Whitebark Stream I'm swept up by the shape of all the centuries

evening falls, the coming darkness bringing quiet to the taiga. the huntress moves swiftly to the central territories; eagerness making light her step. their window is come; she issues a swift call for the rest of the pack. a short trek away, the herd stirs, settling in at the edge of the maplewood as night falls. among them is the doe that had slipped into the stream early that morning, made weak by her struggle against the ice. this is their target, and the plan is made clear in the woman's mind; she needs now only to see who will hunt. 

this hunt will be round-based, with a new round beginning every three days or when all members have posted. the ensure the hunt moves swiftly, this thread is open to four other members!

The call for the hunt went up and Daylily hesitated, gritting her teeth. She was not good at these things and back home in Oakstead had left the hunting of large game to those who were. But here, Whitebark’s numbers were smaller; Oakstead had been unimaginably massive in numbers. Day sighed, figuring that Dawn would need all the help she could get. But would she really be… helpful? 

In the end, her sense of duty caused her paws to move towards her leader. This was a bad idea, she kept thinking in the back of her mind. Yet she was going to do it anyways. She needed to learn to hunt big game at some point, she figured. Though the thought of bringing down such a majestic creature caused her stomach to churn and her heart to twist. She arrived and stood before Dawn, trembling with fear and anticipation. What if she hurt herself doing this? What if she did something wrong and caused others to be hurt? She almost turned and fled, then, but duty once again led her paws, stayed her body. Could she truly call herself a wolf if she could not hunt as all wolves were born to do?

Rarely far from her, Artyom was swift to respond. He trailed her through the snow, veering carefully between foliage, his pace easing as he caught sight of her ahead. A deep inhale of breath confirmed the reason for Dawn's summons, and salmon pink tongue traced his upper lip in anticipation.

His gaze was soft on his mate as he drew close to her, shifting in close to bump his muzzle fondly to her ashen shoulder. After offering her a thin smile, his earthen eyes shifted to the trembling form of the nearby Daylily and at once picked up on her anxiety.

He knew their prey wwould too, if she did not pull herself together. In quiet support he offered a sweep of his tail: it will be alright.

"What's the plan?" Artyom's words came hushed as his attention returned to the sterling Alphess, reluctant to give away their position. 

Dutifully, Connor was quick to arrive after Dawn's summoning howl. His eyes found the unfortunate victim lying by the shore. She looked to be an easy target, but the task of taking down such a solid creature still proved to be a daunting task for the once-tame hybrid. He'd only caught small, weak prey nowhere near this size. Silently, he awaited Dawn's instruction. This would be a learning experience for him.

Chai was swift in answering Dawns call. The message encoded within it was clear. It was time to hunt. The presence of the small group of deer within the territory was at the forefront of her mind ever since she had discovered them. So it was no surprise that the weakened state of one doe in particular, had not gone unnoticed by the keen eyed female. For someone who was so naturally timid in nature, the eagerness in which she took to the hunt was promising.

Arriving shortly after the others, namely a new man who she had not been formally introduced to yet, she couldn't help but notice Daylily, who looked absolutely petrified. Chai slid up, brushing along her flank lightly in a gesture of reassurance. Though with her still slim figure and weakened muscles, she was hardly the prime example of a wolf capable for say, the take down. But in this, the hunt as a whole at least and with her accumulated knowledge, she felt confident. Tense with instinctual anticipation, she looked to Dawn expectantly for the strategy.

they were not the most assuring group, the leader realized quickly enough. daylily arrives first; the huntress offers a gentle smile to the woman who appears visibly terrified. then her mate; his soft touch is met with a brief tough of her muzzle to his. then connor — she can not deny that he seems a little off — and chai, she who had found the deer originally, and like the rest of them, was not in the best physically shape. 

they would do, she decides, and offers a grin as excitement takes hold. "artyom," she begins, "will take chai and daylily, and wait in the treeline just over there," she decides. it is only natural for her mate to lead one of the groups, she trusts him most after all. chai seems an accomplished tracker, and she has little doubt she'll be a proficient hunter too, able to aide in the take-down. daylily had admitted her inexperience, and such it would be best to partner her with chai, away from flinging hooves and quick decisions.  connor, on the other hand, was slim and slight, better suited for the chase than the final charge and take down. "connor and I will cut away the doe, and herd her toward you - you'll be the ambush party." she pauses, glancing over the small crowd assembled to ensure the strategy is accepted, and any questions go answered. when all seems in order, she gives the silent motion for the two groups to assume their positions.

PP of them moving off the tree line. Tell me if that’s not ok.

Others showed up and each one offered Daylily support of some kind, whether it be in soft words or an encouraging touch. Day smiled tremulously and tried to pull herself together, feeling a little more at ease now that others had arrived. It was not as if she’d have to do the entire hunt by herself. “Thank you,” she said quietly, looking around and meeting the eye of each one. 

She listened as Dawn explained what would happen, and looked to Artyom afterwards. She would follow his lead in all this, as she was told to do. After everything had been settled, she followed him dutifully to the tree line, trying to remain as silent as possible so as not to alert their prey.

The pressure was on when Dawn explained that it'd just be the two of them herding the injured doe towards the others. Connor absentmindedly licked his nose in anxiety, but he nodded. Just follow her lead, he told himself. It shouldn't be too difficult — what he feared more was fighting the muscled ungulate. But he reminded himself that she was weak, & he was not alone. He wouldn't be reckless, but he'd try his best.

The others slunk off into the treeline as the alphess instructed, & it was just he & Dawn, now. Connor looked to her for assurance. Once he received it, he'd charge towards their target & try to get in-between her & the rest of the herd as they scattered. Unable to resist the urge, he let out several sharp barks, further panicking the deer.

Another two arrived to support the hunt: newcomer Connor, and an agouti she-wolf he had not yet met. Artyom's gaze lingered on her for just a moment longer than the fair hybrid as he wondered briefly if she'd been around longer than he had, before Dawn earned his full attention.

A soft nod at her instruction and he turned to face the two females that his mate had selected to accompany him, lips pulling back to reveal a mischievous grin. Excitement courses his veins as he beckoned them to stay close to him, and veered away to the side - downwind - so they could give the herd a wide berth.

"Stay low," he instructed over a shoulder, voice soft as he studied between the trees for the appropriate place to hide away, "when I move, you move. Aim for somewhere you can hold onto, she will fight to live." Crouching, Artyom pressed himself to the snowy ground to await the approach of thundering hooves. 

Aside from Dawn and her mate, Artyom, Chai was perhaps the most composed among the subordinates gathered. Wordlessly, she listened as the Alphess laid out the plan, choosing to pair her with the butter cream man and Daylily. They would wait, hunkered down in the concealment of the tree line while Dawn and Connor, as he was called, drove the doe towards them. For her it was a solid enough, simple plan.

With a quick nod of affirmation, she spared one last glance to Dawn before turning to flit silently towards the shelter of the trees. She kept one ear turned in the direction of the remaining deer, to keep tabs. Spooking them now, too early would prove disastrous and ruin the hunt. Once they were settled, she turned to Daylily, but acknowledged Artyom as well with a wise nod. "We should make it quick. She's weak, but those skinny legs flail all over. And watch for the hooves...they are sharper than you might think." She cautioned in a feather light whisper of a voice.

they settle into their positions; only when the flickers of movement from her comrades die down does the woman motion for connor to follow her as they near the herd. "be swift, and avoid the hooves. stay between her and the rest of the herd, I'll maneuver her from behind and the sides." a glance to ensure he's ready, and then, "stay hidden as long as possible, and move when I do." 

the pair creep near, well-disguised by the long-reaching shadows and the natural crests and furrows of the meadow. it is when the linger on the edge of being known that she issues a sharp lash of her tail, and they move. 

together, they rush the herd; connor obeys her instruction well enough. then it is only the thunder of hooves and the dozens of lightning-fast decisions they need to make. she veers back, attempting to make for the herd that charges ahead for higher ground, but her pace is made slow, and she stumbles occasionally. this close, it is easy to see the swelling around that limb that had punctured the ice, the weakness in it. once, she almost slips away; frenzied snarl leaves the woman's lips as she corrects its path. they are near to the treeline, now, though she dare not shift her attention to try and spot the wolves she hopes they're nearing.

At once, they were on the move. Artyom held his breath as he peered out beyond the trees to where Dawn and Connor rush at the herd, sending each beast veering collectively in search of safety. He heard their frantic hooves and was sure he felt the earth tremble beneath him with each thundering cloven hoof.

There is worry in his heart for his sterling mate, so early in what he hoped was her viable pregnancy, though reminded himself that she was mostly out of reach. Things would be very different if the injured doe were to realise the danger she was in and turn on the wolves who took chase, but thankfully this was not the case.

When at last their chosen prey was separated and fixed a wide-eyed stare to the treeline, determined to lose the predators who pursed, Artyom shot Daylily a sideward glance. With adrenaline coursing his system, the gilded ranger felt dull to her anxiety, but there was no time to fret. With the weakened deer crossing through the edge of Whitebark's forest, Artyom pounced from his hiding spot with a snarl, jaws parted as he aimed to sink his fangs into whatever flesh of the herbivore he could.

Purchase was made on the doe's lower neck, as she bleated in fear as she reared up at the sight of a wolf she had not been expecting. She attempted to swing away and Artyom, who held fast to her flesh, yanked his head to the side in an effort to force her to the ground - but it was a manoeuvre he could not complete alone.

Daylily understood how much the others were relying on her to do her part. This understanding helped to settle her nerves a little bit, though she was still incredibly nervous. She watched as Dawn and Connor did their jobs, driving the injured deer towards where she, Artyom, and Chai were hiding. When it came time for it, she simply stopped thinking and followed Artyom’s lead in attacking. She surprised herself when her teeth sunk deep into the flesh of the deer. She was nearly dislodged when it reared up and one of her limbs was knocked by a hoof, but it was glancing blow. She managed to hold on, tasting blood in her mouth. Her nostrils flared and her eyes grew wild with bloodlust, something she had never felt before. Hunting fish or small game was different; there it was more about the chase. This was about victory over the life of another animal, feeling triumph because you had killed something. Later, Daylily would probably be upset, but right now all thought and feeling were gone from her.

The sound of thundering hooves crunched against the snow, filling the air. Her trained eye locked onto the injured doe's form, who sure enough, once separate from her group, made a retreat to the tree line. That was their signal. As Artyom broke forward, followed by Daylily, Chai found herself instinctually following suit. As she burst from the cover of the trees, her heart leapt into her throat momentarily. Old thoughts came back to haunt her. Old fears...the bitter taste of anxiety. What if she somehow screwed this up too, like everyone in her family predicted she would, as in any effort? They always had so little faith in her. Had shut her down before she even got a chance.

She couldn't fight that inner battle now. As Daylily was struck with a glancing blow of a hoof, her pale eyes widened in momentary alarm. The female seemed unharmed, fortunate for her, holding on tenaciously. Managing no more than a crinkle of her lips, Chai darted left, open jaws targeting the soft belly. Angling her body away from the kicking legs, she clamped down hard, tearing deep through skin and muscle. A little more of that would disembowel the doe; a mercifully swift end to this battle.

He adhered to his leader's instructions like glue. If there was one area Connor was truly skilled in, it was following instructions. Everything so far went according to plan, doe separated & on course for their comrades lying in wait amongst the trees. They pounced once she was near, sinking their teeth into her flesh. He watched as one of the doe's hooves collided with Daylily, & though her grip remained firm, he urgently dashed in to assist them.

Connor had no clue where the most ideal part to attack was, but after just a heartbeat spent observing his packmates' positions, he chose the flank to latch onto. It was the smart choice, as the doe's flailing legs were unable to reach him from that spot. He tugged & tore, for it was all he could think to do at this point. Hopefully, they could fell the beast from their combined effort.

the doe is stopped, then, by the combined efforts of the three that move as one to stop her in her tracks. the taste of blood, the surge of adrenaline that comes with the knowledge that this soon will be over. in a moment, she and connor catch up to the ailing thing, the bleats a familiar sound. her aim is the flank; connor gets there first. unwilling to crowd him, and faced suddenly with a dead-end, she spins back, target then the opposite flank and heaving side. 

a wild kick, a connection, a brief burst of searing pain along her chest. she grunts, falls back only a moment, recovering breath lost, and then the huntress moves to sink her jaws into the deer's side. something gives, and under the combined weight of the pack the doe falters, that fierce desire for life beginning to crumble as she hemorrhages into the snow. 

and then, she is dead. life fades from her suddenly, as the pack struggles for dominance. the leader's breath comes ragged and bloodlust blooms, pain and victory coming in equal measure as she tears swiftly into the flank where she'd made her grip, her bloodlust restrained for a moment as she howls their victory, issuing an invitation for the hungry.

The beast was swiftly surrounded, trapped. She was attacked from all angles, weighted by numerous sets of predator fangs that prevented her from fleeing while another set to work on tearing the flesh of her abdomen.

Legs flailed toward her captors, and Artyom spotted Dawn move in to cover a flank. It happened so fast: their prey struck, a well-aimed kick delivered to the sterling leaders chest. Artyom thought to let go, run to her, but she was quick to recover and assume position.

When at last the doe had fallen, the golden ranger turned his attention to the throat. He slackened his hold to deliver another, shifting to apply pressure in an area that would deliver a quicker demise through suffocation.

Bloodied and satisfied to feel the life drain from a creature that would fill the bellies of their pack, Artyom released following Dawn's announcement of their kill. He circled around the group to attend his mate, moving in close to nose tenderly to her platinum brow, pressing a concerned kiss above an eye that left a small streak of red. "Are you okay?" Artyom asked, gaze alert for any sign of a wound as he moved, almost frantic in his search as he scrutinised the area where he'd seen contact made; "are you hurt?" He'd lost Ana to an injury following a hunt the year prior, and was not sure he could live with the guilt of seeing Dawn face a similar fate. 

It was over in minutes. With the combined force of Dawn and Connor joining the attack and drawing more blood, the doe's fate was sealed. The kick to the chest her leader took had not escaped Chai. In any other situation she would have abandoned her task to voice her concern, but the platinum woman pressed on only after a moments faltering, biting into the animals side.

Her own clean ivory muzzle was stained with the blood of their prey, the muscles in her neck and shoulders straining as she fought, with the others, to pull it to ground. Too weak to fight against the combined effort of the wolves and from too much blood loss, the doe at last collapsed, falling still. Chai leapt back then, instinct kicking in as she circled the carcass, heeding the natural hierarchy. But that was okay; she could wait. She turned a pale eye to the direction in which the remainder of the fallen doe's group had fled, now one less.

Together, they took down their quarry. He didn't miss how Dawn stomached a hearty kick, but she was clearly still hale since she quickly leapt back into the fray. That never stopped Connor from worrying, though.

As soon as the doe was down for the count, he let go & scanned the others. Artyom saw to his mate, so he gravitated towards Daylily & eyed her wound. Thankfully, it didn't look serious. Echoing Artyom, he asked, Are you alright?, though he was much calmer than the alpha. Dawn seemed to have taken the worse blow; he hoped there was no internal bleeding or broken bones.

sorry for the wait!

They had killed it. She had killed it. Her. Daylily. She knew in her head somewhere that the others had helped. It hadn’t just been her, alone. But in her heart, now that the bloodlust had faded, she looked down at the dead deer, tasted the blood in her mouth, and wanted to be sick. She looked around, saw that Dawn had been injured, felt the slight throbbing in her own leg from the glancing blow… The world filled with white noise, a ringing in her ears. Things went on around her, Connor moved closer to her, asked her something. She turned and stared at him with empty eyes. She had killed a beast so majestic. So beautiful. 

For sustenance, her brain told her, trying to rationalize it. And you’ve killed before. Rabbits, fish, squirrels.

This is different, she replied to herself. Cruel. I killed a being so lovely… Pure.

She stood frozen to the ground for a moment, breathing. Smelling blood, tasting blood, metal in her mouth. It had struggled so much. Fish and rabbits and squirrels could be killed instantly, nearly painlessly. This deer had struggled for life. It had not wanted to die. It had kicked, fought, harmed her, and Dawn, to try and live.

And she had murdered it.

Daylily turned and stumbled blindly away, oblivious to any calls that may have been aimed in her direction.

[Daylily out.]

Fading this.  :)

Artyom hovered around Dawn, annoyingly so, tentatively nosing at the ruffled platinum fur beneath her throat. She was fine, thankfully, without any open wound despite the discomfort in the area where their prey had delivered a swift kick. Still, he held some reluctance to take his mate at her word not because he didn't believe her, but because seeing her hurt pained him in other ways.

When finally he felt some assurance that Dawn wouldn't drop dead at his feet, Artyom lifted his bloodied crown to look around the other hunters. He saw Chai, made crimson by the disembowling of their prize but otherwise well and pale-furred Connor with his gaze elsewhere. Artyom's earthen eyes followed his pack-mates, finding the sleek form of young Daylily as she loped away.

"Day!" Artyom barked, but did not pursue. She ignored him, continued to pad away from the scene, and the gilded ranger blinked with confusion toward the other present male. He, too, seemed uncertain as to why their comrade simply left, so Artyom shot one last concerned glance in her direction before returning his attention to Dawn.

The pack rallied to feed and he stayed close to his sterling mate, respecting her position in their hierarchy to begin her share first before joining in.