Wolf RPG - gold-digger

i stumble and fall

1, 2, 3
After taking another deep breath the young girl continued to dig over the lush rug of dried leaves that covered the earth. Tiny specks of dirt had flown onto her back mixing with the vermilion hairs and the darker tips on her shoulders, she had smelled something under the immaculate mantle of the fresh fallen autumn carpet and she had not resisted the urge to seek it. She scooped up the leaves and dirt and flung it behind her each time sinking her paws deeper into the crunchy material.

She felt like a pirate looking for a treasure and wondered what might lie beneath the surface. She was getting tired of digging and though the idea of giving up was tempting she was pressed to continue by the growing odour of meat. Finally she reached her prize, a piece of meat the size of an appetizer laid in the bottom of her small hole. It had probably been stored there by a fox or another animal that planned to return to it later in the day. Well too bad, she thought as she fished it out with her claws and picked it up with her teeth.

She looked around before gulping down the snack, wondering if the legitimate owner of the treat was around cursing himself for hidding it so poorly. She swallowed it quickly and though it had had a good taste she licked her lips hungrily. Her stomach complained loudly when she stepped away from the emtpy hole in the ground as if begging Juno to find another meat-filled hole to sate her hunger. She knew it was highly unlikely to find another, it had been a lucky strike to find such a lousily buried snack, perhaps it belonged to a young fox that had not yet mastered the arts of concealment.

Juno continued to jog along the leaf covered soil, her coal black nose hovering above the ground in hopes to find a promising scent of prey.

I hope you don't mind Sumayl and me? :-) Maybe (only if you want too, of course!) we could turn it into a Gamekeeper thread?

Sumayl didn't leave the Sunspire Mountains and had no actual desire to go into the other regions of the Teekon Wilds. Wanderlust wasn't something that the Ostrega would have claimed to have, despite that he had left Takalv and Harlyn having decided that he needed to try the “out on his own” thing. After all, he had reached the age of sexual maturity and though he would be forever grateful for their foster parents and what they had done for him and his siblings but there came a time when it was time to leave the proverbial nest. Sumayl had reached that point and after saying his farewells he had departed with the knowledge that he would probably never return. As far as he was (currently) aware none of his siblings had yet to follow him — or perhaps he conceded that they had merely he had yet to stumble across them. The Teekon Wilds were fairly vast, after all. He hadn't even covered anywhere near half of the Wilds yet, though he wasn't quite the Outrider he had once fancied himself to be as a child. Sumayl wasn't a home body, per-say but once he found a place to call home, no matter how tentative it was, he tended to not stray too far unless he was told too. The aspiring Gamekeeper was only out and about to work on earning his trade.

Lithe body moved swiftly through the trees, across the terrain littered with the leaves that had turned colors and fallen to the earthen floor in autumn debris. They crunched under foot, releasing the familiar, spicy aroma of autumn, a distinctive scent from any of the other seasons. Sumayl had been followed the fragrance of poorly stashed meat, unable to help the guilty feeling pooling in his stomach like ice that, technically, raiding a cache made by another animal was cheating the system. Anyone could dig up a hastily and poor cache and steal the meat from inside it like a thief; but Sumayl excused that thought by assuring himself that when push came to shove the ones at the top of the food chain needed to ensure, at any measures, even if it meant stealing — and that he intended on actually hunting something. Golden gaze went to the female automatically, his steps ceasing, as Sumayl watched her gulp down the meat. Of course he wouldn't have been the only one to catch it's scent on the wind. “Shit,” The Ostrega hissed lowly, knowing that it wasn't like he could claim, falsely, that the meat stored there had been his — and even if he were too it didn't matter anyway. It was already down her gullet. The fact of it was she had beaten him to it and now he'd have to hunt something extra to make up for the loss of the free meat. For a moment Sumayl watched her as she kept going then, and struck with the idea that two were better than one when it came to hunting he leapt out of the cover of thick, tangled bushes he'd been watching from, and made to follow her calling out, “Hey, wait!” in the hopes of getting her attention to inquire his proposal.

don't mind you at all <3 hihi handsome!
& sure i'll help you get 'cha trade ;)

i stumble and fall

The girl's nose snorted and sniffed furiously as she trotted off.
Sadly for her -- and her empty stomach-- there were no more telltales of hidden prey. Once more her pink tongue swoshed out of her mouth and sweeped across her nose and lips, in a pityful attempt to re-taste the flavour of the already devoured snack.

Man, being a lone wolf was proving to be harder than she had ever thought. When she had first announced to her mother(s) that she would leave home to chase the setting sun, not only had it sounded more poetic --but much simpler. Since she had left, Juno could not properly remember the last time she had a decent (legally obtained) meal; let alone a goodnight's rest! Sure, the piles of dried leaves scattered around the forest were ideal playgrounds but they made lousy beds.

Suddenly, as she stopped to sniff a strange potato-shaped rock, the alarmed voice of a male crept from behind her. Juno spun around brusquely, her stomach issuing a low growl before she could even lay eyes on her persecutor. The first thought on the girl's mind was that she had been caught red-handed by the very owner of her breakfast.
"Dude, it's not my fault you suck at hiding food!" she barked defensively, preparing herself to take off before the male could continue what she thought to be a demand to get his meal back,"Finders keepers!", she yelled again, her legs preparing to propel her into a high speed chase for her own safety (something she had gotten accustomed over the past few days)

Awesome, thank you! :D

As the female paused in her steps, Sumayl did the same, ensuring that there was more than a good stretch of distance between them in the case that she ended up being hostile towards him. Sumayl hadn't ever had a female be hostile towards him before, but he acknowledged that there was a first time for everything and the fact that she had only just gulped down the scrape of meat he'd, too, been tracking down before he called out to her. It probably sounded like he was accusing her, though even if he'd been the owner of said scrap of meat it wasn't like he would want it back. She spun to face him, a growl rising from somewhere low in her body and penetrating the crisp autumn air between them. Sumayl's tail gave a low wag to communicate that he wasn't hostile. He was annoyed that she'd beaten him to his cheat but there was no sense on holding it against her. Besides, the truth of the fact likely was that she needed it much more desperately than he had. Sumayl was a skilled hunter and had been able to keep from surviving off of carcasses and scraps like some kind of scavenger. Not everyone, he guessed, was quite so ~~skilled~~ lucky. Her defensive words caused the Ostrega to let out a impertinent snort. He was a little insulted that she actually thought that poorly hidden and created cache had been his. “Please,” The proud male rolled his golden eyes at her. “It wasn't my cache. I just wanted what was inside it,” Just like she had.

She yelled at him something about “finders, keepers” and Sumayl wondered how old she truly was. She looked like an adult but she could have just hit her year mark. He wasn't sure and he wasn't overly skilled at telling age just by appearance alone, except when it came to the younger children, obviously. “I'm way past my regurgitated meat days, don't worry.” Sumayl drew with a chuckle rumbling in his throat, and thinking about those days, regardless of how fuzzy they were caused an ache to shoot through his heart. His biological parents had been killed when he and his siblings had been only three months old by the forest fire that had ravaged their home and it was a painful memory better left repressed. “I doubt that you found a decent amount of meat in it,” Actually he was surprised that she found anything at all given how easy it'd been for the both of them to catch onto it. “I was wondering if you'd be interested in hunting something with me and then we can split the bounty?” She would have a meal and he would be have something to take back to the caches of his home.

i stumble and fall

As soon a s the male began to wave his tail like a white flag, she allowed a surprised giggle to erupt from the deepest end of her chest. There was no need for him to demonstrate he didn't pose a threat for her. Even if her behaviour didn't help her look as old as she really was, she couldn't avoid being silly --it was encrypted in her DNA.
It was funny that he had mistaken her belly's deep grumble for a defensive growl.
She was not angry or even bothered by her appereance -- as long as he didn't expect to have the stolen meat returned, she didn't mind his company.

He tried to reason with her, answering to her previous remark by stating that he was not the real owner of the small snack, but that like her, he was also on the hunt for some food. This caused the girl to slump her shoulders in relief, at least she wasn't about to be kicked out of the mountains --yet. She was also glad he did not demand to be fed because of her presence, some pack wolves were rude like that.

"Food is food", she answered with a smile, accompanied by a shrug, though she agreed that living off scraps and left-overs wasn't exactly something to be proud of of, she didn't care. It wasn't her fault she could afford more honorable meals at the moment. Facing life completely solo had a high price -- though the liberty she recieved was not smething she could complain about.
Finally the man spoke something of interest -- a proposal for them to become allies in order to find more food. The girl blinked at him quietly, analyzing the pros and cons of his sudden plan. "Sounds fair.. what are ye craving?" she barked jovially, waving her tail from side to side. Juno for instance, would be static if they managed to take down a rabbit or a squirrel...

The girl gave a school girlish little giggle that to Sumayl held her surprise, as if she hadn't expected him to give her the universal sign of surrender in case she decided to attack him. Not that she appeared like she could too bad of damage to him, Sumayl would rather not chance it. While the Ostrega was confrontational he would never blatantly attack a female unless it was in self defense. Some exceptions needed to be made, of course. Sumayl couldn't imagine scavenging for food unless he was life or death desperate, which for all he knew she might have very well been. It was a nice surprise, finding out that she wasn't as hostile as he had first perceived her to be. Some lone wolves were pretty hostile, it was true, and in a way they had every right to be because they were on their own. Whether it had been their choice or the choice had been made for them they were not apart of the support group that pack life provided and had to fend for their-selves in any and every way that they could.

Sumayl waited, quietly, as she seemed to weigh his offer of teaming up to hunt, and he couldn't help but consider that she would have been a fool to turn down his offer. Especially when he was willing to pull most of the work, if necessary. He expected half of whatever they managed to catch, of course, a fair call in his mind, but still with two of them they could broaden their horizons and go for something much more grand, and appetizing, than a measly rabbit or squirrel both of which only served to be a tease to the Ostrega who had a stomach like a black hole and ate like a growing teenage boy ~~pregnant woman~~. He may not have been the tallest, or brawniest of wolves but he was still powerful and it took a lot of food to (realistically) fuel him and keep him healthy. He couldn't focus on a rumbling stomach after all.

“I've been tracking a herd of white-tail deer,” He'd been tracking many more herds than that but they were the closest and he already had a target in mind. “They have an elder who has a severe limp and that frequently has to lay and rest. One of the fawns usually stays with her but if we can manage to separate her from her herd I doubt she'd put up much of a fight.” Not with her limp and inability to go very far without having to rest and restore the small measure of energy she had used up. “The young buck that leads them will be too busy rutting with his harem of young females to pay us any attention.” Sumayl snickered slightly at the thought but it would no doubt work to their advantage.

i stumble and fall

Juno's deep blue eyes traced slowly the contour of his face as he laid out the game plan. Deer for dinner was like going to a five-star buffet;especially if you were a staving loner like Juno. It seemed he had it all frigidly measured, every step and turn they would make to get their meal, this both surprised and worried the rust girl, whose method was always to improvise.

It was not the best method, but it brought results which was all the female cared about. Besides how else would she be able to sharpen her acting skills? It had been the little back and forths lined with white lies what had brought Juno to develop her savy lying technique, which was by now already mastered..

After a few slient-filled seconds, the russet dressed girl took a step forth, her tail waving behind her in an enthusiastic manner. "Ah delightful choice" she barked with tiny smirk tugging at her lips,"Let's get 'em" she added then, with a less serious voice finally allowing her mouth to be curved by the smile she had been containing.

Feel free to powerplay Suma if you need to in your post. :-)

Rutting season was the best time, Sumayl thought, to attempt to thin out the herds for them because their Alpha Male, or whatever it was that the head buck could have been considered — thinking that his prey had language and the ability to cognitively think like he did disturbed Sumayl so he tended not to think of it on any sort of basis — given that unless one went for the buck himself or the female he was currently interested in impregnating at the time of the hunt it was easier, in the Ostrega's personal opinion, to take down the young, weak, and sickly. The buck was otherwise occupied and without him charging them down, trying to impale them with his antlers, or bash their heads in with his hooves. Those kind of injuries were usually not seen often but as a Hunter, Sumayl always knew it was a possibility. The consideration was particularly grim to always keep in the back of his mind but Sumayl hadn't forgotten what he had been taught, and the warnings that had been sent his way. Likely, that was the main reason why patience and careful planning was a virtue when it came to hunting. Rushing right into it was a good way to get yourself killed and since Sumayl had no interest in dying any time soon he would take his time with it.

His companion spoke of her approval of his choice, and enthusiastically announced that they should go get them. “Come,” Sumayl commanded, gesturing with a sharp jerk of his muzzle as he began in the direction of the deer herd, knowing that they were drawing closer by the soft bleats of the females as they grazed. Body crouched lower upon instinct as they reached the edge of the woods, using the foliage as coverage, he sent a silent look to her hoping that she followed in his steps. Peering stealthily over the thick foliage he studied the herd, golden gaze seeking out first the buck. Likely, the fawn guarding the elder would take off, spooked but it was the male they had to worry about, if he they didn't wait until he was efficiently distracted. Might as well use the deer's breeding season to their advantage.

There was a small group of fawns gathered around him and as he approached one of his fawns from the back Sumayl let out a small, breathless snicker before he turned his attention, then, towards the back end of the herd seeking the elder out knowing she would be a little bit away from the herd. Intuition proved correct as Sumayl eventually found her where she rested, golden gaze locking upon their prize. Just the thought of the succulent meat the venison would provide made Sumayl's mouth water though he had decided that most of the meat on his half — if they were successful — would go to the Sunspire's caches. “There,” Sumayl whispered to his partner-in-crime gesturing with his muzzle. “That is our prize.” He resumed walking then, so that he was closer to their target. The last thing they wanted was the currently otherwise occupied buck to realize they were there. “Get ready.” He breathed, as he hunkered down, ears slicking back to his head in 'predator mode' anticipating building inside his stomach like the pressure of a gun about to go off. “Go!” Sumayl hissed and shot out of the foliage in a powerful leap, like a bullet out of a gun watching as the elder and fawn jumped to their feet in terror and surprise. Jaws parted and snapped sharply closed as he rushed at her head on, hoping to get her to turn and run opposite of the herd.

The further away from the buck they got her, the better it would be for them.

i stumble and fall

Like a duckling following its mother Juno trailed behind the Ostrega with her tail waving slowly like a leaf in the wind. Not only would their plan -- given they succeeded-- would give her a full stomach but also a pointer for future reference. Though hunting alone was naturally tougher, she had managed to hunt solo before. .

As they advanced,the man's body fell into a crouch which Juno mimicked with ease, the sound of the grazing herd in the distance made her stomach growl again in response. She swallowed saliva and whipped her tongue out of her muzzle in an attempt to quiet her belly until they even got there. It would be stupid, let alone embarrassing to lose a hunt because of your own belly growls.

While the 'master-mind' made his calculations, the russet daredevil slipped to his side, her ears perking instantly as he whispered some last minute instructions. She laid eyes on the old buck and the fawn with him, then with a silent gesture comfirmed she was ready to go.

He slid a couple of steps further and then without further notice leaped out into the air, his jaws closing and opening in a mechanic manner. She entered the scene in a less discreet manner -- if there was such possible thing. As she sprung for her hiding place, she began snarling wildly at the fawn, her teeth flashed with every movement the frightened animal made. And though it made the poor creature a little more hesitant, it managed to steer it down the opposite road in the end.

Sorry about the wait on this! :o

It had been after her silent confirmation that she was ready for this, Sumayl had taken the first lunge. Sumayl didn't allow his attention to waver too much, intent on their prize, even as his russet companion flew out of the bushes that they'd used as their cover snarling wildly, likely at the companion of their prize. Sumayl wasn't too worried about her. It was their mating leader that had him most concerned, but figuring that he was pretty busy procreating Sumayl felt that they had a fairly good window to chase their prize further away from the herd. While Juno took care of the companion Sumayl herded their target in the direction that the Ostrega desired him to go, snapping at the deer's legs, narrowly avoiding wild kicks. Assuming that they were now a safe distance away the golden outlaw picked up his pace, not wanting to continue to linger so dangerously behind the creature's hooves as it bucked with the aim to make some sort of contact with him.

Propelling himself faster so that he was keeping pace with the creature's hindered gallop, likely feasible only because of the burst of adrenaline, but Sumayl knew that sooner or later it would fade and that the creature's bad leg would be hurting him ten times worse than it had been before hand from the excess use of it. Sumayl snapped at it's foreleg, teeth grazing flesh, feeling it slice open causing the creature to let out a pained, frightened noise. Already, it's pace was slowing, it's limp gradually returning.

Soon the kill would become ten times more easier for Sumayl and his fair companion.

ahhh sorry i suck and reply so later ;__;

i stumble and fall

Her teeth closed on empty air one time and then another giving an audible click! that sent vibrations up her skull every time she did so, she did it mostly for her own entretainment but also to assure the young doe would not try to play hero and disturb their plan to take down the old man. Once the animal turned and disappeared into a cloud of dust, Juno knew it was time to go get the fat prize.

With her hind legs propelling her into the air, the russet draped girl zoomed to his aid like a rocket, adrenaline and hunger fueling her muscles to stretch a little further. The elk bucked his feet in the air, stabbing the air close to the male's face and threatenig to flatten her snout if she got too close. She quickly fell to the opposite side of the buck, her penetrating blue eyes hung on on the critter's meaty rump.
Oh, the things she'd do to get her teeth on that, mmm, she thought as she watched the buck fumble when her partner in crime got ahold of one of his heels.

That was her cue. With a quick slap of her tongue over her nose, she prepared to launch herself into action. Though the unourished female's legs screamed for a 5 second rest, she pushed herself of the ground and into the air like a graceful ballerina, only to land squarely on the buck's back, her jaws meeting the soft flesh of his rear end and saliva moistening what would soon be Juno's dinner. She held n for as long as she could, considering her life depended on it -- literally. Now the buck's pace had slowed to a pity limp, it was the man's chance to do the honors and give the crippled meat-slob a quick endidng.

Sumayl's companion had managed to get their prize to slow to a pitiful limp, though they had been wearing it down together. Sumayl let out a hefty pant, quick despite it's heaviness, his blood singing with the adrenaline and the thrill of the hunt as his pace slowed, knowing that he did not need to continue to exert himself. It was his turn now, to move in for the kill so they could divvy up their share and enjoy eating like royalty, though most of Sumayl's part would end up going to The Sunspire's caches. Even so, he wasn't about to pass up something of a delicacy as the winter months progressed. Even a few bites would be sating enough for the time being. With a swiftness attributed to his coyote heritage the Ostrega lunged for their prey's throat, teeth finding easy purchase once it toppled over with a pitiful cry that was cut short to a gurgled noise of protest before it ceased to move all together. Sumayl jerked his head back violently, warm blood rushing over his muzzle as he ended it's life and put the ultimate claim upon their prize, a low growl of satisfaction rising in his chest. Certain that it was dead, he released his hold upon it and took a few steps back, head whipping in the direction of the herd. The sounds of a rutting male could no longer be heard, likely their attack having ended his conquest too soon. Ears cupped forth, listening for the sound of approach hoof falls though it was, for the most part, silent. Or as silent as the world could be.

If the herd was wise they had taken off in the opposite direction. After all, there wasn't anything they could do for their fallen. He was food for the wolves. Literally. “I suspect you'll dine like a Queen tonight,” Sumayl told her with a cheeky little grin, which probably looked a bit morbid stained as it was with blood. Sumayl had been right at least: they both would benefit from this catch. “Ladies get first choice of which half they want,” Sumayl told her, gesturing with his muzzle for her to claim the bits and pieces she wanted of it. Only after she had taken her fill, would he claim the bits he wanted to dine upon himself and the pieces he wanted to take back to The Sunspire. All in all, a good haul, he thought, even though he had to share it; but as far as he was concerned if not for her assistance he wouldn't have anything, and considering that he had to work extra hard to prove his worth, especially given his frequent fights with Jace (who was also the Beta, oops) coming back empty handed wasn't exactly something Sumayl deigned to do.

i stumble and fall

It didn't take long for gravity and the lack of equilibrium to take its toll on the buck-riding female. Though she was spared from a mighty kick from the dying buck she could not help but to slide off his back and fall onto the ground with a heavy thump, but even then Juno was quick to get back on her paws, the sweet taste of blood and the hunger in her belly pushing her to get back on the horse -- or the buck in this case.

With her tongue hanging limply from her mouth Juno crouched down and began creeping her way down the side of the buck, searching for a place to strike again while Sumayl prepared to give the final blow. She decided to nip at the creatures heels as he extinguished the life that was left inside the old animal. Then as it collapsed into the ground -- sounding a little like Juno when she had fallen -- the female looked up to the light-coloured wolf, her baby blue eyes seraching to make contact with his own.

He was the one that had came up with the plan, and though Juno was way too prideful to lay all the credit upon his shoulders, she greeted him with a toothy grin and a gentle wag of her tail. "More like a bear!" she barked with a jovial tone, she was not much of a girly-girl and she had never believed in fairytales with Queens and Kings; anyways she assumed that by being so fancy and distinguished they didn't eat much.. Bears on the other hand, could make a buffet out of anything.
"Oooh I'd love me some liver and a juicy thigh" she decided while letting her gaze linger on the buck's motionless body and the meaty flesh that waited for her. "You can have the heart" she then added while raising her eyes to meet his face, usually the heart was saved for the eldest member or for the most frail, but today she thought it should be awarded to him for being the one who made he kill.

Sumayl's attention had not been on his companion during the chase and the final moments of their hunt and so he had missed the fact that she had fallen, and so did not think to ask her when the deed had finally been accomplished. As Sumayl focused his golden gaze on his companion as he attempted to clean his morbid looking muzzle free of blood she seemed to be seeking his gaze for their eyes met and for a moment the Ostrega held it before he looked down at the kill, letting out a large, heavy breath. It had been exhilarating and thrilling, but now as the adrenaline began to burn out of his veins he felt the weight of the physical exertion. It was a good feeling, if not making him a little tired. He still had to take what he wanted back to The Sunspire and bury it in some of the caches before he could think about a nap. Which the consideration that he needed one made him feel old. “Or that too,” Sumayl murmured in agreement to her correction. Frankly, she could use whatever metaphor she wished too.

She 'gifted' him with the heart, and Sumayl nodded deciding that he might as well eat that while he was there and take a leg back to the pack. “Then I'll take a leg back to the pack and let the scavengers have the rest, or you could take it,” Because, if Sumayl was being frank, she looked like she needed the bulk of it much more than he did. Having assumed that they had rationed out what they wanted with each other, he moved so that he was facing where he would find the heart and began to tear into the deer's flesh, tearing through sinew and when he reached bone began breaking through them, careful not to injure the innards that he was searching for. He was only interested currently in the heart and discarded the flesh of the rib-cage as he tore through it, though she was more than welcome to it if she wanted it at a later date. He wasn't overly hungry, but Sumayl wasn't one to stare a gift horse in the mouth.

sorry for putting this off ;o; wrapping up in this post - hope juno and him cross paths again<3

i stumble and fall

Without further ado, the russet female lowerered herself to the floor, taking her claimed thigh between her jaws. She could hear him panting while she nibbled at the tender skin, but she didn't bother to take her eyes off the kill, except when he declared that he would not be taking all of it. "Oh well, then I'll be happy to" she barked while smacking her blood-covered lips at him.

Though in the back of her mind she knew he was trying to be generous given her obvious malnourishment, she did not want to act as his charity case. Again, she dove into the meaty thigh clutched under her paws, right now she wanted nothing but to fill her stomach until the point it hurt.

Her eyes, however, fluttered back in his direction ocassionally as he continued to tear through the animal's chest in search of the heart. She wondered when their goodbye would arrive. Having another living beside you was not something a lone wolf would take for granted, and though they had never even exchanged names Juno was already hoping they'll go for round two another time.
She hoped they would.
But for now she only hoped her belly wound not explode before after tonight, because as he said, she would dine as a Queen.
A fat Bear Queen getting prepped for winter.