Stonewatch Timbers turn around bright eyes

ooc: open to ONE lone wolf to join us in a mule deer hunt c: @Raela

Gent had felt a kind of elation enter his bones after the birth of Minka's children, and the effects lasted even days after, barely fading with time. He knew it wasn't his place, that it might even be sacrilegious for him to consider such things, but he couldn't fight the paternal instincts rising inside of him. The simple facts were, the children lacked a father, and something deep within him wanted to fill that hole. Each time he visited and watched them, gazing into the dark den to see each of them curled tightly against @Minka 's beautiful tawny body, he felt a sense of pride as though they were his. Without being asked to, nor without the permission of his pack mates, he was beginning to assume the role of father.

Their caches were drained, as the establishment of their new pack lands had splintered them all unto many different and necessary duties. So when Gent went to fetch Minka a meal and found the small pit disgracefully lacking, he decided to remedy the situation. Without hesitation, he sought out Raela, the first pack mate his mind thought of when desiring a partner in crime. Upon making his case, the woman of course eagerly accepted. She was a hard worker, and Gent expected nothing less from her when it came to providing for her pack mates. It would be their first time spent alone since their mutual breakdown, and he hoped not to have a repeat of any of their previous experiences; no wounds, no arguments, no tears.

As they traveled further from home, several small game opportunities were passed up by the man. He didn't tiny morsels, he wanted a chunk of something large to give to the cache and keep it full for a good time to come. Thus, it wasn't until he stepped into the wake of a scent trail left by a mule deer mother that he assumed a stealthy posture, tensely alert. She seemed to be a far ways off, but he was determined to find her. Hopefully, her fawn would be with her, and they could take two bodies to add to the dwindling pile.

"This will be difficult with just the two of us. Ready to give it a try anyways?"

With as on top of the world as he'd been feeling these past few days, doubts were sparse within his mind that they could pull this off.

Kova wasn't aware of what Gent and Raela were up to. All he knew was that Gent had promised to teach him more about different roles and their objectives. So when the silver youth crossed the pairs scents one day he decided to trail them. As it became clear that they were traveling far form the new pack lands, Kova's curiosity increased. It wasn't until he caught the scent of deer that he realized what they were attempting. He picks up his pace as they slow down, and soon decreases the distance between them. Once Kova spots the black and tawny forms of Gent and Raela he picks up his speed to intercept them. The young wolf's tail began to wag as he approached the pair, for Raela was quickly becoming one of Kova's favorites. Her activity in the pack, coupled with the number of times Kova had worked with her, and the fact that she had been kind at every meeting had made it so that the young gray wolf was always happy to see her. Raela received an excited greeting from Kova filled with licks to her chin and cheeks.

To Gent, Kova lowered his gaze and gave a little whine in greeting. 

“Hello again.” the words slipped past his maw as the youth greeted both wolves. He hoped that they did not mind his presence, but even if they did Kova had no intention of leaving them to be alone. He wanted to be useful, and that could only happen if he learned all he could from his superiors.

“Can I help you hunt? If that's what you're doing anyway, if its not then...uh.. Can I travel with you?” Kova asks politely. He hoped they were going after the deer because that meant that Kova could prove to himself that he was not a wimp. The last hunt he had been on didn't even start out as a hunt. He'd been the one to come across the injured moose, and in his fear had called for the adults when the moose tried to attack him. Then after he was in a safe place the adults tried to take out the moose. In the end his father did ask for Kova's help in distracting the injured beast while the adults took its life. However Kova felt that this hunt didn't count as he was too scared through the whole thing.

The first hunt he'd been on was when the whole pack went after deer. He'd been too young to actually keep up so Kova and Noble had stayed on the sidelines with their father. Tokino had been injured at the time so instead he stayed back to describe the events to his children.

So Kova had really not been on a hunt where he had used his teeth and claws on their prey. Hopefully Gent and Raela were organizing a hunt, and maybe they would let him help out. Kova really hoped so.

Gent's request actually managed to excite the tawny woman some. She was discovering that hunting was quite the fun activity. It was something her parents would never have allowed her to partake in, much less thought her remotely capable of. Small creatures had been her only training back then, but wandering for those eight months had forced the girl to hone her skills. Their woodchuck hunt had been a great success, and now that the wounds had healed (mostly), it was good for the two of them to get out again. At this rate Raela was beginning to fancy herself a hunter; providing for the pack and keeping tabs on local prey sounded wonderful – though she was happy to simply feel like she had a purpose at all. Even better, she could have Gent as a hunting partner. Raela didn't question her dark friend as they moved past the smaller meals scornfully. It was time the pack had something serious to eat. It was just the two of them, though, and the Crest subordinate worried that they'd have to find a very injured or sickly animal to have a decent shot at bringing it home. Gent seemed to have other ideas, though. She picked up on the trail just as he did, ears flicking this way and that for any further clues to the animal's whereabouts. They centered on the hulking male as he spoke. Rae thought for a second, offering him a soft smile. Gent was in such a good mood lately, but who wasn't with all three of the new Crest pups delivered safely and tucked away in the den? Internally she sighed. It was worth a try with a wolf of his size and skill. ”Alright, we can give it a shot.” The words had barely left the woman's mouth before Raela's over-sensitive ears detected the excited loping of their youngest member. A smile was on her face before the girl's head had even turned enough to notice the rapidly wagging silver form darting toward them so happily. His enthusiasm caught onto her contagiously, prompting the tawny female to slap the dirt in a play bow as he dashed forward. She rose just in time to receive the flurry of puppy kisses to her maw, wagging back and licking his forehead in return. He was such a cute kid – but his size was far from that of a child now. Why, Kova was taller than her! She drew back and listened to the young royal's greeting, regarding him with soft eyes and a beaming grin.  ”And hello to you my Prince.” Raela dipped her muzzle respectfully. She watched for Gent's reaction before turning to listen to the boy's words again. Of course she wanted him to join them. Her golden eyes fell over the boy's frame, taking note of how much better he looked since rejoining the pack. He was a yearling now, and as such Raela knew he could easily be of use. Glancing sideways at the larger male, she spoke again with a slight smirk. ”I think he'd make a fine addition to our little hunting party.” The honey-eyed woman's voice rose in pitch, trying to get Gent's opinion on the matter; though she doubted the Lieris man would say “no.” Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

            

Gent bristled as he heard something approach them, turning to face the unknown company. With a quick intake of air, he recognized the scent to be Kova's, and sure enough the lanky yearling pushed through the trees and into their view. The man swiftly looked away, radar ears and keen eyes searching for any sign that the boy's entrance and exchange with Raela hadn't frightened off their prey. Nothing else seemed to shift or change within their corner of the woods, and so he assumed it not only safe but that their targets were still a little bit beyond them still.

He once again turned his attention to the pack's only eldest heir, the one child of Minka's Gent had yet to feel any sort of bond yet. That was something he desperately needed to fix, but the drive wasn't as strong. Kova was barely a child now, thus he did not pull out any sort of paternal instincts within the Lieris man as his younger siblings so quickly did. He also did not want to keep pushing his boundaries with the boy, as he had at the birthing. This was, quite frankly, a horrible time for the youth and Gent's overzealous ambitions were working against him in terms of forming a positive relationship with Kova.

It was quite clear that boy felt the same lack of interest in him as his greetings to Gent and Minka were as different as night and day. Gent stood by as Raela doted on the child, only the faintest of smiles gracing his lips as he took small pleasure in seeing the woman act so. They both proposed Kova's joining in the hunt, and Gent saw no reason to decline. After all, they would need all the paws and teeth they could get to take down a protective mother.

"Of course," Gent agreed, his voice understandably hushed. "Can you smell it? There's a mule deer in this area, and you can smell the motherhood on her. If her fawn is nearby we'll have hit the jackpot, but it'll only make her that much more fierce, so we're going to have to be careful."

His voice then grew slightly stern as he looked to Kova, "If things get out of hand, get away. There will always be more opportunities." he told him, before looking up to Raela and adding, "None of us need to take away any injuries from this."

With that said, he turned and continued back onto the trail of their prey.ooc: either of you can take them to the deer and begin the hunting

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

OOC: Shut up SOW. xD Trying to hunt here.

The volume of Gent's affirmation brought the girl's ears back. In her excitement she'd completely forgotten that the deer was likely within hearing range. Raela lowered her head a bit, taking note of how serious the dark man became in warning Kova. His icy gaze fell upon her next, and the tawny woman nodded swiftly in agreement. She didn't want a repeat of the groundhog hunt; wounds from a mother deer would be much more severe in all likelihood. Her golden orbs located the silver youth beside them, focusing on his own while she gestured them on with a tilt of her head and a friendly smirk. Hopefully Kova would pick up on her silence and Gent's lowered volume.  They meandered over the uneven terrain, picking between thick trees and stepping carefully over dirt-caked roots and stones. The timbers was a near mountainous area, making the possibility of a high speed pursuit as unlikely as it would be difficult. Thankfully, the sun only managed to penetrate through the pines in little patches, offering the hunting party comfortable shade and wind protection as they pressed on. Rae stopped her surveillance to gaze at the forest's beauty now and again. The way the light filtered between the leaves and left them glowing from beneath wasn't something the nature-observer in her could easily ignore.  After a few mere minutes of following the trail though, the subordinate's ears began rising. She was picking up the distant crackle of leaves and stripping of foliage that always signified the presence of prey. The others hadn't quite caught on yet, but that was something Raela had gotten used to. Quickly she pressed her nose into Gent's thigh before whipping her head around to alert Kova with a nervous glance. Staring in the direction of the sound, the female's ears were perfectly vertical. If they hadn't gotten the message they surely would now. Taking a few careful, silent steps, she managed to angle herself at just the right spot to see through the vast collection of tree-trunks. Scanning carefully, her brilliant pools darted suddenly toward a hint of movement. The sliver of visible space between the foliage revealed the doe's front shoulder, neck bent as she nibbled at some branch or plant just out of sight. Rae lifted her tail horizontally in an attempt to point out the animal, her stare unwavering. A thought occurred just then; if they waited a few moments, perhaps she would give away her child's location. New fawns were notoriously hard to detect, especially so early in the season as it was now. It was baffling just how little scent they carried and how still they could be in the grass. Many times wolves would walk right by, or stumble upon one by accident. Luckily it seemed that they had a cross-breeze, so the mother at least wouldn't smell the predators' approach. They just had to be slow and quiet.  Stepping back to Gent's side, the woman practically pressed her muzzle into his ear in an attempt to be quiet. ”She might call to the fawn if we wait.” The whisper was barely audible in itself, and she hoped Kova would remain still until they decided how to approach this. Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

            

Kova quickly lowered his whines as he got hard looks from both the adults. Well, Raela's look wasn't hard  or serious so much as just trying to tell him something without words. Normally wolves didn't look directly at each other psare for fights and other confrontations. Though Kova figured he guessed correctly that he was being too rowdy when they took their stares off of him as he calmed down and lay against the dirt. We must already be close to prey... He mused before scenting at the air. The others began to creep forward through the trees and undergrowth leaving Kova behind for a moment while he sniffed at the air. Pushing himself back into a low standing position, Kova trailed behind Gent and Raela. He noted the smell of deer someplace nearby, most likely ahead of them, and watched where he put his paws. Right now would not be a good time to trip or stumble over debris.

Kova nods at Gent's words, though he couldn't yet differentiate the smell of a mother doe from a regular one. It was true that he could smell the doe and a muddy milky scent. Perhaps that was what the Lieris man was talking about? Kova logged the information into his head and kept his mouth shut. He could ask questions later. Right now he had to concentrate and soak up whatever information the others decided to spew at him. It was either that or watch their movements and learn that way. As for Gent's warning about if things got out of paw, Kova ignored this. If things became problematic he would trust that the others knew what to do. As for himself, Kova knew his limitations. He wouldn't run off without trying something even if the deer was scary strong. Then again, if he knew that he or his comrades weren't going to be able to take down the doe Kova wouldn't just rush in to attack.

At Raela's words Kova stilled hoping to catch sight of the doe or the fawn. The grassy milky scent was more fresh than the doe's warm musky milky smell, but Kova couldn't figure out what this meant. All he could do was wait...  “Speech”

As they moved together, ever so slowly and quietly, the only thing that occupied Gent's mind other than tracking their prey was monitoring Kova's location. Of course, currently there was no danger present, but things could change fast once the group came upon their target. A sense of responsibility pressed on his shoulders, as he could tell by the young boy's movements that he didn't have a lot of experience with large prey, if any at all. He needed to make sure, above all that, that Kova was safe at all times. Gent didn't need the boy having any more reasons to not trust him, and of course he couldn't bear even the thought of having to witness Minka experiencing loss once more, much less being the one to have let it happen.

Raela, who had so quickly honed her hunting skills with natural talent, prodded him to alert him of what she was sensing. Gent's movements became ever more cautious and selective, and his blue eyes widened to absorb more light and see further. Ears standing forward, he began to pick up the minute sounds that had caught his partner's attention. Straining every one of his senses, he found the right angle through which to glimpse their prey. His head cocked slightly as the woman's cold nose pressed against the unguarded skin of his ear, listening intently to her words. He nodded his agreement, and settled into position, storing up his energy to prepare for the moment when he would need to unleash it.

Time passed by slowly, and had the man still been a yearling he would have been chomping at the bit, possibly even making the call to forget the fawn and charge the mother. However with age had come maturity, gifting Gent with a much larger store of patience. He wondered if Kova would have the energy he himself had possessed at his age, if he was eager to break cover and take up the chase. Regardless of what level anticipation the yearling was feeling, however, Gent trusted the kid's intelligence and discipline.

Finally, the waiting game payed off, as the mother mule deer moved within what the amount of sunlight told Gent was a small clearing, clustered with tall thick grass perfect for hiding a defenseless fawn. A shallow bleat entered the air, and a smaller form rose up out of the beryl growth. She was nursing. Now was their chance.

Gent moved forward, gliding effortlessly and silently between the trees. Each step was tactful, using the terrain and the plant life it supported to his advantage to stay hidden. Mindful of the wind's direction, he circled round, coming as close to the doe and her hungry offspring as he dared before breaking cover. A moment of pause was then given to ensure that Raela had taken up an appropriate post and was prepared, and Gent trusted that Kova would have followed one of the two adults, following their example.

Raela was happy to see that Kova made an effort to silence his movements, though she expected no less from the princely youth. He was no fool. Gent took her suggestion seriously, settling into cover just as she did. The younger member of the party seemed to catch on as well, and made no visible or audible objections to playing the waiting game. A quick glance in his direction revealed the boy's intensely focused gaze. He really was trying to do his best. The sight made her smile inside as her golden eyes found their target yet again. As luck would have it the blissfully innocent fawn teetered up onto barely-used legs, moving to the doe's side hungrily. Excitement brewed in her chest, raising the girl's tail just an inch or two as she laid in her hiding place. It was time.  The thought of killing such a precious little creature didn't sit well in the huntress' stomach, but the thought of feeding the pups and the pack certainly did. She wanted to kill the little one with as much mercy as could be afforded, but she knew having Kova in the group would change those plans. The fawn was a perfectly safe learning opportunity for the lad; and surely the mild-mannered boy would see fit to end it quickly. The baby deer certainly wasn't going to outrun anyone after all. Its most impressive defense had been eliminated when it stood up out of the grass under a false impression of safety. In hopes of offering a cue of sorts to their young charge, Rae glanced between him and the fawn a few times until she was sure he had noticed.  That taken care of she began circling as Gent had. They could only get so far into the clearing before the breeze would give them away, and each footstep had a higher and higher chance of betraying the careful hunters. Even as they moved the mother appeared to grow tense. The russet woman was given fewer and fewer opportunities to advance as the doe scanned the treacherous foliage time and time again. Opportunity was fickle; she would figure them out very soon. Sensing in her prickling skin that that moment was upon them, she waited only long enough to verify Gent's and Kova's position before striking. A crashing of leaves and twigs signaled the animal's doom as the lithe girl launched into action. There were no growls of intimidation here – she meant only business. Darting swiftly across the clearing she collided with the fawn only milliseconds after its guardian took note. Teeth sunk into it's soft skin, wounding it just enough. Her speed tore through its hide hastily as the youngster was tossed to the dirt. Practically feeling the hooves aimed at her back, she released just as she'd broken skin, leaping over the downed child with little more than a scrape.  The wobbly, bleating fawn would be struggling in the dirt for just a few more seconds before she was sure the silver-furred royal would be at its throat. She dashed back toward the enraged doe, a snarl now wrinkling her face. Snapping once near her hocks, Rae managed to turn the beast foolishly away from her child. Another few kicks lashed her way, again barely dodged by the agile wolf. The huntress barked as she moved back, hoping to vex the frustrated animal onto her and her alone until reinforcements broke from the shadows. Gent's strength would make quick work of downing this doe if he could line up the shot. Then it would be up to her and Kova to mob it from the sides. Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

            

:D

Kova tried to be as quiet as he could. They had gotten close enough now that the young male could just see the doe in the distance. It wasn't until the fawn stood up and wobbled around towards the doe that Kova finally realized what the other musty milky scent was. It had to have been the baby deer. Now that is something I think I can help take down... he thought quietly while imagining an old hunt where Inali and a few others had taken down a deer.

If a deer is anything like a fish I'll have to stop it from moving so that it won't flee or hit me. It's different form a fish though.. Where do I grab it with my teeth? Kova wished he could speak up and ask, but as he looked up he saw Raela looking at him again. This time though her eyes were softer as she gestured pointing at something. He followed her gaze and saw the fawn then nodded while a smile played across his semi serious face. Yeah he was definitely going after that one. The adults could work with the doe.

When the pair of older wolves started moving Kova looked for signals for him to follow or something. Neither wolf gave any sign for him to come along which brought a bit of confusion to Kova's features. He hoped that they wouldn't mind him following though. So the youth quickly decided to follow Raela instead of Gent. He slipped along after her while she got into position. Then they paused once more with muscles tensing. All he felt was a white hot fire of energy running through his legs right now, and to be honest if they had waited any longer Kova probably would have broke out running for the fawn. However, Raela suddenly dashed off towards the doe prompting Kova to finally hit the release button on his legs.

With his heart thudding against his chest the young wolf split away from Raela as she darted towards the mother deer. He swerved towards the fawn which was staggering around unsure of what was going on around it.  The old warning from the adults rang around in back of his head of how deer would kick to injure a wolf. So instead of reaching to grab at the fawns spindly legs he reached for the next thinnest weakest portion of the deer, its neck. It was quite easy for him to just run up and body slam the fawn while his teeth aimed for the back of its neck. In fact the speed at which he had been traveling was enough to carry the fawn off of its legs. Kova thought he heard a "CRACK!" as he landed on top of the fawn and flipped over it losing his grip on its neck. Quickly pushing himself back to his paws he saw the fawn was moving around on the ground trying to get back up, but it seemed to be having a problem with one of its legs. Having only wasted a moment of time to look at the young deer, Kova ignored anything else that was going on around him and launched at the fawn once more.

This time his jaws found a purchase on the fawns throat. The squishy feeling of his teeth squeezing against the deers soft neck felt pleasurable to his gums and mouth prompting Kova to bite down harder. However, a large shadow of something over him made the boy pause to look up at the doe towering above him rearing up on two legs.