Aurora Heights Caught in the Shallows

All welcome! RE: Aurora Heights, a lake sturgeon has been stranded in a small pool nearby following receding flood waters.

His patrol had been rather uneventful as he made his way around the border placing his scent where the markers needed to he strengthened. It wasn't until the scent of water entered his nostrils did he heard the sound, a sort of splashing sound.  He didn't think nothing of it at first since it wasn't a sound he was very familiar with. Being that he was who he was however the sound kept bothering him, what if it was something that would endanger the pack? He had to go and check it out to make sure that it wasn't a threat.

As he drew nearer to where the sound was coming from it started to become clearer in his mind off what was causing it.  When he finally reached the small pool and found the fish that had been stranded there he wasn't expecting it to be so large.  This was definitely something his pack could use and with some luck it wasn't able to go far.  Which meant he wouldn't have to use his fishing skills to catch it which was probably good since he'd never been the greatest Fisher in the bloodbreakers.  His luck must have ran out, as he went to pluck the fish from the shallow water it moved in such a way he ended up face first in the pool.

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Aurora Heights had a sizeable stream, but it was little more than that, a stream. At no point, even at the height of spring rains, could it be considered a river, and certainly not now, when summer warmed and started to dry things up. (That said, it had been a cooler summer than the one she remembered last year, but perhaps that was because she was back on her mountain now instead of in the thick of the forests.)

Kyna had stopped during her border patrol to take a drink, enjoying the cool water when she noticed one of her newer packmates must be nearby. They’d all been so busy – one of the problems of having a smaller pack, there was less time to rest – but she really should be getting to know these other wolves, especially as this other male was now the only other male in the entire pack.

The young alpha hurried forward, tail swinging behind her back lazily as Pyriel came into view. She barked, ears tipped forward as she approached – and suddenly whatever the male was looking at came into view. Kyna’s eyes widened comically as she drew up – she’d never seen such a big fish!

“Where the hell did that come from!?”

A wild dissertation appears!

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

It was lucky really that he found the large fish caught in the pool. It wasn't something that would feed the pack for an extended period of time but it was big enough for at least one wolf to eat. The question was how was he to get it out of the water when he'd never been a great Fisher. He examined the situation before deciding that he could get this fish out rather easily.

So caught up in his concentration of the fish and getting everything just right so that he could pull the fish out of the water with ease. Something went terribly wrong because he soon found himself face first in the pool and no fish to he had. The fish was still there splashing about but it had managed with some effort to get away from its captor. Pyriel had been so engrossed in catching the fish that he had not noticed he had company in the form of his female lead.

His head turned toward her at the sound of her bark. He quickly dipped his head in respect for her rank before shaking the water from his face. With it still dripping he gave her question some thought. “I suppose it could have been here and didn't escape before the water around this pool evaporated?” He said with raised brow. He felt it made the most sense as to what had brought the fish to that pool.

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Oh dear. Maybe she shouldn’t have yelled!

For a moment, Kyna worried that she had startled her subordinate into the water – she hadn’t thought Pyriel to be the flighty sort when they’d met upon her borders, but she supposed some wolves were better at playing up their first appearances than others. But as she approached the water’s edge, she began to suspect maybe he hadn’t simply fallen in, after all. And his idea wasn’t that bad. Frankly, she didn’t have a better one.

The wolf halted at the edge of the pool, watching the male and the unhappy fish a few lengths away. Where Pyriel saw a meal, the alpha only saw… Sadness. Her ears flattened out as she gave a soft whine, watching the shimmer of scales as the sturgeon continued to struggle. That water was almost too shallow for it to even swim – and if Pyriel’s theory was right, the water would continue to evaporate until the poor thing dried up and died!

“We should do something,” she said quietly, tail giving a little twitch. Kyna glanced around, though nothing in the immediate area gave her any bright ideas. “It will die if we just leave it. We should…we should do something.”

A wild dissertation appears!

Pyriel wasn't sure it made much difference of how the fish had gotten there, this was a meal ready for the taking. He just had to get it to stay still long enough that he could close his jaws around it. The appearance of the alpha only distracted him for a moment as he showed his respect for her rank and some words to explain why the fish was there. He'd settled in the reason though as he looked around he didn't see where the fish would have some from to get stuck. That was curious, unless of course the water it had come from was just further away. The pale warrior shrugged it didn't matter much he was going to be taking this fish to a cache once he had caught it.

Just as he was preparing the woman spoke again and his jaw about dropped, she thought they should do something for the fish. He suddenly had to wonder about this woman he called a leader. A meal right in front of her face and she wants to save it. Pyriel had to take a moment to compose himself before speaking. “With all due respect,” he said with another dip of his head, “Don't you think this fish would do better at providing a meal for one or two of our packmates?” He felt asking her that instead of just coming out straight with it the way he saw it. He didn't want to upset her since he was a new member and all.

"Although if you do want to save it we can search out where the fish might have originally come from?” Perhaps there was a much larger body of water that had a stream running to it the fish could have swam up to get to this point.

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Pyriel hadn’t meant it offensively, of course. She knew that. And it wasn’t even offense she took, but a sudden, burning shame – once again, his suggestion was perfectly logical. It wasn’t just Kyna out here; it was easy to say they should save it when she herself was well-fed and well cared for…but she wasn’t the only one out here, not anymore. There was her daughter to think about, and the other wolves who had decided to live up on the plateau with her. With them.

Shit, even a few months ago as a loner, with an empty belly, she’d have seen the stranded sturgeon with much different eyes.

She was being such a child.

Kyna cleared her throat softly, regarding the male before glancing back the fish, apparently resting in the deep part of its pool – if knee-high water could even be classified as deep. “You’re right,” she said softly, wading into the water to join Pyriel. “Even if we don’t eat it now, it would go to good use in our stores.” Her ears remained flat out to side as she watched it. The fish was clearly suffering, and that was needless. “But-- I would prefer if we make quick work of it, yes? No need to torture it. I think it’s hurt enough, slowly drying to death like this.”

A wild dissertation appears!

He didn't know if it was because he was a warrior and his training was for survival that he was astonished by her suggestion. Perhaps in another life he may have been more open to the idea of saving the fish’s life. There were mouths to feed and this fish though doubtful could be the one meal that they couldn't lose. He was sure there would be other prey which didn't mean her idea was that crazy but to him it was a foreign one. She was the alpha, he felt her first thought should be the pack of course he had never been an alpha, wasn't even sure he wanted the responsibility. It would be her choice what they did with the fish and he would carry out her wishes. That was what he had been trained to do after all, almost like he was incapable of disobeying an order.

He and Tinley were the same in that respect though he had wanted to many times, he could not. Even now when he lived among wolves that he felt could never know the things he had seen and done in his life.

His dark green gaze went to her as after she cleared her throat and he waited to see what she wanted to do about the fish. It seemed she had seen reason I'm what he'd said because she was soon agreeing with his sentiment. “That it would,” he agreed, “We can't let something like this go to waste.” He listened as she requested that they make it's end a quick one, “Of course,” he said with a dip of his head, “No reason to cause it anymore suffering. Would you like me to take care of it?” He assumed the answer would be yes but he did not want to make that assumption and be wrong.

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At first glance, at least, it seemed like Pyriel was a good addition to her pack. The alpha didn’t know him or his friend very well – as much her fault as it was anyone else’s, trying to balance first-time motherhood and a new pack – but his suggestions were sound, and it seemed he was open to hers, as well. There were plenty of wolves who did not mind playing with their food, but Kyna was not one of them. Violence and death had their places; they were wolves, after all, apex predators, and the hunt was simply a part of life. But Kyna did not condone senseless hurt – perhaps only because she had often been the victim of it as a girl, even if she did not totally understand it at the time.

So she was very glad Pyriel saw no need to extend the sturgeon’s suffering beyond what nature had already provided.

“It’s very big,” she replied after his offer. “I think it might take two of us. Fish are rather slippery, and I can’t say I’ve ever seen one this big. Perhaps if once of us goes for the tail, we can hold it long enough for the other to get it by the…neck? Assuming it has a neck. It must have a neck in there, somewhere.”

They were shaped…rather like a stick. Made it harder to judge, Kyna thought.

Hunt Demo 1/3

A wild dissertation appears!

The Albarn was glad but also a little surprised when the alpha saw that this was a gift they couldn't pass up. He was more used to his parents who it was their way and that was it. The reason he'd ended up living the life he had, any argument about it had fallen on deaf ears. Kyna in the other hand had been willing to hear him out and considered his opinion. She did have one request and that was to not let the fish suffer which the pale warrior did not have a problem with. He had seen enough suffering in his life and did not see the point in making his food suffer more than they had to. Besides he'd never understood why some wolves played with their food. The question now was how to get it to the cache considering it's size. He was more than happy to end the sturgeon's life and take it himself.

Kyna in the other paw had a better idea on how they should handle getting the fish to the cache. Both of them she take it, each getting one end of the fish, he gave a nod.

“It is quite large,” he agreed, “That seems a sound plan though. If you want to grab the tail and hold it until I can grasp its neck which I think is right around the gills?” She had a point about the neck though. He offered his idea as a suggestion and left it for her to choose if that was what she wanted to do. “I think a good grip in our jaws will keep it secured until we can get it to one of the caches.”

Especially if they ended its suffering before they started moving with it.

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