It was a glorious fall, the leaves were in the midst of changing, smattering the forest with reds, yellows and browns. The temperature was starting to cool, but it still lacked the crisp zing of winter's touch. The sun was out today, merely providing light, not the heat that had been present in the last few months. Soon things would change, but summer was still clinging to the Bluestone mountains for as long as possible.
The pack loved it.
A perfect day to be out hunting, filling already fattened bellies in order to persevere through the coming months. Everyone was enjoying the day, and Polar Sun had gathered the pack to take down one of the bigger creatures in the woods: caribou.
Caribou were a rare item for the pack to hunt, mainly because the herd's migration only barely touched the pack lands. The creatures tended to stick close to the border and only in a few places crossed. So it was always a delicate operation making sure that all the pack members stayed where they should and that the object of the hunt didn't get away.
Polar Sun surveyed the land from the outcropping she was perched upon. They were further uphill and from her vantage she could clearly see the thousands of caribou on the move. They weren't moving fast, obviously already drained from miles of walking. More than a few were stopping to graze on leaves and grasses along their way. At this time of year, all the babies had grown large enough to fend for themselves, though not as large as their mature selves would be. The pack would leave those alone, a caribou at full height and weight would be more ideal for the group. A few moments more, and Polar cast a glance over her shoulder.
"Ready?"
A chorus of agreement returned. Not one wolf doubted Polar Sun's leadership, not even the alpha Frost Shatter. He recognized that her skill set was better equipped for this and he'd follow her lead.
"Let's go."
The large female took off in a blur of brown, followed by five more shapes. The hunt was on.
Kyrieko
KasaiLoki
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 5:26 pm
After Kindle had spoken of another pack in the Bluestone Mountains, Two Tone found himself on extra guard. What was this pack? Where they friendly? Hostile? Would they try to seize the Dawnstar territory when the pack migrated? Would Two Tone need to make it so only part of the pack migrated from their base territory, to make sure their land would always be theirs? Question after question plagued his mind so much that he would join in on a short scouting mission with her.
Cobalt Wings flew above the two brown wolves, her beady eyes watching as the canines moved forward.
There was a scent of others nearby, unfamiliar smells that caused Two Tone to snort. No longer in Dawnstar territory, the alpha found himself glancing towards Kindle. "We must be close."
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Posted: Thu May 16, 2019 8:32 pm
The hyper female had been weaving a slight zigzag path while they traveled, her blue eyes bright and focused on the task at hand. But it was evident she was having an enjoyable time, tail wagging here and there when her paws slowed, big open mouthed canine grin present. But the best part? She wasn't alone in her scouting mission today! Oh no, her alpha had decided to join this time.
Thankfully for him, she hadn't chatted anyone's ear off too much. Yet. There were too many other things to distract Kindle. Like the scents she recognized. And even better, the ones she didn't.
Hearing Two Tone speak up, Kindle perked up and turned to look at her alpha, ears alert and sniffing the air. "Yes. We are quite close. But..." She hesitated, trotting a little around the alpha as she sorted through all the scents. "It smells stronger. Maybe there are more now? Oh I hope they aren't hostile! It would be fun to have others to run in to now and then. Share gossip with. Weather predictions..."
Head tilting and brow wrinkling a little in curiosity, she sniffed again. "There's another scent I don't recognize. I wonder what that could be? Do you think we'll see what it is? Maybe it's something amazing! Or maybe these wolves have strange scents?" So many possibilities! Yet the shewolf had no real idea what a caribou was.
"Two Tooooone. I want to see what the strange scent is!" She whined a bit eagerly. Foreign wolves taking second place.
Lazily following along behind Cobalt Wings, Wind Dancer kept his own eyes on the canines, every now and then glancing ahead of the path they followed.
-quietly sneaks Kindle's cert in- >u>
FitzyRoyal
KasaiLoki
Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 8:52 pm
The one thing about Polar Sun was that she was reliable, tough as nails, and uncanny smart. Hence why she was Frosty's beta. The second thing about Polar Sun is that when she was leading, you followed, no questions asked. If you deviated from the plan, well, woe on you, but she would effortlessly make up for your absence in some way. So there was absolutely no doubt in pack member's mind that this hunt would be a success, even down one member from their usual count.
The pack set a steady pace down the incline, a ground eating trot, that didn't compromise footing for speed. Assurance was necessary with the loose rocks, but as soon as they were into the trees the pace picked up to a canter. Thankfully the trees were evenly spaced and the underbrush was scarce at this elevation. The trees provided more cover than any type of hindrance, and the pack already knew what direction their prey was. Also, the pungent smell of sweat and fur from the caribou couldn't be mistaken, it flowed off the beasts like a beacon. So the pack emerged from the timberline near the herd with ease.
"Split!" Polar Sun barked the moment Permafrost, pulling up the rear, stepped foot into the mountain grassland.
The herd, unaware of the predators until the yip, burst into action in a ripple motion. The closest to the pack took off as quickly as they were able, whilst those further away were not so quick to motion. Which was perfect as far as Polar Sun was concerned. There were so many caribou here that they could easily fend off the six wolves if they cared to. But the flight instinct was strong in these grasseaters when they were surpised. Collisions between the fleeing animals were already happening, making the task of picking off one all the easier.
Once the call had gone up the pack did exactly as instructed, spliting into three pairs, Polar Sun with Crystal Flurry, Frost Shatter with Marble, Permafrost with Fell Field. Pace changed to a full on run, and the panicked caribou did their best to take flight. Immediately the weaker and the younger caribou were singled out. Polar Sun discarded the young ones - the pack needed a full sized adult or two, not a youngster. With that in mind, Polar Sun charged her target, Crystal Flurry on her heels. The pack had learned two things about taking down caribou. The first was that it was possible to take down a single caribou by a single wolf; however it was much easier to do so in pairs. The second was that the team effort required a nimbler wolf and a brawnier wolf. So as Polar Sun caught a leg and restrained the beast, Crystal Flurry was able to get in under the head and tear out the throat. Swiftly ending the caribou's life. The pattern was emulated by the other two groups, providing a plentiful bounty of three full caribou for the pack. More than they'd ever nabbed at once time. A wonderfully successful hunt.
"We did it! Hell yeah Polar! Woohoo, this winter will be a breeeze." Flurry yipped and pranced around the other wolf in excitement before noticing that they weren't the only successful hunters this day. The caribou, now down three members, had fled, their hooves churning up the snow as they started to leave the pack lands. The other pairs were clearly visible amongst the brown grasses where they stood around their kills. "Hey ho, cousin - looks like you didn't do so bad!" Fell Field's timbre echo'd across the clearing. "Hmmph, of course not you fool, you've seen me hunt!" The beige female replied blithely, her words laced with happiness.
Totally forgot to add certs the first post - so now spoilered at the top biggrin
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Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 2:46 pm
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Ah. Hostility. Two Tone too hoped these newcomers were not hostile. He had a few scars from scuffles he had encountered in the past, he would prefer to leave those marks just how they were. He let his scout speak, ramble rather, as his nose directed him towards the other group. He only hushed the female when he thought the group was closer. How could they have the element of surprise, if they were found through voices.
The dual colored eyes Two Tone had been named for scanned the sky, watching his own raven companion dart forward. She clicked her beak, causing a nod from the alpha as he turned. "We will." He said to Kindle. "I think we might kill two birds with one stone on that."
The words of the male did not go unheard from Cobalt Wings, as she cawed indignantly at the killing birds comment.
The sound of stomping hooves on the hardened snow froze the alpha in his place, as well as another wolf's yip. He turned his head, nodding towards Kindle as the view of the group near them. They were ending their hunt, letting the musky smell of caribou wane and the stomps quieting, leaving the fresh scent of copper to linger in the air.
His ears flickered towards the she-wolf. "Do any of these wolves look familiar?"
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 8:56 pm
Clearly, it was not the first (or last) time that Kindle had ever been hushed by her alpha. Or any of her packmates for that matter. She instantly went silent, ears alert and blue eyes narrowing as she followed the direction of Two Tone's own eyes. She'd sniff the air herself, footfalls slowing until she would walk beside her alpha.
"I sure hope so. I want to know what it is! And if there are more and where else I can find them? Are they food? Friends? Both?!" Her mind went into a whirlwind of possibilities but her alert stance never wavered, eyes flicking up once to see Cobalt Wings and Wind Dancer behind. And a small snort of amusement at Two Tone's choice in wording. Oh those ravens might have a thing or two to say to him!
Instantly, Kindle was as frozen as Two Tone, watching the male first before looking around. She could hear it. Hooves stomping. A rush of them. A herd of the strange creatures, perhaps? They sounded like deer to the fiery wolf. But... bigger. Moose creatures then? There was also a familiar metallic scent. Fresh kill of a hunt. And then she heard the canine sounds and her whole being lit up with excitement again. Oh oh! Was that them? The wolves she had been tracking before?! She glanced at Two Tone, and at his nod, she crept forward to get a view of those that were so close.
Blue eyes studied the wolves carefully, as an well trained scout would do. She sniffed the air, picking out a couple of the stronger scents she recognized. After a few moments of careful observations, she moved back to Two Tone's side, shaking her head. "I do not know their faces. But I know their scents. Some of them are familiar and the ones I was tracking. I think it's them, Two Tone!"
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Posted: Fri Jun 14, 2019 8:36 pm
Since it was no longer imperative that the pack remain quiet now that the hunt had concluded, there was definitely an air of celebration around the group. In fact, it could be said that they were doing their best to be overly loud. Happy banter, nose touching and general brushing between the wolves indicated their jubilation at how well they'd done. No injuries and plenty of food. A wonderful success. Fell Field had dragged over one of the kills, and Frost Shatter the other, piling all three together with Polar and Flurry's caribou, closest to the forest.
"Well done everyone! I'm impressed with your prowess. You have all exceeded my expectations." Frost Shatter's words were not loud, but they carried to all of the pack members. A serious tone, almost somber. Luckily they all knew their alpha well enough, so his words brought no surprise to their group. Neither did the abrupt change in his expression as he gave them all a tongue lolling grin and his gaze slid to one wolf in particular. "Except you Fell, just do better."
"Hey!" The fluffy male cast a mock-affronted look to his alpha, but it soon disappeared as said alpha pounced upon him, all too ready to wrestle.
The rest of the group watched for a minute or two, amused at the puppy-like antics, before deciding that the entertainment wasn't worth putting off fresh meat. They began helping themselves to lunch.
Kyrieko
KasaiLoki
Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2019 3:15 pm
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Kyrieko
Two Tone nodded at his scout, before his attention returned towards the pack wolves before him. He couldn't help but smile at the team work of the hunting party, and then the words of praise that whispered on the wind. Even the jovial tone of the 'just do better' that he had barely caught caused him to chuckle.
They didn't seem hostile, a plus for the alpha and his scout.
"Well, shall we go make ourselves known?" His head tilted towards Kindle, taking a step before her to make the first move. The light colored alpha headed down the path, keeping his eyes on the wolves before him. He did not eye their kill, instead the canines themselves. He wanted it to be known to them they were not after their prey.
"Greetings," Two Tone called out, stopping just short of the pack wolves. He bowed his head towards the others out of respect.
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 9:50 pm
Kindle found herself watching the other wolves once more, her own tail seeming to wag slowly as their joyful antics was almost contagious. She knew better than to make a sound, keeping her excited energy bottled up. For now. Her blue eyes flickered between her alpha and the others, just waiting for that moment they could meet these new wolves!
And then Two Tone said some magic words and Kindle was on her paws and trying really hard not to bound about or cause a commotion.
"Yes, please!" She managed to keep her voice mostly in a whisper. But she was very eager to follow behind her alpha, tail wagging a little more freely. Her ears were up and alert for anything that seemed out of place... oooh hey! That thing they killed was where that strange scent had been coming from!
Now that they were closer, she definitely recognized one or two of their scents!
As soon as Two Tone stopped, Kindle sat slightly behind him to the side, cheerful and slightly lopsided canine grin present. Her blues shone brightly as she took in everything. There were so many new faces to learn!
"Hello!" She squeaked out, so many thoughts racing through her mind at the moment. What was it that Wind Dancer always said? Take. It. Sloooow.
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I'm so sorry for the delay! I thought I had responded to this ;n;
KasaiLoki
Posted: Sat Oct 26, 2019 5:52 pm
Frost Shatter was caught up in his play with Fell Field, so it was no surprise that he wasn't aware of their guests till words were spoken. Likewise with Fell.
The rest of the pack had no such excuse. However they were not shocked by the greetings because by the time the two strangers had neared, four sets of eyes had already focused on the pair.
Once the words were spoken, the pack was released from whatever spell had held them immobile. Movements were not rushed, but the wolves smoothly rearranged themselves into a new formation with the more dominant wolves at the forefront. Their positions not overly hostile, but definitely protective of their hard-earned meat. No teeth were shown, no hackles raised, but attention was definitely on the duo.
Fell Field, on the other hand, scrambled away from Frost Shatter at the first word, and a snarl was immediately drawn to his maw. Once he identified who had spoken, he glared at the newcomers.
Frost Shatter rose slowly, giving a lazy shake to resettle his fur before casting a quick glance at Fell. Calmly he eased his way in-front of the male, placing himself between the strangers and the younger wolf. Then he surveyed the duo. Immediately it was obvious that the male was an alpha....but, greetings had been made so it was doubtful that this male was looking for a fight.
"Greetings." Frost dipped a nod to both the alpha as well as the she-wolf. "I am Frost Shatter and this is Hornfels Hollow." It was blankly stated, neither aggressive, nor friendly. Merely the facts.
