Redtail Rise High Risk, High Reward

The headaches abated in frequency and strength, though they didn’t disappear entirely. Masquerade woke very early this morning to a familiar pounding. Unable to fall back to sleep, they slithered from beneath their favorite evergreen and decided to perform a dawn patrol. They would start it with a cold drink, which would hopefully clear their head.

As they loped along the rise’s southern flank some time later, an unearthly cry quite suddenly pierced the morning quiet. Masquerade startled, recognizing the sound instantly. They dropped into a defensive crouch as they tried to pinpoint the source, though the glare of the rising sun through the fog made it difficult.

Out of the morning mist just yards away, a bull elk cantered into view with a second bugle, pitched higher than the first. Masque scurried out of his way, their movement prompting the ungulate to stop and swing his head, a hoof pawing at the earth. Neither one of them took their eyes off the other, though the wolf’s dropped to note several rather terrible wounds marking the elk’s broad chest.

Perhaps another predator had done this to him. More likely, it was the result of a rutting spar gone awry. The elk clearly hadn’t accepted defeat, though the Ulfr sniffed the air and thought they scented traces of infection. Their heart thumped as they wondered if the Redtail pack could take him. At the very least, they ought to chase him from their borders, as he was particularly dangerous in this state.

Masquerade howled for @Augur. Surely he’d heard the bull’s cries. Perhaps he was already en route. The Ulfr hunkered down to await him as the elk snorted and swung his head again, the tines of his antlers catching the morning light as the fog burned away. They would rely on the Ulfhedinn’s judgment regarding the elk’s fate.

the possibility of sun stone and red woman bringing forth a new litter both settled and unsettled augur. she had never resumed wealda, and as such, would new pups strain the berserkr? in the huntlead's mind, red woman remained their ruler, but without the rank occupied, tensions might continue.

the high-pitched bugle of an elk reverberated through the fog-banked morning. too close. far too close. 

his long legs carried him in this direction, where he found thorn caller on the edge of their call. licking his nose, augur appraised the wounded bull, and then did as he often chose to do with ruminants: he exploded from the foliage in a harsh bristle, snarl vibrating in his throat, seeing if the animal might be frightened backward before he gathered the others.

Augur burst out of the foliage with such sudden ferocity that Masquerade swallowed a snarl of surprise. His ambush startled the elk too, causing him to rear slightly before backpedaling. Now he lowered his head nearly to the ground, swinging his antlers threateningly. It was quite the sight, especially when the many points of his rack swirled the fog around his head.

Masquerade watched him closely, then glanced at Augur. Did he think they should call the pack? Would they attempt to fell the bull or would they only chase him away? They found they wanted to be the one to summon the others, though the Ulfr didn’t want to step on the leader’s toes. They looked to him with an eager, questioning whine rippling in their throat.

augur's test proved the intensity of the elk. it did not retreat far, and now the murky light glinted from its tines.

his tongue lolled. he kept his body tense, between thorn caller and the frenzied creature.

at last his pale plume rose: call the others.

they would drive it back firstly, and the energy toll would make it a later meal, augur believed.

for now he snapped his teeth, hair standing upright in a hedge from shoulders to tailbase; he would use his bulk and menace to keep the animal standing where it was if he could, unable to press further into the rise.

A tense moment passed as Masquerade watched Augur, waiting for some sort of signal. A noise slipped from their ruddy muzzle, a growl mixed with a whine. And then, finally, his tail swung up in an arch. Masquerade saw it for the cue it was.

They threw back their head and let forth a powerful summoning cry. “To me!” it said to all on the rise. They felt adrenaline flooding through them as their own cry soared skyward. “TO ME!” Masque commanded the pack.

When they ran out of breath, they dropped their head even as every hair along their spine prickled upright. Exhilarated, the Ulfr moved to stand beside their hunt leader, head and tail arched stiffly—just a fraction below Augur’s—as they eyed the bull elk. They pressed their ears forward and peeled their lips backward. Mimicking the Ulfhedinn, the Ulfr snapped their jaws and let out a resonant growl.

The elk grunted and swung, forelock bristling with weaponry. Excited by the sight, Masque’s pulse pounded as they awaited the others. Their long tail lashed the air, sending the last wisps of fog into the ether as the forenoon sun brought the scene into bright, crisp relief.

@Ancelin @Avicus @Fifth @Lilia @Moon Runner @Mulherin @New Snow @Redsky @Reki @Riley @Saturdays Sunrise @Towhee Jr @Wanderer

The songs of the rut had come to the Rise, and Lilia could feel the tension in the air, mixed in with the musk of bull elk. She licked her lips when she saw them, wisely avoiding the bull elks as they clattered their antlers together. 

She heard first Masque’s call for Augur, and while she herself had not been summoned, she was clever- she knew the Ulfr had likely spotted something worth attention, deferring to the Ulfhedinn so Lilia had already begun sidling in that direction by the time the next call came. 

She panted and drooled lightly as she caught the scent of blood, hormone and infection. She moved to Augur’s other flank, a hunter’s growl rumbling from within her chest, punctuated by the chatter of excited teeth.

"TO ME!"

and to her bloodspot she came thundering through the rise, falling into line with the scent of wolverine and her father.

she moves quickly now, rumbling to the others as wicked eyes look over the bull before her. it would be a dangerous hunt with his size and antlers, but none of the adults seem to show fear.

putting on a brave face, sunrise looks upon the elk with a frenzied look in her eye. his blood would pay a debt.

At masquerades call, Redsky raced to the scene. He saw the elk and joined the fight, following the pursuit of his sibling

A call rose on fragrant autumn wind; wolven and full of command.

Riley paused from his border patrol with @Wanderer — ostensibly the more sane relative of Fifth. He motioned for her to fall alongside him, trotting loosely towards the summon.

A bull elk’s high bugle shook the conifers. Riley’s gaze fell upon the beast first — then Augur and Masque, holding it at bay with snapping teeth. Nearby, Lilia closed the gap — and two darker figures made their arrival known.

He slowed, motioning to Wanderer to keep a wide berth. Riley’s frame lowered as he skulked behind the elk, bringing up the rear and waiting for the signal.

Mid-sniff, Wanderer's head and ears popped up to heed Masquerade's summons. She was naturally drawn to obey, but offered Riley a sidelong glance before heeding both her elder sibling and her patrol partner's gesture. Her gait was a little stiffer than his, her body taut with anticipation from the moment the bull's shrieking bugle rose above the dissipating fog.

The bull was enormous, easily the largest creature Wanderer had seen with her own eyes thus far. It towered over even the tallest wolf in attendance, the indomitable Augur, who drove it back with a resonating snarl. The elk's head dipped with a menacing swing of its antlers toward the gathered wolves on the opposite side. Wanderer, unlike her kin, did not snarl; her face was the picture of concentration as she paced side-to-side, held at bay as much by her effort to find a weak point that wouldn't send the elk charging for the others as by Riley's command.

An exploitable weakness would make itself known soon enough. Until then, watchful Wanderer would bide her time at the elk's rear, thrumming with excitement on the inside but carefully composed on the outside.

When he arrives—stealthily, in tandem with Redsky—he finds the others already assembling. His gaze flicks from face to face, watching as more and more trickle in. The elk they face is tall, well-built, with a formidable set of antlers. However, he had been bloodied and gored by another, who most likely had an even more impressive set of antlers than he.

He restlessly paces, eyes locked in on their distressed target. Impatient for the signal to attack.

This will be my only post, just wanted to get MR in on the pack hunt action! Feel free to PP.

A call to action.

The girl was swift on her feet. Father, Bloodspot, and others gathered around a creature Moon Runner had only ever seen from a distance. A bull elk, wounded but not completely crippled, was surrounded by the wolves of the Rise.

Its blood drew them in like hungry sharks. A pungent note in the cold, crisp, air.

The Toweards had an opportunity to put their skills to the test.

Moon Runner moved in a circle counter of, the recently returned, River. A sense of strength and unity flows through her. Her eyes find Father. Shadow. Sister. Wolverine. Rolling Thunder. Today, they would hunt as one.

whoa.
the thing was fucking huge! ancelin was nervous but refused to let it show, least of all in front of the kids. augur was snapping; lilia was beside him. the kids were gathering, looking pretty hungry. the new guy was making a good show of it, and ancelin chose his spot: he circled to where wanderer was and poised himself.
the young ones weren't pups, per se, but young enough to be easily killed or screw up the hunt. as he prowled around the edge, he growled lowly to them, stay back until the adults go.
avicus was last to show; he acknowledged his aunt with a low nod before turning his eyes back on their quarry.

Pawing at a large stone lodged into the earth, she upended it to expose a cool, dark underbelly, which she succinctly raked with both forepaws in an attempt to elicit a response. But this rock was just as stubborn as the last. None of them would even speak to her, let alone tell her their names. She supposed it was possible that she could not hear them, or more likely that they were dead things – like bones and such – yet, she was not prepared to abandon the experiment.

Her stone inspection was interrupted, however, by an urgent summons not heard long after the pining howls of an elk. She was quite busy, thankyouverymuch, but the urgency behind Masquerade’s call drew her into immediate action.

Far separated from the rest of the pack, she was next to last in reaching the scene, arriving just in time to be warned back by Ancelin. She trusted him, posting herself into a lone position beside a tree trunk which shielded her. She was moved somewhat by the colossal beast’s manic eyes but drew a thread of comfort from the scent of rot and the sight of her siblings present around the ring. Tremoring with impatience, she waited for the adults to make their move.

the rise rallied.

he stepped out before them, his great bulk accentuated by the flaring fur from shoulder to spine.

the elk would not give quarter. it would not retreat.

the antlers lowered.

augur lunged forward, four feet leaving the earth as he snapped for the side of the high hard throat.

a wound opened; he retreated with blood smeared upon his mouth.

the hunt was on!

The wolves of the rise came swiftly. Lilia swept in first, moving to Augur’s opposite flank. Then Riley and several of the pack’s youngsters arrived in rapid succession. Ancelin’s warning was appreciated but, Masque noted, unnecessary. The Toweards fell into place at the rear, excited but cautious. They had been trained well.

As Masquerade’s eyes flicked from face to face, studying the various expressions, they felt a rush like they had never known before. All these wolves had come at their call. It didn’t make them feel powerful, it empowered them. Their bright marigold gaze lingered on her face as Avicus herself obeyed their summons.

Feeling elevated by the pack’s show of strength and support, Masque glanced at the two leaders beside them and shifted so that the three of them stood shoulder to shoulder. They retrained their attention upon the elk, confident that nearly a dozen wolves could take the beast, even if half of them were inexperienced hunters.

Ruff bristling quite spectacularly now, Masquerade snapped their jaws and took a step toward the bull. He backpedaled but did not pivot or run. His head lowered again, tines pointed at the pack. Growling continuously, they looked to Augur. Although they thrilled at the opportunity to help lead this pursuit, the execution still belonged to the Ulfhedinn.

When he surged forward, Masquerade glanced backward, signaling for their younger siblings to follow their lead. With another rallying cry, they charged past Augur to leap toward the bull’s hindquarters. Minding his hind legs—and warning the young hunters to do the same—they leaped for the vulnerable flesh dangling below his tail like enticing fruit.

Let’s do open rounds! I’ll start the next one once everyone’s had a chance to post or in a week, whichever comes first. :)

She eyed her mate's movements, as he set a bit of distance between the youths and the animal, protectively. They would need to stay back, Lilia felt, until the animal was more under control. Driven mad by hormones and made reckless by injury, the bull elk would not go down easily, not now that it had lost one battle and be left facing the battle for its life. 

The newcomer, Riley, did well as well to motion one of the children to stay back. From where she was, she couldn't tell which one it was. She spotted Mulherin and Redsky, lurking in wait- Moon Runner as well. Carrion shielded by a tree, safe from notice and harm. Lilia noticed how even Masquerade drew with herself and Augur, and wondered what the ulfr was planning to do; typically, they held back and waited, attacking later once the beast had been subdued, but was Masque planning to do something different this time? Masque was a skilled hunter- but emboldened, perhaps, after having sounded the bugle. 

Augur struck first- and drew forth blood, avoiding a swoop of the elk's tines. Normally, this was the moment Lilia rushed forward to seize the open opportunity at the elk's other shoulder, exposed now in the wake of its swing. But before Lilia could make contact, she found herself matched in pace by the the Ulfr as they burst forward, summoning not their strongest, but their weakest units to make a charge that would put them directly beneath the elk's hind end before the animal was subdued. 

She growled, but it was too late now. "Anthuh!" She called out, though she wasn't sure what she should ask him to do- to ward the children off, or to help her at the beast's head. She lunged, but the window for her opportunity was no longer ripe, given the distraction of the secondary charge. She leapt and bit deep into the thick fur and skin of the elk's neck, having aimed for the flap of skin previously opened by another bull. She clenched her jaws so that as she felt the sleek hook of a tine slip along her underside, she would pull free another rope of flesh and sinew as the bull swept her away. 

It was the length of hide that slowed her fall, stretching out and snapping from the creature's skin just before she hit the ground. She grunted, having been able to twist herself right-side up in the air, but the force of landing hurt her ankles. Stiffly, she moved back to Augur's side, sore but ready to do whatever it took to keep the creature from whirling and turning for those who swarmed its hind end.

from his place at the elk's backside, ancelin could only watch for telltale signs as their fight began. he swung an excited indigo glance toward wanderer.
augur leapt; ancelin caught sight of his cousin standing with the leadership, and blinked curiously, but that was all he managed until the massive haunch was bulging, the hoof slamming backward.
presumably, the kids were pouring toward him as well. lilia's call galvanized the young hunter, and he sank his teeth into the back of that long leg in a dangerous bid to keep its kicks from injuring or killing one of the young.
red filled his mouth, but wolfsblood was in the air already, and it perturbed him.
he was not a caru; he did not order the pups to aid him or to stay back, his jaws and body fully occupied by keeping at least one limb pinned.

in the aftermath, augur would see this as emblematic of transition from caru to ulfr. 

as he moved backward to avoid the first sweep of tines, it was not wolverine who came to his other side, but thorn caller encouraging the young ones to come forward.

concern filled the huntlead. wolverine suffered the elk's wrath in the cascade of moments to follow and he knew she had suffered from the impact.

augur was irate. he calmed.

such things happened. the most experienced wolf could miss a snap or have a jaw broken in one fell swoop. thorn caller was young, eagerly moving from caregiver to hunter. this was a debut hunt for them as well in many ways, but what had happened to wolverine could maim a pup. their targeted animal was fiercely dangerous and now maddened with the scoring of teeth.

a cracking growl from augur sounded. fall back quickly. and hope that the elk had not turned so suddenly another was caught.

augur himself did not retreat as he saw skin tooth could not either. the massive wolf slammed into the elk's right shoulder. the animal bellowed and swung its antlers sidelong, wolverine's mate holding onto the left hindlimb and halting its run.

he was assured to see moon runner reel away, at least, before he set his attention back on their quarry.

their fight was not over. he wanted all redtail pups out of range of sharp hooves and slashing tines. as this was not a running-hunt and far more a battle, the collisions were closer. the danger lay in more than a chase and a leap. they were not infants but without the finesse and musculature of an adult, were more vulnerable to the heavy hits of a pinned ruminant.

they would regroup and revisit the strategy of hunting a single animal with power to hurt several of them in a few strikes. thorn caller he would keep at the forefront; they would see closely the massive feet and flaring nostrils, a lead hunter as he had intended them to be and as they were ready to be, but a lead hunter who did not have the added distraction of guiding the young during this. that must be shared between all adults, allowing the pups their chance to bite and to tear and to maul while taking the brunt of any danger themselves. and this too was a lesson for each hunter to know, to internalize; it was part of their craft. today it would be ferociously honed.

she watches, thrumming with excitement as her father bravely leads the operation. sunrise understood the gravity of this hunt, for the elk was no easy foe to fall to the wolves. today would be his last battle, and through it all, she would watch his death.

within her, she growls, and whines, anticipation building up. but she would not lunge, not yet. she knew better, she was growing older after all. but the desire to lunge and grab ahold of the animal was growing more intense with each clash of teeth to hoof.

Their fangs sank into that yielding sack of flesh and Masquerade tore it free from the elk’s body, castrating him with a guttural snarl. Warm blood gushed over their face as they hastily retreated, springing away from the stag’s increasingly erratic movements. Blinking away blood, their golden eyes cut from one young wolf to the next, checking their positions.

Before any of them could spring into action, Augur commanded everyone to fall back immediately. The Ulfr’s ears flattened in confusion. Perhaps in their excitement, they had misinterpreted the intention of his initial bull rush? They didn’t question the hunt leader’s clear command, instantly echoing it through a mouthful of mushy flesh and urging the youngsters backward with a raised tail.

Masque fell back too, swiping blood from their eyes with a foreleg as they tried to ascertain the situation. The adults continued to engage momentarily, Augur and Lilia attacking the elk’s anterior while Ancelin, Avicus and Riley joined their efforts to the rear.

Realizing they must not fully understand the Ulfhedinn’s intended approach, Masque herded the youngsters even further backward. Standing between them and the commotion, they spat out the bull’s mangled testicles to bark for the trio of adults to heed Augur’s order as well.

When Avicus and Riley flanked them with bloodied muzzles, Masquerade shot them a quick grin and motioned at the pair of bloodied balls at their feet. But they quickly refocused, sharp eyes looking to Augur to await his next signal.

I was asked to powerplay Riley this round and I made some assumptions about the other participants. Please tap me if anyone needs me to make any revisions! :)

She kept pressure on the animal to keep its focus forward, as Ancelin grappled one of the beast's hind limbs. She saw the elk's head lift as it bugled in agony; blood fell between its hind feet, and she caught sight of the blood spattered ulfr loping along to herd the youth back, a bloody prize dangling from their jaws. She felt a flare of anger surge again; maiming the beast's sensitive area wouldn't kill it, she thought-  it would only make it angrier, leaving those who faced the slash and jab of its tines to fend for themselves. She thought the move was both perverted and selfish- a hunt was no place for an adrenaline junkie to show off to their peers.

She dodged two tines of its crown and felt the deadly, scooped whale tine whoosh through the fur near her flank as she skittered sideways. She eyed a whorl in the fur on the animal's forehead, and chose to strike then while the bull's head was low and to the side, putting her in the eye of the hurricane. Framed by antlers, she made a grab for the bridge of the elk's muzzle just above its nostrils, and sank her haunches down so she could use her weight to stabilize its head, even if only for a moment. She had faith in the ulfhedinn's skill and strength.

Many things happened at once. In the end, Wanderer was left confused.

Too many adults attempted to herd the youngsters at once. Wanderer was prepared to heed Augur and Masquerade, only for Ancelin to come between her and the elk and Lilia giving a call and a growl that suggested frustration. In this, Redtail Rise was not acting as a cohesive pack, but several young adults pulling the reins of the hunt in different directions with Augur caught in the middle. Wanderer recognized this as both foolish and dangerous, and it was indicative that the destabilization of the pack had not fully settled yet.

It was to Masquerade she rallied, for her sibling went for the exact target Wanderer herself was contemplating. The other adults all signaled for the juveniles to fall back, some doing so while risking their own lives at the forefront, but with her head in a muddle from mixed messages, Wanderer chose to go with her gut. She skirted around Riley and Avicus and went for the hindquarters, narrowly dodging a kicking leg and sinking her teeth in deep while the elk was preoccupied with Lilia at the head.

She might be young, but she knew exactly what she was doing. She was a born hunter down to her very bones. She tore away with a sizable chunk of flesh, leaving another bleeding hole alongside Masquerade's. Her heart pounded in her ears. Soon, even a stalwart bull elk like this would attempt to flee, and deep bleeding wounds would be crucial in slowing it down when it did.

Hunting large game was a large ask. It required collaboration and cohesion -- and a wordless kind of intuition for success.

Like Wanderer, Riley became confused in the ensuing moments. Before he could thumbs-up Masque for their contribution, many things happened at once, including the distressful sight of Lilia clamping onto their quarry's very nose.

There were many other moving parts to this hunt, but Riley did not register their contributions -- he only saw as Wanderer surged ahead and seized hindquarter in her teeth, coming away with ragged flesh and a welt of blood dribbling from her chin.

He was aware vaguely of Augur at the beast's shoulders and Ancelin mooring a leg -- so, feeling stupefied but knowing that the longer they stood around the more risk was presented to them, Riley moved. His opportunity was short-lived -- while the elk was preoccupied with the fangs hanging from its nose, Riley went for a hock. He had no hope of stopping the elk from turning any one of them into a grease spot, but his teeth sought to score along the hock and ligaments there, hamstringing the elk from being able to escape, and furthering the bleed inflicted earlier by Wanderer.

He was shaken off by a hard kick to his chest -- with a grunt, Riley sprung back and out of range, circling now for his next window.

At first, there was the billow of feral bloodsinging as Masquerade signaled her and her littermates forth. But then a fog of chaos descended upon them all; Lilia was frustrated in her efforts; both Carrion and Wanderer were diverted from a flailing hoof by the pied body of Ancelin; Augur commanded them to retreat; there was the smell of ichor spilt.

Despite the confusion, her mind was able to settle on one frame and voice among everyone: the hunt-leader. Augur was the most powerful thing here, in her eyes, and she was attuned to him through the churn of many wolves and the swing of many elk weapons. Carrion skittered backwards and circled anxiously, coming to linger at Sun Stone’s side, who she felt safe beside despite their disagreements.

Lilia’s precarious position at the crown of the elk drew alarm from the small wolf – my meal ticket! – but her attention was drawn to Wanderer as she dove back in. She was frightened by the sight and experienced a grassblade of triumph when she saw her sister return bloodied but unharmed, a pound of elk-flesh artfully taken. Riley’s effort was likewise true in its aim, though he did not escape the beast’s proximity without a firm-hoofed rebuttal.

Carrion was not made to hunt such large game, but she was encouraged by the throng of Redtail wolves around her. She paced close to Sun Stone, feeding off her barely restrained energy, as she waited for the order to grab hold of the anchored ungulate.