Ouroboros Spine crawled out of the sea

Set for March 5, AW, hunting! 

In want of a good meal, Adrastus returned to the slope to check on the herd of mountain goats he'd been tracking, only to find that their tracks led away from where he'd spotted them last- and down the slopes toward the lake. He could spot them in the distance- their shaggy, off-white coats helped them blend in with the snow, but could not disguise them completely. Still far enough away that his voice might not spook the herd and send them fleeing for the safety of the craggy mountain heights, he tilted his head back and called out for his packmates, hoping he might be able to wrangle a few together to hunt down a mountain goat for a meal.

I think this takes place after the Zane thread? What even is time?!

Feeling refreshed after a day's rest, Sialuk's ears pricked up at the sound of the call. Kissing @Kukutux once on the cheek, promising to return soon (and perhaps with a meal to offer), she flew toward the call, the bounce in her step unmistakable. It was remarkable how nine days of intense grieving had helped her move on from the death that had plagued their family, and she silently thanked anaa and her traditions. Never before had she heard of such things, but she was glad to have them.

It was Adrastus who had called, sda igal as she had named him in her head. She was the first to arrive, and she greeted him with a warm smile and a slow swish of her tail. It was a good day to be alive.

hahaha nar idea but sure! The date on this one can be changed as necessary :)
Definitely still open for more joiners! Don't be shyyyy

He would wait and watch the tiny, pale figures far off in the distance, pleased that they seemed content to continue grazing a few kilometres way along the lake's edge. They didn't seem troubled by his call- the herd hadn't moved, though they were too far away for him to have been able to see if any had even bothered to raise their heads or sound any sort of alarm call. As far as he could tell, they looked peaceful enough searching for the first sprigs of grass along the lakeshore, and digging for last year's grass underneath a melting blanket of snow. 

He hoped he might be able to summon a couple others, so that they might have a better chance at ambushing the mountain goats. They could even potentially use the lake to their advantage, as he doubted that the herbivores would risk running out onto the lake where they might slip and fall or break through. The first to arrive was a pale figure he recognized immediately as Sialuk. He dipped his head in greeting and uttered a low, appreciative rumble of a growl. "I greet you," He said calmly. He was still hoping that this was her preferred greeting, though he wasn't sure if it was used for both formal and informal situations, or if she used a different greeting for wolves who lived in her village. Still- it seemed like a respectful and safe bet.

The call came. It was the voice of Adrastus heralding that others gather, so it was Raimo's duty to oblige him. He took his time. The wolf prowled with a little more insistence across the snowy paths of the higher reaches, seeking the source of the call.

When he arrived he beheld more than one figure, both ghostly white. Adrastus welcomed Sialuk first and as Raimo emerged from the black pine he approached them both.

Sialuk, he welcomed with his tone, and then tipped his head to, Adrastus.

You gather to hunt? He wondered aloud, watching the pale man carefully. It had been Raimo's role to summon others and to hunt with them, and he did not know how to feel upon finding Adrastus doing the same, almost as an usurper. He would wait and see what would transpire before making his judgement.

He too was in good spirits, carrying with him the heavy scent of Kukutux.

The birdcaller found her way to the impromptu gathering at some length, denying her body's want to curl her shoulders and lower herself beneath the gazes of the hunters as she drew close to their number. Abashed peridots flickered across the familiar faces as she attempted a smile, sensing some tension as she settled on her haunches nearby. 

It was Adrastus who had called and it was him that her eyes turned to, though some part of her mind niggled at the sharp cut of the shadow's mismatched gaze -- wondering if there was some disorder here amongst the men, if it might rankle the other storyteller to be called upon by another. 

It was a question for the white bear to answer, not Sialuk. In her mother's culture, which was also her own, the men would lead the hunts. It had been Adrastus who had called them together, even though it should have been Raimo's duty as first hunter. Perhaps it was a challenge, but Sialuk thought it a welcome one. She still did not trust Raimo, despite his seeming loyalty to Moonglow. Perhaps, in time, she would soften, but his past words still lingered in her mind, his attempt to infantilize her.

Instead, Sialuk turned her attention to Lótë, greeting her with a warm gaze and letting her tail sweep gently from side to side. She invited the girl to sit next to her, thinking it best they follow the hunters, however little Sialuk enjoyed Raimo's company.

At first, it didn't occur to him that he should have allowed the wolf known as first hunter to be the one to lead all hunts. It would have gone against his nature to simply allow someone else to lead all of the hunting and tracking, so he had done what came naturally to him- and had gone off to scout out the herd of mountain goats on his own. He was still somewhat unclear on what role the number played amongst the hunters- and was still running off the assumption that when Kukutux named each of the men with a number, that number came simply from their time of arrival and nothing more. 

So it did not occur to him to defer to Raimo. 

It seemed somewhat odd for Raimo to question what was clearly a summon for their packmates to gather for a hunt, but he would humour the odd fellow regardless, though he took a moment to cast his gaze to Lótë when she arrived. He smiled. Four wolves in total- enough had come to his call, he thought, that they could have success in their endeavour. 

"I did," He answered clearly. "I have been tracking these mountain goats, which have been in the high grounds until now." He said. They were still grazing off in the distance, along the shores of the lake. "On flat ground, we have the advantage. We can snake around- cut off their escape, pin them against the lake, where I think they will not run." He said. After all- while their hooves were suited to rocky outcrops, they would be of little help on the ice, which was beginning to thin anyway. He licked his lips. "With four of us, we will have a meal," He said, delighted with the possibility of getting to dine on mountain goat.

It was a good plan made by a sharp mind, but it was not his plan, nor his voice that brought the able bodies here. The women busied themselves with one another and left the men to sort out the contention growing between them. Raimo could be a proud creature but he thought himself less arrogant than Adrastus, who had overstepped his role.

The man nodded his acceptance of what was said. Rather than pose questions to Adrastus, Raimo turned to Lote, who he knew was a watcher of the herds and a good tracker in her own right. Have you seen the same goats he mentions during your trips? I would trust your judgement in picking our target. Were it up to Raimo, Lote would be the tracker while Adrastus the chaser, but those roles had been reversed.

Once a target has been decided of the herd we will work to chase it down, following the plan. As it is our first hunt together like this, I would propose Sialuk to be the one to make the final move. When the beast is cornered she will fell it. He looked to each wolf present with a lingering moment upon the huntress, and waited to hear what would be said.

The dove moved to seat herself near Sialuk with a grateful glance, wondering if perhaps she was imagining the rankling challenge festering between the two men until Raimo asked her to confirm the presence of the goats. The artisan restrained the urge to let her gaze shift between the pale bear and the dark woodsman questioningly -- uncertain who she would (or should) side with. She settled for the truth: "No. But I am sure that what Adrastus says is sound. Perhaps you had one, a target, in mind?" She directed the last words to the ivory deerstalker himself, spring gaze moving from amber-and-coffee to caramel. 

She glanced to Sialuk again, this time with approval at Raimo's next words. It was fitting now that they were a formal pack, at least for this first hunt. In the future it might do better to just let whomever had the first opening to fell their target make the killing blow. But this felt symbolic and it wasn't really the birdcaller's decision anyways. She waited patiently, green gaze returning to Adrastus as she expected him to speak next. 

Sialuk heard the tension between the two men, but she did not interfere. Raimo turned to Lote, and Sialuk peered at the black fur oddly. She knew his customs were not the same as his own, and yet hearing him ask a woman for hunting advice felt wrong. Was he not first hunter? He did, at least, propose a plan for the small party to follow, though his choice of Sialuk's role was most peculiar.

A man delivers the final blow, she said, her tone firm but not angry. My feet carry me swiftly, so it is my speed that is most useful to the hunt.

When Raimo redirected the conversation to Lótë, he looked to her, pleased to know that she too had been tracking the prey which called their mountain range home. How pleasantly coincidental it would have been for the fawn-furred painter to have chosen the same herd to track as he, though she dismissed the possibility soon enough. He hardly batted an ear when Raimo confessed that he would have had confidence in her judgement of which animal to choose. If Lótë had been tracking this herd, he too would have been interested to seek her judgement. He understood hunting to be a team effort- and did not see, at first, that this was possibly a bid Raimo made to show that he had no confidence or intention in Adrastus. 


Lótë's suggestion, however, that he be the one to choose the target made him smile momentarily. He nodded, and would have spoken but Raimo cut in first. 

He was inclined to hear Raimo out when he gave his opinion, with the same consideration he had give Lótë, though it made him frown to hear that he thought that the smallest and youngest of them should be the one to make the killing blow. He inhaled, and cast a glance to the young dove who was quick to point out her assets and point out the weakness in the plan Raimo suggested. It made no sense to Adrastus, either.

But he did not want to belittle a man he was counting on having as a part of the hunt. "I appreciate your suggestions...But I think we would be wise to use our assets in the way that suits each wolf best." It was the kindest way he could think of, in the moment, to advise Raimo not to toss a role at a wolf who physically did not fit the general requirements or experience needed for that role. He wasn't sure how to feel about the statement that women were not to make the killing blow- but he was still learning the ways of this pack. That left him with the conclusion that Lótë and Sialuk would be best as chasers. 

"If we skirt around the foothills of that slope there, we can select our target once we are closer. With four of us...There are two animals I can think of, but we might notice something different as we get closer." He was willing to decide the target as a group, once they were close enough to see the herd in detail. Had only one or two others shown up, the target would likely have been different. "We can then fan out. I will need one to go to the inlet there, beyond the herd; I would rely on your stealth to cut past them without notice, and your stamina to spook the herd and drive it along the lake. Two of you would guide the herd, flank it, and keep the goats from heading up the slope and drive them toward me." He said. "Speak for the roles you feel you would best fulfill," He said, then. After all- this was their first hunt together- and he knew the wolves would know their own strengths better than he would know them, and would allow his packmates to speak for themselves.

There would be no swaying the group. Raimo knew it as soon as Lote spoke; she tried to defer things and keep the peace, which to Raimo meant siding with his usurper. She did not voice things the way he expected and he grew frustrated by the girl — chalking up her commentary to youth and inexperience. Perhaps she watches things and does not trust herself to chase or hunt in earnest, even with backup.

Before Raimo could speak again Adrastus cut in, further cementing his place at the helm of this hunt. Dismayed that his plan was being reworked so openly, Raimo silenced himself and let his frustration fester. He now knew both the women were against him (Lote via her words, Sialuk via her overall temperament towards him in the past) and with Adrastus taking control that meant Raimo had no place here except to execute someone else's plan.

This place he had helped build was meant to be his fresh start. Somewhere he could work his way up the ladder and be heralded as a leader, and yet these wolves conspired against him. None spoke out against Adrastus' interference. Raimo could have but he suspected it would only lead to further dismissal by the women, and by being difficult he would only cause upset. Now was not the time for him to cause a fuss.

So he remained silent, and prowled from the spotlight so that Adrastus could finish his plotting. When prompted Raimo was tempted to speak openly — that a proper first hunter would know their hunting party's skills without posing such a question. Then again, it was their first hunt together.

I can flank or kill. He adds of himself, sullenly.

Aiwë had not considered that her words might be taken as siding against the onyx male -- in fact she had hoped to avoid choosing sides at all -- but it seemed her act of peacekeeper meant she had only been lumped in with those the man considered against him. Blissfully ignorant to this, the birdcaller thought she detected a morose air to the two-gazed woodsman as he became quiet and withdrawn but couldn't quite be sure, her attention drawn to the hunt and the plans that were being laid by Adrastus and Sialuk. 

Seeing as Sialuk's greatest strength seemed to be her swift paws, the herdstalker naturally considered her best role to be the one who would drive the beasts along the Lake. She was small, soft-footed, sneaky. The spindly she-wolf could be fast too, lacking the strength it would take to make the killing blow. "I can get past them," she promised, ears splaying demurely as her gaze flitted from the pale hunter to the dark, then to the Star in search of protest. 

The raindrop gave thanks that the others understood her, or were at least willing to bend the plan Raimo had lain out. He was new at being first hunter, Sialuk knew, but she had not expected him to miss the mark so. Adrastus offered a different plan to the group, one that Sialuk found herself (and perhaps others) more comfortable with.

She and Lote would sneak and chase, and Raimo and Adrastus would end the life of their prey. The raindrop stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her moon sister, ready for any final instructions before they would begin making their way to the proper position.

One by one, the roles were filled. He was slightly surprised when Raimo offered to be the wolf to make the killing blow, when Adrastus had already spoken for that role, but perhaps he'd offered himself out of kindness, and not because he'd misunderstood what Adrastus had implied earlier. He nodded. "You will flank; you will be the third to join in the fray, once Lótë has spurred them along the lake. Then Sialuk, you and Raimo will course alongside them, and keep them running along the shore of the lake. I will be in position, waiting for them." He said, impressed with how cooperative his hunting partners were being. With a gesture of his head, he motioned for them to begin closing the distance, sticking to the wooded area along the hillside so that they might pass through the shadows undetected. 

Once he felt they were in the woodlands in such a place that they could observe the herd, he hunkered down and cast his glance over the shaggy, grazing creatures. On flat ground, none of them would be able to outrun a wolf, he thought. Their only concern was keeping the herd from sneaking past them and back toward the craggy mountain ranges, where they would have the upper hand. Presently, this did not look as though it would be an issue. They were in the woods, directly between the goats and the mountains where they need to escape- all they would have to do now would be to pick a target, and then fan out before beginning the hunt. 

"There are two; younger. The one farthest to the right, and...That one, beside the ram." He said. He licked his lips. Those two animals were likely a year or two old, but weren't as large and formidable as the adult ram. But in a company of four wolves- perhaps they might not need to be so cautious. "Suggestions?" He asked. Of course, if any of them were uncomfortable with the targets he had picked out, he would be happy to go for one smaller or weaker- but he thought that those animals would make a good meal, without presenting too much of an issue.