Heiress Loch carry on whistling in the dark

Aponi had been as far as she possibly could have been from Ice's call, the far northern border following after the trail of what she hoped was a fat hare. Snuffiling around in the snow where the tracks had disappeared suddenly her silver ears flicked towards the sound of her father-in-laws' summons. Abandoning her current task with nothing more than a huff of frustration that she hadn't managed to catch the prey she began making her way towards him.

Unfortunately for her it was taking longer than she had planned with the thickness of the snow throughout the territory after the last dumping they had received. Lip curled in agitation about being late after hearing Serach's call go up. Hearing nothing further she waited a few minutes before realizing there was no way she was going to make it before they left and she raised her muzzle and let out a call of her own to let them know she was coming.

Picking up her pace enough that she would close over ground faster without wasting too much precious energy before the hunt even began Aponi found their trail easily enough. Coming up behind the group she fell in step with Serach, giving him a smile to the side before turning her attention to the sound of Arion's voice filling the sky. It seemed that almost everyone has showed up, except for Ember. Unacceptable as it was it was a situation that would need to be dealt with later, for now she was content to do as Ice directed her to.

 

It was... very strange, being a part of a pack that worked so closely together. Broken Timber Pines, after that initial leadership break, had been nothing like it. Nothing like a true pack, but Ember couldn't know that. It was all she'd ever witnessed, all she'd ever known and now it felt like she was relearning everything from the ground up. If she'd been younger, she would have found it frustrating. Now, Ember took it all in graceful stride, simply doing her best without allowing the slip ups and miscommunications to weigh her down.

When Ice's howl floated overtop her ears, she almost didn't give it a second thought. She was on her own mini hunt, after a pair of snowshoe hares, and back in the Pines, that would have been acceptable. It wouldn't have even been questioned. Thankfully, Ember remembered the differences of where she was at, and pulled away from her prey to pursue the elder's call.

She was, honestly, quite surprised that Ice would be leading a hunt at all. She'd never met a wolf so old, and he had her wondering just how long their kind could make it in this world. Nine just felt... forever away. But hey, who was she to judge his abilities? She was about to see them in action, anyways. Her pace picked up, realizing that the pack grounds were pretty much emptied; they'd all gathered with their summoner, or-- except for Arion, apparently.

His howl met her ears and she turned her steps, heading toward his familiar voice instead. When she met up with him, she knocked her muzzle against his affectionately, tail wagging enthusiastically in a silent salaam. Then she turned her nose and eyes ahead, focusing on the trail he had discovered and awaiting the others.

Do you guys want to be tagged each time I start the new round? Anyway, next round ends March 13th. Thank you guys for showing up. <3

you do not know who is your friend

and who is your enemy

The old geezer wondered if he should blame himself for the turnout—he could've left little hints that he was mustering up for a hunt, could've told his pack-mates to stay close and be alert.. He knew what it was like to be a far-ranging pack wolf, to chase the sunrise, going where your paws brought you and staying out late, far, far away. Ice liked seeing the world. He liked knowing what was where, and who was where, and where the herds moved. He liked to be aware of what was going on, with other packs settling nearby, or things like that. Thus, while he was usually no more than two days away from his pack, he knew what it was like to roam a little too far—so, truly, could he blame anyone that only three had showed up so far?

I could've been more clear, he decided. He had dropped some hints on occasion, but it had all been very unspecific. North? South? Tomorrow, next week? Ah, well, things were as they were, and he began to lead them south. Serach voiced a sound enough plan, one that Ice agreed with—unless more came, it was what they would do.

Aponi's voice cut through the cooling air, and Ice noted it with satisfaction. He had wondered why she hadn't showed up, had been a bit surprised she hadn't come with Serach, but at least she was on the way.

The little lake he'd found came into view. Moonlight glittered upon the snow laying on its frozen surface, and far out in its center, he thought he saw the movement of inky black waters. A small shudder passed through him, and the scent that had been following them finally caught up. It was Nalda, one of the new yearlings, a reddish tawny young girl. After apologizing to Serach, she fell in beside Lila, and hot on her heels Aponi herself showed up. To no one's surprise, she settled next to Ice's son.

And finally, they were approaching the trails. The lake—Heiress Loch, he had heard it called, though who it was named for he did not know—flashed by next to them, and as his eyes and nose began to scan for the freshest pathway the deer bands had taken, a low howl rang out. He pinned the voice as that of Arion's, the other new yearling. Dark boy, talents unknown. Ice veered towards the call. "Seems we have an outlier. Come on," he barked to his pack (it was his and he was part of it so even if he did not steer it was still his—).

Arion came into view, but he was not alone. Ember stood next to him, her cream body blending into the snow—but Arion's body blended into shadows. His eyes pierced the night in a way that almost made Ice uncomfortable. The trail the yearling had found burned in his nose like a beacon. "Arion, Ember," he rumbled, coming to a halt and surveying the members gathered. His mind worked quickly. "Once we catch up to the herd, I want you, Aponi, to take Lila, Nalda, and Tenebrae, and find our target. Separate it from the herd and drive it to us. If you get an opening, you can go in close, but be careful," the last directed at the soon-to-be-yearling and the soon-to-be-not-yearlings. His gaze skipped to the rest. "Once they have separated the deer and drive it to us, Serach, Arion, Ember, and I will go in and try to take it down." His eyes roamed over them, looking for questions, and if they were none, he'd nod firmly and lead them further down the trail, waiting for the herd to come into sight so they could split up.

until the ice breaks.

let the stars above shine in your soul

Lila was pleased to have her presence easily welcomed by two of her favorite wolves. She was eager to play her part, and prove herself to them. She seemed to realize she may have felt alone with the changes, but she wasn't. Even without Kyna, or any age-mates she had more than her mother.

Ice's voice broke the quiet, and she looked up to him, seeing he had hoped more would come. She really didn't care since they were enough, and was happy to hear they would be moving out. She carried an endless supply of energy, and was ready to use it. With her longer limbs it was easier to fall instep with Dread, keeping her ears cupped forward. The young wolf nodded at her direction, feeling she could do that without much trouble. Though her blue-gray eyes briefly shifted to her hunting partner, Tenebrae.

It was a golden motion that caught her eye. Cousin Nalda, she'd been told. Lila felt a little less angry, and accepted her nudge without protest. She didn't do more, she was still deciding if forming a friendship would be worth it. Nalda wasn't the only one jumping in. Aponi took place beside Serach. Lila was pleased she was going to be hovered over.

A new voice rang out, and she guessed it must be the new boy, Arion. He had found a trail. Heartbeat began to pick up speed with her feet. The lake came into view, but she only offered it a brief glance. As they found the rest of their pack, she wasn't going to start sight seeing despite its beauty. She was ready to keep this hunt moving forward. A new plan was formed, and thoughtfully her eyes fell upon the white guardian. Understanding that they probably shouldn't take a risk without some certainty. Again, she merely nodded. Ever watchful as they set out again for the herd of deer.

It was their eyes that shown by the moonlight, that she noticed first. There was quite a few of them, which one did they want them to cut off? She felt Aponi would know, she made sure to follow after her. Watchful of the others movements, as they'd have to orchestrate together to get the deer to those ambushing.

Sorry for holding this up. I think no posting order makes the most sense for a bigger thread like this?

His restlessness growing, Serach was eager to be on their way. Even with his disappointment that the rest of the Bend wolves were absent, he was excited to see how this little group would fare on their own. More wolves were always better, of course, but it would be good to know what they were capable of with less support. Aponi's call let them know she was on her way, but he wasn't particularly concerned about her absence. After all, if all went to plan, Aponi would be limited in her hunting capability towards the end of spring and beginning of summer - limited by what Serach hoped would be their growing family. But he was grateful she called out, as he was by hearing the quiet sound of paws on the snow as the group set off.

Wagging his tail, he accepted Nalda's apology with a smile, hiding his inner sigh of relief that she had made it. Arion's call had alerted them too, and as the group, now joined by Aponi, headed off, he was feeling much better about their chances of making this successful. More wolves meant bigger prey opportunity, which meant for food for their cache, and any sane wolf would be excited for that.

They followed the sound of Arion's call, the scent of deer growing stronger with every step. His stomach grumbling and his eyes alight with excitement for the thrill of the hunt, Serach let out a low woof of welcome as he picked out not one, but two, familiar shapes in the snow. Arion and Ember both, which made their hunting party complete. Ice was quick to deliver instructions, and Serach nodded his head in confirmation. He was happy to step back and let the older wolf lead and direct the younger wolves.

Roles determined, the Bend wolves again set off. But when the deer came into sight, their quiet bleating breaking the general silence of the night, the pack split once more. Serach remained still, hidden amongst the trees as he watched Aponi lead the other group out into the herd. Brushing his shoulders against both Ember and Arion in turn, he smiled but remained quiet, wanting to boost their confidence in both themselves and the group around them. Body tense and ready to lunge into action, he watched the beginnings of the hunt play out in front of him.

The smudge waited, patiently, for the others to answer his call. Ember was quick to join him, who appeared to be late to the party as well. The yearling bumped her shoulder in greeting, pleased to see he wasn’t the only one trailing behind.

It did not take long for the others to arrive, their scents becoming more pungent as they drew closer. Arion buzzed with excitement. What a better way to get acquainted with his packmates by joining them on a hunt. As the others approached Arion dipped his head in greeting, his ears falling back against his skull. The wolf giving instructions was not the one he had encountered at the borders with Nalda, but he was acting as though he was at the head of the pack. Perplexed, the smudge’s pale gaze narrowed, but his lips were drawn into a tight line. He would poke his nose around later, when there wasn’t a fresh deer trail to follow.

He nodded, short and fast, in response to the silver male’s instruction. Truthfully Arion was surprised that Ice was allowing him to be part of the takedown, considering he was one of the newest recruits. But he did not question the older male. Instead, he followed closely behind the pale wolf, his shoulders brushing up against both Nalda and Ember. Slowly but surely this place was becoming a home to the trio. Perhaps this could work after all.

The alpha was surprised with how easily she felt about letting another member of the pack take charge of a hunt. It made sense after all, neither her or Serach were hunters by trade and she herself had led hunts in the past before she had led. However, it seemed that not every member thought this was so normal and Aponi noted the surprise on Arion's face, how had things been run in the Pines? From what she had heard through whispers and mumbles among their newest member's it had barely been run at all.

Nodding once to her role the silver woman gestured silently with her tail that Lila, Nalda and Tenebrae should follow her and broke away from the others. Once they were on their way she offered them a brief smile, "It's a little bit harder to tell which is the weakest in the dark, sometimes you have to spook them and take the outlier that way." Weaving their way through the trees the lake shone brightly in the moonlight, and the deer's eyes looked like little pools of their own.

Crouching down into what foliage she could manage the blue eyes looks strategically through what she could see of the herd. The glittering reflection of antlers caught her eye, the buck was away from the herd, though thankfully on the opposite side and away from their ambush. Under her breath she murmured mostly to Lila but also to the others if they were listening, "Don't try to take down the buck if you can avoid it, they fight back harder and their racks can kill you if you're not careful." Suddenly another broke away from the herd, closer to them and Aponi stared hard. "That one, it's limping. It will be an easy target."

With a flagged tail as her signal that they would soon be on the move the alpha dove from their spot in the cover. Their target bleated in panic and did it's best to move back to the safety of the herd which were stampeding away from them, trying to get to the safety of the far bank of the Loch. Perhaps showing off just a little as she was exceptionally fast, even for a wolf as sleek as she Aponi pushed her muscles hard to cut it off. Coming between it and the herd was enough to make the doe veer wildly the other way of her snapping jaws and the woman could only hope that the rest of her party had fallen in on that side and that they could bounce the creature between them until it reached the rest of their hidden pack.

 

Voices filled the night, first Aponi's behind them, announcing her approach shortly before she joined them. And then, to Nalda's delight, Arion up ahead, bringing promise of prey. The group caught up quickly, a small twitch shifting at the girl's lip when she saw Ember by the dark boy's side. But there was no time to sulk, as the old man immediately began talking, laying out a plan. She tore her eyes away from her den-mates, looking at the white wolf with a small crease in her brow. He was by far the oldest of the pack, perhaps that was why Serach and Aponi were comfortable letting him lead the hunt. In any case he knew much more than the russet yearling, as much as she hated to admit it, and she wasn't about to challenge his authority.

Besides, she was grouped with  Lila and Aponi, and while that meant Arion would be off with Ember and the rest, Nalda felt easier following her aunts orders than Ice's. So, giving her teal-eyed friend a quick smile and nudge, she followed the silver leader, ducking her head and tail to keep hidden in the low vegetation. The lake stretched out beside them, and there, not far from the bank, the small herd was grazing, a group of lumpy silhouettes in the low light. Mouth tightened into a thin line, the yearling nodded at Aponi's comment, eyes never straying from the dark mass of bodies. They all looked the same to her. She appreciated the instructions, even as the talk of bucks and antlers send a small tremor along her spine. Her experience with hunting was limited, especially in a big group, and the thought of rushing into a herd of hard-hoofed creatures did not seem at all appealing to her. She would much rather scavenge on that which others had already killed.

The notion of preying on the weak at least hit home with the yearling, and when Aponi pointed out their prize she felt a half-smirk curve her lips. Then suddenly they were in motion, Nalda following a moment after the silver woman took off, her fur standing out starkly against the darkness. The deer fled in panic, spreading in all directions, their mark racing to follow its mates, but then suddenly the light shewolf was in the way, snapping her jaws to chase the animal back. Mouth open and gasping with excitement, Nalda surged forwards, taking up the opposite flank and copying her aunt. Snapping her jaws next to the deer's thigh, she urged it forwards and back towards Aponi, hoping the others were right behind them and ready to help keep their motion towards the ambush group up ahead.

Word count: 451

"Speech" Thoughts

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

Sorry for falling off the face of the earth. :x No posting order. Next round ends March 30th.

you do not know who is your friend

and who is your enemy

If Ice noticed the eyes narrowing in his direction as he breathed out the plan, he didn't acknowledge it.

Back in the old days of the Grove, Ice hadn't been much of a hunter. He was good enough to get by on his own, but the whole thing with laying plans, coordinating efforts—it hadn't been his thing. It wasn't until his time spent with Red Salmon Cove that he had learned it, because it was what they had done, day in and day out. Tracking herds. Hunting deer. Om nom nom.

No one opposed his plan, and that was good enough for him. Aponi swept away into the darkness, bringing some of the youths with her. Ice watched them go, his tail stiffening for a moment as his eyes lingered on Lila. She was a sensible kid. She wouldn't get herself intro trouble. Right? Nalda and Tenebrae trailed after them, and soon they were swallowed by the black night. His ears folded back. He had wanted Aponi to take them, so they would have someone to learn from, and, the silver female was fast. She'd be able to head something off.

Taking down a prey animal the size of a large deer took brawn and courage, but also a certain amount of experience. Ice glanced at Serach, and then at their two young wards. He'd rather neither of them got trampled, and selfishly, he didn't want to get trampled himself, either. It took longer and longer for him to bounce back from injuries these days.

With a grunt he stalked away into the thick, snow-covered underbrush. The lake glittered next to him as he trailed its edge, heading closer to the herd. Deeming himself close enough, but not too close to spook them, he waited.

He didn't have to wait long. Panicked bleats filled his ears, and from his hiding spot he saw the liquid blur of Aponi. She was even faster than he had thought, heading their prey off, and in a panic, it bolted the other way, only to come up short against Nalda's jaws. Ice smiled grimly. They had this. The deer allowed itself to be herded, too frail and afraid to run across one of their pack members—and that alone would be its death. If worst came to worst, they wouldn't need to attack it, they could just drive it until exhaustion claimed it.

His eyes glittered in the dark, and he kept on waiting for them to bring it closer.

until the ice breaks.

let the stars above shine in your soul

come on guys! Let's not let this hunt thread die out, it's a great chance for pack bonding with the newbies and for some killer lp for everyone
@Serach @Dread @Arion @Lena @Nalda @Lila

Now that their target has been successfully separated from the rest of the herd the alpha slowed her pace so that the others could catch up and keep the doe in line. Aponi could not herd the thing on her own and it would do no good to use all her stamina in such a short burst without the others. As she snapped her jaws with a snarl, leaping slightly to take a bite into the does haunch she felt the satisfaction of her teeth in flesh. Letting go quickly she was pleased to see it do exactly as she wanted, veering away from her and towards the other side.

Unfortunately for their meal this was exactly what they had planned and Nalda cut it off, flashing her own jaws and startling the creature more. The whites of its eyes shone in the darkness as it bleated out in panic, trying to pick up speed as if to outrun them. Taking another shot at it the mother struck the doe's belly, slowing it down further as it stumbled under the added weight. They would be quickly closing in on the ambush soon and they couldn't have the target going full sprint. Aponi's heart pounded in her chest with adrenaline and saliva gathered in her jaws, the Bend would be eating well tonight.