Honeyed Pasture The thrill of the hunt

Hunting for Silvertip. @Krypton perhaps?

Below Silvertip Mountain was a grand wide pasture, stretching nearly towards the sea. After being formally accepted into the mountain pack, Phocion set off towards the grassy fields, tongue lolling in happiness. He ran for a bit, then stopped, staring up at the skies with a smile. It was just about dawn, and he could sense the morning just ahead.

The beta male had told Phocion that the pups took priority when it came to food, and Phocion swore to serve and protect his new pack under any circumstances. Despite the hungry rumble in his belly, he knew whatever prey he brought back to the mountains must be for the young ones and their mother. He could always eat later.

The grass was tall here, though he suspected it must have been much, much taller before the locust plague. Nevertheless, it allowed his lithe white body to sink low and hide in the thicket, slinking along as he searched for prey. He kept his nostrils open, scenting the air.

There. There was a rabbit ahead. It was skinny, due to the ongoing famine, but still food. Making sure he kept his bushy tail still, Phocion crept towards it, barely breathing as he went. . .and pounced, landing atop the creature and giving it a killing bite.

"Yes!" he whispered triumphantly, looking down at his prey, which bled gently where his fangs had sunk in. He guarded it closely, and began to sniff the air again. Perhaps he could find another bit of food to bring back to his new pack.

Successful roll

Ooc: doot doot, don't mind krypton somewhat stalking :)

With the new wolf already taking up the task of proving his skills, Kryton was sure to go and make sure he wasn't just goofing off. She didn't have that much faith in yearlings like Phocion. Zaria and steady were different though, for they were diplomatic and had experience with pack life.

Deciding to follow Phocion, Krypton's once heavy steps grew lighter. She made her way over the border and towards the empty land that once held herds. Phocion was there, stalking a rabbit.

with curious eyes, krypton settled down on the slope. Though she was large, she was very skilled in climbing and holding still.

in silence, she watched Phocion capture the rabbit. She was impressed, but not by a mile's length. She decided to go and hunt for the pups as well. Sliding and walking down, she made it to a thicket of dead trees. Birds hung around, fluttering about.

one bird, with bright red wings came close to the ground to sing. Krypton snuck closer and closer, but it took notice to her too quickly and flew away.

she let out an irritated growl, soon coming to her halt. She turned again to look at Phocion, the shade of dead twigs covering her. The only thing he would be able to see were her glowing eyes and large ears.

oh hi there hahaha

Instead of trotting off, Phocion decided to stay put. He did not want to abandon his well-caught prey on the off chance that a stray buzzard came along and started picking at it.

So he crouched low again, flattening his lithe form to the ground, and waited. Perhaps another rabbit or some other bit of prey would come this way.

In his waiting, he began to think about the pack he was to serve. It had not been a particularly good start. Because of his dumb, uncouth body language, he had been met with raised hackles. It would take a long time to get in their good graces. Phocion hoped this gift of a rabbit was a good start.

His ears picked up a rustling ahead. His prayers had been answered. Another rabbit sat in a particularly tall patch of grass, just three or four tail-lengths ahead. With a final glance at the already-dead creature, he began to creep forward towards the newcomer, teeth bared and primed for the kill.

This rabbit must have been sharper than the last, smelling him coming and probably scenting death nearby. With a small sound of alarm, it fled. Phocion's muscles bunched, preparing to spring after it, but then he remembered his prey behind him. He could not--would not--abandon it.

With a small sigh of disappointment, he turned back and returned, laying on his belly and placing his head on his paws. A small shiver crawled up his spine--he suddenly felt as if someone were watching him. Standing, he did a full, slow spin, eyes narrowed as he searched for the other. Spin, spin. . .there. A pair of yellow-green eyes were surveying him behind a thicket of dead branches. Krypton's eyes. A hot flush of embarrassment overcame him as he realized she must have seen his failure.

"Krypton," he muttered in greeting, nodding his head.

Rolls here

He had failed to catch another rabbit, though the brute didn't judge the yearling. He was successful at least, and she couldn't be mad at him for not having two kills. He greeted her with a small mutter, then a dip of his head. She merely nodded as well, returning a greeting, "Phocion, I see you have killed successfully" she said, looking at the punctured rabbit. "It is good to see that you are keeping up with your promise, I don't take kindly to liars" she joked, her body posture in a neutral stance.

She turned her attention away from the yearling and back to the mountain. The mountain that held Fitz, her fallen brother. She didn't not have to be blood-related to consider him family, for everyone within Silvertip was dear to her. She would die for them if need be. Her lips let a sigh escape, her ears dropping a bit. "Phocion" she started off, turning back to him. "Do you know the way Silvertip runs?" she asked, wondering if Steady gave him an idea of the pack philosophy or not. "We run as a family" she said, thinking that his reply would be no.

She returned her gaze back to the mountain. "We must protect our family, provide for them, understand them" she started off, feeling the urge to almost... cry out. "One of our own has fallen from us not being there to listen, to know," she said, referring to Fitz. Oh, how she longed to be there to know how he died. How she longed to know what pain he was going through. How she longed for him to make Zaria happy again. "You must understand Phocion, that-" she said, looking back towards him. "You must be there for us as we will be there for you" she said, praying that another wouldn't be taken away from her.

The pain in her eyes was a small jab to his heart, though he didn't know whether she would permit any sort of comforting touch from him, or whether that would make it worse. Phocion softened his gaze in response. There was death in this family, and it was recent. They were still grieving.

"Krypton, I grew up longing for a family I didn't have," he told her, voice pitched low. "I never knew my father. My mother died when I was young. I have no siblings."

He pointed his nose toward the mountain in illustration. "That mountain is my home now, and the wolves who reside there my family. After waiting my entire life to be a part of something bigger. . .I wouldn't dream of letting you down. Of abandoning you."

His reply warmed her cold heart, and Krypton couldn't help but smile warmly towards him. His story was full of heartbreak, and she could feel his past almost connect to hers. She gave him a reassuring nudge of the shoulder, happy with all the words he said. Directing him to the path of home, she took a few steps forward and waited for him to follow.

"I'm happy to hear that you view Silvertip the same way I do. And I'm sorry for your loss, I lost my brother when I was your age" she said, almost feeling old when those words slipped her tongue. She sighed, lifting her gaze to the glorious mountain. "Come on, let's get that food to the pups, they're probably bugging their mom right now" she said, waiting for the golden male to come with her.

At the end of the day, everyone was the same. All had loved, all had lost. What made the difference between individuals was how they reacted to those loves, those losses.

Phocion could have stayed rogue, eschewing familial ties altogether and traveling by himself through the vast wilderness. But the urge to be part of something bigger than himself tugged too strongly, and thus he found himself that one day at Silvertip's borders, cocky and foolish, completely clueless. A rush of gratitude overcame him as Krypton touched his shoulder in response, and he smiled at the gamma wolf, eyes lit with the delight of acceptance.

"I'm sorry about your brother," he said, echoing her condolences of his losses. He hesitated for a moment, then spoke again, voice quavering only infinitesimally, to his credit. "He's with my mother on the other side."

He bent to pick up his svelte rabbit, its legs swinging limply from his jaws. "Let'th go feedth da kidth," he mumbled through a mouthful of prey, voice playful, and padded behind Krypton back to the mountain, where he belonged.

I'll archive here. Yay friendship and bonding <3 If you wanna start a feeding frenzy (lol) thread back at Silvertip just tag me and I'll answer asap!