Thought it best to do a post specifically for the hunt. <3 No rush to reply. Will tag Teya when they call for her, I think. >.<
Time wore on until the sun had fallen low in the sky and the forest had been cast in shadows that stretched out along the earth. The elk would return to sleep for the night, bed down in the plush grass of the wood.
The hunters waited in the shadows, drawing in breaths to capture the scent of their target.
Crowfeather felt as though he was ready to burst. Fear or adrenaline coursed through his nimble frame. The lantern yellow of his eyes darted from
@Germanicus to the bark of the trees.
Before long, the scent of elk was carried on the air.
a herd of five soon stepped into view. none of the animals wore unhealed wounds, nor limped. the large ears cupped to hear danger, and the dark eyes searched the trees for those that followed.
germanicus felt more readied for a hunt than for another of crowfeather's long and expressive looks.
the hunt, the shedding of blood. these were things that he knew.
"i met a woman on one of the days we were apart. she is a fine hunter. i may call for her aid."
the voice of germanicus was hushed, goldflower eyes fixed upon the herd.
Nervous and wary of any noise that sounded in their radius, Crowfeather prowled back in the direction of the elk resting grounds with his snout searching the earth for any change in fragrance.
Germanicus spoke of an individual he had met while they had been apart, a woman who was a fine hunter. The dark wolf looked sharply to the older man and then nodded his head.
Her assistance would be helpful, yes. As long as she understands our catch is for Brecheliant… right, Germanicus?
Crowfeather responded, unwilling to meet the man’s gaze for fear that he might show a glimmer of the green-eyed monster that had roared inside of him.
The elk began to settle into their beds.
"she will. her name is two," was all germanicus offered for the moment. not to withhold, but to observe in a pointed and narrowing silence.
as the animals began to bed down, he noticed a detail that had escaped him before. "the third cow, on the left," he murmured, leaning toward crowfeather's ear. "there is a scar upon her spine. not yet turned white." not a new wound, but perhaps something that might slow her.
Two, the shadow thought with a thoughtful little frown. What a peculiar name for a living thing. Crowfeather did not have time to consider why she had been called something like that.
When Germanicus’ breath touched the hair of his ear, the seer felt his teeth strike through his tongue with surprise. Stiffening, Crowfeather followed the man’s line of sight to the cow and regarded her figure with growing anxiety. Even injured, the elk were large creatures.
Let’s make her our target,
he whispered softly in return. Are we prepared to chase them into the open?
The increasing beats of his heart pushed adrenaline through his lean shape.
germanicus gave a nod. his muscles were tense for the rush of it. "drive them out into the open. when we have her, will will chase her into the water." his mind worked swiftly, voice a monotone.
the soldier's stare was a waiting glint as he shifted it toward crowfeather.
anticipation burgeoned in germanicus.
The instruction was clear and Crowfeather nodded to signal an understanding.
With Germanicus’ voice playing through his mind, the shadow crept toward the slumbering beasts until he had positioned himself well enough behind their small group to startle them directly toward the water. The beating of his heart filled his ears and stung his mind.
With as savage a snarl as he could conjure, Crowfeather darted from his hiding place and into their clearing with fangs flashing in the low light. The elk reacted immediately and began to bellow their surprise before they began to run.
their gambit was successful.
germanicus, who had now heard twice a growl or snarl from crowfeather, felt himself entranced by the sound.
his legs kept pace with that of the shadow, running along the other side of the herd as he chivvied them along toward the treeline, where the plains broke beyond.
crowfeather gleamed magnificently in the muted glow.
The thrill of their chase, of the beating in his chest and his paws striking against the earth in his pursuit, it filled the dark hunter. The glimmering of the lantern yellow in his eyes did not leave their mark – the wounded female – and he did not dare glance to Germanicus for fear of losing his delicate concentration.
Elk crashed through the foliage and brush, calling to their kin to sound the alarm. There was danger in the forest, he knew they said without speaking their tongue.
Another snap of his teeth as Crowfeather raced near to the beating hooves of one elk. It bleated in outrage or fear before shifting its course and nearly striking one of the other elk.
They neared the break in the wood where the river would cut and force their prey to cross or be captured.
it was a quick study. perhaps these elk had grown fat and soft in the tangled wood. they were off, routed by only two wolves. the eldritch bleating filled the air.
"call the fen leader!" he commanded, not so harshly, only focused upon the elk before them. the other four began to splash into the water but their quarry resisted. the cow did not want to enter the water, and struck out at germanicus with hard hooves.
the eagle lashed backward, teeth bared and lips lifted, worrying the creature to keep its attention until brecheliant arrived.
Elk clashed with river water, spraying the bank and soaking anything that stood beneath it. The cow did not wish to enter the water. Crowfeather felt a surge of pity, as though he understood why an injured beast might not wish to risk the chilly touch of wet against it.
When her hooves lashed for Germanicus, all sympathy vanished. The sharp shadow sliced with his teeth to the cow and flattened his ears to his cap.
With a cry to
@Teya the dark wolf announced,
we have found the elk. Race to the river as fast as you can.
teya would linger near
@Reyes as long as she was able. when the call arose, she came alive with an
"oh!" and scrambled to her feet.
a hunt, with wolves ruenna sent. her coolwater eyes danced over him.
come with me if you want.
seconds later, the raven was dashing through the fen, for the slice of river that flowed into the no-wolf's-land beyond the edge of the forest.
she drew up, panting, eyes dancing between germanicus and crowfeather as she took stock of the situation, and she came to the man's side at once, eyes fixed upon the snorting and massive elk.
the little she-wolf arrived more quickly than germanicus expected.
"there is room for a fourth, if we are not certain of success," and he glanced between the fen-dweller and crowfeather, inviting a quick decision from each of them as he stepped back a moment from the trapped cow.
There she was, as though she had flown on the back of the wind itself to reach them. Crowfeather regarded the woman of Brecheliant with a curt nod. He did not wish to show that he was impressed by her.
Germanicus spoke of adding a fourth if they did not believe they would find success. The shadow glanced between him and the elk with a flicker of worry.
You will decide,
he yipped to the older man. The elk reared and bellowed her voice into the wood.
teya flinched as the animal sounded. kynareth had been with her during the boar, but these hunters did not have his imposing build.
"you bring them," she told to the man, her eyes lingering upon his for a moment despite the importance of their situation. she had no expertise with prey like this, and felt very much out of her depth despite having agreed to this hunt.
germanicus nodded. his voice poured out for
@Nephele.
he hoped that she would be close, and thought that she would be had she gone to the caldera.
once the call had risen, he showed his teeth to the cow again, beginning an advance that forced her back against the river's edge.
Traveling from the fen gave Reyes a good look at the distant caldera, empowering him with a nameless emotion as he fell in line behind Teya. Getting away from everything would be good; a hunt would give Reyes something to channel all of his confusing feelings into.
Sighting the dark older male first having arrived a little late, and he bristled. Teya spoke as if she knew him. Nearby was the smaller male, which Reyes merely glanced at. Their prey made a sound which drew his attention next and he moved off from them, prowling in to position.
There he would wait for a signal to take part. Perhaps he was not needed - in which case, he would watch and guard Teya in case something untoward were to happen.
Off we go! ^^
The woman from Brecheliant appeared touched by nervousness when she stood in the presence of the large beast. Crowfeather did not blame her for her reaction, for her bark to have Germanicus bring whoever he could. The dark seer looked to him and hoped that the individual he called would arrive in a short time.
It was not a woman who met their summons, but a man who was cloaked in a handsome shade of red so marvelous that Crowfeather was momentarily smitten by him. The dark wolf peered curiously to the individual. The stranger’s eyes were upon Teya and the elk.
Crowfeather saw their prey’s eyes dart, fearful and desperate. When Germanicus pushed her with a flash of his teeth, the elk’s hind leg plunged into the water and her eyes rolled back in terror.
jump in anytime box <3
teya turned and was filled with the sight of reyes. he had come all the same, his normal reticence showing itself as he held back from the fray.
for that was what it had become. the little raven glanced at the boy and saw his eyes lingering toward reyes. the elk should have commanded all their attentions, and yet reyes had taken those reins.
her own eyes were admiring and heated upon him, before she turned toward their quarry, baring her teeth and advancing with mad sort of sudden fearlessness.
the elk had begun to back toward the waters. the young woman from brecheliant broke ranks to stalk closer. and their heads had all been turned by the flash of vermillion who had come closer.
"you there!" germanicus shouted to
@Reyes.
"take point, opposite me!" he stepped closer to the brecheliant leader, nudging her back with no sort of formality as the hooves rose upon over their heads.
the elk bellowed.
the eagle searched for the eye of the shadow, urging him to aid the blood-red stranger who seemed ready to lend his strength.
There came a bellowing voice, drawing away Reyes' attention, and then the elk moved defensively to rise and flail its limbs. He did not want the prey to take aim at anyone (least of all Teya) and so Reyes moved to distract it with a lunge, the snap of teeth, wheeling about so that he could keep away from its reach. When he stopped to pivot once more, he was as intended - opposite the large dark rogue.
Behind Germanicus was Teya, briefly. She too joined in harassing the target, weaving from the man's shadow while the elk was contending with the two men. Reyes aimed for one side of the elk's planted hindquarters and scored it with his teeth before rebounding.
Everything moved so swiftly. Germanicus barked an order to the crimson-clad wolf. The way that the soldier moved in the face of chaos was in itself something to marvel at.
Even when fear threatened to overtake Crowfeather, he steadied himself with a glance to the older man. There were four of them, not two, and the dark wolf realized that they just might find success.
Darting behind the red male, Crowfeather snapped his teeth and yipped at the elk. He watched as her eyes flashed to him and she aimed a fierce swipe of her hoof at his narrow skull.
the stranger who had come to brecheliant, his voice lifted above the din. teya was pushed sharply back. her stare cut at once to the striking grey man, but he had come to her defense.
reyes caught her eye. teya watched the elk lunge for that pair, and flashed forward to cut its chest with her teeth. she was smaller than the three males who harried the animal, and used this as she would in the fen.
the eagle was heeded.
the elk struck in the next seconds for crowfeather, and germanicus lunged as teya did. her fangs snapped for the exposed front of the ruminant, and his own tore the shoulder.
the red wolf had already drawn blood. the coppery fragrance of it was fast filling the air.
"drive her into the water!" he ordered, his body a longshield in guardianship over the brecheliant leader as he leapt forward, snapping again with a reverberating snarl.
Reyes wasn't so keen on taking orders from a stranger, but seeing as the other wolf was on the side of Teya and protecting her as a bulwark between the elk and certain injury, he allowed himself to be redirected. The order came that the elk should be driven in to the water and at that point Reyes was in trouble; he could drive the prey, but once it entered deeper water he did not know how he would continue with the hunt.
There wasn't time to debate things. He moved to snap at more flesh or goad the creature in to striking for him, letting its path taper towards the deeper portions. If the elk knew what was happening Reyes had no idea — it left a small chasm in the mud that got deeper as it went, and large potholes from where its hooves descended through the murk that Reyes had to mindfully avoid.
When the water got to his ankle level he began to feel the stirrings of anxiety, which were not an aspect he could control within himself. He peeled away from his position and left an opening for another wolf to come and take up the work; seeking the solace of solid earth beneath his feet.