This is the Ouroboros Spine pack hunt you guys wanted. :D It will be led by
@Mordecai and the next round will start on
July 23. It's technically optional but there will be major brownie points in rank shuffles for participating members, and you get free EXP if you participate in all rounds!
Jinx was woken at dawn by the sound of static. She had never experienced it before, yet the pale Kesuk had responded to it with an expected level of irritation and annoyance. Never did she question its source. She merely dragged herself to her feet, gnawed insistently at the balding spot on her foreleg where the bat had bitten her (the flesh seemed to quiver constantly now, and her hide in other places seemed to twitch unexpectedly at times too), and emerged from beneath the roots of a tall fir.
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, watching as shadow owls danced among the tree branches. In recent days she had begun to see things that shouldn't have been there. She'd thought she'd seen a whale a day or two ago, even though the pack was nowhere near the ocean... And occasionally, the spectral wolverine she hadn't seen for months would materialize at the edge of her vision. It wore an unnatural grin.
There were times when she found herself salivating more than normal, as well. She chocked it up to stress and thirst, and never once stopped to consider other possibilities. Illness did not enter her mind, though it should have been the first thing a female mated to a healer thought. Today, thoughts of herself were far beyond her. Though the Alpha had definitely looked better and could have used more sleep, she hadn't forgotten Mordecai's desire to bring the pack together for a hunt. She threw back her head and howled haggardly, summoning the wolves of the Spine to her with a specific call for the aspiring Gamekeeper.
As she waited for them to arrive, she ducked to nibble at her foreleg some more, drooling carelessly on her paw in the process.
*PUTS OUT DEM EXP COOKIES*
There had been something unnerving in the air the last few days, and Mordecai had yet to dissect the reasons as to why. He had hardly had the time to do so either, between nesting of sorts in their new digs to venturing out to scope the lands around them, he had kept himself busy. Tracking the herd of elk that had been coming nearer to their broad-reaching borders had consumed much of that time as well. So when the haggard call of their esteemed leader broke the tension he had been feeling, he had passed off his unnerving feelings for the anticipation. He recognized the summon she gave and had waited for the day that she deemed it time for the hunt.
It seemed like such a perfect way to start off their lives in the Spine, though they had been settled there for a stretch already. Time escaped him, just as it did his father, and perhaps his father before him. It hadn't seemed that long, but already there was much committed to his memory that made it seem more than just an insignificant amount of time. The same went for the trek that he made, this time without caution, towards the source of the summon. A proverbial meeting ground he would hope, for the days to come when they would rally again and again.
He spied Jinx through the crisp foliage, picking once again at the balding, seemingly festering wound at her leg. It concerned him, but he thought little of it; Lecter was probably seeing after it. He gave her a gentle woof, his tail swinging in broad and steady strokes behind him as he closed in some of that distance. But his attention was divvied as well, as Mordecai thought for certain he heard the approach of others through the dense undergrowth.
Tyrande was... uncertain. Upon coming back into the pack, she hadn't struck many points with Jinx. She wondered if she should show her face to the alpha at all. But she knew better. If she wanted to at least try to get on the alpha's good side, it'd be better to go to pack meetings and hunts to show her loyalty to the pack.
Upon arrival, the Nightshade promptly bowed her head and half woofed half whined in hello. She looked at Jinx for the first time since her reunion with the pack, and warily curled her tail underneath her and lay her ears flat. She blinked as she realized the alpha was... drooling. And not just your average amount either.
The toxicologist's face gave a flash of concern. It's probably nothing... If anything, just a normal illness that'll go away in a few days' time. She hasn't told anyone anything, I don't think, so maybe it isn't all bad. Then again, Jinx isn't one to speak her wounds loudly...
Tyrande wasn't one who hasn't seen illnesses. She's been around all sorts. Her brother dying from the illness where his skin practically burned from the inner heat, wolves going insane from her concoctions alone... There was one in particular that Jinx was showing a major sign of, and that thought made the Iota's blood run cold.
No... No, it can't be that. It COULDN'T be that. If that disease spreads, it could be disastrous! No, Jinx is probably just a little sick...
Tyrande didn't know the name of the foaming-mouth disease, but she had heard stories of it. Several, in fact. She had yet to see it happen in front of her eyes. And wouldn't Lecter notice, too?... Maybe I should pay him a visit about it. It's probably nothing...
The thought of seeing the shaman made her stomach turn. On second thought, Jinx should be fine... right?
Sitri heard the howl and he strode towards it with large strides. His brown fur becoming different hues as he walked through the sun and shadows to get to the pack gathering. He gave a gentle woof of hello to the Queen and Mordecai and then he went to stand beside Tyrande, he considered her his friend, and hoped she wouldn't mind him taking a spot next to her. He was anxious to get started, it had been so long since he had been in a pack hunt, he was a little rusty.
He surveyed the queen with trepidation, he was wary around her since she had gone after him, mistaking him for Majesty, but he was okay with it, just wary. She looked ill he wondered at it, but kept the thought to himself, it was surely nothing she was a queen and her mate a healer she would be fine.
Drip,drip drip
Water trickled from her the yearling's snout, creating fine lines of silver that connected the tip of her nose to the ground. Slowly she shook her head,which sent little projectiles flying all around her, then lashing her pink tongue over her nose she enjoyed the mildly refreshing sensation the water left in her mouth. A brief water break before heading to meet her queen's call.
The first days after moving to the Ouroboros, Cara began to realize how much more she liked her life here;the mountains had created a sense of security for the young girl, it was highly unlikely any enemies would take the trouble to invade the rocky passageways of the Ghostrock Network. The treacherous paths could betray even the most experienced hikers and end their lives in a second.
But the Ouroboros was not only breathtaking, but it was also perfectly located. Without pesky neighbors to stir trouble around them --Isle and Plateu wolves ehem--it was heaven. And it was all thanks to Jinx, who had brought them to this wonderful place.
And speaking of Jinx..Cara had began to notice she was a slightly different person since the move. There was something different, something the yearling could not name but still knew it was there.
The pale Epsilon ariived after Tyrande, holding the same worried glint in her eyes she approached Jinx with caution. After giving her leader a soft bark in greeting she stepped back waiting for the rest to appear.
Kaname was annoyed that it was Mordecai leading the hunt, not him. Even more so, he was pissed that Sitri claimed his long held position of Gamma. When he arrived to the pack hunt, that is what first consumed him. Annoyance, anger.... Then he saw his alpha.
He hadn't seen much of her ever since they claimed Ourboros, but now he had the distinct urge to stay far, far away from her. She was eyeing random spots suspiciously and salivating copiously. Even her howl was haggard, not the pure tone he was accustomed to. But he simply stayed away, siding up by Cara, one of his only "friends". If Jinx was suffering what he thought she was, then he would protect the little yearling, as well as the rest of his pack.
This was her first pack hunt in eons. The other packs she situated herself in made her stay in the pack camp, tending to the needs of the sick, collecting herbs, but rarely hunting. She was not the hunting type of wolf. But, she responded to her alpha's unusually ragged call nonetheless, and she would help in anyway she could.
She trotted up to her packmates, eyes sweeping over them all, only knowing a few of them. But then...she saw Jinx. Her hackles went up immediately. She knew that disease. It was the one thing she feared besides her goddess' wrath. The priestess wanted to abdicate immediately, but she stayed, only to warn the others.
Snowstorm was uncertain if she could join her pack after Jinx's unnatural call. She trekked to the source, none the less. Seeing unfamiliar pack mates around made her uncomfortable, until she saw Tyra. Walking up to her, she motioned 'am I old enough to join?'
Snowstorm had recently lost her voice after a rock fell on an important nerve in her tail. She was still a juvenile, but almost old enough to join the ranks. She wanted to prove herself worthy.
Following a terse induction into Ouroboros Spine, Creidne had passed the remainder of her evening charting its borders. Hers was a course that traced close to the perimeter, but not quite on the line -which allowed her to see the most with the least disbursement of effort.
Along the way, she ceremoniously relieved herself where others had -prudent in her aim over any perceived weaknesses. Obscured by the shadows of eventide, she even went so far as to forgo squatting when she felt most certain of her solitude. Procrastinating in these places, she would leave her linear trail in search of a temporary den. Nothing fancy, but at least the two star equivalent of a resting place. Yet none were ever found both uninhabited and move in ready, so she just continued on well into the following morning.
When she finally did rest, it was somewhat involuntary seeing as how she had actually only paused to nibble a troublesome burr from her flank. However once Creidne lost her balance, she just never got around getting up, and fell asleep between the roots of a tree with her teeth still buried in her fur. Needless to say Jinx's trembling call was met first with disoriented acknowledgement, and then graceless adherence. After all, she couldn't skip class on her very first day.
Arriving on the scene in what she assumed was last place, Creidne mustered a somewhat decorous look as she filled in a space closest to -Jinx. Murmuring a blurred hello to the other female, she took her seat thereafter. For a second she could have sworn that the others were watching her somewhat suspiciously, but any concern was resolved with a pissy, let them stare brand attitude. Slanting her muzzle to release a yawn as respectfully as was possible Creidne exhaled what might as well have been a great big -derp.
Vectra came quickly to the call, she was eager to join the hunt. As she wanted to become a gamekeeper among other things. Running quickly but silently she catched up with the pack tail wagging excitedly. Though she was a bit late as she was a small distance away she was just in time before the hunt would begin, it seemed. Hopefully she didn't miss anything important. She slowed down as the pack came into sight, moving closer to them and asking
"did I miss anything?" she sure hoped not.
speech
Next round to end
July 30th or so!
@Mordecai Take it away! Also I'd appreciate if no one actually says the "rabies" word in this thread—at least not in earshot of Jinx. I don't want her to know what's wrong with her!
The pack came, as she knew they would. They were loyal to her, a fact which made Jinx not only proud, but arrogant as well. Each new member in her ranks swelled her own ego, and while it wasn't always outwardly apparent, the Alpha occasionally paraded and showed off her rank to her comrades. Perhaps they held some loathing for it, but so far the displays had been few and far enough that they may not have noticed. She considered doing it today, but she was too distracted by the tingling in her leg and the way her mouth never seemed to evict all the saliva.
The pack gathered somewhat away from her, which irked the female. They seemed wary, and she supposed she couldn't blame them. She
was drooling like an unsophisticated dog, after all.
“What,” she said flatly, levelling a gaze on each of them,
“never seen a spider bite before?” After all, she hadn't noticed it was a bat that bit her. She had assumed from the symptoms that it was an arachnid, and that she was merely feeling the effects of a mild poison that would in time wear off.
“We are hunting today,” she told them all, glancing sidelong at Creidne, one of the only wolves brave enough to approach her. It wasn't like she was some kind of vampire, but she forced her irritation to the back of her mind. Mordecai had come closer than some of the others as well. It seemed
some wolves still knew how to treat their Alpha.
“Mordecai,” she addressed him fondly,
“what will we be catching?” From here, she took a step back, swallowing thickly (it wasn't enough to drop a dribble of saliva down her chin) and shaking her forelimb while he took the floor.
Sure enough, the others came out of the woods around them. He greeted them happily at first, the wave of his tail not missing a beat. But the expression had begun to wane when he saw that they were looking not so much at him, but rather to Jinx and the looks therein were a mixture of concern and fear. As they settled, much further away than he had expected, he found a note of irritation budding in the forefront of his mind. While there was the one other who had dared to come closer than he had to Jinx, his thoughts were focused on the group before him, and this time his expression had turned to concern for them. Why did they fear her so?
Granted, the chewing of her foreleg and the drooling wasn't exactly screaming I'm friendly, but she was still their leader. His attention wheeled around to Jinx then, who did not hesitate to call them out for their distance. A spider bite, see, that's all that it was. But the uneasiness was thick in the air, and Mordecai had a feeling it would not be enough to put that ease back into their meeting. Nevertheless, it progressed, and he found himself being handed the spotlight while Jinx chose to once more tend (or tear) at her wound. He offered her a smile all the same, and stepped inward to focus on the group.
“In the last few days, there have been a herd of elk lingering in the forests to our north, just beyond our borders. It appears that they're making their way towards the interior of this valley, and right into the waiting jaws of our neighbors. Since they have persisted in this direction, I say we send them with thinner ranks.” He paused briefly, making sure their attention was coming around to him. “That said, this is a perfect opportunity for us to bolster our caches. The herd is largely female, and there are a few late fawns with them as well, so there are plenty of options and opportunities.” And with any luck of those who had gathered, he hoped they would net more than just a couple bodies from the herd.
“My plan is that we split into two groups; one to ambush them and send them running, and the other to cut them off and cull what we can in their confusion. We'll need them to scatter, and to keep them scattered while we single others out.” Scanning through the group, Mordecai spotted Kaname and met his gaze. “Kaname, would you be willing to head up the group ambushing?” He felt comfortable in asking his once-superior, if only for the fact that he had hunted with him more than he had with anyone else. But he wouldn't fault him if he turned it down; Mordecai was also considering who would go with what group.
Tyrande's ears flattened before tentatively stepping closer to the alpha. She wanted to run away, but that option was out of the question. She decided to listen to what Mordecai had to say.
She inwardly groaned. She was about to volunteer for the ambush group, until Kaname came up. She decided to shut her trap and hope that she would by some miracle not be picked to run beside him.
Tyrande glanced down at Snowstorm and smiled. "If it were my, decision, Little One, I would let you come along, as a rite of passage, sort of. But for you to join the hunt is ultimately up to Jinx and Mordecai here. If you do have to stay out, I bet you can watch. I'll save a juicy part for you, 'kay?"