Horizon Ridge HUNT · i believe in the sand beneath my toes

Welcome to Horizon Ridge's first Pack Hunt! A small herd of deer (one stag, four does, and two fawns) have ventured onto the sands of the beach! It is a sunny but cool morning, February 28th, with a slight mist rolling in off the sea. This thread is not mandatory but it is highly recommended that your character is present, whether they observe or participate in the hunt. This round will end on Monday the 3rd.



It was not a thing he had planned for weeks. It was a thing he had planned for mere moments, when he saw them there upon the sand, their slender limbs dampened by sea foam as they waded into the shallows. He'd never seen deer on the beach, and he doubted he'd ever see it again, but there they were, early morning sunlight raining down upon their tawny backs. Four does, two fawns all spotted as if with snow, and a majestic buck, dipping his antlers until they touched the water, flinging his head back with a snort at the taste of the salt. Akhlut's features tugged into a smile.

The stag was a beast of rolling hills and towering trees, as foreign here in the realm of the Sea as a seal would be on a mountainside. His presence on this stretch of sand, on the very morning that Akhlut had taken leave from his border patrols to wander down to the shore, was a sign of good fortune. The gods intended the pack of Light to feast today, and this was the meal they offered up. The dark Alpha was not about to waste their gift, annointed with the holy water of the Sea. He retreated, backtracking, but ever keeping a watchful eye as the does browsed on washed up kelp and the fawns chased each other in the surf. The buck even let his guard down to investigate a gnarled piece of driftwood, nudging it with his antlers thoughtfully.

Akhlut issued a low howl to call his pack to him. To a deer, it was the lower pitch of communication, not the howl to hunt; to a wolf, its message was one to approach cautiously and quickly so as not to startle the prey.

Akhlut’s howl echoed loud and true through the lands. Bambi raised her head from the bubbling spring she’d been drinking from, her tongue sweeping over her wet lips. Pale ears thrust forward as she pivoted, facing the direction of the beach. The prospect of a hunt caused her blood to heat with excitement. This was her opportunity to forge connections with the other wolves of Horizon Ridge. This was her opportunity to prove herself as a strong, capable wolf.

She moved hastily toward the trees, lithe limbs carrying her deftly down the path that would spill out onto the beach. The sound of the waves breached the eerie calm of the morning. Bambi could feel the mist of the ocean against her face as the scent of deer strengthened within the air. Her gaze fell upon Akhlut’s dark figure as she drew near him, an excited whine spilling past her lips. Snowy audits flattened submissively against her skull as she shifted toward her Alpha, tail whipping through the air behind her. She was the first to arrive, and she hoped that the others would be quick to join in.

The Alpha's howl tugged Pied out of a deep sleep, her eyelids fluttering and her jaws parting in a yawn as she stretched out her legs. Slowly, she pushed herself upright, then climbed to all fours. She blinked, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dim light inside the lair. Kisu wasn't there, yet this did not perturb her; her mate often rose earlier and went out into the world to enjoy the quiet morning hours on his own.

The Gamma squeezed out from beneath the tree's roots and ventured to the ledge overlooking the beach. She could see Akhlut and Bambi at a perpendicular angle and, beyond them, the herd of deer milling near the surf. She sat up in surprise, sniffing the air to see if she could catch their scent. The wind did not blow in her favor, however.

Walking as hastily as she could with her lame hind paw, Pied loped down the towpath that led eventually to the foot of the ridge and the sprawling sands below. Quietly, she trotted toward the two other wolves. She adjusted her head, tail and other posture to indicate her respective place in the hierarchy as she approached. A smile touched her lips, the prospect of a hunt exciting her.

Yet she said, "I don't think I can participate. I don't want to risk aggravating my injuries. And, besides, I'm more than likely expecting." Her eyes glowed warmly as she shared this revelation. "I'll be watching from the sidelines, though, if that's okay," she added, her pale tail wiggling as she looked inquisitively to Akhlut.

Thistle Cloud heard the howl and woke with a start and bleary eyes looked around. Where was she? What was she doing again? As the cobwebs began to lift from her brain and her eyes lost their bed sand she stretched in one fluid movement. She was up and trotting quietly towards the Alpha's howl.

Her ears were pricked forward and her eyes alert. She had not helped her father and brothers hunt very much, but she had tried. She would try again. She made it to the other three and looked down at the towering monstrosity of a stag and her eyes got big. She wagged her tail at all of them, being sure to keep herself submissive as both the alpha and gamma were there and she offered the Gamma an extra smile. "How can I help?

It had been mere hours since she had discovered this place and been ranked amongst the creatures here, but already there was more to see and more to experience than in Neverwinter.

Bayou lifted her head when the summons rang out. She did not move from her sulking amongst the trees, as she was not a hunter. She was a thief and a scoundrel, eager to find the cache system and feast upon that. Winter was here and the wraith-daughter was not about to expend energy to eat.

With her head pointed angular towards the sky, she gave a snort, and resumed her sleuthing - scurrying from shadow to shadow, as she was wont to do.

The call, fortunately, had been made when Inkenoah found herself in a woken state. The night before had been deprived of sleep; she spent the darkness scouring the ridge in the light of the moon, but had failed to find reprieve in the approach of the morning. So, she found herself hampered by fatigue, but she wasn't going to let that hold her back from attending to this call. She was determined - if anything, she would prove herself, and hopefully her packmates would come to recognize her as useful. There had been no accident to spawn this feeling - it was no more than stubborn desire.

Realizing now that she was in a safe place, a place she could trust, she wanted it to work. The little phoenix could establish herself here. So with gusto she followed the sound to the misty beach, slowing her pace upon spotting the congregation - and nearby, a small herd of deer. A hunt, she supposed - when was the last time she had participated in a pack hunt? Oh, it must have been so long ago. She felt a twinge in her chest, a slight creeping on her skin. Memories were pushed aside for now.

The golden girl crept up towards the group, letting her tail fall between her haunches. Her paws drew her up next to one of the more familiar faces, Pied, in time to hear her excuse herself from the hunt. Inkenoah turned her gaze to the Gamma and offered a smile, and a small "Hi, Pied." before she turned her attention to Akhlut, curious - and, of course, nervous. She only hoped she wouldn't totally blow it - the sun was beaming down upon them now, and the darkness that sapped her strength was gone. The morning light gave her confidence and hopefully would help her drive this hunt home.

And cautiously he did approach. His mate was already there, him trailing behind. He gave a lick to her face, figuring she was already sitting out. Kisu was still upset about the way she had acted, but he still loved her.

He sat down facing Akhlut, but did not say a word. Kisu was an efficient hunter and fighter, a wolf that any pack would love to have. Wherever he was needed with the hunt, he would work it like a pro.

This round will end next Monday.

---

There were five of them, then, plus himself. Akhlut watched each of them arrive, and in his thoughts he divided them up. Pied would observe only; he relegated her to this role before she said so herself, and her nonchalant announcement that she might be pregnant only confirmed her ineligibility in this hunt. If he was surprised or hurt or envious that Pied was carrying new life within her that was not his own progeny, the emotion played out only within his mind and was not reflected on his features. He was too caught up in anticipation of the hunt.

"Bambi and Thistle Cloud, you'll wait at the North end of the beach. Take the long way around so you're not seen. Kisu, you and I will drive the deer up from the south and herd them right into the girls' ambush. Inkenoah, you said you're fast - - today you'll prove it by running alongside the deer, trapping them between the waves and you, with us at their heels and the ambush up north. " The instructions were simple , and the plan would hopefully be successful.

On the sands below, the deer milled about, quite unaware that Akhlut even now led Kisu and Inkenoah to the south end of the shore, and that Thistle Cloud and Bambi streaked North. Pied would keep watch over the proceedings, and the Alpha hoped she would bring him and her mate some manner of luck, so that they would all eat well tonight.

A few others joined the group, including her mate. Kisu gave her a quick kiss in passing that left Pied looking after him a little uncertainly. There was no time to dwell on their relationship, however, as the Alpha male quickly began issuing instructions and his subordinates were swift to obey. The Gamma took a step back, surveying the group. She recognized all but one.

She settled on the sands as they began to move away toward the herd. A tiny breeze caused her to turn her head, just in time to see Dublin take a seat beside her. Pied smiled at the medic and, in tandem, the two she-wolves' eyes turned to watch the hunt unfold on the beach below them.

Thistle Cloud's eyes went wide at the amount of responsibility she was given at first. But she all too soon knew that she was going to do her best and not fail. She nodded at her new leader and after he finished giving out the instructions. She began a small lope towards her destination, hoping that Bambi would follow as she did not know her as of yet. She lifted her nose to the air and made sure to stay out of the wind and she made her trek to the north side waiting for the other female and the game that they would take down.

Kisu followed Akhlut, keeping quiet the entire trek. He looked behind himself to find Pied, but he didn't see where she was. It was a simple plan, and Kisu would be harsh on the leader if he did not succeed. He did not show this with his quiet nature, though; he had learned long ago to hide emotion from his face. He wondered if Akhlut would make small talk for a moment, or stay quiet.

Apologies for the delay. Despite stepping down as leader I'll be seeing this hunt thread to its finish, so no worries. =) Next round begins 3/30.

To their respective places they went, and in their respective roles they would act. Akhlut was too focused on the hunt to catch Kisu's sidelong glance or think anything about the judgement he might find in the other wolf's eyes if he had. Instead the Alpha's pale blue eyes sought out the distant forms of each of his subordinates as they maneuvered into position. The small family of deer continued to nibble on seaweed or drag their noses curiously through the damp sand, the continuous ocean breeze carrying wolf-scent away from them.

Akhlut could make no motion or sound that would both be seen or heard by his fellow hunters and not be detected by the ungulates that were their prey, and so he could only trust that the were ready for him as he sent a sharp glance to Kisu that said clearly, let's go. He began to run, his every muscle tense for rapid-fire movement, prepared to turn on a dime. Kisu should be behind him, Inkenoah somewhere off to their side, and Thistle Cloud and Bambi before them.

The deer scrambled, their small hooves and spindly legs entirely unsuited for running on sand, and fumbled over each other to flee from Akhlut's snapping jaws.

Pied and Dublin remained mum as they watched their cohorts closing in on the deer, just in case their voices might carry and disturb the hunt. As soon as Akhlut and the others started to move, however, Pied turned to her companion and asked, "How come you're not down there?" There was no judgment in the question, just simple curiosity.

The medic answered that she didn't want the resident invalid to be alone, which teased a smile out of the Gamma. "It is nice not being the only one to sit out," she admitted. "Thanks, Dub." She paused, her focus shifting back toward the hunters and she said, "Wow, it all looks like a choreographed dance from up here."

They lapsed into expectant silence again, their eyes following the various forms on the beach. Most of all, Pied kept an eye on Kisu. She didn't think he would get injured during the course of the hunt, though there was always that possibility. Mostly, she just enjoyed the sight of her handsome mate streaking across the sand, looking mighty and fierce even from this distance.

Thistle Cloud heard the pounding hooves and her eyes got wide as the sight of the herd coming near reached her eyes. Her adrenaline took over at this point and she jumped swiftly at them trying to get near a flank or a throat, hoping that one of the larger males would go for the kill as she was still pretty young and small.

she held her own though snapping her teeth and figthing to take their target down. She looked briefly towards her alpha to see what he would want, but she did not lose her footing or her grip.

The deer scrambled in panic before the two males, Kisu staying on Akhut's flank. It had been a long time since he had hunted like this, for he mostly caught small rabbits and things now. Pure adrenaline poured into his body, a smirk appearing on his face. He felt all-powerful. Only two things could make him feel this way: hunting and fighting, the latter not being something that he much enjoyed anymore.

The grey wolf moved forward, keeping his breaths as even and steady as possible. A quiet determination settled upon his brow as he eyed the potential prey.

Since a majority of the people involved in this thread have gone inactive, I thought I'd write a narrative conclusion so that folks can claim their EXP. If you participated in all rounds, you're entitled to 20. Just post in the claim thread. :)

The deadly dance continued below them, culminating in the distant thump as their chosen prey collapsed on the sands. The pack quickly fell upon it and the blood ran toward the sea, lending the already salty air a faint metallic odor.

As soon as the pack fell back from the kill, Pied and Dublin rose in tandem and joined their pack mates on the beach. Akhlut ate first, of course, then the Alpha male invited Pied to take her fill. Although she felt guilty for not participating, she was the highest-ranking wolf present besides Akhlut and she was pregnant, so she felt very little guilt as she stepped forward and ate.

The others soon closed in around her and they feasted together on the beach, the waves crashing beyond them and gulls gathering in the air overhead, ready to pick at the leftovers once the wolves finished their meal.