Lost Lake Elk River Blues

Lol when you're a piece of crap.

Namid huffed as she loped toward the direction the call had come, cursing herself for being completely across the territory from where he was. She hardly had the energy to get where she had been, now she had to go this far? But, the bugling of an aggravated elk was enough to get her a little more of the energy she needed. Even if she was in a dark state it didn’t mean that it completely overpowered her protective attitude toward her children and her packmates.

When she arrived, she found she was the last one. Embarrassment burned at her cheeks, and she tried to remain calm and still her breathing but it was an impossible job. “Sorry, I,” pant, pants “Across the territory,”Pant, swallow ”Not in the best shape I suppose. I will stay with the girls, explain to them what is going on and watch out for everyone from farther back.” Namid had been in her fair share of hunts and didn’t need any extra training in that area. While she was quick, so was her daughter and Draven. They could cover that part for her and they needed the practice. Cernan and Vespertio would be good for takedown, and MoonShadow and Kajika would be good for round-up and cornering. She wasn’t needed in the actual fight, but could do well to instruct her daughters and warn her packmates if she saw the animal making any drastic movements.

More of the pack filtered in, alerted by her fathers summons, and the high pitched bugling of the elk. Her soft brown eyes met each face in turn; Moonshadow, Namid, Draven, her brother and two younger sisters. Good. With their combined efforts, they should manage to take the animal down if all went smoothly, with no hiccups. What disappointed her was that Draven made no effort to engage her in conversation, nor did he give her much acknowledgement in the physical sense either. She huffed silently through her nose, feeling the skin along her back prickle. Fine then! Two could play at this game. Pointedly, she moved away to stand by her brother, ears flattening abruptly as another piercing cry of the bull elk. She grit her teeth, casting an annoyed glance in it's direction. It wouldn't have so much to yell about once the wolves had their jaws clamped on it's throat.

Hunting was not exactly her specialty, but the light agouti female wasn't terrible at it either. So, when a volunteer was needed to watch over the children, she reluctantly kept her mouth closed. Which was just as well, as her own mother was quick to take up the offer. Sharpening her skills would prove useful in the future, and an elk like this was a perfect target. After all, focusing entirely on herbs all her life may get tedious after a while. Especially when there were none to collect in the winter season. Turning around, she followed the elks movements as it pranced and strutted among the trees, seemingly oblivious to what would soon become a very real threat, that stood gathered at the den. "What's the plan? Should we drive it out into the open, or try to corner it?" She asked to no one in particular, the question open for whoever might have the best tactic in mind.

 

 

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.

OOC! Out of character comments here

The dark woman was seated a good distance from the lake king not wanting to intrude. Not long after she had arrived did Draven, Lunette, Cernan arrive. She did her best to smile and greet each of them. She noticed the tension between the eldest lake princess and the dark boy but it wasn't her place to say anything, they would have to figure that out on their own. Vespertio began to explain why they were all gathered and silver eyes realized they were missing two members - mother and daughter, Namid and Ismena. It was curious, while she knew the true lake queen was fighting an inner battle but Moon didnt think she would miss a meeting. Her doubts were quickly extinguished as the pale form of the lake queen appeared from the trees panting heavily. She quickly volunteered to stay behind and make sure the pups stayed safe - well pup since @Ismena wasn't present.

Her nerves started to get the best of the dark woman. Sure she's hunted with the pack before but didnt know or really want to lead for that matter and with Namid hanging back that means she'd yet again would be thrown way out of her comfort level. She took a deep breath as Neha asked a question. Should they corner the elk or herd it into the open? Taking a look over her shoulder Moonshadow scanned the area around the elk. It seemed like it would be easier to corner it. To use their terrain to their advantage. Chasing it into a clearing might take too much effort and have more room for error. With another deep breath she spoke her opinion "I think it might be less risky to corner it than to run it all the way to a clearing." She looked over to Vespertio for assurance. She could be completely off on her decision and Was no way wanting to make the final decision.

The dark teen watched as one of the pups emerged from the den, one who looked strikingly like her older sister Neha. He knew her name was Lunette but Draven had never interacted with her. He had gone out of his way thus far to avoid them when possible, afraid that even his presence would be enough to cause something bad to happen to them. The ruins that had been his own childhood was a warning to keep away, lest he want the same fate to befall them. What was even worse was seeing Neha move away to stand beside her brother after giving him a disappointed look that felt like a vice grip around his heart.

Ears flicked towards Vespertio as he spoke, grateful for a distraction from the cavernous space that seemed to have opened up between himself and Neha. Shifting uncomfortable Draven considered that perhaps he should be the one to stay, his ankle was healed as best as it ever would be but it still throbbed uncomfortable occasionally, something he had learned to live with. Thankfully Namid joined them and took the task and gracefully took the task, sparing the girls of his cursed presence for at least another day.

Draven kept purposely silent when it came to strategizing, his mother had been an amazing huntress and he himself was built for stamina and speed but he didn't have her same gift. He could perform what was required of him satisfactorily and he could fish but deciding how to take down the elk was beyond his abilities. Green eyes moved from Moondshadow to Vesper as he awaited a decision and orders on what to do.

#fenrirsucks

Lunette Vuesain

I’ve got my love stuck in my head

It was strange—she stood among her pack, a small, anxious creature surrounded by a sea of bigger, able-bodied, capable wolves. They had done this before. They all had blood on their teeth, a sense of strategy guiding their bodies, and she—she was just little Lunette, not even a natural at things as Ismena. Ismena always grabbed the world by the throat and did things while the silver girl just crippled her own mind with poisoned thoughts. So, as she stood there, brown eyes flitting between all the sharp, interested faces (and the closed-off one of Draven), it struck her that.. this was her family.. and they put up with her despite the sorry excuse for a wolf she was.

And Papa was strength. Papa was always, always strength, as he lowered himself onto his haunches to explain to his timid little girl why they were gathering, and why the elk would die to fill the hollows in their bellies. It wasn't just a hunt lesson, it was a life lesson reinforced. Her right ear, the one with the tear in it, folded back against her head. If you did bad things, or went where you shouldn't, you could die. Lunette didn't know what she had done wrong that day, but it had to have been something; being alone, maybe?

This elk was alone, full of testosterone and rampant fury, thinking it could take on the word. How wrong you are, she thought solemnly, and watched Neha address (even though it was a question) the problem with a kind of certainty and competence Lunette could only dream of one day achieving. Still low, tail limp, Lunette slunk away from her father to settle next to her graceful mother instead—her appointed guardian, as Kajika was needed in the hunt.

Always a burden, Lunie, she thought bitterly as she pressed against her mother, eyes trying to be eager and attentive, to drink in every fiber of the moment even though her heart rebelled and yelled worthless, worthless, worthless—

Moonshadow tried to decide what to do with the elk, and Lunette looked at her father. She had no idea how one hunted, her blood only sang a song of strangling the self, nothing of how to kill elks. Miserable and silent, she waited for someone wiser, someone better, to plan the bloody spectacle.

Finally getting this up, apologies for the wait! No real posting order for this round @Namid @Moonshadow @Kajika @Draven @Cernan @Neha @Lunette

During their discussion movement soon caught the lakeside patriarch's attention and molten gold gaze shifted to settle on the approaching silvered silhouette of his love who looked rather exhausted by the time she finally reached the gathering. Sides heaving to bring enough oxygen to her lungs a light chuckle was issued from the agouti man in regards to her comment about being out of shape, nodding his head when she offered to be the one to watch the girls; or girl in this case since Ismena had yet to show herself, during the pack hunt. "Thank you, my love. You'll be excellent at providing them with the knowledge they need. Granted Ismena shows, that is." With that, he took a moment to glance at the surrounding landscape for signs of his remaining daughter before refocusing his attention on the task at hand.

Now came time to birth a bulletproof plan that would end the foolish Elk's life and fill the hollows of their bellies, surely a huge aid in seeing the mountain pack survive the long winter months. Neha was the first to speak her opinion on what would be the best method to take, stating such more so in the form of a question rather than a statement, albeit it was the swarthy fill in matriarch that voiced her thoughts on a plan first. A russet ear twitched momentarily and a thoughtful hum rumbled lightly within the man's chest while he mused over Moonshadow's words. Given the landscape they called home, it did seem to fall more on the logical side to corner the quarry rather than run it ragged in a clearing where anything could happen. Instead, if they cornered their target as suggested then the pack held the upper hand at all times. Each member could take turns striking out at the testosterone enraged Elk while avoiding the deadly rack upon its head that could cause serious injury and keep a tight knit circle around it to prevent the slightest chance of escape.

Warranting Moonshadow a look of reassurance, Vespertio made a small nod of his head before letting his gaze wander over the faces of those gathered. "I think cornering would indeed work more in our favor than outright chasing it, but I do believe we should still make it run a bit to wear out some of its energy. Right now it is swimming in testosterone. We know this terrain better than our target and we should exploit our advantage. Together we should form a wide circle around it that gradually will tighten as we run him down until he has nowhere else to go." Molten gold eyes flicking between each individual to give them each a moment to process his plan. "Then we should alternate between one to two of us distracting the Elk to hold its attention while a couple others strike to do damage. The goal is to slowly bleed him out until he is too weak to fight back. When that happens it's up to either Kajika or myself to use our weight to go for the death blow. Any questions?"

When Namid finally arrived Kajika was relieved not only because she had come but also because she was going to take care of of the children or rather Lunette. Ismena had yet to show and that did worry the dark man but right then he had to worry about the bull elk. If it were any other time he would be more than happy to take care of the children. He looked to Lunette for the briefest of moments before he had to return his attention to the task at hand. Taking care of the bull elk, they needed a plan. He listened as Moonshadow and Neha voiced their opinions on what should be done. “I think cornering it would be a good idea less chances for one of us to get hurt.”

If the elk had limited space to move about he would be unable to kick out at one of them and they would have better control of him. Kajika hoped that when faced with the pack he would also be less likely to charge. As Vespertio spoke once more it seemed a plan had been settled on and it was the one they had all spoken of. “Wearing it out a little would help in keeping each of us safe,” Kajika agreed when Vespertio had finished talking. Then they were to bleed the animal out to slow him and weaken him making it easier to take him down. His weight as he thought would be needed when it came time to finish the job. Kajika gave the alpha a nod of understanding as he didn't have any questions for the agouti man.

(This post was last modified: Feb 28, 2017, 04:01 AM by Kajika.)

Please see OOC Profile for OOC Preferences, Thank you.

Lunette Vuesain

I’ve got my love stuck in my head

That Ismena wasn't there was.. strange. Out of character. She never missed an opportunity to savor the excitement and adventures of the world, but then again, maybe that was the exact reason she was missing. She was probably on the other side of the lake chasing snowshoe rabbits, or getting eaten by a dark, savage wolf with teeth that said snick-snick-snick when they closed. Lunette shuddered a little as she sat propped up against her mother, but hoped it would not be commented on. She really didn't want to have to tell anyone that she had just imagined her sister getting destroyed by the very wolf who had seemed so keen on destroying her—an incident they still knew nothing about.

Kajika spoke up in favor of cornering the elk, and Lunette immediately decided that this was the best plan, because it was Kajika's, and only her Papa (or Mama, but she wasn't going to do much planning today, the girl thought) could devise a better plan, so her opinion could change rather quickly on it. Fortunately, it didn't have to, because Vespertio agreed with him, and that settled the matter once and for all. But then.. he said something she did not understand, and she sat with a frown on her face through the rest of the instructions. When they were over, the dark second chimed in again, with a good point that made Lunette nod absentmindedly. Anything that kept her pack, the defenders of a useless little silver girl, safe, was a good plan.

Her head tilted back and she peered up at her lovely mother. Slowly, her jaws parted, and her tiny voice slipped into the cold mountain air. "What's testo—tesso—tessoserone, Mama?" Whatever the hell it was, Lunette had never seen it, because as far as she remembered, you only swam in water.

Her younger sister, @Ismena was still not present. Her lips pressed together in a thoughtful frown of worry, but she didn't linger on it for too long. With how mischievous she was, she was likely off getting into trouble or exploring on her own somewhere. Neha would make it a point to track down the wayward youngster later, just to check up on her and inform her of the hunt she had missed. Right now though, the plan laid out by her father called her attention. They were to corner the elk after chasing it down for a while, forcing it into a trap it could not escape. 

No one was assigned a particular position or a task just yet, but that was of little worry to her. She was already old enough and experienced enough to know that she was built for speed and stamina. She'd allow the heavier males to handle most of the physical work, choosing to veer in and attack once the elk was tired and weakened from blood loss. With no questions of her own, she remained silent so others could speak, or until her father gave the signal to move forward and begin the hunt.

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.

OOC! Sorry 'bout the crappiness y'all

Her input about how the pack should go about was met with positive responses. The lake king Gabe the stand-in queen a look of reassurance that calmed her nerves a bit. He also added that chasing it would allow them to tire it out so that the final kill would be easier and less dangerous. The ebony she-wolf nodded in agreement. Her mercury gaze drifted from Vespertio to Kajika as he also put in his agreeance on the plan. So it was settled, they would run it down attacking as to make it bleed out then either the king or his second in command would go in for the final blow. Just then the elk let out another bellow that causes the fur on Moons neck to stand up. It was big and it was loud but she had no doubt that they could bring it down. Her worries laid within her own ability to step up to the plate and help lead. Having Vespertio there to help lifted a weight but she was still terrified at making a mistake and letting down the pack.