Larkcall Lowlands The Great Wild Woolly

@Craw @Wraith @Isuni @Celandine @Greer @Lorcan @Kara

The sun was sinking low in the sky as the young wolf made his way down the monadnock path, a light dusting of snow left his route evident in the trail that stretched out behind him. It was very nearly time for bed but he wanted to sneak in a quick drink before he properly retired to the communal den for the night.

Having walked this way so many times before, he was surprised when his feet began to slow of their own accord, puzzled by the sudden stillness in the air and the enduring silence that stretched around him. What was this? Then a long low croak caught his attention. Peach eyes swung towards the cliff that rose on his left, finally falling on a familiar face. It seemed their resident crow had picked up some company and the boy managed a lop-sided smile. He had been working himself up over nothing. "Whaderyerwant, eh?" he slipped into a less formal speech than he might otherwise use, sometimes there was a time and place for his mother's harsh way of speaking.

The bird answered with another low croak, the eyes of the other birds falling on the dark lad as their conversation stretched on, but before he could decipher the message, the murder took flight, turning to swoop low over his back and head out into the tundra below. As a pup, he had played chase with the crow and so it was almost instinctively that he picked up his pace to chase after the birds, listening to their caws and croaks as they seemed to urge him on.

As they landed in the snow ahead, he slowed himself down, approaching cautiously as the unfamiliar birds hopped out of his way. It looked just like any other frozen bush and he frowned at the berry crow "Whaderyerwant?" he questioned again as the crow peck the bush... no wait, that was... fur? As he drew closer, the bush seemed to heave and a horned head became evident as it shook the snow from its face. The boy skittered back but the wooly seemed to be struggling to get back up. The crow gave another caw, the tilt of his head seeming to question well what are you waiting for? The boy tipped back his head and howled to the pack. Surely this was an opportunity they couldn't afford to miss?

Coding and image by becuffin

It was late at night when a familiar howl caught the subordinate’s attention. Russet ears perked up anxiously at the sound of Odin’s voice, wondering why the young pup was daring to venture out to the lowlands during the hours of darkness. The dark fur along the smooth curve of his spine bristled with unease as he grew increasingly concerned for the pup’s safety with each second that passed by. Uncurling from his resting position, Lorcan immediately rose to his feet and howled back before he began to trot briskly towards the old goat track which lead down to the snow-laden lowlands.

The moment his paws contacted the uneven surface of the snow covered grass as he exited the Monadnock, the subordinate raised his nose to the air to track down the boy’s location in the darkness by his scent. Paws traipsed forwards with uncertainly before he finally caught on to the boy’s scent which marked an invisible path through the snow, at which point his pulse quickened with an eagerness to move and he gradually worked his lean muscles into a run.

As the boy’s scent grew more pungent with his closer proximity, Lorcan slowed down into a jog and upon catching a pair of familiar peach coloured eyes slowed further still into a comfortable stroll with his tail held higher than the level of his spine. “Odin..” Lorcan greeted with a hint of suspicion in his voice, before the scent of the ox hit his nostrils and head turned to the side, golden eyes searching through the darkness between them for the large woolly beast. “..What have we here?” He took a few steps closer to Odin, tail swaying through the air as he took care to avoid the grunting, shifting figure of the muskox as it complained of his prescience. “Looks like you’ve found yourself a muskox.” He grinned, pearly white fangs glimmering in the darkness before his salmon pink tongue swept hungrily across his lips.

The beast then complained again, thrashing its colossal head through the air as its limbs stumbled beneath its heavy weight as it desperately tried and failed for the moment to stand. "Step back!" He barked, fur bristling. Lorcan shifted back himself to encourage the boy to follow and do the same. "These things are dangerous, we best not upset it. We should give it some space until the others arrive.." Lorcan might have been the responsible adult there for the moment, but he wasn't about to try and tackle the thing on his own. He wasn't strong enough for that. They'd need some assistance from the other pack members if they wanted to take the beast down without getting hurt themselves.

(This post was last modified: Oct 29, 2016, 09:07 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Don't think for even a second that Kára had not noticed her brother's absence from the communal den at curfew. Angered that he had not thought to invite her on whatever adventure he was out having the pup had huffed and settled down near the entrance. Not to sleep of course but just to wait for the others to fall into slumber to she could sneak out and go find him. That in itself had seemed to take forever and each passing second the girl grew more antsy, mind dancing with all the ways that she could scare Odin when she found him.

After what seemed like forever all the adults had dosed off or at least weren't paying close enough attention and she had crept out. Scarlet coat appeared duller in the dimness of the dark but grey eyes flashed as she found the paw prints of her bigger brother. Chuckling to herself Kára set off, taking a wider arc than he had so she could head him off and jump out to startle him. Then she would give him hell for even thinking that he could leave her behind.

Crouching behind a boulder that she thought would be near where he ended up at the watering hole she was just beginning to become impatient when Kára hear his call. Oh so now on his wander he had found something cool enough to call for the whole pack? Jaw set in frustration - she did not like being left out - she cursed and took off. Her paws threatened to slip out from under her on the snow as she sprinted but she was fueled with drive to get there before anyone else.

Somehow Lorcan had beat her there and Kára huffed once more, walking confidently up towards the pair. Staring down towards the mass of fur and horns that was thrashing upon the snow she chewed her lip before finally turning to her brother, "Whatchyer find?" The dark boy may only use their mother's tongue occasionally but Kára had rather taken to it, she liked the way it sound, it was even cooler than Craw's rasp.

 

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Assuming that most of the others are present and sleeping/resting in the den, but not gonna name names. Feel free to use this as an excuse to have any of @Isuni @Greer @Morganna @Saradathia follow after Craw.

Licking his lips after a wide yawn, pale body spread out on the cold ground, Craw's ears caught Odin's voice despite his slow descent into sleep. At first he thought nothing of it, but only a few heartbeats later did the realisation sink in; the boy had found something worth calling the whole pack, and, after another heartbeat, that Odin was out when he should have been asleep. By the next heartbeat, Craw was wide awake.

In the dying light of the evening and the shaded space inside the den, Craw double-checked the bodies laid around him, only interested in one in particular - but Kara was also notably absent. His lip curled in agitation, and any chance of sleep now was lost; with a gruff growl to those present to instruct any who were awake to follow him, he stalked out of the den and turned towards the track which would take him down to ground-level, from where Odin's voice had come from, he was certain.

During the walk, he caught Kara's fresh scent, and knowing full well that she would not have ignored her brother's call because Luna forbid Odin do anything that doesn't involving her, Craw chose to just follow her lead. Lo and behold his intuition was correct; spotting her vibrant behind despite the dusk's light, he also took note of a pelt colour which could only have been Lorcan - and beyond that the swarthy child who had brought them all together. He was vaguely pleased that the medic had been so quick to respond, if only in case the call had been more urgent - better than finding that nobody had responded. Even if Odin wasn't supposed to be out here in the first place.

Catching the tail-end of Lorcan's voice, too distant to really make out the words, he did nevertheless hear Kara's eager question in the manner of their mother - but Craw's attention had already moved past them to the heaving mass of horns and fur struggling in the snow. Stepping up beside Lorcan, he tried to determine if there were any other muskox nearby - but could only detect the odour of the one before them, and save for the Whitestone wolves, could neither see or hear anything else moving. He snorted, and finally narrowed his gaze on Odin, but his expression was not entirely accusatory. If the beast was as vulnerable as it seemed, this could be a good opportunity to get a significant amount of meat for the pack.

"Well," he rasped, stepping towards Kara to pass his nose over her forehead even though he kept his gaze and words directed at Odin, just in confirmation that they were both okay, "you found it. What do you want to do about it?"

They weren't tiny pups any more, and in the thick of their training to be adept hunters and fighters, he thought it was an appropriate time and opportunity to test what they'd learned. Hopefully one or two of the others in the den had had the wherewithal to get up and follow him down here. By the looks of the ox, it was at a disadvantage, and he was quite comfortable in combating them, but would rather not put the two children in more danger than necessary.

Then again - Whitestone wasn't for the weak. Sink or swim, he thought, waiting to see if Odin (or Kara) would take the initiative.

(This post was last modified: Nov 29, 2016, 01:39 PM by Craw.)

The white wolf sat nestled against a boulder atop the monadnock as the sun started to set. A habit from the girl’s childhood and one she was able to continue to enjoy. A small grin formed on the yearling’s lips as she watched the scarlet light casted, the light dancing through the flakes of snow that gently fell. Another reminder of home. Suddenly a howl pierced through the air, the wolf’s one good ear angled toward the direction of the noise as recognition of the owner came to mine. Odin! She hadn’t really met the pups that much, but this had to be late for him to be out, especially alone.


Removing her furry hindquarters from the stone, the arctic wolf hopped down onto the rough stone and trending down the path from the plateau of stone, a slight sense of urgency driving her quicker than she had intended. If she could have heard the pup’s call from this high, then surely the others could have from where ever they lurked.


Scarred muzzle pressed against the ground, Saradathia realized that she wasn’t the first to respond. Coming from the direction of the Monadnock she detected two other scents from that direction. Craw’s been by just befor eme.. she mused quietly, detecting the slightly fainter scent of Kara. At least with Craw there if things turned ugly, the Alpha would be a great asset in a fight.


Stepping lightly and quietly out of habit, the yearling trended along the path, soon a very familiar scent caught the girl’s attention and made her heart beat quicken, Muskox! memories of hunting such beast with her old pack across the icy tundras brought back a few fond memories, even more so, now if they were hunting them here, it could actually be an enjoyable experience instead of desperation or the ever lingering threat of starvation.


Coming upon the others, Saradathia quickly took note of who was there. She dipped her head toward Craw, angling her muzzle toward the pups with a quick and quiet nod of greeting. She glanced at Lorcan, hesitant for a moment before nodding toward him, a small grin tugging at her lips as she caught some of Craw’s questions toward the pups, she wasn’t going to interupt this lesson for them. Instead, she took a step closer toward Lorcan before glancing out at the Muskox “How’s it looking?”

like thunder gonna shake the ground

MORGANNA ARCHER

It wasn't her son's howl that dragged her from sleep but rather her mate's gruff growl. It was her nose that told her first, a frown working its way to her face as her eyes adjusted to the fading light. Her own grumble of annoyance joined his as she exited the den, a quick glance at the awakening stars telling her the boy was far from where he was meant to be.

She took up the tail end of the procession down to the lowlands, catching Kára's blazing coat before anything else, next her eyes fell to Lorcan and a smattering of black birds across the snow in the failing light. They all seemed to be looking expectantly at the... boulder? No, it was moving? The loud bellow was now a familiar one, and she halted in her tracks, measuring up the beast as it struggled to find its feet. Truth be told if they all went back to bed tonight, they could probably wake up to a fresh frozen feast for breakfast but she was curious - just how much meat was under all that hair?

Awaiting an answer for Craw, she turned her attention to Lorcan, wondering if he sniffed the same illness she had. With the rutting season drawing to a close soon she wouldn't be surprised if a younger stronger male had given this one a good goring and that was how he found himself in this predicament now. Her eyes turned to her son expectantly. They weren't scavenging coyotes, so what was the only acceptable answer to his father's question?

forgive me for being so late on this :c

Sleep evaded the shadow—again.

It was not out of the ordinary for the inky skeleton to feel restless and be smothered by the relentless hands of insomnia. The night was where he excelled, his blemish-free pelt making it easy for him to disappear. He typically napped in the morning, after the sun finished rising from the horizon and the sky changed from an array of golds and blues to something more solid and unified.

Most nights his restlessness was undisturbed and he was able to slink away from the monadnock. Tonight, however, was different. A call sounded—young and inexperienced. Odin. Within seconds he slunk from the depths of his secluded den and began to maneuver down the path, his thin legs working expertly to get him to Odin as quickly as possible. His pace quickened once he spotted the silver shape of Craw before him, and he arrived shortly after his sister, her dark shape streaking across the monadnock.

The Archer jumped onto a rock beside the small group, his brows narrowing as he studied the creature in the snow. Would they hunt the muskox or would they wait for it to fall? The problem with waiting was that the meat could be stolen from them and there was the small chance that the muskox could survive the night. His lip curled as he turned his attention to the group, silently noting the newish pale wolf among them. Greer would not move without instruction, though his toes curled in excitement at the thought of a hunt. The meat on the creature would be enough to last them for half of the winter—possibly longer.

No post order to keep this moving, but might be easier to keep it in approximate attack order? First in will be @Kara, @Craw and Morg to get the first bites in to get it bleeding then the kids will drop back so @Saradathia, @Lorcan and @Greer can get in. I will pp Odin moving in with Morg once Craw and Kara post and then the kids will follow along behind puffed out for the killing round next. <3

Finally, the beast had a name beyond wooly and he answered Lorcan's descriptor with a wave of his tail and a startled little step back when the old bull snorted, seemingly becoming aware of it's impending doom. He proudly answered his sisters question with a puff of his chest, "Musk Ox!" trying out the new name on his tongue. Come to mention it, the snow covered mound was just a little on the nose.

His father joined him with a question and his ears tipped back considering all that he had learned. They couldn't snap its spine like a rabbit and it was far too large to take down like a deer, the hulking mass had begun to rock and perhaps soon it would be back on its feet and fleeing from its inevitable fate. "Bleed it out." He answered with surprising certainty. Numbers were on their side now, but the thick fur around it's neck and shoulders left little other option, even then it wouldn't be easy. "The fur is thinner around the legs, it has short horns up front..." He explained his reasoning, not that those gathered would need to hear it, "So it's safer to come from the back and the sides, and try our best not to get kicked."

As he was voicing his plan more had arrived, the pale Saradathia, his mother and uncle. Suddenly the beast was back on its feet. It seemed his father wanted him to show what he could do and so he decided to move quickly. "It'll probably be a stamina hunt so mother, father, Kara and me will go first, then Lorcan, Greer and Saradathia can come in..." He was under no illusions that he or his sister would be able to catch the adults up to deliver the final blow and so he looked to his parents once again, "Then you guys can help them finish it off when it slows down." All it would take was a nod and he would mobilize. After all, their dinner was slowly staggering away.

Happy for Craw to be PPd following Odin's instructions/harrassing the ox until it's time for me to post again next round :)

Three more slinked in place after him following Odin's call - his mate, Greer, and their new prospective hunter. While he intended this to be a test of the children, he made a note to check on Sara's actions, and perhaps, if she fared well, to encourage her to take up hunting with their youngest on a more regular basis. Not anything so large and dangerous as musk ox, of course - that required everybody present, but with five adults and the two near-yearlings, he was comfortable that this was an easy mission to undertake.

All that warm flesh, just waiting for the taking... his jowls were growing slick with eagerness already.

Watching Odin consider the question posed to him, Craw's ears tipped forwards at his son's first decisive words - and smiled as he recognised his mate's influence in them. But it was a sensible tactic, one which placed the wolves at the advantage, for they certainly had the collective stamina to wait out the ox's death even if it took all night. It would be worth it for that much meat. Even as Odin spoke, the musk ox was trying to make a slow, lumbering escape, as though it could slip away unnoticed. They all knew it was too late for that, the beast included. The urge to survive was strong, impossibly strong. This time, Whitestone would just prove stronger.

Glancing to Morganna, nodding to her to convey that he agreed with Odin's proposal, Craw rolled his shoulders to loosen them, warm his joints, and chuffed softly so that they might all pay attention. The command was simple, however, a simple affirmation that the orders of the child were to be followed by them all: "As he says."

If anyone had something to add, they had time to do so, for this was not going to be a hunt of speed or stealth. Trotting forwards almost casually, with a look to his children to encourage them to come forwards with him, the spider eyed the musk ox from behind, the way the snow piled high and seemed to cling to its thick pelt, the slightly strained way it moved... and everything confirmed that it was doomed. The hulking creature made a few low, displeased noises to indicate that he was well aware of his company, but Craw moved in nonetheless, just wanting to test how it would react to a few probing jaw snaps. It groaned at him some more, its voice deep but strangely weak, and did little more than continue to stagger away, not yet made desperate from the pain and urgency that dozens of hungry teeth brought.