Blackberry Fields Hunt Opportunity - West RL - Elk

ooc: not reflecting on orken's movements to allow sagacity/chulyin to take the lead, if that's okay. Gent had trailed at an almost lackadaisical distance behind Chulyin, bored with a lack of results and dispirited by the failure of their latest hunting attempt. He had been considering turning south as Chulyin drifted farther west, remembering the wolves he'd run into past the fields and thinking it best to avoid them for now. Especially when he had noticed their presence at the clusterfuck that was the initial elk's appearance, moments before the storm hit. He wondered what they remembered of him, of the opportunity they had seized together at the start of this harsh winter. Gent however, was not given the option to avoid discovering this. Within moments, his paragon's voiced lifted up above the surroundings to call out to him and the rest of their family; prey had been found. Delayed slightly, Gent joined the few gathered hollow-hearted wolves, missing Sagacity's spoken words but still willing to follow suit behind her. He had more than enough faith in her to win them this meal with strategy, even as he scented a few foreign wolves at the opposite edge of the fields. Gent was given reason to pause as he recognized one of the scents, and his thoughts kicked onto a different track as he realized the odds involved in the situation. It was a forked road moment, he realized, as there were two options before him; fight only for his pack, or repay the favor that had been gifted to him so long ago. "They allowed me to hunt with them in the past," he whispered to Sagacity, but said nothing more. It would be up to her to decide the answer to this moral question for him.

(This post was last modified: Mar 09, 2014, 08:43 PM by Gent.)

The wolves prowled forward and finally, once they were fast upon tracks it had left behind at some point earlier in the day, she felt more assured. They moved together toward the elk, but rather than simply charging, they moved as a unit closing the distance without wasting energy. She slowed slightly when she heard another wolf coming toward them, and recognized the scent as Gent's just before the male came into view. She growled softly to him in greeting, a fond sound to show she was glad to have him among them. He, like Chulyin, was a powerhouse- she and Evann were smaller and were built for speed, but did not have the body mass to use against an elk. Their purpose was to herd the prey and worry or injure it, distract it enough so one of the larger wolves could go in for the kill. Elk were dangerous, they'd need as much power as they could manage- but would the four of them be enough?

Sagacity hadn't realized that others were in the area until Gent mentioned them. She drew in a deep breath, coughed and snorted, and tried again to breathe in through her nose and finally found the trace of a scent on the wind- and it was a scent she recognized. She looked at Gent, who offered this information as a sort of hunting strategy. She squinted and could pick out the figures of two wolves in the woodlands, one of which she knew, immediately, was Iopah. There were only two of them, which immediately put Gent's idea in Sagacity's favour- worse come to worse, if they did bring the elk down together, the two of them would have an incredibly tough time chasing away the four Hollowheart Keep wolves. She looked at Chulyin and nodded, waiting to hear his input. They could always chase the two wolves off after the hunt was over, if necessary...

Same as Cadence. Not aknowledging the elk yet. Hope thats okay :)

Words came forth from @Iopah's maw, and his ears pricked forward to not miss a word. Glancing at the large elk, he had to concede with her. It was a suicide mission with just the two of them. But with four more? He looked at the four wolves in the distance. "Your right, Iopah," he conceded. Watching her take three steps forward, he didn't hesitate into following her. Taking charge of the situation, he flicked his tail for Iopah to accompany him as he walked in front of her. As second, he felt it was his responsibility to proposition the wolves and play it out diplomatically since their leaders weren't there.

With hopefully Iopah trailing beside him, he moved in a slight jog. He didn't want to scare the elk off if he went into a full out run, nor give the strange pack the wrong message. Stopping a few feet away from the four wolves at what he deemed a respectable distance for an act such as this, Miccah glanced at Iopah before turning back to the wolves in front of him."We have a proposition," he stated in his soft baritone, his eyes locking with each wolf, nodding at them in greeting as a group. Everything about him screamed neutral, for these were not his pack lands. From his limp tail, to the way he had addressed them. Miccah didn't fidget as he stood at his full height abd waited for someone to step up, his quiet confidence boosting him mentally. This was the first time he did this, but he would make sure they didnn't know that. He didn't want to seem like someone they could easily walk all over so they could get their way. He wasn't. Still, he patiently waited for one of the wolves to step up, to see who was the true leader of these band of four.

Dun dun dun!

He recognized the call immediately and lowered his leg despite urinating in mid stream to listen to the call. It was Miccah calling to the rest of the pack about food, glorious food, and Koda decided he could finish marking the territory later in the night, after he'd had the taste of flesh on his tongue. Shaking powdered snow from his coat, he began the trek toward his pack members in a slow trot before increasing his speed into an all out run; cold air filling his large lungs.

Within moments he was upon the scene, snow covered his legs up to his elbows but he was hardly tired as the look of hunger covered his features, golden colored eyes locking first on the presence of the elk. It was huge, almost as large as the one that had gotten away previously, but this one was brave with its armor of antler and fat reserves covering its body with bulk. This beast was healthy and would be a fine treat in feeding most if not all of Secret Woods.

Casting away his feasting eyes, he witnessed the lingering bodies of Hollowheart Keep wolves in attendance, "Typical," he muttered, shaking his head at the masses of their neighbors that had come to the call. They were out numbered, only Miccah, himself and Iopah stood to represent their pack, it was pitiful seeing as they could do nothing to bring down an adult elk with three wolves and even less with a greedy neighboring pack in the area. They needed a plan.

He approached his pack mates with a nod, seeing as he was the lowest it surprised him that the others who pledged their loyalty hadn't come forward yet but he would bite his tongue, this was not his duty as this was not his pack. It would do well if the leaders showed up soon, they needed to ideas and Koda was not foolish enough to stick his neck out and command so many others above him. Glancing toward Iopah, their hunter, he waited for her call, before casting his attention to Miccah, their male Beta who had best have a plan with their alpha male absent. His patience, and thirst for meat was growing thin, he wanted to eat already, didn't everyone else?

Her answer was Miccah surging into the field with her. She grinned, pleased that he was either hungry or crazy enough to go along with her idea. Eagerly she kept pace with him, immediately relinquishing the lead as pushed ahead of her. She didn't know his reason for wanting to lead, she was older and more experienced. Maybe chivalry wasn't dead. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. The questioning was barely a glancing thought. Even if she had truly wanted to lead them, she couldn't attempt to take it now. They were being watched. Iopah looked across the narrowing distance at the Keep wolves, sure every movement she made was being followed by several pairs of eyes. They needed to give the impression of a seamless front. Any disagreement they showed would be seen as weakness. Another joined them and Iopah felt only relief at Koda's approach. They had hunted together before, his presence was greatly needed and appreciated.

They came to a stop and Miccah took the initiative. While he spoke Iopah looked over her shoulder for the man of the hour. Her ear twisted elegantly to listen while she searched for the elk. He was still prancing, seemingly full of himself. The conversation stilled and Iopah continued watching. The elk changed direction and Iopah quickly inserted herself into the stalled negotiation. They were running out of time.

"Equal effort from all and in exchange everyone can fill their bellies. This changes nothing between our packs." Iopah's gaze was firm. She didn't care for politics and she was no negotiator. But Secret Woodland wolves were not going to take the brunt of the risk, while the Keep wolves skulked out of range of the danger. If these wolves didn't want help that was fine. "Make your decision soon, we're all running out of time standing around." The elk was coming and Iopah wasn't going to be waiting around when he finally showed up.

[[Sorry this is crap </3]]

everything that kills me makes me feel alive

Karpos observed as another pack approached, his eyes lighting up with an aggressive protectiveness. It seemed so strange but they offered that they share the food and he turned to Sagacity. It was her call and while Karpos liked the idea he could not speak for the pack. Well, her or Chuylin were to make the call since neither Naira or Mapplethorpe were present. Karp wondered where Aponi was too, she had gone missing after the last hunt and Karpos had been worried sick for her. Mercy had disappeared too and Karp could only hope that they were together and trying to find their way back home. Karp intended to get permission to go and find them, probably with the help of an adult like Chuylin or Gent.

He just wanted them found and back home. Their home. After everything it still sounded strange and foreign to him like he still couldn't believe it.

He had to get his mind back on the actual hunt. He had to if they were to succeed. He thought he smelled the scent of elk grow stronger. That was ridiculous, elk always ran from wolves, never at wolves. At least, that was how it worked as far as he knew. Karp opened his mouth like he was going to suggest something or bring up the topic but he stopped and clamped it shut. It was not his place to say anything and he shouldn't speak unless absolutely necessary. Tace. Tace. Tace. Race. He reminded himself of his first hunt with the Hollowheart Keep wolves.

This is the start of the fourth round. WOLVES MAY NOT JOIN THIS THREAD AT THIS POINT. The next round will begin on 3/13/14 on 5:30 EST

Now, where could those pesky wolves be?

The only guide he had to go on where his intuitions and the his best guess as to where that howl in the forest had come from. As he neared the forest, though, where they were hiding became very clear. There were so many of them that their stench was as strong as a rotting corpse. He screeched to a halt beside a cedar tree, holding himself as still as he could as he turned his ears about. The voices he heard were completely indistinct, but they were the unmistakable, whining tones of wolves. Orken snorted. He would be upon them soon. Trusting his nose to lead him, Orken began his charge in earnest this time. Nimbly he darted through the trees, occasionally leaping over the gnarled bushes that had grown over the long since forgotten deer trails.

Within seconds he was upon them. It was a smaller collection than he had thought, just a ragtag band of three skeletal wolves. Shouldn't there have been more? The bull shoved the thought aside, he could — and surely would — worry about that later. Once more, he arose onto his hide legs, his forelegs churning in the air as he bugled. It sounded like a little girl's scream mixed with a nails grating a chalk board. Surely it would drive fear into their hearts. Blindly, Orken lunged at the closest wolf (@Koda), thrusting his 8-tine antlers downwards so as to spear his victim.

Orken is now attacking Koda. The HK wolves are assumed to be somewhere else, tracking. The SW wolves will be unsuccessful in taking Orken down without at least another wolf to help them -- keeping in mind now that no more wolves may join this thread.

Iopah thought they had more time. The elk had gone quiet and Iopah was still focused on the Keep wolves. They had yet to make a decision. But, surely, they would have been driven away by now if the answer was no... right? She was unprepared for the elks arrival. To her left a branch snapped. The sound a sharp crack in the frosty air. Idly, she glanced over, still not aware of the danger. The elk rose up then, announcing the immediacy of the danger with a scream.

She should be running. The bull was coming and Iopah knew exactly what was going to happen when he got to them. An image of blood dripping off fur to seep into her muddy footprints came to her. She couldn't move. Fixed by the sight of 600 pounds of death hurtling towards her. She could see moisture on his lower lip. Irony had her frozen in place. An elk had taken his life over three years ago. It seemed fitting she would be reunited with him in the same way. She was waiting.

Fate had a good laugh over what happened next.

Iopah was stunned, confused as the tines began to close down on Koda. As Orken turned away from her, the paralysis that had gripped her was suddenly broken. She scrambled away, desperate to find purchase in the soft, powdery snow. Fury rose up in her and she wanted to scream like the elk had moments ago. The elk had already taken so much from her. No more. As she whirled around, she caught sight of the Keep wolves. Her gaze locked with that of Sagacity's. If they were going to act, now was the time. Then she was springing at the hindquarters of the elk. Lunging with the intent to quickly bite and release. No sense in keeping a grip anyways. Orken could fling her 86 pounds around like a handkerchief.

If she could turn Orken's attention for even a second, it would help Koda escape. After that... it depended on how many wolves stepped forward. One thing was for sure, if she turned around to find herself unaided she going to feel rather foolish.

Miccah was glad when Iopah stepped up and spoke in the silence that had formed when he had brought up his propisition and briefly brushed his tail against her's in a sign of thanks. It didn't take long for him to take in the familair scent of a pack mate, Koda, his alpha's ex mate. A nod in greeting was all the man recieved, for though they had a rocky beginning, it seemed the man was pulling his weight so far. When still no answer came from the strange wolves, a flicker of irritation showed in his eyes. This was no time to be idle. It seemed just as he thought that, he heard the thunder of hooves. Turning, his blue orbs layed on the elk. Bulky and healthy, the beast was running directly towards them. Fear for not only himself but his fellow pack mates shot through his heart. His eyes flickered to Iopah, who seemed frozen for a moment but then burst into action. His eyes shot over to the elk once again, and saw it running. But not toward him or Iopah, but to Koda. The elk's antlers seemed to gleam in a deadly manner, and as it lowered it's head, realizatiom struck Miccah hard.

"No!," he roared. This was his pack mate, Miccah didn't want to see him hurt. He didn't want to see any of his pack mates get hurt. Before he could even think it through, he was running full speed towards Koda. The man was of large build, but Miccah more so. Using his momentum and his natural brawn, Miccah barreled into Koda. Hopefully with enough force to shove him out of harm's way. Now facing danger himself, Miccah tried to regain his footing and move away from the elk's vicious antlers. Because it would surely hurt like a bitch if he got speared with one of those, no question about it.

(This post was last modified: Mar 13, 2014, 01:44 PM by Miccah.)

He'd forgotten about the company of Hollowheart Keep, and at their distance they seemed to have forgotten about those of Secret Woods--awe well, it left for more food for them, although it would take pure luck for three wolves to pull this elk down. Contemplating while he waited, his attention back on those of his pack, he turned only when he heard the unmistakable thunder of hooves and the warning sound from their prey. He was going to attack them, attempting to drive them away from him and deter their need to hunt, and he was running toward them fast.

It wasn't long, a few seconds or more, before the fully grown elk was upon the lingering wolves with his head crown bend in defense, he stood so close to the creature that he could almost make out the grooves in its head piece; reacting with instinct, he attempted to dodge the approaching beast. His movements were intercepted by Miccah, who had used his own bulk to push Koda some inches away from the antlers at a safe distance before it was too late. Only perfect timing had saved him from injury but he couldn't calm his rapidly beating heart, he was so close to the unknown that it shook him at first. The thought that death, or injury had come so close to him was unbelievable but after a short moment this emotion turned from shock into something more carnivorous; he was red with fury.

Witnessing Iopah near the elk's rear, biting and nipping to distract it's attention upon herself in an effort to keep Koda from harms way, he joined her only when he had escaped the danger himself, by a hair, and turned on the kill with intensity. A growl erupted from his mouth as he leaped toward the rump of the kill aiming to grasp onto loose skin and bring this beast down. He wanted meat, he wanted to keep Iopah and Miccah from hairs length as well, and more than anything, he wanted revenge--this elk would pay in bruises if they could not successfully bring it down to eat.

"Die you stupid beast!" he spoke as his mouth opened wide and he aimed endlessly toward the creatures rump to use his bulk and bring him down.

(This post was last modified: Mar 13, 2014, 03:07 PM by Koda.)

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.