Dead-Drop Escarpment out on the edge

With the targets before them now, and the hunt so close to beginning, the dark one felt.. as close to excited about something as he ever managed to get. It was a rarity, at that, for him to look forward to a hunt. They had always been something he’d done out of necessity, begrudgingly so. Especially back home. Getting to observe and partake in the pack hunts was perhaps one of the few normal aspects of his upbringing, and another one of those things that, though he was loath to admit it, he supposed he should be grateful for. Even if he’d never gotten to eat first, and he had been allowed in so some of the lazy higher ranked bastards didn’t have to get off their asses and do it themselves, the skills served him well, now. They had, unbeknownst to him at the time, actually done him a favor in that regard too.

But this was different. It was an alliance he’d forged willingly, and for his own benefit. That was a rare experience, and it excited him. Jethro desired success. He and Nori would feast like royalty if they managed to pull this off.

The other seemed agreeable to the ideas and plan he’d proposed to take them, and he observed momentarily, as she began to traverse around the deer. She had the more difficult job, having to circle around the small herd, whereas he merely had to alter his position only slightly in comparison. He took care not to disturb anything or expose himself, however, and once he’d positioned himself in what he believed was the best spot, he stood still, waiting. He and Nori exchanged a brief glance once set, before the other began to creep forwards. She managed to get pretty close before one of the trio noticed her and alerted the others, the trio of deer all taking off suddenly. Fortunately for the two of them, all three are more or less the direction of the cliff face, giving Jethro very little to do aside from run after them on the opposite side, being sure to keep them on course.

Keeping up with them wasn’t terribly difficult despite the forested terrain and somewhat damp ground. The dark one made sure to move as loudly as possible, hoping such an effort would make the prey believe there were more than two wolves. As Nori moved to bite at the injured doe, one of the healthy deer suddenly veered off, darting in front of him. Jethro slowed momentarily to let it go, before darting after the injured one to bite at its opposite flank. He had to consciously abate from such an effort, recalling that his intent in this unusual scenario was not to maim and kill, but just to keep this one on track. And at this accelerated pace, they would be closing in on the cliff face quickly.

It had been months since Nori had been able to hunt with someone. As much as she and her father had conflicted with one another, the two had hunted very well together, and she missed the connection that she had felt in working alongside someone else to achieve a goal. There was a sense of competition and excitement in this type of hunt that simply wasn't there when she'd caught rabbits on her own; especially because they were hunting in a very particular way today. She'd never herded something off a cliff before, and found that it was pretty fun to just drive the doe where she wanted it.

Perhaps it was a little sadistic, but she couldn't bring herself to care too much. She'd been hungry for days, and this was a lot easier than using her entire body to take down a deer and risking injury that way. This method was a lot safer, as long as they managed to slow down in time to not run themselves over the cliff's edge with her.

She found that it was a good thing Jethro had scraped off another tree after she did, because the scent of pine hit her briefly and signaled that she needed to be prepared to slow down. She wouldn't actually put on the brakes until she smelled the second tree, but she was ready to do so when it happened.

The deer was none the wiser to their markings, and just barreled on by, now fully separated from the other two in her herd. It was only a few seconds before the second wall of pine scent hit her, and Nori skidded to a halt, stopping a few feet away from the edge, but the doe continued on, her attention more on the two wolves that had been nipping her sides and legs rather than where she was going. The ungulate looked almost suspended in the air for a moment, Nori thought, before she dropped. There was a bellow that cut off after two or three seconds and the distinct thud of a body as it hit the ground.

Nori was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath. The run hadn't been that long, really, but she hadn't let herself slow down, and she needed to steady herself before she could even think about making her way down the slope. Still, a grin stretched across her maw, eager and excited, and she let out a breathless laugh.

"That was so fucking cool!" she chortled, tail whipping back and forth and chest still heaving from exertion as she turned to face her hunting partner. "I can't believe that worked!" There was also no way she'd have been able to do that on her own, either - no way she could've singlehandedly steered the doe all the way to the edge. Nori had caught her breath, for the most part, but her body still thrummed with adrenaline and excitement, and she wanted to wait for Jet to be ready before they set off down the slope.

He couldn’t believe it, but the plan actually seemed like it was going to work. Their plan had been solid, and well-executed, at that - and so his skepticism did not come from doubting either the abilities of himself or his companion. It came, instead, from the abnormality that was this situation. Who would have ever thought to hunt by chasing something over a damned cliff? It was so contrary to what he’d grown up with that Jethro might’ve been tempted to have a good laugh at it, were he not in the middle of a chase at that moment.

The second, uninjured deer broke off at that moment, unimpeded by the two of them and free to survive another day, leaving just the one. It struggled on admirably, though seemingly oblivious to the fate that awaited it. Or was it?

The sharp scent of pine suddenly striking his nose as he pursued warned of the sudden drop. It was impossible to miss the markings, panting as he was, so after one last lunge and bite for good measure, the dark one started to angle himself away, before promptly slowing his limbs and scrabbling to a halt. Angling himself so that he could use a tree to help stop his momentum, Jethro impacted its trunk shoulder-first, but quickly bounced off and turned his head to witness the deer go skipping right over the edge.

It cried out, perhaps in despair, and though the actual sound was brief, the echo of it lingered for a moment after the creature had impacted the ground below, before fading out entirely. ”Yeah... that’s right! Pranced your dumb ass... right over a cliff, stupid fucker!” Jethro called out in vague amusement and elation, between breaths. Momentarily, he wondered what its final words had been, or if there had been any meaning at all to the cry. But ultimately, he didn’t care. Death would come for them all, one day. But today was not that day for he and Nori - far from it. Their plan had worked. It had actually worked.

Nori seemed equally jubilant, expressing a similar sentiment herself, and Jethro turned to her, displaying perhaps the biggest smile he’d worn ever in his life, though unaware of it. He nodded ecstatically, bouncing with each step he took toward his companion as the rush of adrenaline and energy from the hunt started to fade. ”Sure was. Damn fine piece of work,” he asserted, half tempted to take a look over the edge to see the results of their labor, but not wanting to tempt fate.

It would be his damned luck if he were to do so, only to go tumbling over himself. Or worse yet, be shoved over by Nori if she wanted to keep the whole thing to herself. Had he just met her, he might’ve been more concerned about that. As it were, though, she didn’t strike him as the type.

Instead, he kept walking towards the area where the cliff transitioned into a more gradual slope. ”You kept your promise. I appreciate it.” He spoke genuinely, gesturing with a nod of his head for his company to walk alongside him if she desired. The fulfillment of her word had earned the other some respect. In the grand scheme of things, he didn’t suppose that would matter much to Nori - if at all, but he felt it important such a thing be displayed.



--updated thread description with M tag for any possible graphic hunt-related descriptions stuff after this post.

(This post was last modified: May 25, 2021, 09:54 PM by Jethro.)

The adrenaline was wearing off and Nori felt the familiar ache settle into her shoulder. She wasn't one to make a fuss about it, though, and after just the slightest hitch in her step, she was able to adjust and walk without limping at all. It had held up just fine during the run, so it would do the same on the short walk down the side of the ravine.

In fact, seeing her excitement mirrored on her companion's face made her just about forget about it entirely. Her tail swished back and forth and her breath still stuttered, evening out after the long sprint and sudden braking. She grinned at him, eyes still alight with exhilaration. "Easiest hunt of my goddamn life!" she boasted, pride welling in her chest for both of them. They'd worked remarkably well together, considering they'd just met the day before. "Marking the second pine tree was genius. I'd've never slowed down enough with just the one." It was true - if it had been left up to her and that one marking, she probably would've ended up sliding off the edge of the cliff as well, and she was pretty sure she couldn't fly, so that would've been less than ideal.

A smile looked nice on Jet's face, she mused as she watched him, still excited from the rush of the hunt and the promise of a good meal. Idly, she wondered how many people had seen him like that, or if she was one of the lucky few. He didn't seem like the type to express himself like that frequently, and something about that thought made her want to make him smile more often.

Her ears perked up when he spoke again, and her eyes widened when he gestured for her to walk beside him. It did mean a lot to her, actually, and she gave a short bounce before trotting to keep up with the dark wolf. Respect like that had not been given freely throughout her life, and it made her chest puff out with poorly-concealed pride. "I'd never go back on my word," she assured, offering him a short grin. "You kept yours, too."

It'd been a bit of a weird agreement to begin with, but Nori absolutely did not regret it. The only issue was that, after this meal was over, their contract was technically finished, and they would part ways. And Nori found that she would vastly prefer that they did not, which she understood was extremely selfish and probably not reciprocated, but hey. There was no harm in asking.

She waited until they reached the carcass at the bottom of the cliff before she stopped walking altogether, taking a deep breath and steeling herself. "You know," she began, glancing up from the recently-killed deer back to her companion, momentarily ignoring the hunger that settled in her stomach. "I bet that the view from the top of the mountain is pretty great. You could probably see the entire forest from up there." She straightened up, stomping down on the nervous jitters that had settled in her stomach. "I wouldn't mind being your guide for a change. If you wanted to go. No pressure." I really like hanging out with you, and I'd rather that not end just because we caught a deer, was implied, but Nori was absolutely not emotional enough to say it out loud.

Her mouth felt a little dry, though, as she waited on his response.

There had been precious few times in his life before now, that had felt as exhilarating and fulfilling as this one had. Perhaps only the first time he’d caught a meal on his own, and after that, when he’d realized a few weeks into his departure from his birthplace that he actually could manage alone. At the time, those two things had felt like major accomplishments. Though this hunt really hadn’t been challenging in terms of difficulty, it was noteworthy because he’d managed it in conjunction with someone else.

Perhaps not everything was as he thought. And.. perhaps.. a life of pure solitude was not necessarily the only way he had to go. Jethro was quite glad, at that moment, that Nori had not let him pass her by as he’d attempted to. They were a good team. Unorthodox, maybe, but damn good. And he decided not to think about how crazy that sounded in his head, but rather simply bask in the moment.

Nori grinned right back at him, and at that, the dark one became aware of his expression. He checked it just a little bit, but proceeded onwards with the slight bounce in his step, nodding at both of Nori’s assertions. ”Sure as hell was. Glad we marked those, too.” Although he’d initially proposed the idea, her decision to use the evergreen trees was worthy of credit, too.

As they turned to begin descending the slope, Jethro let his eyes at last look over to where their prey had fallen. He could smell the tang of blood filtering through the air even before he looked to the deer. Even when he studied it at a distance, he could see its limbs were mangled, while its torso was twisted awkwardly on the ground, appearing as if it’d landed upon a small boulder.

”I wonder if the damn thing knew what we were doin’, though. If it just decided to go along with it, thinkin’ we’d get it anyway.” There was no remorse in his tone, simply a vague interest. Now that the adrenaline was fading,  his mind was more open to considering such thoughts, though it ultimately didn’t matter. If it was capable of such logic, perhaps the deer had surmised the cliff would ultimately be a quicker and less painful route. While some part of him would’ve been interested to know, it didn’t matter.

Nori stated with pride that she’d never go back on her word, and at that moment, Jethro was.. as inclined to believe that as he ever could’ve been. Skepticism remained, but rather than address it, he offered a small nod. ”Guess that makes us even, then.” He murmured, the smile he’d previously worn on his countenance at last completely fading with that remark. It was somewhat bittersweet to realize the agreement was technically finished. All that was left was to consume their meal and then part ways.

He was not sure how he felt about that. When at last they reached the bottom of the slope, though, Jethro turned almost immediately toward where the deer had fallen, intending to feast and put those thoughts out of mind. It took him a moment to realize Nori had stopped, and another to realize what she was actually saying with her seemingly innocuous comments about mountain views. She even clarified a moment later, and at that, Jethro’s left brow arched in surprise. And he did not respond right away, but simply gazed at the other, unblinking.

He had already pondered that very topic before. It came as a surprise to hear she had, too. ”I.. think I would like that, yes.” He affirmed, after a moment. ”If you’re damn sure that a forest demon is the kinda guy you wanna risk havin’ to introduce to your family, anyway,” he added impishly after a short pause and a breath. ”I promise to be on my best behavior for you, if we meet them.” He smiled a little, although the vow was no less sincere because of it.

Aside from the obvious things he stood to gain - a potential alliance with more than just one wolf, there was more at play here than that. Nori seemed to genuinely want him to go. Nobody had ever wanted that before, and it felt.. good. Jethro decided he wanted more of good.

Nori's head was already whirring with ideas - she'd always been a more... creative individual. Up on the mountain, it would be easy to utilize this method to end hunts quicker and expend less energy. Perhaps it would be a little more dangerous up there than here, especially if it was snowing, but if she was going to end up on top of a mountain one way or another, Nori was going to have to figure out ways to make it easier on herself and the pack she would be with. Jethro, too, if he wanted to stick around. It was easier now to picture future hunts with him involved than it had been mere minutes ago.

She hummed in agreement. If they were going to do this again in the future, marking the edge of the cliff was an absolute must. Nori didn't fancy the idea of sprinting headfirst off a cliff like the deer had - surely it wasn't an ideal death, but at least it had sounded quick. A few seconds at most. Still, Nori wasn't a fan of dying in any fashion, so she'd prefer to steer clear of it.

It was nice to see the little bounce in her companion's step. This was more personality than she had seen from him all day, and she briefly thought that she could get used to it. The sight of the deer, mangled and broken on a small boulder below, was much less visually appealing, but it did make her stomach growl just a bit.

"I doubt she knew. At least, she sounded surprised when she fell," she reasoned, unable to feel too bad for the creature. This was just the circle of life - nature's way. And if it saved her some energy to get up that mountain, and also prevented further injury to her shoulder, then she would do it without question. Perhaps that made her a terrible person, but at least she was a terrible person with a huge meal waiting her.

The fact that his smile faded at the end of his next statement was not lost on the girl, and she wondered for a moment if he was just as upset about their arrangement was coming to a close. It gave her the last little bit of courage that she'd needed to say her piece, and wait for his response.

I... think I would like that, yes.

A bright grin spread across her maw and she bounced a bit, tail swishing behind her as she tried to reign in her excitement. She managed to hold still and clear her throat, but couldn't quite manage to wipe the smile from her face. "Oh, I think if a forest demon such as yourself could manage to impress me, you'll do just fine up there. I have very high standards, I'll have you know." She wasn't actually sure what her standards were when it came to... strange partnerships like this, but she was very grateful to have met him. Her face warmed a bit when he mentioned being on his best behavior, and she let out a soft laugh. "I'm not so sure I've seen your best behavior yet. I'm looking forward to it."

This was... different. It wasn't as though they were making some sort of trade, and neither of them needed one another to get to the top of the mountain. This time, it was just because they liked being around one another, and they weren't quite ready for their time together to end. Did that mean they were friends? Hadn't Jethro said that friendships like this were pointless? It wasn't like Nori was going to question it, but it did make her wonder what was going through his head.

She shook the thoughts away and trotted over to the deer, ignoring another slight twinge in her shoulder that caused her steps to falter just a bit. Nori reached up and tugged it down off the boulder - thankfully, it wasn't too high up, but having it on the ground would make it easier to eat. She cleared her throat and stepped back, gesturing toward the mangled doe. "Would you like first dibs?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. That was customary back home - men always ate first, as weird as it sounded. But this was less to do with custom and far more to do with her genuinely wanting to do something nice for Jethro. Which was even weirder, because Nori wasn't really a nice person. She would think more about that later, but for now she was eager to fill her stomach before they headed off.

The other did not seem to think the deer had known what was going on, stating that the deer had sounded surprised when it’d fallen. That was true, from their perspective, so perhaps it truly hadn’t been aware until it was too late. Jethro sniffed, and then offered a tacit nod, though he did not care to speak any further about the subject just then. There was no use belaboring the subject when there were far more important things to consider.

Like possible alliances, or treks up mountains. Actually, both. He hadn’t ever trekked up a mountain before, but Jethro expected it to be tougher than the likes of what he’d been doing up to this point. He was still wholly intrigued by the idea, and the thought of being able to see everything that was down here from up there was woefully tempting. And then there was Nori. Who he’d, not too long ago, tried to shoo away. Now he was going with her to potentially meet her family.

And she did not seem to have one iota of regret for that, quite the opposite, in fact. She grinned almost inanely at him for a moment, and it was impossible not to mirror the expression, albeit to a lesser extent. He wasn’t quite sure how the hell his presence could be desired by anyone, or why his presence seemed to make her so happy. However, he liked it, and he didn’t want to question it at that moment. Jethro could accept her explanation of standards as accurate, and if she didn’t suspect he’d have any trouble, the dark one was fairly confident he could trust that.

”Good. I’m relieved to hear it. Might be better to not mention the demon bit to ‘em, though,” he spoke with a wry smirk, which grew slightly at the next bit. Jethro puffed out his chest a bit at that, and nodded his head in resolution. ”You haven’t. Prepare to be thoroughly impressed.”

Perhaps he was normally a jerk. One that came off as thoroughly unrefined and inconsiderate of others, most of the time. But he did know how to behave, and hopefully that would prove beneficial to his cause. Beyond that, too, though, he wanted to be good for Nori. It was rare for him to want such a thing.. but, well. Just because his family hadn’t liked him, didn’t mean he couldn’t help someone else make a favorable impression. The dark one was thoroughly looking forward to observing Nori’s interactions with her family, too.

He was surprised, though, by the subsequent inquiry, and though he turned to face the deer again, he did not approach. ”Thought we could share it. More than enough for both of us to have what we want.” Although instinct had demanded he answer yes to that question, especially considering it was a privilege he’d never been afforded before now, this had been a joint effort. There was no reason the best parts couldn’t be shared.

Vultures are circling something out of sight. Hunt Oppurtunity! +5 Health

To say that she was surprised by how well the two of them worked together would be an understatement. How fast were you supposed to become attached to someone? Nori wasn't sure, but apparently it was somewhere in the realm of twenty four hours for her. Of course, she was a bit too prideful to admit it aloud, and she would certainly not call it a friendship, because Jet had said that was stupid. But she did prefer his presence to the lack of his presence, and she wasn't really sure what that meant.

Especially because she might be about to meet her family for the first time, and she really would rather not be alone for it. She'd been up a few mountains on her own in search of them for the last two months, and she had been equally as afraid each and every time, but it made her feel better to think that she might have company this time. If she could convince him to stay.

"But the demon bit is the selling point," she teased, even if she had no intention of bringing it up to the mountain wolves - if they were even there. It was more of an inside joke, anyway, and she didn't really want to share it with everybody. They likely wouldn't understand. Nori lifted her chin and looked down her nose at him, playfully scrutinizing now that she was sure he wanted to be in her presence just as much as she wanted to be in his. "I'll hold you to that," she assured, tail swishing a few times. Of course, she'd be doing her best to make a good impression as well - if there was one thing her dad's side of the family was good at, it was teaching manners. Not that she was the best example of that at all times, but... well, she was certainly capable of it.

By the time they had actually decided it was time to eat, vultures were circling overhead, eager to get their own fill from the carcass. It wasn't as though they'd be able to eat it all, even though Nori was definitely going to give it a go - it'd been days since her last meal, save for a mouse or two here and there, and she was hungry. A small smile spread across her maw at the mention of sharing, and she nodded her head. Her mouth was watering a bit too much to reply again without drooling - which would be embarrassing - and so instead she turned to dig into the deer's flank. A bit messy, but she figured they'd probably find a place to wash off before they met anyone on the mountain, so it was probably alright. Besides, she was far too hungry to care much about the blood staining her muzzle at this point.

If someone had told him just a couple of days ago, that he was going to meet a pretty girl soon, and become so intrigued by her presence that he’d end up following her up a mountain to possibly meet their family.. he’d have probably thought that individual utterly insane. And then subsequently told them to shut up, fuck off, in addition to who knew what other obscene unpleasantries. Yet, here he was.

A part of him couldn’t believe he’d agreed to do it. The other side rationalized that he had a lot to gain, which was true. He did not suspect his travels with Nori would last too much longer. Eventually, if after they had climbed a couple of mountains, or after his companion had found her family, he was fairly sure they’d end up parting ways. Though, there wasn’t a set timeline anymore. This could last two more days or it could go on for two weeks. There was no way of knowing, and for the present, Jethro was content with that.

Nori joked that the demon bit was a selling point, and he lifted his chin playfully in response to her scrutinization. ”One of my best,” he agreed with a wry smirk, though it seemed that was something which would stay between the two of them, at least for now. And that was probably for the best. His company also intended to hold him to his word, and though spoken in the same playful sort of tone, he believed that she would. But he also intended to make sure it would not be a concern.

Drawing his attention away from the conversation and the meal, for the moment, was the presence of vultures beginning to gather overhead. How the damned things had already caught on to their kill was beyond him, but he was sure it was not a sign that would go unnoticed by other predators. The last thing he and Nori needed were any unscrupulous individuals - actual demons or something - to come wandering by.

”Better eat while we can,” he muttered, though neither of them needed the encouragement. Nori settled at the flank, and after a moment, Jethro settled in at the stomach, wasting no time with tearing in. The spectacle was messy, bloody, and there was more here than the two of them could manage in one sitting, but he was going to consume as much of it as he damn well could. At least they’d be able to go a while without food, after this.

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