Ghastly Woods dirty paws

Sorry, I kind of threw this post together...

His gaze fell on the first wolf to arrive, Sagacity, and a feeling fell into the pit of his gut. Around her he felt vulnerable and weak, a feeling he rarely felt while in the presence of any other superior but she knew more about him, his weaknesses and his strengths, and this frightened him more than anything. What would she lead them to believe of him? Inhaling deeply, his gaze met momentarily with her own as she brushed past him with barely a greeting, it was strange though he supposed he deserved it with how distant they had become, and he watched in silence as she gave the larger more imposing Chuylin an affectionate greeting. A ting of jealousy radiated through him What was that for? he wondered, though he could not be bothered with her mood swings, they were here for one thing only and that was to hunt.

His slender frame moved toward that of his comrades as he watched the last two wolves enter the scene, both females and one he had met previously. Quick was a savior, and a wolf he respected, and Evann he had not met previously though her scent was familiar. He would treat them both with respect if they deserved it, for the time being he allowed ranks to be dismissed for the overall well-being of the pack; if Quick had an idea he would follow it. It was mostly because he was hardly the hunter and his judgement was not worth trusting in situations like this, he would rather be off picking herbs but the pack needed more muscle and he would lend his help until the work was done.

He could see the buck, their target, and his muscles tensed beneath his caramel coat. He did not trust his own hunting abilities but would not voice them now, it was too late to turn back and he had the help of plenty others if things turned south; moving forward, he braced himself for the hunt. His limbs were quick, and his lungs filled easily with air as he propelled himself forward toward the prey, taking both Chulyin and Quick's advice and gaining on the buck to divert it in the direction of the waiting ambush, afterward the muscle and strategy team would take over and he could relax; at least he hoped. With Evann at his side he felt stronger more invincible and he ran with the grace of an experienced hunter, his tongue lopping at his mouth as he watched Evann come toward the buck with gaping mouth and snapping jaws and he mimicked her movements to enforce their strength. Where is Quick? he questioned, knowing that with just two wolves the buck would hesitate to leave its herd.

(This post was last modified: Jun 06, 2014, 03:41 AM by Couth.)

Really sorry for the delay, guys! @Evann @Couth @Sagacity @Quick
(anyone feel free to actually kill the buck c:)

In my heart I just know that there's no way

the Guardian Chulyin

to light up the dark in his eyes.

The man settled into a crouch as he gave his orders and let the three do the job that needed to be done. He hoped that they might inflict some damage upon their prey before driving it towards him and Sagacity, but he didn't desire to see anyone injured. Even if it was spring, there was no point in unnecessary injuries, especially the ones that an angry buck might inflict. A sharp clip to the head could mean death, and a misplaced prong would mean it. Chulyin's tail tip twitched and he quietly shifted among the brush to wait alongside Sagacity, breath held as he watched his packmates lay out their meal. He could hear Quick giving orders and resisted a chuckle. Someone had to, he supposed, knowing full well that Evann was above the pale woman in rank. He wondered if that might come back to bite her in the butt later.

Refocusing upon the task at hand, he looked towards Sagacity, noticing that the buck was well on its way towards them now, Quick's command being quite useful in pushing the buck from the herd, and Evann executed it flawlessly with Couth at her side. On the buck's rear was Quick, and he recalled when they'd gone after the goats in the snow. Hopefully they might leave with a meal and no unnecessary wounds this time. "I'm going to make a leap for its chest to try and slow it down," With the slightest nod of his head to his compatriot, the man burst from the brush, glad that they had had stealth on their side as opposed to speed, for that was hardly his strong suit. His teeth sunk into the beast's chest. It was not the greatest place to be, with sharp, flailing hooves so close to his belly, but he held on, attempted to get his own hindpaws upon the ground to slow the buck's movements, perhaps trip him up. It was a risk he'd have to take, uncurling himself somewhat to reach the ground, and when he did, the results were quite extraordinary. The air was very nearly ripped from his lungs as the combination of the startled prey and his weight tore his teeth from the buck's chest and tripped the creature up just enough to send it toppling to the ground. Chulyin lay slightly startled on the ground just a few feet away with a bit of a sore jaw and hoped his packmates could make easy work of the buck with it in such a vunerable position.

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

Her male pack mate was content to heed her direction, and a much better sport than that Evann. Quick could have rolled her eyes. All the white wolf could recall of the brown-coated girl was that she left the stink of fear everywhere she went, and now, when Quick stepped into a role unfulfilled she wanted to raise her tail and clip her teeth? The Arctic wolf didn't give a shit about her feelings but if they interfered with this hunt...

Her irritation dissipated into her foot falls, the thunder of their snarling approach sending the buck on the run for his life. A run Quick knew would be futile. Her teeth wanted for blood, a craving that she could not tolerate any longer, not with the deer so close in her sights. From a side glance she could see Evann and Couth, their work producing the results they wanted. The two wolves swift movements and snapping jaws propelled the buck away from his herd. The others turned tail and fled, knowing they would see another day, and without a second thought to their friend they were gone. Pushing her muscles hard the arctic wolf kept pace from behind, her teeth scraping against his flank if she dared get close enough, giving the deer reason to run straight for the ambush waiting ahead.

From the gnarled brush and branches Chulyin launched, his approach so sudden that the buck had no time to react. The collision of bodies sent Quick scrambling backwards, avoiding the weight that fell upon the ground. She blinked hard, not certain where her other pack mates might be in that particular moment. All she saw was the downed buck and the opportunity. Rushing forward Quick snaked her head toward the buck's exposed underbelly, where the flesh was soft and easier to tear than the throat. With a snarl she sank her teeth into its white hide and gutted the beast to die a death in agony.

Wordlessly, the silver female waited alongside Chulyin, watching as the others assumed their positions before breaking forward to herd their chosen target in their direction. All she gave was a brief nod to Chulyin when he spoke, as she too sprinted forward when the time came. The small, silver wolf was fleet and while she didn't possess Chulyin's strength or bulk, she knew she was quick and could use that to her advantage. Her partner had already admitted that he wasn't going to go directly for the kill, leaving that open for anyone else. She was partially glad, though, that he'd decided to use his weight in the best way possible- to slow the buck down, as he was the best candidate for such a position.

She maneuvered herself toward the buck's other shoulder, skittering sideways just in time as the buck was brought to the ground. She leapt over the flailing legs toward the soft, vulnerable spot beneath the buck's jaw and sank her teeth in there, angling her body away from its front limbs, though with Quicksilver's disembowelment, any fight it had in it died out quickly. With a final jerk, Sagacity twisted the buck's neck, resulting in a dull crack. Muscles twitched, but the buck was dead. She let its proud head drop to the ground and took a moment to catch her breath and cast a glance to her fellow packmates to assess any damage before she moved in and took her place at the buck's haunches, laying claim to a choice cut of meat as her rank allowed.

The brown girl was no dominant wolf, she was content going about her business without constantly asserting herself constantly and for no reason; Unlike Sagacity... I'm no BULLY! To others that might be perceived as weakness - maybe it was a form of weakness - but Evann found strength in her silence, getting no joy from oppressing others she usually preferred to leave rank unspoken. But it had to be respected! The hierarchy existed for these very kind of situations, so that there would be no discussion of who gave the orders when actions needed to be quick and coordinated. So maybe it was time for the sable lass to stress her position to Quicksilver; Or maybe we just need to talk... They hadn't interacted much after all, and it could be a simple question of getting to know each other, when it came down to it, Evann would much rather make friends than fight over dominance; but she wasn't ready to give up her position. Regardless, now wasn't the moment for such actions, or thoughts about them, there was a kill to bring down. As the buck stormed forwards, Evann continued to sprint alongside him, jumping at his shoulder and throat every so often, snapping her jaws to keep him on track. As they neared the shrubs where Chulyin and Sagacity were hiding, the stout girl pulled back a little to leave room for the ambush team; she cought a glimpse of couth out the corner of her eye, and drew away from their prey to avoid colliding with him as she fell back to align with the buck's flank. A burst of black made her eyes shoot forwards, and she saw Chulyin immerge from the bushes, swiftly followed by the silver of Sagacity, speeding towards the deer. The bigger male went straight for the jugular, hiting the target and clinging to it, causing the animal to stumble and fall; Success! And the rest of The Keep wolves weren't late to seize it, jumping to end the life of the buck. First Quick gutted the beast, spilling the delicious guts on the grass and filling the air with the scent of blood. Next, as Sagacity jumped for the top of the throat, Evann also moved in, sinking her own teeth into the bottom of the deer's throat, right above the chest, tearing at the skin and flesh, which had already been weakened by the lacerations left by Chulyin's take down. Her ears twitched at the distinct snap, Sagacity had ended the buck's suffering. A low, satisfied growl rumbled in Evann's throat as she lifted her head from the kill, licking blood from her muzzle with great pleasure. Around her the other's were still stirring, Sagacity moving to take her claim of the kill. With another victorious grumble the brown-mottled fae placed a claiming paw on the shoulder in front of her, then she looked around, chocolate eyes settling on the black shape still lying a small distance from the fallen deer; "Any i-injuries?!" She called, indented as an open question to all involved, but especially concerning Chulyin; I certainly hope not! He'd taken quite a tumble after all. Word count: 529 Thoughts”Speech”

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

I hope I didn't hold this up...

He was getting tired, his tongue rolled at his jaws as he ran with full speed at the side of the buck, yipping at its heels on occasion and jerking away from it just in time when it attempted to knock the runners from off of it. Though the buck was quick, Couth and Evann were quicker and more agile, unlike the buck they did not carry around heavy antlers on their head and they also had the advantage of webbed toes, enabling them to grip the earth and twist and turn as they needed. There was doubt in Couth's mind that this buck would become a well deserved meal for all of them.

He was so into the hunt that he hadn't noticed the issue of rank displayed before him from his female counterparts, and while they fought against each other in some invisible game of tug-o-war, Couth was running to bring food to the pack; it sickened him that both women could not get along during such an important hunt. It didn't take long for Sagacity and Chuylin to break the tension of Evann and Quick, their presence was like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day as they worked together to bring down the tired buck and end the chase all together--and within moments, they were successful.

The hunt ended swiftly, so fast that Couth nearly collided with Evann when Chuylin used his weight to topple the buck, causing a earth shaking thud that resonated through the trees and beneath the soft pads of his webbed toes. Breathing heavily, and grateful to have stopped running, he caught his breath while the others took their respectable places and ate in silence, he joined shortly after and took his place at the buck's rump, tearing first into the tough back leg. He was on the same side as Sagacity, wanting to have easy access to her after this encounter so that they could talk, but also because he was happy that they had accomplished something together, it had been so long since the two had worked in harmony. "Great job crew." he voiced in between mouthfuls of meat, turning toward Evann when she asked whether there were any wounds, and when he knew that his body was in tact he turned to the others, hoping none of them spoke up, "let's hope not... they could not afford any injuries...