. It wasn’t that hard considering the doe’s condition and she was soon sapping her jaws at the female’s side determined to slow her down somehow and get her to lose some blood. Emerald eyes flashed on the female’s side, her goal solely set on that.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. He found a likely spot, but didn't grow still; he paced slightly, shifted his weight from paw to paw, moved silently around to get a better view of the herd. He waited, blood thrumming through his veins like thunder. He did not know where Jessie was, he simply had to trust that she knew what she was doing, and would appear from someplace logical. He wasn't worried, though. She was in a good shape, which indicated some hunting abilities - unlike the skin-and-bones loner he'd met before the snows came... Air slipped in and out of his jaws, adrenaline heightening his senses and sharpening his reflexes. Soon. Anticipation thrummed in the air, his nerves running like fire under his skin, itching, burning, wanting. He did not have to wait long. A flash of black-splashed silver broke from the cover of the trees, and it was beautiful, how quickly the herd picked up its hooves and scampered off through the forest. Trees would swallow them, hopefully slow them, unless more glades came into their ways. Ice spared little time on being amazed, but was off as soon as the first deer drew level with his position. The sudden appearance caused the herd to veer to the left, away from him, and he hoped Jessie would brace herself for it, and go on the left side of their target, thus trapping it between them, driving it straight... and driving it to become alone. He didn't stop to look, though, just let his paws thunder across the uneven ground, blunt claws gripping the soft loam as he charged. Muscles rippled under his skin as he built up his speed, drawing closer to the limping doe and the snapping wolf. A ragged growl escaped his mouth as he intercepted them. He could probably keep pace with the injured animal for a longer time than he would be able to with a healthy one, but he didn't want to waste time. Teeth snapped for the running hocks as he tried to trip it up; one eye always on the terrain, so he wouldn't go flying over something and land on his face. One snap landed true. The doe stumbled mid-step but regained her footing - obviously unwounded, just a little blood leaking from nipped skin, and as he continued his assault of her hindquarters he hoped the little slip had given Jessie an opening to inflict more damage. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/JessieTable.png); background-position:bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 290px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px;">Her paws seemed to dance across the ground as she ran, her eyes zoned in on the animal. All thoughts of Ice were out of her mind while she was on the animal. Her pace remained even with its own, no work being thrown into it, besides the small nips to the doe’s side as she ran. Hopefully, soon, the animal’s pace would fall to the point so that her pack mate would be able to take charge. Luck only seemed to be on their side when the deer finally stumbled. And that was when Jessie took her cue. She quickly reared back on her hind legs and jumped towards the animals neck, her jaws attaching themselves quickly to its throat and clamping down as hard as she could. Not enough time to kill it, but to slow it down and make it lose blood.

Due to her tiny form, she had to drop off soon before she would fall off. And it seemed to be the perfecting timing as well, for the female deer soon regained its footing and was on the run again. Jessie’s heart beat increased considerably at the fact that their prey had slowed down. It should have been enough for Ice to catch up, but just in case Jessie’s pursue on their prey did not wavier. Her pace remained the same and her jaws kept reaching out in attempts to get the female to fall over on her side, giving Ice the perfect opportunity to go for the kill. But that was only if she could get the opening to do so.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Being on the other side of the deer, he couldn't tell what she was doing, but the sharp scent of blood assailed his nose, a thin rivulet of red staining its neck now. With renewed energy he forced his legs to pump, paws sending him flying across the ground, and with a panted growl he flung himself at their prey. Ice was thickly built with much muscle padding his skeleton and organs, and more effective at bowling animals over than catching up with them. He wasn't afraid of bruises, nor of pain; in a moment of madness his jaws latched onto her front leg, locking down around the fragile bone. The movement was jarring as she struggled to get free, and several times it felt like she'd tear the teeth out of his mouth, but he pressed on. Hopefully momentum would carry Jessie clear of it as it stumbled again, one leg trapped in the vice of Ice's jaws. He let go as she fell down, nearly on top of him, but without even a customary yelp he zoned in on her again, not wanting to give her the chance to get up. Somehow he'd switched sides in the fray, slipping under her head when she fell - he'd be on the same side as Jessie now, the side of the flailing hooves as she prepared to get up again. Ice wasn't about to let her. He had to remain near her head, where she couldn't reach with her pumping hindquarters, but he didn't want to stumble over Jessie or get in her way. Without any shred of mercy he skipped around her flailing head and grabbed her by the nape, bracing against the leg and pulling her head backwards. He was trying to expose more of the throat for Jess to go for the kill, while at the same time hoping to keep her grounded. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/JessieTable.png); background-position:bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 290px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px;">Her fangs remained snapping at the beast before them, her eyes ablaze with happiness. It felt good to be hunting something again, mainly with a pack mate, she honestly couldn’t complain about that. It seemed as though Ice had been doing his job, and she soon heard a snap, not one that was of the neck, and Jessie once again had a flash of how Sloane had tried to take down the last yearling they had killed. Her tail flicked in slight annoyance and worry for Ice, but otherwise backed up from the animal while keeping pace with the two. Her eyes watched each movements closely while her muscles bunched beneath her pelt.

For not being a good hunter, Ice sure seemed to know what he was doing. When the animal finally fell Jessie made her way forward. Her silver pack mate was giving her the perfect opening to finish the job, and that was exactly what she needed. Her paws brought her quickly in front of the animal and her jaws snapped down harshly on the animals neck. She did not let go, but her strength was not as high as others. With an annoyed growl she snapped once more, until finally she turned to Ice, “Use your strength to snap its neck! Quickly!”