Hoshor Plains In The Golden Sea

Time: 4:35pm—Midafternoon
        Weather: 67൦F — Clear — Windy
            Location/Setting: Northeast of Hoshor Plains
                Tagging: N/A

AW. Possible thread. Preferable KO wolves but other wolves are allowed.

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Aliana searched outside of Kaistleoki, what she sought was food that was of the hoofed variety. Fish was alright but she preferred meat better. She recalled the tales her mother used to tell her about the Pack Hunts she once led; they were an effective way to rally the Pack, drum up morale, and solidify lasting bonds between Packmates. Aliana herself has yet to be in a Pack hunt, and the very thought of one sparked genuine excitement within her. She, proudly, elected herself to stake out some promising Herds in the area, compile a list from least to greatest then she'll present her idea to Ira. A Pack Hunt before snow begins to settle on Teekon would be most beneficial to the pack.

Aliana started her search in Hoshor Plains first, though a bit far from Pack land, a herd resided here. She smelt them on her way to join Kaistleoki but didn't pursue, just made a mental note to come back and properly investigate.

A slightly stale trail of urine and fecal matter coupled with their musky scent led Aliana deep into the plains, traveling northeast until the acrid scent got stronger and fresher. A distance deep-throaty roar made her pause and head sitting up, alert and ears cupped forwards intently. She hesitates for a moment to make sure of what she had undoubtedly heard was true, and after a brief silence, another throaty call was heard. Aliana smirked and crept up the hill, hastily stopping within a patch of tall grass. Slowly, she peeked her head out of the tall grass to notice a splat of brown upon a golden prairie. Bison; a large herd, certainly nothing to scoff at.
The herd looked like it was roaming Eastward, possibly they had a spot they like to rest? Or they circle through the plains in a sort of path? Aliana couldn’t assuredly tell but nevertheless, she was here to inspect this Herd.

A lot of planning went into a Pack Hunt; how many more elderly members there are compared to the younger members in a Herd, if there was any elderly, sick or injured. How wolves will join the Hunt, who will sit back and watch. The risks and benefits; all of those go into consideration when it comes to a Pack Hunt thus she must think of those when scouting these Herds. 
Bison might strike the bottom of the list, a lot of potential risks came with them; they’re mightier and sturdier than a wolf. A panicked herd could easily crush a wolf if not careful. Horns were compact, they can still gore or hurl a wolf senseless enough to remain in their path. But the payout...all the meat they’d gain could be worth it.

Aliana ponders a bit, licking her snout in thought. She needs to make them run; if the herd runs, she’d be able to pick out any possible stragglers. A strangler could be easy pickings.

Well … I won’t be able to examine the herd all the way over here...
Aliana sat up from her hiding spot and stretched her limbs a bit before trotting down the slope towards the Herd. They’ll most likely notice her before she reaches them, she’ll keep her distance, scout them out, see if she could possibly get them to run, and make her decision from there.

The bison were a marvel to him. Nothing so large ventured as far south as he originally hailed from (they may have in the past, but that was a history beyond Yao and many others). Not even the cattle reached that same size.

Yao watched them, hunched in the grass a few lengths away from the edge of the herd. They eyed him with what looked like mistrust — it was hard to read on their large wet brown eyes. But he had no interest in hunting them — even he could not take one down himself. No, this was something for a pack to handle. And perhaps, the bison knew it. They moved eastward, some grazing along the way, ignoring him.

He watched a ripple go through the herd. Hesitation? Fear? He perked up his ears, hearing the faint rustle of drying autumn grass. Another wolf. He looked at the newcomer, huffing softly to her.

Aliana made sure to give the Herd a wide berth. Of course, being bigger than the average Elk they weren’t going to run for the hills over the sight of wolf leisurely walking up to them. Even as Aliana trotted around them, all they did was watch warily but they seemed a bit more...on edge than she thought. 

This confused Aliana a bit before a good moment till she caught the scent of another wolf on the wind. It was halfway through her circle that she spotted them. They huffed at her, and she chuffed back in greeting. They smelled of a pack wolf, of which one, she wasn’t quite sure. She recalled Ira speaking of a few packs nearby; Neverwinter, the Reneian Empire, and possible these Saints wolves she had warned her about. This sent her on edge a bit but she remained calm as surely fate wouldn’t be that sadistic.

Aliana trots by, giving a glance to them then gesturing to the herd with her head, ❝I need the herd to run. A little help would be nice.❞

She gazes back to the Herd; they had stopped, ready to stand their ground against the predators but she can see the anxiety amongst them. All the two had to do was unsettle them and they’ll start running.

The other wolf greeted him cordially enough. Yao was about to turn his head back to the herd, still curious about them, when the wolf requested something of him. He cocked his head at her. Chase them? He looked to the herd once more. They seemed to be slow, with all that bulk. Yao nodded, snorting in the affirmative. Mm, I can do that. He stood up and began loping towards the herd, his gait loose and casual. Would the bison even care if he did so? He wasn't sure how smart they were. He and his family would sometimes play with the herds near them. The deer and cattle would catch on quickly enough. He let out a rugged bark, charging forward in a bluff.

Aliana nodded before turning to the Herd. They still stood their ground but were gradually losing their confidence, Aliana could see that and began to exploit that. She postured confidently, snarling out something fierce; she lunged at the Herd before promptly dancing away from any stomping hooves or swinging horns. She snapped her jaws and barked something fierce.

Her body said it all: ‘ Yeah, I ain’t scared of you! What are you going to do?? Stomp on me? Gore me? Ha! That’s if you can! I got a buddy with me—we’ll take one of you down and feast on your flesh! Unless you run! ’ 

The huddle became unsteady, hooves were shuffling around uncertainty. Some were starting her down, resolute; others were unsure. Yearlings, possibly? Adults and Elders would be more confident, it was only two against a whole herd, yearlings were less experienced thus less confident. The weakest link in a herd.

She smirked, lunging forward, pressing her luck by trying to snap at their limbs. It was a dance, a dangerous dance but one they were winning. The Herd grew more and more restless until eventually… one of them bolts for it, then several more. It wasn’t long before the whole herd began to thunder past them.

❝  There we go…!  ❞ Aliana glanced at the other wolf and gestures to the Herd with her head before running after them. She stayed a reasonable distance; close enough to keep them running, but far enough that she won’t get whumped with a kick.

They didn't flee from him at his first feint. Of course — they were far too large, confident first in their own size and strength to ward off any serious hunters. He went again, snarling and barking with all the savagery he could manage, watching their apprehension become obvious in each step, in each move they made in response to the noises he made. Every few barks he'd lunge forward, snapping his jaws together and bearing teeth. This was getting fun, even if they wouldn't run.

But eventually, one broke under pressure and fled, and soon the whole herd rippled into a stampede. Yao stared at them in amazement at first, burning the sight of the clouds of dust and small mounds of muscle and fur thundering across the grasslands into his brain. There was a triumphant noise, his companion called out joyously before tossing her head and running after the herd. He grinned, following suit. He wasn't that fast a runner, but he kept up a good pace with the herd — neither were they, of course.

The Herd thunders across the Plains as a rolling tide of muscles and horns. Aliana raced alongside the herd, bark and snapping at limbs that got too close to her. It won’t be long before the Herd gathers their courage again and face them down once more. Before then, she’ll make her analysis. 
 
In the moment, Aliana gave a quick glance over the Herd. She saw mostly adults, perhaps there were a few yearlings amongst them? But she could barely pick them out from the sea of adults. She did notice some of them had big bellies; pregnant females. The future of the Herd was held within them. Aliana wasn’t going to touch the young or the pregnant females, not unless she had to.  Her preferred target would have to be an adult, possibly male, and an old one at that. She slowed down a bit to look at the back of the herd to possibly see a straggler but didn’t see any that were struggling to keep up with the Herd. 
 
Aliana huffs both out of annoyance and exhaustion creeping up on her a bit, she was hoping for a weakness her pack could exploit to make a hunt on this herd less risky. Unless her partner ❝  Pull off! Before they turn their horns on you!  ❞ She exclaimed, warning her partner while she slowed to a stop. She wasn’t a Bison specialist or anything but one thing she knew that they were bull-headed. Quick to turn on their pursuers especially when they are in a herd. She'll be back one day, possibly with a hunting party and she'll bring down one of those mighty beasts. But for today, she'll give them their respect and space.