Stonewatch Timbers turn around bright eyes

Gent remained hidden as both Raela and Kova sliced through the clearing to launch their attacks. The lag was intended to give him a second or two to anticipate their strategy, so that he could interject himself at the best possible moment. Mostly, his glacial eyes tracked the boy, closely monitoring both the level of skill he displayed and his well being in this particularly dangerous scenario. The fawn was swiftly thrown to the ground, pitifully doomed with no way of saving itself.  It's only help was skillfully blocked and coraled by Raela, forced to back away from its offspring. Within seconds, his friend had left him an opening for the take down, attempting to absorb all of the animal's focus onto herself.

Knowing that now was his time, the man did not lose a second of it. Gent burst forth, jaws parted and awaiting the mother's flesh. The air around him seemed to solidify into something gelatinous, the ticks of time long and drawn out as every sense within his body honed sharply onto the intended prey. The seconds between his shadowy post and his ultimate course of action, though few, felt very far between. Unexpectedly, the mule deer turned her attention from Raela to Kova and her barely-alive child, her mothering instincts no doubt kicking her full strength in the gut. Gent wondered fleetingly if she realized how futile it all was. The next moment, a shiver of horror spasmed down his spine.

She had hoisted herself up onto her hind legs, and the guardian could see before his eyes those rock-hard hooves careening down, cracking the boy's skull open and breaking his ribs. Gent had been aiming for her neck, but now impulsive instinct caused him to swerve at the last possible moment, fangs once meant for violence now closing down on Kova's scruff to pull him out of harm's way. Just as Gent thought they had both escaped those deadly hooves, both of them clipped his lower back, abruptly driving his hindquarters into the ground. The man yelped, incidentally releasing Minka's son, and scrabbled for his footing, fear searing the back of his eyes as for a moment he thought himself paralyzed by the blow.

OOC: Man this was fun to write! Somebody take her down!

Just as planned, Raela heard the racing paws of the Lagina boy heading straight for the weakened fawn. Her glinting eyes caught sight of the action a moment later as she continued antagonizing the poor mother doe. It had been working well, and as if shot from a gun she heard the great hulking form of her friend come barreling from the bushes. Between this action and the next, fear slowed the passage of time. She saw how the doe's head turned to look for her little one, returning to Raela again as another click of teeth sounded at her feet. It was much too late. The deer had seen what Kova was doing, and whirled away from her efforts at distraction. The woman's ears rose to the top of her head with concern; a dumbfounded and shocked look overtaking her features as her mind pieced together what would happen next. The mother was aiming straight for the silver boy, and there was little she could do from her current position. Instinct and reflex drove her forward again, hoping dearly that she could bite something, anything to get the doe to stutter.  As she lurched forward, the subordinate's eyes tracked Gent's sudden change in course. Instantly she knew he was trying to save Kova. Her fangs snapped shut around the creature's back leg just a fraction of a second too late. Her autumn colored ears pinned themselves down; bracing against the horrible sound of Gent's shriek. She'd never seen the man hurt, much less crying out in pain. The mother had hit at least one target; successfully slamming the larger wolf to the ground before registering the jaws around her limb. Raela's eyes took in a black blob; barely glimpsing her partner's location before the creature's movement dragged her aside. The sudden whirling movement wiped all vision into a motion blur. The agouti woman refused to release her hold, choosing instead to put all her energy into sinking her teeth to the bone. For all she knew Gent was mortally wounded. Even if he wasn't she was now the only thing keeping the doe from mounting another vengeful attack.  Determined to protect the prince and her now fallen comrade, the woman's golden eyes burned. She would not let anything else happen. No. The animal started kicking in an attempt to free the hind leg; succeeding only in dragging the assailant around some more. Raela danced with her, doing her best to keep the whole of her body beside the prey and not behind it, in kicking range. It was a horribly dangerous thing for the lithe little female to be doing. A good smack could spell the end, just as Gent had so graciously demonstrated. This ballet of frantic swinging and shuffling feet continued; the doe unknowingly inching further from her child as the need to survive rang louder than any maternal instinct. She just needed to buy enough time – just enough time for Kova to do something to help. If she let the doe go now it would only attack again. She had to make it stop.  In a rush of adrenaline, the russet-furred woman pressed down as hard as she could manage. In the effort she stopped moving, simply letting the deer drag her while her jaws pressed harder and harder. Then, with a sickening crunch, the bone cracked. The mother panicked. Her leg swung wildly, pulling the distracted wolf square into her range and slamming the wounded appendage into its chest. The air left Raela's lungs immediately as she was sent tumbling to the dirt. Lucky for her it was the back of its leg and not the hoof that had hit. A fine bruise that would make. Damn, damn! Thinking quickly and running on adrenaline, the girl scrambled aside. The doe had stumbled and was now struggling to get back up. A quick and wary glance upward revealed though that the damage had already been done. The animal's leg couldn't hold her weight as she tried to stand; now completely broken from the force of the impact. It was limp and utterly useless. Still low to the ground with her legs spread defensively, the crest woman tried her best to breathe. Her chest was stiff and painful and still refused to take in much air. The strain was plain on Raela's face as she panted, looking on through half-lidded eyes. She needed a moment, and it seemed that it would take the doe more than that to become an effective threat. Frantically she sought out Gent's form, terrified that he might not have gotten up yet.  Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

            

Kova was flat against the ground as time seemed to slow. His heart lurched as the doe's cleaved hooves hung in the air above him causing the boy to let a snarl cover his face. The snarl wasn't to scare her away, it was an "oh fuck" moment when he realized that he probably wouldn't be able to dodge it fully. Then something fast, dark, and strong slammed into him from the side. He felt a strong pinch in his scruff while being carried sideways away from the hooves that descended downwards towards the wolves. Things happened so quickly that Kova didn't realize what Gent had done until he heard the older male yelp in pain above him.

The gray boy moved quick then glancing at Gent on the ground then quickly back to the doe. She was readying herself for another attack, but Raela was keeping the creature from doing so effectively. Kova snarled ferociously in that moment and began snapping at the air around the front of the doe trying to distract her from Gent. He was aware that Raela was hanging onto the doe's rear for a some time, but he did not know how badly Gent was injured. Since the male had quite possibly saved his life it was time for Kova to stop messing around and get serious.

His heart was going at a million miles a minute fueling the boys tense body as he sprang away from the doe's hooves. The last deer hunt he had been on had been the one where his father and pack mates had saved him from an injured moose. Inali had been doing the job he was doing now, to distract the prey so that other pack mates could get their jobs done. He had helped a bit in that hunt near the end of it, but nearly as much as he hoped he was right now. Kova even remembered the killing blow dealt by Inali and Firefly. They had aimed for the thin fleshy part of the beasts throat. Then maybe, so too would he.

A "CRACK!" filled the air a second time which sent Kova's heart skipping in fear as he backed off from the doe for a moment to see if Raela was okay. What he saw sent Kova into a rage. Raela was on the ground as well, and the deer stumbled around on three legs. The doe was distracted then by her leg injury. Kova knew that they wouldn't be able to run from her while being injured themselves. Even with a broken leg the doe would go after whoever was still laying on the ground. Just like how the moose form his last hunt went after him in the beginning because he was weak. So all he could do was snarl and try to launch himself directly at the area where Inali had bitten the moose.

His aim was true; while the deer was getting her wits about her the gray wolf snapped down on her jugular. Blood began to dribble from around his mouth. The iron filled smell of it almost choked him as he bit down as hard as he could. Then when the doe tried to kick at him once, with her left front leg, Kova was able to twist out of the way of that one while still hanging on. His twisting motion actually helped to tear the doe's throat some more causing his muzzle to become thoroughly soaked in it. The second time she attempted to kick him Kova was forced to release in order to dodge it.

Then Kova, unwilling to go and bite the creature again, stayed between the doe and Gent snarling at her as she stumbled sideways away form the wolves. Kova didn't know it quite yet, but she was slowly dying from blood loss. The mother deer no longer wanted to fight, instead trying to hobble away from the wolves and her fawn which still lived. About twenty yards away the doe stumbled on three legs and fell to the earth. She continued to try and get up after that While Kova then turned his attention back to Gent and Raela. “Please please please be okay.. GUYS!? Are you alive!?”

His face had turned into fright as he looked at Gent who was closest to him then ran half way over to Raela to see how she was.

His chest had hit the ground nearly as hard as his hindquarters, driving the air from his lungs. The abrupt injection of panic into his system and lack of breath caused him to see stars momentarily, and he briefly was able to acknowledge that this was the most fear he had ever felt before in his life. Not quite aware of what was happening around him, Gent focused instead of regaining his footing. His forepaws clawed the earth, legs locking as he pushed and pulled himself up off the ground. Slowly, the effort traveled down the length of his torso, and after a painful length of time his legs reawoke, scraping at the dirt before at last effectively lifting him.

Relief course through him there, chasing away the ice that had sealed itself over his bones. The adrenaline remained however, and more continued to pump into his system as his vision expanded as he was now able to focus on what was occurring around him. Frantically, his eyes sought Kova, then Raela, and finally their prey. For a few seconds, he could only witness, until that vivid red blood began to gush from between Kova's teeth and Gent at last regained complete control of himself. A scowl etched itself deeply on to his muzzle, and his trembling muscles relaxed as he trotted forward.

With a quick, spine-wrenching jerk of his jaws, the fawn's horror was ended, its pathetic bleating ceasing to pollute the air. He turned then, pursuing the mother. She squirmed and kicked, but each jerk of her muscles was weaker than the last as the life ebbed from her. The man was careful to avoid those cleaved paws, circling around to reach her blood-soaked throat. With a lowly rumbling growl, he clasped his teeth around her windpipe, and crushed down with all of the power in his jaws, sealing off her air and putting the valiant mother to sleep before death took her.

It was all ended now, and Gent was left feeling anger. Things had gotten out of hand so quickly, and any of them could have easily been killed if any minute factor had been different. If he hadn't of gotten to Kova in time, if the deer had aimed just a little bit higher along his spine, if it had turned on Raela without either of the males able to come to her aid...  he shouldn't have attempted such a hunt with only two adults and novice yearling. The would-be king should have known better, should have kept them safer.

With a deep breath, Gent turned, facing his partners once more. His eyes scanned the both of them, searching for any obvious injuries. Kova had clearly received the biggest fright of the three of them, his panicked heart still visibly slamming against his chest as it heaved with great breaths. Gent pushed forward, trotting to the boy's side, and circling around him once to check him more thoroughly for any trace of harm. When all seemed well, he halted and another sigh escaped his maw.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, speaking to them both though his eyes lingered over Kova. Yes, Gent should have known better.

To the woman's great relief, the mammoth black form of her friend rose from the ground, albeit awkwardly. In the short glimpse her squinting eyes captured, she could see that he was standing on all his legs, and no blood was visible. That alone was cause to chase away the fear of loosing him in that moment. Abruptly her gaze snapped to the burst of movement that was the silver prince. Like a bolt of lightning he lunged, clamping tight around the animal's neck. From her position the subordinate could glimpse the little streams of blood flowing from its neck; growing by the second as Kova tightened his hold. This was just what they'd needed. The only unharmed member of the troupe had delivered a killing blow. He was even able to avoid her retaliation; a scene that had the woman's heart pounding. Luckily the boy had the sense to release her, and chose to back away. His snarl was a sight the Crest wolf had not yet witnessed; the novelty of such a thing had her eyes focusing on him instead of the slowly moving form of Gent.  The youth's voice drew up in pitch and fervor as he pleaded for their status. Still trying to regain her breath, Raela managed to straighten up her splayed stance just a little when she saw Kova coming for her. Silently and with gusto she nodded her head. Yes, she was quite alright, or she would be. Her eyed searched past the prince, finding that the one they ought to truly be concerned for, Gent, was now taking it upon himself to end first the fawn and then the doe. Worry strangled her stomach again as he made his way toward the frantic hooves. The creature would not have lasted long anyway, but it was always better to put it down if you could. Still, she couldn't help but grow anxious as she watched him, wondering the whole time what the nature of his injuries were. Soon enough, the beast met with the dirt, leaving the ebony man unharmed.  He returned to them without ceremony, choosing to focus on the panicked yearling first. The russet-coated woman looked on as painful breaths came and went; her lungs growing slightly in capacity each time. Gent's saddened utterance managed to draw Raela's face up, though her eyes remained half-squinted against the strain. Desperate to assure them both of her condition, the woman's strangled and airy voice struggled to sound. “It's alright.” The words began to gather substance as the subordinate continued. He had to be at least a little hurt after a blow like that. “I'm fine, just had the wind knocked out of me. Are you alright Gent?” Real worry and concern soaked her tone. She could see that the boy was unharmed, at least, if a bit shaken. The thought caused her attention to shift as soon as the dark man had answered. “That was well done Kova. That was exactly what we needed you to do.” It really was admirable that the yearling had stepped up so; and during such a stressful situation too. She was proud of the lad, and let it show with a soft grin. Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

(This post was last modified: Jul 02, 2015, 02:06 AM by Raela.)

            

Kova stood there looking at the two adults with a rather meek expression on his face. He couldn't believe that they were just fine after all of that. Worry plagued his thoughts keeping Kova from experiencing the pride he should have felt after Raela's praise. He watched as Gent ambled over to the fawn and ended its life. The gray boy tilted his head a bit confused by that action, but as he watched Gent move he could see that the man was stiff. Kova leaned lightly into the dark wolf as he came forward to check on him. The young male began to sniff all around the dark male trying to figure out if he was hurt or not, but as far as he could tell Gent too was not maimed or otherwise badly injured. Somehow they had all escaped from any major injuries during this hunt. Though Kova could bet that the three of them would be taking a long rest after the eventful day.

“Don't worry about me I'm fine...but you.”

Kova stopped to touch his nose to Gent's chin while he looked up pleadingly at the man. “I think.. It would be best for us to rest after.. well all of that.”

Kova advised the alpha while looking away from Gent's gaze submissively. A small lick was given to Gent's chin before Kova looked over to Raela then back again.

I would have been flattened... Kova thought as he recalled the image of Gent's form snatching him out of the doe's way. Why did he risk himself for me? I'm not his family really... Kova's semi confused thoughts somersaulted around his mind as the youth continued to linger by Gent's side. He'd help the dark alpha out however he could. We should get home to mom and Lugh.. He thought quietly hoping that Lugh would have been able to help them. (EXIT KOVA WHEN YOU GUYS EXIT OR IF THIS IS ARCHIVED)