Copper Rock Creek BWP: Red Water

sorry about the wait, guys. @Sylva is pulling out of the thread, so brian has given me permission to pp her leaving. @Jynx you're up!

Alarmed by @Raela's call, the beast let out a raucous noise, but it was of no concern to the wolf as he brushed past his subordinates to reach the huntress' side. It wasn't until the sudden snapping and thundering of it barreling its way through the forest met his ears that paid the pig's distress any mind. After Jynx's lead as stated, Gent was glad she wasted no time in taking up the chase and was right beside her with a determined glint within his pale eyes. The Crest had suffered several failures, but those same mishaps would not touch the Notch. Not while he still had breath within his lungs.

Taking all cues, the ranks broke down into organized pairings, and the king kept pace with @Merys as they wound their own indirect way toward the beast. It pained him to separate from Raela, but not enough so to leave any room for hesitation within his movements. To let anticipation falter his actions would only encourage the mistakes he hoped dearly to avoid. Anyways, he would have to trust his wife to maintain her intelligence and keep herself safe above all else. If it all went to plan, there would be no reason for her to step within harm's range.

Faintly, it was noticed that Sylva was no longer with them. Given the urgency of the task at hand, the king didn't have the opportunity to ponder on this. The was no blood within the air, a struggle had not sounded; it wasn't as if she had been ambushed by a second boar. It was more likely that she had frozen or retreated, or even misread Jynx's signals and was off skylarking uselessly. Whatever it was the girl had gotten up to, Gent would deal with it later.

Reach for the stars

By now, she and the boar had fled into a more open area, not too far from the river. Perfect! While in the pigs eyes, it was a chance to flee, for the wolves, it was an opportunity for those participating to close in. Aware of Merys hot on her heels, and Gent somewhere else nearby, she knew they would be coming to back her up soon. But during that time, the boar had whirled to face the lone female who now stood to challenge it. It charged several times, trying to gouge a leg or a shoulder. However, the huntress had been expecting this, and each time, danced out of harms way. She was far more agile, timing her movements perfectly. Until her partners arrived, she would continue this little dance.

Knowing that Raela had hung back and out of harms way was a great relief. She did not want her friend standing any risk of injury, especially with the state she was in now. But as the agouti form of Merys and ebony of Gent swarmed into view, she noticed someone was missing. Where had Sylva gone off to? Irritation buzzed in the back of her mind at the youngsters disappearance. They could have used her help in this take down. Or not. If she was so easily confused in a dangerous hunt such as this, then perhaps she would be more a liability then an asset. Her confidence boosted by the presence of the two males, her spirit sparked by Merys' words, Jynx now went on the offensive. With three wolves surrounding the pig, it could not focus on all of them at once. Skidding to the left, she positioned herself directly behind the beast, yellow eyes narrowing while a feral sneer curled at her lips. In a flash, she hurled herself at it's rump, jaws parted wide. Scissor like teeth snapped repeatedly, carving at the thick hide to inflict deep, damaging wounds. She hung on for as long as she dared, until she felt the boar begin to buck, to lash out with it's back hooves. That was her cue to leap away, and fast. Having drawn first blood, she was more than happy to let her friends have their shot.

That Sylva had strayed from view was not her largest concern; as long as the pup didn't suddenly reappear in harm's way. The Alphess shifted her eyes to scan for the dark girl once before returning her attention solidly to the dangerous prey. Sylva was small and inexperienced; if she had become too frightened to continue or gotten lost somehow, Raela wouldn't be terribly shocked. It could be dealt with after.

The distance to their target was steadily closing despite any quick turns the boar attempted to make in the dense foliage. Jynx was obviously concentrating hard, and it took only a few more moments for the young wolf to be within striking range. Raela picked up her pace in anticipation, ears flicking forward to catch all of the impending action. The smaller girl struck; landing her first lunge reasonably well and bringing the stampeding animal to a much slower pace. The mother-to-be closed the gap between them and darted to the side; hoping to help form a barrier between the now flailing pig and escape. 

She remained a couple body-lengths back; just in case it decided to charge her, and danced left and right with each of its wild movements. She could at least look like a threat. With any luck, the boys could now get their shots in. 

            

The situation was constantly changing and evolving, which was what made boars so evidently dangerous. They were unpredictable, different every time you encountered them. They might run, they might fight, they might jump a cliff or swim a river for all Merys knew, the wild beasts. They smelled bad and looked worse, which made it all the more sweet when they were taken down. What didn't smell bad was the scent of fresh blood, and it filled his nostrils thickly. He was unsurprised when the boar did not make it all the way to the males, and instead turned to wheel on Jynx. The males adapted quickly and moved to her aid. Thankfully, Jynx was using her speed to her advantage, as the boar was snapping wildly and quickly at her. He watched as she was able to tear into the pig's flesh, momentarily proud, before calculating the next move.

Raela appeared, but kept her distance strategic, which was good. Merys would have one less thing to worry about when it came to the pig's lashing out. Correction.. make that two less things to worry about. There was a certain missing shadow that Merys did not see in his peripherals, but so long as she wasn't planning her own rambo attack at the last second, the five year old was more than happy to forget about the yearling liability. 

As soon as he was able, Merys used one of Raela's distracting lunges to replace Jynx's flank attack with his own. Eventually, the pig would have to be distracted enough from the front in order to do enough damage from the rear to eventually take him down. Raela was enough for momentary distractions, but once the pig was in enough pain, it would take physical abuse from the front to keep its tusks away from those at its rear. Merys swiped with his claws diligently, doing as much damage as he could in the seconds he had on top, scraping its soft underbelly and gripping its rough skin with his teeth for leverage. The dying squeals from the pig egged Merys on, but he was forced to retreat before narrowly avoiding a tusk. The pig was visibly slowing, and Merys took the next opportunity to jump again with more weight to pull the pig down, knowing that the fight had been won so long as his packmates joined him in the last assault.

founding member | 2016

last round??

Much unlike his previous experience with the dreadful beasts, things this time were falling quite perfectly into place. The four wolves worked seamlessly together and despite its best efforts, the boar was unable to make it far before falling into a pit lined by their teeth and their snarls. This was the end of the ugly creature, and still it fought, unwilling to accept its fate. It was a harsh distinction that had Gent wondering where exactly this tusked thing belonged within the food chain. No matter; today it was at the bottom.

That @Raela was both safe and fully involved set him slightly at ease and on the whole, pride stirred within his chest. They were still strangers, @Jynx and @Merys, and yet he felt more in unison with this trio now than he had with any others within Round Stone Crest or even any one of the packs he'd lived in prior. Able to release some of his worry, the king was able to give himself more fully to the hunt itself, and as Jynx made the first strike and Raela stole the squealing monster's attention, he launched forward with Merys to land the heavy hits that would cripple their prey.

For a short time it was touch and go, but ever strike did marvelous work in weakening and slowing the pig. None of it disheartened the obnoxious siren box; no matter how swiftly grave the situation was turning for it, the boar refused to be truepenny about its fate. Annoying, but surmountable; the beast buckled and then all it had left was futile swings of its tusks.

Death itself, Gent descended.

 

Reach for the stars

Their progress was swift and steady. Each perfectly calculated move or blow of teeth upon the pig was another nail in the coffin. Fully engaged in the final moments of battle, Jynx was aware only of the smell of blood, and the presence of three other wolves around her. Raela, she knew was wise enough not to fully dive in the midst, but her assistance by taunting the boar was still effective. Any mother had to put the consideration and safety of herself and the unborn cubs first. 

Chest heaving from taking in deep gulps of oxygen, her tongue hung from her parted jaws. The white accent of her muzzle stained a dark red in blood. A mark of her efforts...proof of her willingness to show no mercy to any foe who crossed the wolves of the Notch. A hunter in the making, with this rush of adrenaline in her veins, Jynx would gladly take up any challenge. With another burst of energy, as the pig was again distracted by Merys, she swiveled around beside him as the beast began to collapse, toppling. 

With Gent surging in for a lethal blow of his own, to further overwhelm the pig, now was the perfect time for an attempt at an instant kill. Following Merys' lead, she latched on to the soft skin of the boars underbelly. Her teeth clamped in deep, jaws locking, while she used the muscles in her neck to pull. If they could disembowel it together, death would be instantaneous. That annoying screeching would cease, giving her eardrums a much needed break. And the pack could rest easy with the threat terminated, while enjoying their succulent, hard won banquet.

OOC: @Merys - wrap us up? :D

Jynx's preemptive lunge was all the invitation the others needed to charge in; closing the distance with fanged jaws and a hunger for the meat of this almost intruder. For once, the Queen was afforded the ability to really watch them in action. Merys wasted no time in attacking as soon as the angry beast's attention fell squarely on her and her antagonistic, snarling face. There was no hesitation like one would find in a less experienced or younger wolf. Jynx too had shown this valor, despite being many seasons his junior. She looked promising – Raela could only feel pride thinking back on the day she found the girl by the river, moping and lost. No more. 

Merys charged forth again, this time with enough power to pull the wild beast to the earth in a small explosion of dirt and grass. Its hooves flung dust and soil frantically as the big brown male attacked, its shrill screams intensifying with each breath. It knew it was in serious trouble now, and that only made the animal more dangerous. Her mate, who had been landing hits alongside Merys for the duration of the battle, seemed to sense the same opportunity that now begged Raela to charge forward. It was down, vulnerable, and without backup Merys couldn't keep it that way for long. 

Her golden eyes flicked sideways to catch sight of his massive black frame as he dove in; every muscle tense beneath his ebony fur. The man was an impressive sight on any day. Raela's feet danced forward and back, her body almost pacing with the urge to join them all. A frustrated whine might have escaped her mouth had her restraint not been both necessary and self-imposed. There was not much distracting to do at this point, when the jaws of three wolves were digging into its flesh, eliciting the most horrid squeals and screeches yet. The sound made her ears pin back. 

She was stuck there as an observer, hearing the cacophony of the fight and watching her mate and pack risk their hides. They all worked remarkably well together for being such a new group, surely the bear had played a part in jump-starting that. Jynx was now latched onto the boar's underbelly, no doubt trying to rip it open and end the squabble in the easiest way possible while the men restrained it. The matriarch lingered on the periphery only a moment longer, to be absolutely sure that they were capable of keeping the beast down before finally giving in to the urge to help and lunging for the animal's back leg. Jynx was likely to get kicked or scraped at if she didn't, and even if that never happened, holding a leg would further impede any attempts it made at righting itself.

The limb almost kicked right into her parted jaws. Raela leaned back, lowering herself and jerking against the prey's attempts to free its leg and smack her in the face. The Queen's eyes shifted quickly between all of the others; she was ready to bolt at the first sign that someone was letting go or the pig was rising. At least back here she was safe from the deadly tusks and the power of its charge. It would not be long now. 

            

archiving here <3 @Jynx @Raela @Sylva @Merys

There was power and determination behind every thrash and kick and swing of its tusks, death not yet accepted by the beast. Yet with each passing moment, the certainty of an end for the boar was made more and more clear, the albatross of hope within the lesser creature's head alone. All of its body their fangs ripped and sheared, bleeding and then gutting the animal. There was a lot a body could live through, especially of this mass, but nothing could withstand their fury for so long. Its desperation weakened as its body began to give in, and moments later the boar stilled completely, collapsing into the dirt at their paws.

Only when it was certain that the beast was dead did Gent cease his vicious strikes. Panting, he stepped back to better survey the carnage, and it was then that he realized how close his mate had gotten to the hunt in those final moments. Without thinking he put himself at her side, bloodied nose coursing through her fur to ensure her integrity. Safe, utterly unharmed; his bated breath released and he turned to face his subordinates.

"Excellent," he breathed. "Now we bring it home. And where the hell is Sylva?"

That girl...

/fade