Herbalists' Cache LXV

optional pack hunt! timeline flexible, set sometime after the pack meeting <3 @Redd @New Snow @Mulherin @Saturdays Sunrise @Redsky @Carrion @Roamer @Moon Runner @Sylvan

the caribou were coming down from the mountains, starved after a diet of needles and tough grass. their hunger made them careless as they poured by hundreds into the passes, the clefts, the rises, and the valleys, consuming all before them like grunting locusts.

their cows were pregnant, in varying degrees, but not yet ready for birth, not until true spring had come and true warmth had returned. they ate with desperation, hardly looking up.

the aspiration of the ulfhedinn was for two caribou. it was ambitious, but two kills would feed the pack until after new snow had given birth, if he had considered the time correctly. 

and today he would be looking for a potential apprentice of his own.

breath steamed as the great wolf stopped, testing the air. the caribou were eating their way through a forest rich in undergrowth and early spring shoots. he licked his nose. all of them had antlers, which made each one dangerous, but few of them paid attention as they were watched.

mountain boulder waited, eyes narrowed toward their grazing forms as they dipped in and out of shadow.

A sea of caribou washed over the taiga. The Rise was hospitable to them, sure, but the valleys were infinitely more lush. They gathered here like flies to honey.

The yearling slinks among the fringes of herd, who pay little care, but hastily scurry away from him. 

He espies a hulking white form in the distance and trots his way.

Mulherin greets the huntlead with comradery; offering a bump to the shoulder and tail wagging. Always eager to help.

Wealda was there.

Ulfhedinn prepared the hunt, so she waited, reclined and watching the herd from the shade.

She would rise when she saw they were ready, but for now, she watched their motions.  Some of the herd circled those who would be slow, others grazed, and still others wandered.  This would be a formidable task, but the herd was loosely gathered.  She was prepared.  Their hunters would be far more focused.

flame stalker would be on the scene soon enough, eyes traveling to the ride members as she remains on the outer edges and lets her pale eyes watch the flow of the herd. the caribou eat with vigor, and she could see the distended bellies of the pregnant cow, and the antlers worn by each member of the herd. sunrise felt an inkling of caution as she would come by to shadow, clicking her teeth to him quietly to let him know she was there beside him, as she catches the eye of the other leaders.

she'd remain in silence, waiting for the right moment to strike as instructed.

three came.

it would be enough for one caribou, he decided, and one was truly all they needed for now. he could hunt again.

wealda arrived. night eye was there. flame stalker had come.

seeing his daughter caused a low rumble in the ulfhedinn's throat. today she would learn the mighty snap and yank that was his to do each hunt.

a lamed cow, older than the rest, straggled behind. mountain boulder tensed only long enough to indicate her as their target before he was launching himself at the rest, driving them off and away from the cow in a wide, galloping sea of bodies.

The two were joined by their Wealda. He wondered if more would come when—

A click by his ear; it was Flame Stalker. He greeted her with a bump of his head against her shoulder.

They had little time to socialize, though. When the huntlead took off, and he sprinted in tow.

Quickly, he realizes their strategy. To separate, to isolate their cow. The yearling lags behind Mountain Boulder, warding off the caribou from behind.

They were a small party but they were enough.  The hunt lead’s keen eye chose a target and Wealda watched him for direction, deferring to his decisions in this arena.  

He and Mulherin would drive the others apart.  Redd, for her part, snapped at the heels of the one they had chosen to drive it further in a panic from the rest.  She did not seek to draw blood yet; it would be premature to attack alone.  She only frightened it with the glint and snap of fangs.

she can see that damaged cow, how she struggles to keep up. her father picks a primary target, and she can see how shadow seconds his approach and strategy, and how the red woman sends the others into a flurry of panic so that they might keep the cow separated.

she'd follow her wealda, though she remains wary to make a move too bold, as she remembers what had happened last time she tried to remain helpful. snapping jaws meant to scare, and when sunrise deemed that the herd truly was sent on their way, she'd pull back to turn her attention on the cow, watching how she looks for openings and yet can't find them in a sea of wolves with hungry eyes upon her flesh.

sunrise moves and regroups, moving and slinking despite a heavier frame that mirrors her father, remaining steadfast and ready to follow the lead of her 3 leaders.

no posting order! feel free to PP prey <3

night eye followed. blood star snapped. flame stalker paced.

his daughter took up her own place in the hunt and mountain boulder was proud.

when the animals wavered around the wolves, their lines stretching away from the quarry, he turned back, chuffing to night eye beneath the din of hooves.

they rejoined the others, and began to drive the cow on.

two wolves at the shoulders, two at each flank, relaying on either side as strength flagged and was renewed. the chase would not be long, for her leg had been torn and not healed well.

but in this time she would be dangerous. mountain boulder bounded at her right foreleg, guiding her sharply into the teeth of the others as he waited for the moment to leap and grab, waited for flame stalker to witness this as well.

They ran.  They chased.

The herd moved on and left theirs for lost.  The cow they chased bellowed its desperate defiance, but nature had its way.  The value of pack wasn’t only for the wolf.

Wealda felt this even as she lunged, tearing at side and hindquarters, avoiding the errant kicks that were aimed her way.  It knew its fate and still it fought.  With each hunt her respect for this grew.

When she was given an opening by another hunter drawing attention, Wealda leapt and closed her jaws around the left foreleg.  She was shaken off before she could crack bone, but as she released with a clip of antler to shoulder, she could see its speed flagging even more.  It would stumble soon.

The huntlead goes for the left,

Redd goes for the right, her blow glances; the cow bursts forth once more. Her speed is adrenaline driven, though. The boy can see her fatigue in the looseness of her gait. This chase is taking every ounce of her energy. 

His ears are filled with the drum of hooves and the thundering of his own heartbeat.

Rushing alongside the Wealda, he dives for the left foreleg once more.

His grip is temporary; depending on whether another hunter can use the opportunity to trip her from the opposing side.

wealda stepped hard to wound.

berserkr closed teeth to bone.

ulfhedinn leapt to close massive jaws around straining snout, bearing down as his yellow eyes blazed in this teachable moment for flame stalker.

one day her power would put her in his position.

the animal buckled, colliding into the ground with bone-breaking force; he leapt free to snap for lowing throat, leaving the jugular open for another to rip.

The throat was open.  Ulfhedinn hung, his weight offering opportunity.  Redd did not often take the kill;  Wealda did not hesitate.

She added her fangs to tear, latching on and pulling the cow further to its knees.  The last bellow was left caught in its lungs as she refused to loosen hold, depriving it of air as its life blood ran rivulets down her chest.

It was too clumsy in its death throes to shake them.  The hunt was finished as the others came to claim their meal.  She could have left off, knowing this, but instead Wealda maintained her grip until she felt the pulse die between her teeth, growling with quiet anticipation until all danger was gone. She would not forget.