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+--- Thread: Phoenix Maplewood i hear the horses' thunder (/showthread.php?tid=28953)
i hear the horses' thunder - Shale - August 07, 2018
The time for half-measures had come and gone--but Shale had never been one for those, anyway.
He was ragged as he'd ever been, a thin pale shadow of his former self as he slipped through the trees. Had he ever felt this alive before, though? He was a father and a mate. His children were healthy, his lover well-fed. So what if his bones held little meat? They were alive and whole. That was all that mattered to him.
His nose tracked fairly low to the ground as he followed the deer trail, hot on the heels of a young buck. Something had gotten to it--there were droplets of blood, left in its wake--but what, he did not know. Cause for concern, either way, if the deer called these woods home. That meant that something else, lupine or otherwise, was hunting here. He hoped it was a Morningsider.
His cloudy fur bristled at the thought of trespassers here, and he increased his speed to a quick trot, wind whistling past his ears. Though in better times he could take down the buck by himself, in his condition he needed assistance. The realization pained him slightly, but no longer would he ignore reality for the sake of pride. He had kids to feed.
Without stopping, without slowing, he tipped his head back to let out a howl for any wolf close to hear. The hunt was on, and they would feast before today's sun descended beneath the horizon.
RE: i hear the horses' thunder - Loir - August 07, 2018
Time had passed since Dawn had gotten injured by that white wolf, Loir was starting to feel better, and she had also recently become a full member of the pack, able to interact with pups. It seemed she had reached a full rank very quickly, as she apparently managed to earn the approval of those of high authority she met. Loir decided to explore Phoenix Maplewood to maybe hunt or find things. However, a howl had then caught Loir's attention.
Loir bounded over to try and find the source of the howl, looking around. She eventually noticed a male in the distance and he smelled of Morningside, so he wasn't a stranger in her opinion.
RE: i hear the horses' thunder - Shale - August 12, 2018
Pawsteps caught his ear, and he slowed down, glancing around until he found the silver female approaching him. He pulled to a complete halt, panting slightly but giving her a brief nod and a smile. His nose bent to the ground, and he inhaled deeply. Painting her a picture of the task they were to undergo today.
"Deer," he said, though she likely already knew this. "It's wounded--don't know by what. But it's bleeding everywhere, and slowing down. Should be an easy kill." He rolled his shoulders, preparing for the chase ahead. "I'm Shale, by the way. You must be one of the newer wolves here."
He'd almost introduced himself as Grayday's brother, and had to all but bite his tongue to quit the impulse. She hadn't known Grayday. It didn't matter, anymore. A pit of ice formed in his stomach; he swallowed, trying to ignore it.
RE: i hear the horses' thunder - Loir - August 12, 2018
Loir nodded as the wolf called Shale went on explaining his plan. It sounded like a good plan, but she couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the deer. At least she and Shale would be doing the deer a favor by killing it. "My name's Loir, and yea, I'm new here. I joined nearly a month ago or so." Loir explained, and she looked at the deer. "At least we'll be doing it an act of mercy." Hunger did rip at her pelt, but Loir knew she needed to get food for the pack. She thought it was great thing prey existed to help bless everyone with food in their stomachs.
Loir began to slowly stalk towards the deer, prepared to kill it, but she felt like Shale should probably give her the okay to kill it. However, she then looked at Shale and noticed he looked...worried. "Are you alright Shale?" Loir then asked, concerned.
RE: i hear the horses' thunder - Shale - August 12, 2018
It took a long moment for her query to register; when it did, he nodded quickly, smiling. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, the friendly expression over his muzzle not quite reaching his eyes, which were still a troubled shade of copper. "Let's go, then. Forest ain't so big--we should be able to catch the buck by nightfall."
He looked toward the path ahead, then back at Loir. "With only two of us, we'll have to think on our feet. No real set roles. Just keep worrying at him until he gets tired and goes down." Shale flicked his tail once, then trotted off, nodding for her to follow. The grayscale male continued his pursuit, looking for clues along the trail.
RE: i hear the horses' thunder - Loir - August 12, 2018
Loir felt relieved that Shale was fine, and then he continued to talk, saying the forest wasn't so big, and by nightfall the deer would possibly be able to be killed. Nodding, the grey-and-black female followed after him.
Loir would be looking around here and there to make sure there were no signs of trouble or anything. She nodded as Shale explained his plan, taking in his words and making mental notes. Yea, we're going to need to think on our feet. Loir thought, and then suddenly she paused abruptly, smelling the air. "I smell blood." She said. "And deer. Judging by the scent, the deer is wounded." Loir began looking at the trail, hoping to maybe find any potential more clues.
RE: i hear the horses' thunder - Shale - August 12, 2018
He felt rather than saw her halt, and pulled to a stop himself, eyebrows narrowing with concern. "What--" he began, cocking his head in puzzlement when she went on to explain. . .well, what he had already explained to her. "Uh, yeah, like I explained earlier," he said, a little awkwardly. Had she been paying attention? "Come on, let's go. It can't have gone far."
Looking a bit dubious, Shale continued on, testing the air with each inhale. They should be getting closer. The man had been in pursuit for some minutes when Loir had arrived, and although that gave the deer time to move away, it surely was moving slower than a (somewhat) healthy wolf. With the much fitter Loir on his side, the deer didn't stand a chance.
RE: i hear the horses' thunder - Loir - August 13, 2018
Loir looked a bit embarrassed at Shale's reply. "I forgot. My mind tends to be forgetful sometimes." She quickly apologized, blinking sheepishly. Damnit Loir! She told herself. Start focusing or remembering, not forgetting! She felt relieved when the deer had probably not gone too far.
Loir kept looking around here and there, trying to tell if the deer was around somewhere, looking for clues. She then blinked a few times when she noticed some "hoof prints", and looked at Shale. "I found hoof prints here, they may lead to where the deer is." Loir explained, a bit of excitement in her gaze. Maybe this could help!
RE: i hear the horses' thunder - Shale - August 18, 2018
He gave a curt nod to her, understanding--or at least making a good show of it. After all, hadn't he been a little more forgetful as of late? Lack of food tended to do that to a mind. He would grow sharp again, with time, but it was an effort to keep on his toes, a struggle he'd only experienced once before. Hopefully, this time would have a better ending.
A small smile bloomed over his face as she discovered the hoofprints, and he offered a mirror of his previous gesture in affirmation. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure those are the tracks I've been following," he said, nostrils flaring. Same scent, same blood. "Let's follow them and see where they go. Maybe the deer's made it to open ground, by the pond or something."
The pond. It would always remind him of Murdock, of their reunion, hunting deer in these woods. When both his brothers had still lived. Shale's heart beat hard against his chest at the thought, but he shook off the emotion, trying to stay on task. Flicking his tail at Loir, signaling for her to follow, he trotted into the trees, eyes narrowed as he searched for tracks.
Finally, they slipped through the brush and sure enough, the deer was near the pond, close to a couple others from the herd. They drank quietly, not suspecting anything amiss--for now. Shale flashed a grin at his hunting partner. "See him?" he whispered, pointing his muzzle to the target, clearly resting its weight on three legs, the fourth, injured limb cocked slightly above the ground.
RE: i hear the horses' thunder - Loir - August 18, 2018
It was great to see that Shale had apparently understood what Loir had said, and she had been worried at first that he would be mad, but he wasn't. What was even better was how she had been correct about the hoof prints, and it had the same scent of the injured deer, and the same blood. She nodded at Shale's signal and began to follow him to where the injured deer could be.
Eventually, the two came across a herd, all of the deer looking casual and not suspecting anything. Then, there was the injured deer. "Yea." She whispered back when Shale had whispered to her. "We'll be lucky if the other deer don't notice us."
RE: i hear the horses' thunder - Shale - August 19, 2018
Shale shrugged, looking back at the small group of ungulates. "If they do, they'll run," he whispered. "The injured male will run, too, but he won't be as quick. We should be able to catch him, if they get startled." His mouth twitched with deep concentration as he began to formulate a plan, going through each step in his head. The hunter didn't want to exert more energy than he had to.
Finally, after several beats of silence, he turned to Loir again. "You approach from the left, I'll approach from the right," he decided, nodding toward the path she should take. "Stay hidden in the brush; don't go too near the pond. The buck's on the edge of the group; there's a good chance I'll scare the others, so if they run your way, try to stop him from going too far."
He fixed her with a gimlet stare. "Stay clear of his hooves and antlers," Shale warned, voice a little stern. "Don't take unneccessary risks; don't try to be a hero. We need healthy hunters, and he can still do damage, even injured. I'll be right behind him, and we'll try to take him down together." He took a deep breath, ribs rising and slowly falling as he prepared himself. "Ready?"
_____________________________________________________________________
It was not their day. Even injured, the deer made a formidable opponent, and after a chase, the creature got away. Cursing, Shale ducked his head, angry with himself and with the bad luck. After he'd calmed down, he gave Loir a few brief words then stalked away, heading elsewhere to stew over this defeat.
archiving bc Loir is PPC -- rolled a failure in Tabletop