Panther Park [BWP P5] snowclone

WHITEOUT PART TWO: Large game opportunity with a twist! Any can join. All participants roll 1d15 before their post. Anyone who rolls an even number can PP killing him in their post. All other rolls equal unsuccessful attempts. This will be TN's only post in this thread. This guy has enough meat to feed four adult wolves, but he cannot be carried out of the Park. Players cannot join and eat in one post. Keep in mind the weather widget says BLIZZARD WARNING at the time of this post. Assume whiteout conditions: very little visibility, difficulty scenting/finding tracks, and extreme exposure. Have fun. :)

Panther Park, named once for its feline residents, now housed an ailing ram on his last leg. Once the proud leader of his kingdom, the ram has seen many summers and winter pass, and now it appears his last winter is upon him.

Earlier that morning a powerful shift in wind had caused him to lose his footing. Fate was cruel mocking a creature as sure-footed as he -- he had managed to regain his feet just in time to hit an ice-patch, and had fallen over thirty feet to his stony grave.

Fate was neither kind nor quick. The fall had shattered his legs, and part of his spine -- but the ram still lived. His screams of agony funneled out of the stonework and into the shrieking wind, carrying his call far and wide for any intrepid hunters nearby. It would not take much of anything at all to end him - he had been declining for some time, and the fall simply hastened his demise.

written by Caiaphas

rolled an 8 in the discord!! howling for @Hieronymous @Speedy @Winterbourne @Radar

Hunger was unavoidable at this point. Food was so scarce and what the cowboy could grab was saved for Speedy and her kids or the healing leaders. Like most of the Kaistleoki wolves, Tobias' ribs had started to show and thoughts of a next meal plagued his mind. He was still hopeful. Hopeful for some miracle to crash at their doorstep and save them from the results of the shaking, and it seemed today his prayers were finally answered.

On his patrol, a cry past the borders echoed into the plains, something that shocked the cowboy. At first he thought his mind was finally going, but when the cries did not stop, he investigated. Traveling past the new markers of the pack and into the wilderness nearby, snow clung to his pelt as the only thing he had to rely on was the cries that echoed louder. If his mind really was playing tricks, this was an awful way to go.

Amongst the blotting white snow, an object began to emerge. Tobi's heart practically lept at the sight, a meal enough to feed several members of the pack-- although he wasn't sure about carrying it through the deep snow. He was already much weaker than he used to be. Tobias would not let the creature cry any longer, quickly going to silence the ram with a hard bite to its neck. A mercy kill, but also to keep other wolves away. Surely they couldn't be the only ones hungry. He would wait to fill himself until after his packmates were fed, calling for those who were able enough to travel for a share of the meal. Maybe if they were lucky they could also tear some pieces off for the ones who could not.

no roll, since he's already been murdled! RIP ram.

the snow, the cursed snow -- it had taken her by surprise, and now she was cut off from the world. from merrick.

she had hunkered down under a drop of stone, awakening to the sound of a new cry on the wind. it was not winter's breath that howled, but the cries of a ram -- astara was up to her feet in a minute, though the impressive amount of snow that met her at the den's mouth caused her to balk.

she followed the cries with her keen ears, shoulders braced against the whipping of the wind. the visibility was poor, and the going slow -- suddenly, the cries were cut short.

astara listened carefully as the wind clawed through the chasm: no calls bounded down the stony canyon, and the silence was enough to press a shiver to her spine. all the same she continued on, the wind neither favoring nor hating her: occasionally she got a whiff that was strong enough to follow -- and then a howl.

she froze; the howl was nearer than she thought. the shifting sheet of white made visibility before her poor, but eventually she caught sight of a dusky beast saddled in snow, hunched before what could only be the very thing that had bawled its head off. like a hyena, astara skulked to the man's side, hungry, but not so hungry as to strike him first.

after all.. he was familiar, wasn't he?

I rolled anyway, lol got a 4

The blizzard was intense. Tobias had set out a while ago for a patrol, the young man he had met long before he had joined Kaistleoki, the fellow storyteller and Hieronymous was getting a little concerned for the handsome man. Following the last path he had seen Tobias take, Hiero set out to look for the man. Visibility was horrendous, and he was certain that even those with a sense of smell better than him would have a hard time tracking in such a flurry - thankfully a howl had rung out and that, that he could follow. 

Heeeyy! Tobias! What did you find? He followed where the sound had originated from, eventually, the panicked sound of the injured goat filed his ears as well, helping him track them in such shitty weather such as this. I couldn't have dreamed a more beautiful sight than this. His eyes lit up, only for them to spot the little dark figure skulking toward them, and the prey. Now Hiero was a generous man, he was never opposed to sharing even if they had to think of the pack first before sharing what they found with a stranger. 

Defensively he stood next to Tobias, shouldering the guy to try and gain his attention toward their little friend here. With a pointed muzzle, he gestured to her, watching to see what Tobias would think... what should they do? Fight? Let her have something to eat?

He almost ignores the call, worn as he feels — but then his gaze finds @Evergreen, and he finds himself standing slowly. His forelegs sting on the raw, scabbed surface of his skin, and ache deep in his bones, but he forces himself up and away from his companion, past the borders and toward the source of the call. He knows he's found Tobias when the scent of blood hits him, and instantly leaves him nauseous, stomach churning violently. It's almost enough to make him turn back — but he isn't here for himself, so he swallows the feeling.
The sight of the stranger alongside his packmates does not slow his own approach, though he hesitates when he reaches the rest, dipping his head in greeting to those familiar before his own gaze settles on her. There is something disquieting about the girl, but he isn't intimidated — not with the two other, rather large Kaistleoki wolves already present. He glances to Tobias, then, waiting for his decision on the matter before he does anything else. He wishes he didn't have to wait, though; the scent of meat is making his nausea worse by the second, and he's eager to bring some back to Evergreen before it overwhelms him entirely.

Sorry for the delay i'm on vaca rn haha

The cold continued to blind him as snow pressed to his pelt. Luckily, the cowboy would not have to wait long for a response as Hieronymous showed shortly after his call, Astara undetected thanks to the weather. He more or less gave a grunt in acknowledgment to the fallen creature until he was nudged by his fellow storyteller to look at their quiet company.

It should have come to no surprise that someone else would pick up on the calls, but it still surprised Tobias that she had managed to sneak so close without him noticing. Unnerving even...she was familiar. Soon another from their borders arrived leaving the black wolf greatly outnumbered. Part of him would normally suggest they join, after all, they were all hungry, but that was just the issue...they were all hungry.

With pups to feed, Tobi would move to block the kill from Astara's view, a swish of his tail indicating the two behind him go ahead and fill their stomachs. I'm afraid you'll have to move along. This kill belongs to Kaistleoki.

too many join. astara watched each of them, hiding the reproachfulness she felt seep into her bones. no, she would not have much luck here muscling her way to the food -- that much was evident.

her head tilted to the side as the male addressed her. one ear seemed to flop sideways, and her starlit indigo gaze danced from the pied wolf at his shoulder, to the steel-clad boy nearby. a whine pressed from her throat as the kill was blocked from view -- surely, they could spare a little?

Oops it was my turn! idk why i thought it was Winterbourne's lool!

Despite Tobias' indication for the two behind him to begin feeding, Hiero couldn't help but remain steadfast at his side. Holding his ground even if his heart did ache for the young woman's pleas on getting a portion for herself. Soft eyes roamed from the raven's face, onto the one of his packmate's, studying the two as he pondered what he should do in turn...

Tobias was right. They had a pack to feed, puppies who needed food more so than someone they did not know. The young always came first and that was something he would not argue with... however, stepping forward, he couldn't help but try to find a different path for them all to come to an agreement, for them all to leave here happy. Hey.. listen. He began, eyes darting to Tobias first to study his soon to be reaction to what would be proposed. 

What if she took my portion? I don't feel hungry anyway. There was some truth there. He was hungry, he knew he was, his body needed more food than he was giving it, he was thinner than he was months ago - but he couldn't quite feel it. So he wasn't lying. His gaze shifted onto the young lady now, watching her carefully to see if he had made a horrible mistake or not to be offering something to precious right now and sacrificing his own wellbeing.

permission to skip and move Winter out since he's on PPC

His command was basically ignored as Hiero stayed at his side, the other male ripping off a piece of meat before hastily retreating. Alright, two vs one can still work. It was then that Hieronymous suggested giving up his share, something that he wished he agreed with. That's noble of you, and I'd like to help, but your ribs say otherwise. She's not with us and we need to keep our priorities straight. If it makes up for it, maybe we can track down something for her.

The cowboy's eyes never left the dark woman, knowing full well she would say nothing in return. No, she would only stare just as she had before. In all honesty, he would have given his share up too, but they were both weak with hunger and if he wanted to provide for more lives he would have to sacrifice this one now.

the procession of astara’s hungering pains continued. her audience, wastrel-thin, lacked for the same thing as she — a full belly. 

astara could tell her chances here were slim. were she less hungry and more bold, she might have taken what she could. yet she was alone, in a suffocating snowstorm — if she sustained a single injury now, it was very possible she would be the next feast for the wolves enduring the famine. 

her gaze hardened as she looked to Tobias - an edge of accusation in those deep eyes. heironymous was spared that cutting glance.  with a flit of her tail, astara turned down the mountainside with her stomach growling deeply in protest.

Damn it all. He eyed the young woman with sorrow in his dull eyes. Tobi was too keen in his observing, and Hieronymous did what he could without starting a fight between himself and his packmates for the sake of a stranger. Defeated he watched the silent woman sulk away into the blizzard, and with a sigh, he turned to eat a bit of the goat in turn. 

No, he wouldn't reprimand Tobi, the boy did what was right for the pack. There was no bad blood between the two storytellers after today. In fact, after taking a bit to eat for himself and gathering all he could in his mouth that he could carry back to Kaistleoki, he turned to give the boy a meat-filled smile and signal for them to make their own leave.

The cowboy was not happy with the situation either, especially as Astara slunk off into the storm. He could only hope he made the right decision, at least she did not smell strongly of other wolves...of a pack. The last thing he wanted was to start bad blood between Kaistleoki and a potential neighboring pack.

As Hiero turned to eat his share, Tobias would do the same happy to finally fill his stomach and properly help the pack.