Dawnlark Plains Slightly broken's just what I need

This takes place while the former Redtail Rise wolves are traveling. I'm making some assumptions with this post. Maybe @Nochtli or @Citali so they can get to know each other better? We still have this thread ongoing but I want to give a few more days for Oliver and Gunnar to respond before I continue it, so we can probably assume things about it for this one if either of you would like to join. :)

The party of wolves spent a couple nights longer in the Emberwood, mourning the loss of their home and tending their various wounds (all of them minor) before deciding it was time to move on. Saena led them east, but it wasn't long before the party splintered off with the promise to meet up at the far edge of Dawnlark Plains later.

Saena wanted to rest, wanted to lay down and close her eyes and sleep the day away, but even if her territory was gone, she was still an alpha female in her heart. She couldn't be idle while her wolves suffered similarly. So she prowled out onto the flat plains, intent on hunting something down to feed her company for the night.

She didn't get far before realizing it would be harder than she thought. Where once the plains were resplendent with tall grass suitable for concealing oneself, now it was flat as a pancake. The grass had been shoved effortlessly down, the stalks broken, so that it lay like straw on the floor. There was almost no cover to be had. But Saena was determined, and so after surveying the altered landscape for a while, she pressed on with her nose to the ground and her ears alert.

She hadn't been out much to explore the full extent of the storm's damage. She wasn't much of a creature of the north. She preferred lingering within the shade of trees and blissfully pretending their world hadn't been tossed upside-down. Unfortunately, the grumble of her stomach was a constant reminder that reality was upon them. There was a number of corpses tossed around from the storm, but their was something about cold, stale meat that concerned her. She didn't know what kinds of rot or decay they might have accumulated as the air churned. She wouldn't touch them.

That meant she'd need something fresh. With a frown she realized her inability to hunt for herself (unless she got lucky) would likely be a heck of a lot harder now that everything had scattered and fled for cover. Anything in the storm path would likely be leery of those areas which meant herds they knew would have moved elsewhere. That was why she liked plants. They tended to stick to the same area and couldn't up and move overnight.

She and Nochtli had met up with the wolves formerly of Redtail Rise. When Saena slipped away, Citali lingered only to later follow the young alphena towards the nearby plains. The forest was lacking in anything worth eating. No doubt the presence of wolves warded them off. It was best to venture elsewhere and when she noticed the wolf with her nose to the ground, she assumed it was tracking of some kind.

Citali's stomach grumbled again, revealing her position as she tipped her head skyward and scented the air. Nothing. Or rather, not much. The air was still filled with a number of things. Soot. Pollen. The storm had uprooted a lot and it was still blowing around. She sneezed. Lifting a paw to her nose, she rubbed beneath it to fend off any future sneezes.

As Cita followed the cream colored female, so too did her darker counterpart. Nochtli was seemingly never far from the medic, the two loners sticking together now as they had before they'd found the Prince's imposter. The plain they traveled across was a familiar piece of land, her exploration of the North lending to her knowledge of the area. But what knowledge she'd had was fractured now, faulty due to the condition that the storm had left everything in. The prey was gone for the most part and there were trees and uprooted plants everywhere, making it tough to discern what was familiar to her, at times.

Her shoulder checked Cita's for the briefest moment as she chuffed softly to catch the other female's attention. She was hunting, it seemed. This was something that Nochtli had grown quite practiced in during her time as a loner and the fact that she could track pretty decently assisted in her skills. A wag of her tail was given, her body language plainly stating her intent. If Cita would join them, they would cover even more ground and possibly find something decent and not rotten to eat.

The world was all chewed up in the aftermath of the storm, the result of which was the muddling together of all the scents. The scent of dirt and fallen grass and heat emanated from the earth and the scent of smoke was still heavy on the wind, spiking fear everytime she caught a whiff of it. But as she walked, Saena caught no animal scent, a realization that was immensely disappointing.

The alpha refused to give up just yet though, and so she kept walking until the growling of Citali's stomach drew her around in a semicircle. She regarded the huge chocolate-haired female quietly, sympathizing as her own stomach groaned, but both of them knew the prey wasn't really here. They would have to get very lucky or search for quite some time. She took a step toward Citali, then two, and then Nochtli drifted along behind the healer with her tail waving high.

"Hey," Saena greeted them with a grin. Whatever ill feelings she'd had toward Citali specifically were long gone, and they were now comrades, if only for the moment. "There's gotta be something out here somewhere," said Saena. She was still determined, and she hoped the two Amazons were as well.

The growling of her stomach was almost a roar in the otherwise natural silence. It was loud enough to pull the young alphess out of her hunt and double back around to offer a hello. Nochtli snuck up behind her then, bumping their shoulders together in such a way that made Citali ruffle her feathers and re-smooth out the rustled fur. Just when she thought she had everything in order someone had to touch her.

She returned the bump with something of an affectionate nip behind Nochtli's ears as Saena began to speak. Other than the fact that she was a bit young, (something that could be remedied with time and experience) she too bore no ill will towards the white wolf. Was there a small part of her that still fancied a whipping boy for the-wolf-that-once-was-Tezcacoatl? Indeed. Unfortunately all of that was in the past and would stay there. It was all completely irrelevant come present day.

"There used to be rabbits here," she replied, thinking back to a previous attempt at stealing one from its burrow. "If they're still hiding somewhere, we might be able to unearth a few." Through digging. She shuddered at the though, but when it came to survival, she also understood they could not afford to be picky. She turned her gaze towards her shadow sister. "You didn't happen to catch wind of anything else around here did you?"

Any time the inky shadow got a goal in her head, 'determined' became her middle name. Just like when they had first arrived in these lands, Nocthli searched for whatever scent she could find, bright gaze switching to Cita as she spoke. "There was that spiky thing. The porkypine, and I'd rather not do that unless it's our final option. Other than that..." having not smelled anything before, she was doubtful that something would come of another try but she gave it a go anyway. Couldn't hurt, right?

And it certainly didn't. Her ears suddenly swiveled forward, ,taking a moment to confirm the scent before she announced it. "Cita's right. Rabbits. I smell at least two; they're likely doing the same thing we are, just having an easier time of it." They were herbivorous, after all. Finding food would be much easier for the smaller creatures, at this point. Especially since they didn't have to do much to hide like the much larger predators did.

Her mind whirred, analyzing and she gave an off the cuff plan. "We could spread out, get behind them at different points. Get as close as possible to get any visuals. Rush in, grab what we can as quick as possible. Only thing we'd have to be careful of is running into each other since we'd be rushing towards the same spot." Which could end in a comedic disaster, but if there were enough rabbits... They could potentially get something in everyone's stomachs, even if it was not a full meal.

"Open to suggestions though, since it's not a fantastic plan." She glanced at Saena. Cita usually went for such plans, simply because the two relied on each other. The lightest wolf of the three was the one she was unsure of, at least in her opinion of long-shot plans.

The sisters—she assumed from their manner that they were sisters, though she was wrong about any blood relation—briefly conversed, laying out their options. A weary Saena was more than happy to let them take point on this one; while she was a practiced gamekeeper, she was also an alpha grieving the loss of her territory and a subordinate. Her mind wasn't in it, not enough to make a solid plan. She vaguely heard mention of a porcupine and shook her head in the background, hoping Nochtli would choose something else... but luckily, the Amazons were perceptive and discovered a much better option.

She forced herself to sharpen her focus when Nochtli formulated a plan. Taking a step forward, Saena leaned in to listen. Spread out, get close, take out as many as possible. Since they were more or less in the open, it was probably the best they could do. Saena couldn't think of anything better, even if it wasn't fantastic. Worst case scenario, they didn't catch any rabbits. Any other outcome at least would put meat in their stomachs, even if it was just a few bites. Better than nothing.

"That sounds good to me," the red-dappled yearling said before glancing to Citali for confirmation. If the healer had other thoughts, Saena would defer to her as well. She wasn't about to ignore the wisdom of wolves who were older than her. Besides, they had a numbers advantage, so in a vote, they won. Their plan would be the plan she would follow.

Citali lifted a wolven brow towards her sister at the mention of a porcupine. No. Definitely no. Thankfully, Nochtli dismissed that line of thought and moved on to what they had a present. Rabbits. Lots of bunnies prancing around trying to gather up their breakfast. Okay fine. At least two. Possibly more. Those things bred like... well... rabbits, so there were bound to be more around here somewhere.

She listened to Nochtagon's proposed plan. It was valid, save for the part involving rushing. "I do not rush..." she murmured quietly. Swiftness was not in her skill set. She would never beat any of her present company in a race and quite frankly, didn't have the energy to try. "However, it sounds good. Let's give this first bunch a go and when we've gathered up a bit more, I can guard the stockpile while the both of you run around to see if we can't snag a few more." Guarding? That she could definitely make good on.

Since the plan was confirmed between the three of them, all that was left was to act on it. Her gaze shifted to Nochtli. The wolf would lead them all into position and they'd go from there.

Cita rushed, hell yes she did. She'd done it when she'd rushed to Tez-- Tyrr to beat him to a bloody pulp. Still, she did not dispute the medic's claim, instead nodding as she added to the plan. She and Saena were likely to be the quicker of the trio anyway. With their ad hoc plan agreed upon, the inky wolf took point as she lead the girls across the plain, nose down to find just a hint of prey.

It didn't take her long to find either, posture shifting subtly as she zeroed in on their unsuspecting targets. Her head swung, looking at each of them with purposeful intent. Citali could stay here; her larger form was not so good at stalking. Saena could take one side and herself, the other. When everyone was in position, hunkered down to make themselves more inconspicuous, Nochtli waited for a bit to let them settle and get ready. And then she gave the signal.

Springing forward, the female darted in to the fray of rabbits, teeth snapping on one as she attempted to avoid colliding with either of her companions.

The plan was finalized with a simple statement that Citali would do no rushing. Saena shot her a wry grin. The woman kind of reminded her of Pura in a way; her brother wasn't one for rushing either, but maybe that was because he was practically brain dead. Citali was certainly much smarter. Saena felt bad thinking that way about her sibling, and pushed the thought right out of her mind by lurching into motion behind Nochtli.

Their movement was smooth across the flattened plain, and soon enough the subtle changes in Nochtli's body indicated they were close. Saena crouched lower and swung away from the group, creeping to the right in a wide arc around where the rabbits surely hid. She twisted one ear back to listen to Citali and the sound of Nochtli's retreating footsteps, while the other remained pinned forward, straining for the sound of thumping rabbit feet.

One hopped, and Saena's lips split into a small smile. They were there all right.

She ground to a halt, pressing her stomach to the ground and tightening all her muscles. Her short tail flicked behind her, releasing some of the anticipation—this was always the hardest part, the waiting for something to happen—but her thoughts fell short there when Nochtli burst forward. Saena was quick to follow, putting all her energy into her legs and bounding swiftly into the centre of the grazing grounds. There were four rabbits, and Nochtli had secured one.

Saena twisted to avoid smashing into the black-haired Amazon, and then her eyes locked on her own target: a smaller rabbit than the one her companion had caught, but slow to realize what was happening. The gamekeeper threw herself at it and managed to snag its hind leg in her jaws. She crunched down hard just as the creature pulled free, leaving a scrape on her lip; the resulting mangled leg would ensure it wouldn't get away, though it certainly tried. Closing the distance between herself and the struggling lame rabbit, Saena slashed downward with her snout and severed its spinal cord, right between the shoulders.

They all followed Nochtli to the desired position. She was spared from having to spread out, and instead hunkered down into the grass to await further instruction. In the meantime, she yawned contentedly and turned her gaze down the bunny farm below. Those rabbits seemed none the wiser to their schemes against them. So long as everything remained that way, Citali had a feeling they might be able to leave this ordeal with a few hares after all.

A signal from Nochtapus and they rushed. Well, Citali not so much. Slower and bulkier, she had a harder time of it, but her momentum was some kind of fierce and her teeth were just as snappy. It didn't much matter. With both of her companions quick to settle their marks, it left the rabbits confused and frantic. They hadn't the time to think before they leapt to what they hoped would be their freedom which meant of the two that Saena and Nochtli managed, two more were determined to flee.

She barreled around them, twisting her step ever so slightly to slip between both wolves before they began chase on their marks. Hers was headed that way. Up a hill, which was unfortunate, but slowed the creature enough for her to snatch its cotton tail and toss it swiftly aside. Ah ha! Success. The rabbit bonked itself against a remarkably well placed rock and lay there stunned. Good rock.

Citali approached the fainted rabbit and sat next to it. One paw on its body, she slammed the other down upon its neck with a swift chop and a satisfying snapping noise. Her rabbit was dead. "Ladies? How'd you do?" She lifted the rabbit by the ears and let it dangle in front of her. See? She'd gotten one. If luck was smiling on her today, she'd take it.

How the hell they pulled off the plan without some sort of ridiculous collision was unknown, but she wasn't going to question it either. The rabbit's neck cracked under the pressure of her jaws, and almost immediately twisted back for the last. Citali wasn't going to chase it down and it was shooting away from Saena. Kicking up dirt from her back paws, she lunged into a sprint to haul after the escapee even though it had a pretty significant head start.

Diving for the creature, her teeth grazed fur and she snapped again as she took a tumble. Nothing. Her mouth was empty; the rabbit's saving grace had been the hole right there. "Damn." Getting to her feet, she checked out the hiding place, huffing when she noted how deep it was. Well, at least she'd caught the third. She shook to get the dirt and grass off of her then headed back, picking up her catch on the way to toss it on top of Cita's.

"Looks like we got three. I missed that last one." She looked to Saena now, curious to see if she wanted to have another go of it. "Do we want to do another run? Cheetah did volunteer to watch these if we decide to keep going." Saena was one of the leaders of their merry little band and so her opinion held the most weight, something Nocta didn't mind deferring to.

She whipped her head up, letting the rabbit slump to the ground at her paws. The two Amazons were a blur of motion and it was all Saena could do to register what was going on. Citali was padding over to a rabbit prone beside a rock while Nochtli was busy snatching up a third rabbit by its neck. The fourth was trying to make a getaway, but the darker of the women sprang after it, buffeting Saena in the process. She hunkered down over her kill, protecting it from the pound of Nochtli's passing paws, and whipped her head around to follow her fellow's progress. When Nochtli cursed, Saena knew they'd lost the fourth.

They still had three, though, and that was outstanding for most wolves. Saena bent to grasp her catch by the nape of its split neck and trotted over to Citali, where she deposited the body on the ground. Nochtli added hers, then asked if they should keep going. The gamekeeper herself was feeling spry and ready, and so she bobbed her head and said, "might as well 'til our luck runs dry." They might catch another one or two rabbits before they inevitably lost the advantage of surprise, and then would be a good time to give up. Four or five rabbits was a pretty good haul for an impromptu afternoon of hunting.

They had three rabbits. It wasn't enough to feed a pack, but it was enough for them to snack and keep themselves from going hungry. They were fortunate enough for this success and since their streak was looking good? Why not try for more? Citali shrugged at Nochtli's suggestion. It made no difference to her whether they kept going or decided to call it quits. Either way, she would not be running. In the grand scheme of things, that was really all that mattered.

Saena seemed to be for this idea too. Perfect. "I can stay here with these," she offered, though that had been the plan all along. "Wouldn't want the next bunch to catch wind of death." A light shrug touched her shoulders as she sat with the pile of rabbits at her feet. "Best of luck to you both."

Would you ladies like to wrap this up soon? :)

Everyone agreed and with Cita's second offer to stay with the the impromptu stash, Nochtli nodded and turned away with Saena. This was a good thing, a much needed thing, since it would be good for everyone to have a little meal in their stomachs. "It helps that these guys are plump." Perhaps they'd be able to snag the one that had narrowly escaped her.

Glancing to Saena with an exuberant grin, the Amazon split away to make sure they were attacking from two sides instead of one.

I'm cool with fading right here or with one of your guys' next posts!

Her eyes darted between the two as a decision was made. Citali settled herself alongside the rabbit corpses while Nochtli began to move away. Saena fell into step with the darker of the pair, flaring her nostrils and seeking the scent of more unsuspecting rabbits. She held her tail out horizontally as she picked her way across the plain with Nochtli. When the scent of rabbit reached her nose again, the young alpha slowed and licked her chops.

Nochtli must've smelled them too, for she was peeling off to the left. Saena swung right and headed into the deep grass to await the signal, after which she would dive into the fray again and hopefully snap up another rabbit or two.