Hushed Willows Don't let them them steal your light

@Grace

Kunik loped through the territory, mouth open as she scented for the elder deer she smelled. It was alone if she judged the tracks correctly, and injured. She had hopes that she could catch it on her own if it were injured but if she came across the other wolves of Marauder's Keep she wouldn't hesitate to ask them for help.

That thought had just left her mind when she smelt a new recruit, a young one nearby. Veering off course slightly, she continued on until she spotted the yearling amongst the foliage, russet fur sticking out like a sore thumb.

"Hey, want to help me catch a deer?" Kunik wasted no time with a preamble, nor did she bother mentioning the female's lame leg. If she could hunt with one ear this yearling could hunt with three legs. It mattered not that the woman was only a year old, she was at the critical age where she would want to be treated as an adult and Kunik respected that, treating the younger girl with the respect she deserved rather than treating her as a pup.

The russet yearling had been rustling around, digging for any herbs that grew around here, when the copper female materialized. What'd she say? Deer? Ugh, the thought of it made her leg ache already. She'd only just gotten it to not hurt after her last deer hunt, and soon was shaking her head. Her eyes were fearful of retaliation, but she spoke her mind anyway.
              "I would, but the last time I tried that this stupid thing flared up so bad I couldn't walk for a day after. I'm a trapper, I can move well, but anything heavy is just too much. I could try and help you bring it down but not drag it back."
She felt bad for having to turn down the prospect of bonding, and was embarrassed on top of that. Anger surged up in her throat, wishing to bubble over and curse her leg and those who'd caused it. She just wanted to be NORMAL. But Spring and Laika's words to watch her health before trying to impress someone had stuck, and she was set in her words.

Kunik listened intently, finding no fault with the girl. Instead an idea was forming in her mind, one crazy enough that it just might work. She moved closer to the adolescent, sniffing her injured leg as she examined it briefly. Okay, so running down a deer, even an injured one, was out of the question.

"Do you think if I chased it to you, you could help me kill it? I could drag it back,"she offered sincerely. Kunik was small in frame so no doubt it would take awhile but she figured it was worth it. She had a plan forming, she would get Grace downwind of it before chasing it down towards her and the two could kill it together. It would be difficult but not impossible if the elderly deer really was injured.

This plan sounded much better to the skittish yearling. Perhaps if she didn't run, though she was more than able to do THAT, she would be able to help bring it back. Only one way to find out.....
      "If I don't move to chase it down, then I bet my leg would be okay to help you drag the deer a ways."
The russet yearling nodded, backing out of the slight tangle she was in and shaking out her black freckled pelt. 
                  "Usually I either just go after small things, or I can't haul it back. But it would make sense that if I didn't use my leg to run down anything and put strain on it, that I could handle the weight, right?"
It was pushing it, and she might still be sore tomorrow, but it wouldn't be like her last hunt, stopping her in the middle of the haul to plaster her inflamed joint with mud to cool it off.

are we going to do the hunt in this thread or start a new one?

Kunik pondered it for a moment, perhaps it would be alright. "Aye, you can help bring it back but if it starts to hurt tell me. I won't have you hurting yourself for my benefit,"she fretted aloud.

"It's this way,"Kunik gestured towards the tracks and scent trail with her nose,"I believe that it's an elder, judging by the depth of the hoof prints and possibly injured if the erratic pattern and blood droplets are any indicator." The brown agouti took off at a jog, ready to move at her companion's pace.

this one :3 one more hunting thread after this and she can apply for a trade!

Grace nodded in understanding and loped off after the coppery female. The russet yearling limped after, but managed to keep pace. She sniffed at the tracks, learning that it was indeed hurt but had no way of understanding how age was calculated. Oh well.
      "Probably went off alone to die. Did you injure it?"

Woot woot! Feel free to tag me in your last trade thread, Kunik is going for Hunter as well. :P

Kunik's good ear turned back to listen to the girl's words, realizing she hadn't yet caught her name. "Nay, not me. I only smelled it,"she explained to the yearling wolf. 

"I never got your name? I'm Kunik,"she offered up her own name. Kunik continued to follow the trail, mouth open and head low to smell as much as possible. 

When she reached a break in the thick foliage, revealing a fresher blood trail and a glimpse of the tiny meadow beyond the bracken she stopped, holding her tail up to warn the younger female that they were close.

Peering between the branches of the undergrowth she spotted the aging deer as it limped heavily across the clearing, torn red bite marks marring its foreleg. She was correct in her assumption that it was injured and elderly. The doe's meat was likely not as tender as a younger deer but food was food.

"Here's the plan: you stay hidden here, I'll circle around and chase it down to you. Once it gets close enough, you cut it off and aim for its injured leg or the throat. Just bring it down. I'll try to get it's stomach or hind legs. Once it's down go for the kill." Either one of them could kill the deer, she didn't mind. She thought it would be nice to credit the yearling with the kill, give her some standing in Warbone's eyes. 

Kunik paused, waiting for any questions or remarks before moving around to the other side of the clearing, creeping through the foliage where the deer wouldn't see nor hear her. She stopped to roll herself in thick, cloying mud to hide her scent seeing as she would be upwind. Once in position she waited for a good opening to chase the doe.

Grace stayed at the females flank, scenting and slowing with her before she even noticed the silent command of her tail. 
          "Grace Rose, Nova Rose's adopted daughter."
She kept her voice low and muttered, but she spoken with an obvious fondness of her mother. Her eyes, however, were quite the opposite. They were hard, intense, and focused on the injured doe. Even if they didnt kill it, death would soon claim it. And then who knows what else would stray towards it and threaten their pack? She nodded and watched Kunik leave but soon had her golden eyes searching the undergrowth for her companion. 

 

Will do :) after we close out this one I'll make a new one. One at a time though lol

Kunik watched the deer with rapt attention, watching as it ambled about in the throes of agony. It's eyes were glazed with pain and every now and again it would grunt with pain as it struggled to move. The bites looked to her like wolverine markings, the deer had probably managed to get away after getting bitten but it would die soon even if she hadn't come for it. It would be a kindness to kill the pained creature.

Hoping that Grace was ready, Kunik sprung when she saw an opening. Her body stretched out as she ran, her ears flat to streamline herself. The deer turned, having heard her paws hitting the ground seeing as she made no effort to be quiet. Its eyes widened in panic as it turned, limping as it ran across the clearing. 

Kunik soon caught up, she was a fast wolf and the deer was no match for her with its old age and its hobble. She nipped at its haunches as she ran, herding it in Grace's direction. Once close enough she jumped up, digging her pearly teeth into its underbelly and causing it to bleat in pain. It stumbled, slowing and giving Grace the perfect opportunity to dispatch it.

Grace waited, and waited. Finally, Kunik lunged and harassed the doe, pushing it right at her. The red yearling had to restrain herself from bolting out to help: shed be of no use. But when the doe stumbled, Grace grinned and let herself loose. It made the fatal mistake of a stumble, and was now significantly closer to the earth. This was it. The lunged forwards, latching her jaws around its throat and clamped down brutally.

Grace came forward, launching upwards to clamp down on the doe's neck. The deer sagged even further towards the ground, a choked gurgling noise coming from its throat as it tried to bellow out its pain. Kunik jumped upwards, pushing it to the side hard so it wouldn't crash down on Grace.

It staggered, beginning to fall to its knees as Kunik kept pushing. Once it began to fold onto its side she grabbed hold of the back of its neck, biting deep through the worn hide to bite into its spinal cord. The two females biting at it finally drained its life, Grace being credited with the official kill like she had hoped.

Kunik released her death grip on the doe's scruff, blood coating her bronze muzzle. She grinned at Grace in triumph, excitement flooding her senses as she reared her head back and whooped their success loudly. "We did it!" 

Finally, she lay down on her side panting. She planned to get a bit of rest now that the deer was dead before dragging it back. She gestured with her nose to the slain deer,"Go ahead and have some if you want. I'm gonna catch my breath before we head back."

Victory! The doe staggered, and just as Grace winced at the thought of being crushed, Kunik was there. She drove herself into its side and caused it to topple onto its side instead. As soon as the life drained from its eyes, the struggling stopped, the females let go. Kunik placed herself next to it, panting but obviously just as triumphant as Grace. Sticky crimson clotted the fur of her face, overruling both her russet fur and her faded black mask. Her golden eyes were victorious and ecstatic as she grinned at Kunik.
          "We took it down, just the two of us!"
It mattered not to her that shed done little, only that she HAD killed it even with help. She was successful! At the copper females urging, she couldn't help it. She dug her teeth into the leg and bit out a chunk large enough to puff out her cheeks. She pulled back and looked at her companion, resembling a chipmunk, but didn't in the least care. She was too caught up in her happiness to really notice if she was being too exuberant.

Kunik laughed at the sight of the girl with her cheeks stuffed full of venison. "You look like a little chipmunk,"she teased as she got to her feet, breath caught and ready to drag the old doe home and bury it. Caching the large ungulate would be a tiring task in itself. Hopefully, their prey would be downsized by the other members before burial.

Kunik nudged Grace gently after the yearling had eaten her fill. "Come along, little chipmunk. Time to head back,"she grabbed the doe around its neck as best as she could, beginning to drag it back slowly.

Grace ate a couple bites, enjoying the venison, and soon they were dragging their trophy home. She locked her jaws around its back leg, hoping to balance out the work between them. She giggled at the nickname, rather liking it. She'd never before had one, and she could feel a bond strengthening between them. It was nice to be making relationships here in her new home, and it made it feel more.... Official. She missed her BEST friend, Esaro (whom she may or may not like??) but knew that he couldnt be her only friend forever. Her golden eyes gleamed and her tail wagged as they walked, happy to have seemingly made a friend.

Btw Grace's 100th post was in here somewhere <3 Wanna fade out?