Silvertip Mountain This fox is ours.

I forgot this! xD @Polaris @Adeline @Niita WE WIN BTW! :D

Valette set out towards the forest once they were divided in groups. The young female took the lead with quite a bit of ease. She was in her element with hunting. A fox as no different than any other animal. As a hunter she just needed to now where this type of animal lives. Mostly in forest, so hence why she picked the forest.

"Alright. I think we could best we use the spread out technique. Lets all walk in the same direction but a few paces away from each other so we can cover every inch of the forest to see if this fox is around," she explained. She wanted to use this technique for a long time and it would be good way to test the efficacy of it now they needed to search for this fox. "Niita. I'd like you to have the most right, I will take the most left, Adeline you can stay between me and Polaris alright? Just use that fineness of yours to check if you smell the fox anywhere," she explained.

Niita had followed after Valette easily, remembering the younger female's proclamation about her trade during the caribou hunt. Valette had the most knowledge on the subject and was thus the best to lead their little band. 

Glancing up as her name was mentioned, Niita nodded and began to branch out but not before shooting a look towards the other two. Keep an eye on Adeline if you value your hides, it seemed to say. Hopefully they got the message. 

Lowering her muzzle parallel to the ground, mouth open, Niita focused on finding the fox.

Adeline was extremely excited to be part of this hunting party, as was evident by her ever-wagging tail. She listened intently to Valette's instructions, though they caused her ears to fold on the back of her head. She didn't want to stay between two adults- she wanted to be out front. She huffed, not giving an answer to Valette, and turned to go find the fox.

She trotted ahead, putting her nose to the ground to try and sniff out the scent. She wasn't sure what a fox smelled like, so she searched for anything that didn't smell like anyone she already knew. After a little while of searching, she found something new, though it was faint. She followed it, her tail wagging, hoping she'd find the fox. 

The scent seemed to be getting stronger and stronger as Adeline followed it, and she ended up at the entrance of what looked like a small hole in the ground. It was den-like, but considering the large den she slept in with Steady, she couldn't imagine anything hiding in there. But, her nose said otherwise.

Sniffing heavily, she stuck her head into the hole, and suddenly, the fox was on her. Adeline squealed in surprised as she hastily retreated, and then in pain as she felt teeth enter her shoulder. She wailed and tried to flee, but the fox had a hold on her. The instructions that Ezekiel gave her registered in her mind, and she turned her open jaws toward's the fox's face as she tried to get him off, but it only caused him to shake her, his teeth digging deeper.

To Nanook, Valette radiated confidence. Every step she took spoke of experience beyond her years. It made the dark wolf more an enigma that she already was, a mystery the Apaata both longed and feared to solve.

But the fox was their quarry today, and Nanook gave Valette a short nod before she took up her position at the centre of the search line. At the feeling of eyes upon her she lifted her gaze in time to catch Niita's glance, and her spine prickled with... unease? Indignance? Whatever the feeling, it sparked a surety within her that she would let nothing happen to young Adeline. Her attention would be divided, but she did not wish the woman's wrath upon her if she failed to keep an eye on the younger girl.

Yet the commitment proved easier said than done. Nanook managed to track Adeline between the trees for a time, but soon lost her to the undergrowth. The Apaata paused in her search and tasted the air. A trace scent of fox, and the tendrils of her packmates. They all seemed to drown to a curdling shriek that rang both her ears.

Nanook didn't think. Panic flashed bright in her peripheral, and she bolted through snagging branches and leaves that ripped and tore at her angled frame.

She came upon the frenzied scene - a fray ruddy and dusted fur - and paused long enough to dissect the assailants from one another. They twisted and tore, and in the chaos Nanook plunged at the fox with the aim for its neck, teeth bared and ready to do whatever it took to free Adeline from its clutch.

Valette liked her technique, though Adeline didn't seem to like it? She instantly trotted forward, perhaps the speed did not mind. For her the idea was to walk in one line so they could sniff out this fox it didn't matter if one was walking up front so she let Adeline. The girl was too quick for Valette to pay always attention on her. Valette had sniffed out a trail of the fox and was almost tempted to follow it, when she heard a cry. Adeline.

Valette sped in the other direction, if she had followed the trail she would have been led away from the fox. The cunning thing! She rushed forward to see Polaris already there. Valette instantly joined in, the fox trying to twist to its new attacker, or so it seemed to her. Valette let Polaris take the fox if she managed to kill it with her bite. The dark female's priorities laid with the younger girl. Valette nosed over her. "Adeline! Are you okay?," she asked, she was surprised herself how calm she sounded. Valette instantly covered her, standing half over the youngster, her nose down to check for any serious wounds.

Niita regretted taking Valette's orders almost immediately. Not because they where incompetent, because just as she had been about to follow a promising trail; the shriek of Silvertip's resident pup filled the air. 

Niita wasn't Adeline's mother, didn't claim to be even an aunt, but Addie had grown on her and Niita had begun to think of her as family. Anger was the first thing she felt, rage at whatever was hurting the young girl and also anger at the other two for not watching Adeline. 

The fox had Adeline in its grips, Polaris was already upon it and attacking. Niita joined the fray, rushing the canid and tearing into its underbelly with vengeance. Polaris seemed to be dealing with the fox alright, having a death grip on its throat which had caused it to drop Adeline.

Valette was tending to Addie, Niita stalking over after tearing a good chunk from the creature. "The damned thing is dead, let's get her back quick," Niita called out, moving to pick Adeline up gently. Krypton was no longer around but maybe somebody else back in the central territory knew healing. 

wasn't sure if she was still small enough to be picked up?

Adeline stopped her shrieking long enough to clamp her jaws down on the fox's head, though she didn't get a great grip. It shook its head side to side, tearing her skin and making her release what hold she did have on it. Thankfully, the adults were quick to act, though everything was a blur to Adeline now. She felt the fox let go of her, and its own screams begin where hers ended.

The young pup curled up into a ball, shivering in fear and pain. She heard Valette, but refused to unshield herself to answer her. Moments later, she was being picked. At first, she struggled, fearing another attack, but the instinct to go limp when scruffed came over her and she relaxed her body, though it still shivered. Blood covered her left shoulder, flowing out her wounds. 

Forgot to say- Adeline would be kinda big to pick up for a small wolf, but Niita can try!

The shriek that reached his ears made Steady's heart stop. He knew instantly who it was, and that it was not anything good. He left the trail he was on instantly, and ran as fast as his legs would take him in the direction that Adeline's cries came from. His heart pounded in his chest, fearing the worst and that he would find Adeline dead. 

He came upon the scene, with blood surrounding the now-dead fox, and Adeline, who hung from Niita's jaws. He went to her instantly, nosing her. He looked at her shoulder, which didn't look great. Does anyone know how to stop the bleeding? he said, looking around to the females. He then realized only half the pack was here. He lifted his muzzle and called for @Ezekiel, @Chaska, and @Anita. Maybe one of them could be of help. The thought hadn't been lost to him that he would find out which pack mate had dropped the ball and allowed Adeline to be hurt.

She heard a call from Steady, assuming it had something to do with the fox. Maybe he was declaring the winning team, which sadly would not be theirs. It was no matter though -- at least the fox had been taken care of and out of their hair.

She arrived at the scene, her eyes widening at what she saw. Oh, the fox had definitely been taken care of, evident by the limp corpse surrounded by what she hoped was it's blood and not someone elses. That's when she saw Adeline, bleeding as well. Steady's call wasn't to declare a winner; it was rather a call for help. Anita looked around for anything she could use to help stop the bleeding, praying for a bundle of cobwebs or something to randomly appear. Much to her demise, she could only find a few scraps -- not enough to be of much use.

"If there's any water nearby, I guess cleaning the cut wouldn't hurt," Anita said under her breath, hoping that her guessing mixed with common sense would provide some help. "Besides that, I'm not really sure what else to do," she added, wishing she had more knowledge on healing and the like. However, her trades never required such things, so this was just about all she could do.

"I guess we'll have to wait for Ezekiel and Chaska to get here, they may know what to do," Anita thought aloud, hoping either of the two had more extensive knowledge of the task than she.

Ezekiel had been with his group when he heard the call from Steady. They hadn't had any luck with the fox, so they had assumed that Valette's group had found it. However something sunk in Ezekiel's heart when he heard the urgency in the alpha's tone. Something had happened. Without a word to his comrades, the beta started off full speed to the area, surely Anita and Chaska would follow. 

When Ezekiel arrived, he found his pack mates, luckily Valette looked ok, and he was about to rush towards her to check up on her when he noticed Adeline. Blood oozed out of her shoulder, the corpse of the fox nearby. Had it attacked her? A rumble of anger came to his throat. Who had let this happen? He flashed Valette a concerned look before hurrying towards the child, looking over her wound. He was no healer, he only knew how to deal with broken bones and minor injuries. Never had he had to stop bleeding. But he could comfort her, that he knew.

Hey Addie, it's me Zeke. Your gonna be ok, we're gonna fix you up. Anxiously he turned his head to the pack, surely someone knew something! His worry was growing slowly as he looked down at her. Sitting by her, allowing her to snuggle closer if she wanted to, he barked at the others impatiently. Someone do something. Shouldn't we apply pressure or something is that a thing? He remained calm, but was getting more and more harried. Didn't someone in this goddamn pack know how to heal. If only Krypton were there.

They all heard the howl. Chaska though was the last to react and followed his two partners to the scene. At first from the holw he thought it was from them catching the fox. Then something shadowed that thought. The urgency in Steady's howl. Surely the fox couldn't have hurt someone. Could it? He came to be mistaken when he caught sight of little Adeline.

It hurt his heart to see someone so young in pain. Chaska had completely forgotten she had gone with the other group. Of course the fox could have hurt her. But he knew no medical knowledge, except for what Krypton did for him. That gave him an idea. He vaguely remembered having cobwebs put on his bleeding wound, for whatever reason. But it did something.

"Uh, Krypton. When she treated me, she used cobwebs and..uh...some kind of flower petals. Oh, what kind were they?" Through all the focusing on that memory, he could not remember the color. And besides, even if he did there were many flowers of the same color. "I'll get the webs! Let's just hope this actually works." 

Niita's felt a prickling sensation along her spine, as if her hackles would rise but she forced them down. This was the pack, they were here to help and Steady wouldn't let them hurt Addie. 

The pale waif lay Adeline down gently, hoping to jostle her as little as possible now that it seemed the whole pack was here. 

Think. You used alder bark on Chaska during the famine. But that's for infection, isn't it? Not for bite wounds... 

Everyone seemed to be offering ideas. Whether to clean the wound with water, apply pressure, or use cobwebs or petals. Chaska took off for the cobwebs, Niita vaguely noticed. 

Cobwebs would stop the bleeding I think but that wouldn't stop it from festering, right? Oh fuck it, it's not like it can get worse. Without further mental preamble, Niita leant over Addie and began to lick the wound clean.

Adeline whined in pain as Niita held her. She saw Steady arrived, and her cries got louder, crying for him. She began to wiggle in Niita's grasp, wanting down. Gently, Niita complied and Adeline went straight to him, huddling close by his chest. She really hadn't grasped what had just happened, as the shock and adrenaline were still coursing through her veins.

Ezekiel appeared, and she whined at him, too, but made no move from her spot. She wasn't sure she could, even if she wanted to. Their voices were urgent, she understood that much, but she did listen enough to comprehend further than that. As the shock began to wear off, her body began to shake, vibrating all over. Her vision began to get blurry, and before she knew what was happening, Adeline's body was making the short distance to the ground as she lost consciousness. 

Last post for Adeline. Feel free to apply any first aid that you can!

Valette bared her teeth a bit when Niita tried to pick Adeline up. Couldn't she see that such a think wouldn't work? It might hurt her even more. The girl hated that this is happened under her watch. But it could happen to anyone. The fox was defending its home. Still she hated that it happened. Soon Steady was there with them, who probably heard the cry too. Followed by Anita and Ezekiel who were called by Steady. The whole group surrounded the youngster and she almost felt the need to back off.

Valette knew at lot but she did not know a lot about taking care of wounds. She stepped back and snorting. She took the fox the other's killed from the scene and sat a bit back. She watched Ezekiel, she had not realized that he had looked to her first being wounded. She let out a sigh, face in a frown. She kept reminding herself that it wasn't her fault.

I posted this but then I realized I skipped Nanook and drafted my reply, so this should be before Niita's post. Oh well. xD I don't mind!

Please allow @Polaris to post next, as she was accidentally skipped. Posting order: 
Steady>Polaris>Anita>Ezekiel>Chaska>Niita>Adeline>Valette

His heart broke into more pieces as Adeline struggled to get to him. Niita placed her down, and Steady curved one leg around her as she snuggled into his chest. His ears perked, he listened to the others. How did not one wolf know what to do here? It frustrated him beyond belief, but he knew getting angry right now would not help the situation at all. Chaska pipped up then, saying something about cobwebs. Thank you, Chaska, he said before the male took off.

It was then that he noticed Adeline shivering. Was she cold? All of a sudden, she was unconscious and slumping down. He tightened his leg, but allowed her body to curve into the earth instead of simply hitting it directly. He whined, not understanding why she had fainted, or why she had started to shiver. From the pain, possibly? Niita began to lick Adeline's wounds, and Steady retreated only far enough to allow her access. His gaze searched for Chaska, hoping he would return quickly.

Sorry about the delay! And no worries about having skipped me in the last round - we had a crazy week at camp, so waiting up on me probably would have stagnated the thread (:

The world blurred; her feet carried her two steps ahead of her mind. The shrieks of Adeline shook her to the core - they were what drove Nanook, opened her jaws wider, clamped them shut when she wrapped them around the fox's neck and felt it's musty fur brush against her tongue.

In one swift motion, she sunk her teeth deep, and the seconds seemed forever before she felt them pierce flesh. Blood erupted in her mouth, and Nanook gagged, but still she held the fox tight. Another tension pulled at the brute - someone had come to help - but her attention remained wrapped in the fox, and in its screams that painted the world in existential colour.

Then, something snapped between her teeth, and the fox's shrieks gurgled to silence. The tension of the other released; the fox fell limp, but still Nanook held and squeezed. A clamminess tightened her jaws; the earth seemed to spin. Blood stained her mouth, her chest. Her tongue stung with a metallic bite.

She let go. The corpse hit the ground with a dull thud. Nanook staggered back. Others had come - the clearing swarmed. Voices rose, emotions cascaded, and hot bodies pressed tight. Her breathing quickened.

It was too much.

How had she let this happen? Adeline had been her charge - now the smell of her blood overwhelmed her. A quiet fear hissed in her thoughts, a memory she'd tried to push far away. This was her fault. Steady would know. There was no running now. He would punish her. She didn't know how, and a lump caught in her throat. Yet she remained with them, though huddled away from the rest. There was nothing she could do, no knowledge to impart. But one thing she would make sure of was this: that she would beg and plead to bear her punishment alone.

She was too caught up in the moment -- the whole chaos of the scene merging into one blurry, unfocused event in her head. She found herself phasing in and out, quickly snapping her attention back to the present. When she did so, she saw Adeline slump to the ground. She hadn't fallen, but rather, it was like she had lost control of her body. Anita had never seen anything like it before. Although it was something as simple as losing consciousness, how was she to know? Everything told her that Adeline was in danger and she rushed forward in attempts to see what had happened.

Still breathing. That was a relief. However, was she....asleep? Anita was no medic, thus she couldn't help but be puzzled. Her mind drifted back to when she had eaten a handful of weird berries as a pup and was knocked out for a while. Maybe Adeline was experiencing something along those lines.

Anita nuzzled Adeline, hoping for some sort of reaction. "I'd suggest patching up her wounds and letting her rest. She will wake up in due time," she gulped. Hopefully that would be the case.

Going to tack on an ending to this

Anita suggested patching her up and letting her rest, and Steady nodded, though his focus was on Adeline. He didn't feel safe moving her now, so instead he laid down next to her, drapping his head over her neck and snuggling in close. He hoped she wouldn't wake in a panic. 

He would allow those who tried to help her, moving away if they needed him to. In a few hours, Adeline would wake, and Steady would assist her to the den so she could continue to rest.