Stonewatch Timbers We are giants

Backdated to the 21st. For @Reyes  Is anyone even surprised at this point? Hunting  1/3

Askan waded through the knee deep snow, as he clambered uphill with tight frown pulling on his lips.

"Is this steep enough for you Reyes?"Askan snarked, as he lead the way.

It wasn't that he was unable to climb these hills, as he'd done so with relative ease a couple of months back. But the snow hadn't been as nearly as deep as it was then, it'd had been pretty shallow in comparison to this. Despite his- numerous and loud- complaints, Askan knew that this was a necessary evil. That the Lowlands had practically been picked clean, so they had to-unless they wanted to starve- roam further from the field to ensure that no one went hungry. They had been pretty fortunate as late on the food front, but with so much time being spent looking for Percy it was key that they kept on top of it, lest the caches run dry.

Usually, he would have slunk off on his own to deal with the problem as best as he could. But with Reyes around there was no need for that. He finally had a right hand man to back him up, to support him when need be. And despite the general brevity of their relationship, Askan trusted him more than enough to allow him tag along. He needed to earn his keep anyway, so he was hitting two birds with one stone really. There were far worse wolves to spend time with, so the Yukon couldn't complain when it occurred to him just how much time he was spending with Reyes these days. They slept together, searched the Lowlands together and now they hunted together. Ha, it was almost as though Reyes like liked him or something. Which was ludicrous, so he didn't even give it any thought.

The scent the duo had been following- some sort of deer from the smell of it- had meandered between the bare cottonwood trees, before beginning its ascent up this rather steep hill. Askan pressed his nose to the snow and inhaled as he walked, dragging it along the surface as he climbed. They were closing in. Not long now.

"Shouldn't be far now, you good?" Askan asked, peering over his shoulder.

(This post was last modified: Feb 27, 2017, 02:56 AM by Askan.)

Steep enough? What kind of question was that?

Reyes snorted softly, only lifting his gaze from his companions swaying backside when the other wolf glanced over his shoulder. He tossed his head. Still keeping up, he didn’t need to say, tipping his nose higher to test the scent again. There was a deer around here, somewhere, though the wind was making it a little more difficult to track their chosen prey item than usual. Still, he was hunting with someone else – a fully grown, fully capable adult wolf, no less – and instead of the usual anxiety that burned with a burgeoning hunt, the wolf instead found himself looking forward to the chase. To the warm taste of copper spreading over his tongue once they’d taken their meal. To the exhausted sleep he’d find later once they’d returned the carcass to Wild Rye’s caches.

Jogging up behind Askan, he mirrored the beta wolf, snuffling though the snow as he confirmed what the other male had discovered. They were getting closer. “I’m doin’ great, cabrón,” he huffed, slightly breathless as his toothy grin shone for but a moment. Reyes leaned forward, bumping his chest into the dark male’s shoulder. “Worry about yourself. Hills ain’t your shit, huh?”

Maybe they’d start climbing in the spring. Work on Askan’s endurance and-- His shape. The older wolf couldn’t help his ridiculous grin. His shape. What was wrong with him?

hunting 2/3

Doing great huh? His breathlessness would suggest otherwise, but at the same time he wasn't panting or heaving. His breathing was just about the same as Askan's, so if he were to make fun of his subordinate by extension he'd be doing the same thing to himself. Which wasn't exactly Askan's style. He'd never been into self-depreciation, or so he would claim anyway. The truth was a whole nother story, the sort he wasn't ever going to divulge of his own free will.

Reyes seemed to want to take this a little further as he hurried up to his side so he could jostle Askan with a light, playful push. Askan grunted, his annoyance plain, but made no effort to retaliate, lest it get out of hand and someone was sent hurtling all the way down the hill. It was unlikely to happen, but Askan didn't want either of them to get hurt. Especially when their pack lacked a healer who could patch them up. Now, Askan always worried about himself, but that wasn't exactly what Reyes was getting at. It was a jab, a sort of 'don't worry for me, I can take care of myself. Unlike someone.'

Askan snorted and shot Reyes a dark look. He supposed he was correct in a sense, as this wasn't exactly Askan's idea of fun, but again he saw the rouge's words for what they were. Reyes was teasing him. This was what you called playful banter, Askan supposed.

"I'm more worried about you. You were the one who was exhausted after that little spar, you could barely stay awake."  That was a bit of an exaggeration, but hey, it was harmless."Sure you don't need to stop for a nap?"

As amusing as this chit-chat was, they weren't scaling this hill for the hell of it, they were getting closer to the source of the scent. Every footfall narrowed the distance between them and what could be their next meal. Or at least that was what Askan assumed, until the coppery scent of blood hit his nose, the wind blowing it downhill towards them. Usually it'd be a good sign, the smell of blood almost always whet a wolves appetite. But the closer they got to the top, the clearer another scent became to his nostrils. Feline. Close. It had made the kill, stolen their chance of glory.

Askan gritted his teeth. Damn it! That was their deer and it'd been swiped right out from beneath his nose. So what now? The scent was strong and as Askan breathed in with his mouth he could practically taste the lost opportunity on the tip of his tongue. He eyed the hoof tracks in the snow and almost snarled in frustration. How were they supposed to know there was a cat about? It hadn't taken this route up the hill, it'd  probably gone around, hidden between the trunks of the cottonwood trees.

Perhaps they should give up, but shit they'd been tracking it for hours and they were so close, were they really going to let a cat get in their way?

" Think we can take it?" He asked, as he came to a stop, his tone low and hushed lest the cat hear them.

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

“How d’you know I was tired, huh? Not just satisfied ‘er some shit?”

In all reality, it was probably a little bit of Column A and a little bit of Column B, but Reyes was not at all inclined to give his packmate even the smallest victory. A nap with a friend wasn’t exactly a malfeasance, even by pack standards, and the beta had no room to interrogate him when he’d fallen asleep too. (Probably. Hard to tell when you weren’t actually a part of the conscious world, but it seemed like a pretty safe assumption.) “You askin’, or you offerin’, abuelo?”

But they weren’t out here for a stroll, and the banter soon fell by the wayside, regardless if either wolf was out of breath. The scent of the deer was slowly growing stronger – the pair of males had to be careful of where they placed their feet, lest they scare their prey off, much less prattle on like a pair of old cronies. A heavy scent of copper soon touched his nose, but before Reyes could say anything, something much more pungent infiltrated the air. The male snorted sharply, baring his teeth as his ears laid backwards, wolfish grin replaced by rows of ivory knives. Someone had beat them to the punch, and it was certainly no friend of the canine kind. His tail swished as he crept up to Askan’s side, intent on keeping the quiet conversation for their ears only.

“Dunno,” he hissed, eyes narrowed. “They’re quick in the snow, chaco. Un putero de problemas.” Damn cats. Little devil creatures. “Maybe if we rush it, we can run it off, yeah?”

Hunting 2/3.

Feel free to PP askan a lil bit in the next post if you need to <3

Reyes did have a point, Askan supposed, but it was hardly the time to stand around and muse on it. There was a more pressing matter at hand, one that they had to deal with sooner rather than later, lest the cat notice their presence. They were doing their best to be quiet and subtle, but wolves were not built for stealth as cats were. It was only a matter of time before the lynx realised that it wasn't alone, that it would have to defend its kill. And just like Reyes said, they'd have an easier job chasing it off rather than dealing with its teeth and claws. As much as they enjoyed a good scuffle the Yukon assumed that neither of them wanted to have their eyes clawed out. That didn't sound like fun at all.

So it was a plan then. Nodding to his companion, Askan crouched low and slunk forward. Their plan would work best if they got as close as possible before barging in on the feeding cat. Surely if they made enough noise they'd scare it into submission and it would relinquish its ownership of the deer. And if not, well they'd deal with that situation if it came to it. With luck it wouldn't, but Askan knew that it was always best to prepare for the worst. Even if it just meant being a bit of a pessimist. Besides, surely the two of them together could do this. They were big lads, anything with even half a mind would think twice before it messed with them.

As they moved forward, the feline came into view, crouched over the fallen deer, it's attention occupied by its meal. The ground had levelled out some, the hill had reached its peak and was topped by an opening in the trees. Good, there was enough space for them to do this. The last thing Askan wanted was to deal with that damn cat in a small, restricted space. That'd be a sure way to get clawed up, and as attractive as Reyes was with all his scars, Askan wasn't hankering to get any for himself. Not yet anyway.

Turning to look at Reyes, Askan nodded once. Signalling that he was ready. He waited for his partners assent, then took a deep breath. They could do this, together.

With that, Askan kicked off into a dash, a thunderous snarl tearing from his lips as he charged forward, seemingly intent on drawing blood. Beside him, he heard the thud of Reyes' heavy paws hitting the snow, as well as his equally aggressive growls and snaps. They must have been a sight to see, both shocking and threatening.

The cat reared its head up and whipped around, its chin and lips bloody, to see the duo rushing towards it, eyes intent on taking the deer as the one. Its's lips parted in a hiss and it widened its stance, hoping to send the wolves packing with a convincing bluff. But no, they continued to charge, narrowing the gap between them with every footfall. The cat took one step back, then another, it's ears pressed flat to its head. Then without warning it turned tail and ran, clearly deciding that the deer wasn't worth fighting for.

Thankfully, Askan didn’t seem to be keen on arguing. A small blessing, perhaps? The pack wolf wasn’t really interested in looking into it too deeply. He didn’t have the time, and there was the possibility he would not like the answer and so… So he let it be, and looked to the higher ranking wolf for only a moment before the action began. Without a word, the slightly younger wolf began to move like a volcanic eruption, blasting down the mountainside in a dark spray of ash and smoke. Reyes was only half a length behind his hunting partner, ears plastered flat against his skull as he bared his teeth, a ruckus of snarls and low growls echoing around the pair.

It didn’t take long for the large cat to realize it wasn’t alone; perhaps if it were the summertime, it would have been easier to get it to relinquish its kill. After all, the season wasn’t unfair to only wolves – all predators suffered, all prey animals suffered, and all were equal. It could have been the first meal it had all week; Reyes might have felt bad, but there were others to feed at Wild Rye Fields, and they were just coming out of a blizzard. He’d been victim to the same, as a loner.

Luchar o morir.

Fortunately, the animal seemed to realized that – as the Rye pair closed the distance, the lynx took off, abandoned its prize (albeit relunctantly), leaving Reyes to stutter to a stop and circle back to the deer. Not much was gone at all. He licked his lips, twin moons seeking out his partner. “What’re we gonna bring back?”

What do we get to eat?

hunting post 3/3

It was all over in a matter of moments.

With a little less grace than his burly companion, Askan managed to skid to a stop. The lynx was already long gone, charging out of sight and deeper into the timbers, but even so the Selwyn stood still for a moment and just listened. Aside from the huffs of their breaths and the sound of snow crunching beneath Reyes' paws their general vicinity seemed to be clear. They were alone, just of the two of them and their well earned prize. He turned just in time to hear Reyes' question, and in response he tilted his head a little in thought, before his gaze flickered over to the bloodied white tailed deer. Even at first glance Askan knew that it'd be to heavy for them to drag all the way home without a deal of difficulty. And that'd be without all the snow. As things were now it'd be near impossible, even with Reyes' help. They had to lighten the load somehow.

The answer was obvious really. There was no way they were going to lug this thing all the way home, they'd simply have to bring as much as they could carry. A leg each maybe? That sounded reasonable. If that was the plan then surely it'd be okay if they tucked in a little. They'd worked for this, at the very least they deserved a bite or two. Or three. Or maybe just to eat their fill.

"A leg each? Think you can manage that?" Askan asked with a bit of a teasing smile. No one else was around, he could risk a smile or two surely. "Figured that we might as well have our share now, save us from having to share with the others."

It wasn't that he was against sharing, he was fine with it, but he wasn't sure the same could be said for Reyes, who was clearly still settling in. Either way, Askan didn't mind. Sure, he'd bitched at Reyes for not figuring out what sort of role he wanted in the pack, but really he was willing to give him the time he needed. That choice was based on trust, as he knew for a fact that Reyes-unlike someone- wouldn't sit around on his ass and take advantage of their hospitality. No, Reyes would earn it, just as he was now.

Pressing his paw on the deer's side, Askan motioned for Reyes to join him with a flick of his tail. "Be careful not to eat too much or you won't fit into our den. I'm not pushing your fat ass in." It wasn't so fat, as much as it was nice but...It wasn't as if he had the nerve to say that. Some things were better left unsaid.

“‘Course I can manage that. What do I look like to you, huh? ¿Algún tipo de debilucho?” Reyes gave a soft snort and shook his head, but there was no venom in his tone. Instead, he rolled a shoulder, giving their prize another glance over. Though the cat had been there first, it looked as if it hadn’t had much time to actually consume anything once it had taken down its prey. He might have felt bad, if the same thing had never happened to him once he’d left his family unit as a youth himself. But that was life. Tough shit. And like Askan implied, they were hardly going to lug the entire carcass back to the Rye caches, so all was not lost for the feline. Reyes was certain it hadn’t gone far at all.

Tongue hanging out, he hummed quietly, shuffling to Askan’s side as he waited for the beta to start in. There were even some of the soft bits left! His tail swayed from side to side, arching one eyebrow at the comment. “Shut your fat mouth,”he snorted, reaching over to punish the other wolf with a sharp nip. “There ain’t a thing wrong with my ass, and you know it. Now eat your damn share or I’ll start without you.”

Askan didn't doubt Reyes. He could tell from their tussle alone that he'd be more than capable of carrying a leg all the way back to the field. And even if he hadn't tested his strength, Askan would have been able to tell from sight alone. The significance of the fact that he'd been a loner and still had such an impressive form was not lost on the Selwyn. It was one of the many reasons as to why Askan respected him so. He was capable, strong, and so was different from the others. Worthy of notice and praise. Still, that didn't mean Askan wasn't going to poke a little fun at him. Especially since he always went for the bait.

The Yukon couldn't help but snigger at Reyes' objection, as though it was the funniest thing he'd heard in a long time. Which it was, he supposed, he hadn't been in a laughing mood lately. His tail wagged behind him, lashing from side to side with so much enthusiasm that his butt followed suit, wiggling this way and that. The nip wasn't enough to deter him and instead Askan gave him a quick headbutt in retaliation.

Reyes had a point though. It was a nice butt. But anyways...

"Like I'd let you do that."  He scoffed, but did he was he told anyway and began to tuck in, tearing at the soft flesh of the deer.

Askan had never been a clean eater, he always tend to make a bit of a mess and now was no exception. But knowing that Reyes wanted to have his share as well, he took care to stick to a certain area so that Reyes wouldn't feel as though he was being imposed upon. The last thing he wanted was to squabble over food, especially when there was more than enough to go around.

Licking his lips, Askan pulled back once he was done. Full and sated, he bowed down into a stretch and waited for Reyes to finish up as well. They both had healthy appetites and had eaten a decent portion of the deer's innards, but of course left the legs untouched.

'You about done?" He asked, his gaze lingering on Reyes' snout. "You have some blood..No not there, to the left. Just- ugh let me do it."

Stepping forward Askan entered Reyes' personal space and began to lap the blood off of his snout. He'd made a bit of a mess, staining his once dark brown snout red, but it was nothing Askan's deft tongue couldn't fix.