pull the pulse out a soldier and bolt

Felt like we needed another thread in this forum, haha. I'd love any potential folks after the Gamekeeper trade to jump in on this one, or alternatively any OS wolf Mordecai hadn't had the full pleasure of meeting one-on-one that feel up for a hunt. :)

Moonlight bathed the floor of the Spine with a speckled pattern of the canopy above when he had first laid eyes on the group of deer bedded down for the night. In the far southern reaches of their borders, he had not anticipated spying the minuscule group of five. Two does and three of their fawns, with nary a larger cluster of their kin to be scented, seen, or heard. It had been along the hillsides that he had first seen a flicker of their movement in his patrol of their border, and it seemed some sort of luck, fate, or higher power (perhaps the loa Lecter had spoken of) had led him to this profound discovery.

The does were alert, unfamiliar with their surroundings. Mordecai was willing to wager that they knew where they were sitting, but the babes between them rested as though they were none of the wiser — or so he could tell. For quite some time he had observed them stock still, until the ache to move in his muscles overrode the necessity to watch. He turned, slinking back up the slope from whence he had come to an area he deemed appropriate to call out any that would hear him.

His call was a low sound on purpose, not wanting to wake the entire pack but also not wanting to scare the deer resting in the density of the woods. He had hoped there would be others out and active, taking advantage of the cooler night air from the swelling heat of the mid-summer sun. And as the call died away in his throat, he waited, listening tentatively for the first signs of nocturnal life from the housed Ouroboros.

Hey. :)

As always, the dark priestess was more active at night then any other time of day. Night was sacred to her religion, though with the fullmoon out, she was less likely to travel. Bright light was hard to sneak in.

She was wandering the southern part of the Ouroboros Spine Valley when she heard a low howl. At first she stiffened, wondering if there was another wolf not of her pack on the land, but relaxed when she recognized the howl from the rally. A tawny male if she could remember correctly. He must have found something, and was calling any packmates nearby to assist him.

The black female made her way towards her packmates, careful to walk quickly but silently like she was trained to. Soon, she saw him, sitting on a slope, waiting. The priestess detached from the shadows and strode to greet him, looking around and wondering what he had called for. "What is it?"

yay some hunting experience for Vectra!

Vectra was stalking nearby, and so when she heard the low hunting call she quickly slunk her way over to the slowly forming group. Curious as to why her fellow member called out so softly. "something wrong?" she asked as she came into view, tilting her head at the male and nodding in greeting to Meldresi, somewhat pleased she was here as the girl was quickly becoming a familiar face to Vectra.

Her brown coat seemed to somehow blend in perfectly with the surroundings, even her white mask as well which she held low to the ground as she came towards the group. Firey eyes shined like embers upon a fire, calm but burning with life. Those eyes flicked back and forth between the two wolves in her company, curious as to why they were here.




speech

Thanks for joining guys! <3 Feel free to add input to this plan, too. I'm just going with the flow for the moment. :3

It did not take long for the first of two to come up from the darkness around. If not for the distinct curve of femininity, Mordecai would have willing took Meldresi for Kaname by the dark color alone. She had seemingly emerged from the shadows themselves, nothing much in her approach denoted other than the way the moonlight shimmered across as she closed the distance. He curled his tail skyward out of reaction, eyes looking her over and a reply set on his lips when another figure approaching stole his attention.

This wolf, he recognized from the Isle. Was her name Vectra? He couldn't recall. Her sterling mask evident in her approach, though the low light made her seem ghastly to Mordecai for only a moment. He waited for her to join the group before addressing them both. “There's a small band of deer to our south. Easy game at that, does and their fawns.” He gestured briefly in the direction from where he had come. “I was hoping there'd be someone hanging around this part of the territory, so I didn't want to risk making too much noise and spook them off.” And he had proven right that there were others still out in the late hour, and close by. The energy of the Spine had been restless as they settled in permanently.

“I don't know if we're all acquainted, so let's make this quick. I'm Mordecai,” he offered to them both. Allowing the time for them to exchange names, he went on to offer them a plan. Three wolves were certainly going to make this easier than two. “I think we should try to flank them and drive them into the territory. They don't seem to be as familiar with it as we are. If we separate the fawns from their mothers, they shouldn't be too hard to capture. Whatever we can catch, they'd make nice little additions to our caches.” He smiled faintly then.

The tawny male was soon joined by Vectra, one of the first females she met. The priestess nodded towards the white-masked wolf, then turned her attentions to the male. There were deer nearby, that's why his call was so low, to keep their attentions away from him. He gave them his name, Mordecai. Knowing it was her turn to speak, she said her name, more towards the tawny wolf than Vectra. "I am Meldresi."

With their names exchanged, Mordecai continued his plan. He wanted to drive the does into the territory, and cut the fawns off and kill them. She tipped her head as she thought. "How many does and fawns are there? If it is possible, maybe we could take a doe as well, but still leave one to raise whatever fawns are left."

Vectra looked to the male curiously as Meldresi questioned him for hunting info. Adding her name once Meldresi was finished "and im Vectra" she said with a nod but in soft tones soon adding on her own expertise "one of us could scare away the herds protectors as the other two work to take down some of them of possible. since there is only three of us... we can take at most... two fawns or maybe one doe?" she looked to Mordecai to make sure.




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Vectra and Meldresi; he could remember those names easily enough. Mordecai listened as the two subordinates gave him their input, and it took it into consideration. Both of them had good points and he nodded thoughtfully. “I counted at least five heads. Two does and three fawns,” he told them, recalling the view from his vantage point. “I suppose there could be one or two more, give or take, but I don't think it's likely. The does are fairly alert and I think it's safe to say that they know that they're trying to catch a break on the edge of our territory.” No doubt that when they saw this trio coming toward them, they'd make haste to steer clear of them.

As for picking and choosing what they went after and left alone, Mordecai was torn a bit. He would have liked to take down whatever they could, but it was also wise to leave some of them be. Ouroboros would do no good in later weeks if they successfully took out their local game, and he didn't like the idea of carting a carcass back long distance. “If we can spook the does into running, it might be easier to try and take one of them down if we gang up on it. The fawns are definitely the easier targets though. Even if we don't take one of the does down right away, leaving them with an injury just means we can track it down later.” A bleeding ungulate was a lot easier to come back after later, if it didn't go traipsing into the jaws of another waiting predator.

He shrugged then. “We should probably set up out from the borders a little bit though. I'm sure they've picked up on the fact that I called for others, so they'll probably be waiting for us to come from this direction.” He turned slightly, suggesting that they start heading that way. They could formulate the rest of the plan that way, and put it into action hopefully.

Vectra agreed with what the male had to say nodding silently "we could sneak around, since they are paying attention to this area if we are careful they can be caught unawares..." she offered, Vectra has only hunted small game before, so she didn't know if the same rules applied but if they did then she hoped she was on the right track. She kept her body low and her voice soft, so as not to alert the heard nearby.




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Meldresi was not by any means a huntress. She could only hunt well enough to feed herself, but was not very good at hunting prey. But she supposed that she could learn from Mordecai, who seemed well versed on hunting.

There were about five of the deer, two does and three fawns. They were heading towards the edge of Ouroboros territory but Mordecai meant to drive them inwards instead. She kept silent as he and Vectra exchanged tactics, having little to say on the matter. But when they began discussing a means of attack, Meldresi had a suggestion.

"Maybe we should split up and attack from three sides. We could charge from near the borders and to the other side of them and charge them towards the interior of the territory...."

Looks like you jumped the posting order a bit, Luna, but it works so I'm gonna roll with it. ;P

Their pace was steady and quiet, much to the liking of Mordecai. He offered Vectra no words to her statement, if only because she had echoed his already in act plan. They were heading to the edges of their borders to get the drop on them, and that would only work if they kept silent. Meldresi, on the other hand, offered something he hadn't considered. Mordecai had turned an ear back to listen to her words and once again, didn't say anything as he considered the option. Then after a moment, he looked back to her with a smile.

“I think that might work, actually. They'll have to start up the slope, which will slow them down some. We might have an easier job of picking them off.” He turned his gaze to Vectra then. “What do you think? Does that work for you?” She had been vocal about their plan too, so he figured the least he could do was offer the chance for her to get in the final say. Once they had that established, Mordecai had every intention of letting them all stay quiet so they could get into position.

Vectra smiled at Meldresi as she offered her idea, it was solid and well formed. "great idea Meldresi.." She said to her before turning to Mordecai and nodding in agreement "yes I agree, it will drive them inward." she said, hopefully those that did survive would remain in their lands, even if it was out of fear of what lay on the borders.


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She was surprised that they both liked her plan. Maybe it was her years training to be cunning and sly that made her good at planning. She wasn't sure, only having some experience in the field. "Thank you," she said, towards Vectra.

The priestess looked at the slope where the deer were said to be staying. Another plan was formulating in her brain. Maybe one of them could charge them down the slope, while the other two keep the herd from straying out of the territory and go inward instead.

As they slipped into position, Mordecai brought their trio to a slow halt along the outskirts of their marked borders. He tested the air with his nose, finding that nothing was out of place. It was a plus that their borders had not been encroached by the likes of some unsavory vagrant, and also that they were downwind of the game lying at rest to their north. He listened to the stillness of the night for a moment more, before speaking in hushed tones to the feminine duo at his side.

“We should spread out a little bit from each other as we head toward them. Wouldn't be too good if we have them slip out on either side of us. Are both of you ready to do this?” He'd give them this one last time to speak up, and then push their plan into action. It was now or never for either of them to back out or make their alterations; Mordecai wouldn't hold it against either of them they decided this wasn't the best plan. After all, they wouldn't be a pack if they couldn't work together.

Vectra was all for the idea, it was solid and well formed for three wolves going up against a herd of deer. She looked to Mel if the young female had any second thoughts, and if not she would nod to Mordecai, ready to take action.

She was not the master of stealth, nor was she unable to do stealth. She was.... learning the art. It was more if creatures had extremely good night vision that mattered if they would notice her, as she was already smart enough to try to move when creature's were not paying attention to her.




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Meldresi followed the pair to the border, excited for the hunt. She wondered what it felt to hunt in a trio, she hadn't done it before. She was almost always too busy to ever go out and hunt. But now she had a chance to experience it for herself.

Mordecai got them to the border, sniffing the air and spoke to them, asking if they were ready. Meldresi nodded. She could sneak up to them, be right under their noses and they wouldn't notice. Her training as a priestess prepared her for the art of stealth, even though she was not a full-blown assassin.

They nodded, and Mordecai himself gave a final nod. There were no second thoughts, no half-measures left. Turning his gaze away from the pair, he surveyed the landscape before them with interest, and then set off. If they had come in at the right point, then he hoped that the deer would lie directly ahead of them. If they hadn't, well, that was simply just an adjustment that they'd have to make on the fly.

As he slid quietly through the underbrush, Mordecai gestured for them to begin fanning out. Easily they could come up to cup the tiny pocket of the deer, and hopefully catch them unaware as they rested. He still worried about the does that were lying in wait though, no doubt certain that they had heard his low call. But it wasn't the first call they'd hear tonight, though it was questionable as to whether or not it would be their last.

Vectra followed as she was directed, fanning out when the gesture was given. Staying as quiet as possible as it was not long before they were right up on the group of deer. Vectra was eager for the possible meal but patience was key in this moment, and she knew it. She really needed to focus, so she reeled in her desire to just go all out and try to catch something. Instead she focused on the task at hand. They needed food for the pack, no selfish desires could be had here. She paid attention to the other two, waiting for when they needed to pounce, to strike.




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With Mordecai giving the final say, Meldresi spread out in the opposite direction of Vectra. She moved forward, eyeing the deer below. Two does, three fawns. Rare for does to have twins, and she was surprised one of them survived this long. It was hard to raise one child, even harder to raise two. Especially when you are an ungulate like the white-tailed deer were.

Her ears and eyes were opened now. She moved silently into position, waiting for Mordecai to give the signal to move forward.

He considered themselves lucky, at least in the sense that they ended up not too far off from where the deer had settled themselves. A bit off-center, Mordecai knew that they could correct themselves in due time. The only signal he gave that they were making the attack came in the form of a snarl, bubbling free in the depths of his chest as he tore after the deer. The does were quick to rise, but the fawns made a staggering attempt at getting to their feet through clinging thick sleep.

It made no difference to Mordecai, who moved to spread the herd and drive them towards the interior of the Spine. The slope beneath his feet slowed him minutely, but he, as the others hopefully, had garnered the stamina to crest the slopes towards their basined interior. With the forests shooting past him, he could not readily pinpoint where his companions were in the darkness. But he knew that they were there, and that the cadence that now filled the night consisted of their dutiful run and the fearful stamp of the ungulates.

And he felt confident they would have them soon.

Vectra shot after whatever poor creature was closest to her when she heard the signal, Springing out like a angry dog with nothing to lose. The nearest looked to be a fawn that was just loosing its spots, As it was getting up Vectra was attempting to get close to it. Like really close, if she was ontop of the fawn before it was good off and running a distance the poor creatures life would end quick and painless.

If not she was a nice close distance to the herd to shoot after another one. She could see the other two wolves she was with, all three of them were herding the deer into the interior as they tried catching a doe or fawn maybe if they were lucky their bounty would be prosperous.




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At the sound of Mordecai's snarl, Meldresi darted forward. While she didn't dart in and attack the deer, no she left that for Vectra and Mordecai to do, she kept the unglates on track. She ran down the the slopes, snapping at one of the fawns that threatened to dart off.

As she ran, she pushed the deer closer towards her packmates while urging them forward at the same time. Certainly she could slow them down enough for Mordecai or Vectra to handle, or maybe she could bag a deer on her own.

Shorter post here for the sake of moving things along quickly. That and tired omgggg.

Spying the white mask of Vectra chasing after a fawn, Mordecai joined her. With large strides he broke through the ground cover easily, shooting past the forestry around him. The necessity of bloodlust overtook him as he met her pace, and the world around him ceased to exist momentarily as he nipped furiously at the heels of the young deer. If they could together take down the fawn with ease, they could come back for it. He hoped to still catch up with the does, or whatever Meldresi set her sights on.

Vectra kept speeding towards the small creature hoping that with her larger body and now Mordecai even running beside her the young fawn would falter. Even if it was a fawn that was just loosing its spots it was still a fawn so it had to be tired already, frightened even. Raising the chances that it would fall.

If the fawn should fall Vectra would leap towards the small creature, trying to quickly end its life. She didn't want to cause needless suffering for the small creature after all, a quick snap of the neck can be quick and clean.




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Uggh sorry for the lateness.

Noticing that Vectra and Mordecai had targeted a fawn, she considered following the pair. But they planned to catch more than one piece of prey, didn't they? She could take down a fawn, maybe a doe, couldn't she?

Eyes locking on the fawn closest to her, she increased her speed, catching up to the young grazer. She got close to its hindquarters, and dashed out a paw to trip it. The babe bleated and stumbled, but continued on, retaining its balance. The priestess felt a growl rumble in her throat and ran after the fawn, determined to trip it once more.

Pretty sure I take the lateness cake on this, heh. Sorry about the wait, you two, but thanks for your patience. <3 edit: Since Vectra has gone inactive, I'm just gonna edit an eding to this, @Meldresi, since it's outdated and well, lmao, we're both busy. <3

When Vectra's motion did little to take down the fawn, Mordecai made the final move. Pushing himself to close that minute distance, he took the chance of being kicked and seized one of the hind legs as it sprang to him. He grasped it just above the fawn's ankle, yanking it back with a swift crack to punctuate the night air. The fawn screeched out in pain but came down thrashing, and Mordecai sprang past it to aid Meldresi. The kill of the young ungulate he would leave for Vectra.

Finding the inky female in the depths of the dark wood proved difficult initially, but all he really had to do was take note of where the deer charged off. The pitiful bleating a fawn reverberated in the foliage ahead of him, and it was there that Mordecai shifted his attention to. He took a steady run up the slope, gaining traction and speed as he conformed to the terrain. Moonlight, though broken, soon revealed to him the racing streak of Meldresi with certainly. With a snarl bubbling free of his mouth, he joined her pursuit and thrust into the fray of the next kill.

By the time he had reached her, she had closed in on the deer, and together the two felled the young creature. The rest of the small group had scattered into the night and though he wished they could have gone for another, the two fawns they had taken would certainly stock the caches a bit more. Flashing a smile to Meldresi, he rallied the trio to take their fills and later utilized their aid to store the kills. Once the job was done, the trio dispersed into the warm evening and went about their lives.