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Chivosi had meant to be at this event earlier on, but lat minute preparations had taken longer then expected and so by the time she arrived a good number had already assembled. Ah well - consulting with Pyxis had been worth the time, the purple lynx was pretty good at predicting the weather and had warned the alpha of an upcoming storm..though surely they would return before it came. This was not meant to be a long hunt after all, simply one last training exercise before the weather made things too difficult.

Galahad had already arrived Chivosi noted and gave him a small smile - she would be forever grateful to him for saving Merrill's girl though she was a bit surprised he had decided to stay on...though not sorry for it as he had proven to be a big help and she rather liked him? Liked..yes it was the proper word. Liked.

Corvus too was here and she nodded to him - the green wolf had grown much since his sons had arrived, matured and become a true help to his pack - if only his children could forget thier ill treatment and come out of their shells a bit more. She shook her head to clear such sad thoughts from her mind and paused by Aleu to give her an encouraging lick "New time love" She told her daughter encouragingly "You have more important things to see to right now"

GLancing at the last wolf here so early she smiled at Iolaus - the teen had a look about him which said he had something to prove. Teens and their priorities he thought to herself with a chuckle. The others should be trickling in soon and she sat down to wait on them before announcing the plan for the hunt.

Ki-Adi was one of the wolves who had elected to stay behind and help on the homestead, she was no longer skittish about her packmates of course - but that didn't mean she wanted to go wandering about on the edge of their territory either...besides with young Aleu so very close it would be good to have a gentler female on hand. Terreis was experienced yes..but she could be a bit abrasive at times and Aleu had been so emotional since she'd been with pups. Still she showed up to wish her pack well and to sit beside Aleu who looked to be feeling bad abut not coming along.

Derecho had spent a bit of extra time saying his good-byes to Terreis, he knew she wanted to come along, but also knew the wisdom of having a strong wolf stay behind to look after things..and certainly he wished to see their son's hunt more then she did, though perhaps the boys were a bit dissapointed.

Still Terreis was staying to keep an eye on Aleu and Derecho could not fault her on that, his sister was far too important tohim to risk leavig her alone without someone capable about to help..and there were few wolves in the pack more capable of protecting someone then his Terreis! nuzzling his mother as he arrived he nudged Aleu as well before taking a seat along with the others.

Verse arrived with a peace offering for Aleu - he knew she was disappointed about not being able to come along, and part of him worried about leaving her given how close she was - but Ki-adi' gentle presence and the knowledge that Terreis was staying reassured him somewhat. settling down beside his mate he laid a pigeon at her feet - the birds were notoriously hard to catch and quite tender. He was sure she would like it.

Apollo was more then excited, this was to be the last big hunt of the year, the last chance for he and his brothers to prove themselves as teens, by the time spring rolled around they would have filled out..grown...and be expected to handle duties appropriate for an adult in the pack. He was sure that he and his brother would rise to he challenge and settled beside Iolaus to wait for further instructions.

Camille couldn't wait for this hunt to get going - it would be the perfect opportunity to make her mother see that she didn't need to be sent off to some other pack to 'learn' anything. She was perfectly capable of doing things right here - as long as she could keep her sisters in line..a thought which crossed her mind as just about the same time that Mav asked what they were doing. Camille wanted to box her in the ears but settled with growling quietly in her ear "We're going on a hunt Mav...try to focus" She plead...a plea that was likely useless but hell she had to try right? And if Ari cried..or even look like she was going to cry Camille swore..she really would box her ears!

They really were carrying on like a bunch of puppies Apollo had to agree with Tantalus about that fact and returned the eyeroll with one of his own. If they'd all just settle down they could be on their way already - all this sitting around was hardly getting them anywhere and now that Merrill was here there didn't seem to be much of a reason for lollygagging about anymore.

"I'll be fine" Verse promised Aleu quietly as she laid against him "Look how many wolves are going? What could possibly happen with so many of us looking out for one another?" He pointed out - sure hunting could be dangerous - especially when they were gong after large game but with such a large group the dangers would be significantly reduced "It's mostly a training run for the boys and Merrill's girls anyways" He reminded her.

Derecho glanced at his mate as she came to see them off, throwing her a proud smile before turning his attention to the youngsters - whose excitement was showing as they jostled and chatted "Settle down now" He ordered them all "Or we'll ever get to leaving" He warned, striding along the line of eager teens in an attempt to get them to pay attention.

Speaking of the more abrasive Terreis it seemed she had decided to come along and wish everyone off as well and now that Merrill had managed to corral her young and bring them along then surely things would start happening now. Ki-adi swung her gaze towards Chivosi anticipating the Alpha would start to get things moving now.

Chivosi waited as the mingling wolves greeted one another - jostled for a place to sit beside those they were closest too and otherwise milled about - she was content to let them visit while she waited.

Thankfully she didn't have to wait to long - Merrill appeared with her three in tow and the group was as complete as it was likely to get, at least the entire hunting party had arrived which was the most important thing in this endeavor. Still she waited until Derecho had settled the teens and a lull of sorts fell over the pack's chatter.

Standing she made her way to the front of the group and looked at them all in turn - they were a large pack, much larger then she had ever anticipated leading ..but they were vibrant and healthy and strong and a leader couldn't ask for much more in a pack. "It has been a long year for everyone gathered here" She told the wolves before her "We've had our challenges yes...and we've lost wolves along the way..but we've made new friends to the North, gained new partners, grown...and welcomed newcomers. It has been a long year..but the good outweighs any bad that has come our way and we should all be thankful for such things. It is only our success as a pack..as friends and comrades that allows us to lead a hunt such as this, that allows us to leave the central lands and range so very far without much worry about the safety of those left behind or the pack lands themselves. We have much to be proud of and much to look forward to and each and every one of you have had a hand in making it so...and I am very proud to call you all my family"

She paused for a few moments to let her word filter through the gathered wolves before continuing "And so without any more preamble I'll lay out the hunt - we shall be traveling to the very boarders of our territory where migrating herds of elk pass through, the herds movements are not set in stone and so we might have a bit of a wait and a bit of a search before we find them, but we shall endeavor to do so and return home with enough meat to see us through a good part of the winter season. We shall be hunting in some of the rougher lands in our care so we must all watch out for one another...but I'm sure it will be fun for all regardless. Say any good-byes you have left and we shall be off"

As the wolves milled about making their farewells Chivosi watched them all in silence - with the loss of Mene, Raiden and Tempest she quite honestly didn't have anyone to say farewell too - the remainder of her family with the exception of Aleu whom she'd already spoken with that morning were going along. The loss of Mene was still a sore spot for Chiv and recalling him now brought a touch of sadness to the Alpha's eyes - if only he had rallied himself as he'd promised..if only he had come through for her and pack..then he could have been leading this hunt with her.

It was not to be however and Chiv knew better then to dwell on the past, there was still much to look forward to in life. Even if she had to look forward to it alone.

At long last the good-byes were said the group stood ready to depart Chivosi let her eyes fall over them one more time to ensure all were ready,able and gathered before she led them off into the trees leaving those remaining behind to watch their shadows slowly disappear.

The pace she set was not a harsh one - but neither was it slow and by the time the sun had started to set they were well on their way to the furthest corners of their lands, the teens were all tired from the journey and feel asleep nearly as soon as temporary sleeping grounds were located, the older wolves spent some time going over the next days journey and the hunts plan before retiring for the night themselves. The next day was much the same although there was a bite to the air which worried Chiv a bit - winter was closing in on them fast and it was now a race against the deadline, find the elk, complete the hunt and return before the storms hit their forest home.

They couldn't turn back, not only was this a training hunt but one that would provide them with enough food in the harsh weather ahead, in any case they were nearly there and when they settled that night the hunting party had reached the very edges of their territory, tired..but all still present - even Mavican whom had wader off once or twice and had to be fetched back.

They were now on the edge of the Elk's typical trails and tomorrow..they would hunt. "At dawn we shall break into search parties and look for the herd" She announced as they settled in "Get a good nights sleep"

The journey out to the hunting lands was relatively uneventful. Sure they had to stop and fetch Mavican a couple of times when she wandered off, but other than that the group traveled well together and there was little to no complaints about the pace they were keeping up from the younger wolves. Still each night he could see how tired the teens were and was amused with how quickly they fell asleep.

When the arrived at the edge of the territory and began to settle down for the night Galahad made sure to triple check Mavican was here and was staying put. Satisfied that she was Galahad set off on his own to scout out ahead a bit. With quick paws he covered a good distance before settling down to watch the game trails. Sure enough he was rewards with the glimpse of a big strong elk. Good they were still around, he had worried that the quickly encroaching winter weather may have pushed them further out of the packs territory.

Galahad hurried back to where the rest of the wolves were sleeping, walking up to Chivosi he tipped his head and delivered his report. "There was an elk not far from here, along the nearest game trail. We should split into two groups, even at half power we should have no problem bringing down an elk when we find one." He suggested and not only that but breaking into two groups would also double their chances of a successful hunt and possibly allow them to bring home twice as much meat.