Spectral Woods Dear No One

Much to his joy, Drestig was just as curious as he was about their quarry in the tree. Brown and furry, Serach could hear the squeaks and clicks of its teeth chattering. Instinctively, saliva was building in his mouth, and more than once, he licked his jowls in eager anticipation. Forcing himself to focus on Drestig, the young wolf watched his superior take in their surroundings. He could almost see the wheels turning in Drestig's head, but no one had ever mistaken Serach for being particularly creative. Had he been on his own, he would have probably gone home empty handed and disappointed. Drestig was clearly a different story. His find had helped to distract Serach from his previous failure at finding the deer. Lifting his hind leg, the youth scratched one of his ears. Peering under his leg, he looked out, but the only scent in the air now was that of the forest and of his packmate. But as Drestig revealed his plan, Serach's grin grew. "Brilliant!" They wouldn't have any deer to bring home, but maybe, just maybe, they could bring home this critter.

In a moment, Serach was up against the tree. His claws scratched at the rough bark, and his tail wagged wildly from side to side behind him. His voice joined Drestig's, and together the two wolves barked like mad. They were absolutely focused, and after what felt like several minutes, Serach was pleased to see that their target was beginning to move. It answered the wolves, squeaking and gnashing its teeth at them. He watched it shift from side to side, and then finally, it moved. The plump creature scurried up the branch towards the trunk. It scurried down to the next branch, all the while calling back at the two canines below. The yearling's barks increased as he watched the brown mammal run down a branch. As it leaped through the air, he abandoned his place at the trunk and ran after it. The branches shook as they absorbed the weight, but there were audible cracks too. "It's working!" He spat out to Drestig before continuing his bark.

It happened in the blink of an eye. The boys continued to bark and the creature continued to run. Eventually, it ran too low and its weight was too much. The branch snapped and with a squeal their quarry fell to the ground. "GET IT!" Serach shouted, giving up the chorus of noise to snap up the strange creature.

Serach's enthusiasm made the black man laugh, a deep, ringing sound that probably contributed to scaring the tree-creature as much as the previous barking had; this was why he enjoyed youngsters so much, that kind of passion was hard to find among older wolves. His eyes sparkled as he watched for a little while as the yellow eyed boy followed his example and started yelling at the tree, then he joined in, growling excitedly as their prey began to stir. The reddish brown animal angrily berated the noisy wolves and Drestig sneered, retaliating with his own insults; Come on... Come on! MOVE! And it did. Still screeching at the two, the little bastard scurried along the wood, moving from branch to branch and two pairs of glowing eyes followed it closely. As the beast leapt for another tree, Serach was quick to follow suit and the older male came not far behind; when the yearling called out in excitement, Drestig grinned. "Yes it is!" He yipped back with laughter in his voice, eyes trailing the creature in the leaves above, noting how the branches were starting to bend under it; Almost there! And then it happened! With a loud snap, a limb gave in, and their pray crashed downwards. Stopping his barking, the black lad lowered his head and hurried towards the landing site, ears perked. Serach was shouting to catch the animal - a bit redundant, but he could be excused in his excitement - and Drestig eagerly jumped to execute the command. The critter had no chance, surely its fall had stunned and possibly injured it and the wolves had been right on its tail. Yet the beast was scrambling to its feet, and when Drestig reached its landing spot it was already scurrying on. He snapped at its tail, missed and continued forwards while the little bastard swerved sideways. But it was a lost game. The black wolf quickly changed direction and flanked their prey, snapping out again; this time, his miss was intentional as it served to turn the critter again, straight back towards Serach. "Take it down!" The older male called, running after the animal to drive it towards the yearling, ready to grab it if it got passed him. Word count: 375 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

Serach's tail was wagging furiously behind him, proud and tall like a victory banner. He was near tripping over himself to chase after the little creature. Well, not so little, he realized as the mammal fell to earth. Smaller than him though, and certainly smaller than Drestig. His pack mate had not needed Serach's instruction and had jumped after it. He heard Drestig's teeth snap together on the empty air and Serach woofed in response as their prey tried to scramble away. But even with his limited experience, he knew that this was a done deal. Caught between the two Oak Tree Bend wolves, there was no where to run. Darting forward, his head low and his jaws open, Serach put an end to the game. The creature's whimpers and squeals rose to a crescendo, before falling silent as the yearling crushed its skull between his powerful teeth. A clawed paw tried to fight back, but it was not strong enough to hit him through his coat and by then it was over.

Blood covered Serach's nose, lips, and teeth, but he grinned at Drestig anyway. Their prize lay at his feet, doomed by its own folly. It was not the deer that Serach had anticipated finding, but he was beyond thrilled to be able to have successfully hunted something today. Lowering his head, he poked at the body with his nose, sniffing at it curiously. "Well, if that's a squirrel, it's the fattest, strangest looking squirrel I've ever seen," he admitted to Drestig with a chuckle.

It was done. With a crunching sound, the pale boy crushed the critter's opposition, literally, and ended the hunt. Drestig skidded to a halt as the beast's cries ended, barking out in joy at their success; "Yes!" He flashed a big grin at Serach, who was beaming as well, his face painted by the blood of their victory. Chuckling joyfully, the older man jogged over to the yearlings side, waving his own tail rapidly in response to the boy's; What a hunt! Even if they hadn't come out with a big meal, the chase had been exhilarating, and it had ended in triumph. Drestig bowed down to investigate the creature, now that it was close and still enough for a thorough inspection. Serach, having lowered his own muzzle to their prey, commented again on its distinct un-squirrel-ness, and the dark lad nodded in agreement. No this was certainly no ordinary squirrel, though it shared a number of qualities with the familiar brown and grey tree-rats. "No, I've never seen one quite like that either." The older wolf added, flashing his crooked smile at the young hunter; "But whatever it is, it's ours now!" He straightened up, licking his lips to clean off the blood his examination had left; Tastes quite nice... Then he bumped his shoulder against Serach's, grinning broadly; "Well done kid, we make quite a team!" Turning his head towards the borders, Drestig waved his ears and sniffed at the air, trying to gauge how much time had passed since they started their hunt. The sun still shone somewhere above the tree's, its light holding a greenish tint when it reached them through the leaves, but it was hard to tell its position; Probably best to head home. Turning his orange gaze back to Serach, the swarthy man nodded at their catch; "if you bring it back, maybe Triell or one of the others will know what it is." He offered in a friendly tone, posing it as a suggestion and not an order; "You could give it to Nayeli ..." A sudden impulse made him add, then he shrugged his shoulders lightly; "Or keep it for yourself, it's yours to do with as you like." He gave the boy another smile, then turned to walk towards Oak Tree Bend, waving his tail encouragingly, inviting the yearling to follow. Word count: 391 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

Going to wrap this up and archive it! This was a really fun thread. :)

Blood splattered across Serach's face as his teeth ripped through the furry hide of their captured prey. It tasted different than squirrel too, but the rumbling in his stomach didn't care. Meat was meat. Corinna had taught him well, however, and despite his instinct to devour the kill and satisfy his hunger pangs, he pulled away and grinned a bloody grin at Drestig. "We do!" he yipped in delight, his creme tail wagging furiously behind him. "Next time we'll get the deer, though. Then the whole pack can have some." Even now, the scent that had drawn them out of Oak Tree Bend territory was nowhere to be found, but the youth was too proud of what they had accomplished to worry too much about it.

Serach was curious about the mysterious beast that lay at his paws, so when Drestig suggested taking it home, the boy eagerly nodded his head in agreement. "Absolutely. Uncle Triell will know. Or maybe Ruiko. He's done a lot of traveling." No doubt, one of his two uncles would know. If he could show @Ruiko the kill, then he might be able to redeem himself in the eyes of his aloof uncle, something he desperately needed after his previous "scouting" mission. He was less enthusiastic about giving up his kill to Nayeli; he would have preferred to share it with Drestig. But before the spoils could be divided, he wanted to find out exactly what it was. So wrapping his jaws around the still solid midriff, he picked up his prize and trotted after Drestig.

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health