Dawnlark Plains bron-y-aur stomp

Pack hunt! MOS assemble! @Grayday @Dawn @Pema @Aditya @Sunny @Kieran Adrien @Sylvas Streiter @Sorrel Marie @Dauntless @Easy @Lavender -- Next round will begin the 27th (or when everyone replies)!

If there was anything to be said about the plains, it was that they were a big game hunter's dream. Plenty of space to stretch the legs, with no chance of losing the animals in the trees or over a stream. And while this territory didn't have the dedicated herd that the plateau had hosted, there were bands of deer and elk that still wandered through, and as winter melted into spring, those bands were increasing in size.

Shale sat atop a small rise, downwind from one of these bands. A group of about nine or ten deer, many of them pregnant females. He kept his eyes off those, knowing that to spare them meant their numbers would swell--and with that, the wolves' prospects for food soared.

No, his gaze rested firmly on an aging male, past his prime, his arthritic knees clicking with every step. Eyes glassed over with infirmity and pain; joints bony beneath the thin skin. While he wouldn't be the biggest feast a pack would have, he would be more than enough to sate their hunger and provide Morningside with their first big kill on the new territory.

It would have to be him.

Shale threw his large silver head back, giving his packmates a long, insistent howl. Alarmed, the deer raised their heads, and some of them trotted off--but not the target. No, he continued to graze, skin twitching with wariness but not quick enough to flee at a moment's notice. He would be easy to cut away from the others, easy to take down. The only danger were his antlers and hooves--but the wolves of Morningside were much quicker than the old bull; Shale felt confident they could run him down without injury.

Lavender wasn't around much these days; or more specifically, she was everywhere, learning the terrain, watching the animals from great distances, chasing birds, doing everything in her power to accomplish as much as she could during the daylight hours. The new coat she sported wasn't so new anymore but it helped her plenty, keeping the chill of winter away - which then transitioned to the cold of spring's dawning. Lately, the only time anyone could find Lavender for any length of time was by complete accident whenever she'd pass out in the field; she needed to sleep more and roam less, but it was hard for the girl to curtail her new-found freedom.

When the call rose upon the air to hunt, Lavender was taking a quick nap and she was roused from that nap by the song. After yawning and quickly stretching, the sleepy girl did heed the call and came racing across the plains, eager to take part. Her apprehension about her actual skill (or lack thereof) was forgotten as she came upon the scene, and Lavender yipped an excited greeting towards Shale before wheeling about, looking around for more bodies.

The day was clear and bright; as Grayday trotted forth from the den that was still underway, his good eye adjusted to the change in lighting, and he saw the vague outline of his packmates and the prey animals ahead of them. Finally, he could participate in a big game group hunt again - something he'd been sorely missing upon the plateau.

He knocked shoulders with Shale, aiming a playful snap at the other male's ear. His heart began pumping overtime as he pranced around in anticipation for the hunt that was to come.

Easy came racing from the opposite direction, zipping between the bodies within the moving herd as she approached. Some of the deer stomped at her as she passed, but most did their best to move out of the way, not wanting to agitate the large hunter moving through their midst. She'd been practicing her hunting a lot and felt confident today that she would be of some help to her packmates.

"Which one?" she asked, looking between her father and uncle. To the older wolves, the choice would be obvious, but Easy was eying the fat does with saliva dripping down her maw. To Lavender, she suggested - "You should take that off while we hunt - it might get caught on something. Running will keep us warm either way."

The part about growing up that Sorrel hated the most was having to do the scary, unbearable things that everyone else did, but she had never learned. Sure, she could catch a hare here or a squirrel there, but a deer? Even with the entirety of the pack working together, Sorrel had the unshakeable feeling that no matter what was destined to happen, she was going to be the reason they lost.

Nonetheless, Sorrel responded to the call with childlike glee, finding her way toward Grayday while she waited for further instruction.

Sunny had settled into the routine of patrolling and hunting whatever he could find to catch solo. He liked this new territory and had dug himself a new den out of an abandoned deer den, dragging bits of moss and animal hide inside to make it comfortable.

he had been resting when Shale called for the pack, eyes closed but nowhere close to sleep. He opened them and pushed himself up, setting off at a good pace and coming upon the meeting stopping beside his father. "Hey dad, Uncle Shale. Which one's getting the takedown?" he asked eagerly. He had hunted before with Shale and respected his plans, so he looked forward to this.

I'm gonna pop Adi in here just once and then PP him in Shale's posts

he wasn't too far afield when he heard shale's cry go up, though he was loath to leave the borders for a hunt. it went against thousands of years of evolution, his disinterest in the thrill of the chase, but it was his duty, and it was with acceptance did aditya take off at a slow lope, joining the others with a wag of his tail.

there were many assembled already, to his pleasure. he gave sorrel a gentle smile before allowing himself to be more boisterous with grayday and sunny, giving the former a charming nudge to the shoulder and half-tackling the latter, laughing aloud. to easy, a kind look--things weren't quite patched up, there. to shale he gave a curt nod, awaiting the more seasoned hunter's orders, and stood, eyes scanning the horizon for his mate.

I'm gonna go ahead and start the next round now. Those of you who haven't responded yet, still feel free to pop in in this round, since the actual hunting likely won't start until Round 3--which will begin April 3.

It wasn't as many wolves as he'd like to see, but Shale was pleased nonetheless at the turnout, especially since he wasn't one of the leaders or even leading subordinates, trailing behind his nephews--one by marriage, one by blood--in the ranks. But he was a hunter born, and he wanted to continue to prove to Grayday that he wasn't merely coasting by virtue of his name; he was a provider, a useful member of the pack.

Easy and Sunny both asked him and Day the same question, and Shale's mouth cracked in an amiable smile. "The old buck," he responded, not wanting to play guessing games with the young Morningsiders. "See how tired he is? He's near the end of his life." He saw Easy's eyes linger on the fat does, and added, "The pregnant mothers we'll leave alone. We need them to have their babies, so the herd can grow."

He looked over the group, quickly calculating a plan he thought could work. "Ok, so we'll need to get him away from the band," Shale said after a moment of silence, his tenor voice ringing through the crisp air. "Lavender and Sorrel, you'll come with me to help startle him away. We'll use our growls and our snapping jaws, keeping well away from his hooves and antlers." He figured this was best for the girls; Lav didn't get out much, and Sorrel, bless her, was timid. He thought they may balk at actually taking down the animal.

For that, his eyes swept over the burlier wolves assembled. "Sunny, Aditya, Easy," he said to them, with a curt nod. "Once we've cut him away, you'll be on the offense, taking him down. And Grayday," he added, with a deferential look toward his brother, "can choose whatever team he likes. Whichever you think needs you most."

It was a non-decision stemming from a couple reasons. He worried for Day, with his limited sight, and his littermate knew his own health better than Shale did. And he disliked the idea of giving the alpha male orders in front of his own pack; it was a calculated step back. He hoped Grayday wouldn't take offense at his waffling, but then, Grayday had always been reasonable with him.

Sunny listened intently though his eyes scanned the herd to pick out the elder buck, finding the athritic and bony looking deer with ease. He nodded silently with agreement and stretched, his back cracking once before he stood upright again. "Easy, Aditya, What do you two think of two of us playing distraction? Nipping and worrying at the Buck's forelegs Carefullyto keep it distracted while the third goes for the neck? I'd like to bring it down but I'm not against playing the annoying predator either" he suggested his offensive plan and turned toward his team.

The male listened carefully to his brother's words, not noticing overmuch that Shale had declined to assign him a task. Being accustomed to making his own rules, Grayday had already assumed he could do whatever he wanted. "I'll jump in where I can," the male offered, thinking that he would be of most use in the takedown. He'd never been the fastest runner, and his scarred hind leg had only compounded this fault.

With interest, he listened to Sunny's plan, heartened to know that the boy was as eager for the hunt as his forebearers had always been. "Let me at the forelegs," Grayday suggested. "I've no eyes left to lose, and my bite is as nasty as it ever was."

Easy narrowly stopped herself from asking if wolves really lost eyes in hunts - she had a feeling she knew the answer, and she didn't want to look like a baby in front of Aditya. Besides, if she was smart and swift and savage, she would not have to worry about it.

"I'll be with Dad," she said resolutely. She was accustomed to being his guide and knew that it would be as helpful to her as it would be to him to observe him on this hunt.

The instructions were easy enough. Bark and growl? Please! That would be a peice of cake. Sorrel hadn't yet met Lavender, but now seemed like a better time than any to become acquainted. Hello, Sorrel cooed, moving in to sniff Lav and gather her scent. Ready? It was the best that she could do in regards to cracking a light-hearted joke. 

Regardless of her partner's reaction, Sorrel moved to glue herself to Shale's side and follow his commands.

Gonna start the next round since everyone (Lav has gone to PPC & I am powerplaying Adi) has posted. Next round begins when everyone has replied.

He smiled to see Sunny take charge in his own subgroup, and noticed that Aditya seemed more than amenable to the young man's idea, giving him a nod of approval. Grayday had cast his lot with them as well, so Shale turned to Sorrel and Lavender, giving the former a gentle look as she came to his side.

"We'll chase the buck toward you folks, then," Shale said to the remaining quartet, flicking his tail as a signal for the girls to follow him. A couple paces ahead of the trio, he trotted toward the herd, head held high as his gaze narrowed, locking onto the buck. Several deer bleated in alarm at his approach, legs clicking as they scattered, but Shale only had eyes for their quarry.

"Get only as close as needed to scare him," he called to Lavender and Sorrel, voice carrying backwards on the wind. "Don't do anything you're not comfortable with, or would put you in needless danger. Let's get him!" With that, Shale let loose a ferocious snarl and launched himself at the buck, barking like mad.

As planned, the elk groaned and began to shuffle away, aiming a feeble kick to his rear. Shale was several paces away and felt no danger, and, drawing a bit closer, he growled, snapping his teeth near the buck's hindquarters. Drool began to pool in his mouth and slip from the corners of his lips as he thought of tearing into the animal's sweet flesh; with savage frenzy, he leaped, hoping to tear some off for a snack to savor.

His bite came up short, though, and he lost a bit of ground as he stumbled, barely catching himself in time to avoid going head-over-heels. Looking back at Lav and Sorrel, he grinned. "Almost there!" he panted encouragingly. They were getting closer and closer to the waiting group. . .

He felt his confidence growing as everyone in his group agreed and noted they also had dad on their team too. As Shale took his group and headed away Sunny spoke quickly "Easy, dad, If you two could rush toward it at first to bring it to a halt while Shale's team is still behind it we'll have it trapped. Adi can attack from the sides and the three of you can keep it's attention on you. I'll go for the neck. Be careful" as he finished Shale,Lavender and Sorrel began to chase it their way. 


He waited until the deer was close and then shouted "Now!" for Easy and his father. Once the deer was halted Aditya could move in and then he'd go for the kill.

Whoops, sorry for the wait! PPing Grayday this round

Easy and Dad got into position, Easy keeping an eye on Sunny while Dad handled watching their target. It was a big animal, but she was confident their family could handle it.

On Sunny's signal, the pair began to worry at the deer's front legs, keeping it in place while their packmates did their part to take the buck down. Easy kept out of the way of its hooves and antlers, and it seemed as though Grayday was doing the same.

Shale rushed it further toward them and once the command was given, Sunny's team rushed forward.  As he had hoped for the buck halted and reared up, Easy and Grayday avoiding the licks with admirable skill. As it's forehooves touched the ground again Aditya went for the sides as instructed, causing the deer to turn it's head to the side.


At that moment Sunny ran forwars and leaped through the air, latching onto the exposed jugular and shaking, his fangs shredding through flesh and tearing open the artery. Blood gushed and Sunny's paws hit the ground, he tugged back and pulled with all his weight.  The buck's legs buckled and it hit the ground, blood pooling at Sunny's paws. He stepped back and panted, a wide grin on his maw as he looked up to the group. "Another amazing hunt done by the Morningside team!" he cheered goofily. He went over to Easy and nudged her playfuly "Job well done, you're quick on your feet." he said with a grin.

ooof sorry this took me so long. last post from me! feel free to wrap up with your own toons

Making sure Lav and Sorrel were safe away from the thundering hooves, Shale leapt into the fray along with the waiting wolves, jaws open as he sought to latch onto, well, something. It turned out as he wasn't much needed; Easy and Day were at its legs, Aditya its side, and Sunny brought it finally crashing down with a fatal blow to the neck. The tangy scent of fresh blood bloomed in the air as they stood, panting and grinning.

Shale's ears canted forward happily as Sunny praised his packmates. "Yes, well hunted, everyone," he agreed, slightly breathless. Letting out a breath, he began to work at the carcass, finding the richest parts of the meat and separating them from the rest. "For Catori," he told Grayday, licking the offal from his lips as he spoke.

He stood back, content to let others dive in before he began to eat. He was just satisfied the hunt had gone off without a hitch.

Grayday muscled past his packmates to tear off a bit of haunch - also accepting meat that Shale liberated from the body. "Thanks," he said to his brother, setting down his load a moment to speak to the others. "Nice job, guys. Make sure everyone else knows where the kill is when you have time."

With that, the male left, heading off to take Catori her meal. Easy probably waited for Sunny, Aditya, and Shale to eat before digging in.