Grizzly Hollow perhaps my heart is fast

Waiting to find my place

Much to her relief, her arrival to the scene seemed to be welcomed. Veho did not seem to object to her presence, to be up and exerting herself so soon after her ankle had healed. A polite dip of her head was given to each wolf present, before quickly looking towards Veho while he handed out instructions, formulating a plan. He was right...she and Katariina would be best suited for flushing the limping moose out towards the ambush group. With this task, she was also at less risk of re-injuring her leg. Taking down such a big animal was far more risky for the wolves who would be attempting to bring the bull to it's knees, up close and personal. Just as she was about to head off, to take up a position a little ways behind the moose, the arrival of two other pack mates stopped her in her tracks.

Young Tomen had arrived, inquiring of his mother if he would be allowed to watch. The dark healer, Titan, soon followed, eager to help out in the hunt. The flame coated female lingered just long enough for either Quil or Veho to make their decisions, bright eyes flickering over the young Princes body warmly, tail wagging ever so slightly. Once the boy was given permission to watch and instructed to wait in the bushes, along with Titan's role settled, she spared a glance to Katariina, to signal her to follow her lead. Swift footedly, she took off, diving through thicket without creating too much trouble. With Autumn in the air, the branches were left more exposed, the leaves turning from green to a burnt orange color. For the two stalkers, this made for the perfect camouflage for their russet coats. Assured that Veho and his group were already working themselves into position, Jynx scooted forward towards an opening in the bushes. Another glance at her partner would hopefully convey the plan; charge the moose together as a pair, to intimidate it as much as possible. 

Keen eyed, ears turned back, she waited for the perfect moment until the injured bull began to turn partially away from their hiding place. The flash of it's exposed, injured leg was tempting. A hopeful promise of an easier meal. But even an injured moose, was still to be treated with caution. Just before the bull turned away, she burst from cover, charging boldly, hackles raised. She rushed in close, aiming a snap of her jaws at it's hindquarters, before darting swiftly away, out of reach of any flailing hooves. With Katariina's help, hopefully their efforts would be enough to spook the moose, sending it running straight into the awaiting trap.

 

(This post was last modified: Oct 18, 2015, 03:57 AM by Jynx.)

The foreigner gave Tomen a reassuring smile as Veho announced that the boy would be allowed to watch provided he stayed out of the action himself. Kat couldn’t agree more, he was too young to participate in the hunt, but soon he would not be. Katariina was ready to go and allowed herself to follow the woman’s lead since she no doubt had more experience with group hunts then Kat did. She kept a grin on her face as she followed, taking off through the thicket just a paw step behind Wacipi as they went to flush out their prey. Kat bared her fangs at the prey, hoping that alongside her hunting partner, they would be able to take down the creature without too much trouble.

When Jynx went in for a snap at its hindquarters, Kat snapped at its sides, driving it away from the group and towards the trap. She would quickly back up, avoiding a hoof just barely though a rush of adrenaline pumped through her vein and lit her soul on fire. She loved the hunt, just not as much as she loved her job as a scout – it was a close second though! Jynx and Kat made sense, for flushing out the prey, because of their coats and lithe forms. Hopefully, their job would be done properly and soon the entire pack would be feasting.

Titan shifted as his instructions were given out. He gave the others a confident smile before looking out towards the landscape where their prey lay in wait. He couldn't spot the moose right off the bat, but he could smell it. The scent of infection floated upon the air as the dark Thorben breathed in deeply. He might have been a healer, but ever since he was young he would get pumped up to chase and bite at the smell of blood. Now that he was an older more learned wolf he knew that the scent of infection was bad for wolves, but good for hunters going after prey. This was Titan's first time going after moose though, and he was not entirely sure how easy it would be. As long as it was not a bison like the one he had helped take down in the big three way pack hunt he was sure he would be okay. That thing had roughed up quite a number of the wolves that had been present for the multi pack hunt. Titan didn't want o have to treat his pack mates after this moose hunt either.

Eventually the groups began to split off to do their own separate jobs. Titan went with his small group sticking with Quill mostly. He did keep a close eye on Tomen though, but had no trouble trusting that Veho was where he was supposed to be. The group made it to their dark hiding spots and took their position among the thickly vegetated undergrowth. Titan kept close to the tree trunks and their shadows using the darkness to his advantage. He would much rather have been hunting during the night for Titan, as well as any whisper caverns wolf, had their senses trained in the darkness of the tunnels. He probably would have done better stealth wise had they been out there during the evening. However a moose wandering around your territory was definitely something to go after before it got too far into the interior of their land. There it could threaten the injured, sick, or young wolves who took shelter within their lands.

Titan's eyes widened as he spots the creature.  A big tall thing with gangling legs and a rounded snout. He was impressed by its height and immediately knew that this hunt might be far more tricky than he originally thought. Now he stands, waiting for just the right moment to jump forward with his pack mates to take down the beast.

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

Wacipi took the lead without any hesitation, bringing a soft smile to the medic’s face. Some wolves would be considerably less eager to go back to work after recovering from a recent injury. It said a lot about the woman’s character, he thought, and shone well on Rook for bringing @Jynx to their borders not so long ago. A worthwhile investment, it seemed – with such a confident stride as she strode into the forest, their yearling felt into step right behind, wearing her own, excited smile. It was good to see the pair of females work so easily together, despite (presumably) not knowing one another well, nor hunting as a group. @Katariina and her enthusiasm would do them well as a flusher – the louder and more aggressive she could make herself seem, the more they’d get that moose on the run.

As the fair duo set off, @Titan fell into line with with the Queen. If the pair wanted to share a visual barricade, the medic was of no mind to stop them – they’d known each other longer than anyone else in their hunting party. Being able to play off each other’s strengths and for each other’s weaknesses would only benefit the group as a whole. Casting one look about for @Tomen, he made sure the prince was still within sight. As long as the prince remained at a distance from the angry bull, it should be quite the educational experience – and who was the medicine man to deny the young Lyall that?

Setting behind his brush, the silvery wolf cupped his ears forward and waited for the flushers’ signal. Fortunately, he did not have to practice his patience for long. Once located, it seemed the pair of females settled right into business, not waiting for an extra moment to spur the moose towards the other hunters. A snap of teeth was followed a series of barks and snarls – the chorus of voices was soon joined by the smashing, blundering moose, barreling its way through sticks and downed trees as it thundered away from the pair of wolves. Its injury became all the more obvious then, limp becoming more dramatic the faster he moved.

Once he saw his chance, Veho sprung from the brush, nimbly bounding over a log to the moose’s right side. Baring his bright white teeth, the medic snarled as adrenaline welled up from his belly, pooling in his chest as his heart pounded against his chest. The excitement buzzed against his ears – in these moments, it was easy to forget he preferred a more passive nature, the rush of blood making him feel more lycanthrope than true wolf. Surging forward, the mid-sized male lunged for the animal’s shoulder, teeth clamping down like a vice as he sought to slow it down all the more. While not the biggest wolf in their working group, Veho had some weight behind him, twisting and snarling as he tried to pull the moose off balance. He was a distracting, at the very least, leaving an opening for Titan or @Quil to land a harder blow.

Make ‘em pay through the nose! he willed his packmates onwards, claws dragging against the earth.

tl;dr: Veho hangs out in the bushes, waits until Jynx/Kat have the moose on the run, and rushes his right side. He's grabbed it behind the shoulder, distracting it so Titan and/or Quil can make a hit. Let's try to finish this round before Oct. 31st so we can claim out points this month!

moose tracks!

It seemed only natural that Gunthur's bad luck lead to even more bad luck. It appeared to be some awful vortex, some never ending store of horrid chances that lead him further and further away from the path of redemption. While the air had been thick with the stink of wolves, he'd not thought himself too close to their dens -- but apparently these animals grew bold. Though they lurked, he paid them little mind, until all at once he was met with a pair of females, all teeth and fluff as they snarled and bit. Having not the energy to fight them, he thought he could simply outrun them. He had much longer legs, after all, and he was made for barreling through a wooded area (at least in his opinion), where his hunters would be forced to dodge and jump.

Setting off in an awkward lope, he barreled forward, unaware these pests were driving him into an ambush -- the last group simply herded him away from their area, and he thought this much the same. To his great surprise, a grey wolf came barreling out of the foliage, and this one did not even bother with bluster. As Veho latched on behind his right shoulder, Gunthur bugled with agony, eyes bulging with the blossoming pain. All at once, he screeched to a halt, hooves sliding across the mud as he swung his great rack to the right, trying to reach the wolf. Realizing him too far behind, he let loose a kick from behind, aiming at Kat from the corner of his vision. Whether or not he mad contact was difficult to tell, but rage was clouding his sight as he swung again, unawares other wolves were lurking as well.

tl;dr: Kat/Jynx run the moose right into the trap. Veho bites his right shoulder and he stops running. He is swinging his rack around and circling. He aimed a kick at Kat, but cannot see around behind very well -- up to Kat if it's a hit or miss. He has no idea Titan/Quil/Tomen are present, too focused on the three harassing him.

Titan only split from Quill after her course took him through a thick patch of trees. Not wanting to get stuck or become hindered by the thick stand of thin aspen the dark wolf went around the small hill whilst keeping and ear and an eye on the moose as well as his pack mates.  He kept himself slow making sure to conserve his energy for the end of the hunt when he might be able to help out some more. Then the pack began to convene upon the moose. A bellowing call echoed from it as he swerved around some trees to see better. He spots Veho dangling from the shoulder of the bull then licks his chops more than excited to race into the fray and clamp his teeth down onto the creature. With the bull fully stopped Titan decided that it was time for him to act and sprang forward. A random rose bush threatened to scrape out all of his fur as he thundered past getting closer to the scene. The bull moose attempted to kick the wolf behind it just as Titan slipped into the shadows underneath a low hanging Canadian hemlock beside the massive animal. He kept hidden and silent just until.....

With a mighty heave Titan launched himself out from under the tree and latched onto the moose's throat.  Blood squirted in all directions coating Titan's jaws, splattering his cheeks and dripping onto his chest. His body slam had been mostly to try and help knock the creature off balance, but Titan was glad that he had taken the chance to at least try for the beasts throat. It had been almost too easy with it totally distracted by the other Grizzly Hollow pack wolves swarming around it. Now though Titan had to figure out whether it was safe to keep hanging on.

"speech"

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

Running full tilt with her assigned team mate at her side, Jynx was pleased to see that the moose took the bait and ran. The pronounced limp in it's gait was made all the more obvious, now that it was on the move. But that didn't mean that this animal wouldn't go down without a fight. As if to prove just that, it lashed out with a back hoof at Katariina. Her breath locked in her throat, as she could only hope that the russet yearling was nimble enough to avoid that kick. Movement from the sides, flashes of grays, browns and blacks, confirmed that the ambush party were launching their attacks. While Veho, Titan and Quil swooped in, Jynx would not let up in herding the animal further into the waiting jaws of her comrades.

Veho had locked onto the angry bulls right shoulder, Titan succeeding in latching his jaws around the throat. With a snarl, she went on the offensive. More weight and power than that of just two male wolves would be needed to bring this bull down. Legs pumping, she pulled up along the left flank of the moose, and with a release of coiled muscles in her thighs, she leapt up. Her jaws parted, yellow eyes fixated upon the animals neck. She aimed for the side, where she knew many large blood vessels resided. Her teeth pierced through the thick skin, the warm flow of blood felt seeping onto her tongue. With a vice like grip, she held on, while more crimson blood steadily stained the white of her muzzle. If they could hold out long enough, and if she had been lucky in her aim, the moose should bleed out within a matter of minutes. 

Everything was running smoothly, going to plan so-to-speak as she took a deep breath, time freezing for an instant as she saw the hoof start to move towards her, quickly her mind falling to work as she ducked, veering out away from the injured prey for a second, though the hoof managed to clip her ear. Luckily, it hit the elastic cartilage that made up the tips of her ears, which didn’t bleed and instead just hurt, better than something getting bloodied up in her opinion. She was quickly moving back in, taking snaps at him with a renewed faith in the hunt.

They would succeed, and they would feast that night for the prey they were going to bring down was huge, that was for sure. She watched Titan latch onto the moose’s throat while Jynx made a hit of her own. Katariina was determined to do just as much as she aimed to bite down on the side of the deer near the ribcage to either tear the flesh or latch on herself, careful to avoid the hoof that had nearly hit her in the head, had it not been for her quick thinking earlier in the hunt. She could feel her heart racing, adrenaline pumping through her body as the tawny fae did what she needed to, just as the rest of them had and would.

The pack came together beautifully. The women had herded the moose right into the trap, allowing Veho his opportunity. Fortunately, his gamble had paid off. Clinging to the moose’s right shoulder, he threw his full weight in the opposite direction, slowing down the animal enough for one of the other hunters to take advantage of his weakened state. It was Titan that leapt in for the kill, latching on to the soft point at the animal’s throat. Quick and clean, the bull was already starting to stumble as it brayed, clearly losing track of the wolves that had originally flushed it from its position. Both hits were made, and the animal stumbled to its knees, throwing the medic from his hold.

Veho hit the ground on his shoulder, sliding through the wet dirt before rolling over, scrambling quickly to get his feet back underneath him should the moose get back up. When he whirled around, he found that Titan had made a fatal blow – bleating had already become soft groaning, and in the time it took the older medic to scamper over, the moose had taken its last breath, slumping towards the earth in a heap.

“Well done!” he congratulated his crew happily, tail wagging wildly as the grey wolf pranced. “A feast for Grizzly Hollow! Eat now, friends – we will ferry the rest back for our packmates afterwards.”

Fade.

@Titan @Jynx @Katariina @Tomen -- Feel free to post fade posts. I will archive this on Dec. 5th unless everyone has posted. Thanks all!

Titan hung on for as long as he could. With his pack mates help and maybe a bit of luck on their side the moose then fell. He managed to regain his footing as the moose was coming down and avoid getting crushed under its immense weight. It seemed as if all of the pack had avoided getting injured though, and this greatly pleased the dark Thorben. He and Veho would not have to use up anything from their stores of herbs in the den this time around. Not only was that an awesome thing, but now the moose would help to fill their caches as well as let the wolves feast for some time. He was very happy with the end result and could not have hoped for a better outcome.

Stepping away for a moment to catch his breath and gaze at the other hollow wolves, Titan let his banner fly waving back and forth in long arcs over his back. Of course he kept his tail lower than Quil and Veho. However pride exuded from his actions and eyes as the grizzly black titan looked over his comrades.

"You're awesome!" He sent the compliment to Veho, Kat, and Jynx swinging that large head around to peer at them with gleaming blue eyes. "Just awesome." He repeated then looking to the others before feeling a rumble in his belly. First to eat would be the lead female, then he and Veho could take places around the moose. Others would be able to fit in between and fill their bellies as well. For there was more than plenty of meat to go around.

(Fade Titan)

(This post was last modified: Dec 01, 2015, 05:54 PM by Titan.)

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

Success! The great Bull buckled, stumbling under the combined weight of the wolves. It's injuries were far too great, it had lost too much blood. Titan's killing bite to the neck secured the moose's fate. Using her own body weight to push the collapsing animal further towards the ground, she released her red stained muzzle only when the animal stopped moving completely. Veho's cry of victory and praise rang out, congratulating the pack for a splendid job. Her tail level with her spine, waved happily, confidently. "Fantastic work." She chimed, bright gold eyes flickering to each face appreciatively.

Stepping back, she happily gave way for the Queen, Quil, to eat first. Then Veho and the others. She would wedge her way in easily enough, feeling no pressure to compete when her turn came. This was a gigantic meal, after all. Even when all of their bellies were full, there would be more than enough meat to stock the caches to the brim, for the upcoming winter. Both fate and nature, had been kind to the Hollow wolves this day.

-Fade-

(This post was last modified: Dec 03, 2015, 01:44 AM by Jynx.)