Peregrine sprawled at the caldera's rim, facing inward rather than outward for once, admiring the view of the lake. He looked like a black lion, the king of his pride, with his powerful legs stretched before him, his muscular haunches coiled and his regal head held upright. He surveyed his territory with a gleaming set of jade eyes, content with his lot.
Movement on the far side caught his eye and he looked sharply in that direction, ears pricking. He saw small shapes moving among the scree and, a bit further up the slope, the unmistakable shape of a wolf creeping. Rising slowly onto all fours, the Alpha male began to lope around the caldera's edge, dropping down when he found himself above the other creatures. He did so as quietly and unobtrusively as he could, not wanting to alarm either the wolf or the flock of birds.
"Hello," he murmured quietly when he stealthily slid down to flank his kindred. His eyes beheld the other male. While he was superior in years, Peregrine was superior in rank and adopted an appropriate pose, tail rising. This must be Amon; his mate had told him about the wolf who belonged to the unfamiliar voice that had joined their chorus the other day. "I'm Peregrine," he introduced, the inflection inviting Amon to formally introduce himself in turn.
Meanwhile, his dusky eyes shifted sideways and downward, toward where the turkeys roosted among the rocks. "Gobble, gobble, mother fuckers..." Peregrine said under his breath as his eyes bounced from one bird to the next, trying to select the choicest target.
Rolling a D10 to figure out how many turkeys escape: 6
Amon might have excelled in hunting if he were younger, or in any way smaller. It was difficult to hide the broad man among the stony landscape, even if the deep tone of his fur made him similar to an earthen shadow; he would never be properly suited for the position of a hunter. Perhaps in knowing this, Amon had sought out the Firebrand Guard in his youth - to learn how to use his massive body to the fullest extent. But such thoughts were vague upon his mind now. He wanted to catch something. The instinctual desire to grab one of those turkeys by their slender necks and toss them around - that was the thought which filled his mind to the brim.
Even that momentary morbidity was put on hold when a voice caught his attention. With a flick of his eyes he caught sight of the approaching wolf - a stark black creature that held a commanding presence, who lifted his tail and carried himself similar to Fox - and make the quick assumption that this was Peregrine. The boy introduced himself a heartbeat later, to which Amon gave a brief nod, and returned his attention to the turkeys.
With two wolves they would have much better chances. When startled a turkey could take flight, or in the case of the males, likely retaliate until the hens were safe and away. Amon didn't want one of the smaller birds. His eyes were locked upon a plump male who was prostrating himself before a small gathering of ladies, erecting a fan of colorful plumage to add to the effect.
For a moment Amon thought he heard Peregrine say something further - instructions, or something else low and too difficult for his stupid ears to hear. He turned his head and was preparing to question the dark boy... And the movement, subtle as it was, caught the attention of one ladybird. It called out sharply and jumped away from the boulders where the burdensome wolf was hiding.
And the rest of the birds were quick to mimic the frightened female. Holding back a curse, Amon bolted from his hiding place and began to give chase. Oh come on, really?!
It just wasn't fair.
Before he could settle on a victim, one of the smaller birds — presumably a female, based on the lack of impressive plumage — sent up a cry of alarm. Peregrine's eyes narrowed and he whipped his head toward the other wolf, wondering if he'd given them away. He was already on the move, though, fully revealing himself and leaping in the flock's direction. The dark Alpha male could hear the rising chorus of squawks and gobbles.
Peregrine didn't much like being on the heels of a largely unknown subordinate, so he made a point of racing ahead of him before focusing on the scattering birds. Recalling his previous foray among the Canadian geese and wondering if turkeys were anywhere near as aggressive, he simply lunged toward the closest bird, jaws snapping even as a flurry of feathers flew in his face.
11/4: Concluding since Amon's gone. :(
The next thing he knew, Peregrine was watching a standoff between his pack mate and one of the male turkeys. He could have gone after his own bird — there were enough to keep both wolves busy — but he found himself pausing to observe while the rest of the flock scattered. He knew little about this male, though right here was an opportunity to learn. The Alpha was especially interested in his hunting tactics.
In response to the subordinate's question, Peregrine quipped,
"I'm good. Not sure you will be, though. My money's on that ugly mother fucker." He tipped his muzzle toward the gobbling turkey, grinning slightly. It was a ridiculously hideous bird, yet those beaks and claws were no joke.
Amon proved that he could not be bested by some
turkey, however, and after a few tense minutes of violent sparring, the bird flopped to the earth and lay still, its body broken. Peregrine's tail twitched and he gave the subordinate a nod of approval before moving in closer, taking a seat, and taking the time to talk turkey hunting tactics and other such things with his pack mate.