Sacred Grove Real Men

It didn't take long for the same smell that graced his nose to reach that of his guest as Riddick rose to all fours, tail wagging behind him with evident excitement. The odor was profound and one could not mistake deer when it hit your nose with how unique its musky scent was. "Oh I smell it alright." Vesper answered his acquaintance shortly after the question was asked. Without needing any further encouragement the dark saddled man began to put his nose to the test, pressing it to the foliage and snow around them to pick up what direction the scent trail was headed. At first it was hard to detect the scent with the snow washing away any bits of the trail wherever the small piles rested and this led him to use the air versus the ground that proved futile. Inhaling deeply the mammals musk filled his lungs, pinpointing their location at due east from their current position.

"This way!" Vesper hadn't meant to sound so eager, but the hunter inside him was coming alive as his paws took the first steps in the right direction. Keeping his head tilted towards the sky he followed the invisible pathway knowing that Riddick wouldn't be far behind on this hunting excursion. With his added strength and energy it would be easier for them to possibly take down one of the deer belonging to the heard they now followed in comparison to if he went at it alone. It was a foolish idea to take a task like that on alone, but rough times called for risky measures. Luckily though that wouldn't be the case and so onward the Vuesain man padded, his paws falling near silent upon the few pieces of autumn foliage that was yet to be erased by the layers of collected snowfall. The hunt was on.

Riddick followed Vespertio in eager tempo, legs spurred on by the thought of a filling meal- something he hadn't had since leaving home. He had adjusted, of course- much more easily than staying awake more often. Mostly because he took pleasure in knowing whatever troubles of a lone wolf he suffered, Flyn was probably suffering the same. All in all, he was looking forward to a grand opportunity- What luck the moon had sent him this day. Even if they only snagged one of the deer, it would still be a hefty bounty.

Speaking of deer, Iddi caught sight of the herbivores with his one odd eye, traveling swiftly aside his new friend. Friend. He liked that word. It wasn't a word he got to use often- the wolves he used to live with were all family. Bastion, truly, was the closest to a friend without blood ties as Riddick had gotten.

A slight shake ridded the Faye of such thoughts- food, his focus was food now. To deter your focus put you at risk- he wouldn't forsake his training now. The prey was in the middle of a clearing, softened by the white powder sprinkled on the foliage with a slight glow.

"There they are-" He whispered, attempting to draw his Vesper's attention towards the small family. "What's our plan, fearless leader?" The name wasn't of of disrespect, Riddick doubted he even meant for it to be said in such a light tone- he wanted to see what Vespertio could do.

His ears gave a small flick as Riddick roused his attention to the small gathering of deer that meandered through a small clearing, their heads lowered to the ground with attempts of grazing the last visible plants and grasses before the soft powder blanketed them completely and left them frozen in time until spring came around to thaw the world from its icy state. "What's our plan, fearless leader?" He had asked and then left the two in silence, awaiting to hear what glorious plan Vespertio had devised to bring down a hearty meal. The Vuesain then pondered possible plans, dissecting the known facts about the prey and what strengths and weaknesses both wolves had to offer. The most obvious fact was that there was only two of them taking on a normally three wolf hunt. This put them at a slight disadvantage not having that extra able body, but if they managed to find an older, sickly family member the field would be even.

Keeping this in mind he then switched to assessing their individual stats. Looking at himself he lacked the initial strength of his genetics and had instead inherited the stamina and speed, making him an excellent candidate for wearing the prey down over a long distance. Then there was Riddick who with a glance of his golden eyes appeared to have the strength he himself lacked and possibly equal when it came to speed. That would leave him the better choice for bringing down the prey. With a nod of confirmation he voiced his thoughts in a soft whisper so as to not disturb the herd. "I do not have the strength to bring down the prey, but I do have the speed to tire them out. If I tire out a deer enough for you, would you be able to bring it down to the ground?" Vesper asked, stealing a glance towards the herd to scan its members for a prime target to set their sights on.

Riddick's mind wandered in the short silence that appeared as Vespertio cooked up a plan. If this hunt went well, he would be in good standing with the leader...which might come in handy if he sought out Seraphina on the mountain. Was she part of his pack? Or was there another group on the mountain? Was Flyn up there? For Vesper's sake he sure prayed to the Moon that that was not the case.

The other male's soft whisper of a plan brought him back from strategically staring into space, the formulation simple, but sound. He nodded back with a confident "Yes," making sure to keep his voice low. For good luck, a small prayer to the Moon graced his lips. While Riddick had taken down deer before, that had been with family, in more numbers than just two, and had already been pieced together like a well oiled machine. A couple of candidates caught his eye- a small fawn, and an old doe, struggling to keep up with her younger counterpart. "Which one are we going after?"

....Iddi's thoughts don't nearly wander as nicely as Laurel's do....and he doesn't have voices in his head....therefore short post is short...

The man beside him answered with a confident yes before unfamiliar sounds slithered from his lips, most likely the form of a prayer the Vuesain guessed while pinning his gaze on a pair of deer. One was an older doe struggling too obviously to keep up with the herd while a young fawn counterpart bounded in a playful manor between the two points. The fawn would make a good target, but with its smaller size and lack of any real meat to its bones it would almost be pointless to bring it down. A fawn that size did nothing at feeding two fully grown wolves with empty bellies. Now for the older doe, though, she would made a prime target for them. Being older it would require less energy to tire and bring down on one side while on the other she had years to put on weight and made an adequate meal for the two hungry men. That was to be their target. "The older doe straggling behind. I'll run her towards you and you bring her down. Being as old as she is there shouldn't be much struggle left in her bones." He spoke faintly, ears pricked forward as he continued to watch the old deer for a moment longer.

Golden gaze locked on target, his dark saddled frame then sunk low to the ground as he used the shadows around him to slink in a wide circle around to the left and approach the old doe from a position that would send her fleeing away from the herd and straight for Riddick's awaiting death grip. Slowly he inched his body forward silently like a ghost with nothing but the faint crunching of leaves beneath his paws to give any signs of his presence to the herd. As a doe lifted her head to scan for danger his body froze like a statue mid step, darting his gaze between the spotter and the target. He was not about to let an easy meal pass them by. As soon as her head dropped back down to nibble the scanty bits of roots he sprung like a rocket for the older doe, a snarl pulling back the black lining of his lips as the two ran straight for Riddick just as Vespertio had hoped. Hopefully the man was ready to deliver the life ending bite.

Riddick watched Vespertio move with bated eagerness, legs stock still against the adrenaline willing them to spring forward. Wait... he willed them. wait. There was different sorts of waiting. He didn't like most of them. Waiting for his family to settle down, waiting for the Moon to rise, waiting for his sister to pop up and put his mind at ease, waiting for food........waiting was hard, even for someone as disciplined as he. Still, even as his tail made small swishes behind him, Riddick stood still, watching and waiting. As Vesper got closer, his legs trembled with excitement. Closer still, and it was all he could do to stay put.

And then, like a shot, the two- hunter and prey- were headed towards him. He had to wait for only a little longer. Legs crouched, the Faye prepared to end the doe's life swiftly, as she came rushing towards him. Not now, not now- if he moved she would spring the other way- not now, not now, NOW! The moment came when Riddick was in perfect range to spring up, startling the doe and giving him enough time to lock his jaws around her neck. It was a bit of a struggle- there was only the two of them after all- but he managed to wrench the creature to it's knees, and then to it's final breath. Red stained jaws loosened when he sensed the poor thing pass on, and a prayer was murmured to send her on her way.

Since Vespertio was a leader and all, and had come up with the plan, Iddi backed off to let him have first bite- though he might not have been part of Vesper's pack, he was willing to show respect.

And just like that the deed was done as Riddick lunged for the deer's throat and brought her to the ground, ending her life after muttering what Vespertio imagined was another prayer. Crimson stained the boys jaws as he released his grip on her jugular to take a respectful step away from the carcass to allow the lead male his right to dine first. It was pleasing to the dark saddled man that even though his companion had no place among his pack he still offered the respect a leader deserved, that he thought he deserved. The respect was duly noted and a nod followed shortly as the Vuesain man stepped forward to claim his reward. Hovering over the chest he lowered his head to sink in his canines into the skin and tear away the flesh until the organ of life was presented to him. This was his true prize for the kill and tore at the tendons until it broke free from the chest cavity, removing his now blood stained faced from the carcass to carry the heart away so that Riddick may stake his own claim now that Vesper had his own.  

Finding a comfortable spot to lay while he gnawed on the heart he lifted his gaze to the man and a smile graced his lips. "Enjoy your fill." He spoke before returning his attention to the feast that awaited between the cream of his paws. Clamping his jaws on one of the arteries that pointed out from one side of the heart he tore it off and reveled in the delicious taste that greeted his mouth, his tongue slipping past his lips to lick at the crimson liquid that stained the cream of his muzzle in an attempt to clean it a bit though his actions proved futile. It would took a lot more licking and rubbing his face into piles of snow to rid the blood that stained his pristine pelt and return to his handsome demeanor.

(This post was last modified: Jan 22, 2015, 04:07 AM by Vespertio.)