Larkcall Lowlands boulevard of broken dreams

For @Craw @Odin @Kara but still AW 
Early Afternoon - Clear, 13 ° F, -11 ° C

It had been a while since the tawny woman took a run to stretch her legs outside of the pack territory. With the herds starting to disperse for the rut and impending winter, Adelayde was determined to still keep up her steady restocking of the caches every day. While @Askan was gone on a diplomatic trip for Drestig, she opted to take a small trek by herself to see what she could find a bit further away from the border lands. Giving word to @Drestig that she would be gone outside the territory for just a few hours to track what remained of the herds, the Snow woman took to heading west towards Nightingale Palisade.

Rhythmic thuds against the crunching snow kept her mind at peace and unwavering as she transcended along the familiar terrain. Though the fields of rye weren't as expansive this far west, Ade was used to the tundra land now that she was getting her feet moving again. Normally her mind would be zigzagging across ideas and thoughts that usually raided her brain, today it was rather peaceful and quiet. At least for now.

Slowly the scent of death and blood filtered through her nostrils as she kept moving, though now the large female veered towards the origin of the smell. It didn't take long for Adelayde to come up upon the large carcass of a fallen male elk. It's cause of death probably do to a lost fight with another male elk, leaving it most likely wounded. Whatever the cause, Adelayde had a nice find that she could alert Drestig to. Perhaps, she could rip off what she could to bring back to the caches and then bring Drestig and some of the other to have a meal or two. Lowering her maw down towards the flesh, she couldn't smell any other wolves upon it, so it seemed to be a free kill for the taking. So Adelayde began to chew.

 

@Odin and @Kara, feel free to PP Craw continuing to encourage them to track down the carcass. I guess whoever is second to post can describe them finding Ade?

Each hot breath billowed out in front of his face only to vanish a moment later, the only real indication of how cold it was. The day seemed otherwise bright and pleasant, the sky free of clouds and the tundra dry. Though their thick pelts protected them and their bodies were built to withstand it, there was no pretending that it wasn't damn cold. But it was always damn cold. Nobody complained about it.

Rather than scold them verbally for their squabbling, Craw just growled quietly, though it was a gentle admonishment; he tended to encourage their rivalry and they both knew it perfectly well. The competition would make them stronger, give them adversity to overcome, even if it was one of the tamest kinds he knew about. The siblings were hardly a risk to each other's wellbeing, not in any serious way which would threaten their lives, not in any way which their supervisors would permit. It wasn't the same kind of challenge as being told to fend off against a different kind of predator, one which didn't have their best interests at heart. While Craw was not about to put them in harm's way, his ulterior motive for bringing them out here that day had been to find something for them to... play with. They were as big as adults, now, and needed to start learning how to pull their weight - in more ways than just hunting and scavenging.

The scent of dead elk had drifted down on the wind like a winter's present, and Craw had said that the first one to find it would get a reward. While encouraging them to practice their tracking was an obvious cover, in reality, he had no doubt that such a prize would be noticed by many around. There were only a few things that he would not risk taking the children near, but the bears had begun their hibernation, and apart from the instances with Capable and Lorcan, this was not a place where he had to worry about cougars. The open, rolling lowlands did not favour their style of hunt, and any out here would only be utterly desperate.

The three of them could deal with a starving cougar.

No, he was expecting something less risky, but still worth the experience. Foxes, perhaps, or even coyotes. Maybe just scavenging birds to shoo off and keep at bay. Maybe other wolves.

Following their lead, and eyes ever casting over the horizon to make sure he missed nothing, Craw gave little input and let them track the elk by themselves. By the time winter came to an end, Craw wanted to make sure that both Odin and Kara had worked to survive it, not just sailed by thanks to a strong pack.

our conscience in the gutter, our dreams up in the sky

Odin Archer

The boy walked along with a bounce in his step, oblivious to the jarring cold, simply because unlike his mother, this was the only cold he had known. He pounced to nip at his sister's cheek and encourage her to pick up the pace a bit, tail waving wildly over his back. Momentarily he forgot the purpose of their trip and got a bit carried away, latching onto Kára's ear with a rough tug. His dad's growl reminded him of their purpose and he dropped his shoulders and head, ears laying back against his head as his tail followed suit, a tight-lipped grin of apology offered to his sister. He should probably be conserving his energy.

He tipped his head back to the sky, lips parting to better gather the scent on the wind while his eyes searched the sky above for any sign of aerial scavengers that might act as a beacon to an easy meal to be had. Instead of the lazy circling he expected to see, instead the birds burst into the sky as though they had been startled suddenly. A chuff and a tilt of his head drew attention to the movement, if @Craw and @Kara hadn't spotted it themselves already. The boy adjusted his stance to one more defensive, his head lowering and shoulders pushing forward to bring thicker skin around his neck and throat. Instinctively the fur along his spine began to spike in anticipation and his pace increased as they moved in closer.

Finally, the bulk of the elk came into view and over it moved something furred with browns and reds. The boy growled, at a distance mistaking the mass for a coyote, but as they drew closer he quickly came to realise it was one of them. Never mind, she was outnumbered, and if she knew what was good for her she'd cut and run right now.

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

Kára loved when Cer took them out on these trips. Mostly because they involved a lot of roughhousing with Odin or any other things they could find. The Monadnock was raising a pair of feral children at the rate they were going, but they would be strong feral children at least. Trapezeing through the snow with ease the girl's fiery pelt stuck out like a sore thumb but she paid it no mind. The powder flung up around them as her brother tugged at her ear, earning him a warning growl and a swift stomp onto his paw. Heading the warning from Cer the pup side stepped to put more space between them, dropping her ears in an apology to the man but smirking at her brother out the side of her maw.

She had been so concentrated on following her nose towards the ever thickening scent of elk that she had missed the birds until Odin had chuffed. Grey eyes cast upwards quickly to see the flock flapping in panic and squawking angrily above them. Grinning at her brother she puffed up the scarlet fur to seem as big and intimidating as possible as the carcass came into view. With the elk though was an unwanted scavenger and the pup's grin only grew, oh well this was going to be fun then.

Kára had matured (slightly) since her pup days of charging into battle without some kind of warning and chance for her opponent to surrender. Picking up her pace as she was anxious to get down to brawling (oh she hoped the stranger wouldn't take the chance and surrender) she raised her chin. Tail raised above her the girl called, "'ey, get lost! Tha's ours!" Please, oh please don't get lost and let me take a good chomp out of that tawny hide of yours.

 

Sinking her alabaster teeth into the deceased elk's flesh, she flung her neck to tear off the piece of meat within her jaws as thick crimson blood stuck to her cream colored muzzle. Adelayde hadn't found this bountiful of a carcass left alone in many months, so it left her to wonder why it hadn't been claimed already. The elk had to have been sitting there for a few days. Surely scavengers had scurried to claim the body as soon as the slight scent of decay entered the air, aside from a few holes from coyotes and aerial predators, it was barely touched. However, such thoughts soon disappeared as she continued to feast on the elk for a few moments longer. 

She had been so focused on her found meal, that she had not noticed the impending trouble approaching her. When she lifted her bloodied maw to call for the wolves of the Rye, her mismatched eyes detected movement from her peripherals. Three masses were approaching her and as soon as she spotted them, one of them soon as barreling towards her. The streak of fire barked at her to get lost, the elk was theirs. How could that be? There had been no scent of wolves anywhere near this elk. Growling, Adelayde stepped away from the elk to face the younger girl. Seemingly she stood straight and raised her tail and barked out, "Liar! I've claimed this!" 

Though she wasn't one to fight, this was rightfully hers and she'd be damned if this girl tried to take it from her.  

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Content with how the children settled at the softest of demands, Craw kept his eyes forward, paws steadily marching the path they were setting. @Odin's chuff brought his attention swivelling around accordingly, gaze lifting as he watched the birds rise, seeing Kara do the same out of the corner of his eye - and how she puffed up excitedly in anticipation of finding their quarry quickly.

And so they did. The fallen body of the elk came into view, over which was huddled a distinctly canine shape, clearly feasting upon its lucky find. Craw smiled. Not so lucky for long. Saying nothing as his daughter sped up just a little, as her brother's eager growls signalled how ready they were, Craw tipped his ears forward in keen and approving attention of Kara's declaration.

To his pleasure, the stranger - now identifiable as wolf, not coyote, which made this more interesting - moved to confront the copper girl, perhaps not yet having noticed her vanguard, and spoke out to affirm her ownership of the carcass. Craw's tongue clucked quietly at the back of his mouth in amusement, as if mock-disappointed for just how mistaken she was.

It would not be long before Craw and Odin caught up to Kara, and the lone woman would realise it for herself. "That may be so," he said, loud enough to carry, calm in his manner even though what he was saying clearly implied anything other than friendliness. "But now we claim it."

Glancing to Odin and Kara, he would jerk his nose in the elk's direction, encouraging them to make their point a little clearer - and do what needed to be done, if necessary. This vagrant was alone, there was nobody lurking in the trees or bushes to back her up, for there was no foliage of the kind to hide in. They had done this with coyotes and foxes before, so the ritual was no stranger to them, even if now they were faced with someone who could talk back.

But not if she no longer had a tongue, he mused idly, and deliberately hung back to let his children take the lead and show what they had learned.

I can smell your fear the only reason that I’m here

Odin Archer

Oh it was one thing to stand teeth bared over an easy meal but it was entirely another to call his sister a liar. Numbers were on their side and the law of common sense should have told the tawny woman to turn tail and run but instead there she stood spitting words at wolves that didn't much care to listen. His steps had continued at a steady pace, his own tail rising each inch he grew closer, air sucked into his lungs to make himself look larger as his hackles rose all on their own to add to the visage. His winter coat did well to cover the lankiness that would betray his age, standing almost shoulder to shoulder with his father in height.

He heard the gesture in @Craw's voice before he gave the cue, lips pulling back to bare teeth in a fearsome snarl, a reverberating growl all the warning that would be given before the boy moved. He was never the sort to aim for shoulders or flanks when faces were at perfect snapping height. He would aim to try and grab her muzzle, but a cheek or her throat would do just fine too, leaving lower targets open to his shorter sister, @Kara. There was no point wasting words, she didn't stand a chance of keeping the meal either way and they were just helping her catch up with what the rest of them knew.

Based the first move off the scars in Adelayde's appearance description, let me know if this isn't okay!

Fiery lip curled in disdain as the woman shouted that she was a liar, sure they hadn't claimed the kill already but now they had. Luckily Cer was there to back her up as was Odin, she had the muscle to back up her words. The snarl twisted into a victorious grin that spread across her maw, delight in her eyes. At the subtle gesture of father's muzzle the pup moved even further forward, bold enough that she stepped to one side of the carcass, and then another so she stood protectively over the meal.

Staring directly into those mismatched eyes a few ominous words rumbled out before the chaos really began, "Yer shoulda run when yer had th' chance." Then she was on the move, lunging forward so that her fangs sunk into the bitch's muzzle, feeling skin and fur tear delightfully beneath them. Letting go to free up the real estate for her much taller brother the fiery pup ducked down to bit at much easier territory; the legs.

Kára's mouth had been salivating before because of the kill but this was even more satisfying than the food would have been in her belly. The Whitestone Monadnock children had never been pampered, they were built and raised for toughness.

 

Last posts time! Thanks everyone! (:

Such a naive girl she had been taught to be. Had she been raised to purelysurvive, rather than to believe there was always good in everyone, perhaps she would have taken her chance when they gave it to her and fled for safer grounds. However, sheltered from the ruthless realities of the true wild, she had no idea what she had provoked. No clue that she encountered and antagonized the real monsters of the north.

Her first mistake was her confidence that they would turn around once she announced that she had indeed found the kill first. Her following and ultimate downfall was her passion. The passion to not give up what was rightfully hers as she had been the first to claim it, but rules here in the north just seemed obsolete and much different than those in her homeland. Much to her alarm, the trio did not back away from her. Instead they continued to stalk closer to her, as panic began to course through her veins. Her mismatched eyes widening has the puppet master stated their claim on the carcass next to her following with directing his heathen puppets towards her.

Growling in frustration and panic, she willed herself to move to get out of there before they made her the meal. She tried to force herself to move something – anything, but she was frozen with fear and panic overriding any conscious thought that told her to flee. Her bicolored eyes met the fiery child's gaze as her sibling made his attack at her face, which was what finally jump started her body into beginning to flee from the obvious danger in front of her.

Dodging the dark boys fangs, she backpedaled away from them, but she stumbled easily over her long limbs. The first attack was met by another from the fiery heathen whose fangs met flesh this time around her muzzle. Instantly followed were frightened yelps from her maw as she continued to backpedal herself away from them. Though it felt like a several minutes, the fiery child let go of her tattered muzzle. Relief almost flooded over her until the heathen decided to duck down and snap at her legs. Realizing backpedaling wasn't doing any damn good, instead in a last ditch effort, Adelayde shoved her massive shoulders into the two heathen children and barreled over them. Running with her tail between her legs, she ran towards home with her pride completely ripped away.

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