Poison Path bwp: and famine to them all

Arturius has discovered someone's cache?  Is it yours?  Can you stop him?

Some of his siblings had gone to the west of the mountain, following Acantha’s lead, but oh no, this little piggy had been sent to the mountain itself. While he was more than capable of climbing the slope, he certainly wasn’t interested in it – but what was he going to do, tell his mother no? Arturius gave a wicked sigh as he crested to the path, glad to be on more even ground for a change. Where the overgrown trail lead, the boar wasn’t sure, but he had been instructed to observe and take whatever resources he could find. Food, claim water sources, and find any place that looked like a decent place to stay.

If he even wanted to share, he thought bitterly, trudging through the area.

Ah, but there were wolves nearby, and where there were wolves, there was doubtlessly a meal. Wolves always positioned themselves where there was plenty to eat – if he was lucky, he might even find a cache. And indeed, a cache the pig did find. It was clearly a personal one, for there were only a few items, and it wasn’t fresh, but what did Arturius care? A free meal was a free meal! And it was really only enough food for one. No one was here. No one had to know.

With no further qualms, the wild hog rooted into the cache, tearing it apart in minutes.

(This post was last modified: Nov 10, 2015, 08:17 PM by Spirit of Wildwood.)

@Namid @Vespertio @Kajika @Pharika @Athena, there's a pig near our borders!
@Cernan @Neha @Aleister, it would probably be best for the kids to only spectate.

Today was, unluckily for the unwitting Nathaniel, a satellite day, in which he expanded his patrolling outside of the pack's borders to ensure that no one was encroaching anywhere near to the pack's established domain. It was the primary consumption of his time these days, this dutiful work, the best way to both continue earning his keep while avoiding the ones he protected within. It did not matter the amount of time that had passed, nor Anthem's missing status or Angele's announced departure. Perhaps nothing would pull him closer to the wolves within this pack. He was not alright with that, but what choice did he truly have? He had to stay. Anthem and Angele, they would be coming back. They had to.

As he completed these rounds, a scent became apparent upon the wind, one who's particular concoction he had only recently become familiar with. Immediately his tail hiked high above his spine as a snarl twisted his muzzle. His strides sharply angled to swerve him toward the hog's location, and his head was thrown back momentarily to send up a howl. He had already witnessed these creatures to be destructive, and to know that one had come so close to the pack was alarming. Nathaniel wanted not only to alert them, but to summon them. If this was anything like the other, the beast would be too large for the man to handle on his own safely.

(This post was last modified: Nov 11, 2015, 06:03 AM by Nathaniel.)

Pharika had been spending her day stalking a group of mountain goats.
She had picked out one that seemed to be growing weaker each day; she was
to keep her eye on said creature and pick it off when the time was appropriate.
She may not have been the only predator watching the goat, though. She lays on
an outcrop, her chestnut eyes wearily watching the small group of five hop from
rock to rock. Their hooves clack in the distance, their bleats like dinner bells
to her ears. With a sigh, she lowers her head, wanting to rest for a moment. A
howl cleaves across the area, making Pharika whip her head upward. Ears straining
forth, she is immediately back on all fours. Leaping smoothly down from the outcrop,
she takes off in the direction of the howl.

Her heart thumps rhythmically within her chest as she lopes over the jagged
terrain. Her massive paws roll easily over the rocky surface now; she'd grown
acquainted with the mountain over a short period of time.It hadn't been hard for
her to adapt, for her homelands were similar to the land in which she thrived in now.
Her eyes focus on the dark figure of another packmate, Nathaniel, whom she'd met
personally a week or so prior. As she comes within range, she dips her head in
greeting to the male. Stretching her neck, the monochrome woman takes in the air
as the wind blows through the wolves' fur. Something unknown tickled her nostrils.

Wrinkling her muzzle, a disgusted look crosses her face as she glances toward Nathaniel.
"Do you recognize it?"she asks, almost hissing. Whatever it was, it definitely
did not seem pleasant.

(This post was last modified: Nov 12, 2015, 03:12 AM by Pharika.)

Let's serve up some bacon!
;)

Something smelled rotten. And it was nearby. Much, much too close to home, for little miss Neha's liking. So, there was only one thing to do about it. Find out. The young princess was coming into her own, the summer and fall months bringing about a noticeable transformation in her. She had grown into her previously oversized paws, exchanged her baby blues for an earthy set of browns, and traded shades of dusty ivory fur, for a blend of whites and silver, with gold accents. She was even built a little more slender, but with her thick winter pelage coming in for the first time, you wouldn't notice it.

Old enough to be out on her own, without adult supervision for extended periods of time, Neha was happy exploring the corners of her home. Or refining her still clumsy hunting skills by chasing rabbits or harassing young foxes. They made for perfect target practice. But sadly, it wasn't nearly as much fun as it could have been if her brothers were with her. Both of which, to her, seemed more distant than usual as of late. She didn't pester her parents or try seeking her siblings out. She let it be, and hoped that whatever was the matter, that it would resolve itself soon. 

When the sickening stench floated to her nose, she had been in the midst of searching for a snack. Not so much for food, but more for practice. A promising set of bird tracks, likely from a pheasant, looked tempting. But the new smell was too pungent to ignore, and as if to reinforce her need to satisfy her curiosity, Nathaniel's howl rang out somewhere nearby. Ears pricking up with alertness, she sprang forwards to his call, almost doe like in her movements and speed. Not five minutes later, she arrived, finding only the dark man she was so fond of, and a most....bizarre creature.

Instinctively, she stepped up behind the guardian and another adult already present, so they were shielding her from any potential threat. Yet she peered forward with perked ears and wide brown eyes curiously, nose twitching a mile a minute. The animal....which looked to her, like a cross between a rodent and a moose, was snorting, stomping and shuffling about without a care in the world. But what was worse, is that it was tearing into one of their caches as if he owned it! Teeth clenched, a silent snarl crept to her muzzle, her agitation clearly shown in the lashing of her tail. But Neha did not lash forward. She had learned her lesson at the lake with the swans. And besides, whatever those sharp things were protruding from the beasts jaws, she didn't want to get anywhere close to. Feeling that the entire pack should be alerted about this, and deal with this nuisance quickly, she threw her head back and let out a short, shrill howl. Certain that they had heard her, she pressed closer to Nathaniel. "...Do you know what that thing is?" She questioned, her voice a suspicious whisper.

(This post was last modified: Nov 12, 2015, 02:02 AM by Neha.)

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.

Lately Kajika had been spending more time running the boarders and with winter approaching hunting as much as possible. He wanted to do his part ot ensure that they wouldn't run into any trouble during the hardest months. He was also glad that he has a pack to spend those months with and finally he no longer felt the constant need to prove himself to the pack. Kajika had quite a few other things on his mind as of late some of which he wasn't sure what to do with which was why he'd been spending so much time on the move, anything to keep his mind off what was bothering him. However that was starting to wear on him so he'd decided that since it had been rather quiet that morning he decided some time by lake was something that he needed to do. It wouldn't be the same without Des but it did seem his best place to get some thinking done. That hope was however dashed when Nathaniel's call reached his ears and Kajika knew that his assistance could be needed. Changing directions he charged off in the drection his packmates call had come from. With his long legs it didn't take him long to cover the ground needed to reach Nathaniel who'd also been joined by Pharika and Neha but more importantly was the scent that entered his nostrils upon his arrival. It became apparently quickly where the scent was coming from. "What exactly are we going to do about this?" He asked the others as he watched the destruction it was causing and not really keen on facing the wild pig down. Part of him felt that it might be even worse than the Lynx they had faced. Regardless of how he felt about it they would have to something soon because they couldn't let the creature continue its path through their lands.

~Table by Ace

(This post was last modified: Nov 13, 2015, 02:57 PM by Kajika.)

Please see OOC Profile for OOC Preferences, Thank you.

In fact, the boy had just decided to go looking for his pale-furred sibling only a few minutes before the fateful call rang out. Neha had been wandering; and because it was Neha Cernan felt the usual pull to reach her side and make sure the smaller wolf came to no harm – just as she had always done for him. His gait had been an easy one; pausing here and there to inhale traces of her scent before pressing on on growing limbs. The chubby youngster had just barely begun to look more normal in his proportions; yet remained clumsy and awkward as any child. His baby fat hadn't really gone away either. It was evident that he would likely outweigh both his siblings for the foreseeable future; a fact that was made all the more apparent by the emergence of his first “winter-coat,” as it had been called.

Eyes shining with the same brilliant gold of his father's; Cernan's head jerked upward sharply at Nathaniel's summons. He recognized the voice instantly as that of his guardian; an honorable gladiator and slayer of evil. For a moment the prince loped ahead; finding that his sister's trail also veered suddenly toward their knight in shining armor. The boy huffed sharply as he broke into as much of a run as he could manage over the chilled earth. If there was a reason for the dark man to summon help; then Neha was the last person he wanted to answer it. He was late to the scene; however; finding not only the Princess and Nathaniel; but also Kajika and a wolf he still considered a bit of an inconnu. Most troubling of all was the sight that lay off in the distance; a monster, surely.  At least Neha was on this side of the adults, though she looked no happier about its presence than they.

The typically shy youth hesitated a distance away. Just watching the creature filled him with dread. It was much bigger than any bird he'd ever laid his sunny eyes on. With a nervous gulp, the cinnamon-pelted child took a few cautious and painfully slow steps forward; approaching his sibling from behind. Even through his fear the youngest Vuesain reached her shoulder; bumping it gently with his nose while casting her a worried glance. His wide eyes trailed naturally up toward Nathaniel; hoping to catch his answer to the obvious question as well. He already knew the thing had to be dangerous. Why would all of the adults seem so tense if it wasn't? Cernan was frightened enough of the big animals that they ate. This thing had to be another predator; like a giant wolverine or something. It was stealing from their cache after all...

Namid had been doing her daily patrols as she had any other day, pausing every so often to take in a scent, remark a border, or give herself a good shake to keep out the cold. More than once she had come across the scent of her daughter, who was, per usual, out and about. Intermingled with that she would find Cernan, most likely trailing after Neha. This fact always made her feel much more comfortable, knowing that, despite the fact that he was the youngest, the sturdiest and perhaps most trustworthy of her trio was looking after their spitfire. Everything was normal, until she came across a most unwelcomed scent.

Hog.

Her banner rose into the air and her gaze narrowed into mismatched slits, air puffing from  her nostrils at the rancid smell. She’d dealt with hogs as a youngster with her father and the tribe, where they would go out and hunt them so that they wouldn’t root through their root storages or harm any of the other wolves. They were large, horrible smelling, and above all else mean. Her mood instantly dropped, and it only worsened as Nathaniel’s call went into the air. Turning she made for the sound, swift limbs eating away at the ground as she advanced over the territory she knew so well. After a roughly 5 minute run she came upon a decent sized group of Nathaniel, Pharika, Kajika, Neha, and Cernan. Namid came to them, offering the adults a swift nod and a bump of her nose, then giving each of her children a nuzzle. Lifting her head she turning, auds swiveling forward to catch the sound and sight of the mammal decimating one of their catches. Her tail gave an angry swat behind her frame at this and she turned to her pack-mates. “We will surround it, make sure there is nowhere for it to turn and run. It will not be leaving here today, for these types of hogs typically move in groups. If we let it leave here it will go tell the others. Neha, Cernan, you may watch but only watch. This is very dangerous work, do you understand me?” Namid relayed instructions swiftly, gaze turning seriously toward the youngsters. There was none of the normal playfulness or gentleness of their mother at the moment, only a leader doing her duty. This was business.

 

Athena Moon

'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do, nothing to lose.

Traveling a slightly further away from the borders to scour the countryside for any sight of the herds or any neighboring packs encroaching upon them. Though she wasn't far from the boundaries of Fallen Tree Cove, when the call from a fellow pack mate she had yet to meet rang out, it would take her longer than she would have wanted to get to him. Her white legs powered her forward towards the howl, her jowls releasing her own to let them know she was coming to help as well. Conscience wondered what was happening and what they were being summoned so urgently for. The Lake soon came into view, her gaze glancing slightly at the diaphanous surface of the water where she could barely see her shadow running across it.

As the howl took her through the nightshade path that led to the den she called hers, her fiery gaze took in all the figures gathered together. Nostrils finally catching the stench of the creature she had encountered in the Rise, a growl rumbled in her chest as she trotted towards Kajika's side. Athena heard what Namid had instructed them to, letting them know how dangerous this creature was, something she had already found out in the Rise. Her fiery gaze finally took in what the hog had gotten itself into which was one of caches she had made for the winter. "That bastard..." She swore under her breath, only audible to perhaps Kajika at her side. Fury filled her gaze at the sight of her hard work ruined, her jaws snapped at the greedy beast as she made her way closer to it.

And it's you and me and all of the people, and I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you.

(This post was last modified: Nov 20, 2015, 12:24 AM by Athena.)

|| Ash is welcome to make an appearance in any thread. ||

Sandy tinted limbs halted in their tracks as the first howl, Nathaniel, breached the once quiet skies. Russet audits swiveling to catch the sense of urgency heavy in the call that summoned not just the leading pair, but the pack as a whole. There was no hesitation on Vespertio's behalf as the task at hand; remarking an old marker with a quick dousing of his pungent urine, was abandoned to allow toned muscles to swiftly maneuver the tawny man across the expanse of his territory toward the Coldheart's summons. Leaf-litter crushed and disposed of beneath the thrum of dull onyx nails, the gust from his full sprinted run stirring up the torn pieces into miniature tornadoes in his wake.

Harder and faster the patriarch pushed himself to reach the dark coated man, the rally cry of a couple other members; daughter included, bursting into the air to further convey the message of all muscle was needed now. Coral tongue protruded through partially gaped jowls, the heat from his breath billowing out in the form of a steamy cloud that quickly dissipated with the next ragged inhale. It seemed like forever before the silhouettes of his subordinates, wife, and children appeared on the horizon and the most awful, gut-wrenching stench bombarded his olfactory senses. Near burning his eyes enough to cause a small amount of watering to commence. What the hell could produce such a foul odor?

Vespertio wouldn't need to wait long to receive an answer. Upon his arrival a swift nod was given to those gathered; Nathaniel, Neha, Pharika, Cernan, and Athena, as erect audits narrowly missed the last portion of Namid's plan before golden optics settled on the beast that fueled Nathaniel's beckoning howl. A look of disgust contorted his handsome features, unsure what to make of this strange thing shoveling its snout into an obviously obliterated cache. Overgrown teeth unearthing large deposits of soil with each toss of its ugly head. "So, firstly what is that thing and secondly how do we get rid of it?" The Vuesain had no idea what this thing was, but if it was capable of causing this much destruction it had to go. Now.

   

If Arturius thought he would be able to enjoy his prize in peace, apparently he’d thought quite wrong.  He’d only been into his meal for a few moments when a howl of all things broke the silence.  Head jerking up, small bits of food flung from his mouth as he glanced around wildly, noticing the large, swarthy wolf that had appeared over the horizon.  For a moment, he simply watched, narrowing his eyes as he finished swallowing down his mouthful.  It seemed that perhaps his call would go unheeded – but the swine would not be that lucky.  In a matter of moments, several wolves had gathered, summoned by the original.

Shit.

He’d not bargained on such a gathering.  Hadn’t they told him these animals were dumb?  Not capable of working together like his family?  Perhaps the information hadn’t been that great.

With an unhappy noise, the hog shifted back on his hindquarters, considering his options.  He’d emptied most of the cache already – to continue now would only be greedy, and would really only lead to expending more energy than he gained.  If he ran, they would chase him.  But if he ran at them…perhaps they would scatter, much like birds?

Deciding this was his best choice, Arturius wheeled without further hesitation, his beady eyes settling on @Cernan.  This one was one of the smallest of the group, still kind of skinny looking, and he could only hope barreling his way through this animal would be the best way to get out of this sticking situation.  He said nothing, made no move to announce himself – simply ran head on at the gathering and hoped to all he knew they would scatter as he thought they might.