blooding the hounds of hell - round six

Pearl glanced over at the other group, but saw two younger wolves approaching, almost shamefully. Judging by the looks that they received, they were obviously Lasher and Blue Willow's children. She turned from them and focused on the elk, where she quickly found the one they were going after. So this is what elk look like, she thought. The massive beasts were moving slowly, muscles rippling across a vast plain of smooth brown. The buck was obvious, but intimidating with his great rack of antlers. And then chaos ensued.

Lasher's earthen coat was a blur as he flew out of the underbrush, the elk scattering in fear. He headed for the doe, only turning his head to watch for the killer antlers of the male. Her head turned from the action, adrenaline rising, to see Dante. When he launched out, she ran steadily behind him, all of them trying to separate the weak one from protection. When she saw that Dante couldn't match the herd's pace, she sprinted ahead, snapping at heels and hindquarters here, avoiding kicks there, all in an effort to make them run faster. The thudding of hooves had become a steady beat, one she kept easily. She wondered if she could attempt to take one out on her own, but these brutes of pure force were stronger than they looked. Pearl did what she could, and as the herd grew steadily quicker, running farther away from their separated and wounded compatriot, she stayed behind them, spurring them on to not come back.