Windsong Fjord bullets catch in your teeth

For @Urokh!
Dated: May 5th, early afternoon; clear weather.

Anymore Gent could not tell if the constant commotion within the pit of his stomach was due to nerves or excitement. Any day now @Raela would be going into labor with their children. There was so much to look forward to, both opportunities that he never knew and corrections of falsehoods he had pursued before. Yet naturally he could not help but worry as well, concerned as always with the safety of his mate above all else. It was both the desires to protect the queen and to not miss a second of this wondrous new experience that kept him nearly always home, and certainly never allowed him to wander farther than a howl could reach.

The edges of their neighboring territories were not out of such bounds, and he had struck out after ensuring his borders earlier in the day in order to pursue a very specific goal. When able, Gent kept tabs on the outlying lands that surrounded his domain as his ever-vigilant priorities dictated he do. Recently, he had discovered a grouping of whistlepigs had woken from their torpor, thin and weak from their lengthy slumber. While normally such scraps would not be pursued, it wasn't the quantity of meat that drew him in but rather the significance they held for just him and his leading lady.

This took him over the river and into the Fjord, memory and nose both working together to return him back to their last known location. It wouldn't take long, they couldn't possibly be feisty this time of year, right? Yet it had been earlier in the season when he had earned that scar nestled between his shoulder blades. No matter. One way or another, by the end of the day, Raela would have her whistlepig.

Urokh’s time in Relic Lore so far had not been exactly fun. Being a lone wolf, first of all, went against every instinct in her body. Wolves were social creatures. They craved pack life, hierarchy, friends and family, pups and elders. Or, at least, she did. The traditional female understood that not everyone thought the same way, but she would keep her old-fashioned habits, thank you very much. They had served her well for three years. Was she bitter that her Dam and Sire, her Alphas, had thrown her out of the pack when there had not been enough food to go around? No. Because such an act was, in her opinion, completely understandable.

But it was not a desired thing to be a lone wolf. Lone wolves did not last. And already Urokh’s health was declining in the absence of other wolves and the structure of pack life. And these hills, treacherous in their steep angles, were difficult to navigate. Not that that had anything to do with being alone — only, it was another grievance she had to deal with. What she wouldn’t give for some flat ground and the company of another — A scent caught her nose, and she opened her mouth and tilted her head back to catch more of it.

A wolf! Male. And he had the scents of others on him. That suggested that he was a pack wolf. Thank whatever Gods existed, if they did at all. Not wanting to catch the male unawares or get too close if he was over-territorial, Urokh let out a low, short howl. She could not see the male for all the thick trees in the way, but she faced the direction that the scent was coming from, and then waited for his reply — if he decided to give her one.

Words: 305 @Gent

He caught their scents, a lopsided smile forming easily along his lips as his crown leveled with his spine and his body prepared to enter stealth mode. Just as he recalled, they were here, and the minute sounds his attentive ears picked up spoke that they were out and about, ready to be picked off. With a practiced gait he swerved to and fro, traveling with the scent cone to pinpoint the tiny beasts exactly. Before too much progress could be made, however, yet another scent infiltrated the air, snagging his attention completely. Not but a few seconds later, a song crawled through the air, beckoning what must have been him in particular.

Immediately his strides ceased, head lifting as his large ears swiveled to better catch those ending notes. His curiosity roused, he had only minor qualms about changing his course. The whistlepigs would, after all, still be there after checking out this novelty. So the king picked up his paws once more and sought out this other wolf. Truly, his only reserve was who exactly he might find on the other end of that howl, and what their intentions might be. Still, Gent was a confident beast, and even as he began to make out the female's form, worn by her time alone but still as massive as his own stature, he failed to be worried.

His nose wriggled as it did its detective work, deciphering all that it could from her scent.

"Hey there," he greeted neutrally. Questions were plentiful within his head, but he wanted to see how she would present herself without the influence of any prompts.

(This post was last modified: May 05, 2016, 11:01 PM by Gent.)

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

Urokh studied the other wolf’s form, taking in his large stature, like her own, and his glacier-blue eyes — which she quickly avoided to show that she was not challenging him. His greeting was friendly enough. She knew they were in neutral territory by the scent, so there was no reason to be afraid of him chasing her off or worse. Had he ill intentions, she was fairly certain he would have made that clear immediately. She sat down and tried to make herself smaller as she always did in the presence of others. Especially pack wolves. Unless she was defending territory or pack-mates, there was no reason to intimidate others. Not on neutral ground.

“Hello,” she grunted. Urokh was not a wolf of many words. She generally let her actions speak for her. Still, there were times when words were necessary. Unfortunately, the female had no real social graces. She tended to blunder along in conversations, waiting for a good chance to get out them. “I am Urokh. I am alone. I am looking for a pack. I have skills — hunting, fighting. I can watch pups. I can defend territory. I am loyal, to the death. I take orders and do not talk back to Alphas.” Urokh hesitated, not really wanting to beg. All she knew was what she smelled. She could not yet truly confirm whether this male was even a member of a pack or not.

“You… are part of a pack? Or… do you know where one is? If I stay alone, I will die.” She stopped then, unsure of what else to say. She had never had to sell herself into a pack before, having been with the same one since birth until a few months ago. Normally, she was not one for embarrassment, but since she had no idea what she was doing right now, she could feel the nervous heat rising in her body. Her ears flicked to the sides of her head, tail curled tightly around her paws, and her gaze stayed firmly on the ground.

Words: 345 @Gent

Given her mammoth size, he had anticipated her to hold a demeanor similar to Moraxia's or the alluring woman whose name he never picked up. Instead, she surprised him by immediately displaying deference, solidifying her place below him in the world. Despite his personal growth, Gent still found himself thriving on such catering to his preeminence; already the girl was a shadow away from his good graces.

His ears picked up again as she spoke, simple and direct sentences. Without any prompting she had given him her resume, and with such readiness that either she was very well practiced in delivering such an introduction, or each word was truthful enough in her eyes to not need much thought. Only a pause later, however, hesitation creeped in. Interesting. Would she really join with him so easily? Loyal to the death, regardless of the creed? Or would there be questions before allegiances if she knew exactly who he was?

Gent took a moment to answer, thoughtfully considering the options her presence and statements had provided him with.

"Yes," he informed. "I've got a pack, and I believe we might be able to help you out, but I need you to do something for me first. Not far from here is a group of woodchucks; I'm on my way to snag a few to take home. You can show me those hunting skills, yeah?"

Urokh’s thick-furred, rather short ears perked forward at his words, eager to learn whether he was a member of a pack or not. When he said the words I’ve got a pack, one of her ears flicked in surprise. Did he mean that he was the leader of a pack? When he continued on, she could only assume that he was, indeed, an Alpha, considering that he was sort of asking to have her audition. Either that, or he was a very presumptuous member of a pack who assumed that his Alpha wouldn’t mind him recruiting new members by himself. Then again, maybe that was what happened in that pack. She only knew the traditional way, nothing else.

Quickly, she rose back to her paws, her tail lightly sweeping the ground in a small wag of excitement. “I am not quick. Strength, stamina, and patience are things I am good at. Maybe… we can approach the woodchucks from different directions. I can either scare them into running towards you and you can catch one, or the other way around.” She paused, thinking that this was, after all, an audition of her own skill. “Or I can attempt to catch one on my own… I will try. In pack hunts I am better because it is not just me bringing prey down. By myself… well…” She left it at that, acutely aware of the fact that she was not speaking in her own favor. In an effort to avoid the awkwardness that might arise from this, she sniffed the air and oriented herself toward the scent of woodchuck, awaiting the male’s orders.

She reasoned with herself that it was important for an Alpha to know both the strengths and the weaknesses of his pack-mates.

Words: 295 @Gent

Hunting post 1 out of 8.
Slight PP in the assumption that Urokh would follow Gent's lead; let me know if you want that changed. <3

Her motions swiftly told him that she was willing to take up such a bargain, and a smile found its way to his muzzle. So long as they were successful, regardless of where @Urokh ended up by the day's end, Raela at least was now guaranteed her sentimental meal. When her maw parted to speak her thoughts, he again was impressed by how concise she was with her words. The more she spoke, the more he strongly he felt that she was a genuine wolf, and certainly not one of turpitude nature. Simple as it was, it shone brightly for the alpha. Manipulations of any kind were best left as devices within his tool belt alone; he was, after all, the only one in the correct position to safely utilise such measures. Of his subordinance, he preferred this unabashed integrity; it could be trusted, and that mattered most.

"Take down team, eh?" he eased, picking up his paws and gliding past her to lead the way. "That's where I always get put, too. We'll do this together, don't worry. After all, if you're going to join the party I'll need to make sure I can work with you."

It was only half-teasing, but good-naturedly so. Doubts about the woman were few, but even the most inconspicuous of wolves could turn dangerous at the drop of a leaf. If she had any hair triggers, hopefully they should show themselves under the pressure this little performance would provide.

The distance between hadn't been too far to begin with, but it allowed them enough time to discuss tactics. Gent's posture perfectly reflected how close they were drawing as each step saw a diminishing of his stature into something far more stealthy.

"I like the comin' from two sides idea," he told her. "They're close enough to the river that we can use it, as well. Not sure how well they swim, but we'll find out. Even if it doesn't make 'em hesitate, hopefully it'll at least slow 'em up."

There were five of them, he discovered as they closed in on them at last. With a nod of his muzzle he gave Urokh one direction and then slunk off in the other to get into position.

OOC - no, the PPing is fine! <3

Urokh listened and followed, making sure to remain slightly behind the male for two reasons: one, to show deference, and two, because she wasn’t sure what his plans were yet and she didn’t want to get in the way before he explained what they were doing. He mentioned that he’d need to see how well they worked together if she was going to “join the party,” and her tail wagged a little behind her, ears pushed forward attentively. So this was an audition. Good. She was tired of being by herself. Now all she had to do was follow his lead and not screw it up.

She was very aware of his body language, so when he began to make himself smaller and closer to the ground, she did the same. Hunting mode. She knew this. This was all instinct. She nodded at his last few words about using the river, not wanting to alert the woodchucks by speaking. She watched him motion in the direction he wanted her to go, and waited for just a moment to see where he was going so that she could position herself accordingly. When she was fairly certain she could tell where he was headed, she turned and crept away in the opposite direction, keeping one eye on her potential Alpha so that she could adjust if need be.

She assumed they were going to push the woodchucks towards the river so that they could ambush the creatures, who would not be able to escape. When she was certain she was as close as she could get without alerting them, she turned her head and watched for the Alpha whose name she did not know — awaiting his signal to charge, assuming that’s what he wanted her to do.

Words: 295 @Gent

Hunting post 3 out of 8.

Having no doubts about the woman's ability to follow something so instinctively patterned, Gent did not feel the need to monitor her as they went their separate ways. Confident that she would settle into the best position for the job, he focused on his own portion of the trap. The woodchucks were foraging in a loosely spread group, greedily munching on the new spring growth without much discrimination as to what they were putting into their mouths. Their bodies were emaciated compared to how incredibly plump they would come to be in the months following, but that was only good news for the wolves preying upon them. Weak and stuff, this should prove to be easy.

Once at the ready, having found the perfect angle in comparison to where he best could gather @Urokh lay in wait, Gent burst forward from his cover and into action. One unfortunate whistlepig had been close enough for the man to snatch up without much warning given to the small beast, and his corralling strides did not slow as his powerful jaws closed down over its neck, puncturing and crushing. Sufficiently wounded if not already dead, the carcass slipped from his jaws and hit the ground, already behind him as he continued to power forward.

Every step was purposefully placed to guide the marmots to their deaths, where either he or Urokh could get a hold of them; his arctic gaze tracked each one of them, sparing seconds in between to find his hunting partner so that his efforts might compliment hers.