PACK HUNT: Thanks for Taking the Bait

Impromptu Pack Hunt after the pack failed in taking down a moose this week. No worries. @Tonravik's real craving is for bison and a herd just moved in around the OS borders that loosely extend in the direction of Chimera Fields.

@Nanuk @Echelon @Arverk @Tatsuya @Salamander @Aegeus @Aariak

Feel free to have your character hop in at any time. I'd like to keep this thread moving fairly quickly. I'll set the rounds to be 5 days (respond on or before July 12) or 3 characters in addition to Iqniq, whichever comes first (if there are 3 already, you are still welcome to hop in). No post order, but please only post once per round. A post from Iqniq signals a new round.

They'd failed in taking down a moose this week. He wasn't sure if that was due in large part to their influx in new wolves who were having trouble working together, or if luck was simply working against them. Either way, the alpha was not content in their failure. His mate was pregnant. His mate was hungry. His mate was craving bison. Something rich and fat and filling. His recent patrols around their borders let him know something of that description was moving in from the northwest. They would find them and they would bring something back to satisfy all their cravings.

He howled from the top of the ridge, signaling for his pack mates to rally. They would need a team for this one. Felling a bison was no easy task and they'd have to work long and hard to wear one out. Staring towards the horizon, he caught sight of a dark mass moving across the kelly green fields. No doubt, that was the herd they were looking for. He lingered for a moment longer, watching from a distance before he descended the ridge and headed in the direction of the fields.

His gait was slow, but calculated. If any wolf were to join him in this endeavor, he wanted them to fall into line before they reached the scene. They'd need to function as one mind for this and moving together would set the pace. Each wolf would know their role based on where they fell in line. Some would be required to distract the herd. Others would need to isolate their mark. First? First they had to find that mark, agree upon it, and work from there. Surely they'd learned from their earlier mistakes. This bison would be theirs.

The call was answered swiftly, leading the pale tank to her Alpha's side. Her vocal response was nonexistent; their prey did not need such momentous sound given to them as an alert and certainly a pack howling would scare hem off. Instead, she tracked Iqniq and had no trouble finding him, arriving at his flank without fanfare. She nipped his flesh, a signal that it was she, falling into tandem movement with him.

The failed pack hunt would be corrected today and those who failed to work as a team would be taught to, forcefully if need be. The Spine needed to be a seamless, functioning unit in the coming months for soon after the pups were born, there would be Winter. That in and of itself was a deadly thing and she would ensure that the Spine remained strong throughout.

The howl, distant but loud, got to Aariak just before he found the place where Tonravik had seclused herself. A caretaker's duty does not limit to pup caring, it extended to those who needed care, and he would provide it whenever it was necessary, so it was crucial for him to know where the mother would be for the birth.

But he was a functional member of the pack, and he had other duties as such. He had participated in the failed hunt before this, and he was certain that the reason behind it was no other than the lack of order this pack was going through. Iqniq would have to be a strong wolf if he wanted his pack to work as one, but hopefully he had a strong Beta by his side.

They would survive.

Aariak himself would serve his leaders in any way they asked of him, and the hunt was not an exception. He arrived the scene just after the leaders and after greeting them with a slight bow of his pale head he awaited instructions. He was not his talented brother, Kingumut, whose hunting abilities were impressive, but he was efficient enough.

Hunts failed for a multitude of reasons, ranging from atmospheric conditions, lighting, movements...The Spine was strong, flourishing with each passing week (so it seemed). Blunder from novice and adept were to be expected. Having numbers on your side didn't mean a damn thing sometimes. The hunted were as old as the hunters. Maybe one older, the other younger. Who could say for certain? There was no great secret in keeping a full belly, only chance and whether or not you want to see the dawn of another day.
INDENTTatsuya knew that life of desperation, of hunger. Hell, he lived five months on his own and lived. That life was infinite times harder than this one and he was convinced he survived because of downright luck rather than skill. Then again, luck had nothing to do with the perpetual toil to carry on no matter the vacancy in his gut. That was a excruciating existence. One he was glad to be done with.
INDENTOne failed hunt would not spell doom for them. Not now, anyway. The Wilds were plenteous; abundant in bouffant and tiny game. So long as they had tenacity, they would survive. They always would.
INDENTTonravik's paramour rallied them together to try again. Tatsuya could not resist his tempting proposition, having not taken part in the hunt before this one. Hunting was an enjoyable sport if one is not starved out their freaking mind. Hungry he was not. Approaching closer to Kerosene's location, however, proved that he could definitely go for some meat. Especially bison meat. A rare, coveted delicacy. Sprinting to those assembled, he slowed to a brisk trot, tail wagging and maw slavering. He rushed to view their quarry, quaking in excitement. Ohh...It's been so very long since he has tasted bison. Try as he might, he couldn't look away from the herd to address those gathered. Tatsuya was bewitched by the herd. So much so he zoned out, blocking out the sounds of his pack mates and the wilderness.
INDENTTatsuya has now entered The Twilight Zone.

The howl rang through the air, and although Arverk was quite far away from where they were, he dropped his mission of going to the pond on the ridge and made his way as quickly as he could to where his leader was. Smoky black paws thrummed gently and rhythmically upon the ground as he sped off towards where the hunt would take place, he wouldn't claim to have been fast as he was still rather sore from the spars but he arrived in time.

It didn't surprise the black whale to see a few wolves were already there, Kroc, the wolverine and a newcomer, one that he hadn't gotten acquainted to yet. It didn't matter. He would find the man after the hunt and get to know him, but right now, that wasn't his biggest concern.

Blue gaze scanned swiftly over his surroundings before he greeted the new white male with a nod, the wolverine with a nudge to his cheek and his two leaders with a submissive lick under their chin. Then, he turned his attention on the herd.

Iqniq summoned them.

And she dawdled, lingering off in some unseen and untold corner of the territory digging furiously at nothing at all. A certain restlessness consumed her from time to time, though it was hardly the desire of adventure that itched at her. It may have been an unspoken frustration over something trivial, or it may have been something simply to break the routine humdrum. While his call was enough to give her pause, Echelon did not depart to the center of summons until she was sated.

Her strides brought her swiftly, crossing over terrain that came to her as familiar as it would one day to Tonravik's children. She saw slightly less of her aokkatti, but also felt the need to be separate from her as well. She would not tolerate her poking and prodding, let alone her commentary. Summer was starting its downward swing, a slow and yet graceful force that would swiftly bring them towards cooler weather — or so she hoped.

She spotted the movement of their mismatched group through the undergrowth, slipping quietly into the fold with a brief growl as she rattled past Tatsuya. She sought a place somewhere nearest to the higher ranking wolves of their core, annoyingly trying to place herself somewhere between the bearish Nanuq and the fierly body of Iqniq, willing to smear a mess of mud and dank smells across them in turn.

And she tried hard at this, uncaring of the herd that lingered somewhere off in the distance for the moment.

Excellent turn out! Thanks guys! Next round ends Saturday, July 18th.

His eyes skimmed over the outer members of this herd. Large males. Burly, but sleek with their summer coats. Beyond their spread, he eyed smaller legs. Youth, no doubt and a female here and there still fat with calf. He was taking his mental inventory and scanning the beasts for any weaknesses when Nanuk joined him. A nip of her teeth against his flesh led him to chuffing lightly back at her as his eyes remained focus. He shifted on his paws where he crouched, bumping his shoulder against hers as if to ask if she saw anything viable within the herd. With the guarding ring of males, it was difficult to tell.

One by one, the rest arrived. Aariak with a humble bow. Arverk with his tongue upon their chin. Echelon, in her own fashion as she wiggled between Nanuk and himself and muddied them with her recent endeavors. He chuffed at each one of them in turn, pleased they'd arrived in support of this endeavor. With all of them present, they could begin this. But first? He lifted a clump of mud from Echelon's shoulder with his nose and rubbed it into her cheek. War paint. The coywolf had missed a spot.

A flick of his ears caught sound which alerted him to one other arrival. He looked, glancing in the direction of the spaced out Kapvik who was slowly revealing he might serve more value to this pack as an omega than anything else. Iqniq clicked his tongue at Tonravik's curiosity as his fiery tail swished behind his flanks.  "Look alive, Kapvik, or leave." They needed everyone on point for this. If that wolf wished to dream, he could do it on his own time. Not theirs. Not when they had a pregnant Alpha to feed and support.

He turned his eyes to sweep over the rest of them. They would make this happen. He was sure of it. Alas, with his quick inventory of their current hunters and remembrance of their earlier failure with a moose, this situation called for a little bit of guidance and planning. He exhaled heavily, before drawing breath to speak.

"We'll all drive the herd, running them north towards the forest. When the herd begins to thin, Nanuk will take point. Aariak and Kapvik will flank her, driving the herd further north. Arverk and myself will drop back to isolate our target. Echelon, I trust you to run interference as needed." The coywolf could assess the situation and decide where she was needed most, whether that was further isolation or harassment of their future kill, he was confident she would choose the best course of action.

He glanced towards their white bear. "Circle back with your team to join us when there's enough distance." She'd know when the time was right. When that time came? He glanced at the rest of their gathering, passing his gaze across them all. "Together we'll harass it until it slows enough to end it. Watch out for hooves. Watch out for horns. We must all remain strong and be cautious of injury." It was all hands paws on deck ground now. Tonravik was out on account of her pregnancy. The rest of them needed to be in prime form. They could afford caution so long as it led to their success.

His tail flicked behind him. Their briefing was over. "Spread out. Wait for my signal."

The Twilight Zone was a lovely place. One where you could look upon your quarry without sound or light interfering with your sight. He felt as though he was much closer to the herd. Close enough to see their guarded young, their aged and brittle, their sallow and dying. Odd how entering such a trance was every bit calming and intensely centered. Contrary to what others might see, he was not in such an unthinkable state. The slobber was not pretty, but neither was Kerosene's inessential nitpick which forced him out of picking apart the herd. A sideways glance was sent the Alpha's way, as if to say I was concentrating on our quarry...Was your comment necessary? No, it was not. Tatsuya was not sure why he picked on him. Maybe he needed an outlet because his status and his wife's unborn pups were at stake? Oh. In that case, glad to be of service. Regardless, his concentration has been destroyed, unrecoverable. What a waste.
INDENTThe manifest advance of Echelon was met with a slothful, open-mouthed smile along with a wag of the tail. She was covered in muck, stinking of mire. She was careless about looks and that distinctiveness reminded him of Tonravik...though it was likely Tonravik would prefer blood to mud. Arverk's touch roused him from his trivial imaginings. Caught off guard, he sought to do the same to the whale but he aimed for a more...meek approach. Arverk has proven himself in the wolverine's eyes, thus meriting respect. So far, only Tonravik, Kroc, and Arverk received such esteemed greetings. Tatsuya would not always be so compliant, but he was content with these three wolves and the effort they put forth. Echelon...he was kind of iffy about, uncertain of the knavish shade. Deep down he respected her as a wolf who could hold her own. Above that? He did not know, their encounters too brief and too few.
INDENTArverk retreated to greet other wolves. Tatsuya set about doing much of the same, moving away from the more populated mass to the solitary Aariak. An untroubled newbie, stiff and pallid among those gathered. Almost like a soldier ready for war. Sans the luridness, of course. Tatsuya circled him, inspecting, testing. This was a wolf of arctic descent and yet...he was no where near as small. Whatever the Epsilon had been looking for, he left the newcomer to his lonesome. The still muteness fits him.
INDENTOnce Kerosene began talking, Tatsuya sat and took heed. Aariak, hm? Was that the newcomer's name? He shot Aariak a burdened look, one that kindled him to prepare himself. There was so much that could go wrong here. Kerosene could warn of horns and hooves all day long. That did not stop bison from their capricious ways. Damn beasts...One smack of their hooves, you're dead. You get stepped on, you're dead. You get gored on one of their horns, you're dead. Plus, it was six wolves versus a whole goddamn herd. Let's invite the possibility of what could possibly go wrong? Oh...anything and everything. Tatsuya hoped this would be a successful hunt. Without injury. Was that asking for too much?
INDENTOnce Kerosene turned to lead, Tatsuya got up to await Nanuk's lead. Let the hunt begin.

Their shoulders touched and Nanuk did not retaliate violently. Where she could accept displays of rank and submission, outside of that, the Beta did not usually appreciate contact. With anyone. But with Iqniq, her bond was strong, of a different manner than his with his mate. One could consider them best friends, or even aokkatti, much more similar to Tonravik's bond with the coywolf. It was not something that had been discussed; it didn't need to be minced and degraded with words. It just simply was. But their bond did not stop her from showing submission to him, the crest of her muzzle swiping the underside of his jaw. Friends or not, he was still Alpha, and it was disrespectful to not recognize such things. 

Her eyes scanned the herd, looking for a proper target, passing the guarded the bulls without hesitation. Had their past hunt gone better, she would feel secure in pinpointing a bull for their prey but as it was, there were too many new faces to be immediately compatible. The wolves of the Spine had not yet learned how to work with one another, so her eyes passed to another mark, ears twisting forward as she focused on one in particular. 

She turned her head to signal Iqniq, but was distracted by their first arrival of pack wolf. A new face in the midst of the strong, but yet a silent one. She would learn his name later, nodding back, accepting the quiet deference for what it was. Gold eyes moved as another body came on scene. Lips lifted to bare teeth as Kapvik completely fucking ignored his leadership and went to salivate at the herd. Her gaze stayed nailed to him, even as Arverk swiped a pink appendage against her chin, and then Iqniq's. Even Echelon displayed some sort of recognition towards them in her push through the others in her bit to move towards the two leaders. She acknowledged Echelon and Arverk both with an approving rumble, pushing her weight against the muddied coywolf.

Her gaze did not leave the wolverine as the fiery King addressed him, rumble slipping into a baser growl as he shot a glance back. Again, there was no recognition of Iqniq's rank, or even her own. With a gathering of so many, the bear would not let such things slide. He might have thought himself compliant, but in the Beta's eyes, he was a shit-stirrer. Such an attitude was not appreciated, especially not directly before a hunt. Still, the Alpha spoke and she listened, focusing on his words and his instructions. Accepting the plan with a resolute nod, Kroc looked to the pale newcomer as confirmation that he would be under her direct authority in this. 

As for the other... She was quick in her approach, teeth aiming for his scruff to force him to the ground in a solid, fluid movement. Should he have evaded her teeth, she would aim for him again until he kissed the fucking dirt. Kapvik would know his place here, and it would not be one that would muddle their victory. She would not accept his stupid discrepancies with the leadership, nor would she accept his pathetic attempt at appeasement. He had already been taught to defer to the Beta once for his failure to acknowledge her. Now, he had done it again, in front of the pack. That shit wasn't going to fly here. "Learn some fucking respect." He had fucked up. She was letting him know. Simple shit.  

With that taken care of, she looked to Aariak once more, finding his gaze and then did the same with Kapvik before moving forward to lead them away from the others. With distance between the two groups, the silence grew and the pallid female waited for the signal to move in, her comrades behind her, likely just as tense as she. She trusted Iqniq, and would not move a muscle until he gave the go ahead.

Arverk was glad that the wolverine's response to his greeting was a meeker approach than his own. It meant that he had earned Kapvik's respect, not that he needed in first place but it was good to know he was getting somewhere in Ouroboros Spine. He may be of higher rank than the dark male, but the swarthy wolf knew (or guessed) that rank didn't matter to someone like the Epsilon, respect had to be earnt first to know that one was worthy of the rank they were occupying. Arverk understood that, because even though the leaders gave them this rank, he still wanted to check if the guy should be in that rank or if he was worthier.

Arverk didn't make friends easily. In his natal pack, others usually avoided him given his bastard status and if they got close to him, they would be labeled as one of the worthless ones. Mostly the wolves stayed away but if one came and got to know him, the whale would tell them to get away, afraid of what others might think of it and what kind of horrible treatment they would give his new companion. He had been hoping to meet some new friends in the Spine, but here, he understood that the bond of packmates ran deeper than friends. Still, he thought of his relationship with the wolverine as a sort of a mutual friendship.

He quite liked Kapvik despite how he disrespected authority. Truth to be told he didn't understand why others were so angry about it. Okay, getting angry over the fact that the wolverine didn't greet the leaders when he arrived at the hunt was warranted and justified but other times, it was natural to challenge the order of things and know where one's place was. As far as the whale was concerned, it was natural and he didn't get why some of the leadership was so vexed about it.

Those thoughts were shook out of his head as the fiery Alpha began speaking. He ended up being paired with Iqniq to isolate the target, which was fine with him since he got along well with the russet male unlike some others. So when the golden wolf gave the order to spread out, Arverk obediently moved out, though not before he watched Kroc teach the wolverine his place. Though the Roman liked the wolverine, he couldn't help but admit that this time, Kapvik deserved it. Every bit of it.

Hey guys! In the interest of the BWP, this will be the last official posting round for this hunt. I'll summarize their separation of the herd and lead them into the harassing of their mark. If you need to post twice to get in three posts for participation, please feel free to do so. Next round ends July 25th. After that I'll post a final summary and get this thread archived. Sorry for cutting this one a little short!

Hopefully... their issues were all sorted out. He was not going to delay this any longer now that his strategy had been presented, but he hoped like hell no further insubordination would create a ripple that would ruin this for the rest of them. Everyone needed to know their role in this if they were to succeed. He breathed deeply, hoped for the best... and gave the signal to move forward.

He waited for Nanuk to drive her team forward before he nudged Arverk's shoulder and followed up behind them. The herd scattered, the outer circle of males urged their kin towards the forest as planned. Running, not all of the herd could keep up and Iq waited for one of them to prove slower than the rest. There. He barked towards Arverk, signing towards an older female who dragged behind. It wasn't optimal, but there was meat on her bones and something was better than nothing.

He gave the female buffalo chase, driving himself between her run and isolating her from the rest of the herd. Together, with Arverk's help, they redirected her path and began to worry on her, nipping at her flanks, exhausting her, and causing damage where they could.

As new leaders, Nanuk and Iqniq could take no chance with insubordination. They would push and shove and demand their due respect until they were viewed in the same light as their Alpha female (Nanuk less so, of course, as the Beta). There would be no asking nicely. But with everything done and taken care of rank wise, Kroc headed out and followed Iqniq's plan of attack. With snarls and quick feet, the polar bear led her team to startle the herd. She was not terribly fast, due to her size, but she kept ahead of her two comrades with effort and determination.

Behind them, Iqniq and the whale chose a target and began their harassment as the three caused the herd to create distance between them and the sow. When the white female was sure that they had driven the thundering mass far enough, she barked an order to the other two and began the charge back to the separated female. Another barked order, this one to Aariak. Assist them. To Kapvik, she made a quick gesture to signal that he was with her, that he was to mimic her actions.

With the wolverine (presumably) at her side, she put on a burst of taxing speed to get a good distance in front of the living, bleeding tank of a creature. As long as Kapvik followed her directions, they would have this in the bag. When there was a safe distance for them to do so, together the two wolves turned to show their threats of teeth and violence to the buffalo which would, hopefully, make her put on the brakes. Or stumble. Either would be a good opportunity for the others to get in there and deliver the killing blow.

They pushed out towards the herd, scattering them effectively.

Echelon hung back initially, spread out from the group and waiting for the moment to fully inject herself into the picture. And when it came, she rushed out to strike not unlike a rattlesnake long cornered and well-armed. The burst of speed was not hard for her to achieve from a full stop, though she was far from a wonderful hunter. Giving chase was easy for her to do, though she did not chase the beast that they were singling out.

Instead, her interest lied in the scattering beasts that were trying to regroup. She would not allow them to regroup if it were physically possible; to allow them to do so meant they would come back. And they would charge after the wolves chasing one of their own. Breaking through the bulk of the bison, she snarled as she narrowly missed the swing of a heavy bull's head through her path.

Hopefully her resulting chaos would ensure their success.

He had displeased Kroc in some manner. The Epsilon was not precisely sure how. She rushed him, startling him. Ah! She took advantage of his stunned state, coercing him to kiss the ground. She put sufficient force behind the movement, making spit spout from his mouth. Disoriented, his vision swam, his legs giving out (uncomfortably) beneath him. It took him a solid beat to orientate himself, the grip of the Beta's remorseless grip threatening to cut off his air supply. Her caustic vocalization was blistery across his now tender neck: “Learn some fucking respect.” The bistre male could not much reply aside from pinning his ears and tucking his tail. Would that appease her...? It seemed so, her teeth leaving him to push on ahead. Raising from the ground, grunge clung to him. He shook to be rid of it, following Kroc as Kerosene had instructed.
INDENTHe was...baffled; thoughts muddled. What had he done to invite her ire? He knew she was a raptorial individual – that much was made defined when they first met. Back then, their differences had been momentarily settled, so why did she come at him like that? On their way to the buffalo, Tatsuya thought more on what had just happened. The realization was like a slap in the face: Kroc was miffed for testing the Alpha. This was an answer that only led to more questions. I don't understand. Members – even new ones – test their superior's leadership. This was to see if they were fit to lead and had very little to do with respect. It was the way of the wild which Tonravik was stern in enforcing. The pregnant Alpha made it a point to show him if he had crossed any lines. Huh. That's...something.
INDENTHe had not known they were to be led – all of them – unquestionably. Like they had no thoughts, concerns, or feelings about what their leaders did or did not do. It painted Tartok in a different light, like they were to be herded like cattle regardless if their herders did something wrong or not. It was unnatural...However, Tatsuya could oblige for the time being. If only to get Kroc and Kerosene off his ass. This was cause for worry to Tatsuya...It was a matter that would be touched upon later. Now was not the time for such pondering. Focused on Kroc, he followed behind her. Every now and then he looked to where Kerosene's party was but his main focus was on the Beta.
INDENTOnce they started running, Tatsuya tried his damned to keep up. He fell behind Kroc and Aariak, but he was less than a meter from the newbie. Tatsuya was not built for speed, he was built for force. This weakness of his showed now but he was close enough to Kroc to assist her should she demand it.
INDENTEach time a straggler tried to break free of the herd on their side, Tatsuya would heckle it back into place. I don't think so. For any of them to break off now during the stampede would spell disaster for all of them.
INDENTOnce Kroc issued an order to Aariak, the Zeta gave the newbie room to do as he'd been told. Best of luck. The Beta now gestured towards him, making him draw close to her roving form. He trailed two meters behind her, just enough to ensure he could do his part while staying relatively close to Kroc. Once she kicked up the speed, the distance between Zeta and Beta widened. Nonetheless, Tatsuya made sure nothing broke away. A few tried, but all failed. Once Kroc struck their target (and persisted to do so), the bistre male sped up to aid her. He snapped at what he could, mindful of the ailing creature's thundering hooves. He pestered what looked like an aggravated area on the buffalo's hip: bitten relentlessly by flies and other insect. The perfect area for his teeth. Tatsuya jumped to nip at her affliction, careful to push off of her to avoid her hooves. This slowed him down but it was a plan that hindered their prey. It visibly slowed as he tore more and more skin from her. Slow enough to land the killing blow but also fast enough to harm those foolish enough to stand in her way. Better make this count.

Arverk noted Iqniq's signal and watched with keen blue eyes as Nanuk or Kroc as he knew her drove her team forward. To make sure that this hunt was a success, they needed to have teamwork, and the whale sure as hell was not going to be the one that decided to change this into an individual hunt and ruin everything. He had adapted to this new pack life, he was now an excellent team player and he was going to prove it, like he had proved it in the fox hunt by the borders.

Iqniq's touch to his shoulder roused the whale from his thoughts and he made his way behind the polar bear's team silently. The herd scattered and the outer circle urged the rest of the herd towards the forest, just as they had expected. While they were fast, not all of them were of equal speed and soon enough, one of them would show that it was slower than the rest, and the moment that happen, the prey better hope to have a quick death.

Arverk quickened his pace until he was running as fast as he could, he helped Iqniq separate her from the rest of the herd and redirected her path. Then they began nipping at whatever they could get their teeth on, causing as much damage as possible.

well i just realized what today was, BETTER POST

Their hunt carried on, somewhere in the midst a bison felled was enough for Echelon to call off her volley into the fray of other beasts. Only it wasn't as she discovered in her wide turn, seeing that they had singled out one and were only now beginning to amass upon it. She chuffed to herself as her pace slowed, still keeping distance between their kill and the herd, remaining aware of the threat behind her. Judging by the bellowing of beasts at her back, she believed they were already beginning to mourn their loss.

Good, she decided. They needed to. It would have been a feat short of nothing for them to injure others, and with a glance cast back to eye them arrogantly she ventured forth towards the others. They would feast tonight, she was sure of it.

Thanks for the participation! I'll be awarding EXP shortly!

The herd was separated. Now all they had to do was harass their mark until it gave up and gave in. Iqniq and Arverk were hot on its heels, nipping, biting and nudging while the rest of their party continued to drive the herd further apart before circling back. The two wolves gave chase and soon enough everyone else joined them. They had this. It was just a matter of time.

Nanuk returned. She signaled to Kapvik, asking him to join her in the line of the buffalo's path so it might be met with a wall of teeth and falter. He didn't; choosing to focus on a flesh wound instead. Shit. Nanuk was up there by herself and unless something changed, she'd likely get trampled. Putting on a burst of speed, Iqniq moved to join her. Together, they were enough to dissuade the buffalo and slow her enough to trap them beneath all of their wolven company.

They all launched their assault, catching the buffalo between them as it slowed to a halt and began to give fight. They widened their circle, working together to time a series of blows that would eventually begin to tire out the beast. And then it was over. The killing blows were landed and the creature fell. Victory was theirs. Time to eat.

"Good work. Leave the liver..." he reminded them, determined to save that choice morsel for his mate as it was her favorite. The rest was fair game. They dined and when all had eaten their fill they broke the body down into transportable portions. Taking the rest of it him, they refilled their stores and Iqniq saw to it personally that his mate received her portion of their prize.