Redtail Rise my name is nobody

Perhaps @Saena but anyone is welcomed to reply

Arion had been working hard, trying to earn his trades but in his effort, he had forgotten about the needs of the newly established pack. They were new after all, and protection were needed for those who lived inside, as well as a good supply of food in the caches. So that day, the chocolate greek decided to stay home. But the moment he poked his muzzle out of the den, rain splattered onto his snout and he cursed in greek. Of all days it had to rain, Zeus chose today.

Muttering darkly, Arion trotted out of the den, ignoring the rain drops that splattered on top of his chocolate and ebony dusted coat. He made his way to the forest where the thick canopy hid the grounds from the water falling from the sky. Barely a drop made it through the treetops, the stallion sniffed the air and smelled the faint smell of squirrel.

Locating it quickly, he crouched and began stealthily walking through the woods, as stealthily as a wolf could. He made sure not to make a sound, honey eyes focused on the creature who was busily nibbling on the treat it had collected, Arion moved closer, making sure he was downwind of the prey before leaping. The squirrel didn't even have a chance as he bit sharply into its neck. Finding a nearby cache, he deposited it there and kicked dirt over it, burying it.

Saena wasn't a stalker. Not really. Her following Arion subtly across the ridge while he hunted, careful to remain downwind of him, using all her skills as a Gamekeeper to stay hidden, wasn't stalkerish. Or creepy. Truthfully, the Alpha female intended to catch up with the aspiring Warrior, but having spotted him prowling from afar, she chose to hang back and watch and learn.

She couldn't see his quarry, but Saena could tell from the way he carried himself that Arion was hunting. Bonus points for that. She remained painstakingly hidden, keeping him in view as best she could and listening intently whenever she couldn't directly see him. From the sound of the brief scuffle and the quickening of his paws, the chocolate Theta was successful. Saena smiled to herself as she tailed him, and at last walked into the open just as he was scuffing dirt over a cache.

"Hey, Arion," she greeted him, surveying his handiwork for only a moment longer before turning her attention to him. From the looks of him, he was in good health, if a little scuffed up. No doubt he was keeping busy with whatever he liked to do whenever he headed out into the wilds. "Been fighting the neighbourhood?" she quipped, assuming that was the source of his slightly battered look.

Saena had done a good job stalking him, Arion was completely unaware of presence which was rare for the warrior who's senses were always sharp and his guard always up. Not many would be able to sneak up on him, Janus, his father was a brilliant teacher in the arts of war which included sharpening all his skills, his senses. Only Krios had ever managed to sneak upon upon him when he was still living in Cerberus's Pavilion, but then, his older brother had always been smarter than him in every way.

When the prey was completely buried, Arion raised his chocolate crown and sniffed the air, his ears swiveled backwards, catching the sound of pawsteps on the forest floor. The scent was very familiar and after a second, he identified it as his leader, Saena. Turning around, the Greek shifted himself into a more submissive, respectful position. "Hey, Saena," the warrior returned her greeting with a smile and a tilt of his head. "Congratulations, not many wolves can sneak up on me so well," he genuinely congratulated her.

"You could say that," Arion laughed, she had obviously seen his battered form. He had made sure not to get severely injured, but he knew he wasn't completely without scratches. "Been busy trying to earn my warrior trade, you know, but I'm back now."

Truth be told, Saena gave very little thought to her stealth tactics. They were self taught and they worked on most prey, and that was good enough for the young Alpha female. She'd never had a Gamekeeping mentor and attributed much of her success to her spiritual companion, the bear, whom Saena believed lent her some sort of prowess. First Naturalism, and then Gamekeeping. She'd made little use of the former trade, but the latter was, to this day, her main occupation.

"That's awesome," Saena complimented Arion, truly impressed with his desire to become a Warrior for the pack. She'd pegged him immediately as a Warden type of wolf, but if he enjoyed fighting offensively rather than defensively, it really made no difference. So long as he could fend off an intruder, he was a welcome addition, and his trade a welcome goal.

"Actually, I've been thinking about trying to become a Warden, myself," Saena revealed, sure that he would snicker because, "you saw how bad I am at fighting, but I want to defend this pack. Maybe we could team up." She let the suggestion hang for a moment and then, in case there was any confusion, explained, "you can train your Warrior skills against me and I'll name you official Warrior numero uno when you're ready, and I can learn to fight defensively so I can keep intruders out. What do you say?"

"Yep," Arion replied with a grin at Saena's compliment. He did wish to earn the warrior trade, partly because it would benefit the pack greatly and partly because he enjoyed fighting. The thrill of it, the energy and adrenaline that pumped through his veins. The chance that he could die at any second, the chance he could get severely injured. The taste of blood in his jaws but most of all, the use of his brain. It kept him off the drugs when he could fight as the tactics and strategies needed stopped him from feeling bored. But Saena did not need to know that, they would both be better off.

Truthfully he wasn't a warden because first of all, he did not really like patrolling the borders but only did so because he knew with the pack being newly established and all, they needed to keep intruders out, trespassers. And he was the perfect wolf for hunting and patrolling and such things, with his agile, muscular build and fighting skills so he did the job grudgingly. Offense and defense made no difference to the Greek, it was still fighting after all.

A smile touched the Greek's lips when Saena spoke about trying to become a Warden, he was genuinely impressed that she wished to pursue something that he believed was not her strength. But she was right, a leader needed to know how to defend their pack and though his leader might excel at other leading qualities, she failed at fighting. She tossed the idea of teaming up at him, saying he could train his skills against her and she would name him warrior and that she could learn to fight defensively.

A broad grin spread over the ebony dusted man's features and he chuckled softly, honey eyes twinkled. "You got yourself a deal, Saena," he said with a large smile.

"Cool," she said with an appreciative grin. It would be hard, and she was sure to endure many bumps and bruises in learning to fight defensively. It was unlikely she would ever really excel at it the way that her father, Peregrine, did. One didn't have to be a large wolf to be an effective fighter, but with it having never interested her and having put almost no practice in during her formative year, there was a lot of work to be done before she was even capable of calling herself a good Warden.

"Maybe we can start in the morning?" she suggested, partly because she was afraid of starting now without any time to prepare herself and partly because he looked like he could use a little rest as well. Their spars would never be to harm, but there would have to be meaning behind each move they made. If there wasn't, then there was no point. They would need to cause bruises or the actions wouldn't ever be heartfelt enough to fend off a real threat. There was no saying how long it would take each of them to become professionals. They would make a very capable team, though, that much she knew. A Warrior was designed to go in fighting, to infiltrate the ranks of defensive wolves and cut them down. A Warden was designed to fend off the front line. They were perfect partners for their respective trades.

Arion had really never loved war, bloodshed, teeth and claws, he had only learnt the art of fighting because it was an essential skill if he wished to survive and that it helped to calm his mind down, therefore stopping him from taking drugs. He had always preferred the battle of wits and strategies over real, physical war any day, for he believed that knowledge was real power. Everyone could win a fight if you had trained hard enough on the skills, but a battle and war required brainpower, and that was what Arion ultimately trained for.

However, Saena did not need that, for she still hadn't mastered the art of fighting yet. And usually, the art of tactics and strategies were taught after you knew the basics of fighting. At least that was what his father told him, other wolves might have different ways of teaching after all.

"Sounds good to me," he replied. It was a good idea to start in the morning rather than right now because Arion would need time to actually think about where he would start teaching her and rest from the injuries he had obtained from previous scars, and perhaps Saena would need to practice the fighting skills she knew. "Wanna accompany me on a hunt?"

Arion agreed and the deal was sealed. Each wolf would train themselves against the other, with no need for victory or defeat, until they were too tired to go on. Defensive strategy would become Saena's mantra, and she planned to become a bulwark for her pack. She did not feel fit to lead it if she was not prepared to defend it with her life if needed.

"Sure," she agreed, glad for the chance to stretch her Gamekeeper muscles and bond with Arion in the process. "Let's see if we can't take down a deer," she suggested. Singular wolves could on occasion take down a deer, but Saena was a small one and had never tried it alone. With the burly gladiator's help, they were sure to succeed.

Saena accepted his offer for a hunt and then proceeded to name the prey. Usually, Arion just went with the flow, whatever animal scent, prey scent that he caught, he would hunt it and catch it. But deer meat was good meat and so, the Greek grinned and replied, "Sounds brilliant to me." Catching deer alone was not too challenging for him, but occasionally he would lose the prey. With Saena's help, they were sure to feast on deer today.

"I spotted a herd of deer in a clearing not far from here the other day," the stallion said and sniffing the air, he began making his way towards the glade, the scent grew stronger and stronger until his keen honey eyes caught the unmistakable form of the Cervidae. Luckily they were downwind and therefore the prey did not know they were in the presence of two hunters..yet.

Fortunately, Arion knew where they could find some deer. Saena herself noted the locations of the herds surrounding the territory on a regular basis, but was surprised to note that she was unaware of this one. With a silent promise to spend more time getting to know the local prey animals within the pack's territory, the Alpha female fell into step behind the aspiring Warrior with her nose angled to the ground and her ears pricked alertly forward.

When the strong chocolate male stopped, she drew up beside him with keen searching eyes. The deer were milling about in a clearing, easily visible through the trees as they grazed. Both wolves were completely invisible to them for now. Saena glanced sidelong at Arion, giving him the lead for this hunt. She was a Gamekeeper, but sometimes it was nice to follow someone else's orders.

Keen honey eyes watched the herd of deer grazing before twisting his head sideways to look at Saena, wondering if she had some kind of plan. She was an accomplished Gamekeeper after all, having actually earned the trade, and she was also the leader. Some Alphas he had met wished to always lead, even on mini hunts like this, so he wouldn't be surprised if Saena was one of those wolves. But she wasn't, and from the look she gave him, Arion knew she was silently telling him to take the lead.

Not that he had a problem with that.

The stallion's gaze returned to the herd, black leathery nostrils inhaling the scent of the deer, his eyes scanning the prey before a slow smile touched his lips. While they were walking, he had sniffed at some of the urine and scat and had smelled that one of them was old and sickly. That would be the one they targeted and by the looks of it, the one lingering at the edge was the one they would go after. Stupid, why would they linger at the edge when they knew they could be targeted?

Shifting his eyes somewhere else, Arion spotted an opening in the trees, leading to a wide opening. It would be hard to hunt deer in such an enclosed space, better to take their chances on open land. "The old and sick one there," the Greek murmured, pointing his muzzle in the deer's direction. "We'll drive her to the opening and separate her from the herd there. Since its at the edge already, and nearest to the opening, it shouldn't be hard." Giving a nod to his leader, the chocolate wolf crept forward.

Arion's plan was a solid one, and as he gestured, her eyes followed him to the doe that stood just apart from the others. Maybe the herd had pushed her aside, or maybe she had brain rot, but it made her a rather easy target. They could split her and run her out into the open with minimal effort, it seemed. She approved greatly of the chocolate wolf's choice of prey.

As he began to creep forward, she fell in just behind him. She would eventually cut around the herd and close off the escape route on the other side, but for right now, she wanted Arion to lead them to position. When they were there, the pale Alpha nodded and moved off to the left. She skirted the herd—visible, of course, because the deer weren't made very nervous by a single wolf, but still at the edges where they had no reason to spook—and disappeared into the brush on the other side. She would use this cover to her advantage to sneak in closer to their chosen quarry.

She managed to get just alongside the deer. They had very little time now; with wolves on both sides, the deer would sense them soon. She peered at the spot she knew Arion as hiding, waiting for his signal, whether it be a noise or his figure bursting out of his cover to send the sickly doe into the clearing.

Arion crept forward, chocolate paws steadily bringing him forward until they were in position. There, Saena nodded and moved off to the left, skirting the herd and vanished into the bush on the other side. The deer would not be afraid of a single wolf, for it was usually a whole pack that brought down one of them instead of a single one, what they did not know was that there was another wolf hiding, waiting for the perfect opportunity to bring one of them down.

It might not be as easy as hunting squirrels or rabbits, but with the right tactics and communication skills, two wolves should be able to take down a weak and sickly old deer. Saena managed to get alongside the deer, Arion knew he should be bursting forward soon for the deer would surely sense them sooner or later. But he waited and waited until the right time.

Then the chocolate stallion charged forward, scattering the grazing deer in various directions but his eyes were only on the sickly deer who, just as he had predicted, panicked and made for the opening in the dense treeline.

The two waited patiently, their breathing steady and even, their bodies taut with anticipation. Saena's eyes went now to their target. She counted the steps it took as it grazed, the number of her own heart beats that went by, and the times it flicked its long ears in her direction, but it never noticed her. It never noticed Arion, either, though the rest of the herd was beginning to grow restless. The scent of wolf was thicker on the air than normal to them. They would be discovered soon, thought Saena.

Not soon enough, though. As the target doe took one step closer to the clearing, the Alpha female mentally said, now, just as Arion broke his cover. The doe had finally wandered just a little too far from the safety of her herd, and now she belonged to the hunters. Saena streaked out of the undergrowth, ignoring how gnarled twigs pulled at her fur, and fell in with Arion on the doe's opposite side, snapping at its legs to herd it away from its group. The rest of the herd had scattered, leaving Arion and Saena uncontested as they tore after their prey.

She galloped as hard as she could, panting haggardly between bounds, until she was near the deer's flank. Then she swung in, slicing with her teeth whatever flesh she encountered, and broke away again. In this manner they could wear down their target and eventually bring it to its knees. This waiting game was her preferred hunting style, though Arion was more than welcome to change their strategy. She would catch on and adapt in an instant.

They did manage to bring down the deer and they feasted heartily before agreeing to bring some of the remains to the pack caches.