Sleeping Dragon variable and full of perturbation

Ever since he'd seen the deer near the geysers, he's been unable to shake his mind from it. The pack could use some banding together with the changes and the shift in seasons. He'd made a few more trips down to see if the deer had returned, perhaps with an extra body or two, but each time he'd been disappointed. Upon checking the borders this morning, he'd gotten wind of something different but he didn't investigate immediately. Instead, he'd made a trip back to the den to pick up @Freyja to see if she'd want to tag along. Her interest in hunting had grown and he's eager to teach her the things he knows and watch her grow into a title she should already have by interest alone. 

He takes a wide girth of distance from where he'd noticed the smell, leading back toward the geysers, but this time he nears the opening to search for the deer that crossed his nose.

She had been whisked away from the den by Gavriel with a brief synopsis of what they were to accomplish. The prospect of tracking and finding some deer was presented to her and she was quick to accept the adventure. She had never seen a deer alive, only the regurgitated remains that her mother offered, and was quite curious to see how easy they were to track and hunt. Happily, she prowled at her father’s side, looking to him with excitement.

“What’re they like?” She asked, her tones lifting happily with the tempo of their trot. Clarifying, she added, “Deer. What are they like to hunt?”

Want to roll to see if the deer is there?

Freyja’s question leaves him quiet for a moment as he moves through the valley with a careful approach. He doesn’t know if the scent he’d noted earlier remains, or if the deer are brave enough to venture close to their territory again, but he’s eager to find out and show the girl the ropes in how to track them. He knows they are unable to catch one, Freyja being too young and no one else around to help but the experience she will gain will be beneficial.

“It’s exciting. It takes at least two wolves, if not more depending on what size you’re going after. The bucks can be dangerous but so can the females. You have to watch out for their horns antlers and hooves,” he explains, peering through the opening to the geyser field. One releases a bout of steam in the distance. “One kicked me in the shoulder when I was hunting a year ago or so.”

I rolled an 8! Deer time!

Continuing on after her father, Freyja casted her eyes upon the span of territory before them as a pause settled on their conversation. Perhaps, she thought, while Gavriel thought she could keep a lookout for them. When her father began to speak again, Freyja returned her attention back to their conversation. As he went on to describe the nature of hunting deer and what the prey was like she listened closely to this valuable information, her eyes widening as she took it all in. Though she had no basis for her understanding of deer, the girl imagined a wolf with large horns. This wolf had menacing eyes, a sharp grin and at this picture she shut her eyes closed and shook her head, attempting to free herself of what she had just imagined.

Attempting to get past that mental image, she frowned at the next bit of information that he disclosed. “Do they have big feet?” she asked quietly, wondering how paws could cause an injury to the shoulder.

Just as her question was asked, she turned her attention to the geyser field before them. There were a few brown masses in the distance which caused the Goufa some confusion. Turning to her father, she looked up with concern and asked, “what are those?!” Naively unaware that they were deer.

Since finding the deer is a success, maybe someone else might want to show up and hunt them? :o Tags for visibility/possible interest: @Wildfire, @Dio, @Hush, @Portia, @Mojave, @Foxglove, @Rebekka, @Lucia.

Gavriel pauses at the next question, looking down at his own toes. He takes a second to realize she has never seen one up close and barely in pieces that he may have brought him. “They have… hard feet. They do not toes or paws like we have but instead two hard, sharp, pointed toes. Hard like bones,” he explains, picking up his pace once more. “And the bucks have antlers with spokes and if they charge you… you don’t want to mess with that if you are alone.” 

They only walk a little further before she pipes up and he is thankful their distance and the noise from the spurt of a geyser masks them. He wishes in that moment he’d brought along another abled bodied wolf to help him but howling will bring too much attention to himself. 

“Those are deer, strik natshana,” he tells her quietly before he keeps to once side of the mountain wall where he slowly lowers to the ground, gesturing for her to follow suit.

The image of a deer was slowly being clarified and to this Frejya took in this information hungirly. With this new information she was given a better picture of what these creatures looked like. She was able to picture the top of them and the bottom, yet the middle was still a mystery. Picking up the pace as her father did, she asked her next question, “Do they look like us?” She had never seen any of her packmates with hard feet and antlers, but perhaps those wolves, or “deer”, lived in a different area of the mountain.

With this thought still fresh in her mind, and the sight of the deer in her line of vision, the girl exclaimed her wonder with a airy, “wooooah!” Taking her father’s lead, she crouched beside them and craned her neck in an attempt to get a better look at the creatures. Despite their distance, she already could tell that they were much different from what they had envisioned. There were much kinder looking than she had pictured and their soft, supple bodies seemed better for eating than those of her own kind.

Despite the excitement of the discovery, there was still an air of uncertainty about Freyja. Glancing to Gavriel, she addressed the white elephant in the room: “What do we do now?”

At this point of her stay in the Dragoning Sleep Foxglove had realized that she did not feel either loyalty or particular affection to any of the pack wolves here. Regulars... even if the rank names and the religion some people practiced was quite odd. Therefore she had not made any particular attempt to do anything for the greater good, she lurked on the sidelines, took care of her needs and pretended to be working diligently, if someone happened to be nearby and watched her. 

However, bringing down a deer is no solo-mission. She stumbled upon the magnificent creatures and both her and her ever present alter-ego were salivating at the prospect of eating something way better and juicier than the usual morsels. And luck would have it - there were another two lurking in the distance - one bigger and one smaller. Would they be up for hunting, hm? Foxglove had her gaze fixed on them, yet she was not sure. Two grown up wolves... still far too few.

It had not even been that long since she had met the second child of Gavriel's, yet she had completely forgotten it's face. Rebekka had little short term memory despite her willingness to help the child learn, which was somewhat concerning; she would brush it off all the same. Learning a child's face was not as nearly important as teaching it how to survive, in her opinion anyhow. The only reason she could remember Hvitserk's existence was the fact that only upon meeting him had she made the connection between father and brood. So, it came as surprise when she noticed the slate gray child, Freyja, among the adults; clicking into place the memory of hunting with the girl just two days before. Yet, she did not spare the girl another glance, assuming her position in an area her efforts to take down the deer with them would be most beneficial. Her diligent eyes flickered between Gavriel and the prey, anticipating their next moves yet listening carefully for what her superior instructed her to do. She had not attempted such an activity before, especially in the presence of a youngster; hunting soley for the pack than with it. Yet, insticts kicked in, eyes trained forward and hackles raised for now their strength came from numbers and their numbers were large enough.

Should no one else approach, Gavriel and Freyja will sit there and watch their movements. They can learn more about the creature from observing and it will give them further insight for when they are able to hunt. Freyja watching them will give her plenty of information in the future for when she maneuvers and hunts them on her own. Perhaps, one day, she'll host her own hunting party to feed the pack herself. With her interest as high as it is, he has no doubt she will succeed in the field and with plenty of hunters in Drageda, she will only continue to shine.

To his surprise, he hears faint footsteps to one side and he slowly turns to see a wolf he does not recognize, followed shortly by one he does. Slowly, he picks himself up and offers a few shakes of his tail. Both of them seem to pick up on what they'd been doing and with three capable (for he assumes the unfamiliar wolf to be, otherwise she is unlikely to remain) wolves.

"It have one way out and that is this way," he says quietly, turning to look toward the deer. It could likely scale the side of the dragon but with a high chance of injuring itself in doing so will only further lead it to their hungry bellies. "Can one of you circle around and drive it this way? We can easily bring it down with the three of us," he says, glancing at Rebekka. Her skill in the common tongue has proven to be weak despite her training but Trigeda has a better connection to their shared language than Seageda due to their connections with the rest of the world. 

Gavriel then turns to his daughter who no doubt will be just as eager but her safety remains important. It doesn't mean she can't participate but a safe practice for her will be key.

"You can help drive it this way, too," he says, deciding that will be the safest option. The prey will be far too afraid to charge back at either, he hopes, and will only run. "But you will only chase, okay? Once it is close enough to us you must stay back and out of the way so you don't get caught up," he informs all the while keeping his voice down and occasionally looking up the geyser field to find it still oblivious. He then turns back to the female pair to see whom might be the chaser, leaving him and another to intercept it on its way out.

Just as the need for more hunter arose the pair was soon met with help. Filing in came two wolves-- one unfamiliar and the other a much more familiar. Offering a smile and a wag of her tail, Freyja smiled at Rebekka-- the wolf who had taught her about hunting just days before. When the grey-scaled wolf didn’t offer her another look, Freyja’s attention turned back to her father, slightly disappointed in the lack of a personal greeting.

Her disappointment was soon distracted as Gavriel fave out the hunting orders. She listened closely, hoping that she would get some sort of involvement in the hunt. When the attention was drawn to her, Freyja perked and listened to the orders she was given. “Yes, Noni,” she replied quickly with a nod, eagerness lancing through her voice. She was ready to go whenever they were and would follow once the commands were given. Butterflies fluttered in the pit of her belly as anticipation coursed through her being.

As the other nameless wolf eventually wandered away from their group, she lightly scowled and returned her attention to Gavriel as he spoke their instructions. The hunt would be more difficult now with only two adults and a mostly useful girl; yet she was positive that between the three of them, an elderly or youthful beast would greet their dinner plates in due time. The other's loss, she quietly chided within her mind but did not dwell on the subject. Those unwilling wouldn't last long, as was the will of Heda. It was the very notion that enticed her out of the singular hole she had fell into when the Commander's people were not of her own. Yet, with the change, she grew out of the silent tones that normally followed her presence and sought to participate where she was needed.

While the plan was spoken clearly, it was not of her language and Gavriel knew so. Perhaps it struck her agitational nerves, perhaps it did not. Either way, she had gathered enough simply but indicational gestures that she was to chase the herd their way, an idea that both excited her and grew her more intent by the second. Silently but swiftly, she glided with ease in the direction of the prey, ears laid back yet ever so often twitching with the sound of hoof-beats. Powerful creatures, they were, and between the three of them, they could not take the healthiest stag as their prize but one segregated from the rest. When the time came to bite, their mark would be slow moving or far too young to understand the hunt. Shaking the thoughts of what may happen, she focused on what she was to cause to happen. The chase. 

The woman paused only momentarily before she ran with hackles raised towards the grazing herd, the purposely thudding feet driving a wedge between the group as a whole, dividing them into two. Swerving to the right, she urged the alarmed animals in the direction she had came, glancing only back once to see the rest of the herd branching off to flee, abandoning their old and their weak. Newly energized and glinting eyes surged forward, chasing the few remaining stags and doe's towards the waiting Gavriel and Frejya; she hoped they were ready.

wanna roll for the result?

To his surprise, the nameless wolf takes her leave and Gavriel blinks a few times and glances to Rebekka or Freyja and neither really seem to have any answers. He awkwardly clears his throat, shifting back to his now smaller group. With the third wolf, they would have definitely gotten the kill, but now he isn’t so sure. And nor does Rebekka give him a chance to change the plan as she takes matters into her own hands and wanders out behind the herd before he realizes it. 

“I want you to stay back, okay?” he says and gestures with his nose a spot in the rock that will hide her from the oncoming stampede. 

It isn’t impressive, but for a small herd of deer, he keeps to the side nearby as the buck and a doe or two run by him faster than he’s able to count the spokes on the bull. He waits until one, a little slower than the rest, can be hear squawking through the field. To their benefit, a geyser shoots up at the same time to deter the slower doe’s path near him and his daughter. Gavriel takes a quick survey for Rebekka on the animal’s heels when he jumps out to further deter her route into either of their waiting jaws.

We got a 2-- so success! Roll can be found here: http://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=4166&pid=224713#pid224713

 

Despite Freyja’s want to join in the hunt, she did as she was instructed without any backtalk. Slinking over to the spot near the boulder, Freyja kept her gaze over her shoulder as she attempted to see any first signs of the hunt. Thankfully, such signs were not seen until she was safely at her post.

Her heart thudded in her chest as she watched Rebekka drive the hunt and she felt an incredible sense of admiration for the stranger. Her attention was unwavering as the herd began to make their way for her father and she held her breath suddenly as she anticipated his next move.

Avoiding the quick buck's of angry deer, Rebekka drove the creatures towards the awaiting duo. When one particular deer was segregated from the rest as they split off, she found her prize, surging forward to further nip and claw at the deer's hind quarters in attempts to pull it down. As teeth landed and blood was drawn, the beast had begun to slow; its impending doom reaching its awareness. There was little more the woman could do without the effort of both comrades, and as the creature began to feel towards and past the waiting spot, she knew the chase would be over in little time. With little consideration to her action, the woman lept, sanding her claws within the flesh of the animal as it ran and staggered; clinging her body weight unto the deer in attempt to bring it down. As she was dragged, she felt nothing but the adrenaline coursing through her veins; the very thing she lived for in spite of her isolated nature. With her first strike at the deer landing with success, there was little the beast could to to free itself from the inevitable fate it had been brought.

It happens quickly as Rebekka makes the first move, and is close enough, to attack the fleeing deer. With a third wolf in tow, it would be much easier, but Rebekka surprises him with a skill anyway. He’s able to come along the side and avoid most of the flailing wolf as the deer begins the descent, taking hard and fast snaps toward the base of the neck of the prey. Eventually, it is enough to fell the deer to minimal and automatic struggling as life seeps out from beneath the creature.

Suddenly, it happened. Freyja crouched as Rebekka singled out one of the deer for the kill. Watching carefully, and taking it all in, Freyja did the best that she could to observe just what the adults were doing so that she could use their practices in her future hunts. Strikes were thrown and soon enough, after Gavriel had come in, the deer was brought down.

Hesitantly, the child drew as step away from her hiding spot, Freyja offered a wave of her tail as if asking if it were fine for her to come out from hiding.

There was no time for any one of them to remain idle; Rebekka clings on until the beast staggers under the weight of not only her but it's life force slipping away. Before it hit the ground and she with it, she strung from his's side, skidding to a stop only a few feet away. Her puncture wounds now seeped the red liquid that coated its body with the scrapes both inflicted by her and Gavriel. No sooner later did she indicate for the girl, Freyja, to come out from wherever she was currently hidden. The animal's breast still rose and feel with the slightest of movement for a minute longer before it idled, taking one last shuddering breath before it lay completely still. Stepping back, she observed the creature before turning to Gavriel; it was not her hunt after all.

It is only a few more seconds that they are still in battle before the deer hits the ground. He collides a little with Rebekka but it isn’t enough to notice and he shifts to put space between himself and the kill. His mouth parts, tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth in a pant, and he looks up to his companion. He nods, once, then glances away to find his daughter to make sure she’s still in one piece, and jerks his head to invite her close. “Choj op!” he shouts with excitement as they all share the kill they helped bring down together.