Broken Timber Pines To earn your stripes.

RE: Broken Timber Pines, an injured, angry moose is wandering about your territory.
Pups are also welcome, they are nearly old enough to hunt alongside the adults by now, and Koda would not be against it. @Iopah @Zia @Nova @Bracken @Ember @Arion @Nalda @Eirian!

He was worried and yet the aging Reinier refused to show his emotion; his job was to always remain strong. His posture remained dominate, his tail high and eyes alert as he walked casually through Broken Timber Pines during his usual patrol of the borders. Their numbers were low and yet the mouths they had to feed had not dwindled, in his protection remained four pups, two of his own, that required the constant attempt to track and hunt down unaware prey. The adults that remained were mostly female, and though he did not doubt their abilities, he knew that their lack of testosterone left the pack more vulnerable but hardly weak--he was not foolish enough to test the strength of his wife on a good day, even with his bulk and height.

With all this on his mind, the pale male knew that recruiting members was the most important and still yet, he could not venture outside of the borders for fear of leaving the pack without an eligible male lead. He had caught sight of the newest male subordinate, @Eirian was young but sturdy and could prove a worthy second as long as he pushed himself longer than their previous male members had weeks ago. He didn't quite trust the youngster, he was like a shadow in the pack and his quietness disturbed him though Koda was similar in personality and would tolerate the male as long as he had no ideas of acquiring his rank without a violent fight; his territorial hormones were raging since the onset of Fall. These hormones kept the Reinier up at night, forcing him to check and double check his borders expecting to spot the young lass who had been unfortunate enough to trespass or worse, someone from the Woodlands. It had been months and things had been eerily silent--this ended the instant he heard the crunch of branches in the distance.

His head turned in the direction the sound had come, eyes struggling to focus on the fleeting moose that stood nearly six feet high with an antler span of nearly the same length. He followed the stench of moss and pine cone, his sense of smell grew more sensitive despite the injured moose's attempt to conceal itself--it was too late, the leader of Broken Timber had already locked on its trail. He could sense blood in the wind, most likely from the male moose's injuries that had been acquired during a spar with its successor, and because of this the moose's odds of becoming lunch for the small pack had increased. He paused just long enough to spot the moose lift its large head and howled in the wind, a call to anyone who was nearby, before the angry bull charged toward him head down, having expected him to be a lone wolf and much too weak to fight the large and imposing prey off on his own. "Come fight for this feast!" he howled before piercing gold eyes took in what light remained of the evening to guide his limbs in the opposite direction of the charging bull, he hoped to direct the deranged bull into an awaiting ambush of available wolves.

(This post was last modified: Oct 02, 2015, 07:40 AM by Koda.)

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

Pale rotted bone nestled clenched between outstretched, creamy limbs while numerous points of tarnished teeth attempted to reach the nutritional marrow beneath the surface. The soft sound of gnawing teeth against bone and low rumbles of pleased growls each time a smidgen of the sought after insides graced Eirian's tongue echoing on the eerily silent evening air. Taste buds reveled over the blood stained marrow as its crumbling substance slid effortlessly down the pipes of his throat, the peace broken only by the sudden sound of a howl on the twilight winds. Its maker the only other male within the pack and current patriarch. This dominating brute was only ever seen in passing since his joining, but the dark agouti man absorbed what he could with each pass through the thick foliage. Noting the larger pale pelted build he carried and the scent serving as his personal cologne. The stench was everywhere, thus pretty hard to miss.

Rust tinged audits flicked in the direction the sound had come, cranium lifting from its partially rested position upon the femur bone to better decipher the words as once closed lids rose to reveal those fiery orange optics of his. Salmon tinted tongue slithered across the length of his swarthy lips to clean what bits of marrow and bone clung to the tiny hairs outlining them before rising to all fours. All interest in what lay at his paws forgotten with the prospect of having a bigger, tastier, better bone to chew on despite not knowing what it was exactly he would be fighting to feast upon. Little coaxing was needed at that point as muscles were sent to work, coiling and releasing to send his form bounding effortlessly over and under the skeletal bodies of fallen trees in the direction his patriarch awaited. It wouldn't be proper to keep him waiting long if he wished to make a good impression.

he ground melted beneath onyx curled nails, the creamy fur between his pads pressing into the softened soil continuously being enriched by the surplus of wood digesting insects Eirian had noticed during a day of scouting to better accustom himself to his new surroundings. It was when the mixed scent of blood, moose and Koda invaded his nostrils did he know he was close, coming upon the pale furred male in the next passing minutes in time to spectate the bull moose warrant a charge and the patriarch guide his steps precisely out of harms way. One look upon the massive, pointed span of the moose's antlers was enough to make the Asurn wary of getting too close to that end of the beast. 'Best to avoid the pointy end.' He thought, imagining the amount of damage one wrong step paired with a swing of that massive rack could cause to those foolish enough to do so. Skirting in a circle around the commotion, a silent glance was given in the other male's direction after a set of growls reverberated like thunder in his throat. A cue that all he had to do was say the instructional words for the younger man and he would see them through.

C'mon BTP members! With just a few more of us we can take down this moose no sweat!
<3

 

All hope had been lost, she decided. He was never coming back, the father of her only child, the legacy of her bloodline. Perhaps he had wandered off on his own accord to call it quits, or maybe Inkheart had met a much crueler fate. But either way, after tireless weeks of searching, the truth was like a slap to the face. He was gone. And if by some miracle, he ever did return again, by the gods, there would be hell to pay. After her emotional breakdown, Zia went through yet another change. She reverted back to her old ways. She adopted a silent, almost cold attitude, her militaristic nature and habits returning. Only around her son, Iopah and Nova, did she ever show any warmth. The two adult females had been there for her in her darkest hour, supporting her when she could not help herself. She owed them everything. And Arion...he did not need to see his mother grieving, nor the suffering or regret behind her rich blue eyes. She would be strong for him, raise him right...even as a single mother. She only wished that the boy could have something of a father figure in his life before this bittersweet time of childhood was over.  To put her thoughts at bay, as well as her raging emotions, the silver and charcoal colored woman did what she was most at peace with. Exercise, and, while patrolling the outskirts of her great Red Wood forest. Zia was famous for being a hard worker, even known to nearly run herself ragged from time to time. But she enjoyed the warm burn that shot up her muscles, the steady and rhythmic flow of air into and out of her lungs while she mentally counted one lap after another, like an athlete training on the racetrack. The steady changing of the leaves did not go unnoticed, even with how busy she was. It was a reminder that winter would soon arrive, and that meant that every other wolf would have to work double time. Broken Timber Pines was low in numbers, but not in strength. Yet that could change, should any one of them fail to properly pull their weight. Especially with four, rapidly growing children to look after. Today, fortune seemed to be smiling upon the Pines wolves. The spirits had brought to them, a great gift. The pungent scent of a bull moose and it's blood hung thickly in the air, and no sooner had Zia registered the smell, Koda's rallying call hit her ears.  The wolves would eat well tonight, with leftovers to spare. Raising her muzzle to the evening sky, where the light had already begun to fade, Zia let loose a powerful cry, letting Koda know that she was on her way, and beckoning any other nearby comrades to join the hunt. Like a silver arrow, she raced through the network of fallen trees and foliage, pinpointing the location of the hunt already in progress. The smell of Koda and another wolf, plus that of the moose, was close. Bursting forth into a small patch clear of any debris, Zia was met with the sight of the rather intimidating, angry bull charging towards her Leader, who leapt out of the way easily. The other darker, russet colored wolf appeared ready to jump in at a moments notice as well. Placing herself directly in front of the agitated moose, yet well out of reach of that rack of horns, powerful jaws snapped repeatedly on empty air. She was goading it, daring it to charge her, so it would be distracted while the two larger males could attempt to inflict some serious damage.

 

Table by Pann, Image by Jolee

The howl made her ears swivel and head lift. She was on the far side of the territory and too far away to catch the faint scent of blood or hear the crash of twigs under the bulls charge. Her body was immobile for a moment, tense in the direction of her male counterpart and listening to the message of his cry. At her feet was one of the packs prey caches -part way through a renovation- and a dusting of earth coated her paws and chest. She was fortifying it, making use of the many fallen red-cedars to shelter it from inclement weather. The pack had a bumpy start while caring for multiple litters this spring, but the pups were half-grown now and they needed to be ready for the winter that was coming.

Iopah shook the earth from her cream pelt and glanced down at the cache. It was important, but nowhere near as urgent as a pack hunt—and much less exciting. With a hasty scrape of dirt over the caches contents, she was off. The woman trotted swiftly, ears and nostrils constantly moving to pick up a hint of their quarry. She followed the sound of rapid footsteps and the rallying cries of her Pines' wolves, feeling pride swell for their loyalty. They were the reason for the pack's survival and the queen was quick to add her own contralto voice to their howls.

The rank scent of rutting moose and tantalizing blood had her nostrils flaring. Yes, this would indeed be a fight. Another summoning cry left dark lips as Iopah made her first wide circle around the bull. They needed everyone and the pups needed to begin learning-it was more dangerous for them not to know. Her tail swirled happily at the bull's wound and she darted forward experimentally, just to see if it would fall back or call her bluff. The females had the speed to chase him, but first they would have to get him moving. Those huge palmate antlers were too dangerous in a face-to-face approach. She fell back to mingle with her pack mates, making sure they were not hurt and waiting for the last adult Pines' wolf. Iopah was careful to watch the forest, she did not want any of the pups arriving and getting too close to the moose.

Going to get this moving along, please anyone who hasn't jumped in yet, pups included, jump in when your ready!

Heat overcame him as he ran, sensing the cool air whip through his thick pelt but not really feeling anything besides the rush of the hunt and the sensation of initiating their first pack hunt since they had settled at the Secret Falls. He was confident that his call would not go unnoticed, the members of Broken Timber Pines hardly left the borders, he knew it because each members scent was very pungent against the bushes and fallen trees lining their home; he only hoped that their hesitation wouldn't come at a price.

His eyes were wild with excitement, ears pulled backward as he wound his way over and through the fallen logs long enough to finally look backward at his charging counterpart, the bull had seemed to fall back some after Koda's considerable distance but he was not foolish enough to turn his back to the large carnivore. It didn't take long for Eirian's scent to enter his nostrils and the pale leader felt his heart lurch in his chest, happy that finally someone had answered his call, and watched as the younger much darker agouti male took his turn upon the moose. The entrance of another wolf had temporarily stunned the moose but it did not deter him from wanting to fight; he would not be taken down so easily. Koda paced then, his tongue hung low from his mouth as he got a better glance of the towering beast and finally pinpointed where the moose was draining from, at which the moose was conveniently favoring the wounded haunch to his left.

This would be much easier with a few more set of jaws he thought to himself as almond shaped eyes stared the potential kill down, simply waiting for the moose to give him an advantage and no sooner did he do this did the moose step toward him with a charge again, sensing that Koda was not going to leave him alone without showing him the strength that he possessed. Zia's prompt appearance was met with a feeling of immediate relief, and he watched as the large woman intercepted the moose's path in attempt to bait it after her, it was a trick that usually worked in a case like this; and she was smart to execute it. He slipped around Zia seemingly undetected, his tail slashing behind him as he carefully moved toward the rump of the moose where temptation overcame him and he lunged toward the moose as a test of his stability and strength.

He caught the presence of Iopah in the area, it was as if their souls were connected since becoming mates, and instantly his eyes followed her wanting to make sure that the moose did not attempt to use its rack toward her. She was his everything and he grew anxious in every encounter that they shared; he couldn't fathom anything happening to her while near him. He watched her linger near Eirian and he felt the nervousness slowly dissipate but it wasn't over yet, with so many wolves near it the moose felt cornered and thus grew more agitated and wild as he thrust his antlers at each wolf in attendance with a snort and a stump of his front feet. He knew that they needed more muscle to pull him down but with his injury they could bleed him to death therefore he circled every so often to ensure that his wounded side did not remain unguarded for long. "@Eirian , did you notice his wound?"  he questioned to the only available male, knowing that most likely they would be the muscle needed to bleed this bull out.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

Something was happening! Bracken could feel it -or rather smell it and hear it. The smell was thick and oily and very intriguing; she had spent many minutes puzzling over the trail as it had crossed over the borders. The tracks were huge and very funny shape, and there was a few tufts of coarse brown hair that she proudly carried around. What would @Ember think of this smelly thing? She couldn't wait to find out.

She skidded to a stop at her father's howl, trying to give a muffled bark through the moose hair. Was it meant for her? Could it be meant for her? She certainly wanted it to be. It seemed the adults got to do all the fun stuff and she didn't like being excluded. Even from here she could hear things happening. Someone was running around and Bracken's legs quivered under her in eagerness. The next howl was Zia, another familiar voice that summoned "everyone". Her tail was whipping around now, the pup starting to creep in their direction. At her mothers howl, it was decided. It sounded like they wanted her there and so she was definitely going.

She trotted through the forest, thinking only of how happy they would be to see her. All of that fled Bracken's mind upon sight of the moose. It was much bigger than imagined and the girls tail promptly swept along her belly. This was not at expected, and even more unnerving it seemed to be after the grown-ups! With a distressed growl at the situation, she hurried for her mother and stared worriedly at her father.

"speech"

BROKEN TIMBER Pines

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this BTP-themed table is free for anyone to use! look in the art corner or just "quote" this post

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

Nova had her leathery damp nose buried deep in a pile of leaf-litter with rump held high in the air behind her topped by her wagging tail when she heard Koda's strong voice beckoning from within the forest. She momentarily froze, and as the last note faded she pulled her head from the leaves. A hunt? She turned her head, looking to find @Nalda nearby and giving her daughter a short bark. The deer-mice they had been searching for would have to wait, not that she could be disappointed. Fresh game was quite a step up from the two bites a mouse was worth. Nova tipped her head back, a wavering call leaving her throat.

"C'mon, sweetie," Nova said, catching Nalda with a nip behind the girl's large russet ears before loping towards the howl, picking up her pace to a jog when Zia's song joined the sky. On her way the wafting scent of deer flesh made her stomach grumble, but she doubted the hunt had been over so quickly. Instead she focused on the scents of her packmates, snout panning to and fro and picking up the musk of a moose, the sour scent of blood and infection. Her pace slowed and she pressed her muzzle against Nalda's shoulder in a warning for the girl to be cautious.

Her long limbs moved at a softer tread, though it did little to camouflage her large form. Hooves thumping the ground vibrated up through her paws, and at last she saw her packmates carefully dancing around the defensive bull. Nova was hesitant, holding back as she carefully watched what Nalda's reaction would be to such an animal. Nova caught sight of Iopah on the fringe, gravitating towards the older female as the tawny woman's expertise had never lead her wrong.

In the blink of an eye the darkened forest exploded with commotion, slowly the body count of wolves growing with each arrival of the next subordinate after the other. Shortly after Eirian's arrival a flash of silver in the dying evening light cued the entrance of Zia, one of the numerous vixens that lived among the fallen timbers. Lithe embodiment executed a perfect baiting behavior as the whites of her teeth snapped at empty air in an attempt to lure the raging bull moose after it, a method that allowed Koda to slip undetected from the beast and shift his position to a more ideal location near the rump. A whole new wave of adrenaline flooded Eirian's veins as the energy within the enclosed perimeter crackled with its invisible charge to send a tingling sensation from the core of the dark russet man's paws all the way to the pit of his stomach. The irresistible concoction of fresh blood, raised testosterone levels and the sound of viciously snapping jaws and barks awoke a slumbering, wild beast inside. Animistic blood lust clawing at the surface to be unleashed from its prison like chambers. Oh how the Asurn wanted nothing more in that moment than to release his animal side.

A glint of something feral took residence behind citrus irises as the brute gave his surroundings one quick survey before returning them onto the distracted moose. It was during this quick scan he became aware of Iopah's silhouette lunging experimentally for a reaction from the enraged creature and the darker form of Nova gravitating towards the matriarch, two of the children; Bracken and Nalda in toe. Mentally he took note of these children and to keep his distance should the moose go for him, minimizing the risk of them getting hurt in his place. Now, it would seem the entirety of the pack had arrived to seal the fate of the bull. Suddenly the voice of Koda broke out above the sounds of snarls and stomping hooves warranting a flick of Eirian's audit in his direction. "Eirian, did you notice his wound?" Enraptured in the thrill of the commotion he in fact had missed the source for the blood that filled the air with a delicious scent, but that didn't stop the timber wolf from dancing around the pale coated male to obtain a look for himself.

Nestled upon the bull's left haunch lay a decent sized gash oozing the crimson liquid and a pale yellow liquid caked around the edges of the wound. No doubt the location the infection had began to reproduce itself after a failed rutting battle with another hormone enraged bull. "Ay, a gnarly wound no doubt caused from ano-" Swoosh came the sound of empty air being sliced by antlers just above his head. In the next second body hunkered close to the ground to avoid a return swing as he leaped back to a safer distance. During his inspection of the leaking wound, the Asurn man hadn't noticed the towering moose catch a glimpse of him in its peripheral vision that led to the mighty swing of his head to deter the wolf. That was awfully too close for comfort. Wouldn't that have made for some good scuttlebutt had its attack found purchase in the tawny man's pelt.

Don't forget that you need three posts to claim points for this thread!

The bull moose snorted and pawed the ground at her experimental dart forward and she brazenly snorted right back at him in response. It could snort and stamp all it liked, she knew the wolves had the upper hand now. Iopah could hear her wolves gathering around the animal. The job had already been started, the scent of blood was pervasive and telling. The more the massive animal charged, the stronger the scent became in the forest. Sooner or later, it would die and Iopah wanted the meal for her own wolves.

But they needed a plan, it was far too dangerous otherwise and the arrival of the pup(s) only cemented that belief. She huffed forcefully at Bracken, instructing her to stay back for now. Hopefully any yet-to-arrive pups would stay out of harms way with Bracken. Iopah let the bull's distracted mind allow her to slip back and circle around to the males, most notably to her mate. She heard him call out to Eirian and her ears flicked over to listen as she neatly went around the enraged moose. At the timber male's voice cut off, she swung back around with a furious shriek; snapping her jaws till the Asurn male had drawn back a safe distance. Huffing with irritation at the moose's nerve, she reached Koda and ran alongside him, content just to be close for a moment before speaking. "We can chase him to you and Eirian," she stated, turning to watch the bull as the pair of wolves circled him. "Where do you want us to chase him?" There was no small amount of pride in her voice as she spoke, Zia and Nova were both experienced wolves and she had complete faith in their ability.

Iopah is now circling the moose with Koda as they discuss the plan. Bracken is at the edge of the scene watching everything.

(This post was last modified: Oct 29, 2015, 06:13 AM by Iopah.)