Riddle Heights we might be killers

Slight pp of Iyes walkin about and shooting the shit with @Kyna - let me know if it's not okay!

"And so the deer takes a drink from the river and says, 'But that's none of my business'!"

Iyes chuckled as she delivered the punchline to a joke that absolutely was not inspired by a meme, strolling side-by-side with her red-headed friend through the foothills of the Mountain of Dire. She found it pleasant and easy to talk to Kyna, and that quality alone helped the dark-coated yearling feel like less of a charity case than she was. The mountain was different, but quiet and safe, like the red-headed wolf had promised her. Iyes had never lived at such an altitude but found it exciting to exist in a place entirely new. In the short time she'd become easily accustomed to the rocky ground and the sharper air - she even thought it an enjoyable place to overwinter. Everything seemed less hidden up here, like there were no surprises. A whisper of winter winds rustled her fur as it passed and she enjoyed the clarity it brought with it.

But clarity wasn't all. The coal-pelted girl slowed and her dark nose twitched as the change in the winds brought the smell of some mountain prey toward the two she-wolves. Though she wasn't sure exactly what it was the scent of something that could be eaten was unmistakable. Iyes flexed her toes against the cold stone, her silly expression dissipated into one of a far more carnal delight. Hunting as a lone wolf was boring and hard - but hunting with another wolf spelled fun and food. Her soft pink tongue flicked across the side of her muzzle. "You hungry?"

Having a friend was good. At some point along the road, Kyna had forgotten what kind of joy new relationships would bring – this was no insult to Sahalie, with whom she’d entrust with her life. Quite frankly, if she had to place Greer’s life in someone else’s paws, it would be Hal – if anything ever happened to her, and her mate, and she had to -- Well, the unborn pup, she’d trust Hal with that, too.

But there was something all rather delightful about forming a new friendship. At least, that’s what she hoped she was forming with Iyes. The joke earned a small chuckle, bubbling up deep from her chest as the pair of females surveyed the heights. If they were going to stay here, it would be important to know the area both inside and out. She opened her mouth to ask after the story when she realized the other yearling had stopped. Blinking, Kyna remained silent, tipping one ear as she listened for something in the distance.

Ah! She bobbed her head at Iyes enthusiastically. “Oh, yes,” she hummed. She’d been absolutely ravenous lately! “That smell – a marmot, I think. Have you ever flushed one before?” They’d have to locate it first, but the little ground mammal surely wouldn’t be giving itself up so easily.

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A wild dissertation appears!

Well hot dog - there was prey indeed, something called a marmot, and it was ripe for the taking. Her companion mirrored the black yearling's excitement for a hunt, an energy which she felt building in her jaws. She wanted to bite something, wanted to taste sweet blood, wanted a warm meal for once.

Then there came the technical difficulty - have you ever flushed one out?. It occurred to Iyes to lie. The fact that she didn't know how to hunt anything properly was a great and terrible weakness, especially for a lone wolf. It wasn't in her nature to openly admit a vulnerability to anyone. All she had to do was say yes, she had flushed one out before, and Kyna would never know. Until the hunt went terribly wrong and they lost their prey because Iyes didn't actually know the proper thing to do... she didn't want to disappoint her new friend. She hesitated and swallowed an internal grimace. "No... I've never."

Her tail gave a half-hearted wag, a crooked smile worming its way on to her dark face as she leveraged her enthusiasm to turn the situation around. "But I'm a really fast learner - we have to be, bein' on our own like this." Iyes motioned toward the ruddy-coated wolf with her muzzle. Kyna was a smart one. Iyes was a smart one. That made them a smart two and those odds were in their favor, she figured. "Just lead the way and I can pick it up."

adopt thea?

“Ah, okay!”

Kyna reached forward to bump the black muzzle with her nose, tail still wagging slowly behind her as she took the information on board. Her pink tongue flashed out once in a reassuring motion, humming quietly as she rolled a few ideas around in her mind. That Iyes had never done it before did not seem to phase her; everyone had to learn at some point. If Phineas hadn’t taught her, someone else would have had to.

Motioning for Iyes to follow, the young female started to trot, pressing her nose to the snow as she traced the scent towards the burrow. She halted several lengths away, turning to her companion. “You see that? There’s another one nearby – we have to find it. Then, you will come back to this one, and scare the marmot! You have to scare it enough to come out the other side; I’m going to hide downwind, so hopefully it will pop out, and I will catch it! They’re not a deer, certainly, but I think one fat winter marmot should fill us both.”  She rumbled happily, pricking her ears forward as she studied the yearling’s face.  “What do you think of that?”

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(This post was last modified: Mar 25, 2017, 06:24 PM by Kyna.)

A wild dissertation appears!

Inexperience didn't seem to bother Kyna - the friendly bump against her muzzle was well welcomed, relieved that it wouldn't be a problem. Focused now on learning, Iyes was swift to follow after her red-headed friendly. She watched Kyna follow the scent of the trail, lowering her head toward the ground to get closer to the marmot-height smell and commit the particular scent to memory. As the scent became particularly strong her companion halted, prompting the ink-coated she-wolf to stop as well. Her fiery eyes narrowed on the opening that Kyna had pointed out, stifling her excitement to listen to the wolf's instructions.

Step one, find the other end. Step two, scare the marmot out. Step three, ???. Step four, profit. Made sense to Iyes. She particularly approved of her assignment. So she didn't have any experience scaring marmots, but she definitely remembered scaring her sister when they were both pint-sized punching bags. Iyes smirked something devilish as her tail gave a choppy wag behind her, turning her head toward Kyna again. "Sounds like a plan," she agreed, letting her grin fade just slightly. They had to locate the other escape before she could get riled up and show some teeth. "Let's find the other entrance to the burrow."

Remembering how Kyna had followed the scent before, Iyes moved opposite of Kyna to cover more ground, carefully circling around the burrow to not get so close that her smell would alert the marmot before they were ready. Instead she looked for a similar impression on the ground, with each inhale testing if the scent was getting weaker or stronger. After some moments, the trail became generous with scent. Iyes tilted her chin toward Kyna, a loud exhale meant to gather her attention. If they followed it this way, they would find the other end quickly.

Hunting 1/8

(This post was last modified: Apr 08, 2017, 10:52 PM by Iyes.)

adopt thea?

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

Kyna’s ears pricked forward. “Great!”

She never really considered herself a teacher, but it seemed she could at least communicate clearly enough to get the point across. Or Iyes was just really clever. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. It was probably that one. Her tail gave a small wiggle as she gathered her feet, offering the other loner only a small nudge on the shoulder before they set back off. It seemed that the black wolf needed no further instruction, putting her nose to the snow-covered earth just as Kyna had moments before. Her grin spread across her muzzle as she mirrored the younger wolf, nose working overtime as she sought to suss out the exact location of the marmot and the second entrance.

At some point, she forked off from the other wolf, the conversation having fallen silent. It wouldn’t do to scare the creature off before they’d gotten into position. Honestly, Kyna had no idea how fast the rodents could run, but chasing something down a slope through high snow did not sound ideal. Ears flicked back and forth, about to circle back for the lost trail, when Iyes chuffed. The redhead lifted her head, glancing over at her partner. She snorted softly, fire eyes flicking back and forth when she realized just what the younger wolf had found.

Excellent!

Giving a silent nod, the older female turned about and trotted to the entrance they started at. She stood a few lengths away; they needed the marmot to believe it was safe, after all. Now, whenever Iyes was ready…

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Hunting Demonstration 2/8

(This post was last modified: Apr 06, 2017, 09:16 PM by Kyna.)

A wild dissertation appears!

Kyna exhaled a soft noise of success, prompting a grin to erupt across the shadowy female's muzzle. Her tail rose, beating enthusiasm from side to side. She was genuinely thrilled to have followed instructions correctly, proving to not only her red-headed friend but also to herself that she wasn't as totally useless as she oftentimes felt. Though the rush of satisfaction in her blood produced an enjoyable high, Iyes forced herself down from it. No use getting distracted with how good she was at hunting when they didn't have anything to show for it.

With a silent tip of her head Kyna moved back in the direction they'd came from, creeping toward the origin of the burrow and overshooting to provide some distance between herself and the marmot's escape route. Iyes watched where she positioned herself, and followed suit to gently but swiftly place herself at the other entrance they had just found. With one last look to memorize Kyna's position, Iyes closed the gap and let her paws fall at either side of the hole in the ground.

Bending her elbows she lowered herself toward the marmot's hideaway, her muzzle slipping through to inhale the tasty scent of their prey. Her dark nose twitched as she sniffed for only a quick second. Salivating at the delectable smell of a possible meal, a feral snarl grew in her throat. She pushed the sound forward, letting the crescendo rise from hunger growls to the guttural sounds of bloodlust amplified by the burrow's narrow walls. She could smell the anxiety of the critter rising as it realized what Iyes' presence meant for it, and the change in the wind only pressed the dark wolf further. Rearing back the youth launched into a flurry of attack, teeth snapping at the dark cavern while her claws savagely attacked the entrance. A barrage of wet snarls echoed with her threat. Run fast, little marmy, or I'm going to get you.

Hunting 3/8

(This post was last modified: Apr 09, 2017, 01:05 AM by Iyes.)

adopt thea?

Yes!

Iyes was such a quick study! If they had been doing anything but hunting, she would have yipped and barked, utterly pleased with how the yearling took the entire thing on. As it were, the swarthy female had her face shoved into the marmot’s den, hissing and snarling like a creature straight out of a nightmare. Kyna could not smell the oversized rodent from where she stood, but she was utterly certain it was terrified. A few moments later, a cacophony of high-pitched squeals reverberated out of the burrow along with her partner’s fierce growls.

But the stubborn marmot hadn’t budged yet. Was she too close?

The older wolf took a few more steps back, wondering if perhaps their prey knew what was waiting for it on the other side. The sun, at least, wasn’t giving her away. Kyna shifted a little further to make sure there was no chance the wind was sending her scent down to the rodent. Her nose wriggled and she cast a glance over at Iyes. Don’t give up! she wanted to say, her tail lashing anxiously through the air. It would work! It would work, as long as they didn’t give up. Please!

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A wild dissertation appears!

The marmot was certainly terrified - the scent of fear permeated the inside of the burrow and their helpless squeaks were something pretty to listen to as well. But there was a problem. As scared as the little mammal was, it seemed to have settled with the intention of waiting Iyes out. The snapping of her teeth and the growls she projected had been relentless, and yet the marmot refused to budge.

The lack of urgency on the marmot's part was an offense taken deeply by the inky she-wolf. How dare it not fear her more? Silver hackles rose taller as a snarl of a darker sort rose from her chest, expelled from her throat with an extra bit of hellfire for good measure. The pleasure she derived from scaring the animal no longer satiated her - Iyes wanted blood. She raked her claws against the entrance of the burrow, widening its mouth so that she could further her muzzle into the cavern and snap her teeth into the darkness with the intention of feeling the hot flesh beneath her canines.

Bit by bit she excavated the dirt with messy paws, tail thrashing furiously behind her. A gutteral snarl accompanied her as she dove her head as far into the burrow as she could, jaws widening and shutting tightly. She swore she tasted a hair when she did - there was no way that little marmot wouldn't run now. It would have to bolt.

hunt 5/8

adopt thea?