Blackberry Fields Hunt Opportunity - West RL - Elk

Though the beast was great and mighty, the combined weight of the wolves was too much for him. She felt her teeth sink through Orken's dense, coarse coat and find their mark embedded into his skin. Under Orken's belly she could see cream legs- and knew that Iopah had resumed her attack on the flank opposite Sagacity. She felt a brush of fur and heard Evann's snarl close at hand, close enough to know that she, too, had had enough of snapping and nipping and had clamped down on Orken's hide. A gut-wrenching sound signalled what would be their inevitable victory; and as fur and skin pulled loose, the beast sank to the ground. Sagacity was a starved, ruthless animal, and she did not waste any time.

She did not care who ate alongside her- any who came too close were snarled at and got a snap from her bloodied teeth, but Sagacity claimed her right to eat fiercely and quickly. Her proximity to the elk as it fell afforded her a good choice of placement, as far as choosing meat was concerned. Like a gluttonous hound she dined on the beast's meat, wolfing down her share which- given the amount of elk there was to eat, was enough to restore a great deal of her health. She wasn't aware of Karpos lingering not far away, or of what Gent, Chulyin or Evann were doing- she wasn't even entire cognizant of the wolves from the other pack. As long as none of them got too close, she was content to enjoy the meal in peace.

The beast was finally dead. He watched hungrily as his pack mates and the strange wolves worked together to bring him down. The elk would be enough for all of them and then some. But they would have to discuss that as soon as they had some food in their bellies. Miccah couldn't even remember the last time he saw such a feast in front of his eyes. As one of the woman from the other pack clambered in for her rightful piece, Miccah glanced behind her and saw a growing boy. A pup who was close to reaching the years of adulthood. The boy looked like he was waiting for something as he laid in the snow, and Miccah nodded encouragely in his direction for the boy (@Karpos) to come and eat. Turning to his pack mates, the man wagged his tail to @Iopah and @Koda, encouraging them to take in their fill for all their hard work.

But right now, all he could think about as he turned his attention back on the deceased elk was that he would no longer feel that pang of hunger in his stomach. At least for a little while. Stepping forward, his gaze turned blood crazy as his maw finally met the elk's meat. He was chewing off more than he could swallow, but it was just too good of a chance tonlet up. This undoubtedly would.make him feel way better when he once again had a full stomach. Something he hadn't had in a long while. Now, not even caring about the strange wolves present, Miccah continued to eat his share.

"speech"

Her teeth deep Orken's hide, Iopah felt the bull's attempt to shift. A growl was muffled by coarse oily hair, an instinctive response to the prey's movement. Orken had recognized the danger. He twisted back in her direction and Iopah could smell his fear. She growled again, a pleased hum to those that understood it's cause. There was a sound of tearing flesh and everything was finished.

The feast began immediately. Iopah did not wait for Miccah's encouragement, she hadn't even seen it. In the face of so much food, there was no thought of anything else. Iopah hunched herself close to the elk and began eating. Sharp, bloodied teeth tugged back in a warning to any that tried to shoulder her out of the way. Even Karpos could have approached and, so long as he kept to himself, Iopah wouldn't care.

Distantly she knew this wouldn't last last; Soon every one's belly would fill. There was more elk here than the present wolves could eat. Leftover were inevitable. There were two packs at this kill and a discussion of some sort would follow. Iopah still had no intention of begrudging the Keep wolves of a portion when everyone finished. But she would still fight for a fair portion for her own family. Her own stomach starting to fill, Iopah subtly shifted toward the joint of the right leg that she had been eating. Working her powerful jaws through bone and connective tissue. Orken was far to large to drag back whole.

Gent felt something in him light on fire as his teeth sunk deep and skin slipped from meat. Steam curled around his maw and danced before his frenzied eyes as the elk was torn open, entrails spilling while heart and other muscles failed him. At last, they had it; a victory. He instantly began sawing off chunks and gulping them down with the others, oblivious as they were, only riled when one leaned too close to him. A snap of his blood-saturated teeth would solve it, before he was back to the meal. In such haste, his stomach filled up quickly, and he continued until it begged him to stop. Dripping now with bodily fluids, his mind slowly began to clear and he was able to think about those other than himself. Deliberately, Gent worked a notable chunk of meat loose from the carcass, and carried it a few paces away from the kill site in the direction toward the familiar foreign pack. Depositing it in the snow, he looked up, hoping to catch @Iopah 's eye but satisfied with merely being heard. "I want you to take this to @Danica for me. From Gent." A request, though he wouldn't state it as such. While they stood on neutral ground, Hollowheart Keep still retained the upper hand in numbers and Gent wished to maintain the visibility of this fact should things turn sour when it came time to divvy up the spoils. Though, so long as Danica got her share, and the gift had his name attached to it, he didn't much care where the rest of the meat went; he'd had his share.

Last rounded ended on March 19. As it is March 20, the next one will end on March 22ish?

Sagacity was more or less oblivious to the other wolves as they ate. After a while, she didn't mind if someone's elbow touched hers, or if someone shifted their haunches closer to hers, or if someone else was chewing through the sinew attached to the meat she was eating. She was eating and that was the most important thing. She ate until her stomach was full and felt as though it was fit to burst. She felt herself become warmer and more content as she ate, and though her stomach protested at first, it willingly expanded to allow her to consume more. Once she had eaten her fill, she immediately began to gnaw and chew still, but rather than swallowing the meat down, she began sawing through it to separate a hind leg. Iopah had already begun to rip and tear through the muscle and bone of one of the hind legs, so Sagacity lay claim to the other. Haunches had a sizeable portion of meat attached to them, and she simply assumed that it would be agreed that each pack would take one hind leg.

She kept an eye on the others now, though, and bristled slightly. It was fairly clear that she and Iopah were each working away at one of the hind legs. She saw Gent tear off meat and, to her surprise, rather than taking it away as his own, he took it to Iopah. She paused for a second and licked her lips as she listened to his request. She stared at him in disbelief, before she continued to work away at freeing her hind leg, which she'd nearly done. Her jaws ached from chewing, but it was a good ache; and her neck was still strong enough to help her rip and pull. So Gent was a softie- and he had someone he wanted Iopah to take care of. She felt herself smiling slightly, wondering who this wolf was, but the smile was replaced by a grimace as she took hold of the hip bone, gripped it and tugged back and forth until it let go with a popping noise.

All that was left to do was pull through the skin and sinew which wasn't terribly hard to do. Once free, she pulled the leg back and away from the kill, and stood over it protectively. With her hackles bristled and eyes still fierce, she felt she'd asserted herself enough to show that she'd fight anyone off who tried to take this from her. And with her possession claimed, she looked to Iopah who she still considered to be the leader of the group- even if only because she was the only one Sagacity recognized. "Good hunt," She said, though not to anyone in particular, and licked her bloodstained lips. She glanced to Karpos who was skulking off in the distance, and gestured toward the rest of the carcass. If the others would let him feed, then he could feed. She had a meal to deliver to Naira. "I'm Sage," She said, this time directly to Iopah. She still wasn't incredibly willing to give more information than that, but she would no doubt relay information of this hunt and their potential allies to Naira. All she knew was that the female was from a pack near the Thicket- though she knew now she could probably glean more information from Gent. Sage was prepared to take her leave- once she'd received some sort of acknowledgement from Iopah or the other wolves from the other pack.

Tonight we dine like kings! As the beast drew his last breath and collapsed to the ground, Evann let go her hold on his shoulder, standing back on stiff legs as her eyes watched the blood spill from his torn stomach, dying the snow red. Her stomach was twisting, begging her to fill it, the hunger so strong it made her nauseous. But she held back. Ears pressed back flat against her skull, the brown girl watched as the other hunters took their part of the kill, head spinning lightly; ...So hungry... The thought floated through her head, seeming so very distant. She wanted to eat, but she also didn't want to overstep her position. Sagacity had dug into the meat immediately, as of her right as second, it was impossible to say for the others, their pack and their positions within it was unknown to her. She forced her eyes away from the blood, looking for Chulyin to guide her, but all she saw was Karpos, he seemed to have withdrawn himself from the prey; Is he waiting too.. She wondered, again absently. She felt lightheaded, the strong odor of blood rushing through her nostrils, making her mouth water. As she looked back to the kill, the bony wolfess saw Gent start at the meat. A small growl rose in her throat, but she held it back and instead looked for Sagacity's reaction; which was nonexistent. So it seemed they had all silently agreed to dine without scuffling over rank, which seemed pretty reasonable actually. If her brain hadn't been working so terribly slowly, Evann would probably have realized it right away, but her hunger was overwhelming her common sense; Then satisfy it! It was the first clear thought she'd had since the bulls death, and without waiting for a second, she bowed down her head. Finally her teeth sank into rich, bloody meat, and she tore at it with increasing ferocity as her stomach started to fill. Her empty guts twisted in pain as she filled them, but it was the best pain imaginable. She ate and ate and could hardly stop; Why should I! Only several bites after the unable-to-eat-another-bite point, did the wiry wolfess finally withdraw, eyelids heavy, mouth curled in a satisfied smile. She sat then, for a little while, watching as the others tore at the carcass, hardly able to fathom the quantity of meat before her; So much... She looked around again, faintly registering that Gent was dragging a piece of meat to one of the foreign wolves, asking her to take it home; Why..? She wondered who, in another pack, could be so important to the young man that he would want to give her part of his kill. But her thoughts were soon redirected as she noticed the black pup who still hadn't moved from his seat near the bushes. Motioning at the kill, which was now quickly being dismantled, she called to him: "K... @Karpos, c-come eat! Th... There's plenty f... f... f-for you as w-well!" She smiled encouragingly at the dark boy, now that everyone else had taken what they needed, there was no more need for him to hold back. After a few breaths, spent enjoying the feeling of a full belly, Evann finally turned back to the dead elk and copied her pack mates in tearing off a part to drag home. There was not much meat left on the shoulder where she had been eating, so she began gnawing at the other forelimb, ears listening in on the others' conversations, but not really interested in them. Word count: 595 "Speech." Thought

everything that kills me makes me feel alive

Karpos was unsure as the wolves from other other pack gestured towards the food in encouragement for him to eat. Even when Sagacity told him to he was hesitant. He knew better than to defy the wishes of the Silver Dagger though. He slowly stood up and made his way over to the carcass though he did not touch the prey at all until he was sure the ones who had actually done work to take it down were finished. He took a piece of meat from the elk, tearing off some of the leg meat and sitting down to gnaw on it. Perhaps Sagacity could give him permission to find the other pups if he got an adult to go with him. He was more than capable on his own but if another storm he they would have three lost pups instead of two. It was probably better to take an adult with him.

He turned to the second in command under Mrs. Naira and he gave a slightly curious look to her. It was obvious he had a question, however he did not want to mention Aponi and Mercy missing around the wolves of the other pack. It would expose a weakness. Still, worry had been flooding through him about the two wolves. His friend and his best friend were missing and he could hardly get any productive work done. What was there to do? What could he do if he couldn't concentrate enough to hunt or patrol. He had to pull his weight and he couldn't do that with his mind in another zone. Such a noetic state was dangerous in his mind.

It was awkward, dragging such a large object along in her jaws. Orken's hind leg was cumbersome, nearly as long as Iopah and unevenly weighted, the ragged end scuffing the snow. But she managed. Her pride in being able to bring back such a large portion of meat forcing her along. Finally content with the distance between her prize and the others, she let it drop.

She was streaked with blood. It would dry quickly in the winter air, and Iopah began swiping her coral tongue down her stained legs. The hunt was finished, her hunger sated with prize in hand, but she wasn't ready to leave yet. Her companions were still eating and she wouldn't leave them. And there was the matter of the other pack. They had all worked together and, though she had no interest in alliances, she had to assume something would be said to them. And Iopah was not going to leave without receiving a message they felt necessary to give. So she was calming watching and waiting when Gent began to approach her.

Her curiosity was quickly indulged as Gent explained. Iopah's eyes narrowed in frustration, though not aimed at Gent. There was no way for him to know. Even Iopah was unsure why Danica had left. So far her searching had yielded nothing. The meat was offered freely, and she stared at it reflectively before tilting her pale muzzle to Gent. She could just take it and smile a lie in return.

No. Danica's discovery was worth losing this piece of elk. She would rather have another pair of eyes aware of her absence. "I appreciate the offer Gent, but Danica has not been seen in 2 weeks." There was nothing more to say. If she knew the direction the girl had headed she might have offered that, but she had nothing. Just the knowledge that Danica had left and not returned. She meet his gaze briefly before shifting it back to the carcass. Her own guilt was enough, she didn't want to see it reflected.

She caught Sagacity's glance and nodded wordlessly at the statement. Considering everything, it had gone very well. Evann, then Karpos reluctantly approached the elk and Iopah calmly watched them. The elk was enormous. Even after everyone has their fill and drags away their choice pieces a good bit of meat will remain. Sagacity was clearly ready to leave, waiting in the same manner that Iopah was. When the silver she-wolf spoke again it was unexpected, the meaning of her statement unclear. For a second the Barberi wolf stared uncomprehending across the distance, gold eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. Then it clicked. Her name. Iopah huffed a quiet laugh; She hadn't even had to ask for it. "I'm Iopah."

Her name having been given in return, Iopah settled down to wait for her companions, her family, to finish so they could leave together.

His reaction to the bull elk was delayed as the creature did its best to harm those around it and tumbled to its side in an attempt to crush them under his weight; it was a good attempt but the wolves were swift. He watched in disbelief as both females dodged the attack having come from the incident mostly unscathed, though he was sure fright bubbled within their gut from the close encounter with death. He had felt it also during this hunt, and would be grateful if he would be allowed to sink his teeth into this kill by means of satisfying his anger. This bull would pay in the price of its blood for trying to harm his pack mates, and those who were helping if he had to use all his strength to do so.

With the bull back in its feet from a false fall and roll, he took to the opposite side and latched his jaws to its skin over and over, taking care to avoid its horns and hooves by means of keeping himself from injury. When finally the animal seemed to have slowed down from lose of blood the ashen male found renewed energy and attacked quicker, meaner and swifter to the same spot. Blood splattering his face, he watched as the creature finally fell still kicking from the fight.

Satisfaction on his face, he took the moment to settle onto a side, his favorite was the rump where the meat was most tender and moist, ripping the skin from the meat took some time but he worked it and felt relief from taking the first bite. He was satisfied, having been given the chance to fill his belly, and ate in silence as the other wolves began to speak around him, only when Gent spoke of his daughter did his attention shift to the others; how did this older wolf know Danica. "And how do you know Danica?" he asked, having realized that his daughter was missing from the pack, having been done for weeks. He could only hope this male would know something of her whereabouts, her scent trail was stale along Secret Woods and he had been unsuccessful thus far in finding her.

Gent had expected to make his exit, so long as Iopah agreed to fulfill this favor. It shouldn't have been a problem; if she could hunt and share meat with him and his pack mates twice, she could deliver a simple message. But as he took those initial steps toward departure, the look in her eyes stopped him. Ears forward, his brow furrowed, confused at what this could mean. Then she spoke. Missing? How could she be missing? She was still only a kid, who would have let her go? She had seemed to be testing the boundaries of her home that day, and also overly trusting of Gent's easy smile. Had she decided to be brave, and gotten herself lost? Or had she trusted the wrong warm grin? Was she perfectly fine or did she need to be rescued, or was it even too late? It wasn't worry that overtook Gent's features, but calculation. What were the possibilities, and what would be the results of sacrificing scouting time to track her down, if she was still able to be found? Gent was no longer looking at @Iopah , or anything else within the vicinity. His eyes were focused but far away as he bowed his head and latched his teeth back onto the hunk of meat. If it wasn't going to @Danica , they wouldn't have it; he would keep it as his own prize as the others took what they could. Once more he was about to start the trek back home when he was given one last reason to give pause. His eyes swiveled over to @Koda , a man who had not been present at Gent's previous truce with the pack and therefor inconsequential to him. He took a deep breath, registered the faint familiarity between his scent and Danica's. His only answer was to nod his head toward Iopah, directing Koda to question her, before finally turning fully to trot past the kill and back into the blackberry fields toward home; he had business to attend to now.