PACK HUNT: Thanks for Taking the Bait

The Twilight Zone was a lovely place. One where you could look upon your quarry without sound or light interfering with your sight. He felt as though he was much closer to the herd. Close enough to see their guarded young, their aged and brittle, their sallow and dying. Odd how entering such a trance was every bit calming and intensely centered. Contrary to what others might see, he was not in such an unthinkable state. The slobber was not pretty, but neither was Kerosene's inessential nitpick which forced him out of picking apart the herd. A sideways glance was sent the Alpha's way, as if to say I was concentrating on our quarry...Was your comment necessary? No, it was not. Tatsuya was not sure why he picked on him. Maybe he needed an outlet because his status and his wife's unborn pups were at stake? Oh. In that case, glad to be of service. Regardless, his concentration has been destroyed, unrecoverable. What a waste.
INDENTThe manifest advance of Echelon was met with a slothful, open-mouthed smile along with a wag of the tail. She was covered in muck, stinking of mire. She was careless about looks and that distinctiveness reminded him of Tonravik...though it was likely Tonravik would prefer blood to mud. Arverk's touch roused him from his trivial imaginings. Caught off guard, he sought to do the same to the whale but he aimed for a more...meek approach. Arverk has proven himself in the wolverine's eyes, thus meriting respect. So far, only Tonravik, Kroc, and Arverk received such esteemed greetings. Tatsuya would not always be so compliant, but he was content with these three wolves and the effort they put forth. Echelon...he was kind of iffy about, uncertain of the knavish shade. Deep down he respected her as a wolf who could hold her own. Above that? He did not know, their encounters too brief and too few.
INDENTArverk retreated to greet other wolves. Tatsuya set about doing much of the same, moving away from the more populated mass to the solitary Aariak. An untroubled newbie, stiff and pallid among those gathered. Almost like a soldier ready for war. Sans the luridness, of course. Tatsuya circled him, inspecting, testing. This was a wolf of arctic descent and yet...he was no where near as small. Whatever the Epsilon had been looking for, he left the newcomer to his lonesome. The still muteness fits him.
INDENTOnce Kerosene began talking, Tatsuya sat and took heed. Aariak, hm? Was that the newcomer's name? He shot Aariak a burdened look, one that kindled him to prepare himself. There was so much that could go wrong here. Kerosene could warn of horns and hooves all day long. That did not stop bison from their capricious ways. Damn beasts...One smack of their hooves, you're dead. You get stepped on, you're dead. You get gored on one of their horns, you're dead. Plus, it was six wolves versus a whole goddamn herd. Let's invite the possibility of what could possibly go wrong? Oh...anything and everything. Tatsuya hoped this would be a successful hunt. Without injury. Was that asking for too much?
INDENTOnce Kerosene turned to lead, Tatsuya got up to await Nanuk's lead. Let the hunt begin.