Mount Hollow let it struggle just a little bit more

With three more mouths to feed (and a weary mother to tend to) the shadow knew he would have to pick up extra hunting patrols. Their numbers had dwindled as former members disappeared, but the pack remained persistent. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else—not amongst the willows or further west, along the lagoon with his older sister. Not even north, in the lowlands. The mountain had become his home; he had adapted. It was where his wife flourished. Where their pack—their family—would flourish. He wouldn’t give up. Not that easily.

He’d hiked down the edge of the mountain in the early glow of the morning sun, his willowy legs maneuvering easily down the incline. To think, he had once struggled when making the trek up to the heights (to visit a younger Kyna) … now the trips were becoming easier; like second nature. Greer knew he would have to keep his distance from his birth pack—especially if there was a litter or two within their borders—so he lingered along the base of the mountain. He remained wary, however, as he had noticed the increase of coyote stench around the Lore. He hoped they kept their distance from the heights, as the small pack didn’t have the numbers to fend off a large group of mongrels, but he would do whatever necessary to protect his kin.

He skirted along the base of the mountain, his movements slow and precise as he tracked the fresh scent of a lone doe. It would take some work to bring the creature back up the mountain but it was definitely worth it… just as long as he could find it…

It had been taxing these past few weeks. Every hunt he seemed to be found by coyotes and they had even taken a few chunks of his fur in their antics and the latest time they had even taken his prey. Padding through the rocks he was pleasantly surprised that he didn't see any of them drifting around. He would enjoy it while it lasted because he figured the way things had been going they would find him again. Like they seemed to always do. Solas had been leaving earlier and earlier not sure how to face Tulip and the thought of anyone seeing him in his current state would just make him more aware of how he had failed to avoid the coyote's jaws.

The faint smell of deer filled his nose and Solas paused. He never tried to hunt large game by himself, too much risk, but maybe he could find it and then either chase it back to the pack or find where it liked to stay and bring the others to it. The faintest flash of dark fur among the rocks made Solas realize that he wasn't the only one tracking the doe. Feeling that the doe wasn't close to them, due to the age of the scent Solas let out a short bark to announce his presence as he paused to see if the other wolf was going to ignore him and keep going on his way or stop to see who was in the immediate vicinity.

The thought of bumping into a rogue coyote (or four) hung in the back of his mind as he meandered along the base of the mountain. He’d have to be quick in both tracking and hunting—even if it wasn’t the lone doe he stumbled upon. At this point, the shadow would settle for anything. He couldn’t be selective when he had children (and packmates) to feed. None of the mountain wolves could. They would have to bring back whatever they could, even if it was food they hadn’t caught themselves. Scavenging wasn’t his first choice, nor was it Kyna’s, but food was food when there were other predators lurking around.

A familiar but unfamiliar scent caught his attention, causing his brows to narrow as his steely gaze landed on a dark figure in the distance. For a fleeting moment he wondered if it was the leader of the Cove come down to hunt the lower parts of the mountain, but this wolf was darker in hue and slightly smaller. He did not hold the same regal posture as the leader; a scout, or a hunter, perhaps? His nostrils flared. Was he hunting the same doe that Greer had been … ? His ears twitched as the soft bark echoed over the rocks; a greeting. His tail flicked idly behind him. Perhaps the shadow could use the Cove subordinate as a hunting partner… if he caught the deer there was no way he’d be able to drag it up the mountain on his own… not unless he wanted it to take all day. So the leader swallowed his instinctive reaction to flee and woofed his own greeting in the direction of the stranger, his mercury gaze fixated on the male.

In the distance there is a large pack of coyotes howling.

S-for very mild curse

Solas watched as the dark form paused among the rocks to look in his direction. He didn't know the man standing before him, but that wasn't a surprise. Hunting in the southern part of the mountains wasn't common for him and he preferred the rugged areas to the north of the cove. Too bad a different pack had decided to claim it for their own or he might have gone their instead, but he wasn't going to deliberate stir a hornet's nest he knew was already wary of him.

A woof broke the air, a returned greeting. Padding his way closer to the other male, because there was no reason to shout, Solas took note that he was from the pack that had claimed the southern part of the mountain. The wolves that lived in the forests rarely seemed to come this high, in his experience. Opening his mouth to suggest something along the lines of them working together. If they managed to bring the doe down then they could share more to the stranger though, because even though Solas was large he didn't like the idea of hauling half a deer all the way back to the Cove on his own.

He was interrupted however by the howls of coyotes and his mouth clicked shut as he listened. Shit. He growled as he tried to pinpoint the direction that the sound had come from. Two wolves against a pack of deranged coyotes was not on his to-do list for the day but then with his current luck, he really shouldn't have been surprised.

Think they'll go after the doe and leave us alone? He asked his current companion though his tone implied he thought that they were going to be the targets regardless of the doe.

(This post was last modified: Jun 13, 2018, 04:47 PM by Solas.)

He was interested in sharing the doe but the shadow was no fool; he knew that having help would make it easier to bring the creature back up the mountain. Even if it meant having to split the doe in two, Greer was willing to do so if it would make his life a little easier. It would also be easier to shrug off coyotes if they got too close—two wolves were certainly more of a threat than one, even if the coyotes didn’t seem to be scared of their larger (smarter) cousins.

But his thoughts were interrupted as a sound ripped through the air. Immediately the fur on the back of his neck stood on end and the top of his snout wrinkled in frustration. It appeared nowhere was safe from the mangey creatures. The single word that slipped from the dark stranger’s mouth almost escaped Greer as well. Having a run in with a group of coyotes was the last thing he wanted.

Think they’ll go after the doe and leave us alone?

Greer hope so. While losing the doe to the coyotes would be a hard blow to both wolves, it was better than getting into a scrap with a whole group of sharp-toothed coyotes. His nose twitched once more as he tried to locate where the call was originating from. Unfortunately, for the duo, it sounded as though the howls had been coming from all around then; he did not know which direction to slip off to. Both the shadow and the golden-eyed stranger resided on the mountain; therefore, their best bet would be to scale the rock once more. Greer was still a little hesitant to leave the doe behind… but he didn’t know if it was worth it. There would be other prey to hunt on the mountain—maybe he could even convince the ashen male to accompany him… company was the last thing he wanted, but it was better than catching a few measly squirrels.