Northstar Vale steady as a beating drum

[table width=80%][tr][td]Whenever Tryp did good, he did really good - but that also worked against him. You see, when he did very bad, it went as fucking wrong as it could possibly go. And so, when his companion counted down for their lunge and he did not notice he was placed upon an unstable rock, he was soon to find out just what happened when you really made a fool out of yourself. With graceful stupidity did he lunge - doing a flip into the water with his whole body.

His head poked out and he was in a sitting position in the cold water, his thick northern pelt drenched and ears drooping downwards.[/tr][/td][/table]

Rannoch did not realize what had transpired until his eyes fell upon the other. Quickly settling the fish to the shore with a gentle toss of his head, Rannoch returned his attention to the other with a look of concern. "Tryp!" he exclaimed, his worry evident. "Are you okay?! Does anything hurt?!" Giving the other a quick look-over, Rannoch attempted to assess the situation, but would not know the prognosis until Tryp spoke again.

[table width=80%][tr][td]His head was still spinning, but overall it looked like he had lucked out on not lucking out this time (that got confusing very fast). He heard his voice in the distance and could only picture Rannoch and the river's shore before him. He soon realized what had happened and shook his head to get the water out of his ears. I - yes... I'm fine... He answered softly. A-Anyone else cold? He questioned jokingly with an awkward grin. He wanted to get out but had to wait until the world stopped spinning.[/tr][/td][/table]

Tryp rebounded from it all with little damage, and for this, Rannoch was thankful. "I'm not cold, but maybe we should get out of the water for now," he advised, hoping that it was only the water making him cold. After all, it seemed as though they had enough fish for now and a little diversity in their cache would be useful.

[table width=80%][tr][td]A strange thought came to mind about them holding each other warm just like he had done with Kaori for the night they had spent together but was soon to cast it out of his system. He let out a soft giggle, finally ready to stand up and climb ungracefully on land. Yeah... enough fishing for now... What else could we- He fell silent as a scent got to him, one that was hard to identify. He thought it was a goat at first, but he would be proven wrong if they were to follow the trail. Rannoch - smell... He said, still in a hushed voice as if they were hunting.[/tr][/td][/table]

Following Tryp out of the water, Rannoch watched as the other latched onto a scent. Once out of the water, Rannoch shook himself off sharply in an attempt to rid himself of the moisture that had gathered on his pelt.  Pulling himself alongside the other, Rannoch sniffed, not minding in this instance in being bossed by a subordinate. Inhaling, Rannoch soon found himself confused, not knowing immediately what the smell was. "It smells young," he observed, his eyes flickering to his hunting partner. "Something hooved," he decided then with a nod, feeling confident in that observation.

[table width=80%][tr][td]He shook out his pelt then, quite ready to chase the smelly culprit with his companion. Let's store the fish somewhere safe... Do you want to go after it? He asked carefully. It was a good opportunity to get the whole pack well-fed and a great exercise - all they had done for now was go splish-splash in the water. He was quite hungry for some real meat if he was being honest, and he was sure others felt the same.[/tr][/td][/table]

Tryp's advice was appreciated, and Rannoch nodded, wanting anybody to take the spoils of their hunt. A quick scan of the territory around them told Rannoch that there was nowhere easy for them to store it. "We'll need to dig a hole," he instructed, prodding at the ground underpaw. It seemed soft enough for them to dig a hole and the two would remember where the prey was.

[table width=80%][tr][td]Tryp was kind of sad that no rodents had abandoned their dens near the river - it would've really helped the pair out. But,  life wasn't all rainbows and sunshine, and a little digging hadn't killed anyone yet. Or had it? Okay... He agreed sweetly, going for the tree he had thrown his fish at. The roots could serve as a little ceiling and he motioned for Rannoch to check it out.[/tr][/td][/table]

Prodding a forepaw to the earth once more, Rannoch felt that this was a suitable location for the store of the fish. "Let's do it," he said, breaking the ground with a rake of his claws.

[table width=80%][tr][td]They dug and dug and dug and soon enough they had a perfect little place to store their fish for now. It was all exciting work for Tryp and he was glad he had went along with Rannoch in the first place. Not only today but when they met, too. His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he had gotten quite hot from the digging but he was ready to return to their task.

Want to find that hoofed youth now? He asked with a sweet smile.[/tr][/td][/table]

It did not take the pair long to create a hole, and once it was formed, Rannoch deposited his fish there to lay aside the others that had been placed. Kicking dirt over the bodies to protect them from both the elements and the others that lingered that were not associated with his ranks. Tryp's question had been voiced once Rannoch had kicked the last patch of dirt over the pile. 

"Yes, lets," he agreed, appreciating Tryp's use of his verbiage. Without much more of an indication, Rannoch lowered his head, inhaling deeply to take in the scent before taking off and leading the way.

[table width=80%][tr][td]The young Rochester smiled truly this time - not shyly like before, and was quick to put his nose to work as well. He followed Rannoch, hoping to find something delicious. Now that the scent was clearer he realized his first guess had been wrong - it was a fawn that had gotten his attention. amazing! he followed Rannoch to wherever and would hush and stop whenever they were close.[/tr][/td][/table]

The trail that they followed led away from the river and towards the heartlands, directing the young men ever-closer to the game that they desired. The identification of the scent was becoming more apparent to the blue-eyed Alpha just what they were tracking down. "Fawn," he rumbled quietly, identifying what lingered beyond them. Though they had lucked out with the prey that they had tracked down, Rannoch knew that they could run into trouble if its parents were about. 

"You probably know this," began Rannoch with a whisper, turning his attention from the grazing fawn, "but we need to keep a look out for its parents." He felt obligated to share his knowledge with his partner, even if he was redundant with the knowledge that Tryp had already obtained through his experiences. Turning, Rannoch did a quick survey of the scenery with a sharp sweep of his eyes inhaled, finding only the fawn's scent to be prominent. "He seems to be alone," Rannoch observed, canting his head as if silently asking Tryp if agreed with the statement.

[table width=80%][tr][td]He had figured it out long before the word fell of Rannoch's lips and he nodded knowingly. A fawn with no traces of other deer nearby - how odd. It was a fawn born too early for its wellbeing - perhaps the mother had been sick and the body pushed the baby out before it was quite ready. That it had survived for such a long time was astonishing though and something that really intrigued Tryp.

He was early... Tryp whispered back in a voice that resembled his overall speaking-tone. I think the mother is dead... You'd think we'd find a corpse or something lying about... He followed up. Or perhaps the doe had simply been a very bad mommy-deer. His brows raised as he looked at his companion then as if asking if he would like fawn for dinner today.[/tr][/td][/table]

There were many scenarios in which the fawn could have been brought to them, but, honestly, Rannoch was not concerned by the particulars. As long as the child had no parents about, Rannoch could have cared less. Nodding to Tryp's observation, Rannoch eye's scanned the territory before them in search of the presumed corpse. When he came up short, he shrugged. 

"Must have died somewhere else," the Alpha remarked bluntly, drawing his tongue over his chops. "So how do we do this? You chase, and I pounce? Vice versa?" He asked, wanting to get straight to the point. Rannoch found his Epsilon's gaze briefly as he left the decision to him, not particularly caring who did what just as long as they came home with this kill.

[table width=80%][tr][td]Tryp's sunny eyes started scanning too but, ultimately, they found as less as Rannoch's. He found the fawn to resemble his brother though - small, nimble and quite tame as long as nothing was threatening him. It almost stopped him from hunting hit, but he knew their many members needed a good meal - they deserved it, after all! He looked at Rannoch, nodding at his first point. That's fine... He answered softly. He didn't know which one of the brutish males was fastest, but, seeing their build, it probably didn't make a big difference. He got into position, bowing with tense muscles and tail streamlined with his body. He waited for a "go" before he begun his chase.[/tr][/td][/table]

With an agreement placed between them, Rannoch stalked off from where the two men had agreed on their strategy. Stepping lightly, the Alpha carried himself downwind from where the fawn grazed. While moving, Rannoch didn't dare to take his eyes off of their game to assure himself that he wasn't too loud.  

Finding refuge behind a boulder, Rannoch was hidden once he settled behind it. Resurfacing briefly, and he was confident in his position, Rannoch peeked over the stone to look at Tryp. Once he was sure that he had been spotted, Rannoch nodded to indicate that he was ready.

It was with an understanding nod that Tryp reacted, emerging from his hiding place as fast as he could with his brutish form to chase the meek fawn. It was towards his leader that he aimed, waiting for the handsome alpha to help him kill their pack's dinner.

This hunt will be successful via this roll: http://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=21925&pid=259190#pid259190

 
This was not the first time in which the two males had worked together to bring down prey. Rannoch liked working with Tryp in these ventures, as the Alpha found the golden boy to be a remarkable team player. In this particular instance, the Epsilon was making swift progress of driving the fawn to where he had settled himself. Rannoch watched the scene unveil carefully, looking at the game's every stride, and calculating silently when the opportune moment would be to strike. 

That moment came when the both came near, and Rannoch leaped from his shelter, aiming to unbalance young animal. It was all over in a flash once the two had collided and Rannoch shoved the animal onto its side with a push of his skull against its neck.  Had it been any larger, Rannoch's move could have been painful, but, thankfully, the doe was frail and easy to move and caused no damage to the headstrong Alpha. 

With the animal flailing, Rannoch rushed to reach it's neck while dodging the flailing hooves that threatened to strike, leaning forward to deliver the final blow with a snap of his jaws. He did this once his teeth were in place and quickly, one he had but into it, the light of life was taken from the piece of prey. When Rannoch felt it fall limp, he let go and back peddled, glancing to his hunting partner with a smile. 

"Good work, Tryp," he praised, licking his chops as his gaze returned to the corpse. He knew that they had slain was for the pack and despite his creeping hunger, Rannoch would insist that this would be for the pack.

Kick me if something is amiss! ♥

With yellow eyes growing wide, impressed at how lethal Rannoch (when he was not being completely adorable and sexy at the same time) could be, did Tryp retreat once the fawn had been thrown upon its side. Tryp could not bare to look at the actual killing and turned his head away as the alpha rid the animal of life. It was only when praise was given that his gaze returned, smiling bashfully. Y-You did most of the w-work... He complimented, but he did not forget his own worth. No, he was past that; he had done a quite decent job at aiming the fawn so it would run into Rannoch. He smiled a little more confident then, offering to help carry the carcass back where they left the other stuff.

It was that they did; a comfortable silence falling over them as their biggest prize was lain next to their others. Then, the two went on to make a cache to store all of their food, just before departing with another grand adventure behind them; with even more before them, yet to come.