Stone Circle We survived the Famine!

WHOO Pack Hunt!! I've decided that the bison returned to us :'D They deserve it!

I'd only ask 1 mandatory post in this whole thread. This is truly something big for Easthollow so make sure your wolf makes a cameo at least if you don't feel like participating. Other than that we will post in rounds, so there will be no posting order.
@Greyback @Kove @Nanook @Laurel @Vespera @Arlette @Riley @Leta @West Tyree @Newt @Charles @Dawn @Minnow

Valette couldn't be happier when she woke up at dawn and saw the familiar shapes of their bison on their fields. She almost didn't believe what she was seeing. Tears had sprung into her eyes and howled the exciting news to everyone. Valette went as far as to run towards the herd and greet them like an old friend. Of course, she was not met with the same reaction. Valette made sure to stay away enough not to be charged at. She was close enough to smell them, observe, and watch the herd. She recognized a few as she would watch the herd on a daily basis.

Later that day at dusk the Matriarch howled to each member of the pack once more from the Stone Circle. She summoned everyone to come and join. All their children were teenagers and were allowed to join. They had few adults so they would need the teenagers to be there to make a lot of noise. But most of all, make sure the herd would start to run instead of forming a defensive circle. Valette hoped that she would have the strength and stamina to keep up the fight. It was never easy to take down a bison.

Once most were there she started. "Welcome all, today we will hunt our newly returned prey. For some of you it might be the first time. Bison are not like deer, they will charge and attack. Make sure you are quick on your feet and jump out of the way of any horns or hooves. Be as loud as you can to scare them into running," she explained and looked over the group that gathered. She looked at the teenagers. "I will allow everyone to join," she spoke then. "I'd like each yearling to team up with adult who can help during the hunt." The Matriarch then looked over the adults to see if they understood. It was just a buddy to coach them during the chase or to tell them when to move out of the way when needed.

"The only thing I can say, cause chaos! Bite at their flanks, scare them. They herd needs to stay moving if we want any chance of singling out one for our meal," the female spoke at last. She howled eagerly to signal the start of the hunt. She jumped off the falling stone to see if one of the teenagers might want to join with her leading the charge. She wondered if West or Newt would step up into that leadership role...

The day had started like any other, although it wasn't until about noon the woodland colored boy returned to the hollow, two measly birds clamped in his maw. He was hoping to catch the opossum he stumbled across, but the darn thing escaped up a tree. His plan was to take his kills to his mother to share, but he stopped dead in his tracks as he made it to the top of the hill. In the distance, he could see Valette watching from afar the massive creatures that roamed the plains below.

With a new excitement, he bounded down to join her. It had been so long since he last saw them, now he was much closer to their size, just as his father was. After greeting his mother and providing the small meal, he'd happily sit and watch with her. By the time Valette called for the pack hunt he was beyond excited, tail wagging behind him at the chance for a real meal, not just for himself, but everyone.

West listened carefully to their plan of action. His only experience hunting the large creatures both ended poorly, one a pack hunt with not enough members the other his own foolishness to run at the beasts. When the subject of partners came up, West had no need to look around. He had already decided he would be following Valette. In his eyes, she was the best hunter in the pack, if not ever, so naturally he wanted to go with her. And she was his mom...a few bonus points there.

As the final howl was given and Valette bounded down the slope, West was quick to take to her heels.

YOINKS MAMA

Of course, Arlette came when her mother called. The pale female didn't think her mother would be that quick on hunting the bison after they returned so recently. What if this would scare them away? Arlette disliked to hunt, especially the big bison, but with the famine and hunger gnawing at her stomach she knew she couldn't opt this one out. Hence why she obediently came forth and sat down when her mother gave her speech.

The girl looked around to when her mother talked about a buddy for the yearlings. She was kind of a yearling, she felt like one. She looked at her mother, who West eagerly picked to follow. Then she looked at Greyback but realized he would probably take Leta or Newt. Her red eyes traveled over the others timidly and accepted that she would have to do this by herself. Her ears fell back but followed the group. She didn't want to be left behind and have her mother notice that she was slacking. The petite girl rushed forward, her heart hammering in her throat, as she charged towards the herd. She felt like a little bug that she could squish under her paw compared to the huge beasts they were trying to take down.

Greyback had heard the call of Valette earlier that day, and by the time she signaled for the hunt at dusk the news had already reached him. He had anticipated it after watching his pack nearly go hungry. Both him and Valette had spared every morsel they could for others to the point where they both were on the brink of starvation.

He watched as his son, West, met with his mother with shock—the patriarch's heart sank a bit. Part of him wanted to be with his whelp, who was so much like himself that it was a bit overwhelming. He saw greatness in the boy, and was dead-set on sculpting him into a fine and cunning leader. Someone that would take up his mantle and continue his legacy without running away.

But nevertheless he turned his gaze around the others and met the sight of Arlette, who seemed to be a bit queer. He smiled, and bounded up to her, sparing her a kind gaze and a tilt of his head to join him. She was almost two, and while he would normally leave her to her own devices he wouldn't risk her getting hurt. His other two children would fare well teaming up with others and socializing more. They were strong and Greyback was certain they would do well.

He signaled for Arlette to get behind him as he rushed towards the side of the heard, snapping his jaws at the flank of an oldern male in attempt to steer it away. However it was stubborn, and the only reaction the man got was a kick aimed towards him. He veered away sharply, dodging the attack and shook his head before moving onto the next one to test.

The female heard the call when she was taking a drink by the stream. The stream had given her a few memories and she wanted to steer away from that since it made her feel that water was trickling down inside her bones. Vespera almost choked on her sip and had to cough a couple of times in order to catch her breath and shook her fur to get the bits of water off of her. The Easthollow girl craned up her neck and turned her head to the sound of the call but she frowned, her body felt glued to where she was and she didn't want to answer the call for she knew exactly who would be there. Her heart thumped at the thought of seeing him there but not in a good way, her fears rose up and she felt stiff. However, she obeyed Valette's howl eventually and whipped her body around and began sprinting to see what the commotion would be, but she felt like she could guess based on how happy her howl sounded.

Gotta deal with this bullshit someday... She growled to herself, she was anticipating that Greyback wouldn't be happy to see her and would want to chastise her for attempting to kill herself but she wasn't going to put up with his scolding.

Her strides were powerful and her jaws opened so that her tongue could fly helplessly in the wind, it felt good to run again and her legs were in need of this exercise. But by the time she got there, the residents of Easthollow had already begun to make their move towards the bison. The dark girl stopped in her track with her paws scraping deep into the dirt, she panted with her purple orbs scanning to see who was there. She laid her eyes on West, her heart sank and her nerves felt dead, the little pup was grown and sprinting happily with his mother, she wondered if he'd forgotten about her. Vespera's ears drooped at this thought and started to think it would be best if he didn't see her, would he even notice her? Would he ask about her scar? Would he even care at all?

Those thoughts escaped her as Greyback came into her view, her eyebrows knitted at just the sight of him and the conversation she had with Valette did resonate with her at all. She felt her fur prickle with fury but she soon became distracted and looked over to Valette, the Matriarch looked so happy, so happy that Vespera's gaze softened at the sight of her. Vespera looked out to the pack on the hill that she was on, they all looked so happy, she didn't have to go through their struggle, she didn't have to go through their shared suffering. The female looked down on her paws, they were pretty sunk into the ground if she said so herself with the snow surrounding her.

She couldn't participate. She felt that she didn't deserve to.

Vespera's gaze was gloom, she sighed a deep sigh with her ears folded back, she turned her body away from the hunt, away from the celebration. Her legs dragged as she walked away from the hunt, they would be better off without me, was all that she could think with her paws leading her back to the heart of the territory.

the main responsibility of a newcomer was to prove one's ability to carry their own weight. blondine knew that as a new face within these borders, there were at least two pairs of eyes on her at all times. rather than adding pressure, it served as motivation; if she could pick between being labelled lazy or overzealous, she much preferred the latter.

the call was sounded in the midst of her cache check-in. a voice she didn't recognize, but one that blondine figured she ought to respond to. leader until proven subordinate, she thought as she trotted over to the growing group. a dark femme was slinking away as the scout made her approach, so she made a mental note to seek her out later.

greyback was there already, as were a swath of other faces. as blondine made her way to the middle, she offered a howdy! and how d'ye-do? to anyone willing to listen. they were going to hunt, apparently. as she peered over to the herd, well, she could hardly contain her excitement.

there was no one there to partner with, not that she'd expected otherwise. she snaked down into the playing field, following closely behind the patriarch and the blanchard beside him. she would do as they did, waiting for a signal to jump into action.

The bison were back. So she had been wrong, and quite frankly, Nanook had never felt so relieved that she was.

She was ready for the summons when Valette lifted up her call, and the mercenary collected herself to the Stone Circle with haste. Many had already gathered there, and she he swung near Siarut and tapped her nose against his cheek in quick greeting, before she fanned out to stand amongst the others -- returning hellos (and howdy's) where they were given before settling down to take stock of the wolves they had left. They were small, but they were strong. They would make the most of the final rays of sun, and celebrate with the stars -- and perhaps even the Northern Lights would dance for them tonight.

As her sister spoke, the mercenary turned to observe the children with thoughtful calculation. West and Arlette were quickly accounted for -- the latter, a most curious one to consider a yearling, but she, too, noticed her niece's uncertainty -- had she not been that wolf once herself? -- and Nanook nodded to Greyback with a growing warmth. Though her lifestyle disagreed with many of his beliefs, she could not deny he never failed to prove both a loyal and considerate husband and father. Valette had finally chosen well.

Nanook turned her search outward into the others gathered about them, and found herself settling her gaze on a smaller, paler newcomer. The mercenary had not acquainted herself with this one, but she had heard her name in passing. An outsider, not one of their blood - and yet, by nature of being here, family. The mercenary tipped her head and narrowed her eyes in swift appraisal. Minnow was of like size, and of similar build -- delicate, sharp, and frail -- as when she herself had first run from the Maplewood.

How curious. Nanook curled her lips in a slight smile, and approached the girl with strength in her stride. "@Minnow," she said, recalling the name she had heard in passing, "Come, you will run with me today." And with a flick of her tail, Nanook made sure the young girl followed, before she took charge to lead the yearling down the slope, to begin an expectant circle around each of the bison Greyback sought to rile.

She was just walking around when she heard the call and followed it. She sat carefully and listened to her speak, she hadn't taken the time to get to know the pack just yet so when she heard her name called she was a bit confused but looked at the woman; yet not saying anything instead gave a simple nod and took to the woman's heels to follow.

the famine seems to be ebbing; the first clear sign comes when valette's howl washes over the ivory-painted landscape. turning on her heel, the hunter moves quickly toward the call. it is bison she sees spread before the gathering group; prey that had always been a rarity where she'd roamed, prey she'd little experience in. for the first time in a long while, she feels a little thrill in the prospect of the unknown, though her attention soon turns to the wolves gathered as she searches for her niece. 

she finds @Minnow at the heels of another, and moves to fall into step at the girl's side, offering a glance to the mercenary. she is unfamiliar, but introductions can be made after the hunt. "watch for the hooves. overcaution is better than ending up injured." perhaps she is overbearing, but she can, under no circumstance, allow anything to happen to the last of her kin. "you'll do fine." she reassures, keeping half her attention on the girl as she moves forward to obey valette's instruction.

Leta arrived swiftly, but not quick enough; she was able to catch the tail-end of what was said, and, tail waving, moved after her mother. She would learn at some point not to hesitate, but today was not that day; when West was first to follow their mothers lead, Leta licked her chops and considered. Did her mother want them to pair up, or could she still go with them...? Well, they were a ways off now, and Leta kicked her feet into motion, trying to determine if there were any others she could move with.

Late enough to realize everybody was spoken for, Leta elected to follow her mother after all; they were similar in build, and to learn from her would be helpful. In a rare display of athleticism that was rarely ever exhibited by the teen (she was more likely to be found stargazing than racing with the wind), Leta caught up with her mother and brother with the wave of her tail. She hung back some, though, ready to take direction as it was given to her. She was eager to help, however she could.

Leta can be PP'd by West and Mama if I'm moving too slow <3 She might fumble a little bit but will take whatever direction is given!

Laurel initially showed up as Valette called the pack together, dragging @Charles and @Louie along. She'd tried finding @Riley but couldn't find him anywhere, so decided to go without him. Stop bickering, she snapped at her children as they made their way to the meeting grounds, where Valette and others were waiting for them already.

Then it was announced that there would be a hunt. Laurel's tail swished tensely and she glanced briefly at her two children. She just couldn't bear having to lead anything or anyone right now. While Charles was busy batting Louie off his tail, Laurel quickly slipped away, hoping that nobody would see her. Valette would understand, surely; she just couldn't, right now. She wasn't sure she ever would again. All she knew for sure was right now she wanted to get out of here and out of the sight of her children, who only reminded her of all that was wrong in her world. Not even Iliksis' blood running through her teeth could fix that. Perhaps the opposite.

Yes, mama, Charles said with a sulky expression on his face. He glared at Louie, who didn't really seem to pay Laurel's commands much head as he just continued to gnaw on Charles' ear with far too much force. Ow, quit it! he yelped, but when he got another glare from Laurel Charles decided to just take the beating and try to fight Louie off, though rather unsuccessfully so, and suck up the pain.

When they reached the meeting Charles' eyes fell on Leta. His tail waved and his large coyote-like ears -- one still covered in Louie's saliva and teeth marks -- flopped up towards her. Hey Leta! he called out with a toothy grin. He tried to look cool -- she was his only friend and he intended to keep it that way -- but looked rather awkward instead, being young and unsure of himself.

Charles turned to Valette to listen to what she had to say. A real hunt?! Charles felt nervous but he was also looking forward to it all. The rush of the hunt, of running with the pack, of everything. It was gonna be so cool! Hey mama, which of us-- But as he turned around, Laurel was gone, and Charles was left standing with Louie amongst the adults. Well, shit. He didn't know any of them well enough to ask them, and was kinda scared of Valette. What to do now?

Greyback glanced back every now and then to the group of Easthollow, their members trickling in and rushing down to the hunt. His heart swelled with pride as he watched his packmates swarm to Valette's call and heed the instinctual drive, each of them scattering out into the heard.

Which Greyback now turned his attention back to. One by one the man tested the great beasts, nipping at their flanks and hind legs, weaving in and out of their vicious attacks to dislodge him. By now one had grazed him by his ribs, startling the man but only giving him more incentive to drive them apart. And with a growl, he pushed forward and tested a new one, his teeth finding a flabby bit of skin by a female's hip.

He heard it let out a call, and soon later it trashed, taking off from the heard and diverting into another direction. Good. Greyback fell back after that, letting out a deep alarm bark for all the members to go after it. "EVERYONE!" He thundered aloud. He had done his part for now, and as he slowed down to catch his breath he let his tongue loll out of the side of his jaws.

Kaito had never hunted anything as big as a bison before. In fact, the last time he remembered even standing close to something as huge as them (that wasn't Mister Greyback, anyway) was when he and his brother had accidentally set an elk herd into a rage last winter, and had almost found themselves buried beneath the ice of a frozen lake in result. These creatures seemed more docile, but Kaito had learned from that experience not to underestimate the power of their prey. The hunter was built to kill, but the hunted could kill just as well. 

Kaito settled down, but found it was hard to keep his eyes on Valette while she issued her instructions. He was distracted, rather, by his friend @Arlette, a small strand of white against the sea of giants and earth, whose laughter infected him, and whose presence made him feel strangely at home, even if he had only known her for a couple of weeks, at best.

He did his best to keep his eyes away from her -- yet when Valette broke the meeting, Kaito stole a quick step toward her -- wondering, maybe, if she might like to hunt with him -- until he saw Greyback, and he wheeled away entirely to pretend he'd always intended to go in the direction he'd actually just chosen at random now. His whole neck felt flush with an uneasy warmth, and after a second, Kaito chanced a glance behind him. Hoping that maybe, Greyback had only been stepping past her. But they were gone.

A sigh pushed through his lips, and he took in who was left, feeling a bit defeated but not beaten yet. He hardly felt capable of leading anyone, let alone a child. At times hardly felt like an adult himself, but his ears picked up a young voice, and when he turned, his heart had already moved for @Charles before his feet did.

"Hey," Kaito said with a smile, and offered a wave of his tail. He hoped he looked more certain than he felt. Was this even smart? But that look of awkward uncertainty -- this one reminded him of himself. And besides, he reasoned, your mother was a hunter, just remember what she taught you. He took a breath. "Do you guys wanna come with me?" Down below, a bison bellowed, and Greyback shouted. Kaito just tried not to think about what he was getting himself into.

oop i'm late to the party. in lieu of not being able to keep up with this; this is my only post. feel free to pp newt as needed. ♥

the summons rises through the chilled air; purposeful and direct, belaying his mother's message. a trill runs down his spine, electrifying all of newt's nerves as he relays the message in his mind. the bison have returned. the rumble in his stomach — though at this point has become easy to ignore out of necessity — takes hold and even before he joins the others — a late addition to the party he comes to find with a bit of sheepish embarrassment — he has begun to salivate from the thought of sinking his teeth into sustainable meat. it wasn't impossible to survive off of small game but ...he'd be lying if he said it was something he wished to continue to do for the rest of his life. small game was a morsel, less than enough to satisfy his hunger.

he assumes, from the team-ups below that he is meant to partner with an adult and though others have rushed forth to charge at the bison herd below he hangs back, hesitating. though he'd be loathe to miss out, to not have the experience of hunting big game beneath his belt he does not feel comfortable charging forward without an adult to accompany him. he peers below as his father's voice bellows out across the valley, the booming of a titan amidst the chaotic symphony below. he shifts his weight, nearly pacing with anticipation.

NEXT ROUND Still need to post: @Kove

Valette smiled when West joined her side. The mother started the charge and felt the power of the whole pack behind her. It was an extraordinary feeling. With the charge the bison were quickly trying to from a protective circle with their young an vulnerable ones in the middle. However, they were with many, and soon there was panic enough for the herd to start running. The Matriarch let out a short howl, stopping when it was draining too much energy. Greyback had one separating, and Valette instantly moved in. She was panting already. "@West," she called his attention. She ran between him and the separated bison. She could feel her breathing laboring.

"Get in line... with the bison... I want you... You need to bite the underside of the neck... Close to the jaw as you can get....," she instructed West. Valette faltered a bit hitting a bank of deep snow. She battled her way to West's other side so he would be between the bison and her. "Focus on that mark... Gain.. Gain.. same pace as the bison... Closer... but watch for the horns..." The female instructed through her panting. "Jump to that spot.. when I tell you.... And don't let go. Whatever you do. Don't. " Her legs felt heavy. Was this too much to ask a youngster? The snow wasn't helping, especially since the female had been in bad shape since the famine. "When... When you jump... Use your weight to unbalance. You... you can do it." She was seeing dark spots in her vision. Valette slowed down a bit and looked over to the pack.

"ATTACK FROM ALL SIDES. MAKE IT BLEED. NIP AND BITE. SLOW IT DOWN." She called out to everyone. She hoped it was all common knowledge that they shouldn't hold on for too long as their kicks were dangerous. Valette's eyes fell on Leta. "Just.. quick bites Leta," she instructed. "Try at the belly," she added. Valette felt dizzy as she tried to focus on her son again and move to his side. She thought she could be his back up for if he failed his jump but Valette realized her body couldn't keep up. It had to be West. Perhaps Greyback would step up if all else failed. She couldn't. Valette was slowing, vision blurring. "NOW WEST! NOW! she called out. The Matriach had slowed enough that most were past her. "Leta keep going...," she tried to encourage, but seconds after the female vanished in the deep snow. Her fall was soft. Valette momentarily blacked out, heavily panting to catch her breath. Too much. Too much.

She tried to sit up and see how things were going but her vision blurred, she almost fell over again because she sat up too quick. She tried to sit still, feeling mostly mortified that she couldn't even lead hunts anymore. Valette had been too emaciated. The female groaned in frustration but she trusted her family, and just hoped she didn't cause too much of a distraction. Luckily, her heart was calming down and her vision coming back to her.

edit; forgot to mention Leta :'D

Arlette let her ears fall back submissively when Greyback told her that she was allowed to follow him. She was grateful for her father to allow her guidance. She trotted to his side when her eye caught Kaito. He was here! Perhaps he would want to hunt with her, and then she wouldn't take up space at her father's side. She wanted to step towards him, however, he seemed to move very far away from her. Arlette's heart dropped in her chest. Of course, he wouldn't want to hunt with her! How stupid of her to think that... She bit her lip trying not to focus on how stupid she felt.

Arlette rushed to catch up with Greyback. As she was at his side she noticed how close they were to the beasts. The female let out a whine in fear. She watched how Greyback nipped and tried to bite the beasts. Arlette wanted to freeze in fear when one almost got her father. She hated this, her heart hammering in her throat. Arlette just stayed with him, only trying to snarl and growl at the beast. She was not ready to bite them. She automatically slowed with her father when he needed to catch his breath. She watched her mother, and West side by side. Her mother then instructed them to bite and attack. She looked at her father, clearly not comfortable with her mother's command. Arlette looked at him pleadingly when she saw a dark shape slowing down. "Mama!," she breathed.

Arlette felt her confidence grow. "I will check on mama!," she called out to her father and made a U-turn. Thank god. Her worst nightmare was to get trampled under a bison and was glad to get some space between her and that thing. She tried to look for her mother but fora moment it was just all snow. Then her mother sat up and Arlette quickly went to her. "Mama," she breathed, it was like she wasn't even seeing her. However, as her mother's pants were quieting, she seemed to be doing better. Arlette nosed through her fur. "It's okay mama, take it easy." It looked like she wasn't hurting, just very tired.

the cries of the child were muffled by the sounds of the hunt. as she turned, racing toward the back of the group, blondine chose to follow. hunting bison was difficult, dangerous; someone could have been hurt.

she trailed closely behind the girl until they reached valette. the matriarch was obviously fatigued, likely having overexerted herself. blondine nosed gently at her fur, an attempt to get her to stand. y'all need a break? she whispered, not wanting any passing packmates to hear, we can move you out of the way. keep you safe for the time bein'.

if allowed, blondine would help valette stand and move out of the line of danger. 

trusting that the matriarch would be okay, she rushed forward to rejoin the hunt. greyback had tapped out so she jogged beside him and bumped his shoulder — y'all alright? — before following the pack toward the target. blondine tried to latch onto the beast's neck, being kicked away in the process.

she took a moment to recuperate before going back in, this time waiting for someone else to take charge.

:3c so much is happening in this thread sorry for the essay LOL

It didn't take long, at least it didn't feel long for one of the beasts to be separated from the heard. Valette called for him, and the boy was quick to turn after her as they chased after the straggling wanderer. It wouldn't be long until more of the pack began to close in on their prey while the rest distracted the heard. His mother instructed him through labored breaths as they chased, his own tongue hanging from his maw.

Valette told him to grab hold of the beast's throat and not let go, surely it couldn't be that hard right? Yet the daunting task posed a threat even to him. He was big, but these things were still bigger, and he had already experienced the wrath of a bison at his tail. Yet West still charged forward, his long legs working to match the bison's pace as others nipped and gripped the creature's sides and legs. At this point, the thundering sound of hooves and blood pumping through his ears was all he could hear aside from his mother's booming call to move.

In the heat of the moment, he failed to notice his mother straggling behind, soon left in the snow as they raced on. Taking a few powerful strides, the woodland boy moved close only to find the large horn swinging towards himself. West shoved his paws into the ground barely missing the full blow as he skidded forwards. Sharp pain sliced just above his eye, but the young boy's attention was too focused on the task at hand to really pay attention to it. Perhaps someone else would notice the red that dotted the white before them, but he had already picked up his pace to rematch the bison's stride.

This time he was more warry of the massive head that swung in an attempt to ward him off, but he refused to be stopped by the horns again, now taking a final step to lunge at the beast's throat. His teeth latched into the skin drawing a deafening cry as the bison tried to shake him. He soon found it difficult to keep his grip, but he refused to let go and attempted to drag his feet for some kind of hold to tip the scales in his favor. If he could gain enough of a foothold he could yank to try and unbalance their prey.

Kove was slow to arrive, joints aching and body complaining; he often wondered how his grandparents did it, assisting the pack and looking after the family well into their senior years. He found his body betraying him more often than not as of late, refusing him the ability to do that which he loved or was accustomed to—such as hunts, especially those large in scale. The hunt was already seemingly underway by the time he arrived, wolves moving after the bison—until one fell down, her words lost to the air surrounding them as he realised immediately that it was Valette.

Despite those that reached out to her, offering support and assessing her well-being, Kove rushed towards her just the same; such quick movements without properly warming up, he would surely pay for it later, but all he could think about was his daughter and ensuring her safety.

The elder looked to Arlette and Blondine both when he reached them, examining their expressions. Finally, his gaze came to rest on the wolf of focus, the fine lines of worry digging deep grooves into his face. “Are you alright?” he asked. “You shouldn’t push yourself so hard, not when it’s been so long since there’s been a proper hunt.” He let loose a long, drawn-out sigh—equal in part distress and relief. Overall, she appeared unharmed, only exhausted, but that did not ease his worrying in the slightest.

NEW ROUND

Valette huffed when more wolves came to check up on her. She pushed herself to her feet. "Go! Go! I don't need to be looked after," she commented. She nipped at Arlette to have her go back to go after the bison. She knew that her pale daughter didn't like hunting but she had to help the pack. The female stepped forward. Her father was there as well. She offered Kove a smile. "I have to provide for the pack," she breathed, still catching her breath. Valette watched the hunt, so eager to join them. "GET IT! Take it down!!!," she called out.

It felt as if all the wolves around him had disappeared, now it was just West and the bison, at least to him. It thrashed, doing its best to shake the young boy, but he knew he couldn't let go. In the distance, he could hear his mother's cries once more and this time he would use it to fuel himself as he used all his might to pull the bison and unbalance it.

The only thing he could do now aside from slow the creature down was hope his packmates followed up to finally bring down the beast. For his sake, he hoped they did so quickly as he was quickly growing tired.

Greyback had not heard the commotion behind him, had not noticed the fumbling and messy scene of his mate. Only the calls from Valette to push forward hit his ears, and while taking a few lung-fulls of fresh air the man got up to resume the hunt. Arlette had gone somewhere to Valette, and now West had pushed ahead.

He watched as his son tore across the field to follow the bison, latching onto it's throat and being dragged a great distance. It was almost humorous to the man, except for the fact the boy was in danger. Not humorous.

Greyback followed his son with haste, pushing his legs forward and burning the muscles as he flung his body into the scene. He came around to the same side as West, and in a few moments looked over the animal with amber eyes. It was beginning to tire, and now with teeth digging into its throat the only thoughts in its mind was to run. Surely it was in a mode of fight or flight.

Peeling his lips back to let out a deafening snarl, Greyback flexed his muscles, and in an effort to end the hunt as fast as possible he flung his weight into the bison's shoulder, his teeth meeting the meat of it's muscle and pushing it over, toppling the beast and sending all three of them onto the grass. He had landed on his back, a groan escaping his jaws before he hastily got up and matched West's previous bite. "NOW!" he shouted, "WATCH OUT FOR IT'S LEGS!"

Charles wasn't really sure what to do now. Nobody was there to guide him, but he wanted to just try his best anyway. And a part of him was relieved that he was able to do something, prove himself in some way, without Riley there to beat him up for it or Laurel there to discourage him from trying at all.

The young coywolf visibly startled when he heard a voice nearby. When he looked up he saw another wolf, smiling and wagging his tail in a friendly manner, and Charles' frightened expression turned into a tentative smile. Hey, he reiterated and he uncertainly licked his lips. He nodded as the adult asked him if he wanted to come along. I'm Charles. He wasn't entirely sure if others knew his name or not. Honestly, Charles mostly just knew Leta apart from his own family, and he of course knew of Greyback and Valette and some others that were prominent in the pack.

A lot happened all at once as they set off. Not long after they set off after the bison -- which looked giant and terrifying to Charles, honestly, and he wasn't too excited to get too close to them at all -- Valette fell and there were a lot of wolves flocking to her. But above all of the other sounds and speech one thing stood out: Valette's screamed command for them to get it. It gave Charles goosebumps, and he looked to @Kaito for guidance, hoping that his adult would help him through the mess of thundering bison, snapping jaws, and Greyback's intimidating-as-heck shouted commands.