hunting thread! set by the old RJ borders.
Tail high and ears perked, Jhala made her way along the border, her muscles relaxed. She was on the trail of a deer- perhaps two. One was definitely a female, the other she assumed was it's child. She prowled along, following the scent of the two beasts with a hungry stare. The girl had brought down deer before, but she hadn't had one in quite some time. During the winter season she'd found mostly small prey, which was not as tasteful as a meaty doe. The sweet scent lulling her forward, she moved on, forgetting that she would probably need a partner to help take down such a large prey.
Once more, Capri avoided the members of her pack, spare for Terich-mir. She had fled to him the other night – right to his arms, and while he heartbreak she felt at Taggarik’s mating with Vuk, she had at least been soothed by the fact that at the end of the day, her best friend would always be there to hold her up.
She had considered her options quietly. Her first gut reaction was to walk over the borders and never look back – but again, she could not leave Terich’s side and she doubted he was willing to move just because her first crush hadn’t gone quite the way she had wanted it to. He too had lost his rank – now hers was likely relinquished to Vuk.
But the girl was seemingly too busy having the Alpha Male hump her to try for it, and neither had sought her out – and so she carried herself still as the regal female of the Ridge. It was with purposeful strides of distraction that she came upon Jhala, and she paused momentarily, considering the woman before her. She was still disappointed with the Beta for not fighting when the pack needed her most – but further avoidance could not be had, and so the swarthy Roux-Abrhen swept forward, hoping to close the distance between the two.
The girl moved forwards still, the warm scent of a young doe heavy in her nostrils. She was focused on the task at hand, ignoring everything else around her until the scent of their Alpha Female had come into the mix. She paused, immediately, and waited to see if the woman would show herself. She was aware of the trouble that she had been in with Taggarik- even thought it was merely poor judgement. She thought quickly of him sharing his issues with her to his co-alpha, and her confidence withered. Being so young, Jhala right away assumed that Capri was seeking her out to punish, and therefore gave a loud bark to call for the Alphess. It simply alerted the other of her position, and her desire to see the other, even if Capriccio did not care for either.
The yearling waited, her tail wagging slowly as her head lowered. She held tightly to the scent of the deer; and now that she thought about it, she began to hope that her queen would join her in her hunt.
Jhala called to her – and Capri swept forward, seeking out the girl to close the distance. Her eyes studied the yearling quietly – thoughtfully. She enjoyed Jhala – and while disappointment was apparent in her eyes, she also had no heart to speak of it now. Her mind instead would flash back to the way Taggarik had taken Vuk, and her heart ached far too much at the loss of him.. She would not add Jhala to that loss.
If anything, she was grateful for the distraction.
“Vuk is in heat,” she notified the woman as she came forward, her own form once held so regally had certainly withered. “And Taggarik has chosen her.” That was what she had seen – the pack’s dominant male coupling with the pale beauty before she had decided she had seen enough. “I need a distraction.”
She needed a friend, above all else.
She would've spoken words though the half-parted jaws on her face, but Capriccio spoke first. Perhaps that was better, and Jhala really wasn't sure what to say. Her body language, at least, shared what she wanted to say. Her head was lowered and her ears down, tail wagging slowly behind her. Jhala did not understand the word 'heat', it made no sense to her that the alpha would be upset about that. She did however understand what it meant that Taggarik had chosen her, and the girl gave a gentle whine right away.
A distraction. The other nodded, understanding. Anwyl had disappeared from the pack, leaving Jhala to feel the same way. Perhaps it bothered her less than it should've- or maybe more. She wasn't even sure if Capri and Tagg knew that she had begun to get close to Anwyl, or if they even cared. Regardless, she gave a slight smile to her superior and raised her head slightly.
"I'm trackin' deer," she told her simply, nodding towards where she was headed. "It should be two, they're not too far off now." The thought of a hunting partner made her spirits rise a little bit. "It's distracting me," she added finally, cocking her head to one side.
Jhala seemed to understand the gist of what Capri hinted at – her heart was sore and she needed to not think about it. The she-wolf was generous enough to offer the distraction without question or judgement, and Capri flashed a grateful glance to the Beta.
“Perfect,” she noted softly, giving her muzzle a nod to the dark she-wolf. “Lead the way then,” she noted, giving her silver-tipped pelt a gentle shake. Hunting was indeed a perfect distraction – the pack would need to eat, and while she balked at the idea of feeding Vuk’s unborn puppies, she would not see her pack mates starve. Filling the caches, or at least providing a hearty meal to their comrades was certainly an idea she could focus on, and with a silent glance, Capriccio waited for Jhala to lead the way to the tracked herd. Two wolves was still not ideal -- but if there was a young deer, or one very old or injured, they could potentially pull it off.
"Sure," came the simple response.
The girl moved quickly as she followed the scent, her tail low and steady while her ears remained perked. The scent was nearing, and she was almost positive by now that it was a doe and it's fawn. Soon enough, the pair was in view- just past a group of pine trees and large boulders. Jhala grinned eagerly, but nosed Capriccio in request to take the lead. "Better distraction," she whispered, so quietly the dumb creatures across the ways hadn't heard a thing. As much as she'd love to take the lead here, she knew Capriccio probably needed it more than she did. She waited patiently to see if Capri would in fact take the lead, or force her to do it herself.
Capri swiftly paced after her, eager to put her mind at ease and use this distraction fully. Her eyes fell upon the doe and fawn, regarding them coolly, as if it was not a mother and their loved one, seeking the peace the mountainside had to offer. Nature did not allow for such concerns to be placed -- instead, ehr stomach gave a jolt of a growl, finalizing the fate of the creatures before them.
Jhala nosed her, and Capri returned the affection with a graze of her own nose to the girl's cheek -- camaraderie between pack mates. With a quiet nod of agreement, the girl chuffed oh so gently, her eyes roaming between the two. With that, she began to lope toward the doe and it's baby, knowing full well that the fawn was likely going to be feeding the two she-wolves. With a nod to Jhala, she expected the other she-wolf to round further away from her, further encasing their smaller meal. If luck would have it, the doe, as they tended to, would flee faster than it's baby, enabling them to come in for the kill.
And flee faster it did. The mother knew that it's sole purpose was to protect it's child, but without its mother the babe would not survive. If she sacrificed herself for her child she would have wasted her life as her child would die soon. It was smarter to leave the child to death, as she could procreate once more to restart the cycle. There was no reason to waste her own blood.
Jhala had listened to her alpha, rounding to the other side. She'd let Capri initiate the attack, but as soon as she would so much as twitch the young beta would follow right behind, ready to feel the warm flesh melt into her white canines.
Her paws danced along the floor, thoughts ceasing from her weary mind as her gaze remained locked upon their meal. The doe fled – the presence of the wolves initiating it’s escape, and with a jolt, the fawn began to follow suit of its mother.
Capri did not hesitate when her own paws quickened, her muscles coiling beneath her dark fur as she swept to one side of their prey, knowing Jhala would be right at the other side of the fawn. Her jaws snapped in the direction of the baby, hoping to steer it closer to the waiting jaws of her pack mate.
not sure how new it is-- but love love love the new avatar <3
Capri had leapt, snapping at the deer. Jhala had been right in position, following close behind her alpha's footprints and eagerly awaiting her turn at the hunt. The babe let out a noise, one the dark beta had always loved, before it stomped it's feet and turned towards her to flee. The yearling was prepared, the fawn leaping right into her sharp canines. She snapped at the throat of the creature, and it screeched again in terror, followed by a loud gurgling noise. Jhala held tight, but still expected to feel Capriccio join in on finalizing their attack.
Jhala claimed the deer, and Capri felt a surge of adrenaline. Her own jaws sought to put an end to the fawn’s life, not desiring any creature to suffer. Her jaws were quick to grasp the opposite end her pack mate held, and together, the two brought the fawn to silence, allowing its pain to be only fleeting.
Pulling back, the regal licked the blood from her lips, her eyes fast upon the slumped fawn. It would have been ideal to share the feast with the pack – but as it stood, Capri was not in such a giving mood at the moment, as Vuk and Taggarik were likely gallivanting around, making babies anywhere they saw fit.
“Thank you, Jhala,” she replied, her tone soft. “I needed this.” She paused then, her gaze drifting back up to the girl. “I’d rather we didn’t call the pack for a feast – I can’t look at anyone right now,” she softly spoke, hoping the Beta would understand.
Jhala helped bring it down, a surge of pride running through her as she did so. The creature eventually fell limp, and the dark beta sat panting before her queen. She dipped her head. "Of course," she replied through heavy breathes. "You're welcome to it, I don' mind leavin'," she then said, standing as if she were to go. If Capri wanted her, she would stay and converse with her alpha or simply keep her company. If not, she'd go, she didn't want to cause any more problems. Hopefully, Capriccio would have seen her in a better light after today, but even so, it was the last time she'd be inside the Porcupine borders.
last for me! sorry this dragged on for so long. you're welcome to pp a little (:
Jhala was gracious in her silent support, and giving a gentle shake of her muzzle, Capri loped forward, brushing her nose to the girl’s cheek in quiet gratitude. “No, stay.. join me.” She hoped the dark woman would take her up on her offer, and settling down, she made to begin to tear in to the meat, offering some of the juicier organs to the Beta.
It was unknown to her, but she wouldn’t see the she-wolf again within the borders of her pack.