Moonspear no, we don't hide when it rains now

Seal appeared to have made a full recovery tout suite, but her old man was still on the mend. He walked with a stiff limp. That was the problem with aging… everything seemed to happen slowly. Except time. Time just kept speeding up.

But now was no time to be invalid. Responsibility weighed on the Moonspear Elder. They had two new mouths to feed. Sialuk, especially, worked overtime in the wake of grief.

Njord decided to summon others for a pack hunt and called out to @Orca II, Seal, @Meerkat, @Alaric, @Tullik, @Argent, and their new member @Slaney. It would be the first time his daughters joined a group hunt, but at half a year old there was no better moment to learn. Though he wouldn’t be able to take point, perhaps another would step up and lead.

He caught the trail of a few whitetail does in the southwestern corner of the land and waited for others to gather.

There was a bear man and two little ones among their fold. An air of unease and grief left in the wake of a birth and death. It always seemed more painful when it was a mother or a child or both. 

 But healer mind knew sometimes it happened there were no easy answers. He had heard the keening wails and songs from a distance. Their haunting melody setting his fur on edge and his heart painful.

So knowing this was a time of joining. A time when their pack was needed most. He heeded the call of Njord quickly.

A dip of his head, green eyed gaze sharp and watchful in obsidian face.

A literal black cloud hung over Moonspear, though it would clear in a few hours, unlike the metaphorical one. Njord and Seal were on the mend, that was true, but the entire village mourned alongside Rodyn and his motherless sons. And Phox had gone to be with Towhee, taking the last of Meerkat’s closest natal relatives away from the mount.

Meerkat loathed to leave her husband and daughter for any amount of time but she needed some time away to clear her head, just a few hours to herself to process her feelings. She left in the morning and promised she would return no later than this evening, only deciding on her destination after her sandy paws carried her down the mountainside. The sky cleared as she traveled westward.

Their scents were faded. It was the first thing she noticed. Meerkat’s heart sank a little more as she stood at the edge of the copse and reflected on the day she and Njord had decided to claim it as theirs. The very next day, the wildcat had torn apart their lives. She took a breath, enjoying the sweet odor of freshly fallen leaves as she began plodding deeper into the sunlit spinney.

By the time her husband’s voice rose in the distance several hours later, Meerkat felt restored. She took a final breath of the sweet air in the copse, then hastened back home to the mount. She tried to count her footsteps between one place and the other, though she lost count in her rush to heed Njord’s summons.

She was quite tired by the time she reached the mountainside. Meerkat paused to catch her breath and howl a quick message to her mate: “I’m coming! But don’t wait on me!” She loathed to miss any part of it, though she couldn’t bring herself to regret having taken the time to herself. Meerkat began moving again, eager to get there as soon as possible.

Recycled and reworked a post, hence the novel. :)

Seal heard Da’s call and quickly arrived, just after Alaric.

“Hi Alaric!” she greeted with a friendly head bump. Then, she faced her father.

The young girl was excited, but nervous, about this new chapter in her life. No longer a pup, Seal was solidly in her juvenile phase and eager to contribute to the pack’s success.

The old man, now known to Slaney as Njord, called him forth today. Emerging from his makeshift den — ulaq, was the word for them — and stretching his rawboned limbs in a bow, he ushers himself southwest through the path Sialuk had taught him.
Upon arrival, there appeared two others he had yet to meet officially, and the call of another not far away. His lip curls into a polite smile, eyes flickering from the tall soot-pelted man to the young dappled girl. They greet each other, and Slaney instead drifts to the back of the gathering; watching, waiting, eager.

Alaric, Seal, and Slaney joined while Meerkat announced her arrival. It would be a good group of hunters and, if nothing else, Njord felt his daughter would learn from this experience.

His sapphire gaze passed over each wolf and assessed their condition before it fell upon Moonspear’s newest recruit. Slaney was a thinly made man in his prime with silver furs, reminiscent of Argent’s coloring. Their expression was open and attentive. Njord felt that he was the most promising addition Moonspear had seen in a while and was eager to watch him hunt.

“Ah thank ye for heedin’ my call,” Njord told them in his token Scottish burr. “If ye hardnae heard, a great sorrow ‘as befallen Moontide.” His countenance became solemn. “Tha lead female, Sialuk’s sister, passed away in childbirth. Rodyn, her husband, an their two wee bairns ‘av joined Moonspear for a time.” His chin dipped, as if paying respect.

“Acrux an’ Maggak grow bigger by tha day,” Njord smiled with new hope. “As do Rolayne an’ Panuk. Sialuk, Elentari, an’ Argent are givin’ em all of themselves. Tis’ a time tae heal. Tae take care of our kin. Let us hunt for them, eh? For Moonspear an’ Moontide.”

Then, Njord took a few steps toward ungulate tracks in the loam. “Whitetailed deer,” he explained. “A small herd of does ah’ve kept tabs on for sometime. They’re no far from here.”

“Alaric,” he turned towards the dark man, his dearest friend in Moonspear. “Ah’d like ye tae lead this hunt. There’s no better wolf for it.” This, Njord knew in his heart to be true - Alaric was one of Moonspear’s most capable. “Slaney, ye shall be Alaric’s marksman. Follow his lead and dinnae hesitate to draw blood. Seal, Meerkat, an’ I will take the flanks… tha deer shall no escape today,” he added confidently.

“Let’s rendezvous with Meerkat, an’ then set off. Ready?” Njord asked and checked the party. Then, if all were prepared, Njord would motion for Alaric to lead the way.

Body of dark obsidian maneuvered quickly into hunter's stance. A small nod of thanks and appre iation to Njord for the honor of lead. Brown tipped ears twitched and he headed first towards where Meerkat would be and then further afield.

Green eyes assessed the herd. All seemed healthy and no nursing mothers save a few. He checked and eyes fell on probably middle aged doe. Having birthed a few in her time. She was a little more hefty and less agile. She would make fine meal. 

He triple checked she was merely large and not pregnant and when he was sure with healers glance it was to be so. There was no pregnancy.

He began to stalk trusting everyone to go where they were needed.

In her tired haste, Meerkat didn’t pay enough attention to where she was stepping and stumbled over the root of a lodgepole pine. She attempted to avoid falling on her face by thrusting out her left foreleg to catch her weight, unfortunately at a strange angle. It all happened very quickly and she recovered without taking a spill, though Meerkat hissed in sharply when she realized she’d twisted her left ankle.

She stood still and raised it off the ground to gently rotate it. It hurt, though not too badly. Meerkat supposed it would feel better in a few days, if she didn’t push it. But of course, that meant she wouldn’t be able to hunt. Grimacing, the Councilor decided to continue toward the rendezvous, even if she would only be able to sit on the sidelines.

Not wishing to delay the hunters, she called out again. “Don’t wait on me!” Meerkat just hoped enough of them had gathered that they could still hunt without her. Wincing, she hopped as fast as she could.

Seal’s tail wagged when Moonspear’s newest addition, Slaney, joined the fold. Then, her body became still as she listened to her Da’s preamble. She liked the idea of providing for the new children in the pack to help them grow strong… stepping up in a time of need.

However, she wasn’t too confident in her own hunting abilities. Her heart raced as Njord began to assign tasks. She was relieved when he said she would be sticking with him and Meerkat at the flanks. A sheepish smile and flat ears said I’ll do my best.

Then, Seal fell into line with the others when Alaric took the point position.

However, it seemed her Ma’am would not join up today. A flash of worry crossed Seal’s face as the troupe continued on, one hunter short.

She stuck to her Da like glue when the herd came into sight. Seal did her best to tap into all of her past lessons. Stay low. Move slowly. Don’t spring the trap, she chanted silently to herself as she followed Njord towards the outer rim to cut off their prey’s escape.

The strangely accented man — Njord — rustles a speech for the gathering crowd. Many names he did not know, and yet he felt the wash of somber hues all the same. The triad was in great need—!
And so he hears his name and gives a curt nod, padding to flank the tall shadow-woven fellow Alaric. Nostrils flared, tail slinking into a low flag, wispy figure moving along the brush in a low, quick stalk. His eyes follow the one weary with age; slower, fatter. Alaric seemed to have noticed her just as well.
Eagerly does he wait for their time to ambush.

Njord, too, couldn’t help but feel concern for Meerkat. She could have reconvened by now but, instead, a call communicated her delay. The Father passed Seal an encouraging smile. “Ah’m sure ye Ma’am is alright,” he said. However, one ear flicked, troubled.

The troupe continued on and followed Alaric’s lead.

They settled into their positions as the pack assessed the herd. Even at a distance, Njord could trace Alaric’s gaze to to doe. Their target was set.

“See Alaric’s eyes? Follow ‘em,” he instructed Seal. “Our target… there…” Njord leaned forward to point out the deer with his nose. “Alaric’s chosen. She’s an older doe, slower than the rest. A good pick to cull,” the father explained. “With me, now.”

He led Seal ‘round the side of the herd and into position.

“Now, we wait for Alaric an’ Slaney tae make their moves.”

Green eyew cut to Slaney and a small dip of head and come get me grin and he wass off. Sneaking and then running to catch the creature. A small laugh leaving his chest at the sheer joy of it.

He would cut his figure to keep pwce with Slaney and work in tandem as best he could. Not for the first time thanking his speed.

Skipping Meerkat with permission

Seal pocketed every nugget of wisdom Njord offered. She watched the brown tip of Alaric’s ears. The cant of his muzzle. Her gaze searched for the doe father mentioned. There - she saw it.

To Seal, it looked like every other doe. In fact, they nearly all looked identical.

It would take some time for her hunting acuity to develop.

Suddenly, the trap was sprung and the hunt was on. Seal followed her father in a wide arc as they moved to shepherd the doe in an advantageous direction for the other hunters.

By the time Meerkat came upon the scene, the hunt was underway. Rather than try to throw herself into the mix—especially with her throbbing paw—she climbed to an outcropping that overlooked the hunting grounds. Her eyes immediately went to her husband and daughter, though she was relieved to see that two others were there to help them. She only recognized Alaric, though at least her absence wouldn’t impact their odds too terribly.

Still, she felt slightly guilty as she glanced down at her paw. Stupid, Meerkat thought to herself, shaking her head before redirecting her attention to the hunt unfolding below. This was Seal’s first and her mother didn’t want to miss a moment of it. Minding her ankle, she folded down to watch. And should they succeed, she would join them afterward to congratulate her loved ones and perhaps get a bite to eat.

This can serve as my last post here so she and I don’t hold up anything! :)

Alaric makes his move and along goes Slaney with him, splintering to meet the other side of the elder doe. A gnash of his teeth to the flank, a heel; heart pounding, blood hot, his teeth catch upon sinew and he holds for all of a heartbeat before a hoof aims for his lower jaw.
Grumbling to himself, he pauses only briefly to regroup, bicolored eyes darkened with a surge of determination. All they needed was a stumble or another slip-up.

All four wolves sped after the mature doe.

Njord’s keen gaze watched the dueling wolves close in on their target. Alaric on the far side. Then, a flash of Slaney’s teeth draws the elder’s eye. His ear perk, hopeful, but the deer bucks and liberates itself from the man’s grip.

Though Njord’s injuries had whittled his strength and speed, he held the flank with Seal.

He turned to his daughter. “Hold this line, mo nighean,” the father instructed. Then, he peeled away and mustered a small burst of speed. Pain rankled his knee, his hip, but the Elder grit his teeth through the sharp ache.

He intercepted the doe with a snap of his teeth, growling and slavering. He was not in a position to attack, but Njord’s goal was not to draw blood. No - it was to distract the creature and force it to change direction. A window of opportunity for the other two hunters to pounce.

Alaric saw the small mistep, but this was okay. He could work with it. Using the speed and endurance he had huilt as a young traveler, he feinted and then leapt to snap at the creatures shoulder and throat.

The creature let a bellow that could raise thecdead and Alaric did it again. He scour making the creature tumble and soon with the help of Slaney and the other's they'd have the creature felled.

Though he kept a weather eye on both Seal and Njord. Seal for her youth and Njord for his wounds.

Seal stayed in her lane when Da forked off. The girl watched in wonder as the trio of men worked together. She had never witnessed a hunt like this, and now the young wolf understood the sheer amount of coordination it took to fell such a large and swift animal to feed the the pack.

The doe bucked, but the Moonspear wolves did not relent.

Seal kept a close eye on the animal, ready to intercept it should it try and escape her way. Now, she could see why Alaric had chosen this deer as their prey.

Hope you don’t all mind that I wrap up this hunt thread, since I’m about to leave on vacation!

In the end, the wolves, with their expert teamwork, managed to fell the hind. It struggled hard and fought valiantly for its life. However, the strength of three men anchored her down and delivered a swift death.

Large clouds of steam rose from the animals as they quartered their meat. Moonspear and her sister villages would not go hungry for many nights.