Dawnlark Plains culling

all welcome. looking to join redtail rise.

the lands that sprawled before him were desolate, the only movement from the wind stirring the trodden grass.  at first glance they seemed lifeless, though for those that knew where to look the plains revealed abundance.

typhon had stood as a gargoyle for some time atop the eastern wall, watching for quail.  they grouped plainly before the hunter as he descended, and with a burst of speed surprising for one his size he made quick work of one of them, emerging from the grasses with the limp creature clasped between his jaws.

A hunter on their plains.

He was not hunt master, but as a guardian he descended all the same. Eyes fixed hard upon the man. He thought of Augur in the way the man looked.

Prophet only offered a deep rumble as he approached. He wanted to see how the man reacted to his presence before any further action was taken.

i'll be around to spree for a while, if you'd like!

the sound of another pulled him from the stronghold of instinct.  his hackles raised at the sound as he turned to face its source, though once he found no aggression in the other man's stance typhon civilized himself.

he dropped his kill between his forelegs and licked the blood from his chin.  hail.

yes please <3

The man was wise to be guarded, but even wiser to lower that guard enough for civility. Prophet was not above ego, not above hailing for his warrior men (and women) to sweep the plain.

He found relief it would not come to that. Not yet, at least.

You hunt near my home, He stated plainly. And your hunting is admirable. He jutted his chin to gesture towards the limp bird.

He briefly thought of how good it would be to bring one back to @Avicus.

immediately had to do work stuff, but i am around lol

your candor is appreciated. had he known that he had hunted on claimed land he would have found his meal somewhere else.  the man did not seem perturbed.  typhon reasoned there was plenty of game to be found here; had the winter thinned the plains out, he suspected he might not have been greeted so kindly.

as it must be, he said.  the life of a loner was difficult, but could be made less so if he had skill and prowess.  i would help you bring one home, he offered as a token of good will, gesturing towards a separate gathering of grouse with his square jaw.

no worries! I'm currently working myself

The man was the kind Prophet liked.

Direct, skilled, admirable size. An ideal candidate to bring home, should this continue on a kind path as it had so far.

I would like that, He admitted with a smile, warm and handsome but one did that not linger long. You will have to take the lead. I am not skilled as a bird hunter.

some wolves chose to hide behind their ignorance.  this one chose to state it plainly.  typhon did not look down upon this.  instead, he respected the man's honesty and took the opportunity to explain. 

he turned away from his comrade and positioned himself low.  you do not have to be, he returns, tail wagging slightly, it is easier with two.  we will circle them.  i will take that side, he says with a motion to the eastern flank.  you will take the other.  once we are both positioned, all you have to do is run towards them.  if all went as intended, they would be startled in typhon's direction.

It was good to have a man willing to share his skills. He thought of what Ulfhedinn and Wealda may think of him. Another dedicated to the arts of hunting would be good, perhaps he might even double as a scout. Somebody to go and find other hunters.

Ah, but he was getting wildly ahead of himself, wasn't he?

That I can do. He admitted with a certain nod, and if that was all, he would head into his place. Attempting to hold himself in a lower more...feline prowl position.

Then he would set them off to the races.

i must bid you adieu for a little bit as i must acquire food of my own! i will be back later this evening

the cloaked stranger took his instruction and moved swiftly to execute it with perfection.  typhon believed prey animals to be of lesser intelligence; time and time again he was proven right.  predictably, the birds did as he had spoken.  as one man barrelled towards them, they fell straight into the fangs of another.

his hind limbs propelled him into the air.  the beast's maw latched upon a wing.  relentlessly, he threw it to the ground and with a quick snap of his jaws, he snatched its life away.

i will be here all evening! :)

All it took was one fleeting moment, a push into the flock and they took off. Appropriately scattering towards the other man just as he had said.

The man proved skilled once more.

Prophet's chest thudded with such eagerness to see the beast of a hunter in action. The bird stood no chance the moment it had been clutched between the man's teeth. Prophet rumbled with an excitement he had not felt in some time, loping his way to the successful hunter.

i'll be here until 5

brotherhood.

how long had it been since this kind of comraderie?  he felt a twinge in his chest that had become too familiar as of late.  with a wag of his tail he dropped the bird.  good job, he says.  the instruction was simple but it would have been easy to scare them in another direction if he hadn't been careful.

I will take your praise even if you deserve it more,

He welcomed the man with warmth and ease now.

Tell me of your plans, hunter. He grunted a toothy smile threatening to displace his features. Scooping up the quail and feeling its weight with greed.

a weighty pause.

he does not know what comes next.  nothing was the same as he had once known it to be.  my only plan is to survive, he admits dryly, eyes narrowed against a fresh wave of stress that unbearably bore down upon him.  will you be heading back?

Will he?

He always does, even if it is not immediately. So he nods sharply in silent response. It is his home, he must return, shouldn't he?

I invite you to join me. He settled on, a warm gaze on a now otherwise neutral face. You are a valuable hunter and you have proven skilled in our terrain.

something intractable flared in his chest at the man extended his invitation.  to know he had proven himself through their exchange swelled his pride.  lead me there, brother, he says, moving to pick up the other bird and bring it back to their claim.

He gestured, the prize of this man's skill swung with the motion.

He would waste no time in leading them back to the rise. Releasing a call to signal the arrival of a new member.

A worthy hunter had joined their ranks.