Kingsfall quid pro quo

@Orren -- Sunny, 62F

It was with some resentment that Kjors dragged himself towards the pack's common ground, ears flat out to the side as he surveyed the area. Casual companionship was not something he sought from other wolves – he'd established solid relationships with @Amisun and @Karina already, and that was more than enough for the one-eyed dragon. He'd know Aleksei as well, and felt that if the need arose, he would be able to approach the yearling to accompany him on another hunt. They'd worked relatively well together despite only just being introduced, and the heir to the Baranski throne had shown promise despite being relatively new to the hunting game. It was the eldest of Maksim's children that he sought out now, aware it would only bode well for him to make a deposit in the pack's cache. A leech was an ugly sort, and as asocial as the fallen alpha might be, he'd no desire to sink to the levels of the useless and unwise. A hunt would cost him effort, yes, but the benefit would largely outweigh any sacrifice on his behalf. If he wished to gain favor and raise his status, it was something he would simply have to do. Not finding any wolf he was familiar with, Kjors put out a short call to any packmate that might be in the surrounding area. While he could hunt alone, two wolves had a much higher chance of success, and would be able to take a much larger, more impressive piece of prey down. Jaw clicking shut, the dark wolf waited, and listened – would anyone answer?

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"Nothing really lasts forever" ORREN BARANSKI The trickle of the river added a lulling, calm note to the melody of the great forest, birds chirping and leaves rustling in the breeze acting as winds and percussion, respectively. It was to the soothing harmony of this tune that Orren had dozed off, safe in the knowledge that both his mother and both of his new sisters were sleeping soundly in the den nearby. His dreams were pleasant, like most of them had been since they found Hearthwood River and the pups were born; before that, peaceful sleep had been a rare occurrence. His nap was disturbed however, by a low call from the other side of the river; The clearing at the den it sounds like... He might have gone back to sleep, had it not been for two things: firstly, the voice was unfamiliar, awakening both his curiosity and his protective instinct; and secondly, this stranger was calling with a purpose, he wanted to hunt. Never one to let a hunting opportunity pass, the youngest Baranski-son opened his eyes, blinking against the bright sunlight. Yawning lightly, he got to his feet, stretching out his limbs to try and regain some flexibility, before turning to investigate the caller. In a few, precise leaps, the copper tinted youth made it across the river, using a row of large, round stones that seemed as if put there for exactly that reason. From the opposite bank, he only had to round one, massive tree trunk to reach the clearing where the River wolves had dug out their main den, and here he found the caller. Indeed, the figure was unfamiliar, short, wiry frame and dark bistre pelt unlike any of the wolves who had been part of the old river pack. His presence here, at the heart of Hearthwood territory, and the clear scent of Kisla and Maksim carried in his fur, marked him as a member of the pack; and that meant family; Sort of... Stepping towards the man, Orren cleared his throat, offering a thin, but friendly, smile; "Hello..?" He offered, tilting his head as he looked at the other. His face was marked by one, bright golden eye, and, even more distinctly, a dark, empty eye socket. The yearling felt his own, persimmon orbs widen at the sight, but it didn't deter him; rather, it peaked his curiosity even more, and it also answered a question he had yet to ask; "You're Karina's... Friend, right?" He wasn't quite sure what to call it, but he knew that his sister had formed a tight bond with this new addition to their ranks; And I'm not sure I like it..! Still, his curiosity, and the still lingering promise of a hunt, triumphed the protective-brother's-instinct, and he waved his tail affably, widening his smile; "Kio... Something?" The name had eluded him, but he was sure that this was the man; So let's see what he's all about! Word count: 487 Thoughts ”Speech”

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A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

"'lo." This was not the wolf he was looking for, Kjors thought bitterly. Perhaps he should call the entire hunt off. He'd be better off on his own than toting around some yearling, with the exception of Aleksei and his considerable skill for a wolf of his age. The man blinked his single eye, allowing the youth to babble onwards as he slowly put the pieces together. This, he realized, must be the last of the Baranski trio. The other brother – what was his name again? "Orren," he rumbled, making it clear he remembered the name their mutual companion had given them. "It's Kjors. Kjors Sørenson. Karina is m'…friend, yes," the dragon bristled, displeased the bumbling youth discarded his calling so quickly. But now was not the time for pride and prejudice, he knew. His place within in the pack was not yet solid, no matter how much affection he held for Karina…and vice versa. The princess was not the voice of reason within this pack, it was her mother. To cement his role and allow him to achieve further success, the male knew he must be seen as a valuable asset. Turning his single eye back to the boy, he rumbled. "Ah was lookin' 'fer yer brother – t' hunt. He ain't half bad at it." In fact, Aleksei had been rather good at following direction and working as a unit. Their kill had been an impressive one for a pair, and if united again, they would probably be just as successful. "Don' suppose y'know where t' find 'em, eh lad?"

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"Nothing really lasts forever" ORREN BARANSKI Orren was disconcerted by the muddy male's gruffness, his single, golden eye seeming to glare at him; What did I DO?! It was pretty clear that the man was displeased with something but the younger male couldn't imagine what; He was the one who called! Kjors clarified his name, again in a tone that reeked of disgruntlement, and by this point the River prince was about ready to turn around and leave, if this stranger insisted on being a grumpy old man, Orren wasn't really interested in hunting with him. The mention of Karina was what held him back for a moment, the stress this man put on her name making a number of the protective brother's hairs stand on end; what exactly was the scarred man's connection to the gentle princess? The next comment made the copper yearling's ears twitch, orange eyes widening as they once again zeroed in on the murky figure. He half snorted at the implication that his brother should be better suited for a hunting excursion; Aleksei?! In fact, he felt slightly insulted, heat rising in his cheek as Kjors asked about his brother, his perfect brother. Aleksei, Aleksei, Aleksei! Always, always FANTASTIC Aleksei, or DARLING Karina..! A knot of both shame and anger formed in the yearling's stomach, eyes glowing with indignation. He could never do anything right, anything that either his sister or brother couldn't do better! Well, anything but... Straightening his back and slightly puffing out his chest, Orren stared back at the older male, defiantly. "Aleksei?" He said stiffly, a hint of mockery in his tone; "At the borders, I'd imagine, or possibly with Ma' and the pups. He's a guardian," The younger brother put no small amount of loathing into the word, he respected the protective nature that he shared with his male relatives, but their dutiful ways and almost reverent adherence to the law was obnoxious to him. Looking straight into the other wolf's one, pointed eye, the young hunter proclaimed proudly: "But if you're looking for a hunting partner, you would be much better off with me. I am a hunter." He radiated all the confidence of a seasoned hunter, who had actually earned the title, looking straight at Kjors, as if challenging him to gainsay him. He was the one who had studied and trained with @Naia, honing his skills by hunting small prey on his own, and tracking larger animals, even studying herds from a distance to learn about their habits and reactions. Orren Baranski was the rebellious child of his litter, the one who had always struggled with his position in both his family, and his pack at large. After his first hunt though, he had begun to understand - he was born with a hunters heart, and whenever he focused on his chosen craft, he was able to concentrate in a way that his family had always hoped for during earlier lessons on other subjects. Yes, he was a hunter, or was at least going to be, not just because he wanted to, but because he was born for it! Word count: 516 Thoughts ”Speech”

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"Yeah, Aleksei," Kjors sighed, giving the kid a hard look. The other members of the Baranskis' first litter had been much more…appealing, upon first impression. Y' blind, deaf, er' jes' dumb? Before he had the chance to probe the lad further, the middle child had bristled considerably, increasing his volume by at least a quarter as he volunteered himself for the task. One eyebrow raised (difficult to note unless studying his expression, asymmetrical as his face was), he eyed the youth carefully as the russet wolf rambled onwards about his own qualifications. Included were reasons he should not seek out the eldest Hearthwood River rock, and the dragon suffered a violent flashback just then – was this how Skell felt, before he himself had taken ill? No, his younger brother would have never known this shadow – he was but an infant when the malady had almost stolen the prince's life. Skell had only known their mother's favor and their father's lesson. Kjors was not a rival, but a mere obstacle to avoid on his brother's accession to Ered Luid's throne. That was why he'd ended up in a shallow grave, the male thought grimly, and the earthy timber wolf continued to carve out his existence among a pack he'd never thought to join. Idly, he wondered if Orren was of like mind – if he sought his own place outside of Aleksei's name, if he sought his father's position as alpha of this domain and all it entailed. How far would he go? But this could all be pondered at a later date. This all required more information, something the dragon well intended to procure. After a long silence, he bobbed his head. "Yeah, alright, kid. Ah'll give ya a shot. Scent 'ny deer round these parts, lately? Seems th' cache's a bit low."

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"Nothing really lasts forever" ORREN BARANSKI A coal tinted eyebrow was raised, as if in mirror of the opposer, ears twitching irritably at the indulgent comment; 'yes Aleksei' Yes Aleksei what? Yes they were talking about Aleksei, the one eyed male had been the one to ask about his brother first, and Orren had answered, so what was this condescending tone? Perhaps this murky man, like everyone else, thought the firstborn was better than his younger brother. It made even more of his black and copper hairs bristle; Who does he think he is anyway?! But then Kjors seemed to become thoughtful, golden eye growing distant as silence stretched between the two. In fact, Orren was beginning to wonder if the bistre male wasn't right in the head, carrying on like he did, but then Kjors finally moved, nodding as if making an agreement with himself. He spoke in that gruff accent f his, and his words only fueled the growing flames in the yearlings chest; Give me a shot?! Oh well, he would learn! The comment about the caches also hurt his inflated pride, he saw it as his responsibility to keep them stocked and mentioning the lack was like a personal insult to him. But he also knew that the one eyed wolf was right, they were low, with the new pups and most of the pack busy guarding and maintaining the new territory, few took the time to hunt for something more than a personal snack. What they really needed was a big pack hunt, to take down something large that would last them for a while; of course, despite his big aspirations, Orren was hardly one for calling together such a thing, it would have to fall on someone higher up the hierarchy. Regardless, the deep brown chap seemed to finally be accepting Orren as a hunting partner, and together they could at least take down more than the youth would have alone. So wounded pride was pushed aside as the training hunter nodded back, leaning a bit back on his hunches; A deal was struck. He tilted his head at Kjors question, going through his mental map of Kingsfall and the prey's movements. The lush sequoia forest was a haven for the local fauna, attracting many types of both smaller and larger prey, as well as small herds of deer that could easily move among the huge trees. As such, it was not hard to remember fresh tracks he had come across recently, what was hard was choosing; There are so many..! There were many lone elk and moose in the area, but they would be too big a mouthful for just the two of them. Orren studied the older male, assessing him; this was no doubt a test, and while the youngest prince didn't know this man and otherwise really didn't care what he thought of him, the boy was eager to show up his brother, to let Kjors, and the rest of Hearthwood River, know, that here was something he could do better! So he pursed his lips, thinking hard to find the perfect prey for the two of them, it would need to be something sizeable, but also something they would have a chance of catching. So after a lengthy moment of thought, he made a decision, nodding to himself; there was a group of Mule Deer somewhere north, moving slowly through the terrain, he had studied their tracks closely that same morning, one of them, a male judging by the size, was slower than normal, weakened by something, sickness or age. That would be suitable, He thought, lifting his head to meet Kjors' one eye; "Yeah, I know where to go. Come!" Then he turned on the spot and started trotting off, steps almost silent in the sparse underbrush, he still needed to work more on that. Word count: 640 Thoughts ”Speech”

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Orren's emotions practically screamed across his face as his thoughts flickered across his eyes. This one was so much more emotional than the other two Baranskis he'd met – there was cool, calm Aleksei, the wolf with a plan at all times. There was also his imperfect little gem, shy, clever Karina, a wonder who would never give herself the credit she deserved. It seemed the third child was wildly different than both his siblings; still, it was interesting enough that he wanted to continue this interaction. The fire burning in those blazing orange eyes, that indicated there was something hidden under the charcoal swash across his spine. It could be any number of things, but perhaps there was a silent hope that he may have finally uncovered another dragon. Of course, it remained to be seen whether the boy would ever be able to learn how to breath fire or if he'd remain an overgrown lizard with an ego too large to fit inside his scaly shell. Humming under his breath, he allowed the youth to lead the way – something his brother hadn't done. That did not bare sharing, however, not yet. Orren did not deserve praise until he'd truly earned it, and Kjors would reserve judgment until the hunt had concluded – they'd have a prize to return to the cache, or they wouldn't. He remained the hunter's shadow until he stopped, and down the monster sunk, all but disappearing into the underbrush. "Wha's th' plan?" he asked his partner, raising a brow. He was the hunter – let him call the shots. Let's see what you're made of.

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"Nothing really lasts forever" ORREN BARANSKI Traversing the lands of Kingsfall was much easier than it had been navigating Cedarwood Forest, the underbrush here much looser, a mix of small trees, large bushes and grasses, no dense bramble or prickly shrubbery. As such, the large yearling was starting to feel much more comfortable as a hunter, secure in his ability to take long steps and walk on squared paws rather than having to sneak through thick foliage. Really, as more and more days passed, Orren felt increasingly happier to have left the Cedarwood behind to instead start a home here in the north. Though he would never forgive those who had driven them to it. Only when the two hunters neared the place where the yearling had last seen traces of their prey, did he slow, lowering his belly to the ground to blend into the underbrush. He was dearly loving the red hues of the sequoias, nowhere else had he been this well camouflaged, and thanks to some more lessons with @Naia he was starting to learn how to mask himself. With slow care, the young hunter turned his head to look over his shoulder, searching for Kjors behind him. The muddy man had followed without question, keeping close and quiet, and Orren had felt both happy and proud to see a capable adult follow his lead. Now the one eyed man was elegantly blended with the forest, and an excited smile crossed the yearlings face as his eyes passed over the other. Then he returned his attention to the tracks, sniffing them and assessing their shape and spacing to get a clear idea of their prey's movements. The aspiring hunter was still untrained in this, but by his judgment, the small herd couldn't be far away. He turned his head again, flicking an ear at Kjor's low spoken question. Still with a small, yet eager, smile on his lips, Orren explained his observations, hoping to further score in the older male's eyes; "They're not too far up ahead, there's a bull who slows them, sick I think, or maybe just old," He tilted his head a little, glancing back down at the tracks in the mud; "If we can manage to separate him from the rest, we should be able to take him!" He pursed his lips as he spoke, eyes now focused on the trail disappearing into the bushes a few steps in front of them. While part of him was still striving for recognition, his enthusiasm for the hunt itself and the art of tracking and strategizing was starting to push it to the back. When he spoke now, it was to share his thoughts on the options and his idea of how best to achieve success, and to hear the other's ideas, no longer was he thinking of showing of; the success of the hunt was at the forefront of his mind. "Perhaps, once we get 'em within our sight, I can get 'em runnin' and you slip in between, once the other's start pulling away from our prize?" He looked back up at the bistre male and cocked a brow, tilting his head impishly; "Am quite quick for my size, but I'd say you're faster?!" Word count: 535 Thoughts ”Speech”

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It seemed allowing @Orren the lead was the wise decision – almost immediately, the yearling's demeanor improved by leaps and bounds. Not only this, but the lad was actually taking the lead. When he glanced over his shoulder, it was to make sure his packmate was following, not to seek advice from an older soul. He might have smiled, were he not concerned about the outcome of their hunt. All the same, the youngster's tracking skills were something to be praised, and he gave a small nod as the prince explained the dynamics of the herd they'd tracked. While a bull seemed a bit aggressive for a pair of wolves to attempt, he could not blame the youth's enthusiasm. Furthermore, if it was injured or sickly as the trail made him out to be, the swarthy male supposed it could be done. But they would have to be organized if they wanted any chance of success. Crawling a little closer to the lead hunter to avoid any loud sounds between them, Kjors tipped his head as his partner quickly explained his idea. It was not a poor plan in the least, he knew. With a soft hum, he added his two cents. "Ah'm prolly faster," he agreed with a small nod. Despite their age difference, the prince was already larger, and he probably weighed more, if the timber wolf had to guess. He, on the other hand, was quite diminutive, and with that came a certain degree of grace and agility that larger animals could not claim. "Ah can drive th' lame one away from th' group, sure. But y'gotta remember, lad, Ah only got one eye, yeah?" he rumbled softly, tipping his head to make the empty socket increasingly more obvious. It did not hinder him more than when he was trying to hunt (or scuffle), and while it could be compensated for, it went much easier when his teammate was aware of the disability. "Ah cannot seem 'em on th' right, so tha's where y'should be. If y'signal somethin', an' yer wonderin' if Ah can see, Ah probably can't. So jes' shout yer orders." At this point, it was safer for both of them, pride be damned. He wasn't about to get gored by a buck simply because he wasn't the lead hunter. "Ah can prolly git its hind leg, once separated – if y' think y'can make th' kill? Tha' th' plan?"

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